November 24, 1892] 



NA TURE 



87 



recognized lately in the German periodical Globus, Another 

 good paper in V Anthropologie, by M. Louis Siret, deals with 

 the end of the Neolithic epoch in Spain. 



Prof. McIntosh's paper on the Scottish Fisheries, to which 

 we referred at the time it was read at the Edinburgh meeting of 

 the British Association, has now been issued as a pamphlet by 

 Messrs. John Leng and. Co., Dundee. The paper presents a 

 clear and interesting account of the Scottish Fisheries, chiefly in 

 their scientific aspects, during the decade 1882-92. 



The Cartwright Lectures, 1892, delivered by Dr. Henry F. 

 Osborn, Professor of Biology in Columbia College, have been 

 reprinted from the American Medical Record. They deal with 

 "present problems in evolution and heredity." In the first 

 (ecture Prof. Osborn discusses the contemporary evolution of 

 man ; in the second, difficulties in the heredity theory ; in the 

 third, heredity and the germ cells. 



The Kansas University has started a " Quarterly," which is 

 to be maintained as a medium for the publication of the results 

 of original research by members of the University. In the 

 second number, which we have just received, Mr. E. H. S. 

 Bailey has an interesting paper on the Great Spirit Spring 

 Mound. The Great Spirit Spring is in Mitchell county, Kansas, 

 on a conical limestone mound 42 feet high, and 150 feet in 

 -diameter at the top. The pool itself is a 'nearly circular lake 

 about 50 feet in diameter, 35 feet deep, and the water rises to 

 within a few inches of the top of the basin. There is a level 

 space on all sides of the spring so wide that a carriage can be 

 readily driven round it. Within about 200 feet of the mound 

 is a limestone bluff, which rises perhaps 20 feet above the level 

 of the spring. Mr. Bailey suggests that the mound may have 

 been made by successive deposits from the spring. Although 

 the mound is plainly stratified, this need not, he thinks, inter- 

 fere with his theory, as the water may have been intermittent 

 in its flow. The rock is very porous, and on being ground to a 

 thin section is shown to be concretionary in structure. It is of 

 just such a character as might have been built up by deposition 

 from the water, as it contains the least soluble constituents of 

 the water. The process of solidification would be assisted by 

 the silica in the water, forming insoluble cementing silicates. 

 An analysis given by Mr. Bailey shows that there is abundant 

 silica in the water for this purpose. 



A PAPER presenting a revision of the species of Coryphodon, 

 by Charles Earle, printed originally in a Bulletin of the American 

 Museum of Natural History (vol. iv.. No. i), has now been 

 issued separately. The recent expedition sent out by the 

 American Museum of Natural History to the Bad Lands of the 

 Wahsatch formation of Wyoming was successful in procuring 

 some valuable Coryphodon material. The entire collection was 

 placed in Mr. Earie's hands for identification and study. He 

 has been surprised by the large number of species which have 

 been proposed, and finds upon studying and comparing the 

 types that a great reduction in the number of species should be 

 made. 



With a view to determining the phylogenetic position of 

 mammalian hair, Herr Maurer has recently been studying the 

 sense organs of the skin, feathers, and hairs, and their mutual 

 relations {Morpk. Jahrb.). His researches render more evident 

 the profound difference that exists, both in early development 

 and in later behaviour, between mammalian hair and feathers. 

 Morphologically, they are to be regarded as quite different 

 organs. Are the hairs, then, sui generis, or may they ba brought 

 into relation with other epidermis-forms? From studying the 

 lower vertebrates, Herr Maurer considers that the skin sense 

 organs of amphibia afford the ground on which hairs are de. 

 veloped. The complex relations of the root sheath of the hair I 

 NO. 1204, VOL. 47] 



allow thus of an easy explanation. Further, as to the relation 

 of mammalia to other vertebrate groups, as indicated by forms 

 of integument, Ilerr Maurer is of opinion that mammals become 

 separated from Sauropsida and draw closer to amphibians, thus 

 confirming a view based on other points of organization. 



