Feb, 22, 1877] 



NATURE 



;67 



paper the author commenced by a general statement as to the 

 classification of the forms to be described in it, which he referred 

 to the families Patellidse, Fissurellidte, Calyptrreida-, and Capu- 

 lidre. He noticed thirty species, whicli are mostly of rare occur- 

 rence, and nineteen of these were described as new. Four 

 tjenera weie indicated as new to the Cretaceous series, and one 

 as new to the Cretaceous in England. The new species were 

 AcmiEa formosa and plana, Hdcion Meyeri, Anisomyoji vecHs, 

 Scurria calyptririformis and depressa, Emarginula puncturella, 

 divisiensisy ancistra, Meyeri, and unicostata, Puncturella antiqiia, 

 Calyptraa concentrica, Crepidula chaviccjormis, Crucibulum 

 gigatiteum, Pileopsis neocomiensis, dubius and Seeleyi, and Hip- 

 ponyx Dixoiii. Most of the Patellidse were from the Neoco- 

 mian, and the majority of the Fissurellidse from the Upper 

 Greensand ; the species of the other two families were scattered 

 through the series. The author referred to the indications of 

 depth of deposit and other conditions furnished by these Mol- 

 lusca, and also to the resemblance presented by many of them 

 to certain bivalves common in the same rocks, which he regarded 

 as a sort of mimicry. — Observations on remains of the mammoth 

 and other mammals from Northern Spain, by A. Leith Adams, 

 F. R.S. — The remains noticed in this paper were obtained by 

 MM. O'Reilly and Sullivan in a cavern discovered at about 

 twelve metres from the siirface, in the valley of Udias, near 

 Santander, by a boring made through limestone in search of 

 calamine. They were found close to a mound of soil which had 

 fallen down a funnel at one end of the cavity, and more or 

 less buried in a bed of calamine which covered the floor. The 

 cavern was evidently an enlarged joint or rock-fissure, into which 

 the entire carcases, or else the living animals, had been precipi- 

 tated from time to time. The author had identified among these 

 remains numerous portions, including tQ^ih. oi Elephas primi- 

 ge/iius, which is important as furnishing the first instance of the 

 occurrence of that animal in Spain. He also recorded Bos pri- 

 migeniiis and Ce)-vus elaphus (.''), and stated that MM. O'Reilly 

 and Sullivan mention a long curved tooth which he thought 

 might be a canine of Hippopotamus. 



Chemical Society, February 15. — Dr. Gilbert, F.R.S., vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Dr. Dupre, F.R. S., read a paper on 

 the estimation of urea by means of hypobromite, in which he 

 described a new form of apparatus and certain modifications in 

 details to facilitate the working of Russell and West's process. 

 The other communications were on a new carbometer for the 

 estimation of carbonic anhydride, by Mr. S. T. Pruen and Dr. 

 G. Jones, being a modification of Scheibler's " calcimeter." — On 

 the influence exerted by ammenium sulphide in preventing the 

 action of various solutions on copper, by Mr. F. W. Shaw and 

 Dr. P. Carnelly.— An experimental inquiry as to the changes 

 which occur in the composition of waters from wells near the 

 sea, by Mr. W. IT. Watson. — On the solvent action of various 

 saline solutions upon lead, by Mr. M. M. P. Muir, — Derivatives 

 of Di-sobulyl, by Mr. W. Carleton- Williams, and notes on 

 madder-colouring matters, by Dr. E. Schunck and Dr. H, 

 Roemer. 



Stockholm 



Academy of Sciences, October ii, 1876. — Baron Fock 

 gave an account of a report by O. Nylander, assistant at the 

 Academy of Agriculture, of a journey he had undertaken with 

 the Letterstedt grant for the purpose of studying the industries 

 associated with agriculture. — Prof. Torell also gave an account 

 of a report by Edward Erdman, the geologist, of a tour he had 

 made, with Government assistance, in Central Europe in 1875. 

 — Prof. Smith gave a short account of the expedition to North- 

 western Russia and the region round the White Sea, undertaken 

 by Lieut. 11. Sandeberg last summer. — Prof. Stal stated that the 

 Vylder collections had been bought for the natural history depart- 

 ment of the Riks Museum, through the liberal contributions of 

 private persons, and gave a short account of their contents. — 

 General-director Berlin communicated the result of the latest 

 analyses by Valler of the mineral water at Porla, and Prof. 

 Nordenskjoid gave a full and interesting narrative of his last 

 expedition from Tromso to Jenissei. — The following communi- 

 cations were received :— On the course of the alteration which a 

 surface undergoes when it is bent, by Prof. Daug. — On com- 

 pounds of cyanide of mercury with chlorides of the earthy metals, 

 by J. E. Ahlen. 



