138 



NATURE 



[June 17, 1875 



SCIENTIFIC, SERIALS 



The current number of the Journal of Anatomy and Physi- 

 ology contains much valuable scientific work, together with its 

 excellent Reports on the progress of Anatomy and Physiology, 

 by Prof. Turner and Dr. Stirling. The first paper is one on the 

 freezing process for section- cutting, and on various methods of 

 staining and mounting sections, by Mr. Lawson Tait. The 

 author prefers the non-employment of chromic acid, picric acid, 

 and other chemically-interfering agents. His section-cutter is a 

 modification of Stirling's, a freezing tank of considerable size 

 being added. The air- bubbles are removed from the sections by 

 the action of boiled water. Logwood and litmus are preferred 

 as staining agents, and their operation is given in proof of the 

 nuclei of cells being, contrary to ordinary ideas, alkaline. — Prof. 

 Flower, in a note on the construction and and arrangement of 

 anatomical museums, makes several very valuable suggestions, 

 which should be specially studied by those who have anything 

 to do with the establishment and construction of biological mu- 

 seums. He shows how that in lofty rooms, with galleries, lighted 

 at the ceiling-wall junction, the preparations have to be arranged 

 according to their manner of preservation ; dry, in bottles, and 

 otherwise ; which involves the separation of those illustrating any 

 single subject. A series of small side-lighted rooms allows of 

 all the specimens illustrating any single subject, however pre- 

 served, being placed in juxtaposition, whilst it separates off the 

 subjects. — Dr. HoUis remarks, with several interesting historical 

 references, on lopsided generation. — The next paper is by Mr. 

 Walter Pye, entitled observations on the development and struc- 

 ture of the kidney. The relation of the capsule to the Mai. 

 pighian tuft is explained upon the peculiarities observed in the 

 developing organ in a manner differing from the results of Riedel. 

 The characters of the ascending limbs of Henle's loops are de- 

 scribed in detail. A plate accompanies tlie paper. — Mr. Lowne, 

 in a note on the mechanical work of respiration, desires to prove 

 that the amount of work performed in the respiratory act is much 

 less than is usually stated, from calculations based on the relation 

 between the velocity of moving gases and the pressure producing 

 motion. — Dr. Howden describes a case of atrophy of the right 

 hemisphere of the cerebrum attended with the same condition of 

 the left side of the cerebellum and the left side of the body, in a 

 woman aged 30. — Prof . Turner figures and describes the Spiny 

 Shark {Echinorhinus spinosus) from a specimen captured near 

 Bass Rock, six-and-a-half feet long. The ureters were found to 

 open into the cloaca by a single orifice. There was no cement 

 gland in the oviduct, from which it is evident that the ova have 

 no horny case. The stomach is succeeded by a pyloric tube ; 

 pyloric caeca are absent. In comparing Lccinargus and Echmo- 

 rhinus, which are supposed to be closely related, it is found 

 that the former possesses two large duodenal caeca and no ovi- 

 ducts, whilst in the latter caeca are absent and oviducts deve- 

 loped. Prof. Turner also proves, from a specimen caught off the 

 mouth of the Frith of Forth, that the Postbeagle Shark {Lanma 

 cornubica) possesses a spiracle, contrary to the opinion of most 

 authorities. — Mr. D. J. Cunningham gives notes on the Great 

 Splanchnic Ganglion. In twenty-six cases, he failed to detect its 

 presence in six ; it is situated on the body of the twelfth dorsal 

 vertebra ; it is variable in shape and size. The same author 

 describes a case of lateral curvature of the spine in connection 

 with hypertrophy of the sympathetic nervous system in the lum- 

 bar and sacral regions. — Mr. Dwight makes remarks on the 

 position of the femur and on its so-called "true neck." — Drs. 

 Kronecker and Stirling describe in detail experiments on the 

 characteristic sign of cardiac muscular movement. The funda- 

 mental fact on which the investigation is based is the law of 

 Bowditch, that "the induction current of the weakest strength 

 which produces a contraction of the heart does not produce the 

 weakest of possible contractions." The fact that afiera pulsation 

 has been developed in the heart of a frog, by a certain stimulation, 

 the organ can be made to continue its beating with a diminished 

 stimulus, is compared to the difference between the effort first 

 required to sound a big bell and that necessary to maintain it 

 ringing. The effect of temperature on the cardiac irritability is 

 shown, the heart reaching its maximum mobility at 25° C. After 

 the discussion of the difficult phenomenon of cardiac tetanus, the 

 authors prove that "the cardiac muscles can only act equally 

 with the help of continually new nutrient fluid." The paper is 

 deserving of the attention of all physiologists.— Dr. Kronecker 

 also describes a new digestion-oven with a diffusion apparatus.— 

 Mr. J. C. Ewart has a note on a large organised cyst m the sub- 

 dural space.— Mr. J. Reoch writes on the decomposition of urea, 



adducing evidence to show that in urine the urea is changed into 

 carbonate of ammonia by the action of a fungus the germs of 

 which are contained in the atmosphere.— Mr. M. Simpson de 

 scribes the existence of two precaval veins in a dog, a condition 

 constant in the kangaroo and some other animals. 



