480 



NATURE 



\_March 20, 1890 



of Corti. — Dr. Hausemann spoke on unsymmetrical karyokinesis 

 met with in epitheliomata. Ordinarily the chromatin-fiiaments 

 divide into two equal parts, but in cancer-cells they do not, .and 

 from this results the polymorphism of the nuclei. 



Physical Society, Febuary 21. — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof, von Bezold made a short speech 

 in memory of Buys Ballot, pointing out with chief prominence 

 that he was the first to draw attention to the necessity of co- 

 operation between the meteorologists of different nations, and 

 that he had been chiefly instrumental in establishing the existing 

 International Meteorological Congress. He further showed that 

 Buys Ballot was the first to give a survey of the meteorological 

 ■conditions existing simultaneously at different places on the 

 earth's surface, the pioneer in the production of the synoptic 

 charts which are now published (see Foggendorff's Annalen for 

 1847), ^°^ the first to thoroughly grasp and state with precision 

 the difference between weather and climate. — Dr. E. Pringsheim 

 spoke on Kirchoff's law and gaseous radiation. During the ex- 

 perimental verification of the above, the speaker was chiefly 

 interested in the behaviour of gases and vapours, and selected 

 for his experiments sodium vapour. It was impossible to obtain 

 any answer to the question " Does a gas acquire the'power of 

 emitting light-rays when its temperature is raised?" by the mere 

 introduction of sodium or its salts into the non-luminous flame of 

 a Bunsen burner, since it was not possible to exclude the occur- 

 rence of chemical changes during such an experiment. Thus he 

 employed rather the method of Lockyer, Liveing, and Dewar, 

 heating the metal in a sealed tube. In this way he verified the 

 appearance of the bright emission-line and of the absorption-line 

 of sodium. The lowest temperature at which they make their 

 lappearance was determined and measured thermo-electrically, 

 but the speaker did not deduce any absolute value from his data. 

 He further considered that the radiation of gases when heated is 

 not yet definitely proved, since the nitrogen in which he heated 

 the sodium contained minute traces of oxygen, and the method 

 he employed for closing the ends of his tube permitted of the 

 probable entry of small quantities of air. He had, therefore, 

 additionally made experiments with thallium, and on the in- 

 troduction of air into the metallic vapours ; these experiments 

 yielded a distinctly affirmative answer to the original question, 

 but require further extension. So also do some experiments on 

 the occurrence of a fluted spectrum of sodium, which the speaker 

 had made during the course of the above work. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



THURSDAY, March 20. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The Bakerian Lecture — On the Discharge of 



Electricity through Gases : Prof. A. Schuster, F.R.S. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — The External Morphology of the Lepidoptcrous 



Pupae ; Part 2, the Antennae and Wings : E. B. Poulton, F.R.S. — On the 



Intestinal Canal of the Ichthyopside with especial Reference to its Arterial 



Supply : Prof. G. B. Howes. 

 ■Chemical Society, at 8. — The Evidence afforded by Petrographical 



Research of the Occurrence of Chemical Change under Great Pressures' : 



Prof. Judd, F.R.S. 

 Zoological Society, at 4. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. 

 RavAL Institution, at 3. — The Early Developments of the Forms ot 



Instrumental Music (with Musical Illustrations) : Frederick Niecks. 



FRIDAY, March 21. 



Physical Society, at 5. — On the Villari Critical Point of Nickel : 

 Herbert Tomlinson. — On Bertrand's Idiocyclophanous Prism ; Prof. 

 Silvanus Thompson. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 7.30. — Economy Trials of a Com- 

 pound Mill-Engine and Lancashire Boilers : L. A. Legros. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Electro-magnetic Radiation : Prof. G. F. 

 Fitzgerald, F R.S. 



SATURDAY, March 22. 



Society of Arts, at 3. — The Atmosphere : Prof. Vivian Lewes. 



Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Electricity and Magnetism : Right Hon. 

 Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, March 24. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — North American Trans-Conti- 

 nental Pathways, Old and New : Augustus Allen Hayes. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Some Considerations concerning Colour and 

 Colouring: Prof. A. H. Church, F.R.S. 



TUESDAY, March 25. 

 Anthropological Institute, at 8.30. — Exhibition of a Skull, dredged 

 up on the Manchesler Ship Canal Works : Isidore Spielman. — The Old 

 British "Pibcorn," or "Hornpipe." and its Affinities : Henry Balfour. — 

 The Ancient Peoples of Ireland and'v Scotland considered : Hector 

 Maclean. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Engraving in Wood, Old and New : W. J. 

