72 



NATURE 



[November 19. 1891 



his father's observations with those obtained by calculation. 

 The agreement of the two sets of numbers is very close, even 

 when the intensity was taken some thirty minutes after the body 

 had been emitting light. A relation is also established between 

 the intensity and the time that the body was exposed to light. — 

 Study of boron phospho-iodides, by M. Henri Moissan. (See 

 Notes, p. 67.) — M. Haton de la Goupilliere made some re- 

 marks on the paper read by Sir William Thomson before the 

 Royal Society on April 9, "On Electrostatic Screening by 

 Gratings, &c.," saying that he had published some similar results 

 in 1859.- — ^Experimental determination of the velocity of propa- 

 gation of electro-magnetic waves, by M. R. Blondlot. Experi- 

 ments have been made between wave-lengths 8 '94 and 35 "36 

 metres, and the results show that all electrical undulations 

 have a velocity of propagation of about 297,600 kilometres per 

 second, — On algebraic integrals of the differential equation of 

 the first order, by M. Autonne. — On surfaces with rational 

 generators, by M. Lelieuvre. — Theory of turbo-machines, by 

 M. Rateau. — A simple method of verifying the centres of the 

 object-glasses of microscopes, by M. C. J. A. Leroy. — On the 

 existence of acid or basic salts of monobasic acids in very dilute 

 solutions, by M. Daniel Berthelot. The author has studied very 

 dilute solutions near the point of neutralization, using HCl and 

 baryta water at a concentration of O'Oi equivalent per litre, by 

 the method of measuring the electric conductivities. He con- 

 cludes that acid and basic salts are not destroyed by dilution, 

 even very dilute solutions containing traces undecomposed. — On 

 the formation of hydrates at high temperatures, by M. G. 

 Rousseau. — On a double chloride of copper and lithium, 

 by M. A. Chassevant. A substance of the composition 

 3{CuCl2.LiCl} -1- 5H2O has been obtained. It is decomposed 

 by water, but is soluble to a red-brown solution in a concentrated 

 solution of lithium chloride from which it may be recrystallized. 

 — Researches on digitalein, by M. J. Houdas. — On isocin- 

 chonines, by MM. E. Jungfieisch and E. Leger. — Estimation of 

 fats in milk products, by MM. Lezeand AUard. — Ptomaines ex- 

 tracted from urine in cases of some infectious maladies, by 

 M. A. B. Griffiths. The ptomaine from scarlet fever has the 

 composition C5H12NO4, that from diphtheria Ci4Hj7NoOg ; they 

 have also been prepared from pure cultures on peptonized gelatine 

 of Alicrococcus scarlatince and Bacillus diphthei-ia respectively. 

 The ptomaine from the urine of a case of mumps has the 

 constitution NH : C(NH2).N(C3H7).CH2.C02H. None of the 

 three ptomaines described are constituents of normal urine. — 

 On the exterior form of the muscles of man with respect to the 

 movements executed (experiments made by chronophotography), 

 by M. G. Demeny.— On the formation of the peripheral nervous 

 system of vertebrates, by M. P. Mitrophanow. — On the effects 

 of parasitism on Ustilago antherarum, by M. Paul Vuillemin. — 

 Meteorological observations made at Rodez, by M. des Vallieres. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, October 31.— Prof, van de 

 Sande Bakhuyzen in the chair. — Prof. P. H. Schoate offered some 

 general remarks on Lemoine's two problems of stamps : In 

 how many different ways a ribbon of/ stamps and a rectangular 

 sheet of pq stamps can be folded up in one ? (compare vol. i. 

 p. 120 of the " Theorie des Nombres " of E. Lucas). He reduced 

 the first problem to a question in the theory of permutations, 

 gave the number xj, of its solutions up to / = q, and showed why 

 the number Xp-^q of the solutions of the second problem must 



surpass the expression ( t £ 7 ^) ■^z -^i?. — Prof. B. J. Stokvis 



made a contribution to our knowledge of mutual antagonism 

 and the combined action of mutual antagonists. In experi- 

 menting on the isolated and freely pulsating frog's heart, he 

 stated that digitaline on the one side, and muscarine (or chinine) 

 on the other, were to be considered as mutual antagonists for 

 this organ, and displayed their antagonistic action, whichever of 

 the two might be applied first. In another series of experiments 

 he studied the action of muscarine and digitaline flowing at the 

 same time with the nourishing blood through the isolated frog's 

 heart, and found that the greatest antagonistic action, for 

 instance of digitaline, was displayed when very dilute solutions 

 (l : 25,000 or I : 33,333) were applied at the same time as 

 moderately strong solutions of muscarine. Finally, he stated 

 that the isolated frog's heart recovered much faster and much 

 more easily by normal blood when it was previously poisoned 

 by muscarine and digitaline combined than when it was poisoned 



NO. 115 1. VOL. 45] 



by the same or even a lower dose of muscarine alone. — MM. S. 

