March 8, 1877] 



NATURE 



423 



H. Schwartz has studied the bromides and chlorides of chlorinated 

 anthracene and their action on potash. — Arno Behr, chemist to 

 the large sugar-refinery of Messrs. Matthiessen and Wichers in 

 Jersey city, has found in the residues of cane-sugar aconitic acid, 

 while citric acid is one of the regular ingredients of beet-root. — 

 A. W. Hofmann after showing a circular table of chemical re- 

 actions designed by Dennis Monnier in Geneva, returned to the 

 statement of Kern that mono-methyl-aniline, formerly described 

 by the speaker, does not exist, and read a paper by F. Hepp, 

 who described mono-methyl-aniline obtained from sodium-aceto- 

 methyl -aniline, with the same properties formerly described by 

 himself. Hofmann has obtained the same body by the action 

 of chloride of ethyl on aniline. 



Geneva 



Physical and Natural History Society, December 7, 

 1876. — M. Theod. Turrettini presented a specimen of a diplo- 

 graphe, or writing machine for the blind, constructed at his 

 workshop. The apparatus is the invention of M. Ernest 

 Recordon, and prints at once for the blind according to one of 

 the systems in use for them, and for the seeing in ordinary cha- 

 racters. — M. Th. Turrettini explained the method devised by 

 M. Raoul Pictet and himself, to obviate the opacity of the ice 

 obtained by the machine of M. Pictet. The opacity of the ice 

 thus manufactured results from the rapidity of the freezing of the 

 water, which does not permit the air contained in the liquid to 

 escape during its change of state. By retarding considerably this 

 freezing the ice obtained is transparent. We may thus obtain an 

 almost complete transparency by expelling from the freezing 

 water the air which it contains by the preliminary action on the 

 water of a paddle-wheel agitating the liquid. — Mr. Duby pre- 

 sented a paper relating to eighteen species and one genus of new 

 mosses from Japan, the Philippines, and Mauritius. A consider- 

 able number of mosses from Mauritius are also met with in the 

 Sunda Islands. — M, Hermann Fol gave an account of observations 

 made by him on the fecundation of eggs, especially of the sea- 

 urchins. He has seen the zoosperm penetrate the vitellus and 

 push a species of vesicule into the interior of the wall of the egg. 

 Starred grooves show themselves soon after all over the vesicule. 

 The latter then detaching itself from the wall begins to move, 

 approaches a female nucleus, and combines with it so as to form 

 only a single nucleus. At the two poles of this nucleus are formed 

 two small masses of protoplasm, from which devolve starred 

 grooves both in the interior and exterior of the nucleus. These 

 polar masses enlarge, deviate more and more, then the cellular 

 division takes place. In other animals the phenomenon is com- 

 plicated, but may also be followed. 



December 21, 1876. — Prof. Schiff gave a restimi of his re- 

 searches on the electricity of the nerves for the purpose of examin- 

 ing the electric nature of the nervous agent, and determin- 

 ing whether the currents are produced in the nerves of living 

 animals. He concludes that the normal nerve when the animal 

 is in a state of immobility does not present any current. When 

 a current manifests itself it results from the alteration of the death 

 of the nerve such as is produced by section, or better still from 

 nervous activity, and the contraction which accompanies it. 



Vienna 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, December 7, 1876. — The 

 following, among other papers, were read : — Contributions to a 

 knowledge of the Bryozoa of the Bohemian Chalk formation ; 

 second part treating of the Cyclostomata, by M. Novak. — Studies 

 on the geological origin and the progressive development of the 

 North Albanian coast land, by M. Koncicky. — New observa- 

 tions on Geissler tubes, by M. Rosicky. — On the earthquake of 

 Belluno on June 29, 1873, by M. Hofer. 



December 14, 1876. — On the formation and integration of equa- 

 tions, which determine the molecular motion in gases, by M. Boltz- 

 mann. — On the nature of gas molecules, by the same. — On a 

 remarkable property of periodic series, by M. Toepler. — On the 

 methylic ether of resorcin, and on glycyrohizin, by M. Habemann. 

 — On grape sugar, by MM. Konig and Rosenfel. 



January 4, 1877. — On the origin of the posterior nerve-roots 

 in the spinal cord of Ammocoetes (Petromyzon planeri), by M. 

 Freud. — Ne<v methods for solution of indeterminate quaclratic 

 equations in whole numbers, by M. Kunerth. — On the amyloid 

 substance in heart flesh, by M. Heschl. — On aperture widening 

 muscles, by M. Exner. Longitudinal muscle-fibres in the wall 

 of an animal tube ; generally widen the tube when they contract. 

