35^ 



NATURE 



\Augtt.st 7, 1879 



roots and other wooden objects found at Oberan, Tcssen, and 

 Okrylla, by Dr. II. Conwentz.— On the silicified woods from the 

 diluvium of Kamenz, Saxony, by Dr. E. Geinitz.— On the general 

 conception of space and its applicability in natural research, by 

 Dr. A. Harnack. — On the electrometric appliances of the 

 present day, by Dr. Topler. 



Journal de Physique, July.— On the optical figures of 

 polychroic crystals, by M. Bertin.— On the figures presented by 

 crystals having one optical axis, by M. Bertrand.— Noes' thermo- 

 electric piles, by M. Niaudet. — Colours, the chromometer, and 

 photography of colours, by M. Cros. 



Gazdla Chimka Ilaliana., fasc. iv. and v. — On nicotine, by 

 S. Andreoni. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Geneva 

 Society of Physics and Natural History, February 6.— 

 M. L. Lossier explained a special method which he has intro- 

 duced for assays of gold.— M. Albert Rilliet gave an account of 

 a research made by him and M. E. Ador on the hydrocarbons 

 obtained by the action of the chloride of methyl on benzine in 

 presence of chloride of aluminium. 



February 20. — M. H. de Saussure described an apterous in- 

 sect of Gaboon, whose mode of life is unknown, and which has 

 been described under the name of Hemimerus. It has the Re- 

 markable characteristic of possessing a second lower lip provided 

 with palpi, and several other characteristics make it an insect of 

 an altogether special nature, difficult to classify in any of the 

 known orders. ,. , , 



March 6.— M. Casimir de CandoUe has studied the anatomy 

 of the leaves of some cotyledons, and particularly the internal 

 conformation of their petiole, or the principal nervure. This 

 petiole shows in its centre a woody bundle presenting very varied 

 forms— sometimes that of an arc, sometimes that of a complete ring. 

 Besides this complete ring, there are frequently observed woody 

 bundles placed out>ide the ring, and which M. de Candolle calls 

 cortical ; at other times bundles inside the ring, and which M. de 

 Candolle calls intra-medullary.— M. Ph. Plantamour observed 

 durin ■• the cyclone of February 20 a notable depression of level of 

 the LaV e of Geneva. The wind produced this effect of depression 

 notwithstanding the diminution of atmospheric pressure indicated 

 by the barometer, and which would tend to raise the level of the 

 water. When the wind assumes the form of a whirlwind, it 

 produces an aspiration instead of a depression. The rate of the 

 cyclone referred to appears to have reached at least 24 metres 

 per second. 



March 20.— Prof. E. Plantamour presented a quarto volume 

 entitled " Teleicra phic delimitation of the difference of longitude 

 between Geneva and Strasburg," published by himself and M. M. 

 Low. Thi> operation, executed in 1876, resulted in a difference 

 of 6m. 27-9345.— M. D. CoUadon, on the occasion of very re- 

 markable cases of verglas observed in Paris on January 20 and 

 23, recalled former cases described by him and others (see Camples 

 Rendus, t. Ixxx. viii., March 31, 1879). 



April 3. — M. Raoitl Piclet communicated the continuation or 

 his researches on the theory of heat. He admits that the ampli- 

 tude of the oscillations of molecules around their position of 

 equilibrium may be taken as a measure of heat, or as correspond- 

 ing to the temiierature. He explains by this definition the 

 properties of fusibility of metals and the anomalies of Mariotte's 

 law.— Prof . Brun described a curious case of poisoning in a child 

 of two years, resulting from eating a combination of cabbage and 

 figs. The cab .age must have produced a great abundance of 

 lactic acid, which in presence of the glucose of the figs had 

 produced buteric acid in sufficient abundance to cause the death 

 of the child. . 



April 17.— Prof. Alph. Favre has found iron in the state of 

 particles attractable by the magnet in all the earths and rocks of 

 the country around Geneva which he has examined. This iron, 

 in grains, not being soluble, cannot be considered in the analysis 

 of arable soils, as profitable to Tegetation. Hence erroneous 

 conclusions resulting from these analyses, which suppose more 

 iron than there is possible for vegetation. The origm of this 

 iron is attributed in part to the debris of meteorites. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, July 28.— M. Dsubree in the chair. 

 —The following papers were read :— Researches on the refrac- 



tion of obscure heat (continuation), by M. Desains. — Note on 

 the hydrate of chloral, by M. Wurtz. — Observations on the 

 memoir of MM. Noble and Abel on explosive substances, by M. 

 Berthelot. — On the theory of hail, according to MM. Oltramare 

 and CoUadon, by M. Faye. M. Boussing.ault also made some- 

 observations on the subject. — On the effect of electrical excita- 

 tions applied to the muscular tissue of the heart, by M. Marey. 

