524 



NA TURE 



\Sept. 25, 1879 



Ilalktadt Salt Mountain, by Fr. von Hauer -Travelling sl<etches 

 from Bosnia (Travnik), by Dr. Edmund von Mojsisovics.- 



Another sketch, describing 



the route from Serajevo to Mostar, 

 is by Dr. A. Bittner; and"a third one, on the route from Vares 

 lo Zwornik, by Dr. E. Tietze.-On some ammonites from the 

 Carpathian sandstone, by C. M. Paul. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, September IS.-M. Daubr^e in the 

 chair -The following papers were read :-0n hnen cloths dyed 

 bluish black, with the intention of replacing the mdigo blue 

 cloths empl yed in the uniforms of the French army, by M. 

 Chevreul The blue matter in certain military cloths exammed, 

 he is able to say is neither indigotine, nor Prussian blue, nor 

 ultramarine ; it may be from aniline, and he is inquiring into 

 this —Experiments tending to demonstrate the compound nature 

 of phosphorus, by Mr. J. N. Lockyer. Phosphorus heated in a 

 tube with copper gives a gas which shows the spectrum of 

 hvdroeen very bright. Phosphorus alone, heated m a Sprengel 

 vacuum tube.^ives nothing. Fixed at the negative pole in a 

 similar tube it gives very abundantly a gas which shows the 

 cpectrum of hydrogen, but which is not PhRj. The author 

 also describes experiments with sodium, magnesium, lithium, 6ic. 

 —Researches on erbine, by M. LecoqdeBoisbaudranl he lines 

 of M Cleve's holmium are precisely those indicated by M. boret as 

 characteristic of his earth X, and the two substances are evidently 

 identical.— The Minister of Agriculture and Commerce called 

 attention in n letter to the common adulteration of olive oil with oils 

 of different sources, and desired the Academy to indicate a practical 

 means of detecting such fraud, which is very prejudicial to cultiva- 

 tion of the olive.— Observations of Hartwig's comet and Palisa s 

 comet, at the Paris Observatory, by MM Henry -Observations 

 of the sun during the second quarter of 1879, by Signer Tacchim. 

 A certain increase in the energy of solar phenomena is perceptible. 

 The hvdrogenic protuberances were about equally distributed to 

 the north and to the south (instead of nearly all in the boreal 

 hemisphere, as in the previous quarter). The maximum of 

 frequency is between parallels 30° and 60= in both hemispheres. 

 The preponderance of protuberances in the northern hemisphere 

 seems characteristic of the minimum of solar activity. I he 

 maximum of frequency of faculse is found between parallels 10 

 and 30° in each hemisphere. The author considers we passed 

 the minimum of solar activity in the beginning of this year. A 

 metallic eruption was observed on June 19.— On the spectra of 

 earths forming part of the group of yttria. A claim of priority 

 with regard to what M. Cleve observed. -Determination of 

 or-anic mtrogen in natural waters, by M. PeUet. He describes 

 a method which is simpler than that given by M. Lechartier 

 recently —On the oxidising action of cnpric oxide, transforma- 

 tion of acetic acid into glycolic^acid, by M. Cazeneuve — New 

 experiments on the mode of action of chloral regarded as an 

 anesthetic, by M. Arloing. He concludes that chloral is de- 

 composed into chloroform and alkaline formiates in the blood of 

 animals ; that the anxsthetic effects are due to chloroform ; and 

 that the alkaline formiates mechanically favour their production 

 by increasing the velocity of the circulation, and thus facihtating 

 the impregnation of the nervous elements by the anesthetic 

 agent.— M. Wolf's "History of Swiss Geodesy" was presented. 



Vienna 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, June 19.— The following 

 amon<' oth.r papers, were read :— On the products of decom- 

 position from albuminoids through action of oxymunatic acid, by 

 Herr Horbaczewski.— Researches on the influence of illumina- 

 tion on penetration of radicles into the ground, by Herr Richter. 

 —On some fresh-water fish of South Amenca, by Dr. Stein- 

 dachner —South Japanese annelids, by Dr. Marenzeller.- Ob- 

 servations of refraction on several summits, by Herr von 

 Sterneck.— Fauna of the lias brachiopod line of Sospirolo, near 

 Belluno, by Dr. Uhlig.— Brachiopod fauna of the oolite of Balm, 

 near Kr'akaw, by Herr Sjaknocha. , , , • 



July 3 — rrof..Bruhl presented the first thirteen parts of his 

 Zootomia of all animal-classes.- On some plane rational curves 

 of the fourth order, by Herr Bobek.-On a direct measurement 

 of the work of induction, and a determination therefrom of the 

 mechanical equivalent of heat, by Prof, von Waltenhofen — On 

 a peculiar mode of producing the orthogonal hyperboloids, &c., by 

 Herr Ruth.— On the crystallisable constituents of coraUin, by 



Herr Zulkowsky. — On continued fractions, by Prof. Gegenbaner. 

