212 



l^ATURE 



[yan. 2, 1879 



hydrogenation and oxygenation of sugar (by electrical means) ; 

 he notes that there was a slight production of alcohol. — Study 

 of ordinary and compound engines, &c. (continued), by M. 

 Ledieu. — Report on Mr. Wharton's marine compass, with needle 

 of nickel. Its trial in the navy is recommended. — On the rep- 

 tiles of primary times, by M. Gaudry. This relates to pennian 

 fossils found at Autun. In the vertebrse of Actinodon the parts 

 of the centrum, already in great part formed, but not united, 

 indicate the passage of the imperfect vertebrate to the perfect, 

 l\f . Gaudry refers to two new reptiles, Pleurononia pellati and 

 Euchyrosaurus rochei ; the latter's name indicates the fact of its 

 having been more adroit with its fore-limbs than reptiles of the 

 present. — Reply to M. Sire's observations on a gyroscopic appa- 

 ratus, by M. Gruey. — On a new phenomenon of static elec- 

 tricity, by M. Duter. He repeated his experiment, with 

 vessels of the same volume, but with different thicknesses of 

 glass. The variations of volume were nearly in inverse ratio of 

 the squares of the thicknesses. — Artificial production of nephe- 

 line and amphigene, by the method of igneous fusion and re- 

 heating at a temperature near fusion, by MM. Fouque and Levy. 

 — Third note on vaccinal infection ; elaborative r6le of the 

 lymphatic ganglions, by M. Raynaud. — The memoir by Sadi 

 Carnot, " Reflexions sur la Puissance motrice du Feu," published 

 in 1824, and regarded as the origination of the new science of 

 thermodynamics, had very little publicity. His brother, M. H. 

 Carnot, has issued a new edition, with notes (hitherto unpub- 

 lished), which show that S. Carnot foresaw, with much distinct- 

 ness, the consequences that would result from his ideas. A 

 copy of the work, with the MS., was presented to the 

 Academy. — M. Mouchez presented drawings of heavenly 

 bodies, by M. Trouvelot (United States). — On the solar 

 spots and protuberances observed with the equatorial of 

 the Roman College, by P. Ferrari. Little more than 

 two tables relating to the second half of 1877. — On the 

 summation of series, by M. Andre. — On elimination, by M. 

 Mansion. — On the different properties of the mode of distri- 

 bution of an electric charge on the surface of an ellipsoidal con- 

 ductor, by M. Boussinesq. — On the spectrometric measurement 

 of high temperatures, by M. Crova. Take, as term of com- 

 parison, the flame of a moderator lamp, and let it be 1,000 on 

 the (arbitrary) optical scale of temperature. Then measure mth 

 the spectrophotometer the ratio of the intensities of two radiations 

 A and A' in the source of unknown temperature and in the lamp- 

 flame. The quotient of these two ratios will be above or below 

 1,000 according as the temperature of the source in question is 

 above or below that of the lamp-flame. M. Crova gives several 

 examples of his measurements, and thinks the method applicable 

 to measuring the temperature of the sun and stars ; also of 

 various industrial hearths. — Specific heat and heat of fusion of 

 palladium, by M. Violle. — Influence of temperature on rota- 

 tory magnetic power, by M. Joubert. This relates chiefly to 

 flint (regarding which there has been some discrepancy). M. 

 Joubert finds that the rotatory power increases with rise of tem- 

 perature, and about ^^^th of its value, in passing from the ordi- 

 nary temperature to that of fusion. His methods are described. 

 He succeeded also in measuring the rotation in a body under the 

 sole influence of terrestrial magnetism alone. — On the densities 

 and the coefficients of dilatation of liquid chloride of methyl, 

 by MM. Vincent and Delachanal. — On the oxidation of some 

 aromatic derivatives, by M. Etard. — On the nature of certain 

 accessory crystallised products, in industrial treatment of petro- 

 leums of Pennsylvania, by MM. Prunier and David, These 

 rank parallel (mostly) with those extracted from coal oils or 

 derivatives by pyrogenation from benzine. — Researches on urea, 

 by M. Picard. — On haemocyanine, a new substance from the 

 blood of the poulp, by M. Fredericq. This contains copper, and 

 seems to play a similar rdle in respiration to the hoemoglobine in 

 vertebrates. — Influence of different colours of the spectrum on 

 development of animals, by M. Yung. The experiments were 

 on eggs of frog, trout, and Lymnea. Violet is the most favourable 

 light, next comes blue, then yellow and white ; red and green 

 seem hurtful. Darkness does not prevent development, but 

 retards it. 



December 23, 1878. — Explosion of fuze materials, by M, 

 Dupuy de Lome. This relates to a recent accident to M. Zede 

 viicn experimenting with a mixture of gun-cotton and nitrate of 

 ammonia. The mode of combustion suddenly changed under a 

 very slight increase in the tension of the gas. — Formation of 

 leaves and order of appearance of their first vessels in Gramineas, 

 by M. Trecul. — Craniology of the Papuan race, by M. de 



Quatrefages. A rhumi of the seventh volume of his and M. 

