-]% 



NATURE 



[Nov. 1 6, 1876 



from North America, presented by Mr. F. W. Stockwell ; a 

 Peregrine Falcon (FaUo peregnnus), European, 'presented by 

 Mr. Chilton Newburn ; a Green Monkey {Cercopithecus calli- 

 tricJms) from West Africa, presented by Miss Ridsdan ; three 

 American Red Foxes {Canis fulvus), a Golden Eagle {Aquila 

 chrysados) from North America, six ;Clapperton's Francolins 

 {Francolinus dappertoni) from West Africa, deposited. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Chemical Society, Nov. a.—Prof. Abel, F.R.S., presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — The President announced that the Gold- 

 smith's Company had contributed 1,000/. to the recently-instituted 

 research fund of the Society.— Mr. Lupton then read a paper on 

 the oxides of potassium, after which communications were read 

 on certain bismuth compounds (Part III.), by M. M. P. Muir.— 

 On phospho- and arseno-cyanogen, by W. R. Hodgkinson. — A 

 secondary oxidised product found during the reduction of stannic 

 ethide to stannous ethide, by W. R. Hodgkinson and G. C. 

 Matthews ; and a preliminary notice on pigmentum nigrum, the 

 black colouring matter contained in hair and feathers, by W. R. 

 Hodgkinson and H. C. Sorby. This black colouring matter is 

 left on digesting the coloured hair or feathers with dilute sul- 

 phuric acid, but is present only in very small quantity. 



Zoological Society, November 7. — Prof. Newton, F.R. S., 

 V.P., in the chair. — The Secretary read a report on the addi- 

 tions that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the 

 months of June, July, August, and September, 1876. — A letter 

 was read from Dr. dtto Finsch, relating to the supposed exist- 

 ence of the Wild Camel {Camtlus bactrianus) in Central Asia. 

 — A letter was read from Mr. E. Pierson Ramsay, giving a 

 description of Siie habits of some Ceratodi living in the Aus- 

 tralian Museum, Sydney, which he had lately received from 

 Queensland. — Mr. W. K. Parker read a memoir on the structure 

 and development of the skull in the sharks and rays. — Prof. A. 

 Newton made a correction of some of the statements in Canon 

 Tristram's "Note on the Discovery of the Roebuck in Palestine." 

 (P.Z.S., 1876, p. 421). — Lieutenant- Colonel Beddome gave the 

 description of a new species of Indian Snake from Mananta- 

 waddy, in the Wyi.aad Hills, which he proposed to name Plaiy- 

 pjectrurus hewstoni. — Dr. G. E. Dobson, communicated a mono- 

 graph of the Bats of the group Molossi. — Dr. A. Gunther, 

 J".R.S., read a report on some of the recent additions to the 

 collection of mammalia in the British Museum, amongst the 

 more remarkable of which was a new form of Porcupine, from 

 Borneo, proposed to be called Trichys lipura, and a new Mar- 

 rnozet, obtained by Mr. T. K. Salmon, near Medellin, U.S. of 

 Columbia, to which the name Hapale Imcopus was given. 



Royal Microscopical Society, Nov. 1. — H. C. Sorby, 

 F.R,S., president, in the chair. — A paper by Dr. G. W. 

 Royston Pigott on a new refractometer was read by the President 

 and illustrated by drawings and by the instrument removed for 

 the occasion from the Loan Collection at South Kensington. — A 

 paper by the Rev. W. H. Dollinger, on experiments with sterile 

 putrescible fluids exposed alternately to an cptically pure atmo- 

 sphere and to one charged with known organic germs, was read 

 by the Secretary. — A paper by Mr. F. H. Wenham, on the 

 measurement of the angle of aperture in object glasses, was read 

 by Mr. Ingpen. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, November 6. — Vice- Admiral Paris 

 m the chair. — The following papers were read : — On an expe- 

 riment which should be made with a view to the destruction of 

 phylloxera, by M. Em. Blanchard. He advises a general adop- 

 tion of ^the method of coating the vines and stakes in winter 

 with coal tar, so as to destroy the eggs lodged in the fissures or 

 under the bark. — Reply to M. Balbiani with regard to migration 

 and egg-laying of phylloxera, by M. Lichtenstein. It is the 

 nutriment and not the interior conformation of the insect that 

 produces the fecundity. M. Lichtenstein does not accept the 

 theory of degenerescence or exhaustion of the females. — Letter 

 to M. Dumas on the products of the winter egg of Phylloxera 

 ■vastatrix, by M. Boiteau. — M. Mouillefert presented some photo- 

 graphs showing the efficacy of treating phylloxerised vines with 

 sulphocarbonate of potassium. — On the efficacy of iodides against 

 saturnine intoxication, by M. Faure. He considers that a work- 



man taking 5 to lo centigrammes of iodide of iron or of potas- 

 sium daily will have satisfactory results, and not be forced 

 to interrupt his work. — On the results obtained by illu- 

 mination of photographers' studios with violet light, by 

 M. Scotellari. Violet light acts more rapidly than white 

 or blue, and so requires shorter exposure. Some persons are 

 very impressionable to ordinary light, but not to violet rays. 

