48 



NA TURE 



[November 12, 1891 



With the exception of aluminium, most of the metals are hardly 

 attacked by dry chlorine and bromine at the ordinary tempera- 

 ture. Aluminium, however, is acted on very energetically by 

 liquid chlorine and bromine, whilst magnesium particularly 

 resists the action. The reactions are very slow when the dry 

 halogens are used. When water is present the acuon becomes 

 more rapid, hydrogen being generally liberated owing to its 

 decomposition, but in some cases the water remains unaltered. 

 — Contribution to the chemico-physical study of the function 

 of the kidney, by M. C. Chabrie. — On the chronology of the 

 eruptive rocks of Jersey, by M. A. de Lapparent. — New geo- 

 logical observations of the Island of Sardinia, by M. Charles 

 de Stefani. — New considerations on the Vertebrate fauna of 

 the Upper Miocene in the Isle of Samos, by M. Forsyth 

 Major. — The gravels of Montfort, by M. Ed. Piette. 



Berlin. 

 Physiological Society, October i6, — Prof, du Bois-Rey- 

 mond. President, in the chair, — Dr. Liideritz gave an account of 

 an investigation of the changes of blood-pressure in the left 

 ventricle and right carotid which result from gradual compres- 

 sion of the aorta. — The President exhibited three very successful 

 photographs of the posterior (retinal) surface of the eye. — Doctor 

 Werlheim recorded the disappearance of the indirect image of 

 an illuminated disk when the object itself, as seen directly, is 

 suddenly darkened. — Dr. Lilienfeld gave an account of a 

 chemical examination of blood-platelets, which showed that they 

 consist of a cotppound of albumin and nuclein, whose behaviour 

 speaks against their being preformed structures. 



Physical Society, October 23.— Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — The Society resolved to present to 

 Prof, von Helmholtz, on November 2, in celebration of his 

 seventieth birthday, an address prepared by Prof, von Bezold. 

 — Messrs. Haensch described a modification which they had 

 made in a spectrophotometer. — Dr. Rubens gave an account of 

 anew method of determining dispersion and refraction in the 

 ultra-violet rays, a method which, unlike that employed by 

 Langley, yields more accurate results by very simple means. 

 He has already made determinations with a series of glasses, 

 with water and with carbon bisulphide. The curve of dispersion 

 he finds to be, on the whole, the same as that obtained by 

 Langley for rock-salt. — Prof. Preyer enunciated his hypothesis as 

 to the genealogy of the chemical elements. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, September 26.— Prof, van 

 de Sande Bakhuysen in the chair. — Prof. Franchimont showed 

 a little bottle filled with a new chemical compound, obtained 

 and examined by Dr. C. A. Lobry de Bruyn. This hydroxyl- 

 amine is a crystalline matter without colour and smell. It is 

 prepared by the action of natrium-methylate on the methyl- 

 alcoholic solution of the compound of hydroxylamine and HCl, 

 and by distillating and fractionating the result in vaaio. The 

 specimen is pure to 99-6 per cent; it melts at 3i°'5, and 

 distillates under a pressure of 35 mm. between 63°"5 and 6s°'5. 

 — Mr. Behrens spoke of the microscopic structure of hard steel. 

