144 



NA TURE 



[June io, 1897 



Australia and Europe. — Prof. J. T. Wilson was elected President 

 for the current year. 



Monthly Meeting. — Prof. Wilson, President, in the chair. — 

 Descriptions of new Australian Lepidoptera, with notes on 

 synonymy, by Oswald B. Lower. Twenty-six species referable 

 to the sections Bombycina, Geometrina, Noctuina, Pyralidina 

 and Tineina, were described as new. — Studies in Australian 

 entomology, No. 8. Descriptions of two new Tiger-beetles, by 

 T. G. Sloane. A new species of Megacephala from West 

 Australia and of Tetracha from Barrow Creek, Northern 

 Territory of South Australia, were described. — Notes on Austra- 

 lian fungi, by D. McAlpine. Ten species were added to the 

 cryptogamic flora of New South Wales, of which six were de- 

 scribed as new, and four were recorded for the first time, one of 

 them in association with a new host. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, June io. 

 Mathematical Society, at 8.— Models of the Regular Convex and Star 

 Solids : W. W. Taylor. — The Calculus of Equivalent Statements (Sixth 

 Paper): H. MacCoU.— On the Primitive Substitution Groups of Degree 

 Fifteen: Dr. G. A. Miller. — A Generalised Form of the Binomial 

 Theorem : Rev. F. H. Jackson. 



FRIDAY, June n. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Diamonds : W. Crookes, F.R.S. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8.— Theory of the Motion of the Moon ; 

 Note on the Mean Motions of the Lunar Perigee and Node : Prof. E. W. 

 Brown. — Elements of Comet Perrine (/) 1896 November 2 : C. J. Mer- 

 field.— Nebula IjJ I. 43 Virginis : Prof. K. D. Naegamvala.— The Shower 

 of Leonids in 1897 : W. F. Denning. — Results of Double Star Measures 

 with the 8-inch Equatorial at Windsor, New South Wales, in 1896 : John 

 Tebbutt. Probable Papers : Notes on the Reduction of Stellar Photo- 

 graphs : A. A. Rambaut. — Photographic Observation of Comet b, 1896 : 

 A. A. Rambaut. 



Physical Society, at 5.— The Effect of Sea-water on Induction Tele- 

 graphy : C. S. Whitehead.— A New Definition of Foc.-il Length, and an 

 Instrument for its Determination : Thomas H. Blakesley. — On the De- 

 composition of Silver Salts under Pressure : Dr. J. E. Myers and Dr. F. 

 Braun. — On a New Way of determining Hysteresis in Straight Strips: 

 Dr. Fleming, F.R.S. 



Malacological Society, at 8. 



SATURDAY, June 12. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 4. 



London Geological Field Class.— Excursion— Coulsdon to Merstham. 

 Lower Chalk. Leave Cannon Street, 2.17 ; arrive Coulsdon, 2.59. 



MONDAY, June 14. 

 .•Society of Chemical Indu.stry, at 8. — Note on a Possible Danger from 

 Fire involved in the Transport of Barium Peroxide in Wooden Barrels : 

 Dr. A. Dupr6, F.R.S. — The Valuation of Commercial Nitrate of Soda : 

 Dr. Pauli. — Recent Improvements in Smokeless Compounds and in Pro- 

 cesses of Manufacture : Hudson Maxim. — Comparative Experiments on 

 the Estimation of Phosphoric Acid : Alexander Cameron. — The Strength 

 of Commercial Formaldehyde Solutions : W. A. Davis. 



TUESDAY, June 15. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On the Mammals obtained by Mr. John 

 Whitehead during his Recent Expedition to the Philippines. With 

 Field-Notes by the Collector : Oldfield Thomas.— On the Presence of 

 Ribs in Polyodon (Spatularid) folium : Prof. T. W. Bridge.— On the 

 Spiders of the Family Theraphosidts {Mygalidte) horn the Ethiopian 

 Region, contained in the Collection of the British Museum : R. I. 

 Pocock. 

 ■Royal Photographic Society, at 8. 



WEDNESDAY, June 16. 



Royal Meteorological Society (Burlington House), at 4.30.— The 

 Non-Instrumental Meteorology of London, 1713-1896 : R. C. Mossman. — 

 Hailstorm in the South-West of London, April 27, 1897 : Charles 

 Harding. 



Royal Microscopical Society, at 7.30. — Exhibition of Palates of Mol- 

 luscs from a Collection recently presented by Mr. C. Rousselet. 



THURSDA Y, June 17. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — On the Distribution oi Primula elatior, Jacq. : 

 Miller Christy. — On the Acari collected by Mr. H. Fisher, Naturalist of 

 the Jackson-Harmsworth Polar Expedition, at Cape Flora, Northbrook 

 Island, i ranz-Josef Archipelago, in 1896 : A. D. Michael. — Further Ob- 

 servations on Stipules : Sir John Lubbock, Bart., F.R.S. — On Minor 

 Tension Lines between Plant Formations : Prof. Conway Macmillan. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — Ballot for the Election of Fellows. — The Re- 

 duction of Perthiocyanic Acid : F. D. Chattaway and H. P. Stevens. — 

 Molecular Refraction of Dissolved Salts and Acids, Part II.: Dr. J. H. 