 Hamy's work, " Crania Ethnica." — Experiments on the move- 

 ments of liquid molecules of current waves, considered in their 

 mode of action on the progress of ships, by M. de Caligny. — 

 Mr. Norman Lockyer communicated his paper recently read to 

 the Royal Society. — M. Damon was elected free member, in 

 place 'of the late M. Belgrand. — On .a process for measuring 

 with precision the variations of level of a liquid surface, by M. 

 le Chatelier. A point immersed in the liquid is raised gradually 

 till its extremity is tangent to the surface. The moment at 

 which this is passed is indicated by deformations of the liquid 

 surface, and these deformations are observed by means of light 

 thrown on the siuface, reflected, and observed with a lens, the 

 focal plane of which passes through the end of the point. 

 So long as the point is under water one sees a circle 

 uniformly illuminated, but immediately the point emerges 

 a black spot appears in the circle. The method gives very deli- 

 cate measurements, and one application designed is a very sensi- 

 tive manometer for detecting weak currents of air (as in mines). 

 — On the determination of the imaginary roots of algebraic 

 equations, by M. Farkas. — On the theory of perturbations of 

 comets, by M. Mathieu. — Results of solar observations during 

 the third quarter of 1878, by M. Tacchini. The calm was in- 

 creased. Of 100 days of observation, 90 were without spots. 

 He thinks the minimum will probably be passed in 1879. In 

 the zones of maximum frequence of the protuberances there 

 is a minimum of the facula;, and vice versd. There is a differ- 

 ence in distribution of the protuberances at the epochs of maxi- 

 mum and minimum of spots. There were no metallic eruptions 

 or elementary spectra, &c. — On a new thermograph, and on a 

 general method of integration of any numerical function, by 

 MM. Pictet and Cellerier. Knowing the tension of a vapour, 

 one may determine a priori the corresponding temperature. — • 

 Magnetic rotation of the plane of polarisation of light under the 

 earth's influence, by M. Becquerel. M. Joubert's experiment 

 was a repetition of M. Becquerel's. — On a new phenomenon 

 of static electricity, by M. Duter. He repeated M. Govi's ex- 

 periment with mercury (which had left doubts), and got contrac- 

 tion as in other cases. — On four singular epochs of the annual 

 course of meteorological elements, by M. Ragona. — Preparation 

 of cobaltocyanide of potassium and some derivatives, by M. 

 Descamps. — Action of trimethylamine on sulphide of carbon, 

 by M. Bleunard. He describes some of the properties of sul- 

 phocarbonate of trimethylamine, and its combinations with the 

 mineral acids. — On the chromatic function in the poulp, by M. 

 Fredericq. The changes of colour in the animal's skin are ana- 

 logous to those produced by the vaso-motors in the human face ; 

 they express various emotions, especially anger or fear. The 

 deep coloured phase represents the state of activity of the 

 muscles of ' the chromatophores ; the phase of decoloration, the 

 passive state of retraction of these bodies. — On the excretory 

 apparatus of Solenophorus megalocephalus, by M. Poirier. Pre- 

 vious accounts he finds erroneous. — New researches on suspen- 

 sion of the phenomena of life in the embryo of the hen, by AL 

 Dareste. A continuation of his former experiments, but with 

 use of different temperatures. The results were conformable to 

 what he expected. — On the tertiary strata of Britanny. 



CONTENTS Page 



Robert Dick OF Thurso. By Prof. Arch. Geikie, F.R.S. . . . jSj 



Telegraphy 192 



Our Book Shelf :— 



St. John's " Sketches of Wild Sport and Natural History of the 



Highlands " 193 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Paradoxical Philosophy. — Hermann Stoffkraft 193 



Force and Energy. — Robert H. Smith 194 



Leibnitz's Mathematics. — A. B. Nelson ig6 



Commercial Crises and Sun-Spots. — A. Stephen Wilson . . . 196 



Time and Longitude. — E. L. Layard Q 197 



Hereditary Transmission. — E. L. Layard 197 



" Survival of the Fittest." — A.Crane 197 



Shakespeare's Colour-Names. — Joseph John Murphy .... 197 

 Discussion of the Working Hypothesis that the so-called 

 Elements are Co.mpound Bodies, I. By J. Norman Lockyer, 



Y.^.'S,. {With Illustrations) i57 



ZoppRiTZ ON Ocean Currents 202 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



The Melbourne Observatory 204 



Biela's and Halley's Comets =°4 



Geographical Notes 204 



The Marquess OF Tweeddale, P.Z. S 205 



Notes 206 



Circulating Decimals. By J. W. L. Glaisher 208 



Scientific Serials 209 



Societies and Academies . 2:0 



