33^ 



NATURE 



\August 4, 1887 



age, will be fruitful. — Dr. A. B. Griffiths read a paper on the 

 nephridia of Hirudo medicinalis, and communicated a paper by 

 Mrs. Griffiths on degenerated specimens of Tulipa sylvestris. — - 

 Mr. J. T. Cunningham and Mr. Rupert Vallentin described the 

 Y>hoios^hxria. oi Nycliphanes norvegica, Sars. — Mr. C.J. Burton 

 read a paper on a Daniell cell for use as a standard of electro- 

 motive force. — Prof. Tait read a paper on glories. He showed 

 that the observations made upon glories on Ben Nevis make it 

 certain that Young's explanation of these phenomena (colours of 

 thin plates) is not adequate. He considers that they are produced 

 by diffraction of light reflected from the drops of water. — Mr. 

 T. Murray submitted a report by Prof. Milnes Marshall and 

 Mr. G. H. Fowler on the Pennatulida dredged by H.M. S. 

 Porcupine. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, July 25.— M. Janssen in the chair. 

 — Note on M. Gosselin's scientific labours, by M. A. Richet. 

 This memoir on the life and work of the distinguished anatomist 

 and pathologist, who died at the end of last April, is intended 

 to supply the place of the customary obituary notice, M. Gosselin 

 having expressed a desire that no discourse should be pronounced 

 in connexion with his funeral obsequies. — Obituary notice of M. 

 Alfred Terquem, Corresponding Member of the Section for 

 Physics, by M. Mascart. A rapid sketch is given of the brilliant 

 career of this physicist, who was born at Metz on January 31, 

 1831, and died on July 16, 1887. His numerous scientific pub- 

 lications deal mainly with acoustics, capillary phenomena, and 

 heat. He is the author of an important treatise on "Roman 

 Science in the Age of Augustus," and of a more comprehensive 

 work on the history of physical sciences from the earliest times 

 down to Galileo. — Note on the earthquake of February 23 at 

 Nice, by M. Bouquet de la Grye. The diagram of the curve of 

 the maregraph here figured as taken at the time of the seismic 

 disturbance presents some points of considerable interest. It 

 clearly indicates a rapid upheaval of the ground, followed by a 

 slow subsidence, the sea returning to its normal level in about 

 two hours after the first shock. The maximum of upheaval at 

 Nice was 55 mm., which can scarcely have exceeded the natural 

 elasticity of the earth's crust. — On the meteorite which 

 fell at Jati-Pengilon, Java, on March 19, 1884, by M. 

 Daubree. The analysis of this meteorite, which weighed 

 166 kilogrammes, shows bronzite 39, olivine 33 '4, iron with 

 nickel and traces of cobalt 21-3, troilite (sulphur of iron) 5-1, 

 chromite, o'l ; mean density 3747. The breakage presents some 

 exceptional features, being especially remarkable for the myriads 

 of minute cleavage facets with a sparkling brightness like that 

 of mica. In its general appearance it may be compared to certain 

 very fine-grained feldspar rocks, such as leptynite, and it evidently 

 belongs to the extremely rare category represented by the 

 meteorites of Ensisheim (1492), Erxleben (1812), Cabarras, 

 North Carolina (1849), Morbihan (1869), and one or two others. 

 — Fluorescences of manganese and bismuth : general remarks 

 and conclusions, by M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. In concluding 

