Au^. 12, 1875] 



NATURE 



303 



of the vScotcli "Cnnncl coal." In o\\ i\ic?,i fiesh-waier Ai&- \ 

 toms were found to be more or less numerous. The i 

 thiee specimens yielded different species of Diatomaceje, but 

 no new forms were detected. The coal for examination was 

 finely pulverised, -Jlicn placed in a piece of combustion tubing 1 

 and heated to redness, a gentle stream of oxygen being passed j 

 over the substance. The temperature must not be raised too I 

 high, in order not to fuse the siliceous skeletons of the Diato- 

 maceie. The residue is to be treated with nitric acid and chlo- 

 rate of potash, and heated, then washed carefully with distilled 

 water, and mounted in the usual way. The examination of other 

 varieties of coal would no doubt yield results of the highest in- 

 terest and importance. — The second paper, " i^eitriige zur 

 Theorie der Pllanzenzelle," is by Dr. J. Tschistiakoff, and is 

 devoted to the development of the pollen of Epilobium augnsti- 

 foliuni. The chief point in the paper is the description of the 

 pro-nucleus, which" is also to be met with, according to Tschis- 

 tiakoff, in the spores of Cryptogams. In the mother-cells of 

 the pollen-grains the protoplasm becomes differentiated into 

 certain zones or regions, one called the pro-nucleus, which con- 

 tains the nucleolus. The pro-nucleus becomes more differen- 

 tiated during the growth of the cell, and may divide or disappear. 

 When new pro-nuclei are formed, one ultimately becomes deve- 

 loped into the true nucleus of the cell. The paper is illustrated 

 by five plates. — The last paper is upon the development of the 

 Prothallium . of the CyatheacLV, by Dr. Hermann liauke. The 

 species chiefly examined were : Cyathca nudullaris, Alsophila 

 aitstralis, and Hemitdia spcctabilis. The paper treats of — i. 

 The germination of the spore and the development of the Pro- 

 thallium ; 2. The development of the Antheridia ; 3. Develop- 

 ment of the Archegonia and Fertilisation ; 4. Male Prothallia and 

 proliferation of Prothallia ; and 5. Anomalies. The general 

 results of the paper show that in most points the development of 

 the ProthalUum of the Cyatheaca; agrees with that of the Poly- 

 podiacere. A special peculiarity is the occurrence of one rarely 

 of two, stalk-like cells to the Antheiidium. The subject is ex- 

 haustively treated, and it is illustrated by five plates. 



Rekhert undDn Bois-ReymoniVs Archiv fiir Anatomie, Physi- 

 ologic, &c., 1875. No. I, May. — On the Pronation and Supi- 

 nation of the forearm, by Hermann Welcker, Plalle. The author 

 believes that the motions of pronation and supination should be 

 regarded not merely as movements of rotation, but also as hinge- 

 movements about an axis passing through the middle of the 

 head of the radius and the styloid process of the ulna. For the 

 term " extreme supination " he would bubstitute dorsal flexion of 

 the radius ; for " pronation," volar flexion of the radius. The 

 actions and positions of the muscles concerned are carefully ana- 

 lysed, and diagrams are given illustrating and supporting the 

 view taken. — Another paper by the same author discusses the 

 effect of the. ileo-tibial tract of the fascia lata. — In a paper on 

 the partial excitation of nerves, Hermann Munk gives a rciurne 

 of his previous, paptrs on the various effects produced on the 

 fibres of nerves according to their situation with respect to the 

 electrodes used, and attributes the contradictory results attained 

 by Rollett and Pour, who believe in a difference of functional 

 irritability in different nerve-fibres, to their having used induction- 

 currents, while he had used constant currents in his experiments. 

 — Dr. Donhoff points out that calves born early in the year have 

 a longer and thicker coat of hair than those born later in the 

 season ; and that this occurs indifferenlly whether the mother is 

 kept in the stall all the year round, or only passes the winter in the 

 stail. — Dr. Wenzel Gruber, of St. Petersburg, describes a case of 

 the occurrence of the lateral tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal bone 

 as a distinct epiphysis, and two cases of epiphyses on the 

 tubercle of the trapezium. — Dr. von Ihering, in a paper on the 

 temporal ridges of the human skull, supports Hyrtl's description 

 of two temporal ridges, of which one or other is usually better 

 developed. He comes to the conclusion that the upper ridge is 

 related to the temporal fascia, and the lower to the limit ot the 

 temporal muscle, and that the temporal ridges in man corre- 

 spond accurately with those of the anthropomorphic apes. 

 He figures skulls of a Paumotu Islander and of a Hungarian in 

 the Gottingen Museum, as instances of remarkably prominent tcm- 

 poralridges. — Dr.AlbertAdamkiewicz, of Konigsbcrg, contributes 

 a remarkable paper on the analogies to Dulong and Petit's Law 

 of Specific Atomic Heat in Animal Temperature. He conducted 

 an elaborate series of experiments to determine the influence of 

 the surrounding temperature and the size of the body on the 

 specific temperature of the animal, and to discover the physical 

 explanation of the;results attained by physiological experiments 



on temperature. The paper extends over nearly seventy pages, 

 and It is impossible here to do more than indicate the subject of 

 inquiry. 



