584 



NATURE 



\Sept. 26, 1878 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



It has been determined to give a course of lectures on Agri- 

 cultural Chemistry at the High School, Kelso, and the first of 

 the series, at which Sir Geo. Douglas presided, was delivered on 

 the 19th inst. by Mr. Wm. Ackroyd, from the Science Schools, 

 South Kensington, 



Prof. Marignac, after having filled for a period of thirty- 

 eight years the Chair of Chemistry at the University of Geneva, 

 with the greatest distinction, has recently resigned. He has 

 been replaced in the chair by Prof. Graebe, from the University 

 of Konigsberg. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Bulletin de VAcadhnie Royale de Belgiqtie, No. 6, 1878. — 

 In this number M. Spring communicates some interesting pre- 

 liminary results obtained from enormous pressure exerted on the 

 fine powder of some solid bodies (nitrates of sodium and potas- 

 sium, sawdust, chalk, &c.). Homogeneous blocks were thus 

 produced, harder and more resistant than if they had been 

 obtained by fusion. Two of them were found translucid, and 

 did not present the least vestige of the particles which were 

 united to form them. A force of 40,000 atmospheres was em- 

 ployed, but of this — the friction of the apparatus being enor- 

 mous — only about half was disposable pressure. — Some experi- 

 ments with regard to the action of atropine and physostigmine 

 on the heart of the frog, and in connection with the physiology 

 of the vagus nerve, are described by MM. Putzeys and Swaen. 

 — From a careful examination of some Chilopodan Myriapoda, 

 especially several large Scolopendra from Java, M. Jules 

 M'Leod has succeeded in detecting the true venomous glands 

 in the substance of the forcipular foot-jaws. The structure 

 of these organs is detailed. — M. De Heen has sought to de- 

 termine the viscosity of liquids from the retardation of a small 

 spheroidal glass runner allowed to descend in a tube of 3 m. 

 height, filled with different liquids. He deduces numerical 

 values, which he considers to represent the coefficients of fluidity 

 of the linuid. Objection is taken, however, to his formula by 

 MM. Valerius and Montigny, who report on the paper. 



The Zeitschrift der oesterreicJiischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteorologie 

 (vol. xiii., Nos. 19 and 20) contains the following more im- 

 portant papers : — On the conditions of temperature in the United 

 States, by Dr. A. Woeikoff. — Appeal to meteorologists to make 

 observations of clouds, by Dr. H. Hildebrandsson. — On a new 

 balance thermograph, by Dr. A. Sprung. — On the estimation of 

 ozone, by Albert Lewy. — On the origin of atmospheric ozone, 

 by Dr. Lender. — On the climate of Queensland, by Herr Hann. 

 — On the local winds of the Hiberian peninsula, by Herr 

 Hellmann. 



Kosmosy August. — The inhabitants of the planets, by C. 

 du Prel. — Harvey on generation : a study, by W. Preyer. — 

 Insects as unconscious florists, part 2, by Hermann Miiller ; 

 with wood-cuts illustrating potentilla, ranunculus, lychnis, 

 daphne, crocus, &c. — On the struggle of languages in the 

 Valais, by Alexander Maui-er. 



Zeitschrift filr wissenschaftlicJie Zoologie, vol. xxxi. part I. — 

 On the Siphonophora (Hydrozoa) of deep water, with descrip- 

 tions of new species of Rhizophyda and Bathyphysa, by Th. 

 Studer ; three plates. — Contribution to the morphology of 

 Oxytrichidas, by V. Sterki ; one plate. — On Trichaster elegans, 

 by H. Ludwig. — On Loxosema, by O. Schmidt. — On the 

 Tomopteridae, by F. Vejdovsky ; two plates. — Contribution on 

 the CaprellEe, by A. Gamroth ; three plates. 



Morphologisches fahrluch, vol. iv. part 2. — Contributions on 

 the formation, fertilisation, and segmentation of the animal 

 ovum, by Oscar Hertwig, part 3, continuing and confirming 

 his previous researches; three plates, with figures of ova of 

 Nausithoe, Physophora, Helix, Unio, Teliina, Sagitta, and 

 many others. — On fossil vertebras : the Cestracionts, by C. 

