igo 



NATURE 



[Dec. 20, 1888 



his experience this arrangement gave the most satisfactory re- 

 sults. In reply, "Dr. Thompson said his experience was decidedly 

 different from that of Mr. Lant Carpenter, and mentioned that 

 Zeiss had abandoned the common arrangement, and now intro- 

 duced his analyzers between the two lenses of his Huyghenian 

 eye-pieces. 



Chemical Society, December 6. — Mr. W. Crookes, F. R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — The following papers were read : — A 

 method of determining vapour-density, applicable at all tempera- 

 tures and pressures, by Dr. W. Bolt. The apparatus consists of 

 a large Victor Meyer's bulb, carrying a detachable head-piece, 

 which can be connected with the air-pump. The neck of the 

 bulb communicates with a mercury pressure-gauge, which again 

 is connected with a wide measuring tube attached to an adjust- 

 able mercury reservoir. The experiment is conducted as follows. 

 The substance having been placed in the head-piece of the vessel, 

 the latter is heated until the volume has become constant. The 

 apparatus is then exhausted as far as may be requisite, and the 

 reservoir so adjusted that the graduated measuring tube is filled 

 with mercury. The pressure indicated by the gauge having been 1 

 carefully noted, the substance is allowed to drop into the hot I 

 part of the vessel, and the surplus pressure produced by its j 

 evaporation is removed by drawing off an equivalent volume of 

 air into the measuring tube until the initial pressure in the gauge 

 has been restored. From the volume of gas measured in the 

 graduated tube, the density referred to hydrogen is obtained by 



the formula d 



8484893 ^-'--±^°°3670, 



in which S 



weight of substance, V = volume of gas in measuring tube, 

 P = pressure of ,gas in measuring tube, t = temperature of gas. 

 In the discussion which followed. Prof. Ramsay, remarking on a 

 statement made by the author that he proposed to make use of 

 the apparatus in studying the influence of pressure on dissociation, 

 said that recent investigations had shown that the Victor Meyer 

 form of apparatus was by no means a suitable one for the study 

 of such problems ; and he expressed the opinion that for this 

 reason results such as those recently published by Nilson and 

 Petterssen could not be accepted as final. — Some derivatives 

 and new colouring-matters of a-pyrocresole, by Dr. W. Bott and 

 Mr. J. B. Miller. ']"he authors have prepared di- and tetranitro- 

 and di- and tetramido- derivatives of o-pyrocresole oxide. Both 

 amido-derivalives can be diazotized, and the diazo-salts interact 

 with )3-naphthol in alkaline solution, yielding two oxyazo-com- 

 pounds ; these are insoluble in water, but can be converted into 

 soluble sulphonic acids, which dye silk and wool maroon and 

 salmon colour respectively.— Berberine, by Prof. W. M. Perkin. 

 When oxidized with excess of potassium permanganate in 

 slightly alkaline solution, berberine yields, as principal product, 

 hemipinic acid, CjoHjoOg, as Schmidt and Schilbach {Arch. 

 Phann. [3], 164-170) have already sho^Mi. In view of the 

 interesting results lately obtained by Goldschmiedt in his ex- 

 amination of hemipinic and methemipinic acids, the author has 

 carefully reexamined the hemipinic acid from berberine, and is 

 convinced that it is identical with that obtained by the oxidation 

 of narcotine. The acid from berberine contains two {OCH3) 

 groups : on fusion with potash it yields protocatechuic acid ; and 

 on distilling it with ethylamine, hemipinethylimide, melting at 

 96", is formed. This latter substance possesses all the properties 

 of the hemipinethylimide obtained by Liebermann by the action 

 of ethyl iodide on the potassium salt of hemipinimide (from 

 narcotine), and thus the identity of the two hemipinic acids from 

 berberbine and narcotine is proved. Oxidation with a limited 

 quantity of permanganate results in the production of a number 

 of ftew substances, three of which have been obtained in a state 

 of purity : a new acid, CjoHiyNOg (m.p. = 143°). and two neutral 

 substances, C2oH,7N08(m. p. = 236") and CgoHisNOj (m.p. = 

 150°;, all of which yield protocatechuic acid on fusion with 

 potash. Employing Zeisel's method, the author finds that two 

 melhoxyl (OCH3) groups are present in the berberine molecule. — 

 The action of ammonia on some tungsten compounds, by Dr. S. 

 Rideal. — Condensations of a-diketones with ethylic acetoacetate, 

 by Dr. F. K. Japp, F. U.S., and Dr. F. Klingemann. A pre- 

 liminary note on the reactions of ethylic phenanthroxylene-aceto- 

 acetate, the condensation compound of phenanthraquinone with 

 ethylic acetoacetate. — Thionyl thiocyanate, by Mr. G. C. 

 McMurtry. — Mercuric chlorothiocyanate, by the same.— The ac- 

 tion of chromium oxychloride on pinene, by Messrs. G. G. Hender- 

 sonand R. W. Smith. — Tectoquinone, by Dr. R. Romanis. A con- 

 tinuation of the author's work on the quinone-like compound. 



