i-jb 



NATURE 



[7an.3t, 1878 



Andrew Anderson, F.Z.S., containing some corrections and 

 additions to a former paper of his on the raptorial birds of the 

 north-west provinces, read before the Society on March 21, 

 1876. — A communication was read from Mr. F. Moore, F.Z S., 

 containing a revision of the genera and species of European and 

 Asiatic lepidoptera belonging to the family Lithosiidge. The 

 author characterised thirty-eight genera in this memoir, and gave 

 the descriptions of eighty new species. — Mr. A. Boucard, 

 C.M.Z. S., read a paper in which he gave a list of the birds he 

 had collected during a recent expedition to Costa Rica. The 

 number of birds collected during his five months' stay was about 

 one thousand in number, representing 250 species, amongst 

 which were two new to science (Zonotrichia boucardi and 

 Sapphironia boucardi of Mulsant) and many others of great 

 rarity. — Two papers were read by Mr. G. French Angas. The 

 first contained descriptions of seven new species of land shells 

 recently collected in Costa Rica by M. A. Boucard. The 

 second contained the description of a new species of Latiaxis 

 from an unknown locality, proposed to be called L. elegans. — A 

 communication was read from Dr. H. Burmeister, containing 

 no'es on Conurus hilans and other parrots of the Argentine 

 Republic. — A communication was read from the Count Salva- 

 dori, C.M.Z.S., in which an account was given of the birds col- 

 lected during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger, at Ternate, 

 Amboyna, Banda, the Ke Islands, and the Aru Islands. — Prof. 

 Garrod, F.R S., read a paper on certain points in the anatomy 

 of the Momotidse, in which he adduced facts substantiating their 

 affinities with the Todidse, Alcedinidje, and other Piciformes. 

 The second paper described the extraordinary structure of the 

 gizzard of the Fijian Fruit Pigeon {Carpophaoa latraus), in con- 

 nection with the fruit on which it feeds, that of Oncocarpus 

 vitiensis. — A communication' was read from Mr. Edgar A. 

 Smith, F.Z.S., containing the description of a new species of 

 Helix from Japan, which he proposed to call Helix (Camena) 

 congener. — A communication was read from the Marquis of 

 Tweeddale, F.R.S., containing an account of a collection of 

 birds made by Mr. A. H. Everett in the Philippine Islands of 

 Dinagat, Bazol, Nipak, and Sakeryok. Six new species were 

 found in this collection and were named Ceyx argentata, Hypo- 

 ihyfttys ccelestis, Mixornis capitalis, Dicceum schistaceum, D. 

 everelti, and Prionochilus olivaceus. — A second paper by the 

 Marquis of Tweeddale gave the description of a new genus and 

 species of bird from the Philippine Island of Negros, for which 

 the name Dasycrotapha speciosa was proposed. 



Photographic Society, January 8.— James Glaisher, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair, — Papers were read by Capt. Abney, 

 F.R.S., on the theory of the destruction of the undeveloped 

 photographic image ; by Edward Viles, on the production of 

 enlarged photographs of microscopic objects ; and by Edwin 

 Cocking, " stray thoughts on the exhibition." — Capt. Abney in 

 his paper stated the result of experiments undertaken to ascertain 

 the cause of the fading away of the undeveloped image on dry 

 plates by long keeping after exposure. Films of pure silver 

 iodide, and of pure silver bromide, afcer exposure, were washed 

 with potassium permanganate, potassium bichromate, and 

 chromic acid ; with the silver iodide salt, all destroyed the image, 

 with the silver bromide salt the last two oxidising agents alone 

 were effective. If this destruction of the image was caused by 

 oxidation of the silver atom, it should also be oxidised by ozone 

 — which experiments showed was the case. Capt. Abney then 

 assumes that the effect of time on the image on a dry plate is to 

 oxidise an atom of each of the molecules forming the image. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, January 15.— The newly- 

 elected president, Mr. John Frederic Bateman, F.R.SS.L. and 

 E. , delivered an inaugural address. After a passing allusion to 

 the growth of the Institution, which at the end of 1844 

 numbered only 552 of all classes, now increased to 3,189, 

 reference was made to some of the addresses of the eighteen 

 gentlemen who had previously occupied the presidential chair, 

 mainly for the purposes of comparison. Proceeding to matters 

 more personal to every member of the Institution, the President 

 urged that engineering was but, in fact, the embodiment of 

 practical wisdom ; or, in the words of Bacon, " the conjunction 

 of contemplation and action." 



Edinburgh 



Royal Society, January 7.— Bishop Cotterill, vice-president, 



in the chair.— Prof. Blackie read a paper on Mr. Gladstone's 



theory of colour-sense in Homer, which he completely refuted. 



