May 13, 1875] 



NATURE 



37 



arrive at the Cape and to forward to you such of the specimens 

 collected as require only ordinary care in their transmission. 

 The more fragile things are likely to reach you in better condi- 

 tion if I keep them until my return to England, than they would 

 if they were sent with the others. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Journal de Physique theorique d appliqnee, Feb. 1875.— This 

 number contains several papers reprinted from other serials, and 

 the follo\ving original ones :— On the spectra of yttrium, erbium, 

 didymium. and lanthanum, by Prof. R. Thalen. On account of 

 the difficulty to obtain the compounds of these metals in a pure 

 state, considerable doubt has hitherto existed, whether certain 

 lines that always appeared in the spectra of yttrium and ertium 

 and in those of didymium and lanthanum belonged to the first 

 or second metal in the pair ; the state of these questions in 1S68 

 was, that there were twelve lines which alvvays appeared when 

 yttrium or erbium were examined, and sixteen lines in the case 

 of didjrmium and lanthanum. Prof. Thalen succeeded in ob- 

 taining sufficient quantities of compounds of each of the metals, 

 from M. Cleve, Professor of Chemistry at the Upsala University, 

 and these were of undoubted purity. He was thus enabled to 

 study their spectra most accurately, and the following table 

 shows the number of lines found in former and in the recent 

 researches : — 



Metal. Number of lines. 



Yttrium . . . 

 Erbium . . . 

 Didymium 

 Lanthanum 



70) 



49 f 



+ 12 uncertain 



16 



I 106 



83 



209 



It was found that the twelve uncertain lines that always appeared 

 with yttrium or erbium belong to yttrium only ; in the same way 

 the sixteen uncertain ones in the second case belong only to the 

 lanthanum spectrum. Prof. Thalen gives a detailed map of the 

 spectra in question. — Researches on the induction sparks and 

 electro-magnets ; their application to electro-chronographs, by 

 M. Marcel Deprez. — On analogies in the evolution of gases from 

 their over-saturated solutions, and the decomposition of certain 

 explosive substances, by M. D. Gemez. — On the preservation of 

 energy in electric currents, by M. E. Bouty. — On the transfor- 

 mation of static into dynamic electricity, by M. E. Bichat. 



Dcr Zoologische Garten. — In the January number, the first 

 article is a description of the new Zoological Gardens at Frank- 

 fort, by the director. Dr. Max Schmidt, illustrated by a coloured 

 plan. J. von Fischer gives an account of the habits of Ilerpestes 

 galera as observed in confinement. E. Buck figures and describes 

 an apparatus for producing currents in the water of aquaria ; it 

 may be worked either by a miniature steam-engine or by clock- 

 work. H. Schacht gives minute details of the breeding habits 

 of the common swallow (Hirundonistica) ; and A. B. Meyer and 

 K. von Rosenberg both write upon the newly discovered Bird 

 of Paradise {Diphyllodus Gulielmi III., Van Muschenbroek) from 

 Ternate. — In the February number is printed a paper read by Dr. 

 Hermann Miiller before the Provincial Soc'ety of Westphalia, on 

 the stingless Brazilian Honey-bees of the genus Melipona, and 

 the possibility of their acclimatisation in Europe. Dr. J. J. 

 Rein remarks on the distribution of some of the mammals of 

 Japan ; and C. Geitel writes on the feeding of small birds in 

 winter in the neighbourhood of human habitations. 



Poggendorff' s Annalen der Physik und Chemie, 1875, No. 2, 

 contain the following papers : — On the galvanic conducting 

 capacity of melted salts, by F. Braun. The author experi- 

 mented with twelve different salts, and tabulates his results ; 

 the salts were nitrates of potash, soda and silver, carbonates of 

 potash and soda, sulphate of soda, chlorides of potassium, 

 sodium, strontium, zinc and lead, and iodide of potassium. — On 

 a compilation of facts which prove a decrease of volume as a 

 consequence of chemical action in solid bodies, by W. Miiller. — 

 On the electric conducting capacity of the chlorides of the al- 

 kalies and alkaline earths as well as of nitric acid in aqueous 

 solutions, by F. Kohlrausch and O. Grotrian. This is the last 

 part of the author's interesting communications, and treats of 

 the liquids examined, of the resistances observed, of the con- 

 ducting capacities in their relation to that of mercury, and of 

 their dependence on temperature; further, of their proportion 

 to the percentage of concentration of liquids, of the co-efll- 

 cients ot temperature, and of the conducting capacity of dilute 

 solutions.— On the theory of galvanometers, by H. Weber. — 



A reply to Baron Eotvos' remarks on a part of the astronomical 

 undulation-theory by Ed. Ketteler.— Some remarks upon Helm- 

 holtz's work on Sound, " Die Lehre von denTonempfindungen," 

 by Emil v. Quanten ; these remarks relate principally to what 

 Helmholtz says on vowels. — A reply to Ilerr C. Heumann re- 

 garding his claim of priority in observing the action of nitrate 

 of silver upon sulphide of copper, by R, Schneider.— On the 

 construction of lightning conductors, by Dr. W . A. Nippoldt. 

