286 



NATURE 



[Jan. 25, 1877 



duced by the geologist, " which last are based on the rate of 

 changes produced now, during a period of diminished energy of 

 all main geological factors. 



The Chair of Botany at Aberdeen, we learn from the Gar- 

 deiur's Chronicle, is likely to be vacant shortly. Among the 

 candidates are mentioned the names of Dr. J. B. Balfour, Rev. 

 Dr. Brown, Dr. W. R. M'Nab, and Dr. Traill. 



Mr. C. p. Ogilvie, who has been studying the art of 

 aquarium management at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, 

 has been appointed Curator and Resident Naturalist to the 

 aquarium recently completed at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. 



The distance between Paris and Marseilles is 863 kilometres, 

 not 1,820, as stated in our note on p. 266 last week. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Malbrouck M.on\ity {Cercopithecus cynosurus) 

 from East Africa, presented by Mr. L. C. Brown ; a Macaque 

 Monkey (Macacus cynomolgiis) from India, presented by Mrs. 

 Cecil Long ; a Pig-tailed Monkey {Macaais neniestrinus) from 

 Java, presented by the crew of H.M.S. Dwarf; a Bay Lynx 

 {Felis rufa) from North America, presented by Mr. W. Otho 

 N. Shaw ; two Teguexin Lizards ( Teius teguexin) from South 

 America, presented by Mr, A. Stradling ; an Ocelot (Felis 

 pardalis), an Azara's Fox ( Cams azara) from South America, a 

 Tataupa Tinamou {Crypturus ta(aupa), two Talpacoti Ground 

 Doves {Chania:pclia talpacoti), two Scaly Doves {Scardafella 

 sqiiatnosa) from Brazil, a Chopi Starling (Aphobus chopi), a 

 Chilian Sea Eagle (Geranoaelus aguia) from Pernambuco, depo- 

 sited ; two Ring-tailed Lemurs {Lemur catta) from Madagascar, 

 purchased. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The American youmal of Science and Arts, January. —Con- 

 tributions to meteorology, being results derived from an exami- 

 nation of the observations of the United States Signal Service, 

 and from other sources, by Elias Loomis. — On some points in 

 connection with vegetation, by J. H. Gilbert. — Observations on 

 a property of the retina first noticed by Tait, by OgdenN. Rood. — 

 On grains of metallic iron in Doleiytes from New Hampshire, by 

 George W, Hawes. — On certain phenomena of binocular vision, 

 by Francis E. Nipher.— Notes on the Vespertine strata of 

 Virginia and West Virginia, by William M. Fontaine. — On the 

 production of transparent metallic films by the electrical dis- 

 charge in exhausted tubes, by Arthur W. Wright. 



The Verhandlungen des naturhistorischen Vereins der prtus- 

 sischen Rheinlande und Westfalens (Jahrg. 33, Part I.) contain 

 the following papers of interest : — Geological, Mineralogical, 

 and Anthropological Section : On some new discoveries in the 

 Jurassic formation west of the river Weser, by W. Treukner. — 

 On a diseased ox's rib from the calcareous tuff-stone in the vici- 

 nity of the Toenisstein saline spring (Rhenish Prussia), by Prof. 

 Schaaifhausen. — On some bronze implements found near the 

 Weser river, by the same. — On a petrified piece of wood with 

 the image of a human face, by the same. — On the so-called 

 periclinic combinations of Albite by Prof, vom Rath. — On Sko- 

 rodite-crystals, on plagioclase, and on Brookite crystals, by the 

 same. — On a pine cone found near Dormagen, on the Rhine, 

 together with Roman coins and antiquities, by Prof. Schaaff- 

 hausen. — On Capellini's researches on pliocene man in Tus- 

 cany, by the same. — On some stone implements recently found, 

 by the same. — On geological researches made at Nagyag and 

 Vorospatak, in Transylvania, by Prof, vom Rath. — On olivine 

 from Dockweiler and on crystallised slakes, by Dr. Mohr. — 

 Physical Section : On Mallet's theory of volcanic force, by Prof. 

 A. von Lasaulx. — On a further simplification of the electro- 

 dynamic fundamental law, by Prof. Clausius. — On anomalous 

 dispersion of light, by Prof. Ketteler. — On the effects of a stroke 

 of lightning, by Herr Gieseler. — Zoological and Anatomical 

 Section : Synoptical review of the genera and species of Slilp- 

 noida, by A. Forster. — On the respiration oi Limnaccc, by Prof. 

