Jan. 9, 1879] 



NATURE 



235 



years, and have furnished much useful information, some of 

 which is here embodied in the opening paper. — Mr. Cooper 

 investigates the driving power of leather belts. — Prof. Chase 

 gives a series of verifications and confirmations of astronomical 

 hypotheses and predictions, and a brief statement of the prin- 

 ciples on which they are based. 



Journal de Physique, November, 1878. — In a contribution to 

 the theory of vowels, M. Bourseul, after pointing out that there are 

 really as many distinct vowels as there are pitches of sound proper 

 to the mouth, eniunerates the vowels (ten in number) which he 

 uses in speaking French. On examining the sounds of the 

 mouth-cavity which correspond to them (apart from absolute 

 pitch), he finds they fall into two divisions, one being in perfect 

 accord with do major [mi, do, sol, mi, do), the other with re (fa, 

 si, re, fa, si). This confirms in an unexpected way a principle 

 discovered by the philologist, M. Roehrig, in 1848. He noted 

 the marked difference, or rather antagonism, of certain con- 

 sonants and certain vowels, and he arranged the latter in 

 two di-tinct classes, one comprising a, o, ou, the other /, eu, u. 

 "When studying the Tartar and Finnish tongues, he remarked 

 that the vowels in a word of Tartaro- Finnish idiom were 

 invariably of the same class. The derived languages have 

 undergone alterations, whereby the traces of this original prin- 

 ciple gradually disappears, stiU it may be recognised. — With 

 regard to vibratory forms of liquids on circular metallic 

 plates, M. Decharme finds that the widths of the striae are 

 inversely proportional to the square roots of the numbers of 

 \'ibrations of the corresponding sounds, — Prof. Crova explains 

 his important mode of comparison of the radiations emitted by 

 calorific and dark sources ; and in their continued paper of 

 exi-)erimental researches on magneto electric machines, MM. 

 Mascart and Angot take up mixed machines, i.e., those com- 

 posed of magnets and electro-magnets. 



December, 1878. — M. Deprez here describes the way in which 

 he solves a problem relating to the work of steam in locomotive 

 cylinders, viz., to trace, at a distance, a curve whose abscissae 

 and ordinates are respectively proportional to the path traversed 

 by the piston and the pressure exercised by the steam on the 

 piston. The solution rests on two principles — (i) Giving the 

 sheet of paper (for the cmrve) a motion rigorously proportional 

 to that of the piston ; (2) Measuring at a certain point and instan- 

 taneously, the pressure of the steam on the piston. — M. Terquem 

 communicates a paper on the use of plane liquid sheets (from 

 bars and connecting threads) for experimental demonstration and 

 measurement of the superficial tension. The determination in 

 this way agrees with that by observation-of the ascent of liquid 

 ia a capillary tube, whereas the process of counting drops gives 

 perceptibly higher numbers. — M. Mace da Lepimay studies 

 mathematically the subject of potential in electrodynamics and 

 electromagnetism. 



Verhandlunqen des naturhistorischen Vereines der preussischen 

 Rheinlande und Westphalens, thirty-fifth year, vol. v. part i. 

 (Bonn : Max Cohen and Son, 1878.) — Dr. Franz Leydig, herpe- 

 tological reminiscences of Roesel von Rosenhof. Roesel was 

 bom in Niimberg, 1705, and died there in 1759, and he wrote 

 on amphibian reptiles, insects, Crustacea, and spiders, worms 

 and polyps, rotifers and infusoria. — Dr. Forster, a short mono- 

 graph of some parasitical hymenoptera, in which many new 

 genera and species are described. — P. Hesse, contribution to the 

 molluscan fauna of Westphalia. — Dr. Theodor Wolf, on Coto- 

 paxi and its last eruption on June 26, 1877, with two plates. — 

 Dr. A. von Lasaulx, contribution to a knowledge of the igneous 

 rocks (Emptiogesteine) in the districts of the Saar and the 

 Mosel, with two plates. 



Reale Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Rendiconti, vol. xi, 

 fasc. xvi. xvii. — This contains reports connected with the award 

 of prizes, announcement of subjects for new prizes, &c. 



Fasc. xviii. — On the integration of algebraico-differential 

 equations of the first order and degree by means of linear func- 

 tions, by Prof. Casorati. — On the dominant diseases of vines, 

 I by Drs. Garovaglio and Cattaneo. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Royal Society, December 19, 1878.— «' On the Chemical 

 Compofition of Aleurone Grains," by S. H. Vines. 



In the first part of the paper an account is given of some ex- 

 penments confirming those of Weyl {Zeitschr. f. physiol 



Chemie, Ed. i.), which show that the reserve-proteids are stored 

 up in the seeds of the blue lupin in the form of globulins 

 (vitellin and myosin), and that the conglutin extracted from 

 them by Ritthausen is a product of the alteration of these 

 globulins by the reagents used in the process of extraction. Mr. 

