576 



NATURE 



[April 14, 1892 



of pinnaglobine, a new globulin, by M. A. B. Griffiths.— 

 On the existence of parallel series in the bijlogical cycle of 

 Pemphigiens, by M. Horvath.— 'Ihe history of the Garcinia of 

 the sub-group Rluediopsis, by M. J. Vesque. — Researches on the 

 variations in the transpiration of flowers during their develop- 

 ment, by M. G. Curtel. — 0\ some diseases of mushrooms, by 

 M. Tulien Costantin,— On the r6le, distribution, and direction 

 of ocean currents in France during the Upper Cretaceous 

 period, by M. Munier-Chalmas. — The tubercular vaccination of 

 the dog, by MM. J. Hericourt and Ch. Richet. The authors' 

 experiments indicate that, "by the inoculation of tuberculosis 

 aviaire, dogs can be vaccinated against human tuberculosis. — 

 On a new pathogenic diplobacteria obtained from the blood and 

 urine of influenza patients, by MM. Teissier, Roux, and Pittion. 

 — Measures of the variations in the lengths of the Dauphiny 

 glaciers, by Prince Roland Bonaparte. Of the sixteen glaciers 

 whose movements were studied in 1890, six were found to be 

 advancing, eight retreating, and two stationary. In 1891 the 

 results obtained indicated that six glaciers were advancing, 

 five retreating, and five stationary. The amounts of movement 

 measured are given in the paper. 



Berlin. 



Physiological Society, March 4.— Prof. Munk, President, 

 in the chair.— Prof. Zuntz spoke on Dr. Werigo's experiments 

 respecting the influence of oxygen on the elimination of carbon 

 ^lioxide by the lungs. When an animal breathed pure oxygen 

 into one lung and simultaneously pure hydrogen into the other, 

 Werigo found more carbon dioxide in the alveolar air of the 

 oxygen-lung than in that of the hydrogen-lung, and hence con- 

 cluded that oxygen furthers the escape of this gas. Prof Zuntz, 

 however, pointed out that the diffusion of carbon dioxide from 

 the alveolar air into the contents of the cannulas used for the 

 introduction of the gases must be greater on the side supplied 

 with hydrogen than on the other, and that hence less carbon 

 ■dioxide must naturally be found in the alveolar air of the former 

 than of the latter. The really important question whether the 

 absorption of oxygen leads to an increased elimination of carbon 

 <lioxide has therefore not yet been answered. Werigo's experi- 

 ments should be repeated, using oxygen and nitrogen. 



Meteorological Society, March 8.— Prof Schwalbe, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Dr. Lachmann gave an account of a research 

 on the extremes of temperature in Europe. He first assured 

 himself of the trustworthiness of the readings of his maximum 

 und minimum thermometers. He then determined for stations 

 which afford prolonged series of data how many years must be 

 taken into account in order to arrive at a trustworthy mean, and 

 found that in the case, eg., of Brussels, ten years suffice for 

 the determination of its maximum temperature, whereas some 

 forty years must be taken into account when determining its 

 minimum temperature. After comparing the extremes of 

 temperature with the periodic observations, he discussed the 

 maximal and minimal temperatures met with in Europe, and 

 ^ave an account of their geographical distribution. When those 

 places with equal maxima are joined by lines, curves are obtained 

 which on the whole resemble the July isothermals, and are the 

 same as the latter if 12° be added to them. The curves of 

 •equal mean minimal temperatures correspond to the isothermals 

 for January after subtracting io°-ii°. — Dr. Knorre read a letter 

 containing an account of a thunderstorm on January 31, near 

 Jiiterbock, accompanied by hail and light phenomena, which 

 must undoubtedly be regarded as a case of St. Elmo's fire.— Prof, 

 Sporer exhibited photographs of the recent large sun-spot 

 group which he observed between February 9 and 16. and 

 ■which were most probably connected with the magnetic storm 

 of the 13th and 14th of that month. 



Physical Society, March 11.— Prof Kundt, President, in the 

 chair. — Dr. Stapff spoke on the increase in density of the 

 interiorof the earth, and deduced a mathematical formula for 

 its determination. — Dr. Arons described experiments on the 

 electrical polarization at the two sides of a metallic plate 

 immersed in an electrolyte at right angles to the currrent. 