 If high microscopic powers are used, the network in hardened 

 steel may be made visible on polished slices without etching or 

 annealing. The dark sinuous lines answering to the bright 

 ones shown by Sorby and Wedding on etched slices, it is 

 proved that hardened steel contains hard granules bound up in 

 a matrix of soft iron. Some varieties of grey iron from small 

 castings may be hardened like steel, most of the graphite dis- 

 appearing. After annealing the hardened metal at a red heat, 

 the slices were dotted with blackish dust, which formed circles 

 round the globules of the crystallites and little heaps in the 

 midst of them. It is to be presumed that graphite has re- 

 appeared in the course of the annealing. Full details will 

 speedily be given in the Recueil des travaux chimiques des 

 Pays-Bas. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED, 



Books.— Pflanzenleben, Zweiter Band : A. K. von Marilaun (Leipzig, 

 Bibliographisches Institut).— British Fungi : G. Massee(L. Reeve).— Studies 

 in American History : M. S. Barnes and E. Barnes (Boston, Heath).— A Text- 

 book of the Science of Brewing: E. R. Moritz and G. H. Morris (Spon).— 

 The Universal Atlas, Part 8 (Cassell).— Geological and Natural History 

 Survey of Canada, Annual Report, vol. iv., 1888-89 (Montreal, Foster, 

 Brown).— Daily Weather Charts to illustrate the Tracks of Two Cyclones in 

 the Arabian Sea (Eyre and Spottiswoode).— Meteorological Charts of the 



portion of the Indian Ocean adjacent to Cape Guardafui and Ras Hafun 

 (Eyre and Spottiswoode). — Aritiimetical Physics ; Part 2a, Magnetism and 

 Electricity ; 3rd edition : C. J. Woodward (Simpkin).— A Graduated Course 

 of Natural Science, Part 2 : B. Loewy (Macmillan).— Delagoa Bay, its 

 Natives and Natural History : R. Monteiro (Philip). — Observations made 

 at the Hong Kong Observatory in the Year 1890: W. Doberck (Hong 

 Kong).— Light, an Elementary Treatise : Sir H. '1'. Wood (Whittaker).— A 

 First Book of Electricity and Magnetism: W. P. Maycock (Whittaker). — 

 The Alkali-Maker's Hand-book; 2nd edition: G. Lunge and F. Hurter 

 (Whittaker).- The Practical 'J elephone Hand-book : J. Poole (Whittaker).— 

 The Plant World : G. Massee (Whittaker).— T. Cooke and Sons' Catalogue of 

 Astronomical and Scientific Instruments, 1891 (York). — A Text-book of 

 Physiology, Part 4, 5th edition, revised : Prof. M. Foster (Macmillan).— 

 Iconographia Florae Japonicse, vol. i. Part i : Dr. R. Yatabe (Tokyo, 

 Maruya).— Catalogue of the Michigan Mining School, Houghton, Michi- 

 gan, 1890-91 (Houghton). — Manual for the Physiological Laboratory ; sth 

 edition : Drs. Harris and Power (Bailliere). — Die Entstehung der Landtiere, 

 ein Biologischer Versuch : Dr. H. Simroth (Leipzig, Engelmann).— Revisio 

 Generum Plantarum, Pars i : Dr. O. Kuntze (Dulau). - 



Pamphlets.— Proposed Railway through Siberia: W. M. Cunningham 

 (London). — Molecular Motion in tlie Kadiometer, in Crookes' Tubes and in 

 some other Phenomena : D. S. Troy (New York, Hodges). — Oysters and 

 Oyster- Fisheries of Queensland (Brisbane). 



Serials.— Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, No. 188, vol. xlvii.. 

 Part 4 (Longmans).— Morphologisches J ahrbuch, 17 Band, 4 Heft (Leipzig: 

 Engelmann).— Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, No. 128 

 (Churchill). — Boleiim da Commissao Geographia e Geologica do Estado de 

 S. Paulo, Nos. 4-7 (S. Paulo).— Mittn. des Vereins fiir Erdkunde zu Halle 

 a/S (Halle a/S) —Geological Magazine, November (K. Paul).— Jahrbuch 

 der Meteorologischen Beobachtungen der Wetlerwarte der Magdeburgischen 

 Zeitung, Band ix. Jahrg. x., 1890 (Magdeburg).— Records of the Australian 

 Museum, vol. i. No. 8 (Sydney). — Journal of the Chemical Society, Novem- 

 ber (Gurney and Jackson). — Sitzungsbericht der k. Akademie der Wissen- 

 schaften Math. Naturw. Classe, xcix. Band, Abthg. i. Heft 4-10 ; Abthg. 

 2«, Heft 4-10; Abthg. 2^, Heft 4-10; Abthg. 3, Helt 4-10 (Wien). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Hygiene of Water-Supply. By Prof. Percy F. 



Frankland, F.R.S 25 



Causation of Sleep 26 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Spencer: "Physiography — Elementary Stage " ... 27 

 Lupton : " Mayhew's Illustrated Horse Doctor." — W, 



F. G 27 



Boerlage : " Ilandleiding tot de Kennis der Flora van 



Nederlandsch Indie."— W. B, H 28 



Step: " By Sea-shore, Wood, and Moorland " ... 28 

 Letters to the Editor :— 



Note on the Chromosphere Spectrum. — Prof. C. A. 



Young 28 



Formation of a Temporary Cyst in the Fresh-water 



Annelid .^W(7j-fwa.— Frank E. Beddard .... 28 



Polytechnics and Recreation. — Miss Emma Cons . 28 



" W = M^c."— Prof. Arthur G. Webster ; A. G. G. 29 



Alum Solution.— T. C. Porter 29 



The Salt Lake of Aalia Paakai.— A. B. Lyons ... 29 

 Aleretrix, Lamarck, versus Cytherea, Lamarck, 1806. — 



C. R. Osten Sacken 30 



A Plague of Frogs. — Lieutenant B. A. Muirhead, 



R.N 30 



Red Light after Sunset.— Dr. M. A. Veeder .... 30 

 Topical Selection and Mimicry. — David Syme ; Dr. 



Alfred R. Wallace 30 



Prof. Pictefs Laboratory at Berlin. By Prof. R. du 



Bois-Reymond 31 



Results of Experiments at Rothamsted on the Ques- 

 tion of the Fixation of Free Nitrogen. By Dr. J. 



H. Gilbert, F.R.S 32 



Fossil Birds in the British Museum, {Illustrated.) . 33 



Iron Carbonyl from Water Gas. By A. E. Tutton . 36 



Cape Guardafui and the Neighbouring Sea 36 



Notes , 37 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Outburst of Dark Spots on Jupiter 41 



Wolf's Periodic Comet 42 



The Total Lunar Eclipse of November 15 42 



The Elements of the Minor Planets 42 



Some Experiments made with the View of ascertain, 

 ing the Rate of Propagation of Induced Magnetism 



in Iron. By Fred. T. Trouton 42 



Oysters at the Antipodes 43 



The Tibet Expedition 45 



University and Educational Intelligence 45 



Scientific Serials 45 



Societies and Academies .... ... 46 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 48 



NO 



I I 50, VOL. 45] 