 Troschel On a specimen of Ptdiculus capitis with extremely 



large system of trachese, by Dr. Bertkau. — On Dareste's inves- 

 tigations on the reproduction of eels, by Prof. Troschel. — On 

 the Cephalopoda of the German upper chalk, by Dr. Schliiter. — 

 On the spermatogenesis of A?nphibia, by Prof, von la Valette 

 St, George. — Botanical Section : On the influence of interior 

 and exterior causes upon new formations in plants, by Prof, 

 Vochting. — On the fruit of Raphia taedigera, by the same. — On 

 some phenomena observed in the botanical garden of Poppels- 

 dorf, near Bonn, during the summer of 1875, by Herr Kornicke. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Royal Astronomical Society, January 12, — Mr. William 

 Huggins, D. C. L., president, in the chair, — Mr. Robert John 

 Baillie, Mr. Henry Vere Barclay, the Rev. Daniel Dutton, Mr. 

 Samuel Haywood, Dr. Louis Stomeyer Little, Mr. Richard 

 Pearce, Commander William James Lloyd Wharton, R.N., 

 H.M. surveying ship Fazan, and Mr. Jesse Young, were elected 

 Fellows of the Society. — A paper by Mr. Marth giving an 

 ephemeris for the sateUites of Uranus for the year 1877, 

 was read. This is one of a series of papers which Mr. Marth 

 has presented to the Society giving ephemerides useful for 

 physical observations of the major planets and their satellites. 

 It was remarked by the president that these ephemerides involve 

 much labour in their construction, and the astronomical world is 

 greatly indebted to Mr. Marth for their production. — A paper 

 by Prof. Harkness on the theory of the horizontal photohelio- 

 graph was read. The instrument consists of a heliostat and a 

 long focussed object-glass, in the principal focus of which the 

 negatives are taken ; the distortion produced by secondary mag- 

 nifiers is thus avoided, and very accurate means are adopted for 

 determining the shrinkage of the collodion film upon the plate 

 and the accurate orientation of the photograph. — Mr. Wentworth 

 Erck read a paper on an improved eye-piece for viewing the 

 sun. His method is to use a small glass prism as a reflector 

 which is placed within the image of the sun, so that only a 

 portion of the rays from apart of the disc are reflected into 

 the eye-piece at any one time ; the effects of healing are 

 thus reduced to a minimum, and for viewing small areas 

 of the sun the eye-piece is preferable to that suggested 

 by Mr. Dawes in which the light of the whole image is 

 reflected and the small area to be observed is viewed through a 

 diaphragm which is exposed to the heating effects of the reflected 

 rays. — A paper by Mr. Knott was presented to the society ; it 

 contains a catalogue which he has been some years in preparing, 

 and gives a very large number of micrometrical measures of 

 double stars which have been made with a very fine eight-inch 

 refracting telescope formerly the property of Mr, Dawes. 



Chemical Society, January 18. — Prof. Odling. F.R.S., vice- 

 president, in the chair. — The secretary read a paper by Dr. 

 Jager on some derivatives of dithymyltriclorethane, a substance 

 produced on adding a mixture of sulphuric and acetic acids to a 

 m'xture of thymol and chloral. By heating this compound with 

 zinc dust it yields dithymylethane and dithymylethene. — Mr, 

 Kingsett then read a preliminary notice by Dr. Heike and him- 

 self on some new reactions in organic chemistry and their ulti- 

 mate bearings, showing that the colour reaction known as the 

 " Pettenkofer reaction " produced by the action of sul huric acid 

 on sugar and cholic acid extended to many other substances, 

 some of which did not require the admixture of su_L.ar to pro- 

 duce the colour. This was followed by a paper on dinitroso- 

 orcin and dinitro-orcin, by Dr. J. Stenhouse and Mr. C. E, 

 Groves, in which the methods of preparation and properties of 

 these compounds were fully described. — The last communication, 

 by Mr. T. Carnelley, was on high melting points with special 

 reference to those of metallic salts, Part 3. — The meeting was 

 then adjourned until Thursday, February i. 



Zoological Society, January 16. — Prof. Newton, F.R.S,, 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Capt. H. W. Feilden, exhibited 

 and made remarks on some of the birds collected by him in the 

 Arctic regions during the recent North Polar Expedition. Six- 

 teen species were enumerated as having been met with on the 

 shores of the Polar Basin, and north of 82° N. lat., but some 

 of these only occurred as stragglers.— The Rev. Canon Tristram 

 exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of a rare terrestrial 

 Dormouse {Eliomys melanurus), obtained by him in Southern 

 Palestine, where it is found in desert places. — Mr. P. L. Sclater, 

 F.R.S., exhibited and_called attention to a collection of mam- . 