 A platinum plate o-i mm. thick gave not only an evolution of gas 

 but an increase of resistance, results which were entirely absent 

 when a gold-beater's film was employed, as also with a film of 

 silver. Pores in the metallic films were not the cause of the 

 absence of polarization, since it appeared even when a small hole 

 was bored in the above-mentioned platinum plate. When four 

 gold-beater's films were superposed, they led to a slight increase 

 of resistance and feeble polarization. — Dr. Rubens stated that 

 he had extended his observations on the dispersion of the ultra- 



red rays from w.l. 57 /x to w.l. 8 /t. He found that the 

 curves for the index of refraction do not correspond with 

 Langley's surmises. As far as w.l. 5-3 yti the curves of the two 

 observers coincide, but the rectilinear course which the curve 

 assumes at w.l. 5-0^ is not persistent with light of greater 

 wave-length ; it tends to rise slightly from the line of abscissce. 

 Hence Langley's interpolations for very long waves are 

 inaccurate. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, February 27.— Prof van 

 de Sande Bakhuyzen in the chair.— Dr. Moll communicated 

 some results he had obtained on the karyokinesis of Spirogyra. 

 By embedding the threads in collodion and paraflSn, and cutting 

 them into series of sections with the microtome, he has observed 

 a special organization in nucleolus and karyoplasma, leading to 

 the formation of the chromatic segments ; he has been able to 

 establish with certainty the existence of the phenomenon of 

 heteropoly in Spirogyra ; and lastly, he has seen that Tangl's 

 and Strasburger's Verbindtmgschlauch between the daughter- 

 nuclei appears at an earlier stage in the form of some vacuoles, 

 of which a single one finally prevails.— Mr. van der Waals 

 treated of the phenomenon of incomplete mixture of two liquids, 

 in those cases in which the mixture is complete at a higher 

 temperature, and gave a formula founded on his "theory of a 

 mixture of two substances," by which the volumes of a given 

 weight of dissolved matter may be calculated in the .same way 

 as the volumes of liquid and vapour of a single substance. — Mr. 

 van Bemmelen treated of the difference of colloid oxides and 

 crystalline hydrates, especially in reference to the oxide of iron. 

 He demonstrated that only Brunck and Graebe have observed 

 the crystalline hydrate of a definite composition. The substance 

 prepared by Rousseau is not a crystalline hydrate, but ferrite of 

 potassium, transformed by the action of water into amorphous 

 hydratic oxide (of indefinite composition), and only pseudo-crys- 

 talline, as it has preserved externally the crystalhne form of the 

 ferrite,— Mr. Franchimont showed a sample of ethylaldoxime 

 (acetaldoxime), a beautiful crystallized body, melting at 48° C. 

 The ethylaldoxime, discovered in 1882 by V. Meyer, was de- 

 scribed by him and by Petraezek as a fluid, boiling at Ii4''-ii5° 

 C. The crystallized ethylaldoxime has the same boiling-point, 

 and may be a stereo-isomery. 



NO. II 72, VOL. 45] 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Remarkable Book on the Habits of Animals By 



Dr. Alfred R. Wallace 553 



The Prevention of Influenza cc6 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Ratzel : " Anthropogeographie " 557 



" Within an iHour of London Town : among Wild 



Birds and their Haunts " 557 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Exchange of Professorial Duties.— Prof. E. Ray 

 Lankester, F.R.S. ; Prof. T. P. Anderson 



Stuart . . cry 



Magnetic Storms, — Dr. M. A. Veeder 557 



Pilchards. —J. T. Cunningham 558 



Ornithology of the Sandwich Islands. — Albert F. 



Calvert 558 



First Visible Colour of Incandescent Iron. — T, C. 



Porter 558 



Self- Registering Weather-Cock. — J. Lawrence- 

 Hamilton . 550 



The Rolling of Ships 559 



Travels among the Great Andes of the Equator. 

 (Illusirated.) By Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S. . . . 561 



Science at the Royal Military Academy 563 



The late Sir William Bowman. By Prof J. Burdon 



Sanderson, F.R.S 564 



Notes .' ! . 566 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Observations of the Spectrum of Nova Aurigse . . . 569 



Denning's Comet {b 1892) 569 



Comet Swift, 1892 569 



Displacement of Radiant Points 570 



Two New Variables in Cepheus 570 



On the Variation in Latitude 570 



The Institution of Naval Architects 570 



Fourth Annual Report of the Delegates of the 



Oxford University Museum 572 



Societies and Academies , 573 



