2l6 



NATURE 



[June 30, 1898 



he gave a detailed account (see p. 175). — Prof. Herdman, 

 F.R S. , exhibited some dissections, microscopic preparations, 

 and drawings to illustrate the presence of modified pedal 

 muscles in the oyster. It was shown that there was reason to 

 believe that these muscles, the insertion of which into the shell 

 had been noticed in the American oyster by Ryder and Jackson, 

 were the representatives of the protractor pedis of other Pelecy- 

 poda. But, as the oyster has no foot in the adult, the muscles 

 have been modified in their distribution and have acquired a 

 new function. — Mr. Miller Christy read a paper entitled " Ob- 

 servations on the seasonal variations of elevation in a branch 

 of a horse-chestnut tree." — A paper was read by Mr. G. W. 

 Carpenter on Pantopida collected by Mr. W. S. Bruce in Franz- 

 Josef Land, in which he recorded the existence of eleven species, 

 one of which he described as new. Of this, Nymphon piliferum, 

 a detailed description was given, as of a new variety Nymphon 

 piliferum var. abbreviatum.—Ps. paper was read by Mr. J. E. 

 Duerden on the morphological relationship of the Actiniaria and 

 Madreporaria. — Dr. C. Forsyth-Major communicated a paper 

 on some fossil Leporines, an abstract of which was given by 

 Prof. Howes. The author's investigations are based on the de- 

 scription of Miocene fossils collected by himself in Sardinia, 

 France and Italy, and on specimens preserved in the Museum 

 of Natural History. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, June 20.— Centenary of the found- 

 -ation of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, by M. 

 Laussedat. — Actinometry in experimental balloons, by M. J. 

 "Violle. — On the study of the upper atmosphere, by M. L. 

 Cailletet. An account of an experimental balloon ascent of 

 June 8. The balloon was fitted with self-recording instru- 

 ments, the lowest reading of the barometer, 118 m.m., corre- 

 sponding to a maximum height of 13,700 metres. — On the 

 boiling point of liquid ozone, by M. L. Troost. The tempera- 

 ture was determined by means of an iron-constantin couple, 

 previously standardised in ice, boiling methyl chloride, nitrous 

 oxide, ethylene, and oxygen. Several measurements were 

 taken, the ozone always boiling steadily at - 119° C. — Prepara- 

 tion of crystallised calcium, by M. Henri Moissan. After a his- 

 torical review of previous work on the subject, two methods are 

 described which furnish calcium in white, hexagonal crystals (see 

 p. 209). — On the classification of the Tunicates, by M. Edmond 

 Terrier. — New gases in atmospheric air, by MM. Ramsay and 

 Travers. An account of the discovery of neon and metargon. — 

 On the Rubiacese of the Madagascar flora, by M. Emm. Drake 

 •del Castillo. — Comet discovered at the Observatory of Nice, by 

 M. Giacobini. — Provisional elements of the Perrine comet (June 

 J4, 1898). — Observations of the Coddington comet, Perrine 

 xomet (June 14), and the Giacobini comet, made at the Ob- 

 servatory of Toulouse with the Brunner equatorial, by M. F. 

 Rossard. — Observations of the new Perrine comet (June 14) 

 made at the Observatory of Paris, by MM. G. Bigourdan and 

 G. Fayet. — Observations of the Coddington comet (June 11, 

 1898) made with the large equatorial at the Bordeaux Observa- 

 ,tory, byM. L. Picart. — Application of interference fringes to 

 (the study of micrometers, by M. Maurice Hamy. A half- 

 silvered lens of very slight curvature is fixed to the body of the 

 rmicrometer, and a mirror to the moving portion of the instru- 

 ment, the whole is illuminated with monochromatic light, and 

 the method of fractional excess applied to the Newton's rings 

 - thus produced. — The equivalence group and kinematic bases, by 

 M. Jules Andrade. — On the stability of equilibrium, by M. L. 

 Lecornu. — On an apparatus called the anemotrope, by M. 

 Maillet. — An optical method for measuring lengths up to several 

 decimeters, by MM. A. Perot and Ch. Fabry. — Influence of 

 tempering upon the electrical resistance of steel, by M. H. Le 

 Chatelier. The resistance of steel is not influenced by temper- 

 ing at temperatures below 710°, the temperature of recalescence. 

 The resistance after tempering at 850°-iooo° is about double 

 ithat of the untempered metal. Some chrome and tungsten 

 steels were also studied. At high temperatures chromium 

 . exaggerates the increase of resistance produced by tempering. 

 Tungsten makes practically no difference. — On the rectification 

 .of alternating currents, by M. P. Janet. — On the paradoxical 

 multiplication of a discharge derived from a condenser, by M. 