 Hoogewerff and W. A. van Dorp gave an account of the 

 action of an aqueous solution of ammonia on phthalic chloride. 

 If care is taken to keep the liquids cool in mixing, about 40 

 per cent, of the weight of the chloride is converted into 



CN 

 orthocyanobenzoic acid, C6H4 rooH* 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— The Land of the Lamas, W. W. Rockhill (Longmans).— Aii.phi- 

 mixis; oder Die Vermischung der Individuen : A. Weismann (Jena, 

 Fischer).— Primitive Culture; 2 vols., 3rd edition, revised: Dr. E. B. Tylor 

 (Murray).— Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India, vol. xxiii. Geology 

 of the Central Himalayas: J. L. Griesbach (Calcutta).— L'Homme dans la 

 Nature : P. Topinard (Paris, Alcan). — Outlines of Physiological Chemistry. 

 2nd edition : F. C. Larkin and R. Leigh (Lewis). — My Personal Experiences 

 in Equatorial Africa: T. H. -Parke (Low).— An Introduction to the Theory 

 of Value: W. Smart (Macmillan).— Quantitative Chemical Analysis: F. 

 Clowes and J. B. Coleman (Churchill).— A Hand-book of Industrial Organic 

 Chemistry : S. P. Sadler (Lippincott). — Farm Crops ; J. Wrightson (Cassell). 

 —Our Common Birds and how to Know Them : J. B. Grant (Gay and Bird). 

 — T'he Microscope and its Relations, 7th edition : Dr. W. H. Dallinger 

 (Churchill).— How to Use the Aneroid Barometer: E. Whymper (Murray). 

 —Beobachtungan der Russischen Polar-station auf Nowaja Semlja, i Theil, 

 Magnetische Beobachtungen : K. Andrejeff (St. Petersburg).— Selected 

 Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer: E. B. Bax (Bell).— About Ceylon and 

 Borneo : W. J. Cluttetbuck (Longmans).- With Axe and Rope in the New 

 Zealand Alps : G. E. Mannering (Longmans). — The Microscope and Histo- 

 logy, Part I, The Microscope and Microscopical Methods: S. H.Page 

 (Ithaca, N. Y.). — Anthropogenieoder Entwickelungsgeschichte des Men- 

 schen, 2 vols. : E. Haeckel (Leipzig, Engelmann). 



Pamphlet.— A Memoir on the Coefficients of Numbers : B. Seal 

 (Calcutta). 



Serials.— Bacteriological World, vol. i. No. 10 (Battle Creek, Mich.).— 

 Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. i., No. 4, Part 2 (Williams and 

 Norgate).— Himmel und Erde, November (Berlin, Paetel).— Bulletin de 

 r Academic Imp^riale des Sciences de St. Petersbourg, nouvelle serie ii. 

 (xxxiv.) (St. Petersbourg).— Harvard University Bulletin, No. 50. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Scotch Fisheries 49 



The Mammals of India, By W. H. F 50 



A Text-book of Chemical Physiology and Pathology. 



By Dr. E. H, Starling 51 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Vogel : "Praktisches Taschenbuch der Photographic" 51 

 Miller " An Introduction to the Differential and In- 

 tegral Calculus" 52 



Gore: " Star Groups." — G 52 



"The Universal Atlas." — G 52 



Gulbenkian : "La Transcaucasie et la Peninsule 



d'Apcheron" 52 



Suffling : " How to Organize a Cruise on the Broads " 52 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



A Difficulty in Weismannism. — Edward B, Poulton, 



F.R.S 52 



Town Fogs and their Effects. — M 53 



The Eclipse of the Moon.— Robert C, Leslie ... 53 

 Comparative Palatability. — E. B. TitLhener .... 53 

 The Inheritance of Acquired Characters, — Alfred W, 



Bennett 53 



" The Darwinian Society," — William White ... 53 

 Some Notes on the Frankfort International Elec- 

 trical Exhibition, V, {Illustrated.) By W. E, A. , 54 

 The Implications of Science. I. By Dr. St. George 



Mivart, F.R.S 60 



Electricity in Relation to Science. By Prof. William 



Crookes, F.R.S 6^ 



Geological Photographs 64 



Notes 64 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Theory of Astronomical Aberration 68 



Suggestions for securing Greater Uniformity of 

 Nomenclature in Biology, By Prof. T, Jeffery 



Parker, F,R.S 68 



Meteoric Iron. By G, T. P 69 



University and Educational Intelligence 70 



Scientific Serials 70 



Societies and Academies 70 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 72 