A discussion followed, in which Principal Sir Alexander Grant, 



Bart., the Rev. Dr. CaZ8nove, Prof. Fleeming Jenkin, Dr. 

 Donaldson, and others took part. — Prof. Tait postponed his 

 paper on the intensity of currents required to work the telephone 

 but mentioned that Mr. James Blyth had obtained good results 

 with telephones in which he had employed discs of copper-wood 

 vulcanised india-rubber paper, instead of the usual iron ones. — 

 Prof. Tait also laid on the table a double mouthed-piece horn 

 for producing chords by two performers on the same instrument. 



Vienna. 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, November 16, 1877. — On 

 ice in the Danube in Lower Austria, in the winter 1876-77, by 

 the Minister of the Interior. — Researches on the consciousness 

 of place and its relation to the conception of space, by M. 

 Strieker. — On the temperature of Vienna according to 100 years' 

 observations, by M. Hann. — On the phanerogam flora of the 

 Hawaii Islands, by M. Reichardt. 



November 22, 1877. — O" a partial differential equation of the 

 first order, by M. Hocevar. The laws of [the individuality of 

 the planets of our solar system ; attempt to establish a general 

 theory, by M. Lehmann, 



December 6, 1877. — The velocity of propagation of spark 

 waves, by MM. Mach, Tumlirz, and Ko^ler. — On the applica- 

 tion of Doppler's principle to the progressive motion of luminous 

 gas molecules, by M. Pfaundler. — On some problems of the 

 theory of elastic reaction, and on a new method of observing 

 vibrations by reading of mirrors, without loading the vibrating 

 body with a mirror of considerable size, by M. Boltzmann. — 

 Determination of surfaces any of whose parts, from two fixed 

 points, are projected through cones the apertures of which are in 

 a given proportion, by M. VVeyr. — On mononitrobrenzcatechin, 

 by M. Benedikt. — Size and position of the optical axes of elas- 

 ticity in gypsum, by M, von Lang. — On the orbit of the planet 

 Laurentia (162), by M. Zelbr. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, January 21. — M. Daubree in the chair. 

 — On account of the death of MM. Becquerel and Regnault, the 

 sSance was adjourned. The funeral of M. Becquerel took place 

 the same day, that of M. Regnault next day. Discourses on the 

 former were pronounced by MM. Fizeau and Daubree ; on 

 the latter by MM. Debray, Jamin, Daubree, and Laboulaye. 

 [These are reported in the Comptes Rendus for the week.] 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Tait's "Thermodynamics." By Prof J. Clerk Maxwell, F.R. S. 



Wolf's History OF Astronomy. By J. R. Hind, F.R. S 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Capron's " Photographic Spectra. 136 Photographs of Metallic, 

 Gaseous, and other Spectra printed by the Permanent Autotype 



Process" 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Sun-spots and Terrestrial Magnetism. — B. G. Jenkins .... 

 On a Means for Converting the Heat Motion Possessed by Matter 

 at Normal Temperature into Work. — John Aitken .... 

 No Butterflies in Iceland. — Prof. Alfred Newton, F R S. . . 

 On some Peculiar Points in the Insect-Fauna of Chili. — Robert 



McLachlan t6o 



The Radiometer and its Lessons.— Prof. G. Johnstone Stoney, 



F.R S. . 



A Double Rainbow. — Thomas Noye . . , 



Science in Training Colleges 



Sun-spots and Terrestrial Magnetism. By John Allan Broun, 

 F.R S 



257 

 259 



259 



260 



Henri Victor Regnaulti . . . 

 The Origin of a Limestone Rock. 

 F.R.S. 



By Prof W. C. Williamson, 



The Liquefaction of the Gases [With Illustrations) 

 Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope . . . 



The Total Solar Eclipse of July 29 



Chemical Notes : — 



Temperature of Flames 



Starch in Plants 



Sipylite, a New Mineral Containing Niobium . . 



Molybdenum 



Relations between the Volumes of Silver Salts . . 



Ornithuric Acid . 



Distillation ot Organic Liquids by Means of Steam 

 Geographical Notes : — 



Early African Explorer 



African Exploration 



Mr Stanley 



Berlin Geographical Society 



Australia 



Arctic Exploration 



Canada 



Notes 



Rainfall in India 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . 

 Societies and Academies 



361 

 262 



262 



262 

 263 



265 

 265 



26} 

 269 



269 

 269 

 269 

 270 

 270 

 270 

 270 



370 

 270 

 270 

 271 

 271 

 271 

 271 

 271 

 273 

 27s 

 27s 