 R. Swyngedauw. — Electrical resistance of the human body, by 

 M. Dubois. The body acts as a condenser with liquid dielectric, 

 jof a capacity of about o'i65 microfarad. Under the action of 

 continuous currents the resistance of the body may fall 

 from 51,500 to 3030 ohms. But at any stage of this variable 



state, if the resistance be measured by a condenser method, with 

 discharge through a ballistic galvanometer, the resistance 

 is found to be invariable, about 400 ohms. — On the 

 thioantimonites of the metals of the alkaline earths, by M, 

 Pouget. The thioantimonites of barium, strontium, and cal- 

 cium, of the form R'3.Sb4Sg, are described. — Pyridine bases, 

 by M. Marcel Delepine. Thermochemical data are given for 

 pyridine, piperidine, chloropiperidine, dipiperidine and 8-ami- 

 dovaleraldehyde. — On some bases derived from piperidine, by 

 M. G. Andre. — On some bromine derivatives of morphine, by 

 M. H. Causse. — On some new aromatic diurethanes of piper- 

 azine, by MM. P. Cazeneuve and Moreau. — Action of chlorine 

 upon ethylene chloride in presence of aluminium chloride. 

 Chlorination of acetylene, by M. A. Mouneyrat. Ethylene 

 chloride heated alone with AICI3 gives acetylene and hydrogen 

 chloride. If chlorine is passed into the mixture, CHClj.CHClj 

 and CHoCl— CCI3 can be isolated from the product. Chlorine 

 and acetylene combine together quietly if all traces of oxygen 

 are excluded. — Synthesis of symmetrical tetramethyl glutaric 

 acid, by M. E. E. Blaise. — On a crystalline compound of 

 acetylene with cuprous chloride, by M. Chavastelon. — On the 

 cuticle of the palm of the hand and its evolution, 

 by M. A Cannieu. — Classification of the Molgulideoe, by M. 

 Antoine Pizon. — On the proboscidian nervous system of the 

 Glycerte, by M. Ch. Gravier. — On the first origin and develop- 

 ment of nephridia in Annelids, and on the parallelism of their 

 regenerative and embryonic ontogeny, by M. A. Michel. — On 

 the buccal apparatus of the Acarina, byM. A. Brucker. — Study 

 of the defensive glands in some Coleoptera, byM. L. Bordas. — 

 On the oligocene formations occurring in Algeria (Constantine), 

 by M. E. Ficheur. — The micro-organisms of lignite, by M. B. 

 Renault. Micrococci are found in abundance in lignites. — On 

 the use of manures in horticulture, by MM. Alexander Hebert 

 and G. Truffaut. Plants treated with suitable manures showed 

 on analysis the same composition as similar plants grown with- 

 out the addition of fertilising materials, but the final weight in 

 the former case was double that in the latter. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Colours of Insects Classified according to the 



Methods of Art. By E. B. P 193 



Blanford's Birds of India. By R. L. 195 



Navigation and Cyclones 197 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Duff: "Notes from a Diary, 1873-1881 " 198 



Howe :" Elements of Descriptive Astronomy " . . . 198 



Crawford : " South American Sketches " 198 



Hughes-Gibb: " The Making of a Daisy," &c. ... 198 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Liquid Air at One Operation.— Lord Rayleigh, 



F.R.S. . . 199 



Liquid Hydrogen.— Prof. James Dewar, F.R.S. . 199 

 The Spectrum of Metargon ?— Prof, Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S 199 



Anatomy of the Swallows. — Dr. R. W. Shufeldt . 199 

 Rotifers in Lake Bassenthwaite.— Prof. Sydney J. 



Hickson, F.R.S 200 



Lion-Tiger Hybrid. — R. I. Pocock 200 



Transference of Heat in Cooled Metal.— H. Bourget 200 

 Parker and Haswell's " Text -Book of Zoology." — 



Prof. W. N. Parker 200 



Some Results of my Researches on Oceanography. 



{Illustrated.) By Albert, Prince of Monaco . . . 200 

 Reproduction by Photographic Processes. By T, 



Bolas 204 



The Forthcoming Meeting of the British Associa- 

 tion 205 



Notes 206 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in July 210 



Comets that are now Visible 210 



The First Satellite of Jupiter 210 



The Meteor Shower of November 13, 1897 210 



High Speed Telegraph Transmission by Means of 



Alternators. {With Diagrams.) . 211 



Observations on Stomata. By Francis Darwin, 



F.R.S 212 



A New Photographic Printing Paper 213 



University and Educationallntelligence 214 



Societies and Academies 214 



NO. 1496, VOL. 58] 



