NATURE 



[September i, 1898 



infinitesimal transformations wfiich generate the group A 

 family is invariant under an infinitesimal transformation when 

 the differential equation of the family admits of the infinitesimal 

 transformation. He states the criterion, and points out that the 

 converse problem is an integration problem not capable of 

 general solution. — A solution of the biquadratic by binomial 

 resolvents, by Dr. G. P. Starkweather, claims to be a new 

 solution in which the roots are given explicitly, and to be an 

 interesting application of Galois' methods. — Mr. H. E. Hawkes, 

 in " Limitations of Greek Arithmetic," discusses the number 

 system of the Greeks, and shows how their arithmetical notions 

 were limited by their geometrical symbolism. The argument is 

 mainly based on Euclid's Elements.— There are some further 

 notes : viz. note on special regular reticulations, by Prof. E. W. 

 Davis. In his remarks on maxima and minima of functions of 

 several variables. Prof. J. Pierpont points out a flaw in the 

 treatment of this theory in the treatises of Todhunter, William- 

 son and Byerly, and calls attention to the results of Scheefers, 

 Stolz and von Dantscher, which find a place in the Cours 

 d' Analyse of M. C. Jordan.— On the intersections of plane 

 curves, by F. S. Macaulay, discusses further some interesting 

 points raised in Miss Scott's paper on Mr. Macaulay's "point 

 groups in relation to curves " (of March number of the Bulletin). 

 — In addition to four minor notices and reviews, and the notes, 

 index, &c., there is a list of the papers read before the Society, 

 with references to the journals in which they have been published. 

 American Journal of Science, August. — The origin and sig- 

 nificance of spines, Part 2, by C. E. Beecher. Most organisms 

 have certain parts which are more exposed to the forces of the 

 environment than others, and such exposed parts, when acted 

 upon by hereditary requirements, produce the various external 

 _prgans and appendages. When such a hereditary predisposition 

 Is absent, the normal responsive action between growth and 

 stimulus tends to produce a conical or spiniform growth. Other 

 conditions favourable to the development of spines are restraint 

 of environment, causing suppression of highly developed 

 structures, and deficiency of growth force, causing degeneration 

 of organs, such as leaves into spines representing the mid-rib, 

 branches into spiniform twigs, legs or digits into spines. — The 

 prehistoric fauna of Block Island as indicated by its ancient 

 shell-heaps, by G. F. Eaton. Block Island is situated off the 

 New England coast, to the east of Long Island. Three ancient 

 shell-heaps were explored, which yielded valuable finds. Bones 

 of the great auk were found in two of them, and in one, part 

 of the skull of the grey seal. The human remains discovered 

 show little variation from the type of the New England 

 Indian. The remains of a child show distinct traces of a violent 

 death, and the absence of the arms and a portion of the lower 

 limbs points to the practice of cannibalism. Stone implements 

 were also discovered, and some highly finished articles made of 

 bone. The fauna generally is of a continental character, and 

 indicates a former connection of the island with the mainland. 

 — A registering solar radiometer and sunshine recorder, by 

 G. S. isham. Two barometer tubes are suspended by the 

 arms of a balance. They contain mercury and saturated 

 alcohol vapour. One of them is blackened and exposed to 

 sunlight, which increases the pressure of the alcohol vapour and 

 expels some mercury. The motion of the beam is recorded by 

 a pen travelling across a divided scale moved by clockwork. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 22. — M. Wolf in the chair. 

 —Observations of the planet 1898 DQ (Witt, 1898 August 14), 

 made at the Paris Observatory, by M. Jean Mascart. The magni- 

 tude of the planet in question is about io'5. Its apparent position 

 was determined six times between August 18 and 20. — On the 

 groups contained in motion of any kind, by M. G. Ricci. — 

 Melting points of some substances under high pressures, by M. 

 E. Mack. The apparatus used gave a range of pressure from 

 150 to 2140 atmospheres, and fourteen determinations of the 

 melting-point of naphthalene were made at pressures between 

 these two extremes. The results could be expressed with suffi- 

 cient accuracy by the formula /=79-8 + o-0373/-o-oooooi9/2, 

 and the last term being very small, the increase in the melting- 

 point is nearly proportional to the pressure. Measurements 

 were also made with o-naphthylamine, diphenylamine, and 

 paratoluidine, the results generally lying on a straight line, no 

 -indications being obtained of the maxima noticed by pre- 



NO. 1505, VOL. 58] 



vious experimenters. — On the oxides of sodium, by M. de 

 Forcrand. By heating sodium in a slow current of dry air, a 

 greyish suboxide of sodium is formed, having the composition 

 Na^O. This, however, could not be obtained pure and unmixed 

 with sodium. Further treatment with air gives NagO and Na20._„ 

 but the former could not be obtained even approximately pure. 

