424 



NATURE 



{March 8, 1877 



steeply inclined on the slopes of this volcano. He concludes by 

 remarking that the Demavend shows probably a double axis, 

 such as was stated for instance on the Aetna by Sartorius and 

 Ch. Lyell. — M. C. Paul reports on his investigations in the 

 Karpathian Mountains made in this year. In Silesia he studied 

 the so-called hieroglyphs of the Upper Tescheu slates, whose 

 genesis is doubtful, but which are remarkable for their constantly 

 keeping to a strictly limited level. He also gave a more exact 

 division of Hohenegger's lodula sandstone and fixed the position 

 of the Irodek sandstone which Hohenegger had adjoined to the 

 Lower Eocene (Nummulite group) as the highest division of the 

 Eocene. In Western Galicia the gradual change of the petro- 

 graphic facies of the Lower Karpathian sandstone (Neocomien) 

 was studied. This formation consists in the northern zone of 

 dislocation, chiefly of sandy and clayey strata, in the southern, 

 which is called the penninic cliff-zone it shows a more limy com- 

 position. In Przemysl he visited the locality rendered important 

 by Niedwieczky's discovery of ammonites. It was evident that 

 the Neocomian ammonites were contained in a zone of those 

 rocks called usually Ropiauka beds, which had been from other 

 reasons already denoted as Neocomien. In Eastern Galicia 

 the Karpathian sandstones could be divided into their proper 

 groups and marked on the map, conformable to the results 

 obtained by the reporter in the adjacent Bucovina. The sedi- 

 ments of the Karpathian sandstone divide here into the lower 

 period (Ropiauca beds, Neocomian), the middle period (for the 

 most part massy sandstones, probably middle Cretaceous), and 

 the upper period, most certainly Eocene (to which belong sand- 

 stones containing Nummulites, the well-known fish-slates of 

 Delatze, the Smilus slates, Schipoter beds, and the Magura 

 sandstones of Czeraahora). 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, February 26. — M. Peligot in the 

 chair. — M. Le Verrier reminded the Academy of the importance 

 of watching on March 21, 22, and 23 for the possible transit of 

 an intra-Mercurial planet across the sun. He also presented 

 tome xiii. of Annales de V Observatoire de Paris. This con- 

 tains the theory of Uranus and Neptune, and M. Cornu's memoir 

 on determination of the velocity of light between the Observatory 

 and Montlhery (by Fizeau's method improved). He finds this 

 velocity 300,400 kilometres per second of mean time ; the deduced 

 solar parallax is 8"'88, 8"'88, or 8" 'So, according as the number is 

 combined with the equation of light given by Delambre (493" '2), 

 with Bradley's constant of aberration (20""25), or with that of 

 Struve (20" "445). — M. Debray was elected member for the section 

 of chemistry in place of the late M. Balard (the other candidates 

 being M. Cloez and M. Friedel). — Experiments on the origin and 

 the nature of typhoid fever, by M. Guerin. He had in view the 

 supposed direct influence of water-closets in producing the fever, 

 and experimented on rabbits, injecting fecal matter, urine, blood, 

 &c., from typhoid patients. He concludes (i) that such fecal 

 matter contains, after issuing from the system, a toxical prin- 

 ciple capable of causing death in a class of animals, in time vary- 

 ing from a few hours to a few days ; (2) that the same holds for 

 urine, blood, mesenteric liquid, and the detritus of mesenteric 

 ganglions and of ulcerated intestinal mucus of typhoid subjects ; 

 (3) that these matters, after some months, are found to retain in 

 large measure their original toxical principles ; (4) that the fecal 

 matters of healthy subjects or of those affected by other diseases 

 have not the toxical principles which appear in excrementitial 

 products of typhoid subjects. — On the effects of a jet of air in 

 water, and on the suspension of water in air, by M. De 

 Romilly. Among other experiments : Into a bell-jar, the mouth 

 of which is closed with net, water is sucked up by means of a 

 tube, with stopcock, entering the jar above. On closing the cock 

 and raising the jar the liquid is retained, there being a meniscus 

 at each mesh and a general meniscus. On inclining the jar the 

 water flows out, but the smaller the mesh you may incline 

 further without escape of liquid. Using metallic net, one 

 may place a lighted gas jet under the suspended liquid, which 

 will boil (gently) without falling down. (In this case the jar 

 should be connected with another larger, the mouth of which 

 rests in water. ) — On the functions of leaves in the phenomena of 

 gaseous exchanges between plants and the atmosphere ; role of 

 stomates, by M. Merget. He shows that the leaf functions of 

 absorption and exhalation are arrested when a layer of varnish 

 is formed on the face bearing the stomates. Thus the leaf may 

 be subjected to mercurial emanations without absorbing a trace 

 of the metal, which can, of course, be easily detected by photo- 

 graphic processes. On the other hand, if an ammoniacal liquid 

 be injected into the leaf, the liberation of the dissolved gas by 



the face that has stomates is proved by the odour of this face, it 

 white appearance when a rod dipped in hydrochlor.c acid is 

 brought near, and its printing of paper sensitised with nitrate of 

 mercury. — On ophthalmia, 1-y M. Brame. He specifies twelve 

 different categories and treatment. — New experiments to try 

 for combating the phylloxera of the roots, by M, Rommier. 