 Hasse ; fifty- five pages, three plates ; one containing coloured 

 diagrams of vertebrae to illustrate a scheme of the evolution of 

 fishes. — On Gorgonia verrucosa, by G. von Koch. — On the re- 



trogression of eyes in Arachnida, by A. Stecker ; one plate, 

 illustrating Chernes and Chelifer. — On the osteology of the 

 gorilla, by C. Aeby ; with five wood-cuts. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Entomological Society, September 4. — Fred. Smith, vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Mr. David Price of Horsham, Sussex, 

 was elected as a Member, and Capt. Thos. Broun, of Auckland, 

 New Zealand, as a Subscriber. — Mr. Rutherford exhibited two 

 specimens of an orthopterous insect Palophus centaurus, West, 

 from Old Calabar. — Mr. F. Smith exhibited a specimen of the 

 fruit of the so-called "locust-tree" {Hymenea conbaril), from 

 British Guiana, forwarded to Dr. Sharp from Mr. Harper. 

 The fruit on being opened had been found to contain three 

 living specimens of a weevil (Cryftorhynchus stigma, Linn.), a 

 cocoon containing the chrysalis of a moth, together with the 

 remains of one or more such cocoons, and lastly, a small 

 parasitic hymenopteron (an Ichneumon allied to Chelonus), Mr. 

 Smith also exhibited a specimen of Melolontha vulgaris, which 

 had lately been found alive under turf at the bottom of a box in 

 which the larva had been placed last April, thus making it 

 appear probable that the insect assumes its perfect state under- 

 ground a long time before making its actual appearance. — Mr. 

 Champion exhibited a series of Sfercheus emarginatus, taken at 

 West Ham, Essex. — Mr. Jno. Spiller exhibited some so-called 

 " jumping-seeds," received from Mexico, and contributed 

 remarks thereon. — The secretary exhibited a photograph of a 

 fossil butterfly, Frodtyas persephone, Scudd., received from 

 Mr. Scudder. The insect represented was in an excellent state 

 of preservation, and had been found in the tertiary formation of 

 Colorado. — Mr. Smith stated that having recently had occasion 

 to refer to the Linnean collection in the apartments of the 

 Linnean Society, he regretted to find it had been allowed to fall 

 into a state of complete neglect. — Mr. Swinton communicated a 

 paper on the vocal and instrumental music of insects, — Mr. Water- 

 house read a paper entitled notice of a small collection of 

 coleoptera from Jamaica, with descriptions of new species from 

 the West Indies. 



Philadelphia 



Academy of Natural Sciences, April 30. — On the bridging 

 convolutions in primates, by A. J. Parker. 



May 14. — Elements of the sidereal system, by Jacob Ennis. — 

 Descriptions of new species of North American bees, by E. T, 

 Cresson, 



May 28, — Transition forms in crinoids, and description of five 

 new species, by C, Wachsmuth and F, Springer, 



June 4. — The law governing sex, by T, Meehan, 



July 9. — On pelagic amphipods, by T, H. Streets. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Superficial Geology of South-West Lancashire. By Prof. 



W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S 561 



Scientific Horticulture 562 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Ansted's " Elements of Physiography " 563 



Cazln's " La Spectroscopic " 5^4 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Sun-spots and Rainfall.— C. Meldrum, F.R.S 5^4 



Sun-spots and Weather.— Fred. Chambers 567 



The Norwegian Arctic Expedition.— J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S. . 568 



Albinism in Birds. — Edward Balfour ; Wm. Lyall 56S 



" Hearing of Insects."— W. L. Dudley, M. D 56S 



The Meteor Shower of Andromedes I.— W. F. Denning . , . . 568 



The Zoological Record.— P. P. C Hoek 569 



Earth Pillars.— James H. Midgley .569 



Indian Building Timber. —R. Benson- 5^9 



Our Astkono-mical Column : — 



The Intra-Mercurial Planet 5^9 



Variable Stars 57° 



The Meteor of December 24, 1873 57° 



Mr. Thomas Grubb, F.R.S 57° 



Mr. Thomas Belt, F.G.S ; ^7° 



On the Nature of Vibratory Motions. By Prof . Mayer. {}Vith 



Illustrations) ..." 57* 



Notes 574 



The Figure and Size of the Earth, II. (With Illustration) ... 577 

 On the Precession of a Viscous Spheroid. By G. H. Darwin, 



M.A. {With Illustration) 5°° 



Natural Science in Hungary in the Last ten Years • • ' ' ^o^ 



Publishers' Announcements ^g^ 



University and Educational Intelligkncb ^ 4 



Scientific Serials „ >.-» ^^ 



Societies and Academies . ^ ^ 



