December 22, 1892] 



NATURE 



185 



situated on the summit of a high ridge about a mile and a half 

 south of the mountain named Za-kwas'-ki, as a noted resort — 

 possibly the only place known to the man — of this peculiar 

 animal. He described it as being a few inches in length and 

 nearly black. Za-kwas'-ki, to which other stories attach, is 

 south of Nicola River, at the source of the Nicoamen River. 



A COMMON impurity in many seeds which are used as food 

 for live-stock is the seed of corn-cockle {Agrostemma githargo). 

 Notably is this the case on the Continent, and especially in 

 Hungary, where the refuse from the machines used in cleaning 

 t^rain consists chiefly of cockle-seed, and is largely used in 

 feeding swine. It appears, as a rule, to have no ill-effect upon 

 these animals. Upm other animals however, it sometimes has 

 serious and even fatal effects, especially upon calves and dogs. 

 According to Kobert (Landw. Centralblt. Provinz Posen, 19) it 

 would appear that the seeds contain a glucoside — saponin 

 C3JH54O18, — which acts as a poison either when eaten in the 

 form of cockle-seed or when introduced into the blood. Various 

 animals are affected in different degrees, but dogs, cats, and 

 birds soon die when fed upon the seed. The poison decomposes 

 the blood, dissolving the red corpuscles, and also destroys the 

 sensitive albuminoid portion of the nerve elements. Heating to 

 50° C. decomposes the saponin, and renders the seed harmless. 

 Since this glucoside is found to lie only just below the surface of 

 the seed, Kobert suggests that the seed should be coarsely ground 

 and the outer husk separated ; to cook the meal would be a still 

 safer precaution. A good deal of cockle-seed comes into the 

 port of Hull, chiefly, it is presumed, amongst grain which has not 

 been ^ creened. From such seeds as linseed it is removed by 

 screening before pressing, but it is too often found in the cake 

 which results after the oil is expressed fron the linseed. A 

 considerable quantity of corn-cockle is handled in Hull, what- 

 ever its ultimate destination may be, and it sometimes occurs in 

 feeding-stuffs in far too large a percentage to be considered as an 

 accidental impurity. Its use in admixture (as impurity or otherwise) 

 with other feeding-stuffs is strongly to be deprecated so long as 

 there is the slightest risk attending its consumption by any dom- 

 estic animal. Its detection is very easy, the peculiar rough husk 

 of the seed being characteristic ; the husk, after clearing with 

 dilute sulphuric acid, and then with caustic soda, and examined 

 under a low power of the microscope, will exhibit dark-red 

 convoluted markings which distinguish it clearly from the husk 

 of any other well-known seed. 



It is a well-known fact that sea-anemones have a sense by 

 which they recognize food. This has been studied recently by 

 Herr Nagel at the Zoological Station in Naples, and he has 

 endeavoured to localize it. Among other experiments, a small 

 piece of a sardine was brought carefully to the tentacles of one 

 of these animals ; the tentacle first touched, then others, seized 

 the food and surrounded it, and the morsel was swallowed. A 

 similar ball of blotting-paper saturated with sea-water, brought 

 near in the same way, was not seized. If, however, the ball was 

 soaked in the juice of fish, it was seized with the same energy as 

 the piece of fish, but often liberated again after a time without 

 being swallowed. Blotting-paper saturated with sugar acted 

 like the other, but more weakly. If saturated with quinine, it 

 was refused, the tentacles drawing back. On the outer surface 

 of the body, as also in the part between the tentacles and the 

 mouth, quinine had no effect, nor had coumarin, vanillin, or 

 picric acid. When a piece of meat was placed in or near the 

 mouth of a widely-open animal, no notice was taken of it ; it was 

 only seized when the tentacles were touched. Thus the sense 

 of taste seems to be in these alone. Cutting the tentacles did 

 not evidently give pain, but these organs appeared sensitive to 

 heat and to touch, so that they appear to be the seat of three 

 senses. 