 Gladstone, F.R.S., and W. Hibbert. — On a Space Formula for Benzene : 

 Prof. J. Norman Collie, F.R.S. — On the Production of some Nitro- and 

 Amido-oxypicolines : Dr. A. Lapworth and Prof. J. Norman Collie, 

 F.R.S.— The so-called Hydrates of Iso-propyl Alcohol ; Dr. T. E. 

 Thorpe. F.R.S.— The Carbohydrates of the Cereal Straws : C. F. Cross, 

 E.J. Bevan, and C. Smith. — Further Experiments on the Absorption of 

 Moisture by Deliquescent Substances : H. Wilson Hake. 



Mineralogical Society, at 8. — On Blodite from the Punjab : F. R. 



Mallet. — On Monazite and Xenolime in European Rocks : Orville A. 



Derby.— On the Identity of Sundtite and Webnerite : G. T. Prior and 



L. J. Spencer. 



FRIDA Y, June 18. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — Sub-Oceanic Changes : Pro 



John Milne, F.R.S. 



SATURDAY, June 19. 

 Geologists' Association— Excursion to Leighton Buzzard. Director : 



A. C. G. Cameron. Leave Euston, 9.10 a.m.; arrive Leighton, 10.47 a.m. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — The Naturalist in Australia : W. Saville-Kent (Chapman). — 

 Scientific Romances : C. H. Hinton, second series (Sonnenschein). — Waste 

 and Repair in Modern Life : Dr. Robson Roose (Murray). — W. and A. K. 

 Johnston's Geological Map of the British Isles, revised edition (Johnston). 

 — Mineralogical Geology. A Synopsis for the use of Students, to accom- 

 pany ditto : A. Johnstone (Johnston). — Smithsonian Institution. Annual 

 Report to July 1895 (Washington).-^U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

 Weather Bureau. Report of the Chief of the Weather Bureau, 1895-96 

 (Washington). 



Pamphlets. — Adriades : P. Pasinii (Venitiis, Visentini). — The Monetary 

 Situation in 1897 : G. M. Boissevain (Macmillan). 



Serials. — Strand Magazine, June (Newnes). — Middlesex Hospital 

 Journal, No. 3 (London). — Journal of the Anthropological Institute, May 

 (K. Paul). — Catalogus Mammalium, nova editio, Fasc. 2 (Berolini, Fried- 

 lander). — Bulletin de I'Acad^mie Royale des Sciences, &c., de Belgique, 

 1897, No. 4 (Bruxelles). — Memoirs and Proceedings of the Manchester 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, Vol. 41, Part 3 (Manchester). — Ob- 

 servatory, June (Taylor). — Himmel und Erde, May (Berlin, Paetel). — 

 Atlantic Monthly, June (Gay). — Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of 

 Harvard College, Vol. xxviii. Part i (Cambridge, Mass., Wilson). — Ditto, 

 Vol. xxxvi. (Waterville, Me.). — Fortnightly Review, June (Chapman). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Plant Pathology. By Prof. H. Marshall Ward, 



F.R.S 121 



Captain Lyons' Report on the Island of Philae . . 122 



Assaying in Works Laboratories 124 



Our Book Shelf:— 



" Life and Letters of William Barton Rogers" . . . 124 



Righi : " L'Ottica delle Oscillazioni Elettriche." —pv. 125 

 *' The Concise Knowledge Natural History." — 



L. C. M 125 



Scherren : " Through a Pocket Lens " ,125 



Hoffman : ' ' The Young Beetle Collector's Hand- 

 book" 125 



Waller: " Exercises in. Practical Physiology " . . . 126 

 "Year-Book of the Scientific and Learned Societies of 



Great Britain and Ireland " 126 



Letters to the Editor:— 



The Trotting Horse.— Prof. C. Lloyd Morgan . . 126 

 Fire-fly Light.— Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, 



F.R.S 126 



The Liquefaction of Fluorine. By Prof. H. Moissan 



and Prof. J. Dewar, F.R.S 126 



A New Determination of the Gravitation Constant 



and the Mean Density of the Earth. By J. H. P. 127 

 Subjective Transformations of Colour. (With 



Diagram.) By Shelford Bidwell, F.R.S 128 



International Congress on Technical Education . 129 



James Wyllie Rodger, A.R.C.S. By A. W. R. . . 129 



Notes 129 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Latitude of the Royal Catania Observatory ... 133 



Physical and Micrometrical Observations of Venus . . 133 



Nebulae unrecorded in Catalogues 134 



Harvard College Observatory Zone Observations . , 134 



The Royal Observatory, Greenwich 134 



Insects affecting Domestic Animals. (Illustrated.) 



By E. A. O 136 



The Engwurra, or Fire Ceremony of certain Central 

 Australian Tribes. By Prof. Baldwin Spencer and 



F. J. Gillen 136 



Professor Newcomb on the Distances of the Stars 139 

 Primitive Methods of Drilling. (Illustrated.) By 



J. D. McGuire 140 



University and Educational Intelligence 141 



Societies and Academies 142 



Diary of Societies 144 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 144 



NO. 1 44 1, VOL. 56] 



