May 5. 1887] 



NATURE 



23 



rom o to 3 atmospheres, and in his most delicate thermometer, 

 vhere 200 millimetres correspond to 1° C. , the difference between 

 eadings taken in horizontal and vertical positions amounts to 

 ,0 millimetres. — Note on magnetisation ; on sequences of rever- 

 als, by Mr. R. H. M. Bosanquet. Some experiments have 

 ■ecently been made on an iron bar whose magnetic properties 

 mder reversals with ascending values of current were first 

 letermined some years ago. The magnetic resistances have 

 igain been determined, first with ascending values of current, 

 ind afterwards Avith descending values. In all cases the induc- 

 ;ion was measured by reversing the current. The results gener- 

 Uly show a greater magnetic resistance for descending values of 

 :uiTent, except for small inductions where the resistance was 

 ess, when the experiments were performed in the above order. 

 The paper concludes with a molecular hypothesis to explain the 

 ibove results. — On a thermo-dynamical relation, by Prof. Ram- 

 say and Dr. S. Young. The paper is an extension of one 

 presented to the Society on Februaiy 26, and of which an 

 abstract was read by the Secretary. The numerical results are 

 ;iven, from which the authors deduce the relation p = b t - a, 

 'or constant volume, and additional reasons are given for 

 believing acetic acid (whose vapour-density at ordinaiy tem- 

 peratures is abnormal) to be a mixture of C2H4O0 and C4Hg04, 

 ;he former preponderating as the temperature rises. The authors 

 ask the Society for a name to designate lines connecting pressure 

 and temperature at constant volume, and for which they suggested 

 ** isochor" in their previous paper. 



Zoological Society, April 19. — Mr. Osbert Salvin, F.R.S., 

 Vice-President, in the chair. — The Secretary called attention to 

 ^ set of eleven photographs representing the principal objects of 

 Natural history collected by the celebrated traveller Prjevalsky, 

 luring his four expeditions into Central Asia, and to an accom- 

 janying catalogue of them which had been presented to the 

 society's library by Dr. A. Strauch, of the Imperial Museum, 

 5t. Petersburg. — Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell exhibited and made 

 emarks on some specimens of rare British slugs taken at Isle- 

 vorth, Middlesex. — The Secretary read some extracts from a 

 etter addressed to him by Mr. A. A. C. Le Souef, giving an 

 iccount of a successful attempt to keep the duck-billed Platypus, 

 )r water-mole, alive in captivity in the Zoological Gardens 

 it Melbourne. — Mr. J. Bland Sutton exhibited some specimens 

 )f diseased structures taken from mammals that had died in the 

 society's Gardens, and made comments thereon. — Mr. J. Bland 

 sutton read a paper on the singular arm-glands met with in 

 various species of the family Lemuridse. — Mr, F. E. Beddard 

 ead a paper on the anatomy of earthworms, being a further 

 bontribution to his researches on that subject. — A communication 

 vas read from Mr. A. D. Bartlett, Superintendent of the 

 society's Gardens, containing remarks upon the mode of moult- 

 ng of the Great Bird of Paradise {Paradisea apoda), as observed 

 n a captive specimen. — A coirjmunication was read from Mr. J. 

 Douglas Ogilby, of the Australian Museum, Sydney, containing 

 he description of a rare Australian fish {Girdla cyaiied). — A 

 econd paper by Mr. Ogilby contained the description of an 

 |indescribed fish of the genus Prionurus, obtained in Port 

 ackson, which was proposed to be called Prionurus inaculatus. 



Chemical Society, March 30. — Annual General Meeting. — 

 t)r. Hugo Midler, F.R. S., President, in the chair. — The 

 'resident delivered an address, some extracts from which we 

 ave already printed. — Prof. Odling proposed that the thanks of 

 he meeting be given to the President for his address, and that 

 le be requested to allow it to be printed. This motion was 

 econded by Dr. Gladstone, and accepted with acclamation by 

 he Fellows present. The President acknowledged the compli- 

 nent. — Dr. A. K. Miller and Dr. Rideal were appointed 

 crutators, and a ballot having been taken, the following were 

 leclared elected as Officers and Council for the ensuing year : — 

 ^resident : W. Crookes, F.R.S. Vice-Presidents who have 

 illed the office of President: Sir F. A. Abel, C.B., F.R.S. ; 

 A^arren De La Rue, F.R.S. ; E. Frankland, F.R.S. ; J. H. 

 Gilbert, F.R.S. ; J. H. Gladstone, F.R.S. ; A. W. Hofmann, 

 '.R.S. ; H. Muller, F.R.S.; W. Odling, F.R.S.; W. H. 

 'erkin, F.R.S. ; Sir Lyon Playfair, K.C.B., F.R.S.; Sir H. 

