Kov. 2 1, 1878] 



NATURE 



^7 



galvanic currents by streaming of liquids through tubes, Ilerr 

 Dom infers that the motion of the liquid in itself produces no 

 considerable part of the electromotive force obsened ; the in- 

 fluence of the tube wall, on the other hand, is undoubted.— Herr 

 Wiedemann shows that an examination of magnetic behaviour of 

 iron oxide salts is well adapted for determining \nth accuracy, even 

 quantitatively, their dissociation in solutions at different tempera- 

 tures, the conditions of their fixation by acids, and their exchange 

 with other salt?.— In the first portion of an inquiry into the 

 divergences of some gases from Boyle's law at 0° and 100°, Heu 

 \Yinkelmann gives an interpolation formula, expressing this diver- 

 gence in the case of ethylene. — A new proposition in the theory of 

 diffraction proved by Herr Frolich, is, that with small angles of 

 diffraction, the kinetic energy of the incident light for an aperture 

 of any shape is equal to the kinetic energy of the difSracted light. 

 — Some experiments on the nature of the phases and change 

 composition in telephonic transmission are described by Herr 

 Hermann. — There are also notes on the relation between refrac- 

 tion equivalent and wave length, and on excitation of electricity 

 by pressure and friction. 



Journal of the Franklin Inst'Uutt, October. — This contains a 

 short accoimt by Prof. Henry Draper, of his eclipse observations 

 at Rawlins, Wyoming Territory, together with a photograph 

 of the corona, showing the unequal distribution of its matter in 

 the plane of the ecliptic and ray-like forms towards the poles of 

 the sun. — Mr. Bell furnishes an account of the now historic 

 "Camel" locomotive engine of Ross Winans, built in June, 

 1848. It first practically demonstrated the superiority of the 

 eight-wheel connected engine for heavy traffic ; it had also an 

 inclined firebox, and other features of novelty. — The new sys- 

 tem of electric lighting by Profs. Thomson and Houston, is 

 descriLe^, consisting in causing one or both the carbon elec- 

 trodes to vibrate to and from each other, so that the effect of 

 the lij'ht produced is continuous. This allows of a feebler 

 carrent being used. — Mr. Isherwood analyses some Scotch 

 experiments on economic vaporisation of water and expansion 

 of steam. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Linnean Society, November 7. — Prof. Allman, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Sir Joseph D. Hooker, C.B., 

 presented to the Society, in the name of a committee of 

 ^ntlemen, a portrait of the Rev. M. J. Berkeley. A great 

 matted mass in sheet of a Chara {Niiella sp. ?) was exhibited 

 by Dr. Thos. Boycott. It had been got from a dried-up pond 

 in St. Leonard's Forest, Sussex, June, 1877; within its-meshes 

 many interesting microscopic forms were obtained. — Mr. Thos. 

 Qiristy next called attention to living specimens of West 

 African indian-rubber trees, the Urostigvia Vogelii, and an- 

 other imdetermined species recently arrived. He likewise showed 

 the fruit, flower, and leaf in spirit, with a dried ball of the gum 

 of the commercially valuable Landolphia florida. — Dr. Maxwell 

 ''" ters read an extract from a letter of Dr. Beccari describing 

 i^antic Aroid found by him in Sumatra, side by side with 

 --. j Ra£lesia arnolti. The species has a large tuber 5 feet round, 

 I from which is pushed up a single leaf, with a long, stout petiole, 

 ; the divided blade covering an area of 45 feet, or 15 metres. — 

 i Dr. R. C. A. Prior showed a specimen of CoUdia cruciaia in 

 blossom, grown out of doors in Somersetshire by the Rev. W. 

 Sotheby. — " Notes on Euphorbiaceze," by Mr. G. Bentham, read 

 I in title, was a paper treating of the history, nomenclature, syste- 

 matic arrangement, and the origin and geographical distribution 

 ' of this remarkable order of plants. Among Dicotyledon?, 

 ' Euphorbiaceoe stands fourth in point of numbers, having above 

 3000 species and 200 genera. In investigating the origin of the 

 order the geological record, unfortunately, is of no assistance. 

 TheirJ evident, generally tropical nature, ^is a striking feature, 

 'and, judging from various data, it is conjectured that their 

 most ancient home was in the old world. Their affinities have 

 repeatedly been discussed by botanists, but though there are 

 individual genera which may exhibit some one character sup- 

 posed to ally to other orders, yet no real connection has hitherto 

 i been pointed out. Their isolation is produced, not so much by 

 ; any one special character, as by a special combination of several. 

 I As to position in the linear series, xmless the order be broken up, 

 j practically it must remain among the Monochlamydeae, in spite of 

 occasional presence of corolla in some forms. The author has a 

 most interesting chapter on nomenclature and synonymy, well 



worthy the study and serious attention of biologists generally. 

