240 



NATURE 



[July 7, 1898 



specific heat of air at constant pressure, by M. A. Leduc. 

 Remarks on an error overlooked by M. Regnault in his de- 

 termination of this constant. The neglect to fully correct for the 

 expansion in the calorimeter, causes a systematic error in the final 

 result of 0'6 per cent., the value being raised from 0*2375 to 

 o"239. — On the radiation of incandescent mantles, by MM. H. 

 Le Chatelier and O. Boudouard. In the opinion of the author, 

 there is no need to construct a special hypothesis to explain the 

 action of the Welsbach burner. The emissive power is not 

 greater that one, but the proportion of blue, green, and yellow 

 radiations far surpasses that of red ; and consequently the pro- 

 portion of the energy given out as luminous radiations is very 

 great. The absolute value of the luminous energy thus given 

 out is, however, less than that which would be emitted 

 by a black body at the same temperature. — Action of hydrogen 

 upon silver sulphide, and the reverse reaction, by M. H. 

 Pelabon. If the two systems, hydrogen-silver sulphide, and 

 silver-hydrogen sulphide, are heated to the same temperature, 

 the final state is the same in each case provided that the 

 temperature be about 350° C. The velocity of the reaction is 

 much accelerated by rise of temperature. The same state is 

 finally reached if the starting system be sulphur, silver, and 

 hydrogen. — On the heat of formation of lithium carbide, by M. 

 Guntz. The value 11 '3 calories was found by dissolving in 

 water pure lithium carbide, details being given of the pre- 

 cautions necessary for the preparation of the latter. — On the 

 combination of certain organic substances with mercuric 

 sulphate, by M. G. Deniges. The mercuric sulphate reagent 

 .•gives insoluble compounds when heated for a short time with 

 <atty ketones, ordinary acetone giving an almost quantitative 

 -yield. — On a general method of preparation of mixed carbonic 

 -ethers of the fatty and aromatic series, by MM. P. Cazeneuve 

 and Albert Morel. The carbonates of the phenols are heated 

 -either with the sodium alcoholate, or better, with an alcoholic 

 -solution of certain organic bases, such as pyridine. — On the 

 mitro-derivatives resulting from the action of nitric acid upon 

 ouabaine, by M. Arnaud. A mono- and a di-nitro derivative 

 were isolated. — On the acids of the essential oils of geranium, 

 t)y MM. Flatau and Labbe. Anisomeride of myristic acid was 

 isolated from the Indian essence. — Action of cyanamide upon 

 chloranil in presence of potash, by M. H. Imbert. The reaction 

 is similar to that already described for bromanil. — Contribution 

 <o the search for manganese in minerals, vegetables, and 

 animals, by M. P, Pichard. Manganese appears to be very 

 widely distributed. A list is given of natural orders of plants 

 in which manganese has been found.— On the development 

 of AcmcBa Virginea, by M. Louis Boutan. — On the lakes of 

 Roche-de-Rame (Hautes-Alpes), du Lauzet ( Basse- Alpes), 

 Roquebrussane, and Tourves, by M. Andre Delebecque. — On 

 a method of measuring the area of the heart by radiography, by 

 MM. G. Variot and G. Chicotot.— Improvement in the tubes 

 employed in radiography, by M. L. Bonetti. The bulb is 

 furnished with a sealed-in platinum wire, which can be heated 

 by an external current. 



New South Wales. 

 X,innean Society, May 25. — Mr. Henry Deane, Vice- 

 Tresident, in the chair. — On a myxomycete new for New 

 "South Wales, by D. Mc Alpine. — A preliminary study of the 

 Membracida described from Australia and Tasmania, by Dr. 

 F. W. Goding. The author has in contemplation the pre- 

 paration of a monograph on the homopterous family Mem- 

 ■ bracid(Z, the Australian and Tasmanian species of which have 

 not received much attention. — Further notes on Australian 

 shipworms, by C. Hedley. A fresh-water shipworm from Fiji, 

 ifirst brought under notice by Mr. T. Steel at the Society's 

 meeting in August 1895 is described and illustrated, under the 

 name Calobates fluviatilis. C. saulii, Wright, in which Teredo 

 fragilis, Tate, is included, is also dealt with. This species has 

 now been traced from Adelaide, through Bass Straits to 

 Sydney, where a second species, C. edax, flourishes, now first 

 •cecognised as destructive to wharves in Port Jackson. — De- 

 scriptions of new mollusca, chiefly from New Caledonia, by C. 

 Hedley. A remarkable new Placostylus from Dr. Cox's col- 

 lection, aberrant alike geographically and structurally, is de- 

 scribed ; with further considerations on the range of the genus, 

 ■dwelt on in a previous communication. Several molluscan 

 ■novelties obtained during a visit to New Caledonia are made 

 known, including a new Teinostoma, a Diplommatina, and an 

 Ischnochiton. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Adressbuch fiir die Deutsche Mechanik und Optik, Band i. 

 (Berlin, Der Mechaniker). — Stanford's Compendium of Geography and 

 Travel (new issue): North America. Vol. 2. The United States: H. 

 Gannett (Stanford).— Food Supply : R. Bruce (Griffin). The Making of a 

 Daisy: E. Hughes-Gibb (Griffin). — Logic, Deductive and Inductive: C. 