 Roscoe, F.R.S. ; A. W. Williamson, F.R.S. Vice- 

 presidents: J. Dewar, F.R.S. ; David Howard; H. McLeod, 

 R.S. ; Ludwig Mond ; C. Schorlemmer, F.R.S. ;W. A. 

 rilden, F.R.S. Secretaries: H. E. Armstrong, F.R.S.; J. 

 lillar Thomson. Foreign Secretary : F. R, Japp, F. R. S. 



reasurer : W. J. Russell, F.R.S. Ordinary Members of 



Council : Messrs. T. Carnelley, M. Carteighe, A. H. Church, 

 Frank Clowes, P. F. Frankland, R. 'J. Friswell, E. Kinch, R. 

 Messel, H. F. Morley, J. A. R. Newlands, W, Ramsay, 

 Thomas Stevenson. 



April 7.— Mr. William Crookes, F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — Researches on the 

 constitution of azo- and diazo-derivatives ; II. Diazoamido- 

 compounds (continued), by Mr. R. Meldola, F.R.S., and Mr. 

 F. W. Streatfeild. — Conjugated sulphates and isomorphous 

 mixtures of the copper-magnesium group, by Mr. P. C. Roy. — 

 Suboxide of silver, Ag^O, by Mr. G. 11. Bailey and Mr. G. J. 

 Fowler. — Action of trimethylenebromide on the sodium com- 

 pounds of ethylic acetoacetate, bcnzoylacetate, paranitrobenzoyl- 

 acetate, and acetonedicarboxylate, by Dr. W. H. Perkin, Jun. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, April 19. — Mr. Edward 

 Woods, President, in the chair. — Four papers were read on the 

 subject of obtaining water-supply from wells, namely, chalk 

 springs in the London Basin, by Mr. J. W. Grover ; borings in 

 the chalk at Bushey, Herts, by Mr. William Fox ; on a borehole 

 in Leicestershire, by Mr. T. S. Stooke ; and the wells and 

 borings of the Southampton Waterworks, by Mr. William 

 Matthews. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, April 25. — M. Janssen, President, 

 in the chair. — Remarks on M. CoUadon's note of April 18, by 

 M. Faye. In reply to M. CoUadon's statement that his obser- 

 vations had reference to whirlwinds and waterspouts and not to 

 cyclones or tornadoes, the author points out the great analogy 

 that exists between these two orders of phenomena, both being 

 descending vortices with vertical axis originating in the upper 

 atmospheric regions. The essential difference is that the cyclones 

 are much larger, and that their movement takes its rise at a much 

 higher elevation ; but both are subject to the same laws, while it 

 is quite' impossible to separate -waterspouts from tornadoes. — 

 Experiments for determining the coefficient of nutritive and 

 respiratory activity of the muscles at work and in repose, by 

 M. A. Chauveau and I'M. Kaufmann. Here a solution is 

 attempted of the physiological problem, to determine for a given 

 weight of living muscular tissue and for all the normal and 

 regular physiological conditions of such tissue (i) the quantity of 

 blood flowing through it in a given time for purposes of nutri- 

 tion ; (2) the weight of oxygen absorbed by this tissue, and of 

 the carbonic acid secreted by it in the same time ; (3) the weight 

 of the substances which supply the carbon contained in the 

 carbonic acid gas. — On a new species of trufifle, by M. Ad. 

 Chatin. It is shown that the truffle produced in Champagne 

 and Burgundy is not the common species known as Tuber rufnm 

 and T. wsHvum, but another hitherto undescribed variety here 

 specified and named Tuber uticinat?im. — Remarks on a thunder- 

 bolt of an unusually destructive character, by M.Daniel Colladon. 

 An electric discharge is described which ocairred on April 7 at 

 Schoren in the Canton Bern, and which, after striking a large 

 poplar, spread havoc for some hundreds of metres around, com- 

 parable to the effects caused by the explosion of a powder 

 magazine. The shock was felt in Langenthal, three-quarters of 

 a mile off, where several windows in a house were smashed. — 

 On acute pneumonia, by M. Jaccoud. The observations here 

 described establish the fact that true pneumonia is due not to the 

 accidental penetration of specific microbes into the system, as is 

 usually supposed, but to the development under favourable 

 conditions of microbic germs permanently present, in the system. 

 A chief condition of such development is a sudden chill, which 

 explains the frequent coincidence of lung affections with abrupt 

 changes of temperature. — Note on the method of research for 

 determining the correlation between two orders of facts, by 

 M. de Montessus. The reference is to M. de Parville's recent 

 paper on the correlation between earthquakes and lunar declina- 

 tion. The difficulty of correlating such phenomena is commented 

 upon, which sufficiently accounts for the failure of the numerous 

 attempts hitherto made to establish a distinct relation between 

 the movements of the moon and those of the terrestrial crust. 

 Such a relation would be equivalent to an experimental demon- 

 stration of the hypothesis which assumes that the centre of the 

 earth is in a fluid state.— On the earthquake of February 23, 

 1887, by M. Albert Offret. With the data supplied from the 

 various localities affected, an attempt is here made accurately to 

 determine the moment when the shock reached the different 

 points in the central part of the seismic area. The results are 

 shown in two separate tables for France and Italy. — Expansion 



