NATURE 



[February 25, 1892 



believes that the differences in colour mean a difference in age 

 and sexual condition. The smallest colonies are not sexually 

 mature, the brownish have male ampullaj, and the oldest stocks 

 are violet in colour, and are apparently female. In any case, 

 the colour of Distichopora can no longer be regarded as the 

 principal character for specific definition. — Sir Howard Grubb, 

 F.R.S., exhibited and described a 4-inch equatorially-mounted 

 refracting telescope of novel construction, in which the right 

 ascension and declination circles were situated at the eye end 

 of the telescope itself, instead of, as usual, on the polar and 

 declination axes ; thereby rendering the working of the 

 instrument most convenient for the observer. The circles at the 

 eye end of the telescope are connected by gearing to the polar 

 and declination axes ; but Sir H. Grubb described the method by 

 which the "loss of time," and other errors, consequent on 

 gearing, were almost totally eliminated, and the readings rendered 

 quite sufficiently accurate for all ordinary purposes to which such 

 a telescope would be put. — The first part of a memoir on the 

 fossil fishes of the Coal-measures of the British Islands, by 

 Mr. James W. Davis, was communicated by the Honorary 

 Secretaries of the Society. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, February 15. — M. d'Abbadiein the 

 chair. — On a new method of organic analysis, by M. Berthelot. 

 The method consists in heating the compound in oxygen under 

 a pressure of 25 atmospheres in a calorimetric bomb. Com- 

 bustion is total and instantaneous, and therefore differs from 

 that which appertains to the use of copper oxide. — On the 

 employment of compressed oxygen in the calorimetric bomb, by 

 the same author. — Action of alkaline metals on boric acid : 

 critical study of the processes used in the preparation of 

 amorphous boron, by M. Henri Moissan. The general result of 

 the investigation is that when an alkaline metal acts on boric 

 acid the reaction that occurs is accompanied with considerable 

 heat, and, on account of the elevation of temperature, the 

 greatest part of the boron set free combines with the excess of 

 alkali, and with parts of the metal vessel used for the experi- 

 ment. When this is afterwards washed out with water and 

 hydrochloric acid, a mixture of boron, boride of sodium, boride 

 of iron, boron hydride, nitride of boron, and hydrated boric 

 acid is obtained after desiccation. This mixture is said to have 

 the same composition as the substance which has hitherto been 

 regarded as amorphous boron. M. Moissan will describe a 

 method of preparing amorphous boron in a future paper. — 

 Experimental researches on the transmissibility of cancer, by M. 

 Simon Duplay.— The temporary star in Auriga, by M. G. 

 Rayet. On February 10 and 11 the star appeared to M. 

 Rayet to be orange-yellow or pale yellow. Its spectrum was 

 examined by means of the 14- inch equatorial fitted with a spectro- 

 scope. It appeared to be continuous, the red and violet 

 portions being comparatively bright. Four bright lines were 

 seen in the green, and their wave-lengths were determined as 

 518, 501, 493, and 487. — Extension of Lagrange's equations to 

 the case of sliding friction, by M. Paul Appell.— On the dis- 

 tribution of prime numbers, byM. Phragmen.— On the measure 

 of high temperatures ; reply to M. H. Becquerel, by M. H. 

 Le Chatelier. — Remarks on the surface tension of liquid 

 metals; a reply to a note by M. Pellat, by M. Gouy.— 

 Variation, with temperature, of the dielectric constant of 

 liquids, by M. D. Negreano. Experiments on benzine, toluene, 

 and xylene, between 5°and 45° C. , indicate that thedielectric con- 

 stant diminishes with increase of temperature. — On the influence 

 exercised on electro-magnetic resonance by an unsymmetrical 

 arrangement of the long circuit along which the waves are pro- 

 pagated, by MM. Blondlot and M. Dufour. The experiments 

 show that the wave-length, measured by means of a resonator, 

 is independent of the dissymmetry of the two wires which 

 transmit the electro-magnetic undulations. — The propagation of 

 electric waves studied by a telephonic method, by M. R. Colson. 

 — Magnetic perturbation of February 13 and 14, by M. 

 Moureaux. The disturbance was first indicated on the magneto- 

 graph of the Pare Saint-Maur Observatory at 5h. 42m. on 

 the morning of the 13th inst. The declination and horizontal 

 force curves suffered a simultaneous rise, while the vertical com- 

 ponent decreased. The most important phase of the perturba- 

 tion occurred between li p.m. and 2 a.m. ; and about 5 p.m. 

 of the 14th the elements had returned to their normal value. 