 — Mr. Lewis A. liemays, in a letter to the secretary, records the 

 undoubted existence of Carpesium cernuum, in Queensland, and 

 suggests its being indigenous there. — In a paper given in abstract, 

 " Descriptions of New Hemiptera," by Dr. F. Buchanan White, 

 the diagnosis of 2 new genera {Helentts and Neovelia) and 17 new 

 species are entered. These mainly are the results of Prof. Trail's 

 late exploration of the regions bordering the River Amazon. — 

 Mr. Alfred W. Bennett read a communication, " Notes on 

 Cleistogamic Flowers ; chiefly of V^io'm, Oxalis, and fmpatUns." 

 According to him there are two kinds :— (i) Those which hardly 

 differ from the perfect open flowers, other than the partial or 

 entire suppression of the corolla, and the closing of the calj-x 

 ( = homocleistogamic) ; and (2) those with a distinct modification 

 in the flower to aid self-fertilization ( = heterocleistogamic). He 

 was at first disposed to regarf those two kinds as having 

 arisen, one by degradation, the other by a rudimentary form 

 of the organ : but subsequent examination convinced him 

 that both kinds owe their origin to degradation. In the 

 extreme cleistogamic flowers a large number of organs have 

 been correlatively modified. Most interesting phenomena occur 

 in the mode of emission of the poUen tulles, thefe travelling 

 through the air in a straight line from the anther vertically 

 upwards in Oxalis, horizontally in others, and creep along the 

 surface and even back of ovary in Viola canina. An unseen 

 agency directs, for none wander with uncertainty ; and this is 

 all the more remarkable because, when not in proximity to the 

 stigma, the pollen grains protrude their tubes in all possible 

 directions. — ITie Rev. G. Henslow orally delivered the gist of a 

 paper " On the Absorption of Dew and Rain by the Green Parts 

 of Plants" iodide Science Azotes). — The Rev. W. W. Fowler and 

 Messrs. Wilfred Huddle^tone and T. M. Shuttleworth were 

 elected Fellows of the Society. 



Chemical Society, November 7.— Dr. Gladstone, president, 

 in the chair. — The following papers were read : - Contributions 

 from the Laboratory of Tokio, Japan. On the red colomring 

 matter [^of the IMJwspermum erythrorhizon, by M. Kuhara. The 

 purple colouring matter was prepared from the root by extract- 

 ing with alcohol, purifying by treatment ^^^th lead acetate, &c ; 

 it forms a dark, resinous, uncrj-stallizable mass, with a metallic 

 green reflection, soluble in alcohol, ether, benzol, almost in- 

 soluble in water ; it resembles in some respects anchurin, the 

 colouring matter from alkanet. A bromine and a chlorine 

 compound were prepared. — A second report on some points in 

 chemical dynamics, by C. R. A. Wright, and A. P. Luff. 

 The authors have continued their previous research and have 

 determined the temperature of initial action of carbonic oxide, 

 hydrogen, and carbon on various oxides of iron, manganese, 

 lead, cobalt, and nickel. They find that the general law holds 

 good, that the temperature of the action of carbonic oxide 

 lies below that of hydrogen, which again is below that of carbon; 

 this rule appears to be a special case governed by the general 

 law that ccetens parUnts the greater algebraically is the heat 

 evolution taking place during a reducing action on a metallic 

 oxide, the lower is the temperature at which the action is first 

 noticeable during a few mmutes' action. — Note on the con- 

 stitution of the olefin e produced by the action of zinc upon 

 ethylic iodide, by Dr. Frankland and Mr. Dobbin. The gas 

 given off was passed through a cohol and hulphuric acid, and 

 then absorbed by antimonic chloride ; on heating with water and 

 distilling a chloride was obtained, boiling at 83° C. ; it was 

 therefore ethylenic, and not ethylidenic chloride. — On the 

 occurrence of certain nitrogen acids amongst the products 

 of the combustion of coal gas and hydrogen flames, by 

 L. T. Wright. The author proves that the origin of the 

 nitrogen acids fotmd in the condensed water procured by 

 burning coal gas or hydrogen in the air is ammonia, either 

 free or combined, no such acids being produced when the 

 gases are carefully freed from ammonia. — On the action of 

 bromine upon sulphur, by J. B. Hannay. — Researches on dyeing. 

 Part I. bilk and rosanilin, by Dr. Mills and Mr. G. Thomson. 

 The authors have investigated the nature of the transaction which 

 occurs when a vat is exhausted of its tinctorial ingredients. The 

 experiments consisted in immersing a constant area of whie silk 

 in a solution of a rosanilin salt at a constant temperature for 

 varying times, and then determining the loss of strength of the 

 rosanilin solution. — Comparison of the actions of hypochlorites 

 and hypDbromites on some nitrogen compomids, by H. J. H. 

 Fenton, The compounds selected were, ammonium carbamate, 

 guanidine, and biuret. — Notes on two new v^eto-alkaloids by 



