Feb. 2 1, 1889] 



NA TURE 



407 



lihvsiography of the district, and the great height of the ol 

 chalk-plateau, with its clay-with-flints and southern drifts, poin 

 to long intervals of time, and to the great antiquity of the rude 

 iinj^lements found in association with these drifts. That the 

 r< 111 oval of the material indicates the existence of agents of 

 •greater force than those operating under the present river regime 

 closes up the time required for the completion of the great 

 physical phenomena, though the author's inquiry tends to carry 

 man further back geologically than is usually admitted. After the 

 ! i-ading of the paper there was a discussion, in which Dr. Evans, 

 .Mr. Topley, and others took part. 



Entomological Society, February 6. — The Right Hon. Lord 

 Walsingham, F. R. S., President, in the chair. — The President 

 announced that he had nominated Captain H. J. Elwes, Mr, F. 

 Du Cane-Godman, F.R.S., and Dr. Sharp, Vice-Presidents for 

 the session 1889-90. — Lord Walsingharn exhibited a larva of 

 Lophostethus dtimohni, Guer., sent to him by Mr. Gilbert Carter, 

 from Bathurst, West Coast of Africa.— Mr. G. T. Porritt ex- 

 hibited several melanic specimens of Boarmia repandata from 

 Huddersfield, and, for comparison, two specimens from the 

 Hebrides. Mr. McLachlan, F.R.S., remarked that melanism 

 appeared to be more prevalent in Yorkshire and the North Mid- 

 lands than in the more northern latitudes of the United Kingdom. 

 — Captain Elwes read a paper entitled " On the Genus Erebia, and 

 its Geographical Distribution." The author, after referring to the 

 number of species and named varieties, many of which appeared 

 to be inconstant as local forms, made some remarks on the 

 nomenclature of the genus, and suggested that a better system of 

 classification might be arrived at by anatomical investigation. It 

 was stated that little was known of the early stages and life- 

 history of species of this genus, the geographical distribution of 

 which was Alpine rather than Arctic. The author remarked that 

 it was curious that there was no species peculiar to the Caucasus, 

 and that no species occurred in the Himalayas, where the genus 

 is replaced by Callerebia ; that none were found in the Himalo- 

 Chinese sub-region, and none in the Eastern United Slates of 

 America. He also called attention to the similarity of the species 

 in Colorado and North-West America to the European species. 

 Lord W^alsingham, Mr. Waterhouse, Mr. O. Janson, Mr. 

 McLachlan, Dr. Sharp, and Mr. Jenner-Weir took part in the 

 discussion which ensued. — Mr. W. Warren read a paper entitled 

 " On the Pyralidina collected in 1874 and 1875 by Mr. J. W. 

 H. Traill in the basin of the Amazons." — Mr. C. J. Gahan read 

 a paper entitled " Descriptions of New or little-known Species 

 of Gleiiea in the Collection of the British Museum." — Dr. J. S. 

 Baly communicated a paper entitled " Notes on Aulocophora 

 and Allied Genera." 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, February 11. — M. Des Cloizeaux, 

 President, in the chair. — On the loss of gaseous nitrogen during 

 the decay of organic substances, by ^L Th. Schlresing. In 

 continuation of his previous communication of February 4, he 

 gives the results of some of the experiments already described. — 

 Fresh researches showing that the toxic property of exhaled air 

 does not depend on thecarbonicacid, by MM.BrownSequardand 

 d'Arsonval. In three previous communications (November 28, 

 1887, and January 9 and 16, 1888) the authors showed the nature 

 of the relations existing between pulmonary tuberculosis and the 

 air exhaled from the lungs of human beings and domestic animals, 

 as well iis the toxic property of one or more substances derived 

 from the lungs. Fresh researches here described show that the 

 poison or poisons escaping with the exhaled air may kill even in 

 small doses, and even without being injected directly into the 

 arterial or venous blood. Subcutaneous injection killed seventeen 

 of eighteen rabbits operated on, generally within twelve to twenty- 

 four hours. In a large number of cases they found that pure 

 carbonic acid (not charged with the vapours of hydrochloric acid) 

 maybe inhaled in considerable quantity in the atmospheric air by 

 human beings, dogs, rabbits, and other mammals. The authors 

 themselves breathed for over one or two hours an atmosphere 

 containing 20 per cent of COj without any marked inconvenience, 

 and especially without any lasting consequence. Other still 

 more crucial experiments satisfied them that the fatal results 

 are due, not to the carbonic acid, but to some other toxic sub- 

 stances exhaled by patients suffering from pulmonary affections. — 

 On the invasions of locusts in Algeria, by M. J. Kiinckel 

 d'Herculais. A careful study of the available documents has 

 convinced the author that the most disastrous years (1845, 1866, 

 1874) are those that coincide with the simultaneous appearance 

 of the indigenous species {Staitronotus viaroccanus) and of the 



foreign variety (Acridium peregrinum) arriving from Central 

 Africa. — Observations of the new planet discovered on February 

 8 at the Observatory of Nice, by M. Charlois. This planet, 

 which is of 12 5 magnitude, is the second discovered by the 

 young astronomer within a fortnight. — On the reductions of the 

 problem of n bodies preserving certain mutual distances, by M. 

