72 



NATURE 



{May 



/ 1 



1888 



netism, by M. R. Blondlot. The author's experiments tend com- 

 pletely to confirm M. Ed. Becquerel's views regarding the mutual 

 relations of paramagnetic and diamagnetic bodies. It is shown 

 that these views are in no way affected by Tyndall's experiment, 

 which fails to prove the existence of diamagnetic polarity, and 

 which is perfectly explicable by Becquerel's theory. — On the 

 •electric phenomena produced by the ultra-violet rays, by M. 

 Auguste Righi. In connection with M. Stoletow's recent com- 

 munication on this subject, the author points out that several 

 of the results here given were previously announced by him in 

 a note presented to the Academy dei Lincei on March 4, and 

 printed at the time. — On the acid phosphites of the alkaline 

 metals, by M. L. Amat. To the acid phosphite of ammonia 

 (P0 3 HO)NH 4 0,HO, previously prepared by him, the author 

 here adds the corresponding salts of potassa and soda 

 <P0 3 HO)KO,HO and (P0 3 HO)NaO,HO, and explains their 

 method of preparation. — On the crystalline form of the tri- 

 thionate of soda, by M. A. Villiers. The author has succeeded 

 in obtaining crystals of this substance, the measurements of 

 which are here given. — On terpinol, by MM. G. Bouchardat 

 and R. Voiry. It is shown that certain derivatives of the tere- 

 benthenes generally supposed to be identical with List's terpinol 

 are really of different composition, although presenting some 

 marked analogies with that substance. — M. G. Demeny de- 

 scribes a number of instruments which he has devised for the 

 purpose of accurately determining the exterior form of the 

 thorax, the extent of the respiratory movements, the profiles 

 and sections of the trunk, and the volume of air inhaled and 

 exhaled. The last-mentioned is described as a self-registering 

 "spirometer." 



Berlin. 



Physical Society, April 20. — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof. Vogel communicated the results 

 of his researches on the spectrum of carbon. In recent times 

 the spectra of all the carbon compounds have been recognized 

 as being those due to carbon itself, the sole exception being in 

 the case of cyanogen, whose spectrum was considered to be that 

 of the compound, not of carbon itself. The speaker had 

 therefrom investigated the spectrum of cyanogen, with the help 

 of photography. He obtained a spectrum which was marked, 

 from the red to the ultra-violet, by very characteristic lines. 

 The spectrum of a Bunsen burner was next photographed, and it 

 was found that its first three lines coincide in all respects with 

 those of the spectrum of cyanogen ; in addition a series of lines 

 lying between the above and also in the blue were found to be' 

 identical in both spectra. On the other hand, the two bands in 

 the blue and ultra-violet were absent in the spectrum of the 

 compounds of carbon and hydrogen, being replaced by a series 

 of very characteristic double lines. Prof. Vogel next photo- 

 graphed the spectrum of carbonic oxide, and found that its more 

 highly refracted portion corresponded completely with that of 

 cyanogen. The bands in the blue and ultra-violet were 

 particularly well marked, whereas the less highly refracted half 

 of this spectrum did not correspond with that of cyanogen. 

 Finally, the light emitted by the electric arc was photographed, 

 and its spectrum resembled in all respects that of cyanogen. 

 The speaker drew the conclusion from these observations that 

 in all four cases he was really dealing with the spectrum of 

 carbon. The differences in the several spectra are not dependent 

 upon differences of temperature, inasmuch as the temperature of 

 a Bunsen flame is higher than that of cyanogen, and notwith- 

 standing this the latter gave a more highly developed and 

 complicated spectrum. The speaker was much more inclined to 

 assume the existence of modifications of carbon, of which one 

 yields its spectrum in the Bunsen flame, the other in the flame 

 of carbon monoxide, the two spectra being met with united in 

 those of cyanogen and the electric arc respectively. In photo- 

 graphs of the solar spectrum, the dark background on which 

 the line G is conspicuous shows such a marked correspondence 

 with narrow bands in all the above four spectra that the 

 existence of carbon in the sun must necessarily be assumed. — 

 Prof. Vogel then spoke on colour-perceptions, which he explained 

 by means of experiments. It is well known that when a colour- 

 chart is seen illuminated by the light of a sodium flame it 

 appears colourless : the yellow appears to be pure white, and the 

 other colours appear gray, graduating into black. This result is 

 not observed with other monochromatic light, such as that of 

 thallium or strontium. The speaker was, however, able to produce 

 the same result by means of coloured glasses, whether red, green, 



or blue; those colours always appeared to be white or very bright 

 which most strongly reflected the light with which the colour- 

 chart was illuminated, all the other colours appearing to be either 

 gray or black. When a second monochromatic light was added 

 to a previous one, such as blue to a yellow light, then definite 

 colour-sensations were observed, which increased in number 

 when a third source of monochromatic light was superadded to 

 the other two. Prof. Vogel laid great stress on the perception 

 of white by monochromatic illumination of a uniformly coloured 

 field of view. He was not prepared to give any explanation of 

 the phenomena, but simply to bring them to notice, with the 

 intention of investigating them further. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED 



