504 



NATURE 



[March 24, 1892 



Keble College, and Mr. R. E. Hughes, Jesus College. The 

 authors showed that probably perfectly dry hydrochloric acid 

 gas does not act on carbonates. Experiments were tried with 

 the carbonates of calcium and barium. — Mr. J. L. Hatton, 

 Hertford College, read a paper on some investigations, which 

 he had been engaged upon, in conjunction with Mr. James 

 Walker, on the motions of the nodal planes in a rotating bell. 

 This work appeared in a recent number of the Philosophical 

 Magazine. — This paper was followed by an account of the fixa- 

 tion of nitrogen by plants, by Mr. O. V. Darbishire, of Balliol 

 College. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, March 14. — M. d'Abbadie in the 

 chair. — The Secretary commented upon the loss sustained by the 

 Academy by the death of M. Leon Lalanne. — On conical 

 vascular branches, and on the inductions to which they lead with 

 regard to the organization of the vascular blood system, by M. 

 Ranvier. — Researches on samarium, by M. Lecoq de Bois- 

 t)audran. By passing an electric spark from a large induction 

 coil, without condensers, through solutions rich in samarium, 

 and viewing the spark spectroscopically, lines were obtained at 

 the wave-lengths 466'2, 4627, and 459*3, and a wide band 

 having a well-defined edge at A 611 "2, and fading away to about 

 A 622. 'I he samarium bands underjjo very marked variations 

 when the position of the spark with respect to the meniscus 

 of liquid is altered. This fact is thought to be of interest from 

 the point of view of the supposed complexity of samarium. It 

 is not impossible that there is a relation between the band 

 '611-622 and the narrow line which Prof. Crookes observed 

 when using mixtures of samarium and yttrium in vacuo, 

 and which he attributed to the presence of a new element. 

 M. Boisbaudran has observed this line, or one very 

 near it, with different substances, and finds that its 

 position varies sensibly with the nature of the solu- 

 tion employed. The narrow line is accompanied with a 

 less refrangible and weaker one. With lanthanum sulphate 

 mixed with a compound of samarium, the wave-length of the 

 ■ stronger line was determined as 6127, and of the weaker 6i9'6. 

 Prof. Crookes obtained the wave-length 609. — On a remarkable 

 prominence, by M. H. Deslandres. The prominence was 

 observed on the east limb of the sun on March 3, as the large 

 spot-group of February was coming round it. — On frictionless 

 gearings, by M. A. Rateau. — On periodic heat maxima 

 observed in spectra furnished by flint and crown glass, and 

 rock-salt, by M. Aymonnet. The heat maxima observed are 

 separated by equal wave-lengths in the case of each of the 

 prisms used, and, for rock-salt, the maxima appear to cor- 

 respond to the fundamental vibrations of i, 2, 3 ... « sys- 

 tems of cubical molecules. — On some well-defined alloys of 

 sodium, by M. Joannis. By the action of lead, in excess, upon 

 sodammonium, a compound having the formula Pb4Na,2NH3 

 was obtained. An alloy of lead and potassium, PbjK, was 

 •obtained by the action of potassammonium, in excess, upon 

 lead ; an alloy of bismuth and sodium, BiNag, by treating 

 pure bismuth, in excess, with sodammonium, and an alloy of 

 antimony and sodium, SbNaj, have similarly been produced. 

 — On the analysis of minerals containing antimony, by M. 

 Ad. Carnot. — On the microscopic structure of oolitic iron 

 from Lorraine, by M. Bleicher. From the investigation it 

 appears that the ferruginous oolites which have been studied 

 consist of a central mineral or organic nucleus, single or 

 multiple, surrounded by regular concentric layers of a substance 

 rich in silica and organic matter. — On the vegetation of the 

 vine, by MM. L. Roos and E. Thomas. Conclusions are 

 given respecting the amounts of sugars present and the acidity 

 of various parts of the vine plant at different stages of its 

 growth. — Citric acid, by M. G. Massol. The heat of formation, 

 in the solid state, of potassium and sodium citrates is greater 

 than that of the corresponding carballylates. Tne augmenta- 

 tion is analogous to that observed when comparing malonic and 

 succinic acids with tartronic, tartaric, and malic acids, and is to 

 be attributed to the alcoholic hydroxyl group. — On some reac- 

 tions of the isomeric amido-benzoic acids, by M. Oechsner de 

 Coninck. — Calculation of the temperatures of ebullition of com- 

 pounds derived from the paraffins by terminal substitution, by 

 M. G. Plinrichs. — On the pyrogenous hydrocarbons formed in 

 the compressed gas industry, by M. A. Brochet. The author 

 has isolated and identified the following : — 



OfIq ; CH . C H 2 , CHgj 

 CH„:CH.CHs CH^.CHj; 

 CHJ CH : CH . C\\^ . CH3; 

 CHj ; CH . CH2 . CH2 . CH2 • CH.j ; 

 CHjrCH . CH : CH2; 

 CHotCH . CH2. CH : CHj. 