 — On the phosphorescence produced by electric rays, by Herr 

 Goldstein. — On some consequences of the Young-Helmholtz 

 theory, by Herr von Briicke. — Prehistoric settlements and burial 

 places in Krain, by Herr von Hochstetter and Herr Deschmann. 

 —On the radiometer, by Dr. Puluj. 



July 10. — Prof. Fric presented a part of his work on fauna of 

 gas-coal and limestone of the Permian formation in Bohemia. — 

 On the behaviour of the bacdlus of splenic inflammation under 

 extreme low temperatures, by Prof. Firsch. — Researches on the 

 mechanical behaviour of the acinus glands, by Prof. Strieker 

 and Dr. Spina.— Researches on the structure of the envelope of 

 the cerebrum, by Prof. Strieker and Dr. Unger.— Comparative 

 .anatomy of the wood of Ebenacese and their -allies, by Herr 

 Molisch.— Chemical studies on pemphigus, by Dr. Jarisch.— On 

 alycyrrhizin, by Dr. Habermann.— On some derivatives of di- 

 methylhydrochinon, by Herr Kariot.— On the crystalline struc- 

 ture of apophyllite, by Prof. Rumpf.— On the double forma- 

 tion and optical properties of chabasite, by Herr Becke.— On 

 the camphene of bomeol and camphor, by Herr Kachler and 

 Herr Spitzer.— On homocinchonidine, by Herr Skraup, 



On 



chinine.'by thesame.— On Gay Lussac's hypochloronitric acid, 

 by Herr Goldschmidt. 



July 17.— Researches on the liverworts, by Prof. Leitgeb (treat- 

 incr of " Anthocerotea; ").— On the cause of excitation of electricity 

 on contact of heterogeneous metals, by Dr. Exner.— Studies on the 

 development of ferns, by Prof. Leitgeb.— On the distribution of 

 arsenic in the animal organism after ingestion of arsenious acid, 

 by Prof Ludwig.— Contribution to a knowledge of the action 

 of the nervus vagus, by Herr Wagner.— On the constitution of 

 cinchonine and cinchonidine, by Dr. Skraup.— Observations on 

 the differences of the two electric states, by Herr Doubrawa.---On 

 the velocity of propagation of sound in tubes, by Dr. Tumlirz. — 

 On the magnetisation of iron rings, by Prof. v. Ettingshausen. 

 —Contributions to a knowledge of elastic reaction, by I'rof. 

 Streintz.— On nephrite and bowenite from New Zealand, by Dr. 

 Berwerth. — On the optical orientation of plagioclase, by Herr 

 Schuster.— On new and rare fishes, by Dr. Steindachner.— On 

 idrialine, by Dr. Goldschmidt.—On nitroprussides, by Herr 

 Bemheimer.— On direct introduction of carboxyl gronps^into 

 phenols and aromatic acids, by 



Herr Senhofer and Herr 



Brunner. —Geological observations in the region of the Thessalian 



and 



Olympus, by Herr Neumayer.— Ditto in the north-east 

 south-west of the Peninsula of Chalcidice, by the same, ancl^by 

 Herr Burgerstein.— Geological formation of the Island of Cos, 

 &c., by Herr Neumayer.— New researches on cerebral ganglions 

 and themed. obi., by Dr. Meynert. 



CONTENTS I'AGK 



The Agricultural Ants OF Texas. By Alfred R. Wallace . 50' 



Experimental Gkoloct 5°' 



Our Book Shelf :— . . , j . <• o •• tn^ 



■■AnnualRecordof Science and Industry for 1878 S^^ 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Heat of the Comstock Mine.- John A. Church . . . . • - 503 

 Crossley's Modification of Hughes's Microphone.-WiLLlAM 



ACKROYD (With lUustratioHi) 5°3 



Colour-Blindness.-Prof. PiAZzi Smyth S04 



The Carving of Valleys.-WALTBR R.Browne 504 



A ■' NiEhtly Resurrection."— Dr. E. Bonavia 505 



A Habit of Cattle.-W. Mattieu Williams 505 



Intellect'in Brutes.— William Horsfall 505 



BernhardvonCotta. By Major R. R. Noel 5oS 



A Zoological Station AT Sydney 5co 



The Resignation of Dr. Andrews 507 



Gkografhical Notes • • • / ' " ■,,/,.,; '° 



Tails. By Prof. St. George Mivart, F.R.S., V.P Z.S. <,W,th 



Itlitstratlons) ^"^ 



Our Astronomical Coi • ^ ;— 



Biela's Comet in 1852 1^^ 



Variable Stars \ 



The New Minor Plan r; ; l'% 



The Outer Satellite of -Mars ''^ 



Notes A ' ' ' it n 



History and Methods of Pal^ontolooical Discovery, II. By . 



Prof. O. C. Marsh ■„■."■■ *' 1 



The Effect of S.nlight upon Hydrogen Peroxide. By Arthur 



DowNEsM.D., andT. P. Blunt, M.A i" 



The French Association ' 



Spectroscopical Observations of Shooting Stars 5^ 



University and Educational Intelligence S" 



Scientific Serials 



Societies and Academies 