Nature's Hygiene, 3rd edition : C. T. Kingzett (Bailliere, Tindall, and 

 Cox).— GEuvres Completes de Christiaan Huygens : Tome Premier, Corres- 

 pondance 1638-56 (Nijhoff, La Have).— Longmans' Junior School Geography. 

 G. G. Chisholm (Longmans). — Kurzes Handbuch der Kohlenhydrate : Dr. 

 B. Tollens (Trewendt, Breslau).— Geology for All : J. L. Lobley (Roper and 

 Drowley).— The Elements of Logarithms: W. Gallatly (Hodgson).— 

 Natural Causation : C. E. Plumptre (Unwin). — Text-book of Practical 

 Metallurgy : A. R. Gower (Chapman and Hall).— Recherches sur le Cera- 

 tium Macroceros : E. Penard (Geneve).— The Old Babylonian Characters 

 and their Chinese Derivates : Dr. T. de Lacouperie (Nutt). — The Natural 

 History and Epidemiology of Cholera: Sir J. Fayrer (Bale).— The Study 

 of History in American Colleges and Universities : H. B. Adams (Washing- 

 ton).— Tokyo Sugaku Butsurigaku Kwai Kiji, Maki No. III. Dai 3.— 

 Asbestos ; its Production and Use : R. H. Jones (C. Lockwood). — A Chapter 

 in the Integral Calculus: A. G. Greenhill (Hodgson).— Journal of the 

 Chemical Society, May (Gurney and Jackson). — Annalen der Physik und 

 Chemie, 1888, No. 6 (Barth, Leipzig).— Bulletins de la Societe d'Anthropo- 

 logie de Paris, Tome X. (3 Serie). 4c Fa?c. (Masson, Paris). — Me"moires de la 

 Societe d'Anthropologie' de Paris, Tome III. (2e. Serie) Fasc. 3 and 4 

 (Masson, Paris). — Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, vol. 44, part 

 2, No. 174 (Longmans). — Bulletin of the American Geological Society, vol. 

 xix., Supplement 1887, vol. xx. No. 1 (New York).— Jamaica, Annual 

 Report on the Public Gardens and Plantations for the year ended September 

 30, 1887 (Jamaica). 



CONTENTS. page 



Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. By J. G. Baker, 



F.R.S 49 



The Geological Evidences of Evolution 50 



The Shell-Collector's Hand-book for the Field ... 51 

 Our Book Shelf :— 



Davis: " A Text-book of Biology " 52 



" Reports of the Geological Survey of New Zealand" . 53 

 Rau : " First Lessons in Geometry " ........ 53 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Dissemination of Plants by Birds. — W. Botting 



Hemsley 53 



On the Reappearance of Pallas's Sand Grouse (Syr- 

 rhaptes paradoxus) in Europe.— Dr. A. B. Meyer . 53 



" Coral Formations." — Robert Irvine 54 



Aurora Borealis. — L. J. H 54 



Weight and Mass. — Prof. A. G. Greenhill 54 



Density and Specific Gravity. — Harry M. Elder . . 55 



The Cornish Blown Sands. — R. H. Curtis 55 



Self-induction in Iron Conductors. — Prof. J. A. 



Ewing 55 



Notes on the Reproduction of Rudimentary Toes in 



Greyhounds.— Dr. R. W. Shufeldt 56 



Dreams. — A. Bialoveski 56 



"Antagonism." — Thomas Woods 56 



Suggestions on the Classification of the Various 

 Species of Heavenly Bodies. V. {Illustrated.) By 



J. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S 56 



The Royal Society Conversazione 60 



The Zoological Society of Amsterdam 62 



Notes 62 ! 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1888 



May 20-26 65 ' 



Geographical Notes 65 



The Pygmy Races of Men. II. By Prof. Flower, 



C.B., F.R.S 66 ;j 



University and Educational Intelligence 69 | 



Societies and Academies 70 t 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 72 1. 



I 



