240 



NATURE 



{July 7, 18J 



bility of form, illustrated by the Cristellarians," was read. — Mr. 

 G. Massee gave a ;/j«w/of his paper on the genus Lycoperdon, 

 illustrating the subject by drawings on the blackboard. — Prof. 

 Bell said that the Fellows of the Society would remember that 

 in the course of last winter he described what he had observed 

 in some diseased grouse which had been sent to him for examina- 

 tion. Within the last few weeks, the disease, whatever it might 

 be, had been killing grouse in considerable numbers on the 

 moors in the south-west of Scotland. He had received some of 

 these grouse, and examined them very carefully to see if he could 

 discover any cause of death. In the case of the first, though 

 there were tapeworms, there was no evidence that they were the 

 cause of death ; in the second case the birds had died from 

 inflammation of the intestines, the cause of which was not quite 

 clear; and in the third case they died of Strongyhis. It would 

 therefore appear that what was called "grouse disease" must 

 be either more than one disease, or it must be a disease which 

 could kill its victims in different stages. He was himself dis- 

 posed to think that there was more than one cause of disease, 

 but up to that time there was no diagnostic sign internally to 

 show conclusively what those causes were. — Mr. Grenfell's paper 

 on "New species ol Scyphydia and Disophysis" was read, 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, June 27. — M. Herve Mangon in 

 the chair. — Remai-ks accompanying the presentation of a volume 

 on the geodetic and astronomic junction of Algeria with Spain, 

 by General Perrier. In this work, published at the joint expense 

 of the French and Spanish Governments, a detailed account is 

 given of the methods of observation and of the results obtained 

 by the protracted operations which secure for the physical 

 science of the globe the accurate measurement of an arc of the 

 meridian of over 27° comprised between the Shetland Islands 

 and Laghwat in Algeria. — Remarks accompanying the presenta- 

 tion of the first volume of a course of infinitesimal analysis in- 

 tended for the use of persons who study this science with a view 

 to its mechanical and physical applications, by M. Boussinesq. 

 This work, the first volume of which deals with the differential 

 calculus, is addressed more especially to those physicists, 

 naturalists, engineers, and others, who are little accustomed to 

 the treatment of algebraic formulas, but who, for their special 

 purposes, feel the want of understanding in its essence and chief 

 results the calculus of the infinitely little, or of continuous func- 

 tions. — Memoir on submarine sound-signals, by M. Brillouin. 

 The two chief results already obtained are transmission of sound 

 to a distance of thirty-five kilometres, and the neutralization of 

 all violent surface disturbances, such as thunderstorms or hurri- 

 canes. A .summary description is given of the apparatus, together 

 with a general statement of the circumstances under which 

 these signals might be used with advantage. — Observations of 

 Barnard's Comet (May 12, 1887), made at the Bordeaux Obser- 

 vatory with the 0*38 m. equatorial, by MM. G. Rayet, Flamme, 

 and F. Courty. — Observations of a planet sighted at the Obser- 

 vatory of Marseilles, by M. Borrelly. The observations of this 

 body, which is of the twelfth magnitude, extend from June 9 to 

 June 19 inclusive. — On linear differential equations of the third 

 order, by M. Paul Painleve. In supplement to the paper pub- 

 lished in the Comptes rendiis of May 31, the author here deals 

 with the linear and homogeneous equation of the third order — 



y -f ay" + />y' + z-y = o ; 



and he arrives at the general conclusion that, given a linear and 

 homogeneous equation of the third order, it may always be 

 ascertained, by a limited number of purely algebraic operations, 

 whether its integral be algebraic, or the equation may be reduced 

 to a quadrature. — Determination of the quantity of bisulphate of 

 potassa in a diluted liquor, by M. E. Bouty. The author here 

 deals with the difficulty of determining this quantity, which arises 

 from the fact that in diluted solutions the bisulphate of potassa is 

 always accompanied by sulphuric acid and sulphate of potassa. 