 I^inton. 



In<!titution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Lough Erne Drainage: James 

 Price, Jun. (Discussion.) — Barry Dock and Railway : John Robinson. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Post-Darwinian Period : Prof. G. J. 

 Romanes, F.R.S. 



WEDNESDAY, March 26. 



Geological Society, at 8. — On a New Species of Cyphaspis from the 

 Carboniferous Rocks of Yorkshire : Miss Coignou. Communicated by 

 Prof. T McKenny Hughes, F.R.S. — On Composite Spherulites in 

 Obsidian from Hot Springs near Little Lake, California : F. Rutley. — A 

 Monograph of the Pryozoa (Polyzoa) of the Hunstanton Red Chalk ; G R. 

 Vine. Communicated by Prof. P. Martin Duncan, F.R.S. — Evidence 

 furnished by Quaternary Glacial- Epoch Morainic Deposits of Penn- 

 sylvania, U.S.A., for a Similar Mode of Formation of the Permian 

 Breccias of Leicestershire and South Derbyshire : W. S. Gresley. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Carriage-Building and Street Traffic in England 

 and France : G. N. Hooper. 



THURSDAY, March 27. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The following papers will probably be read : — 

 On Black Soap-films: Profs. Reinold and Riicker, F.R.S.— The Varia- 

 bility of the Temperature of the British Isles, 1869-83 inclusive : R. H. 

 Scott, F.R.S. — Preliminary Note on Supplementary Magnetic Surveys of 

 Special Districts in the British Isles: Profs. Riicker and Thorpe, F.R.S. 

 — The Rupture of Steel by Longitudinal Stress : C. A. Cams- Wilson. — 

 Measurements of the Amount of Oil necessary in order to check the 

 Motion of Camphor upon Water: Lord Rayleigh, Sec. R.S — On the 

 Stability of a Rotating Spheroid of Perfect Liquid : G. H. Bryan.— A 

 Determination of v, the Ratio of the Electromagnetic Unit of Electricity 

 to the Electrostatic Unit: Prof. J. J. Thomson, F.R.S., and G. F. C. 

 Searle. 



Chemical Society, at 4. — Anniversary Meeting. — Election of Office- 

 Bearers and Council. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Early Development of the Forms ot 

 Instrumental Music (with Musical Illustrations) : Frederick Niecks. 



FRIDA Y, March 28. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 7 30. — Deflection of Spiral Springs: 



Alfred E. Young. 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Foam : Right Hon. Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S. 



^SATURDAY, March 29. 

 Society of Arts, at 3. — The Atmosphere : Prof. Vivian Lewes. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Electricity and Magnetism: Right Hon. Lord 

 Rayleigh, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Naturalist in North Celebes. By Dr. F. H. H. 



Guillemard 457 



Saint- Venant's Elastical Researches. By Prof. A. 



G. Greenhill, F.R.S 458 



Globes. By A. F 459 



The Psychology of Attention. By C. LI. M 460 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Boerlage : " Handleiding totde Kennis der Flora van 



Nederlandsch Indie." — W. B. H 461 



Earl : " The Elements of Laboratory Work " ... 461 



Jamieson : " Magnetism and Electricity " 461 



Serviss : " Astronomy with an Opera-Glass " . . . . 462 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Electrical Radiation from Conducting Spheres, an 

 Electric Eye, and a Suggestion regarding Vision. 



{Illustrated.) Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S. . 462 



" PecuHar Ice- Forms." — Prof. J. G. MacGregor . 463 

 On a Certain Theory of Elastic After-Strain. — Prof. 



Horace Lamb, F.R.S 463 



Foreign Substances attached to Crabs. — Ernest W. 



L. Holt 463 



Abnormal Shoots of Ivy. {Illustrated.') — W. F. R. 



Weldon 464 



Earth-Currents and the Occurrence of Gold. — George 



Sutherland 464 



The Primitive Types of Mammalian Molars. {Illus- 

 trated.) 465 



Oxford "Pass" Geometry 467 



Przewalsky's Zoological Discoveries ....... 468 



Notes 468 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope. — A. Fowler 472 



The Megueia Meteorite 472 j 



The Velocity of the Propagation of Gravitation . . . 472 I 



The Vatican Observatory 472 j 



Double- Star Observations 472 ! 



Sun-spot in High Latitudes 472 



Geographical Notes 472 I 



Atmospheric Dust. By Dr. William Marcet, F.R.S. 473 j 



Societies and Academies 477 | 



Diary of Societies 480 