 — Observations in November at the Meteorological Observatory, 

 Vienna, 



January il. — On Eunicicola Clausii, a new parasite of anne- 



lides, by M. Kurz. — On the influence of methodical drinking of 

 hot water on the course oi Diabetes mellitus, by M. Sommer. — 

 Remarks on some problems of the mechanical theory of heat, by 

 M. Baltzmann. — On a general mode of determination of the 

 foci of contours of surfaces of the second degree, by M. Pelz. 

 — On the vessels of bones of the skull and the dura mater, by M. 

 Langer. — Barometric observations in the western part of the 

 Balkans and neighbouring regions, by M. Toula. 



January 18. — On drainas^e and irrigation works in the valley 

 of the Save, by the General Commando in Agram. — Astro- 

 nomical and geodetic determinations of the Austro- Hungarian 

 Polar Expedition, by M. Weyprecht. — On the theory of the 

 Bessel functions, by M. Gegenbauer. — On the theory of the action 

 of cylindrical spirals with variable number of windings, by M. 

 Wallentin. — On a peculiar formation of isocyanphenyl, by MM. 

 Cech and Schwebel. — On the arrangement, use, and accuracy of 

 M. Roskiewicz's distance-measurer, by M. Schell. —On the de- 

 velopment-history, and the structure of the seed-envelope in 

 Phaseolus, by M. Plaberlandt. 



I. R. Geological Institute, December 5, 1876. — The 

 following papers were read : — M. Karl v. Hauer on the analysis 

 of the acid spring lately discovered at Ranigsdorff, near Mahrisch- 

 Triibau in Moravia. The water contains a very small quantity 

 of fixed ingredients, but the abundance of free carbonic acid is 

 equal to the well-known Giesshiibel springs. 10,000 parts of water 

 contain in weight 26 parts of free carbonic acid, so that the 

 volume of the latter exceeds by far that of the former. The 

 springs may therefore be considered of remarkable quality. — M. 

 J. Gamper on diluvial vertebrates. At a little distance from 

 the Klause at the Gahus Mountain near Gloggnitz, the author 

 found a block of limestone covered by thin strata containing 

 remains of vertebrate bones ; in some places the layer formed 

 a real breccia of bones. Among the remains he noted especially 

 those of bats. The blocks formed a part of the inner wall of a 

 cleft or cavern, like those often found in limestone mountains of 

 this country. M. Gamper then referred to the occurrence of 

 clay silicate near Steinbriick, and of arseno-pyrite in Joachims- 

 thal. — M. Itache continued his communications on the eruptive 

 rocks that he examined last summer in the mountainous regions 

 of Upper Vintschgau, Ortler, and Veltlin, mentioning particu- 

 larly the various species of tonalites from Morignone, the Gabbor 

 rocks from Frontale and Leprese, and some little-known rocks 

 containing many garnets. In the country of Soudalo and Bola- 

 dore, light coloured pegmatites intersect in veins the dark 

 coloured amphibolite and diorite rocks. — Dr. Tietze on the 

 Elburs Mountains in Persia. He mentioned the relatively rare 

 occurrence of old crystalline rocks in this mountain chain. Ths 

 formations which may be determined by palreontological evidence 

 are the Devonian, the Carboniferous Limestone, the Lias, the Upper 

 Cretaceous, showing various facies partly abounding in fossils, 

 the Nummulite formation, and the younger Tertiary. Other 

 formations, containing no fossils, could only be judged by their 

 position relative to those formations whose geological age was 

 clearly to be determined. Almost certain is the occurrence of 

 Trias and Upper Jura. The Lower and Middle Cretaceous are 

 totally wanting. Only a few of the named formations extend 

 over the whole country, therefore if two sections are made at 

 some distance from each other, they give almost invariably a 

 different result. M. Tietze gave also a short account of the 

 older and younger eruptive rocks, of which these mountains are 

 partly composed. The volcanic Demavend is not only the 

 highest but also the youngest mountain of the whole chain, 

 whose dimensions are given by the author as 90-100 miles in 

 length, and at least fifteen miles in breadth. 



January 23. — Dr. E. Tietze on the geological relations 

 of the Demavend Mountain in Persia, whose height amounts 

 to 20,000 feet. He distinguished an upper and a lower 

 region, the former consisting of the cone heaped up by erup- 

 tions. The highest top of the cone, acting still as a solfatara, 

 stands within the remains of an older crater-wall. The lower 

 part is composed to a height of 9,000 feet of sedimentary rocks 

 (Jurassic limestones. Carboniferous sandstones, and old limestone), 

 it must be noted particularly that the position of these sedi- 

 mentary strata shows exactly the same relations as those of rocks 

 in other parts of the Elburs Mountains which are not in contact 

 with volcanoes, a proof therefore that the outburst of the Dema- 

 vend volcano exerted no influence upon the older rocks in its 

 vicinity. The reporter mentioned the occurrence of streams 

 consisting of lava-boulders on the Demavend, as they are found 

 at present on the volcanoes of Java; then of columnar trachytes 

 and of the lava streams keeping their original position, but 



