NA TURE 



[Dec. 2 2, 1887 



greatest errors m each group divided by the mean of the squares 

 of all the errors has for probable value I + -^ > -"^ ^P" 



^ILtiZon a new process of synchronizing time-pieces. 1 he 



picric acid t° f P/°^^ ^y gition^of the nitric compounds properly 

 loTalTed" showing howEse various mode, depend on the mituu 

 so called, s;°J''?|'; position.— Remarks in connection with 



temperature of the decomposin ..Collection des anciens 



the presentation o ^ ^^^^f'^'^g^X ^t This "Collection," just 

 ^'^ed^irM^eVthelfw^tl the co-operation of the Greek 

 'llnfar M Ch E Ruelle, embodies much information regard- 

 scholar, l^.^ft- ^- ' ursor of the modern science of 

 'h'^l'trT^'Vor^ptTl^om unedited Greek manuscripts scat- 

 chemistry. '-o"?P '^{ , _„ • -s of Europe, it comprises about 400 

 ^"'^ ^Greek^tex Sg from tWl'exandrine and Byzantine 

 ^'^^ ,lf ?nd mSly ante^rior to the writers who stimulated 

 periods, a"^,.'"°?"y, ^ West Amongst the treatises here for 

 tT^i tSmted^ed a^ "hose o™ th'e pseudo- Democritus, of 



^:T:rrL^S^^^oLt.L^^ view to recording 

 hfghest summit's of the range. Other Photographs exhib^ 



logical theory of Mr. Norman Lockyer, and oflhe views of 

 n'o denS on the subject, by. Prof. Bar.n Norc^enskiold^ 

 —On cost Glacial deposits containing Ancyhcs fiuviatiUs, oy 

 H. Mumhe.-On rJus corylifolius, Arrh., and J^ub,<s prmn- 

 osu Arrh , their nomenclature and value as species, by Dr. L. 

 M Neuma'n.-On the hyperborean fir, Pun. nlvestns, L 

 , 1 J... ■ -K,, Mr Th Ortenbladt.— On the development ol 

 h3"« 'b'„'dS:-o? v;s"elfof .h. Monocotyledon, by M^, 

 S Wersson -On oysler-cultore in Bolms, by Count Ehrcns- 

 v\d,-oritationsL .he coeffici.nt_of_e,aJ,c,,y oab^ 



and 



I'n 'c^insequenc^^of Vhe UansmYssion of X?>^^^^fl^:^''l'!'\^^J °'- 

 " conduction of electricity between flames 



On the influence of temperature on 



" rock-salt, by Miss 



Echinoconidae, by 



Mebius. — On 



S^tpS;e^-of S;;^nd Vhe;i^nsity^ r^^^^^J^t 



Sof^rS -Sn their 5\he ^lit Sf ??^/~ J^- 

 which formerly existed in Sweden, by Prof. Nathorst.-On the 

 morphology and development of the ^f/J^^^^' ^^^^^^ .^e^" 

 Adlerz —Contribution to the knowledge of the carbon -hydrates, 

 by Drs. C. Johansson and Ekstrand.-On the action of fummg 

 sulphuric aiid on «-naphthalin combined -f ^ ,^-J°^-^^^^^^^^^^ 

 orirl hv R Manzelius.— On the action of sulphuric a.ia on 

 :l'ro-Lphthalin by W. Palmar -Analytical researches on 

 The -lir near the fortress of Waxholm, in October 1885, by Ur. 

 A.'ESe?ander -On systems of coincidence of common a ge- 

 braic differential equations, by Dr. J. Moller.-On some alge 

 braic analogies conducting to elliptic integrals, by Dr. A. M. 

 Johansson.-The conditi ms for an algebraic analogy, 



to lead to elliptic^int";grarby the'same.-On the wave-length 

 of algebraic curves, by G. Kobb. 



BOOKS. PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



an Old Farm : Dr. H. C. 



-British Dogs. Nos. 



