92 



NATURE 



\_May 2 2, 1879 



Entomological Society, May 7. — J. W. Dunning, M.A., 

 r.L.S., vice-president, in the chair. — M. N. Joly, of Toulouse, 

 was elected a Foreign Member. — Mr. H. J. Elwes exhibited a 

 collection of lepidoptera made in Asia Minor by Dr. Staud- 

 inger. — Dr. Wallace exhibited a collection of lepidoptera made 

 by his son in the United States of Columbia. — Mr. W. L. Dis- 

 tant exhibited a West African specimen of the large water -bug, 

 Hydrocyrius Colmnbia, Spin., common also to Madagascar and 

 the Neotropical region ; and read extracts from a letter received 

 from Calabar district as to its power of attaching itself to stones 

 by its tarsal claws, and even lifting large ones by the same means . 

 — The Secretary exhibited an alcoholic specimen of a trichop- 

 terous insect belonging to (!l\i.Lfptocerida, forwarded from Brazil 

 by Dr. Fritz Miiller, and remarkable on account of its showing 

 very distinctly the branchiae lately discovered in the imago stage 

 of this order by Dr. Palmen. — Dr. Wallace stated that, as the 

 result of large numbers of experiments upon the rearing of silk- 

 moths of various species, he had come to the conclusion that the 

 ordinary Bomhyx mori is the only species that could be profit- 

 ably reared in this country. — Sir John Lubbock forwarded for 

 exhibition two species of Bombycida from Adelaide, South Aus- 

 tralia, together with their cocoons, eggs, and larva;, and a letter 

 from Mr. G. Francis giving details of the life-history of the 

 specimens exhibited. — Mr. McLachlan read a note received from 

 Mr. W. J. Wilson, residing in North-west India, referring to the 

 appearance of locust-swarms in that district. — Dr. Fritz Miiller 

 communicated a paper entitled " Notes on the Cases of some 

 South Brazilian Trichoptera."— Mr. Wood-Mason read a paper 

 entitled " Morphological Notes bearing on the Origin of Insects," 

 and exhibited microscopical preparations in illustration. 



Victoria (Philosophical) Institute, May 19. — After the 

 election of several new members, a paper on the ethnology of 

 the Pacific was read by the Rev. S. J. Whitmee, illustrated by 

 diagrams and an ethnological map of the Pacific, which Mr. 

 Whitmee had prepared during his long residence in many of the 

 various groups of islands in that ocean ; many present after- 

 wards joined in the consideration of the paper, in which the 

 author gave many reasons for believing that in earlier times a 

 considerable intercommunication took place between the Con- 

 tinent and the islands, and that there was no reason for believing 

 that, from the evidence already obtained, any arguments could 

 be drawn against the unity of the human family. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, May 12. — M. Daubr& in the chair. 

 — The following papers were read : — On vision of colours, and 

 particularly the influence exerted on vision by coloured objects 

 moving circularly, when observed comparatively with similar 

 objects at rest, by M. Chevreul. A third extract from his work 

 on the subject. — On the bases derived from aldol-ammonia, by 

 M, Wurtz. — Note relative to a communication of M. Meuuier ; 

 and on similar water spouts observed recently, by M. Faye. 

 The accounts are cited as giving strong confirmation of his theory. 

 — Maps of the coast of Tunis and Tripoli, by M. Mouchez. 

 These eleven maps, covering about 250 leagues of coast, are the 

 outcome of M. Mouchez's recent voyage in the Castor, The 

 Gulf of the Greater Syrtis seems destined to be always 

 desert, and a dread to navigators; the fanatical and hostile 

 Nomads seem to visit its borders only to pillage wrecked 

 vessels. The coasts of the lesser Syrtis are more hospitable 

 under the government of Tunis. In view of the expensive- 

 ness of M. Roudaire's scheme, M. Mouchez wishes it were 

 imdertaken by others than the French. The tides are very 

 sensible and pretty regular in the Gulf of Khabs. Unfortu- 

 nately the natives destroyed the scales erected, so that the author 

 can only give approximate figures. — On the history of tlie 

 theory of the thrust outwards in slanting arches, by M. de la 

 Gournerie. — On the transformations of the second order of 

 hyperelliptic functioas, which, applied twice successively, pro- 

 duce duplication, by M. Borchardt. — M. Oppolzer was elected 

 Correspondent in Astronomy in room of the late M. Argelauder, 

 and M. Favre Correspondent in Mineralogy in room of the late 

 M. Le)'merie. — On the effects of inhalation of spirit of turpen- 

 tine, by M. Poincare. His observations were both on workmen 

 and animals. The disorders produced in the former are head- 

 ache, giddiness, irritability, pricking and tearfulness in the eyes, 

 and weakness of sight, irritations of pharynx and larynx, vomit- 

 ing, &c. Through habit, men get to bear the vapours longer. 

 The troubles are more intense and constant with spirits of tur- 

 pentine from Hungary and America than with those of French 



origin. Animals which died from the aaite poisoning in con- 

 fined space generally showed congestion and free drops of the 

 condensed spirit in the blood. — On the means -ased by M. 