 He shows that the bisulphate is stable especially in hot and con- 

 centrated liquors, and that the proportion of this salt increases 

 with the excess of one or other of the reacting bodies. — On the 

 ammoniacal vanadates, by M. A. Ditte. The vanadates here 

 treated are those of methylamine, of ethylamine, ammoniaco- 

 magnesian vanadate, and the double ammoniacal vanadates. The 

 general study of these vanadates, prepared by the dry and wet 

 processes, shows that all these compound bodies are reducible 

 to a few well-defined types and simple formulas, such as : 



3V05,MO, 2V05,MO, 3V05,2MO, for the acids ; VOs.lV; 

 the neutral vanadates; VOg,2MO, V0g,3M0, V05,4M( 

 the basic salts, apart from the water, the quantity of which 

 according to the circumstances in which the crystallizat 

 effected. — Solubility of uric acid in water, by MM. Ch. '. 

 and G. Deniges. For the determination of this point the a 

 have applied the process of analysis by chameleon indicai 

 their previous note. — On the hydrochlorate of ferric chlorii 

 M. Paul Sabatier. M. Engel having recently announcec 

 he had succeeded in preparing this substance, which hac 

 anticipated but not isolated by M. Sabatier, the author re 

 that so early as 1881 he had obtained and fixed the compc 

 of the hydrochlorate of ferric chloride {Btdletin de la . 

 Chiiniqiie, second series, p. 197, 1881). — On the ident 

 dambose and inosite, by M. Maquenne. A careful stud 

 remarkably pure specimen of dambonite prepared accordi 

 M. Girard's indications from the caoutchouc of the Gaboon, 

 th«t dambose is identical in every respect with the inosite a! 

 described by the author. Hence dambonite should be cons: 

 as the dimethylene of inosite, and the term dambose shoi 

 replaced in chemical nomenclature by that of inosite, whii 

 the right of priority and is in other respects more convenie 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEI\ 



Fungi, Mycetozoa, and Bacteria : A. de Bary ; translated by G: 

 and Bayley (Clarendon Press). — Physiology of Plants : J. von Sachs 

 lated by H. Marshall Ward (Clarendon Press). — La Exposicion N 

 de Venezuela en 18S3, tomo i.,Texto : A. Ernst (Caracas). — Transacti( 

 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, vol. xxiii. (Williams an 

 gate). — Transactions of the Astronomical Observatory of Yale Unii 

 vol. i. part i (New Haven). — Report on the Mining Industries 

 United States : R. Pumpelly (Washington). — Proceedings of the Ar 

 Association for the Promotion of Science, August 1885 (Salem). — Bi 

 in England : E. L. Arnold (Chatto and Windus). — Text-book of Gv 

 new edition : Major G. Mackinlay. — The Owens College Course of Pi 

 Organic Chemistry : J. B. Cohen (Macmillan). — Hay Fever and P; 

 mal Sneezing, 4th edition : Morell Mackenzie (Churchill). — Technical 

 and College Building: E. C. Robins (Whittaker). — Melting and : 

 Point 'J'ables, vol. ii. : T Carnelly (Harrison). — Smithsonian Report 

 part I (Washington). — A Contribution to the Study of Well-Waters 1 

 son).— Peabody Institute, Baltimore, 25th Annual Report. — Electric 

 Primer : C. S. Levey (New York) — Beibl.Ttter zu den Annalen der 

 und Chemie, 1887, No. 6 (Barth, Leipzig). — BeitrSge zur Biolog 

 Pflanzen, v. Band, i Heft (Breslau). — American Journal of Mathei 

 vol. ix. No. 4. 



CONTENTS. 



Professor Tyndall and the Scientific Movement . . 



The Geology of England and Wales 



A Treatise on Geometrical Optics. By J. Larmor . 

 Our Book Shelf :— 



Karr : " Shores and Alps of Alaska " 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Relation of Coal-Dust to Explosions in Mines. — Arthur 



Watts 



Science for Artists. — Edwd. L. Garbett 



Weight, Mass, and Force. — R. B, Hayward, 



F.R.S 



Upper Cloud Movements in the Equatorial Regions of 

 the Atlantic. — Hon. Ralph Abercromby . . . . 



Fish Dying.— F. T. Mott 



The Dinner to Professor Tyndall 



The Eleven-Year Periodical Fluctuation of the 

 Carnatic Rainfall. By Henry F. Blanford, F.R.S. 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Relative Positions of the Principal Stars in the 



Pleiades 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



July 10-16 



Report of the Committee of Inquiry into M, 

 Pasteur's Treatment of Hydrophobia . . . . . 



University Colleges and the State 



Societies and Academies 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received . . . 