 Some remarks by Dr. G. Baumgartner, on Prof. E. Edlund's 

 paper on the nature of electricity. — Description of a very simple 

 apparatus to photograph spectra, by Hermann W. Vogel ; this 

 apparatus can even be applied to an ordinary pocket spectroscope 

 of the smallest dimensions.— On the phenomena of interference 

 visible on mirrors covered with dust or a fine layer of grease, by 

 Prof. M. Sekulic. — Researches on apparent adhesion, by J. Ste- 

 fan.— On the conducting capacity of the halogen compounds of 

 lead, by E. Wiedemann. 



Transactions of the Manchester Geological Society, Part viii. vol. 

 xiii,, 1874-75. — Nearly the whole of this part is occupied by an 

 elaborate illustrated paper on " Hrematite Deposits," by Mr. J. 

 D. Kendall. There is a short paper by Mr. A. W. Waters on 

 " Tertiary Coals," in reference to specimens of carbonised peat 

 he found in Northern Italy under rather peculiar circumstances. 

 Part ix. is occupied with the discussion on Mr. Kendall's paper 

 on Hrematife deposits, and with a long paper on basalt and its 

 eflects, by Mr. G. C. Greenwell, F.G.S. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Royal Society, April 29.— " On a Continuous Self-Regis- 

 tering Thermometer," by H. Harrison Cripps. Communicated 

 by Prof. Stokes, Sec. R.S. 



The instrument is divided into two portions : — First, the ther- 

 mometer, which marks the degrees ; secondly, the clockwork, 

 which indicates the hours and minutes. The thermometer is first 

 described. The form in which it was originally made, and which 

 perhaps serves best for illustrating the principle, was the follow - 

 mg : — A glass bulb, rather more than an inch in diameter, ends in 

 a glass tube 12 inches long, having a bore of | inch. This tube is 

 coiled round the bulb in such a manner as to form a complete 

 circle four inches in diameter, the bulb being in the centre of 

 this circle. Fixed to opposite poles of the bulb, exactly at right 

 angles to the encircling tube, are two needle-pointed pivots. 

 These pivots work in minute metal depressions fixed to the sides 

 of two parallel uprights. It will be seen from this arrangement 

 that the bulb with its glass tube will rotate freely between the 

 uprights, and the pivots will be the centre of a circle, the cir- 

 cumference of which is formed by the glass tube. The bulb is 

 filled with spirit in such quantity that at 60° Fahrenheit the 

 spirit will fill not only the bulb, but about 4 inches of the tube. 

 Mercury is then passed into the tube till it comes into contact 

 with the spirit, and in such quantity as to fill up about three inches 

 of the remaining portion of the tube. The spirit is now heated 

 to 1 20°, and as it expands forces the column of mercury in front 

 of it till the mercury comes within \ inch of the end of the tube. 

 The tube is then hermetically sealed, enclosing a small quantity of 

 air. If the thermometer be now arranged with its needle-points 

 between the uprights, it will be observed that, as the spirit con- 

 tracts on cooling, it draws the column of mercury with it. This 

 immediately alters the centre of gravity, and the bulb and tube 

 begin to revolve in a direction opposite to that of the receding 

 mercury. On again applying heat, and the mercury passing 

 forwards, the bulb regains its original position. By this simple 

 arrangement, the two forces, heat and gravity, acting in contrary 

 directions, generate a beautifully steady rotatory movement. 

 The method by which this movement is made serviceable for 

 moving the register will now be described. A grooved wheel, 

 two inches in diameter, is fixed to one of the central pivots, 

 therefore revolving with the bulb. Directly above, and at a 

 distance of seven inches from this wheel, is fixed between 

 needle-points another wheel of exactly similar size. Around 

 and between these two wheels passes a minute endless chain. 

 To the chain is fixed a tiny pencil, which will be carried 

 backwards and forwards between the wheels in a perpendicular 

 line. This constitutes the register worked by the thermometer. 

 Tha clockwork portion of the machine is so arranged that it 

 causes a vertical cylinder, four inches diameter and five inches in 

 length, to revolve once in twenty-four hours. Round this cylin- 

 der is fixed a piece of paper twelve inches long, five inches wide. 