 Vines' micro-chemical observations further show that these 

 globulins constitute the aleurone-grains. 



In the second part Mr. Vines points out that, in addition to 

 the globulins, the aleurone-grains contain a proteid which is 

 soluble in distilled water. Such a solution of this substance 

 does not become turbid in boiling; it gives a precipitate on 

 the addition of a drop of nitric acid, soluble in excess ; it 

 gives the xanthoproteic and Millon's reactions ; it gives an 

 immediate precipitate with acetic acid and potassic ferro- 

 cyanide ; and it gives a bright pink colour when treated with 

 excess of strong caustic soda on the addition of a drop c5f 

 dilute solution of cupric sulphate. This substance does not 

 dialyse. These properties show that it belongs to the group of 

 the peptones, and that it most resembles the a peptone of 

 Meissner, or, adopting Kiihne's nomenclature, hemialbumose, 

 a name which may be provisionally applied to this substance 

 also. The discovery of this substance is of interest in connec- 

 tion with the researches which have been made during the last 

 few years into the existence of peptic ferments in the seeds and 

 other parts of plants. 



Linnean Society, Dec. 19, 1878. — Prof. Allman, president, 

 in the chair. — A note on South African orchids, by W. Mansell 

 Weale, was read by the secretary, and a series of drawings 

 illustrating the above, and also other plants from the same 

 region were likewise exhibited on the part of Mr. Weale. He 

 points out that the supposed generic characters of Mystacidium 

 and Polystachyon, founded on the *' two-legged" caudicles of the 

 pollinia, are fallacious. — In a short paper consisting of a descrip- 

 tion of some rare shells, by Mr. Sylvanus Hanley, Melania 

 Limborgi, from British India, and Leftotnya fraz'tda, of un- 

 certain habitat, were specially referred to as being unusual in 

 several respects. — An interesting communication on the relations 

 of Rhabdopleura was made by the president. — Messrs, F. M. 

 Campbell, J. L. Hamilton, and J. J. McAndrew were elected 

 Fellows of the Society. 



Entomological Society, Dec. 4, 1878.— Mr, H. W. Bates, 

 F.L.S., F.Z.S., president, in the chair. — The following elections 

 took place : Mr. T. P. Newman as a Member, and Mr. J. Walker, 

 R.N., as a Subscriber. — Mr. Stainton exhibited a series of speci- 

 mens of Glyfhipteryx schanicolella taken by Mr. Threlfull near 

 Witherslack. — Mr. Wood Mason exhibited and made remarks 

 upon a stridulating beetle belonging to the Rutelidce. — Prof. 

 Westwood exhibitai some insects and diagrams illustrative of 

 so-called, monstrosity, and contributed remarks thereon. — Mr. 

 McLachlan exhibited a series of cases of the larvae of Trichop- 

 terous insects forwarded to him by Dr, Fritz Miiller of Santa 

 Catharina, Brazil, one of which, Dr, Miiller stated, had the 

 peculiar habit of liN-ing on trees in the water that collects 

 between the leaves of Bromelia, in which tadpoles, the larvae of 

 dragon-flies and other aquatic animals were also to be found. 

 Mr. Bates stated that rain-water collects at the bases of the 

 leaves of these plants and remains there for nine months out of 

 the twelve. Dr. Miiller had also forwarded a photograph of a 

 number of cases which he considered to belong to some species 

 of Hydropsychidce, and in his own words, "make a funnel- 

 shaped entrance to their houses with a net of which no spider need 

 be ashamed." In reference to the opinion of Dr. Miiller as to 

 the homologies which appeared to exist between the neuration of 

 various Lepidoptera and that of Trickoptera, Mr. McLachlan 

 expressed his own belief that in a linear arrangement the orders 

 Lepidoptera and Trichoptera should not be widely separated, 

 — The Rev. A. Eaton exhibited a piece of " Kimgu cake " 

 from Lake Nyassa district, where, according to Livingstone and 

 others, it is used extensively as food by the natives, who manu- 

 facture it from large quantities of a minute insect, conjectured to 

 be a species of Ephemeridce. From an exhaustive examiaation, 

 however, Mr. Eaton found it to be a minute representative of the 

 Culicidte, probably belonging to the genus Corethra. In con- 

 nection with the subject of insect-food as used by man, Mr. 

 Distant remarked, he had learned from Mr. Chennell that 

 Erthesina fullo, a very common eastern hemipterous insect was 

 largely eaten by the Naga Hill tribes of North-eastern India. — 

 Mr. Meldola in reply to some queries forwarded to him, as to 

 the chemical composition of the bodies of insects, remarked that 



