!40 



NATURE 



[January 5, 1893 



tracing point must not exceed i mm. in the ca«e of pressures 

 used in modern firearms. This necessitates careful reading wiih 

 a microscope. — On the decrease of temperature of the air with 

 the elevation, by M. Alfred Angot. Experiments conducted 

 on the Eiffel Tower indicate a decrease for each loom., be- 

 tween the soil and a height of i6o m.. ranging from 0-6° in 

 December to 1*46° in June. Bet«een 160 m. and 302 m. jhe 

 decrease per lOO m. ranges from o'64° in February to 0-96° in 

 October. At 300 m. the decrease per 100 m. is on the average 

 o*5° in winter, o*6° in autumn, 07° in spring, and O'S" in 

 summer. — On the temperature of the electric arc, by M. J. 

 VioUe. From calorimetric measurements made with a portion 

 of the arc light carbon detached from the hottest part during the 

 pa-sage of the current, the temperature of the arc, i.e. that ot the 

 volatilization of carbon, appears as 3500°, assuming the carbon 

 to have its theoretical specific heat, 0*52, at the higher tempera- 

 tures. This temperature of volatilization is constant, whatever 

 the power employed. — Remarks on high temperatures and the 

 vaporization of carbon, by M. Berthelot. The vapour tension 

 of carbon is quite appreciable even below volatilization, which 

 involves the reduction of a polymer to the monomolecular state, 

 thus in reality representing a chemical proces-;. Higher temper- 

 atures than that of the arc can be attained by purely chemical 

 means, such as the explosive combustion of a mixture of oxygen 

 and cyanogen. — On the equality of velocities of propagation of 

 electric waves in air and along conducting fibres, verified 

 by the example of a large metallic surface, by MM. Ed. 

 Sarasin and L. de la Rive. — On nets of electric conduc- 

 tors ; reciprocal properties of two branches, hy M. Vaschy. 

 — On the enfeeblement of electromagnetic oscillations 

 with their propagation and their subsidence, by M. A. Perot. — 

 Determination of the coefficients of self-induction by means of 

 electrical oscillations, by M. P. Janet.— Doppler-Fizcau's 

 method, exact and approximate formulae, evaluation of the 

 error involved, by H. de la Fresnaye.— Magnetic properties of 

 oxygen at different temperatures, by M. P. Curie. A series of 

 measurements with oxygen compressed to 5 and to 18 atmo- 

 spheres respectively gave identical results at temperatures 

 between 20° and 450°. Within this range, the volume 

 eoeificient of specific magnetization of oxygen varifd in- 

 versely as the absolute temperature. The volume coefficient 

 of magnetization of air at the ordinary pressure and at 

 temperature t is given by lo^kt — 2760 x T'^, where T 

 is the absolute temperature. — On the rotatory power of 

 <iuartz at low temperatures, by MM. Ch. Soret and C. E. 

 Guye. — On the fusion of carbonate of lime, by M. A. Joannis. — 

 Ammoniacal compounds derived from ruthenium sesquichloride, 

 by M. A. Joly. — On an iodo-sulphide of phosphorus, by M. L. 

 Ouvrard. — Action of bismuth on hydrochloric acid, by MM. 

 A. Diite and R. Metzner. — Action of potash and soda on 

 the oxide of antimony, by M. H. Cormimboeuf. — Relation 

 between the heats of formation and the temperatures of the 

 point of reaction, by M. Maurice Prud'homme. — On the study 

 of the chemical reactions in a liquid mass by the index of re- 

 fraction, by M. C. Fery. — On a proi)ylami(iophenol and its 

 acetyl derivatives, by M. P. Cazeneuve. — Quantitative deter- 

 mination of impurities in the methylenes, by M. Er. Barillot. — 

 Separation of micro-organism-, by centrifugal force, by M. R. 

 Leze. — Lo'is of nitrogen in manures, by MM. A. Miintz and 

 A. Ch. Girard. — Fermentation of manure, by M. A. Hebert. — 

 Drying-up of marshes in Russia, by M. Venukoff. — Chemical 

 conditions of the action of ferments, by M. J. Effront. — On 

 trichophytia in man, by M. R. Sabouraud. — Evolution of the 

 functions of the stomach, by M. J. Winter. — On the histology 

 of the organs attached to the male apparatus in Periplaneta 

 oriental's, by M. P. Blatter. — On the presence of a fossil Ara- 

 liaceaand Puntederiacea in the coarse Parisian limestone, by 

 M. Ed. Bureau. — On a new geological map of the French and 

 Spanish Pyrenees, by MM. Emm. de Margerie and Fr. Scfirader. 

