464 



NATURE 



[March 22, 1877 



entitled " Preparation of Copper-zinc Couples," by Dr. J. H. 

 Gladstone, and Mr. A. Tribe, which was experimentally illus- 

 trated ; it gave the details of the experiments made to ascertain 

 the conditions for the preparation of a couple of maximum 

 activity. The other papers were on chromium pig-iron, by Mr. 

 E. Riley; a note on gardenin, by D-. J. Stenhouse and Mr. C. 

 E. Groves ; two papers by Mr. M. M. P. Muir entitle! " Addi- 

 tional No^e on a process for estimating Bismuth volumetrically," 

 and " On certain Bis'iiuth Compounds," Part IV. ; and a note 

 by Dr. M. Simpson and Mr. C. O. Keeffe, on the determination 

 of urea by means of hypobromite. 



Victoria (Philosophical) Institute, February 5. — Dr. C. 

 Brooke, F.R.S., in the chair. — A paper was read by Prof. 

 Birks, of Cambridge, on " The Bib^e and Modern Astronomy." 



Geneva 



Physical and Natural History Society, January 18.— 

 M. Ernest Favre read a paper on th; question of the origin of 

 the gravels which are found in the portion of the Alps under 

 the glacial soil, and which are known as the old alluvium. This 

 is formed in the vicinity of the ancient glaciers, as is proved by 

 the following facts : (i) The presence of glacial soil in two loca- 

 lities in the neighbourhood of Geneva, in the very interior of the 

 alluvium, at several metres under the great glacial sheet ; (2) the 

 very different heights at which the alluvium is deposited in the 

 interior of the same basin ; (3) the fact that it is fo'-med of the 

 same elements, large pebbles and fossil sand at whatever dis- 

 tance it is observed from the foot of the Alps ; the disappearance 

 of these depots begins the limit of the ancient glaciers. — M. 

 Philippe Plantamour has undertaken observations on the variations 

 of the level of the Lake of Geneva, similar to those of Prof. F. A. 

 Forel at Morges. They confirm the theory of the perpetual oscil- 

 lation to which the surface of the water is subject, as shown by 

 Dr. Forel, and which lasts about an hour and a quarter in the lon- 

 gitudinal direction. The variations of level, or seiches, are much 

 greater in the neigbourhood of Geneva, at the western extremity 

 of the lake than at Morges, a 1 ttle beyond the middle of its length 

 towards the east, and they are in the oppoiite direction, A 

 registering limnimetre, which is to be erected by M. Th. Plant- 

 amour, will permit of following with a new facility the phases 

 of the phenomenon, and of comparing them with those which 

 occur at Morges. 



M Paris 



Academy of Sciences, March 12. — M. Peligot in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — Theorems relative to 

 series of isoperimetric triangles which have one side of constant 

 .•-ize, and satisfy three other diverse conditions, by M. Chasles. — 

 Influence of pressure on chemical phenomena, by M. Berthelot. 

 lie cites an experiment of Quincke's showing that the liberation 

 of hydrogen from zinc and sulphuric acid is not stopped by 

 pressure of the gas, but only retarded. It goes on so long as 

 I here is acid to saturate or zinc to dissolve. — On a metallic iron 

 found at Santa Catarina( Brazil), by M. Damour. This is sup- 

 posed of meteoric origin. The small quantities of carbon (o"0020) 

 and silicium (o'ocoi) in it are like those of the best qualities of 

 iron obtained in industry, while the proportion of nickel (o"3397) 

 considerably exceeds that of meteoric irons hitherto known. To 

 this latter is doubtless due its resistance to oxidation in moist 

 air and to the action of dilute sulphuric and hydrochloric acids. 

 M. Boussingault stated he had had cast in his laboratory 62 per 

 cent, steel and 38 nickel. A polished face of the alloy did not 

 rust in contact with air and water. Of the filings two or three 

 grains took rust, merely showing the alloy was not entirely 

 homogeneous. Alloys with 5, 10, or 15 per cent, nickel oxidised 

 rapidly. — Observations on the na'ive iron of Santa Catarina and on 

 the pyrrhotine and magnetite associated with it, by M. Daubree. 

 The masses, when at a high temperature, seem to have been 

 subjected to oxidising action of air or water, which action pene- 

 trated into the interior by very fine fissures. — On the main- 

 tenance of constant temperatures ; second note by M. D'Arsonval. 