Nature : Dr H C M,'C~k <«°i*;j,"i?'°"S'Si Btamgham-phito,,. 



-The 



of the Pyrenees 

 just before the 



kV Fi'scYeVriranslated by W. S Hough (Sonn^nsche'nV 



formation of the Bureau of t-ducatton No 1% f^^? [Washmgton; ^^^^ 



(Washington).- 

 Paris. 



CONTENTS. 



^IrnT'that photography ntay be applied ■^J^^^^^"^^'^^ 



These 



173 

 174 



to the study of atmospheric phenomena. tu^.^ 



heor? o he figure of the planets, by M. O. Cal andreau These 

 reseaTches forming a second contribution to the study of he 

 Sanets ar'e devoted more especially to the arger members of the 

 Sar system: in which the extent of flattening of the poles is an 

 Sment which cannot be neglected in the general ca culat on.- 

 SS compressibUity of the solution of ethylamine in water by 

 M F IsaXrt The experiments here described confirni he 

 fonc^u'ionT already arriveS at ^y ll^e author. Jowing that the 

 aqueous solutions of the ammomacal bases j"^^^ be regarded as 

 true chemical combinations, more or less <iissociated and dis 

 solved in an excess of water.-On the geographical distribution 

 of Ihe Actinia inhabiting the F-^ch Mediterranean waters b^ 

 M. P. Fischer. A list is given of he thirty-three species 

 already determined on the south coast of France. Of these 

 Jxteen are found also on the French Atlantic coast, which com- 

 nries twenty-four species not yet discovered in .the Med.ter- 

 mnean The northern limits of the French species have been 

 Sy determined, but not so the southern several forms occur- 

 ring alsot the Red Sea, and on the North and West Afiican 



seaboards, 



Stockholm. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, December 14. -Consider- 

 ations^on some theories of atmospheric electricity, ^by Prof. 



PAGE 



The Star of Bethlehem. {With Diagram) • • • • • J$9 

 ^Se Microscope. By Dr. W. H. DalUnger, F.R.S. .71 



The Cruise of the Z)«yi/;«/'^«« • .• ; : • ,• •." ' ' 

 Exercises in Quantitative Chemical Analysis . . 



Th; Study of Logic. By Alfred Sidgwick i75 



Our Book Shelf :— j-g 



Aveling: " Light and Heat • •. • , 'g 



Leutemann: " Animals froni the Life ._ / 



Lee- "The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary ^o 



"-^The Rofaf gor"culi;;;al Society.-Dr. Maxwell T.^ ^^^ 



ClSSn'^ofdlolidsi-Rev. W, ^ 



Eff-ect of Snow on the Polarization of the bky. 



Tames C. McConnel ;, ' ' ' 'x%t\J*u' 



The Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn Caves.-Worth- 

 ington G. Smith ._ . ^ .^—^i^-^ ' ' " * ! .' 178 



178 



A Correction.— fro* ■ ■ -«.vc:=l^.. • - ^79 



Isolation of Fluorine 



177 

 177 



Smith 

 The Planet Mercury. -W. F Denning . . . 

 Meteor of November 15.-J- Lloyd Bozward 

 -Prof. J. J. Sylvester, F.K.b. 



By A. E. Tutton • ^79 



(Illustrated.) 



Timber, and some of its Diseases. I. 

 By Prof. H. Marshall Ward .... 



Astronomical 'phenomena for the 



December 25-31 • ■ • ' • \' : \:,' 

 The U.S. Commission of Agriculture 



John Wrightson 



Weights and Measures - • • • • • • • .^i. 



University and Educational Intelligence ;°y 



Scientific Serials 



Week 1887 

 By Prof. 



182 

 186 



158 



189 



ations on some uicuiic= "' "•^•""-^ ■--,•„„,-„ ^t,' f.„„of, 1 Societies and Academies . . . • • .• ■ 

 „TS™%'^D^:'^''Srl''l"'rSr„f o7!h*"r l Boo^s, Pa»ph,e.,. and Senals R.c.tv.d 



192 



