576 



NATURE 



[April 13, 189- 



a remarkable variety oi Pieris napi from Woking. — Mr. C. J. 

 Gahan exhibited a microscopic preparation of the antenna of 

 the larva of a beetle {Ptcrostichus), for the purpose of demon- 

 strating the sensory nature of the so-called "appendix" wfthe 

 antenna. Since he wrote a note describing this structure, a 

 short time ago, he found that Prof. Beauregard had already 

 suggested its sensory character, and was inclined to believe that 

 it was an auditory organ. — Mr. H. Goss exhibited a specimen 

 of Tragus lapidator, Grav. , believed to have been bred from a 

 Id^vwa. oi Papilio machaon, taken in Norfolk by Major- General 

 Garden. Mr. Goss stated that he sent the specimen to the 

 Rev. T. A. Marshall, who said it was a well-known parasite of 

 P. machaon on the Continent, but not proved to exist in the 

 United Kingdom. — Mr. F. Merrifield said he knew this para- 

 site, and had bred several specimens of it from pupae of 

 P. machaon received from Spain.— Colonel Swinhoe read a 

 paper, entitled "The Lepidopteraof the Khasia Hills. Parti." 

 A long and interesting discussion ensued, in which Mr. Elwes, 

 Mr. Hampson, Colonel Swinhoe and others took part. — Mr. 

 W. Bartlett-Calvert communicated a paper entitled "New 

 Chilian Lepidoptera." — Mr. J- W. Shipp communicated a 

 paper entitled " On a New Species of the (^^xi\x% Phalacro- 

 gnalJnis." 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, April 4.— M. Loewy in the 

 chair.— On the construction of the chart of the heavens ; 

 numerical application of the method of attaching neigh- 

 bouring negatives, by M. Maurice Loewy. — Remarks on M. 

 Joubin's note relating to the measurement of large differences 

 of phase in white light, by M, A. Cornu. — On the approximate 

 representation of experimental functions between given limits, 

 by M. Vallier. — On the benzeneazocyanacetic ethers and their 

 analogues, by MM. A. Halier and E. Brancovici. — Measure- 

 ment of the parallel of 47° 30' in Russia, by M. Venukoff. 

 The parallel was measured from the meridian of Kichinev, near 

 the Roumanian frontier, to that of Astrakhan, on the Lower 

 Volga, the difference of longitude being 19° 11' S5"*li. The 

 measurements gave 1,446,462 m. for the length of the arc, or 

 75,336 m. per degree of longitude. But this mean value is not 

 everywhere attained. Between Rostov-on-the-Don and Sarepta 

 the geodetic arc exceeds the astronomical one by 15" '26, whilst 

 between Sarepta and Astrakhan the astronomical arc is the 

 larger by 9"*82. This deviation shows a remarkable agree- 

 ment with that obtained in the measurement of the 52nd 

 parallel and indicates that the plains of Eastern Russia are 

 formed according to the same geometrical law over a vast area. 

 A comparison of the resulls for the two arcs, with reference to the 

 length of the meridian measured from the North Cape to Dorpat 

 and the Lower Danube, indicates apolardepression of I in 299-65, 

 which agrees closely with that found by Bessel for Germany in 

 1841 (i in 299-26), but differs from that of Clarke ( I in 293 -46). — 

 Condensation experiments of the acetylcyanacetic acids with the 

 phenols, by M. A. Held.— Synthesis of erythrite, by M. G. 

 Griner. — Action of temperature upon the rotatory power of 

 liquids, by M. A. Aignan. Reasoning from the fact that the 

 oxide of isobutylamyl presents a rotatory power which changes 

 its sign at -30^, M. Colson has concluded that "chemical 

 constitution does not appear to be the preponderating factor in 

 the value or the sign of the rotatory power." But the fact 

 referred to can be explained as the effect of the mixture of a 

 negative and a positive rotating substance respectively. A 

 mixture of essence of terebenthine (lefc-handed) and camphor 

 (right-handed) was dissolved in benzene, and observed through 

 the 20 cm. tube of the polarimeter in different kinds of light. 

 This mixture changed from negative to positive at a temperature 

 between 61° and 73°C. for red light, between 13° and 33° C. for 

 yellow light, and was positive for all the temperatures for green 

 light, the angle of rotation being 2° 24' at 13^, and 6° 43' at 

 90° C. To explain M. Colson's observation, ic is not even 

 necessary to assume that the oxide contains two substances of 

 rotatory powers of different signs. It suffices to admit, as has 

 been done in the case of solutions of tartaric acid, that the 

 molecules of isobutylamyl are susceptible of polymerisation in 

 the liquid state, so that the sign of the rotatory power character- 

 ising the molecule of the substance is that observed at the higher 

 temperatures. — Neolithic village of the Roche-au-Diable, near 

 Tesnieres, canton of Lorez-le-Bocage (Seine-et-Marne), by M. 