 He heats the apparatus by means of a thermo-siiihon, and the 

 rSle of the regulator is to proportion the activity of ttie circulation 

 to the causes of loss. Thus the fire may be of any strength ; it 

 gives its heat to a liquid which distributes it as the regulator 

 allows. — On the annual aberration and annual parallax of stars, 

 Ijy M. Kericuff. He corrects some mistakes in the formulae 

 made for these. — Applications cf a theorem comprising the two 

 prmciples of the mechanical theory of heat, by M. Levy.— On 

 the periodicity of solar spots, by M. Wolf. In a brochure he 



gives not only all the epochs of maxima and minima since the 

 discovery of the spots, but, for a century and a quarter, by 

 means of a relative number, the monthly energy of the pheno- 

 menon. He shows by curves the average course of the pheno- 

 mena and anomalies; also the indices o^ a great period embracing 

 sixteen small periods of eleven and a half years, or nearly i6S 

 years. — Measurements of the calorific intensity of the solar radia- 

 tions received at the surface of the ground, by M. Crova. He 

 calculates that on January 4, 1876, the heat received on a square 

 centimetre at right angle, to the direction of the sun's rays from 

 sunrise to sunset, would be $35 "o cal., that on the surface of the 

 ground 161 "2 cal. ; for July 11, 1876, the corresponding numbers 

 are 876"4 cal. and 574"x cal. The heat received at right angles 

 on January 4 is o"6io of that on July 1 1 ; the heat received on 

 the surface of the ground on January 4 is o"28i of that on 

 July II. — Metals which accompany iron, by M, Terrell. 

 Their proportions are small^ they rarely amount to five 

 thousandths ; whereas, in native or meteoric iron, they may 

 be ten per cent. They are chiefly manganese, n'ckel, cobalt, 

 and chromium ; whi'e copper, vanadium, titanium and tung- 

 sten occur accidentally. — Chemical study of mistletoe, {Viscunt 

 album, L ), by M M. Grandeau and Bouton. Inter alia, the 

 composition of the stem is very near thrt of the leaves, and 

 the composition of the mistletoes of different species is widely 

 different. As to nutritive value, the mistletoe of the oak takes 

 rank with meadow grass of good quality or red clover, the leaves 

 of the mistletoe of the cornelian and pear trees have equal value 

 with good hay or aftermath ; while their branches may be com- 

 pared to the straw of leguminous plants, or the husks of cereils. 

 — On the electrotonic state in the case of unipolar excitation of 

 the nerves, by MM. Morat and Toussaint. When the positive 

 po^e is applied to the nerve, the current is divergent, from the 

 middle of the nerve it goes towards the two extremities ; it is 

 thus in the two ends contrary to the proper current of the nerve ; 

 hence the negative phase of the electrotonic state. If the nega- 

 tive pole is applied, the battery current converges towards the 

 middle, and is in the same direction with the proper current, 

 which it increases (positive phase of the electrotonic state). — 

 Acute poisoning by acetate of copper, by MM. Feltz and Ritter. 

 It is more active than sulphate. The disorders are more intense 

 and long in fasting animals. One could not swallow the sub- 

 stance in food or drink without perceiving the taste. — On the 

 value of certain arguments of transformism, taken from the 

 evolution of the dental follicles in ruminants, by M. Pietkiewicz. 

 In these animals there is nothing at all like germs of canines 

 and incisors, as Goodsir affirmed. — On the unity of the forces in 

 geology, by M. Hermite. — On the crevasses of the cre'aceous 

 system, by M. Robert. 



CONTENTS Page 



British Manufacturing Industries , . 445 



The Germ Theory . 446 



Our Book Shhlf :^ 



King's " Manual of Cinchona Cultivation in India" 416 



Reyer's " Die Euganeen Bau nnd Geschichte e'nes Vulkanes " . 447 

 Von Hellwald'a ' ' Die Erde und ihre Volker : ein geographisches 

 Hausbuch" 447 



Lbttsrs to t-'b Editor : — 



Science Fellowships at Oxford. — Socius 447 



Spectra of Metalloids. —Dr. Arthur Schuster 447 



The Annual Parliamentary Grant for Meteorology. — Zeta . . . 448 



Centralism in Spectroscopy. — Prof. V\.\7.2\ Smvth 449 



Greenwich as a Meteorological Observatory. — Alexander Buchan 450 



Atmospheric Currents. — Rev W. Clement Ley 450 



Electrical Phenomenon. — Prof. George Forbes 450 



Strange Star. — Meteor. —W. M 451 



Science in Germany . . 451 



D'albertis's Expedition up the Fly River, New Guinea . . 452 



The Physiological Action of Light, 1 1. By Prof. Dewar, F.RS. 

 (IViiA Ilhistration) 453 



Astronomical Bibliographies. 455 



Menueleef's Researches on Mariotte's Law. By Prof. De 

 Mexdeleef 455 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Suspected Intra-Mercurial Planet 45 



D' Arrest's Comet 41 



Total 'olar Ecl.pses 43 



Mstegrological Notes: — 



Mean Atmospheric Pressure in Russia in Europe 



Meteorology o* Mauritius 4! 



Exploring Idalloons for Meteorological Purposes -41 



Biological Notes: — 



A Chytridium with True Reproduction 



Cryptogamic I* lora of Russia 



Alga; of the Gulf of Finland . . . iJ 



Botanical Geography of Russia 4f 



Notes 



Iron and Steel Institute 



SociKTiBs AND Academies 