 Read (Richards). — Iowa Geological Survey, Annual Report, 1896 (Des 

 Moines).— The Alpine Guide. The Western Alps : John Ball, new edition, 

 by W. A. B. Coolidge (Longmans).— The Doctrine of Energy: B. L. L. 

 (Paul).— Practical Organic Chemistry: G. George (Clive).— Wealth and 

 Progress of New South Wales, 1896-97 : T. A. Coghlan (Sydney).— Notes 

 on Volumetric Analysis : A. Thornton and M. Pearson (Longmans). — A 

 Sliort Course in Inorganic Qu.ilitative Analysis : Dr.' J. S. C. Wells 

 (Chapman). — A Laboratory Guide in Qualitative Chemical Analysis : Prof. 

 H. L. Wells (Chapm.-in).— A Course of Practical Chemistry: W. .G. 

 Valentin, 9th edition, edited and revised by Prof. W. R. Hodgkinson 

 (Churchill). — Hydrographical Surveying : Rear-Admiral Sir W. J. L. 

 Wharton, 2nd edition (Murray). — Regularisation du Mouvement dans les 

 Machines : L. Lecornu (Paris, Gauthier-Villars). — Muller-Pouillet's Lehr- 

 buch der Physik und Meteorologie, Neunte Auflage, Zweiter Band, Zweite 

 Abthg. : Drs. Pfaundler and Lummer (Braunschweig, Vieweg). — A First 

 Year's Course of Practical Physics : J. F. Tristram (Rivingtons). — Facts 

 about Bookworms : Rev. J. F. X. O'Conor (Suckling). 



Pamphlets. — Additions to the Fungi on the Vine in Australia : D. 

 McAlpine and G. H. Robinson (Melbourne) — Copenhagen (Danish 

 Tourist Society, Copenhagen). — Publications of the Smithsonian Institution 

 available for distribution, April 1898 (Washington). — Das Fernobiektiv im 

 Portrat, Architektur und Landschaftsfache : H. Schmidt (Berlin, Schmidt). 

 — Der Gummidruck : J. Gaedicke (Berlin, Schmidt). — Introduzione alio 

 Studio dei Silicati : Prof. E. Ricci (Milano, Hoepli). — Tours in North of 

 Ireland (Belfast, Baird). 



Serials.— Journal of the Chemicil Society, June (Gurney).— Economic 

 Journal, June (Macmillan). — Journal of the Royal Microscepical Society, 

 June (Williams). — An Illustrated Manual of British Birds : H. Saunders, 

 2nd edition. May and June (Gurney). — Field Columbian Museum Publica- 

 tions. Anthropological Series, Vol. 2, No. 2 ; Zoological Series, Vol. i, 

 Nos. 9 and 10 (Chicago).— Tufts College Studies, No. 5 (Tufts Colleger- 

 Longman's Magazine, July (Longmans). — Chambers's Journal, July 

 (Chambers). — Good Words, July (Isbister). — Sunday Magazine, July (Is- 

 bister). — American Journal of Mathematics, July (Baltimore). — Monthly 

 Weather Review, March (Washington). — Natural Science, July (Dent). — 

 Johns Hopkins University Studies, Ser. xvi. No. 6 (Baltimore).— Human- 

 itarian, July (Duckworth).— Century Magazine, July (Macmillan).— Pro- 

 ceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol. x. (new series), Pt. 2 

 (Melbourne, Ford). — Contemporary Review, July (Isbister). — Fortnightly 

 Review, July (Chapman). — Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist, July 

 (Bemrose).— National Review, July (Arnold).— Journal of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England, Vol. q. Part 2 (Murray). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Museums. By Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S 217 



Clerk Maxwell's Influence on Modern Physics. By 



Prof. A. Gray, F.R.S 219 



Funafuti 221 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Inwards : " Weather Lore " 222 



Jude : " First Stage Magnetism and Electricity " . . 222 

 ' ' Problems of Nature. Researches and Discoveries of 



Gustav Jaeger, M.D."—E. B. P. ....... 222 



Acland : ' ' Medical Missions in their Relation to 



Oxford" 222 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Protective Mimicry.— J. Caslets, S.J. ; Prof. E. B. 



Poulton, F.R.S. 223 



Epidemics among Mice. — W. F. Kirby 223 



Remarkable Hailstones.— Samuel N, Player . . . 223 

 Dendritic Patterns caused by Evaporation. — 



Catherine A. Raisin 224 



Solar Halo of July 3.— Catharine O. Stevens . . 224 



A Monochromatic Rainbow.— A. J. K. Martyn . . 224 



Cast Metal Work from Benin, {Illustrated.) . . . 224 



The Proposed University for Birmingham .... 226 



The National Museum of Natural History .... 227 



Notes 228 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Comet Perrine (June 14) 232 



Latitude Variation in a Rigid Earth 232 



Conference of Astronomers at Harvard 232 



A Fine Collection of Meteorites 232 



The American Association 233 



Folk-Medicine in Ancient India. By Dr. M. 



Winternitz 233 



Gutta-percha and India-rubber 236 



Treatment of the Surface of Medals. By Prof. 



Roberts-Austen, C.B., F.R.S 236 



University and Educational Intelligence 237 



Scientific Serial 237 



Societies and Academies 237 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 240 



NO. 1497, VOL. 58] 