CigHjfiOo, found in teak resin {Tectonia grandis),?^x\(S.?Ci%o in the 

 products of the destructive distillation of the wood. Tectoquinone 

 crystallizes in oblique rhombic ]irisms of an amber colour, 

 resembling sulphur, melts at 171% and is a very stable substance, 

 dissolving in nitric and sulphuric acids without change. On 

 reduction i- yields a hydrocarbon, Cj^Hoo, and it is suggested that 

 it may be the hitherto unknown retenequinone — The (lee omposi- 

 tion of nitroethane by alkalies, by Prof. W. R. Dunstan and Mr. 

 T. S. Dymond. Nitroethane in contact with potassium carbonate 

 or its aqueous solution readily yields potassium nitrite and an 

 oily liquid having the formula C^HjiNO, which boils at about 

 170°, decomposing at a somewhat higher tem erature withjthe 

 formation of what appears to be a pyridine derivative. 



Zoological Society, November 20.— Prof. Flower, F.R.S. , 

 President, in the chair. — The Secretary read a report on the ad- 

 ditions that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during 

 the months of June, July, August, September, and October, 

 1888, and called attention to the acquisition of three specimens 

 of Pallas's Sand-Grouse {Syrrhaptes paradoxus), captured out of 

 the many flocks of this Asiatic bird that have lately visited the 

 British Islands. — A letter was read from Prof. J B. Steere, 

 giving a preliminary account of the " Tamaron," a bovine 

 animal found in the Island of Mindoro, Philippines, which he 

 believed to be allied to the Anoa of Celebes. — Mr. Edgar Thur- 

 ston exhibited and made remarks upon a collection of Corals 

 from the Gulf of Manar, Madras Presidency. — Mr. H. See- 

 bohm exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of a new 

 species of Pheasant {Phasianus tarimensis), obtained by General 

 Prjevalsky at Lob Nor, Central Asia. — Mr. H. Seebohm 

 also exhibited a specimen of a species of Plover new to the 

 British Islands ( Vanellus grfgariiis), which had been shot in 

 Lancashire about twenty-five years ago, and had been previously 

 supposed to be a Cream-coloured Courser. — Mr. J. W. Hulke, 

 F. R. S., read a paper on the skeletal anatomy of the Meso- 

 suchian Crocodiles, based on fossil remains from tiie clays near 

 Peterborough, in the collection of Mr. A. Leids, of Eyebury. — 

 Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a paper on a collection of sn.all 

 Mammals obtained by Mr. William Taylor in Duval County, 

 South Texas. The collection contained example-; of one new 

 species and one new geographical variety, besides adding no less 

 than six species to the national collection of Mammalia. — A 

 communication was read from M. L. Taczanowski, containing a 

 [ supplementary list of the birds collected in Corea by Mr. Jean 

 ' Kalinovvski. 



December 4, — Prof. Flower, F.R.S. , President, in the chair. 

 — Mr. Howard Saunders exhibited and made remarks on an 

 adult male of the American Green-winged Teal {Qiierquedula 

 j caroH/ioisis), shot in Devonshire in 1879. — Mr. Oldfield Thomas 

 I gave an account of the Mammals obtained by Mr. C. M. 

 I Woodford during his second expedition to the Solomon Islands. 

 I The author stated that the total number of species of Mammals 

 now known from the Solomons was brought up by the present 

 collection from 13 to 22, and that of these no less than 8 had 

 been discovered by Mr. Woodford, his previous collection having 

 contained examp'es of 2 and the present of 6 new species. 

 There were also two new genera of Bats to be added to the one 

 previously described. — Mr. F. E. Beddard read a paper upon 

 the genus Clitellio, which had been recently investigated by hkn 

 at the Marine Biological Station at Plymouth. — Prof. Howes and 

 Mr. Davies read a paper on the distribution and morphology of 

 the supernumerary phalanges in the Anurous Batrachians. — A 

 communication was read from Mr. J. J. Lister, giving a general 

 account of the natural history of Christmas Island, in the Indian 

 Ocean, which he had visited in 1887 as naturalist to H.M. 

 surveying-vessel Egeria. — Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a paper on 

 the Mammals of Christmas Island, obtained by Mr. Lister during 

 the same expedition. — This was followed by reports on the 

 Reptiles of Christmas Island obtained during the expedition, by 

 Mr. G. Boulenger ; on the Terrestrial MoUusks, by Mr. Edgar A. 

 Smith, on the Coleoptera, by Mr. C. J. Gahan ; on the Lepido- 

 ptera, by Mr. A. G. Butler ; on the other Insects, by Mr. Kirby ; 

 and on the Annelida, Myriapoda, and Land Crustacea, by Mr. 

 R. I. Pocock. 



Entomological Society, December 5.— Dr. D. Sharp, 

 President, in the chair. — Mr. W". F. Kirby exhibited, for the 

 Rev. Dr. Walker, a variety of the female of Ornithoptcra 

 lirookiana ; also, for Major Partridge, an undetermined species 

 of the genus Hadena, captured last summer in the Isle of Port- 

 land. — Mr. R. South exhibited a series of Tortrix piceana, L., 