Fluorsulphonic acid, S02(0H)F, has been isolated by 

 Prof. Thorpe and Mr. Walter Kirman in the laboratory of the 

 Royal College of Science, South Kensington, and an account 

 of their experiments was given at the opening meeting of the 

 Chemical Society, held last Thursday evening. When liquid 

 hydrogen fluoride is brought into contact with sulphur trioxide a 

 violent reaction occurs. The product of this reaction, provided 

 any great rise of temperature is prevented by extraneous cooling, 

 is now shown to be fluorsulphonic acid, a liquid behaving in 

 many respects like the chlorosulphonic acid, S02(OH)Cl, dis- 

 covered by Prof. Williamson. The preparation of fluorsulphonic 

 acid was effected in the following manner : — A quantity of 

 sulphur trioxide was first distilled from a glass apparatus into 

 the receiver of a distillation apparatus constructed entirely of 

 platinum. A quantity of the anhydrous double fluoride of 

 hydrogen and potassium, HF.KF, more than sufficient to fur- 

 nish enough hydrogen fluoride to combine with all the sulphur 

 trioxide, was then placed in the retort of the latter apparatus, 

 and the retort connected with a long condensing tube surrounded 

 by a freezing mixture of ice and crystallized calcium chloride. 

 The receiver containing the sulphur trioxide was finally adjusted 

 to the condensing tube, and was likewise surrounded by a similar 

 freezing mixture. Upon heating the retort the double fluoride 

 of hydrogen and potassium was dissociated, and pure hydrogen 

 fluoride (hydrofluoric acid) distilled over into the receiver and 

 reacted with the sulphur trioxide. The excess of hydrogen 

 fluoride was subsequently removed by means of a current of dry 

 carbon dioxide, the receiver and its contents being warmed to a 

 temperature of about 30° during the process. The fluorsulphonic 

 acid thus prepared is a colourless mobile liquid, which possesses 

 an extraordinary affinity for water, reacting, in fact, with that 

 liquid with almost explosive violence. It fumes when exposed 

 to air, and possesses a specific mildly pungent odour quite 

 different from that of hydrofluoric acid. It may be distilled, 

 with but slight decomposition, in a platinum apparatus, its 

 boiling point (corrected) being 1 62° '6. The latter constant was 

 determined by use of a specially constructed platinum distillation 

 apparatus, in the neck of the retort of which was fitted a small 

 platinum tube containing a little mercury, and in which the 

 thermometer was immersed during the process of distillation, 

 in order to protect it from the powerfully corrosive action of the 

 vapour. The error introduced by the use of this arrangement 

 was very slight, and was determined by distilling liquids of 

 known boiling points. Considerable interest is attached to the 

 relatively high boiling point of fluorsulphonic acid, inasmuch as 

 it is several degrees higher than that of chlorosulphonic acid, 

 which boils at 155" '3. It would appear as if this fact is in some 

 way connected with the relatively high boiling point of hydrogen 

 fluoride itself (19°), as compared with that of hydrogen chloride, 

 which, as most people are aware, is gaseous down to compara- 

 tively low temperatures. The main products of the decomposition 

 which occurs to a slight extent during distillation, are most 

 probably sulphuric acid and sulphuryl difluoride, SOjFj, which 

 latter compound Prof. Thorpe and Mr. Kirman shortly hope to 

 isolate by a method similar to that by which Behrend prepared 

 the analogous sulphuryl dichloride, SOjCI^. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Maholi Galagos {Galago maholi) from 

 South Africa, presented by Mr. Luscombe Searelle ; a Feline 

 Genet (C^«^//a!/(r/z;/a), a White-eared Scops Owl {Scops Uucotis), 

 a Tawny Eagle (At/uila nccvioides) from Matabeland, South 