 —On the ammoniacal chlorides of lithium, by M. J. Boniiefoi. 

 Pure dry LiCl, kept at a temperature above 85°, absorbs 

 ammonia, giving LiCl.NHg, the dissociation pressures of which 

 were measured at four temperatures. The application of 

 Clapeyron's formula to these measurements gave a value for the 

 latent heat of dissociation in close agreement with that found 

 experimentally. Between 60° and 85°, LiCl2NH3 is formed ; 

 between 20' and 60°, LiClsNHg ; and at 13", LiCUNH.,. In all 

 cases the results given by Clapeyron's formula agreed well with 

 the direct thermochemical data. — The estimation of tannin, by 

 M. Leo Vignon. The tannin is absorbed from solution by silk, 

 and the loss determined either by drying at no", or by titrating 

 the solution with permanganate. Test analyses show a good 

 agreement with those obtained by methods previously used 

 (Sisley, Aime Girard). — On the composition of phosphorescent 

 sulphides of strontium, by M. J. R. Mourelo. The phosphor- 

 escent sulphide contains small proportions of strontium sulphate, 

 sodium sulphide and chloride, and bismuth sulphide and oxide ; 

 and the presence of these impurities appears to be a necessary 

 condition for a brilliant and lasting phosphorescence. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— Zoological Results based on Material from New Britain, &c , 

 collected during the Years 1895, 1896, and 1897, Part i : Dr. A. Willey 

 (Cambridge Univirsily Press). — City and Guilds of London Institute Pro- 

 gramme of Technological Examinations, Session 1898-99 (Whittaker).— 

 Geology for Beginne.s: W. W. Watts (Macmillan).— Plant Life: Prof. 

 C. R. Harnes (N.Y., Holt).— Special Report on the Beet-Sugar Industry 

 of the United States (Washington). 



Pamphlets — Deductive Series of Arithmetical Prob'ems, Standards 3 

 to 7 (Reading, National Publishing Association, Ltd.). — Mines and Quarries: 

 General Report and Staristics for 1897. Part 2. Labour (Eyre). 



Serials.— Good Words, September (Isbister).— Sunday Magazine, 

 September (Isbister).— English Illustrated Magazine, September (iq8 

 Strand).— Chambers's Journal, September (Chambers).— Longman's Maga- 

 zine, September (Longmans). — Century Magazine, September (Mac- 

 millan).^Atti del Reale Istituto d'lncorraggiamento di Napoli, 4'^ serie. 

 Vol. X. (Napoli). — Johns Hopkins University Studies, ser. xvi. Nos. 7, 8, 

 9 (Baltimore).— Natural Science, September (Dent).— Contemporary 

 Review, September (Isbister). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Morphology of Vertebrates. ByJ. G. G 409 



Animal Play. By R. L 410 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Haddon : " The Study of Man " 410 



Bird: " A School Geography " 411 



Letters to the Editor :— 



A Case of Inherited Instinct.— Captain F. W. 



Hutton, F.R.S 4" 



Transference of Heat in Cooled Metal— Albert T. 



Bartlett 411 



The Use of Digraphs.— F. A. Bather ... 412 

 The Approaching Meeting of the British Associa- 

 tion at Bristol 4' 2 



The Berlin Geographical Society's Greenland- 

 Expedition. By Prof. James Geikie, F.R.S. . . 413 

 The Production and Uses of Ozone. (Illustrated.). /s^iG 

 A Dragon of the Prime. [Illustrated.) By W. T. . 418 



Dr. John Hopkinson, F.R.S 419 



Notes 420 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in September 424 



The Great Telescope for the Paris Exhibition .... 424 



A New Variable Star 424 



Minor Meteoric Radiants 424 



The International Congress of Zoologists .... 424 

 Experiments with the Telephone. [Illustrated.) By 



Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S 429 



The Stockholm Meeting of the Iron and Steel 



Institute 43° 



The Old Beds of the Amu-Daria. By P. K. ... 430 



University and Educational Intelligence 431 



Scientific Serials 43i 



Societies and Academies 432 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 432 