 — Differential motion of the ocean and the atmosphere ; water 

 tides and air tides, by M. F. de Saintignon. — On the perfora- 

 tion of the basaltic rocks of the Gulf of Aden by shingle ; 

 formation of a Giant's Kettle, by M. Jousseaume. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES, 



London. 

 THURSDA y, January 5. 

 K.OYAL Institution, at 3. — Astron •!!>> ; ^ir Kobrrt S. Ball, F.R.S. 

 London Institution, at 6.— Jewish Wit and Humour: The Rev. the 

 Chief Rabbi. 



SATURDAY, January 7. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Astronomy : Sir Robert S. Ball, F.R.S. 



SUNDAY, }\u\}Am 8. 



Sunday Lecture Society, at 4— In Search of Pharaoh-Ancient 

 E(;ypt : its Temples. Pyramids, Minuments, and Mummies (with Oxy- 

 hydiogen Lantern Illustrations) : Whitworth Wallis. 



MONDAY, January 9. 



Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— Qualitative Analysis of Colour- 

 ing Matters: A. G. Green.- The Prop'^riion of Free Fatty Acids in Oil 

 Cakes: Dr. B. Dyer.— Further Noies on Nitrous Oxide : Wa son Smith. 



Aristotflian Society, at 8.— The Psjchology oi the Subconscious: 

 A. Bi>utwo' d. 



London Institution, at 5.— Social Pictorial Satire (Illustrated): G. du 

 Maurier. 



TUESDAY, January 10. 



A^THROPOLOGiCAi INSTITUTE, at 8.30— A Contribution to the Ethno- 

 logy of Jersey: Dr Andrew Durlop - P( ints of Contact bttween Old 

 World M>thsand Customs and the Navajo Myth, entitled " The Moun- 

 tain Chant " : Miss A. W. Buckland. . idlC** 



WEDNESDAY, January h. 



Gfologicai Society, at 8.— Varidite of 'he Lltynard Associatid Volcanic 

 Rocks: MissPaisin. (Communicated by Pr..f. 1. G. Borney F.R.S.)— 

 On the Petrography of the Island of Capraja : Hamilton Emmons. 

 (Communicated by Sir Archibald Gtikie, For.Sec.R.S. 



THURSDA Y, January 12. 

 Matheiviatical Society, at 8.— On the AppHcati n of Clifford's Graphs 



to Ordinary Binarv Qiiantics , 2nd Part, Stminvariants : 'J he President. 

 Institution of liLFCTRiCAL Enc.ineers, at 8. — txperimental Researches 



on Alternate-Current Transformers: Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S. 



(Discussion.) 

 Lond n I NS ' iTUTiON, at 6. - Electric Liehting (i) Generation of Electric 



Currents : Prof. Silvanus Thompson, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, January 13. 

 Physical Society, at 5.- Upon Science Teaching : F. W. Sanderson. 

 Amateur Scientific Society, at 8. Otology in 1892 : A. M. Davies.- 

 Recent Developments in the Metallurgy of Gold : T. K. Rose. 



SA TURD A Y, January 14. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45- 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Scientific Worthies, XXVIII.— Sir Archibald Geikie. 



(With Porir lit.) By Pro*. A. de Lapparent .... 217 



Shaking the Foundations of Science 220 



Sound and Music 222 



Gerland's Ethnological Atlas. By Dr. Edward B. 



Tylor, F.R.S 223 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Martin : " Castorologia ; or. The History and Tradi- 

 tions of the Canadian Beaver" 224 



Ball: "An Atlas of Astronomy " 225 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Vector Analysis.— Prof. P. G. Tait 225 



Measurement of Distances of Binary Stars. — Prof. 



Arthur A. Rambaut 226 



December Meteors (Geminids).— W. F. Denning . 226 

 The Earth's Age.— Bernard Hobson ; Dr. Alfred 



Russel Wallace 226 



Ancient Ice Ages.— J. Lomas 227 



Printing Mathematics.— Dr. M.J. Jackson .... 227 



The Teaching of Botany.— Dr D, H. Scott .... 228 

 The Origin of the Year. IV, By J. Norman 



Lockyer, F.R.S 228 



Proposed Handbook to the British Marine Fauna. 



By Prof. W. A. Herdman, F.R.S 231 



Notes 232 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Comet Holmes (November 6, 1892) 235 



Comet Brooks (November 20, 1892) 235 



The Spectrum of Comet Holmes 235 



The Recent Opposition of Mars 235 



Geographical Notes 235 



The International Zoological Corgress at Moscow 236 

 A Botanist's Vacation in the Hawaiian I&lands. By 



Prot. L». H. Campbell 236 



Societies and Academies 237 



Diary of Societies 240 



NO. I 2 10, VOL. 47] 