Report of the Rugby School Natural History Society for the 

 Year 1874.— We are glad to be able to say that this Report is a 

 satisfactory one ; all the sections have done a fair quantity of 

 good work, and a large proportion of the papers read has been 

 the work of actual members or associates. The papers are all 

 highly creditable to the authors, and many of them give evidence 

 of well-trained powers of observation. Mr. J. M. Wilson con- 

 tributes three interesting papers. One, "On the construction of a 

 geological model of the neighbourhood of Rugby," contains some 

 queries and suggestions as to how such a work should be gone 

 about, and we are glad to see that the model has actually been 

 commenced and has already made considerable progress. This 

 is really most profitable work on which to employ the members 

 of the Society. Other papers by Mr. Wilson are, " On the com- 

 panion of Sirius," a note of an observation on the comes of 

 Sirius, from which Mr. Wilson infers that it has performed 

 twenty-three degrees of its revolution in ten years ; and " On 

 the Geology of Hillmorton." The following titles of papers by 

 members will give an idea of the work done by the Society :— 

 "On Mounting for the Microscope," by E. J. Power; "On 

 the Will-o'-the- Wisp," by H. W. Trott ; "On Owls," by H. 

 Vicars; "On the Sub-Wealden Explorations," by R. D. Old- 

 ham ; " On an Entomological Expedition," by H. F. Wilson, 

 who also contributes a paper "On the Great Spotted Wood- 

 pecker ;" "On Migrations," by W. C. Marshall; " On Bees," 

 by H. Vicars ; " On Roman Remains near Church Lawford," 

 by L. Knowles ; "On Drops of Liquid," by H. F. Newall, a 

 very interesting paper, giving evidence of some faculty for ori- 

 ginal research ; " On Cuckoos," by W. Larden. Mr. Newall's 

 paper on drops is illustrated by some carefully executed drawings. 

 The same member has constructed an ingenious compound pen- 

 dulum machine, an illustration of which is given, as also illus- 

 trations of some most delicate curves executed by the machine. 

 Among other illustrations we may mention a heliotype copy of a 

 drawing by J. H. Patry of fifteen various observations of the 

 planet Mars, taken at the Temple Observatory. Very full sec- 

 tional reports are appended, and under the head of " Statistics" . 

 a variety of information is given. Altogether this is one of the 

 most satisfactory reports published by this Society. 



Zeitschrift der Oesterreichischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteorologie, 

 April 15.— This number contains an article by Prof. Buys-Ballot 

 on the climate of Buenos Ayres, and another on the hailstones 

 which have occurred in Wiirtemberg during the. forty-six years 

 1828-73. 



Bulletin de VAcademie Roy ale des Sciences de Belgique, 2 Sen 

 t. xxxix. No. 3. — This number contains a note on Pecopteris 

 odontopteroides (Morris), by M. Francois Crepin. There is a 

 fossil from the coal measures of Hobart Town among those sent 

 by Mr. Allport to the museum, which M. Crepin refers to the 

 same species as that named by Prof. Morris. He doubts, how- 

 ever, whether Prof. Morris has assigned his specimen to its true 

 relationships, believes it is nearer to Odontopteris alpina (Gein), 

 and provisionally proposes Odontopteris Morisii as its name. — 

 On the calcaire carbonifere between Tournai and the environs 

 of Namur, by M. E. Dupont ; a description of forty-seven 

 pages, with two coloured folding plates of sections. — Researches 

 on the structure of the corda dorsaUs of Amphioxus, by M. 

 Camille Moreau. The work was carried on in the microscopical 

 laboratory of the University of Liege, under the direction of 

 Prof. E. Van Beneden. The paper consists of a description 

 with a plate. To complete the working out of the homologues 

 of the layers, further embryological observations, M. Moreau 

 says, are necessary. — No. 4. The communications in this num. 

 ber are : — Note on the temperature of the winter of 1874-75, by 

 M. Quetelet. The winter is compared with that of 1859-60, 

 and a table showing the resemblance is given. — Note on the 

 halo with mock moons of March 23, 1875, by M. Chas. Hoore- 

 man.— On the theory of the use of hot air in furnaces, by M. H. 

 Valerius.— On some fossil plants from the " Psammites du 

 Condroz," by M. A. Gilkinet. This paper is partly of criticism on 

 the work of M. Crepin, and is partly descriptive. Three folding 

 plates of illustrations are given. 



Archives des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles, vol. 51, No. 

 207 (March 15, 1875). — This part contains many papers trans- 