 The disturbance in declination amounted to l° 25', and the 

 horizontal and vertical components varied respectively more 



NO. II 65, VOL. 45] 



than -^ and -gV of their normal value.— Observations of 

 atmospheric electricity, made by means of a captive balloon, by 

 M. E. Semmola.— On the determination of the state of dissolved 

 salts from a study of contraction, by M. Georges Charpy. — On 

 some properties of bismuthic acid, by M. G. Andre. — On a 

 carbide of barium, by M. Maquenne. (See Notes.) — Trans- 

 formation of aromatic amines into chlorinated hydrocarbons, by 

 MM. Prud'homme and C. Rabaut. — On the , principles which 

 accompany chlorophyll in leaves, by M. A. Etard. — Improve- 

 ment of the culture of industrial and fodder potatoes in France : 

 results of the season 1891, by M. Aime iGirard.— Contribu- 

 tions to the study of unplastered wines, by M. H. Quantin. 

 — On the assimilation of carbohydrates, by M. Hanriot. — On 

 the presence of numerous diatoms in the Cretaceous of the Paris 

 basin, by M. Cayeux. — On the existence of zeolites in the 

 calcareous Jurassic rocks of Ariege, and on the dissemination of 

 these minerals in the Pyienees, by M. A. Lacroix. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, January 30.— Prof, van de 

 Sande Bakhuyzen in the chair. — Prof. Pekelharing spoke of the 

 composition of the fibrin ferment. When oxalated blood-plasma 

 is diluted with water and treated with acetic acid till moderate 

 acid reaction, the precipitate consists chiefly of a substance which 

 is soluble in alkali, in an excess of acid, and in neutral salt- 

 solutions, and from which, by the action of pepsin-hydrochloric 

 acid, is split off a nuclein — a substance that thus must be con- 

 sidered as a nucleo-albumin. This nucleo-albumin acquires, com- 

 bined with lime, all the properties of fibrin ferment. It is very 

 probable that this nucleo-albumin issues from the corpuscles of 

 the blood. — Prof. Max Weber gave some results of his investi- 

 gations of the fresh-wafer fauna of the islands of Sumatra, Java, 

 Flores, Celebes, and Saleyer. Among the Crustacea, the 

 Entomostraca are not essentially different from European forms. 

 Isopods are only represented by marine species : Ichthyoxenus, 

 Tachasa, Rocinela, and Bopyridae. Amphipods are extremely 

 rare, and only Orchestia was found. Nearly 70 species of 

 Decapods were collected, out of which 33 are living also in 

 brackish and sea water. It could be proved thnt immigration 

 out of the sea into the rivers had taken place. An account was 

 given of the life-history oi Ichthyoxenus Tellinghausii. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Science Museum and the Tate Gallery .... 385 



Chemical Technology. By W. A. T. ...'.... 386 



An Agricultural Text-book. By W. T 388 



Hylo-Idealism. By C. LI. M 389 



Physiography. By A. F 390 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Vasey: " Grasses of the South-West " 390 



Kennedy : " Sporting Sketches in South America " . 390 

 Letters to the Editor :— 



Cirques.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S 391 



Bedford College and the Gresham University. — Dr. 



W.J. Russell, F.R.S., and Lucy J. Russell . 391 



The Implications of Science. — Edward T. Dixon . 391 

 The Value of Useless Studies.— Prof. Geo. Fras. 



Fitzgerald, F.R.S 392 



The Nickel Heat Engine.— W. B. Croft 392 



The University of London. By W. T. Thiselton- 



Dyer, C.M.G., F.R.S 392 



A Preliminary Statement of an Investigation of the 



Dates of some of the Greek Temples as derived . 



from their Orientation. By F. C. Penrose .... 395 



Volcanic Action in the British Isles 398 



The Centenary of Murchison 398 



H. W. Bates, the Naturalist of the Amazons. By 



A. R. W 398 



Thomas Archer Hirst 399 



Dr. Thomas Sterry Hunt. By W. Topley, F.R.S. . 400 



Notes 401 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



The Solar Disturbance of 1891, June 17 404 



Photography of Solar Prominences 4^4 



On the Variation of Latitude 404 



Non-Euclidian Geometry. By Prof. H. Poincare ; 



Translated by W. J. L 404 



Societies and Academies 4°? 