 these protracted studies the author shows in a general way that 

 the observations made with manganese and bismuth are also 

 applicable to other fluorescences. He also concludes that two 

 substances more or less active on a solvent may at times neu- 

 ti-alize each other, reducing the two fluorescences to nil. A 

 similar result has been obtained by Mr. Crookes with the rare 

 earths. — Solar observations made at Rome during the first 

 quarter of the present year, by M. Tacchini. In supplement 

 to his communication of April 18, the author shows that the 

 faculse as well as the protuberances were most frequent in the 

 northern solar hemisphere. The maximum of faculae corre- 

 sponds to the equivalent zone ± 10° ; the solar spots were con- 

 fined to _± 20°, while the protuberances reached db 80°. — Solar 

 observations made at Rome during the second quarter of the 

 present year, by M. Tacchini. During this period there was a 

 perceptible increase of all the solar phenomena, and some 

 metallic eruptions were also recorded. — On the determination of 

 the coefficient of elasticity of steel, by M. E. Mercadier. In a 



recent communication the author proved that in the relation - 



of the constants of elasticity X is very nearly — /x for glass. Here he 

 shows that for cast steel A. = 2/x. — Danger of infection from tubercu- 

 lous substances, by M.Galtier. TheexperimentsheredescribedfuUy 

 confirm previous conclusions regarding the great resisting power 

 of the virus of tuberculosis. It retains its activity after being 



subjected to temperatures ranging from 71° C. to 7° or 8" below 

 freezing-point. It also resists the action of water and the 

 desiccating {process, as well as strong pickle, so that the con- 

 sumption of fresh or corned beef from animals affected by pul- 

 monary diseases is always attended with some danger. — On Colo- 

 chirtis lacazii, by M. Edgard Herouard. A full description is given 

 of this new species of the genus Colochirus of the Holothurian 

 family, found by the author in the neighbourhood of Roscoff, 

 and by him named C. lacazii, in honour of M. Lacaze-Duthiers. 

 — Contribution to the study of the evolution of the fresh-water 

 Peridiniums, by M. J. Danysz. From his researches on the 

 development of these organisms, as well as of the distantly- 

 allied genera Gymnodinium and Glenodinium, the author con- 

 cludes that they should be regarded rather as plants than animals. 

 A close study of their successive phases of development, and of 

 the nature of their substance, shows that they are true members 

 of the vegetable kingdom. — Appearance of black rot in the 

 neighbourhood of Agen, by M. Prillieux. An examination of 

 some diseased grapes from this district shows clearly that they 

 have been attacked by black rot which had already made its 

 appearance in the Upper Herault Valley two years ago, but 

 which it was hoped would die out or spread no farther. — A 

 sealed paper deposited by M. A. Leduc on May 9, 1887, and 

 now opened at his request, describes two experiments showing 

 that the calorific conductibility of bismuth is considerably 

 reduced when this metal is placed in a magnetic field. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Hand-book to Government Situations : B, D. K. (Stanford). — The Conic 

 Sections : G. Heppel (Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox). — Formal Logic, Second 

 Edition : J. N. Keynes (Macmillan). — Psychology ; The Motive Powers : J. 

 McCosh (Macmillan). — Romantic Love and Personal Beauty : H. T. Finck 

 (Macmillan). — Crown Forests at the Cape of Good Hope : J. C. Brown 

 (Oliver and Boyd). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Jubilee of the Electric Telegraph 313 



The Classification of Algae. By Mrs. Mary P. 



Merrifield 313 



American Mining Industries 315 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Nipher : Theory of Magnetic Measurements " . . . 316 



Wilson: " Studies in Life and Sense " 316 



Giglioli : " Fermenti e Microbi." — Dr. E. Klein, 



F.R.S 316 



Crookshank : " Photography of Bacteria." — Dr. E. 



Klein, F.R.S 317 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Sense of Smell in Dogs. — W. J. Russell ... 317 

 Units of Mass, Weight, and Force. — Rev. John B. 



Lock 317 



Chemical Affinity and Solution. — Wm. Durham . . 318 



Early Perseids. — W. F. Denning 318 



Floating Eggs. — W. S. Green 319 



The *' Meteorologiske Institut " at Upsala, and 

 Cloud Measurements. By Hon. Ralph Aber- 



cromby. {Illustrated) 319 



A New Cosmogony. I. By A. M. Clerke 321 



Notes 32| 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



August 7-13 32 



The Jubilee of the Electric Telegraph 32 



The Case for a London Teaching University . . . 32J 

 Science and Revelation. By Prof. G. G. Stokes, 



P.R.S 331 



Scientific Serials 331 



Societies and Academies 33J 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 33 