No. 2, July. — This number, in addition to the conclusion of 

 the last-named paper, contains another by Dr. Adamkiewicz on 

 the conductivity of muscle for heat. The conclusion drawn 

 from experiment is that on a scale representing the conductivity 

 of copper as 1000, water as 1-4, and that of air as o'Of, the 

 conductivity of muscle is represented by o*6. — ^J. Stciner, of 

 Halle, gives the results of experiments with curare on fishes, 

 newts, molluscs, starfishes, holothurians, and mcdusce. He finds 

 that in fishes there is paralysis of the central organ of voluntary 

 motion, of the respiratory centre, and of motor nerves, and that 

 the times at which the effects appear are in the order named. 

 The period at Vifhich paralysis of motor nerves sets in, is much 

 later than in higher vertebrates. In the electrical rays the power 

 of the electrical nerves remains much longer than that of motor 

 nerves. In crabs the phenomena are similar to those in fishes, 

 but they appear still later. In molluscs, starfishes, and holo- 

 thurians, there is only a paralysis of the central organ of volun- 

 tary motion. Curare appears to have no effect on medusa;. — 

 Fanny Berlinerblau describes a case of direct transition from 

 arteries to veins in the human subject. — E. Tiegel gives an 

 account of the physiological effect of a capillary electrical cur- 

 rent. — Dr. W. Gruber has four papers — (l) on the occurrence of 

 a second zygomatic bone in man ; (2) on the piso-hamatus 

 muscle ; (3) on an anomalous extensor digitorum communis in 

 the hand, and a similar anomaly in the extensor digitoruni 

 longus in the foot; and (6) on the) flexor poUicis longus. — W. 

 Krause figures a human embryo at about the fourth week, with a 

 pear-shaped allantois. — E. Meyer gives an account of compara- 

 tive iavestigations in the mammalia on the cause of the pale or 

 red appearance of striated muscles, and concludes that the shade 

 of colour varies with the work done by them. — Prof. Aeby, of 

 Berne, has a paper on the sesamoid bones of the human hand. 



The Geographical Magazine, August. — In connection with 

 Lieut. Cameron's explorations, Mr. C. R. Markham takes occa- 

 sion to give an interesting resume oi the history of the discovery of 

 the course of the Congo, and strongly advocates that relief should 

 be sent out to Cameron. — An interesting sketch follows of the 

 journey of Chekanovski and Miiller to the Siberian river Olena 

 (Olenek), in 1873-74 ; this is illustrated by a sketch-map, 

 — The number also contains a largo sketch-map of the 

 countries between Kashmir and Panjkirah, including Chilas, 

 Kandia, and other districts of Daidistan, compiled by Mr. 

 Ravenbtein from the most trustworthy recent sources. — " Sign- 

 po.sts on Ocean's Highway. — The Physical Education of Dust. — 

 Mountains," is the title ot an article by Mr. H. P. Malet. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 Vienna 



Imperial Academy, of Sciences, April 1.— On cold mix- 

 tures, with special reference to those consisting of snow and 

 sulphuric acid, by Prof. Pfaundler. — On paltcogcological geo- 

 graphy, by Dr. A. Boue. — On the carboniferous lime fauna of 

 the Barents Isles (in the N.W. of Novaya Zemlya), by Dr. F. 

 Toula ; this interesting paper contains a list of no less than one 

 hundred different species found in that remote locality. 



April 15. — The following papers were read : — On anomalous 

 dispersion, by Prof. E. Mach. — On a new direct proof for the 

 rotation of the earth, by F. v. Sedlmayer Seefeld. — On the 

 generating of nitrogen from the albuminoid matter undergoing 

 assimilation in the body, by Prof. J. Seegen and Dr. Nowak. — 

 On an apparatus for the determination of the mechanical equiva- 

 lent of heat, by H. J. Puluj.— On the orbit of Planet (III.) Ate, 

 by Director von Littrow and Dr. Holetschek.— On the varia- 

 bility of diurnal temperatures, by Dr. J. Hann. — On the function 

 of lime. with germ-plants of Phaseolus multijlorus, by Prof. J. 

 Boehm.— Several papers of minor interest. 

 Berlin 



German Chemical Society, July 12. — A. W. Ilofmann io 

 the chair. — A. Borodin, in treating an am.-uine salt with nitrit« 

 of potassium, has obtained a nitrosoamarine. He concludes 

 amarine to be an imidobase.^ — A. Michaelis and F. Graeff have 

 discovered a new mode of formation of phosphenylic chloride, by 

 treating diphcnylmercury with terchloride of phosphorus : 

 PCI3 -)- Hg(C«H5)2 = PCI2CBH5 + HgClCgHj,. 

 J. V. Janowsky published irew analyses of the mineral Cronsted- 



