24 



NA TURE 



\Nov. I, 1888 



0*19 m. per second. — Elements and ephemeris of Barnard's 

 comet, by M. E. Viennet. The comet here in question was 

 discovered on September 2, 1888, by Mr. Barnard, at the Lick 

 Observatory, California, and noticed two days afterwards by 

 Mr. Brooks, of the Geneva (U.S.) Observatory. The observa- 

 tions on which these elements are calculated were taken on 

 September 5 and 18, and October i, the first at Besan9on, the 

 two others at Hamburg. — On some errors affecting the observa- 

 tions of transits, by M. Gonnessiat. The sources of error here 

 discussed are the magnitude of the stars on the one hand, and 

 their position on the other. In the latter case, the absolute 

 error is shown to decrease rapidly to within about 2° of the Pole, 

 after which it becomes pretty constant. Hence in determining 

 the instrumental constants, the stars nearest the Pole should be 

 preferred. — Reflected images on the spheroidal surface of the 

 Lake of Geneva, by M. F. A. Forel. M. Ricco's recent note 

 {Comptes rendtis, cviii. p. 590) showed the deformation of the 

 image of the sun reflected by the spheroidal marine surface. 

 The observations now taken by M. Forel on the Lake of 

 Geneva fully confirm the interpretation of the Sicilian astro- 

 nomer. Attention is called to the fact that the theoretical de- 

 monstration of the probability of such deformations was first 

 giren by M. Ch. Dufour, of Morges. This new demontration of 

 the rotundity of the globe is now no longer theoretical, but is 

 borne out by the direct observation of the phenomenon. — On the 

 intersection of two algebraic curves in a single point, by M. 

 G. B. Guccia. Several geometricians have long been engaged 

 on the inquiry into the number I. of the intersections of 

 two curves, (p = o,^ = o, merged in a single point, P. 

 Prof. Cayley and M. Halphen have given general solu- 

 tions of this extremely delicate problem, and M. Guccia has 

 now been incidentally led to a new general expression of the 

 number I., which presents considerable interest thanks to its 

 great simplicity as well as the numerous and easy applications 

 of which it is capable. — On the combination of benzoic aldehyde 

 with the polyatomic alcohols, by M. Maquenne. In a recent 

 note on the valency of perseite the author described, under the 

 r\2.me oi dibenzoic acetal of perseife, 2i new compound analogous 

 to that obtained by M. Meunier with mannite and benzoic 

 aldehyde. He now shows that in the acetals derived from a 

 polyvalent alcohol each molecule of aldehyde necessarily satu- 

 rates two alcoholic functions. If the number of the latter is odd, 

 the aldehyde will always leave at least one free, whence it 

 results that the elementary composition of these acetals, in 

 passing from any polyatomic alcohol to its next homologue, 

 differs sufficiently for them to be at once distinguished by 

 analysis. Here is therefore a new means of determining whether 

 an alcohol is of odd or even atomicity. — Action of hypophos- 

 phorous acid on benzoic aldehyde ; formation of a dioxyphos- 

 phinic acid, by M. J. Ville. M. W. Fossek has obtained acid 

 crystallized products corresponding to the general formula — 



R— CH.OH— P0(0H)2, 

 which he calls oxyphosphinic acids. But no chemist had hitherto 

 determined the existence of dioxyphosphinic acids. M. Ville, 

 however, has now obtained a compound belonging to this new 

 class of acids. The process, as here described, consists in 

 making hypophosphorous acid act on benzoic aldehyde. It may 

 be designated by the name of dioxybenzylene-phosphinic acid, 

 its constitution being expressed by the formula — 



CgHs— CH . OH 



I 



PO . OH 



I 

 CgHs— CH . OH. 



— M. G. Deniges describes the action of the hypobroinite of 

 soda on some aromatic nitrogenous derivatives, and the 

 differential reaction between the hippuric and benzoic acids. 



Berlin. 