— The specific gravity of silk, by M. Leo Vignon, — Glycolysis 

 in the blood, by M. Maurice Arthus. — Are there inhibitory 

 nerves?, by M. J. P. Morat. — On an anomaly in the great 

 hypoglossal nerve, by M. Buffet-Delmas. — On the ovary and 

 the egg of Gobius minulus, by M. Frederic Guitel. — Note on 

 the magnetic perturbations of March 1 1-13, 1892, by M. Th. 

 Moureaux. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Note-book of Agricultural Facts aiid Figures, 4th edition : P. 

 McConnell (Lockwood). — A Year-book of Science, 1891 : edited bv Prof. 

 Bonney (Cassell).— Willing's British and Irish Press Guides, 1892 (Willing). 

 — Sitzungsberichteder K.B. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, Math. Naturw. 

 Classe, I'fgi (Prag). — Abhandlungen der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaft- 

 lichen Classe der K.B. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften von den Jahren 

 1890-91. vii. Folge, 4 Band (Prag). — Health Springs of Germany and Aus- 

 tria, 2nd edition: F. O. Buckland (Allen).— The School Calendar, 1892 

 (Whitiaker).— Silk Dyeing, Printing, and Finishing: G. H. Hurst (Bell).— 

 Le Poil des Animaux et lei Fourrures : Lacroix Danliard (Paris, Bailliere).— 

 Les Fleurs a Paris : P. L. de Vilnotin (Paris, Bailliere). — Statistics of the 

 Colony of Tasmania fnr the Year 1890 (Tasmania, Strutt). — Anatomie et 

 Physiologie Compar^es de la Pholade Dactyle : Dr. R. Dubois (Paris, 

 Masson). 



Pa.mphlets. — Neue Integrationsmethoden auf Grund der Potenzial — 

 Logarithmal und Numeral-rechnung : Dr. J. Bergbohm (Stuttgart). — Neue 

 Rechnungsmethoden der Hoheren Mathematik, Dr. J. Bergbohm (Stuttgart). 

 O Theorii Ploch: E. Weyr (V. Praze).- Jahresbericht der K.B. Gesell- 

 schaft der Wissenschaften fiir das Jahr 1891 (Prag). 



Serials. — Beitrage zur Kenntni-is der Orchideen von H. G. Reichenbach 

 fil fortgesetzt durch F. Kranzlin ; Drifter Band, Fiinftes Heft (Leipz'g, 

 Brockha us).-— Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. xxix. 

 No. 136 (Philadelphia). — Bulletin de L'/Acad6mie Imperiale des Sciences de 

 St. Petersbourg. Nouvelle Serie, II. xxxiv. (St. Petersbourg). — Bulletin of 

 the New York Mathematical Socie'y, vol. i. No. 6 (New York). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The History of Determinants. By P. A. M. ... 481 



The Evolution of Man. By A. M. M 482 



Our Book Shelf :- 



Bonavia : " Philosonhical Notes on Botanical Sub- 

 jects."— W. B. H 483 



Beddard : " The Zoological Record for 1890 " . . . 483 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



Sun Pillar. {Ilhistrated.) — Annie Ley 484 



New Comet. — W. F. Denning . 484 



First Visible Colour of Incandescent Iron. {Illus- 



lraled.)~Capt. A. Noble, F.R.S 484 



Poincare's "Thermodynamics." — Prof. H. Poin- 



care 485 



Ornithology of the Sandwich Islands. — Albert F. 



Calvert 485 



Superheated Steam. — J. Macfarlane Gray , . 486 



Phoronomy. — A. B. Basset, F.R.S. ; M. am Ende; 



G. C. R 486 



The Tudor Specimen of Eozonn.— J, W. Gregory . 486 



The Theory of Solutions.— J. W. Rodger . . 487 



The Limpet's Strength. — J. Lawrence-Hamilton, 



M.R.C.S 487 



Technical Education for Novelists. — W 487 



The Origin of the Year. I. {Illustrated.) By J. 



Norman Lockyer, F.R.S . . 487 



The Winter Storms of Northern India. {Illustrated.) 



By Henry F. Blanford, F.R.S. . 490 



The Magnetic Storm of February 13-14, 1892. {With 



Chart) 493 



William Dittmar. By A. C. B 493 



Sereno Watson 494 



Notes 494 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Fuzziness of some Variable Stars 497 



Astronomical Possibilities at Considerable Altitudes . 498 



Increase of the Earth's Shadow during Lunar Eclipses 498 



The New Star in Auriga 498 



Aberration. {Illustrated.) By Lord Rayleigh, Sec.R. S. 499 



Societies and Academies ... 502 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 504 



NO. I 169, VOL. 45] 