 The photographs got with violet rays are better modelled, and 

 have a better finish. — M. Farret communicated results he has 

 obtained in organisation of exercises for remedying Daltonism. 

 These have been established in several schools, and he hopes to 

 introduce them into the army and navy, railways, &c. — Re- 

 searches on the production of electro-chemical deposits of 

 aluminium, magnesium, cadmium, bismuth, antimony, and pal- 

 ladium, by M, Bertrand. — On a new dynamo-magnetic pheno- 

 menon, by MM. Treve and Durassier. A horseshoe magnet of 

 any length is covered on one face with a varnish, or, better, a 

 plate of glass. A cylinder of soft iron is laid on its neutral 

 part. It commences to move towards the poles, and reaches 

 them in a time which is naturally a function of the weight 

 of the cyUnder and of the coercilive force of the magnet Thus 

 the magnetic attraction is exerted over the whole extent of 

 the magnet. A new mode is aflbrded of estimating the mag- 

 netic force by the mechanical work which it has effected. The 

 product of the movable weight by the space traversed, divided 

 by the time, will be the rigorous measure of this forco. 

 Determining the force, e.g., for three large and three small 

 magnets, identical in form and weight, containing respec- 

 tively o'25o, 0-500, and i per cent, of carbon, the authors 

 think it perhaps possible to define the unit of magnetic force, 

 or magnetic, and to establish its equivalence in kilogrammetres. 

 The phenomenon also helps them to determine the magnetic 

 conductivity of steels in relation to their proportions of carbon. 

 — Examination of wine for fuchsine, by M. Bouilhon. He 

 employs hydrate of baryta in excess. It decomposes perfectly 

 the salts of rosaniline, precipitates the colouring matter of the 

 wine, and furnishes, by filtration, liquids of annbreous colour, 

 which do not give persistent emulsions with ether. — Contribu- 

 tions to the anatomy and histology of the Echinida, by M. 

 Fredericq. The nerves and muscles are described. The latter 

 are formed of very thin cyUndrical fibres, quite smooth and homo- 

 geneous throughout their length. Using various reagents, he 

 could not detect the least trace of transversal striation. The 

 fibres have a fibrillar structure, often with elongated nuclei applied 

 on their surface, but they are without an enveloping membrane. 

 They are birefringent, and are strongly impregnated with colour- 

 ing matter and osmic acid. The muscles contract strongly under 

 electric excitation, but not so suddenly as striated muscles. — Ob- 

 servation of a bolide, on the night of November 5, 1876, by M. 

 Meunier. A fire-ball, the size of one's fist, was observed neir a 

 of Ursa Major; and behind, its trajectory south to north was trace- 

 able as a luminous line, commencing near Capella. The flash 

 was bluish, and appeared brighter than moonlight. 



CONTENTS Pags 



Foster's " Elementakv Physiology " 53 



British Manufacturing Industries 54 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Sea Fisheries. — Prof. Alfred Newton, F.R. S • 55 



The Foundation of Zoological Stations ia Heligoland and Kiel, — 



Dr. Anton Dohrn 57 



The Deep-sea Manganiferous Muds.— Edward T. Hardhan . . 57 

 Mr. Wallacs on the Distribution of Passerine Birds. — W. A. 



Forbes 58 



Antedon rosaceus (Comatula rosacea) — Thomas R. R. Stebbing ; 



Arthur Roope Hunt ; Philip B. Mason sS 



Meteor. — T. Nostro 59 



The Musical Association. By Dr. W. H. Stone 59 



On THE Resistance OF THE Air TO the Motion OF Projectiles . 60 



A Local Museum. By J. Shaw 61 



The Austrian Arctic Expedition (/-Ki^A ///w.y/ra/'/o/ij) 62 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Nineveh Solar Eclipse of B.C. 763 ^1> 



The Comet of 1652 63 



The Brightness of Jupiter's Satellites 65 



Biological Notes : — 



The Progress of Embryology .... 65 



New Species of Echidna ^^ 



Sphenodon Guentheri 66 



A New Fish 66 



A New Peripatus 66 



The Persian Deer 66 



Fishes of the Aralo-Caspio-Euxine Basin 66 



Development of the Mamma 66 



Notes » 67 



Societies an0 Acadbmies 7* 