November 8, 1876. — Herr Edlund communicated the results of 

 his examination of the galvanic currents which are caused by the 

 motion of fluid bodies. — Prof. Nordenskjoid exhibited pieces of a 

 mammoth or fossil rhinoceros hide, found last summer near the 

 confluence of the Mesenkin with the Jenissei, and several meteor- 



ites which fell at Stalldalen, in Westmanland, on the 28th of last 

 June, and gave an account of the nature of the meteorites in 

 question. — Herr Gylden exhibited a calculating machine con- 

 structed by Engineer Pettersson for the purpose of adding, sub- 

 tracting, multiplying, and dividing, and gave an account of a 

 communication by Prof. T. N. Thiele, of Copenhagen, entitled, 

 "Some geometrical propositions concerning a problem in theo- 

 retical astronomy." — The following papers were communicated : 

 A new species of the family Portunidse from the Scandinavian 

 coast, by Docent Carl Bovallius ; Communication from Upsala 

 Chemical Laboratory, 20, on g (gamma) dichloronaphthaline and 

 bromo-chloronaphthaline, by Prof. P. T. Cleve ; Remarks on 

 Dr. Bioren de Haans Tables d'integrales ddfinies (Amsterdam, 

 1858), by Lektor Lindman, member of the Academy ; and Re- 

 searches on the cooling of bodies, by Prof. G. R. Dahlander. 



Berlin 



German Chemical Society, January 29. — A. W. Hofmann, 

 vice-president, in the chair. — W. Beetz claims priority for obser- 

 ving the disengagement of hydrogen at both poles of a battery (as 

 lately described by Elsasser). — W. Bornemann published obser- 

 vations on the solubility of chloride of iodine, and R. Ulbricht 

 some on the determination of water and of sugar in wine. The 

 latter chemist gives warning of a fraud by which glass weights 

 are sold instead of ones made from rock crystal. — R. DyckerhofI 

 has transformed monochloro-acetophenone, CgHg — CO — CHgCl, 

 by the action of PClg into two chlorides : 



C0H5 . CCI2 . CHCl ani CgPIj . CCl . CHCl ; 

 — V. Meyer, T. Barbieri, and F. Forster by joint and elaborate 

 researches refute the pretended observation of Linnemann and 

 Zotta that normal butyla7nine and nitrous acid yield isobutylic 

 alcohol. The reaction only yields normal primary butylic alcohol, 

 normal butylene, and normal secondary butylic alcohol, but no 

 isobutylic alcohol. — H. Wald has transformed paradinitrodi- 

 phenyl by the action of sodium-amalgam into paradinitro-azoxy- 

 diphenyl, a crystalline powder melting at 255°, and soluble 



CeH.-NO., CgH^-NO, 



i I 



CgH^— N— N— CgHi 



O 

 in aniline, but not in alcohol, ether, or chloroform, and yielding 

 benzidine by further reduction with tin and hydrochloric acid. 

 Isodinitrodiphenyl and sodium amalgam yield dinitro-azodiphenyl, 

 (C6H4NO2 — C8H4N)2, a yellow powder melting at 187°. — C. 

 Kimich published researches on methazonic acid, the sodium- 

 salt of which is engendered by the action of heat on nitro- 

 methan- sodium : — 



2CH2NaN02 = NaOH 4- C^HaNaNgOa. 

 This salt with nitrate of diazobenzol, yields red crystals of a 

 mixed azo-compound, C6HgN2 . C^HsNgOg (azonitromethal- 

 phenyl), in which two atoms of hydrogen can be replaced by 

 metals. Nitrate of diazotoluol gives a corresponding compound. 

 — G. Burkhardt has transformed amidoterephthalic into oxyte- 

 rephthalic acid (with nitrous acid), a powder giving a crystallised 

 barium salt and methylic ether. Hydrochloric acid transforms it 

 into oxybenzoic (not salicylic) acid. — A. Baeyer has studied 

 amidophthalic acid and its well-crystallised ethylic ether, which, 

 with nitrous acid, yields an ill-defined oily oxyphthalic acid. 

 The sime chemist has transformed chloride of phthalyl into 

 phthalic aldehyde by treating it with hydriodic acid and phospho- 

 rus. With potash it yields a new acid not yet investigated. The 

 same chemist has transformed phenanthrenechinone, Ci4HgOj,, 

 by boiling itwith soda into diphenylenglycolic acid, Ci4Hj503 : — 



C6H4— CO C6H4— COH CgH.V /COoH 



II I or I C 



CgH^— CO CgHi— COOH C6H4/ \0H 



Phenanthrenechinon. Diphenylen-glycolic acid. 



He rejects the former formula of the latter body, because it does 

 not yield by oxidation diphenic acid. — G. Schultz, by passing oil 

 of turpentine through red-hot tubes, has obtained benzol, toluol, 

 xylol, naphtalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and methylanthra- 

 cene. — F. Hermann has studied the action of sodium on succinic 

 ether. The product (probably impure succino-succinic ether) 

 yields, treated with potash and with acetic acid, an acid of the 

 composition 



CHj— CO— CH— COOC2H5 



CH2--CO— CH— COOH 

 Ethyl-succinyl-succinic acid, 