 — Memoir on the temperature of the air at the 'surface of the 

 ground and of the earth to 36 m. depth, as also on the tempera- 

 ture of two soils, one exposed, the other covered with grass, 

 during the year 1878, by MM. Ed. and H. Becquerel. — Re- 

 searches on samarium, radicle of a new earth extracted firom 

 samarskite, by M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. — MM. Georges 

 Pouchet and S. Jourdain were then nominated candidates for 

 the chair of Comparative Anatomy at the Natural History 

 Museum, vacant through the death of M. Paul Gervais.— M. 

 Daubree then reported on the experimental researches of M. 

 Stanislas Meunier, relating to the meteoric nickel-iron and 

 native carburetted iron of Greenland.— Two memoirs were pre- 

 sented to the Academy, one by M. David, on the development 

 of algebraic functions, the other by M. Poincare, on the effect 

 prodiiced by the inhalation of nitrobenzole vapour.— On some 

 observations of planets (198) and (200), made at the Marseilles 

 Observatory, by M. Stephan.— On an application of rational 

 mechanics to the theory of equations, by M. F. Lucas. 

 — On the action of light on electric piles, by M. H. Pellat. 

 — On the refrigerating action of air at high pressure, by 

 M. A. Witz.— On the distillation of a heterogeneous liquid, 

 by L. Troost. — On the quantities of organic matter in mineral 

 waters, by G. Lechartier. — Thermo-chemical researches on the 

 soluble alcaline sulphides, by M. Sabatier. — On the decomposi- 

 tion of sulphide of ammonium, by MM. R. Engel and A. 

 Moitessier. — On the calcination of turnip-molasses, by M. C. 

 Vincent. — On the influence of sugar injected into veins upon the 

 secretion of urine, by MM. Ch. Richet and R. Moutard-Martin. 

 — On the irritability of a muscle during the different periods of 

 its contraction, by M. Richet. — On the discovery of medicaments 

 and poisons in saliva, by M. Gabriel Pouchet. — Comparison of 

 the influence of intravenous injections of chloral, chloroform, 

 and ether, byM. Arloing. — On the lympho-glandular organs and 

 the pancreas of vertebrates, by M. Renaut. — On some multi- 

 nuclear animal and vegetable proto-organisms, by E. Maupas. 

 — On the two great phases of the annual circulation of the 

 atmosphere, by L. Brauet. — Experiments on milk-production, by 

 M. Lami.— On the formations of the so-called "Dombes," by 

 M. Nivet. — On the palm-wine of Laghouat, by M. Balland. 



CONTENTS Pabh 



Science Teaching in Schools • • • 333 



Maudslev's " Pathology of Mind 333 



Lubbock's Scientific Lectures 335 



OuH Book Shelf: — . ..,, „ ■ , n* .1. j 



Sheldon's " Dairy Farming ; or, the Theory, Practice, and Methods 



of Dairying" •„ 33° 



Marshall's "Marcus Ward's Arithmetic ' .. . •.•,•• .• • 33° 

 Mondy's " Collection of Problems on Plane Geometrical Dra-armg, 



including Problems on a few of the Higher Plane Curves,_ Sc. . 33^ 

 De Tilly's " Essai sur les Principes fondamentaux de la Oeomctne 



et de la M^canique" 3j 



Lbtters to the Editor : — _ _ 



New Methods of Moving Ordnance —George fAWCUS .... 337 



" Law of Frequency." — Donald McAlister 337 



Carica Papaya.-Capt. S. P. Oliver 337 



The Pacific Salmon.— Dr. James Hkc-tor 338 



A New Spectroscope.— Dr. Willia.m H. Stone 33| 



" The Rights of an Animal."— Edward B. Nicholson .... 338 



Intellect in Brutes.— Consul E. L. Lay ARE ; P. B. M 339 



Black Lizards.— Wm. Ackroyd ' 339 



Spicula in Helix.— Dr. Padl Henry Stokoe 339 



Distribution of Black Rat-Consul E. L. Layard ..... 339 

 Oh the Structure of the Stvlastekid.e : a Family of Hydroid 



Stony Corals. By H. N. Moseley, F.R.S 339 



The Influence of 'The' Tran.-verse Dimensions of Organ Pipes 



ON the Pitch. By Dr. William Pole, F.R.S 343 



Geogkaph^cal Notes .,'.,;' 't-.* * r- * ^-™ "** 



Elfctrical Clocks and Clockwork. By Henry Dent Gardner 



( With Illustrations) 51o 



Taunton College School 349 



On SUPEKSATURATION. By C. TOMLINSON 349 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Venus in the Pleiades ,' ' , ;.. ' ' i i/ ' ' ' ' ,„ 



Varro's Story of the Anomalous Track and Figure of Venus ... 35- 



Not-. . 35^ 



South ' aroi ina Fossils ^^1 



Scientific Serials i.' 



Societies and Academies '' 