NO 1208, VOL. 47] 



Mr. John Murray has published a fourth edition of Dr. 

 W. Fream's "Elements of Agriculture." The work was 

 originally issued at the beginning of the present year, and two 

 editions were sold out before the end of January. The third 

 edition has for some time been out of print. The book has 

 now been thoroughly revised, and enriched with a completely 

 new set of illustrations. 



A NEW edition of Dr. John Casey's " Sequel to the First 

 Six Books of the Elements of Euclid " has been issued as a 

 volume of the Dublin University Press Series. The work has 

 been edited by Prof. P. A. E. Dovvling, by whom it has been 

 carefully revised and considerably enlarged. The editor has 

 obtained much valuable aid from Prof. Neuberg, of the Uni- 

 versity of Liege. 



Messrs. Blackie and Son have issued a second edition, 

 revised and enlarged, of Mr. J. McGregor- Robertson's 

 "Elementary Text-book of Physiology." 



A FURTHER communication concerning the nature and pro- 

 perties of hydroxy lamine, NH.^OH, is contributed to the 

 Kecueil des travaux chiiniques des Pays-Bas by M. Lobry de 

 Bruyn, whose isolation of the free base was described in our 

 note of vol. xlv. p. 20. It may be remembered that pure 

 hydroxylamine was found to be a solid substance, crystallizing 

 in colourless thin plates or needles, which are extremely 

 deliquescent. So powerful indeed is the afianity of hydroxyl- 

 amine for water, that the crystals rapidly dissolve when exposed 

 to the air, in the moisture attracted. The crystals melt at a tem- 

 perature of 33°, and the liquid boils at 58° under the reduced 

 pressure of 22 millimetres. If the liquid is heated under ordin- 

 ary atmospheric pressure in contact with the air, it explodes with 

 great violence when a temperature between 60° and 70° is 

 attained ; if the experiment is carried out in a vessel from which 

 air is excluded, the liquid may be heated as far as 90° without 

 accident, regular decomposition into gaseous products occurring 

 at this temperature. Explosion, however, usually follows at once 

 if this temperature is much exceeded, and generally after a short 

 time if the source of heat is removed as soon as the thermometer 

 has reached 90°, inasmuch as the decomposition which is 

 induced at this temperature is accompanied by evolution of heat. 

 The crystals are without odour. They react with considerable 

 violence with the halogen elements, the reaction in the case of 

 chlorine being accompanied by production of flame ; the products 

 do not appear to have been investigated as yet beyond ascertain- 

 ing the presence among them of the halogen acids. Metallic 

 sodium also vigorously attacks hydroxylamine, brilliant incan- 

 descence occurring. Warm zinc dust reduces it to ammonia so 

 rapidly, that if any considerable quantities are employed a 

 violent explosion follows. Highly oxidized compounds, such as 

 potassium permanganate, chromates, bichromates, or chromic 

 acid react with crystals of hydroxylamine, as may be expected, 

 in a most energetic manner, brilliant flame bei ng produced 

 often accompanied by detonation. Chlorates, perchlorates 

 and bromates behave similarly in the presence of a drop of sul- 

 phuric acid. Hydroxylamine liberates iodine from iodic anhy- 

 dride, and rapidly reduces iodates to iodides. Dehydrated 

 sulphate of copper inflames in contact with the crystals of the 

 base, and powdered nitrate of silver is reduced to metallic silver. 

 Addition of trichloride or pentachloride of phosphorus to the 

 crystals likewise brings about ignition. Hydrogen peroxide 

 oxidizes hydroxylamine to nitrous acid. These reactions, 

 selected from a large number which M. de Bruyn describes, 

 amply demonstrate the remarkable chemical energy with which 

 anhydrous hydroxylamine is endowed. It is interesting to learn 

 that the melted substance is capable of dissolving a considerable 

 volume of ammonia gas. Moreover, carbon dioxide and sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen are so soluble in melted hydroxylamine that 