 He proposes salts or oxides of mercury, lead, copper, zinc, 

 and others, dissolved in alkaline hyposulphites (potash or lime). 

 Such compounJs would not be acted on by the acids of the soil, 

 like previous insecticides. — Determination of the lines of curva- 

 ture of a class of surfaces, and particularly of the tetrahedral 

 surfaces of Lame, by M, Darboux.— Integrals of curves of which 

 the developers by the plane and the developed by the plane are 

 equal to each other, by M. Aoust— Fourth note on the theory 

 of the radiometer, by Mr. Crookes. — On the action of water on 

 chlorides of iodine, by M. Schiitzenberger, If chlorides of iodine 

 are not decomposed into hydrochloric acid, iodic acid, and free 

 iodine, it is because the direction of the reaction is modified by 

 the existence of a compound of hydrochloric acid and of proto- 

 chloride of iodine stable in presence of water. — Formation of 

 quinones by means of chlorochromic acid, by M, Etard. — On a 

 saccharine matter extracted from leaves of walnut, by MM. 

 Tanret and Villiers. The composition of the body is the same 

 as that of inosite, but it has some special properties, and the 

 authors name it (provisionally) nucite. — On the salts of the Al- 

 gerian Chotts, by M. le Chatelier. They contain chloride of 

 sodium and sulphate of soda ; probably also carbonate of soda 

 mixed with gypsum. — On three recent falls of meteoric stones 

 in Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky, by Mr. L. Smith.— 

 Experiments on acute poisoning with sulphate of copper, by 

 MM. Feltz and Ritter. These were made on frogs, pigeons, 

 rabbits, and dogs. Sulphate of copper cannot be regarded as a 

 harmless agent, though its introduction into the system does not, 

 in the great majority of cases, cause death. No one would con- 

 sent to swallow, in food or drink, the quantity that would prove 

 fatal. — On the congestive and haemorrhagic alterations of the 

 brain and its meninges in birds, by M. Larcher. 



CONTENTS Page 



" Scientific Worthies," X. — Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand 

 Helmholtz. By'Prof. J. Clerk Maxwell, F.R.S. (With Steel 



E7ig;raving) 389 



The Universities Bill 391 



The Basques. By Rev. A. H. Savce . ^ ........ 394 



Our Book Shelf : — 



Keane's " French Accent " . 396 



Tschoiiriloff's " Etude sar la Degenerescence Physiologique des 



Peuples Civilises " 396 



Drew's " Northern Barrier of India " 396 



Sir Ro^e Lambert Price's " Two Americas ; an Account of Sport 



and Travel " 396 



Lbttkrs to the Editor :— 



Nebulous Star in the Pleiades. — The Earl of Rosse 397 



"The Movement of the Soil-cap." — Ja.mes Geikie, F.R.S. . . 397 

 Government Grants to Science. — Prof. J. Burdon-Saxderson, 



F.R.S. 398 



Tints and Polarisation of Meonlight in Eclipse. — A. Freem.\n . 398 

 The Patenas or Grass Lands of the Mountain Region of Ceylon. — 



Rev. R. Abbay 398 



The Estimation of Urea by means of Hypobromite. — Dr. A. 



DuPRE . _ • 399 



Coloenis Julia in Texas. — Venomous Snakes devouring each other. 



— L Heiligbrodt 399 



Lowest Temperature. — Rev. S. J. Pkrrv, F.R.S 399 



Meteor. — Albert J. Mott 399 



Report on the Government Meteorological Grant .... 399 

 Researches om the Spectra of Metalloids. By Dr. Arthur 



Schuster 401 



Sir William Thomson o.n Navigation . . 403 



Tycho Brake (With Illustrations) ... 403 



Miniature Physical Geology. By C. Lloyd Morgan .... 410 

 Testimonial to Mr. Charles Darwin. — Evolution in the 



Netherlands 410 



The Norwegian North-Sea Expedition of 1876. By Prof. G. D, 



Sars , 41; 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Binary Star f Bootis 414 



Variable Stars 414 



Damoiseau's Tables of Jupiter's Satellites 414 



Bessel's Treatises . . * 414 



Biological Notes : — 



The Electric Eel , . . 414 



Early Development of Sponges 414 



A New Sponge ( With Illustration] 415 



Wild Dogs on the Obi 415 



The Woodpecker 415 



Sagacity of a Lobster 413 



The Influence of Temperature on the Nerve- and Muscle-Current 415 



Fertilisation of Flowers by Birds . . 416 



A New Parasitic Green Alga 416 



Flora of Turkestan 416 



Notes ,, 416 



Scientific Serials 419 



Societies and Academies 420 



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