 Gylden for regulating trigonometric developments representing 

 perturbations, by M. Callandreau. — On a new form of co-ordi- 

 nates in the problem of two bodies, by M. Gylden. — On two 

 applications of the method of MM. Fizeau and Foucault. These 

 rest (1) on substitution of a known system (in which the distance 

 of the lines is determined by the condition that the wave-length of 

 D is o'ooosSSS), and (2) on the use of formula; of dispersion. 

 The first application is the measurement of the thickness of a 

 parallel crystalline plate ; the second, study of the dispersion of 

 double refraction of a plate. — Thermal researches on silicic ether, 

 by M. Ogier. Its heat of formation may be determined either 

 by analysis or by synthesis. The one method gave - If56cal., 

 the other -11 "44 cal. ; mean — 1 1 '5 cal. The heat of vaporisa- 

 tion of silicic ether is, for i equivalent, 7"o cal. — Action of 

 ammoniacal salts on some metallic sulphides, and application of 

 the facts observed to mineral analysis, by M. De Clermont.-— On 

 a new mode of formation of glycocol by means of nitracetic 

 ether, by M. De Forcrand. — On the production of conidia by a 

 bacillus, by M. Engel. This was observed in June, 1876, when 

 some of the numerous bacilli in the blood of a woman who had 

 died in childbed were placed in Pasteur's nutritive liquor. M. 

 Engel designated the bacillus as puerptralis. — Influence of heat 

 on the functions of the nervous centres of the crayfish, by M. 

 Richet. Either by asphyxia, or (better) by temperatures varying 

 from 23° to 36°, one may paralyse separately the different functions 

 of the ganglionic nerve centres ; the voluntary, intellectual inner- 

 vation disappears first at 23° to 26°; the reflex innervation, properly 

 so-called, disappears at 27° to 29° ; and lastly, the innervation of 

 respiration disappears at 28° to 30°. — Regeneration of nerves of the 

 anterior epithelium of the cornea, and theory of continuous deve- 

 lopment of the nervous system, by M. Ranvier. The regeneration 

 of cells of the anterior corneal epithelium precedes that of the 

 nerves, showing that the reproduction and nutrition of the epi- 

 thelial covering of the cornea are independent of the nervous 

 system. The last nervous ramifications tend by their nature to 

 grow continually at the periphery. — On the respiratory appa- 

 ratus of Ampullaria, by M. Jourdain. — On a new genus of 

 Anouran Batrachian of Europe, by M. Lataste. This has been 

 observed in Spain by M. Bosca. M. Lataste gives it the name 

 Ammoryctis ; it takes rank in the family of Alytidis, of the sub- 

 order of Mediogyrinides. — On the peculiar amyloid matter in th^ 

 asci of some Pyrenomycetes, by M. Crie. — On the discovery 1 

 a jaw ofCainotheriuminthe gypsums of Aix( Benches du-Rhone^ 

 by M. Cairol. On borings made in view of formation of an 

 interior sea in Algiers, by M. Roudaire. The new results are of 

 the same order as the former. — Water-spouts at Vitry-sur-Seine 

 by M. Meunier. — M. Herve Mangon presented the first volumi 

 of a " Statistical Atlas of Water- Courses, Manufactories, anq 

 Irrigations of France ; " also a work by M. Demontzey, on tl] 

 works of replanting and returfing mountains. 



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'41 



CONTENTS Page 



Milnk's Crystallography 73 



Mathematical Problems 74 



Letters to thb Editok : — 



Spectrum of Brorsen's Comet.— W. H. M. Christie 75 



End-on Tubes, brought to bear upon ihe Carbon and Carbo- 



Hydrogen Question.— Prof. Piazzi Smyth 75 



The Victoria University.— A. J. C. Allen 76 



Maps of Old Geological Coast-Lines, &c , &c. — W. W 76 



Note on the lodobromite of A. v. Lasaulx.— G. F. Rodwell . . 77 



Inherited Memory.^A. B 77 



Intellect in Brutes —P. Dudgion 77 



Phosphorescence.— G. S- Tho.mson 77 



An Induction-Curkents Balance. By Prof. D. E. Hughes ... 77 

 On the Evolution of the Vertebrata, IIL By Prof. Parker. 



F.R.S. {WithJllnsUation) 81 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Observatory of Mannheim 83 



Tempel's Comet 83 



The Minor Planets 83 



The Occultation of Venus on August 20 83 



A Sphygmoguaphic Experimknt. By Dr. W, H. Stonb {JVith 



Dia^ ram) 84 



The Electric Light 85 



Note as to Distingul'^hing Characteristics for Illuminated 



Buoys. By Thomas Stevenson JJ 



Geographical Notes |" 



Notes ®7 



On the Influence of Pressure upon the Spectra of Gases and 



Vapours . ■ «.....■....»..••»••■ 90 



Scientific Serials • 9^ 



Societies and Acadh^mihs ,•....,...9* 