 Armand Vire. In the course of excavations in the valley of 

 Lunain a village was discovered of a type not met with up to 

 now. It consists of a series of ground-works of square huts 



NO. 1224, VOL. 47] 



touching each other, and arranged in a line nearly east and 

 west, forming a very regular street. At the end was a sort of 

 square enclosure of stone, measuring about 2 '5 by 3 m., with a 

 door towards the south. Inside it presented a circular cavity, 

 30 crn. in diameter and 20 cm. deep, which still appeared to 

 contain ashes, and whose clay walls were baked to a depth of 

 about 4 cm. Similar hearths have been found among the Kabyles 

 of Algiers. Near this structure was another, of circular form, 

 built of rough blocks of limestone and sandstone, with a tri- 

 angular door built of two enormous blocks of sandstone, joining 

 at the top, and leaving a space of 50 cm. at the bottom. This 

 hut also showed traces of cooking operations. A little further 

 on came a series of seven similar huts, followed by two larger 

 ones without hearths, and finally two more like the first. The 

 total length of the village was 1 14 m. All the masonry consisted 

 of blocks of limestone or sandstone, cemented with clay. A 

 large number of stone and flint implements was found, including 

 half a dozen sandstone hatchets, polished or prepared for 

 polishing. The village is, curiously enough, situated at the very 

 bottom of the valley. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Exercises in Euclid: W. Weeks (Macmillan).— ElectricaJ 

 Tables and Memoranda: S. P. Thompson and E. Thomas (Spon).— 

 Popular Lectures on Scientific Subjects: H. von Helmholtz, 2 vols, new- 

 edition, translated by E. Atkinson (Longmans).— Aids to Biology: J. W. 

 Williams (Bailliere).— Statics and Dynamics : E. Geldard (Longmans).— 

 Map of River Basins: C. E. De Ranee (Manchester, J. E. Cornish).— 

 Telephone Lines and their Properties : W. J. Hopkins (Longmans) — 

 The Birds of Derbyshire: F. B. VVhitlock (Bemrose).— Theory of Func- 

 tions of a Complex Variable : Dr. A. R. Forsyth (Cambridge University 

 Press).— Theory of Structures and Strength of Materials: H. T. Bovey 

 (K. Paul). — Die Thermodynamik in der Chemie : J. J. Van Laar (Leipzig, 

 Engelmann).— Polarisation Rotatoire : G. Foussereau (Paris, G. Carr6).- 

 Trait6 Pratique d'Analyse Chimique et de Recherches Toxicologiques : G. 

 Gu<irin (Paris, G. Carr6)-- Forest Tithes, &c. : A Son of the Marshe.s 

 (Smith, Elder).— Technology for Schools : J. Hassell (Blackie).-A Practi- 

 cal Treatise on Bridge Construction, 2 vols. : T. C. Fidler (Gr.ffin).— 1 he 

 Steam-Engine, z vols : D. K. Clark (Blackie). 



Pamphlet.s.— Sulla Distribuzione del Potenziale Nell'Aria Rarefatta per- 

 corsa dalla Corrente Elettrica: Prof. A. Righi (Bologna) —The Funda- 

 mental Iheorems of Analysis Generalised for Space: Prof. A. Macfarlane 

 (Boston). — The Imaginary of Algebra : Prof. A. Macfarlane (Salem).— 

 Australian Museum, Sydney; Catalogue of Australian Mammals, &c. 

 (Sydney).— Catalogue of the Michigan Mining School, Houghton,. 

 Michigan, 1891-52 (Houghton). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Planet Mars. By William J. S. Lockyer ... 553; 



Magnetic Observations in the North Sea 555 



Manual of Dairy Work. By Walter Thorp .... 555 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Mottelay : " William Gilbert of Colchester, Physician 

 of London, on the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies, 

 and on the Great Magnet the Earth. A New 

 Physiology, Demonsirated with many Arguments 



and Experiments" 556 



Somerville : "Report on Manurial Trials." — W. T. 556 



Laurie: " The Food of Plants" 556 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Fossil Floras and Climate. — Sir William Dawson, 



F.R.S 556 



Notes on a Spider. — H. H. J. Bell 557 



Origin of Lake Basins. — J. C. Hawkshaw .... 558 



The Musk- Ox. {Illustrated.) 559 



On the Carburisation of Iron. II. By John Parry . 560 



Notes 561 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Solar Observations at Rome 565 



Parallaxes of ju and e Cassiopeise 565 



Fall of a Meteorite 565 



Jahrbuch der Astronoviie und Geopliysik 566 



The Observatory 566 



Geographical Notes ^ 566 



The Amide and Imide of Sulphuric Acid. By A, E. 



Tutton ... 566 



The Densities of the Principal Gases. { With Dia- 

 grams.) By Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S . 567 



Electrical Railways. By Dr. Edward Hopkinson . 570 



Hail Storms. By H. C. Russell, F.R.S. {Illustrated.) 573 



Scientific Serial 574 



Societies and Academies 574 



Books and Pamphlets Received 576 