 Andrade. It is here shown that the already communicated 

 solution of this problem for a particular case is the most general 

 possible. — On the phenomena of electrolysis, by MM. Violle and 

 Chassagny. The decomposition of water by means of an 

 energetic current is accompanied by luminous and calorific 

 phenomena, which were described by Fizeau and Foucault over 

 forty years ago, and afterwards studied by many physicists. By 

 employing a Gramme machine of 40 amperes with an electro- 

 motor force of no volts, the authors have been enabled easily to 

 produce these phenomena, to observe them under clearly defined 

 conditions, and to record some hitherto unnoticed circumstances, 

 which are here described, — On the actinometric observations 

 made at Kief, by M. R. Savelief. These observations had 

 special reference to the phenomenon of solar radiation during the 

 year 1888, and to the determination of the solar constant at Kief. 

 M. Saveliefs paper was followed by some remarks by M. A. 

 Crova, who directed attention to the great interest it presented, 

 as showing that the law of the annual variations of solar radiation 

 is practically the same at Kief as at Montpellier ; that the 

 calorific transparency is greater at the former than at the latter 

 station, and that the solar constant determined on a clear 

 winter's day in Russia may attain the value of 3 calories. This 

 is higher than any recorded at Montpellier, and approached only 

 by the records of an actinometer placed on the summit of Mount 

 Ventoux, which are about the same as those obtained by Mr. 

 Langley during his remarkable researches on the top of Pike's 

 Peak, Colorado. — On some reactions of the chlorides of mercur- 

 ammonium, by M. G. Andre. After concluding his researches 

 relative to the decomposing action of water on the amidochloride 

 (Comptes rendus, cviii. p. 233), M. Andre determines the 

 conditions under which the chloride of dimercuriammonium is 

 transformed to amidochloride at contact with sal-ammoniac. — 

 On amorphous bismuth, by M. F. Herard. The author has 

 succeeded in obtaining this substance by applying to bismuth the 

 same process that he had already employed to obtain amorphous 

 antimony, as described in the Comptes rendus for August 13, 

 1888. — Syntheses effected by means of cyanosuccinic ether, by 

 M. L. Barthe. In a previous note {Comptes rendus, cvi. p. 143), 

 MM.Barthe and Haller described the preparation of cyanosuccinic 

 ether, obtained by making monochloracetic ether react on sodium 

 cyanacetic ether. By means of that ether they have now obtained 

 the following syntheses : (i) methyl cyanosuccinic ether ; (2) 

 ethylcyanosuccinic ether ; (3) ethylethenyltiicarbonic ether ; (4) 

 propylcyanosuccinic ether, of which the respective formulas are 

 given, — Discovery of a new Quaternary station in Dordogne, by 

 M. Emile Riviere. This station, to which M. Riviere has given 

 the name of Pageyral, in honour of M. Mercier-Pageyral, lies 

 about 2 kilometres from the celebrated Cro-Magnon Cave on 

 the left bank of the Vezere nearly opposite Laugerie, and facing 

 the islet of Malaga. A first exploration has yielded the remains 

 of the reindeer, Cervits elaphus, Cervus caprcolus, Sus scrofa, 

 Canis aureus, besides various objects of human workmanship 

 characteristic of the Madeleine epoch, such as flint knives, 

 scrapers, arrow-heads, cores, and numerous chippings. 



Berlin. 

 Physiological Society, January 18.— Prof, du Bois-Rey- 

 mond. President, in the chair. — Dr. Baginski gave an account of 

 his further researches on the Bacteria which occur in the fteces of 

 children fed on milk. Of the two Bacteria which are thus found — 

 namely. Bacterium lactis and Bacterium coli — he had previously 

 experimented with the first, and proved that it does not induce 

 a lactic acid, but an acetic acid fermentation of milk-sugar, and 

 should hence more appropriately receive the name of Bacterium 

 aceti. Recently he has investigated the Bacterium coli. Sown 

 in a solution of milk-sugar it produces no change, but when some 

 white of egg is mixed with it a fermentation is set up, not only 

 when the access of air is permitted, but also when it is prevented. 

 The products of this fermentation were proved to be, by an 

 elaborate series of chemical investigations, lactic, acetic, and 

 formic acids, the occurrence of the latter being proved by 

 crystallographic measurements of its barium salts. Both the 

 Bacteria exert an influence which is antagonistic to the develop- 

 ment of any alkaline fermentations or decompositions, — Dr. A. 

 Konig gave an account of his experiments on the action of 