 Physical Society, October 19.— Prof, von Helmholtz, 

 President, in the chair. — Dr. Konig gave an account of experi- 

 ments which he had made with Ottomar Anschiitz on the in- 

 stantaneous photography of projectiles. After exhibiting and 

 explaining the instantaneous photographs which Anschiitz had 

 made during the last few months, such as those of the funeral 

 procession of the late Emperor Frederick, of episodes at the 

 manoeuvres, of wild beasts at the Zoological Gardens in Breslau, 

 of the several positions of a soldier marching on parade, and of 

 a lady dancing, he described the arrangements necessary for 



photographing a cannon-ball travelling at the rate of 400 metres 

 per second. The cannon-ball was projected in front of a whit< 

 screen illuminated by direct sunlight, occupying in its passage j'„ 

 second : during this time four negatives were taken. The firing 

 of the cannon, the momentary exposure of the plate, and the re- 

 cording of time on the chronograph were provided for by electric 

 currents. The experiments were made at Magdeburg at the 

 Griison rampart, and had to be completed in one day. Only one 

 successful picture of the projectile was obtained, but the possi- 

 bility of such experiments, and of the accurate determination of 

 the several time intervals, were sufliciently indicated. — Dr. Budde 

 spoke on the mechanics of forces acting on rigid bodies. As 

 one outcome of this address may be mentioned a proposal of 

 Dr. Budde's with respect to the nomenclature of conjugate 

 forces. Ordinarily, of two conjugate forces only the second one 

 is spoken of as conjugate, while no special name is given to the 

 first. The speaker therefore proposed to call the first of two 

 conjugate forces "male " and the second "female," and introduced 

 this nomenclature into his address with very marked furtherance 

 of its clearness. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Studies from the Morphological Labcatory in the University of Cans- 

 bridge, vol. iv. Parts i and 2 (C. J. Clay). — Life of .Sir William Siemens : 

 Wm. Pole (Murray).— Die Gletscher der O.talpen : Dr. E. Richter 

 (Englehorn, Stuttgart). — Force and Energy : Grant Allen (Longmans). — 

 Theoretical Mechanics : J. E. Taylor (Longmans). — Elementary Theory of 

 the Tides : T. K. Abbott (Longmans). — Elemente der Palaontologie, 

 I H.'ilfte : Dr. G. Steinmann and ]>. L. Doderlein (Engelmann, Leipzig).— 

 Challenger Report, Zoology, vol. xxvii. (Eyre and Spottiswoode). — The 

 Book of the Lantern: T. C. Hepworth (Wyman).-The Gold Fields of 

 Victoria; Reports of the Commissioners for Quarter ended June 30, 1888 

 (Sydney). — 'the British Farmer and his Competitors : W. E. bear (Cassell). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Gresham College. By Prof. E. Ray Lankester, 



F.R.S I 



Bacon. By Prof. T. Fowler 3 



Karyokinesis 4 



Our Book Shelf :— 



" Chambers's Encyclopaedia ; a Dictionary of Useful 



Knowledge " 6 



Klein: "Star Atlas" 7 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Alpine Haze.— Prof. John Tyndall, F.R.S 7 



Prophetic Germs.— Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. 7 

 Mr. Romanes's Paradox.— W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 



C.M.G., F.R.S 7 



Electro-Calorimetry. {Illusiraied.)SydLney Ever- 

 shed 9 



The "Tamarao" from Mindoro (Philippine Islands). — 



Dr. A. B. Meyer 9 



Pallas's Sand-Grouse {Syrrhaptes paradoxus). — Dr. A. 



B. Meyer 9 



The Species of Comatulje.- Dr. P, Herbert Car- 

 penter, F.R.S 9 



Voracity of the Haddock.— Dr. Chas. O. Trech- 



mann 9 



The Queen's Jubilee Prize Essay of the Royal Botanic 

 Society of London.— John W. Ellis ; The Re- 

 viewer lO 



Modern Views of Electricity. XII. {Illustrated.) 



By Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S 10 



Irregular Star Clusters. By A. M. Clerke . . ... 13 

 The Colouring Matter of the Testa of the Seed of 

 'R&^Q {Brassica Napus). {Illustrated.) By Alexander 



Johnstone 15 



The Tail-Bristles of a West Indian Earthworm. 



{Illustrated.) By Frank E. Beddard 15 



Notes 16 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1888 



November 4~io 19 



Geographical Notes 19 



Preliminary Note on the Anatomy and Physiology 

 of Protopterits annectens. By Prof. W. Newton 



Parker • 19 



The Wheat Crop of 1888 21 



On the Influence of Light upon the Explosion of 



Nitrogen Iodide. By Prof. J. W. Mallet 22 



University and Educational Intelligence 22 



Scientific Serials 23 



Societies and Academies ^3 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 24 



