April 21, 1892] 



NATURE 



599 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, April ii. — M. d'Abbadie in the 

 chair. — On anew determination of the latitude of Paris Obser- 

 vatory, by M. I'Amiral Mouchez. (See Our Astronomical 

 Column). — Note by M. I'Amiral Mouchez, accompanying a 

 star photograph obtained by Dr. Gill, Director of the Cape 

 Observatory. (See Our Astronomical Column.)— On the flow 

 from rectangular orifices, without lateral contraction : theoretical 

 calculation of the delivery and of its distribution, by M. J. 

 Boussinesq. — On the absorption of light by tourmaline, by 

 M. A. Potier. — Researches on persulphuric acid and its salts, 

 by M. Berthelot. — On the stability of the sand dunes of the Bay 

 of Biscay, by M. Chambrelent. A long account is given of the 

 methods that have been adopted to prevent the encroachment of j 

 sand along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. — Note by M. Deherain, 

 accompanying the presentation of his " Traite de Chimie Agri- 

 cole." — On a new genus of Cretaceous Echinoids, Dipneustes 

 aturicus, Arnaud, by M. G. Cotteau. — Experimental study of 

 the decimal equation in observations of the sun and planets, 

 made at Lyons Observatory, by MM. Andre and Gonnessiat. — 

 On the latitude obtained by means of the great meridian circle 

 of Paris Observatory, by M. Perigaud. — On a series of determi- 

 nations of latitude made with the great meridian circle of Paris 

 Observatory, by M. F. Boquet. — Observations of Swift's comet 

 (1892 March 6) and Denning's comet (1892 March 18) made with 

 the great equatorial of Bordeaux Observatory, by MM. G. Rayet 

 and L. Picart. — On the theory of Jupiter's satellites, by M.J. J. 

 Landerer. (P'or the five preceding communications see Our 

 Astronomical Column.) — On transformations in mechanics, by 

 M, P. Painleve. — On the evaluation of the numbers of permu- 

 tations and complete circular arrangements, by M. E. Jablonski. 

 — On the specific heats of metals, by M. Le Verrier. The 

 author has measured the specific heats of lead, zinc, aluminium, 

 silver, and copper, at various temperatures between 0° and 

 1000° C. — On the polarization of diffused light by disturbed 

 media, by M. A. Hurion. — On the decomposition of silver 

 permanganate and on a particular association of oxygen with 

 silver oxide, by M. Alex. Gorgeu. — On some new salts of iron, 

 by MM. Lachaud and C. Lepierre. — Action of sulphuric acid 

 on some cyclic hydrocarbides, by M. Maquenne. — Researches 

 on some sugar principles, by M. J. Fogh. — On the formation of 

 oxyheemoglobin by means of haematine and albuminoid matter, 

 by MM. H. Bertin-Sansand J. Moitessier. — Law regarding the 

 appearance of the first epiphysiary point of long bones, by 

 M. Alexis Julien. — On an apparatus which enables Paul Bert's 

 experiments on air and compressed oxygen to be easily repeated, 

 by M. G. Philippon. — Distinguishing characters of ovine and 

 caprine species : applications to the study of Chabins and 

 Mouflons, by MM. Cornevin and Lesbre. — Halo seen at Pare 

 de Baleine (Allier) on April 6, by M. de Montessus de Ballore. 

 — Research on the geographical and geological conditions which 

 characterize earthquake regions, by M. de Montessus de Ballore. 



Berlin. 



Physiological Society, March 18. — Prof du Bois Rey- 

 mond, President, in the chair. — Dr. Gumlich described experi- 

 ments made on himself on the urinary excretion of nitrogen. 

 He had determined separately total nitrogen, nitrogen of urea, 

 of ammonia, and of the extractives during periods with a mixed 

 diet, a pure flesh diet, and a vegetable diet. During the second 

 the nitrogen excreted as urea increased until it amounted to 

 85'6 per cent, of the total nitrogen, and that excreted as ex- 

 tractives and ammonia was also greater than during a mixed 

 diet. During a vegetarian diet the urea nitrogen markedly dimin- 

 ished ; that of the extractives and ammonia was also absolutely 

 less than with a meat diet, although it had increased relatively 

 to the re^t. — Dr von Noorden communicated, in connection 

 with the above, an extended series of determinations of urinary 

 nitrogen made on patients suffering from different diseases ; 

 among these two casei of phosphorus poisoning were of special 

 interest. 



April I. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, President, in the 

 chair. — Dr. Lilienfeld had found that the influence of 

 leucocytes on the clotting of blood is due entirely to their 

 nuclei, the stroma being quite inert. He isolated the che- 

 mically active substance from the leucocytes of the thymus 

 gland, and calls it leuconuclein. — Dr. Rosenberg had investigated 

 on a dog working in a treadmill the assimilation of a diet con- 

 sisting of definite portions of lean meat, fat, and rice during 

 periods of work and repose, and found it to be the same in both 



cases. Pie believes the result of this experiment may be extended 

 to the case of man. — Dr. Schweizer had investigated the behaviour 

 of spermatozoa towards electric Currents. Only in a few cases 

 was he able to observe that some of the more active ones swam 

 against the current. He found that the position they assumed 

 in parallel rows with their heads turned towards the kathode 

 was not in any way a result of their vitality. 



Physical Society, March 25.— Prof. Kundt, President, in 

 the chair. — Dr. Mewes spoke on emission and absorption. — Dr. 

 Gross, in his experiments, extending over many years, on the 

 decomposition of sulphur has recently tested it electrolyticalty. 

 Barium and strontium sulphate were fused in a silver crucible, 

 which formed one electrode, and a powerful electric current sent 

 through the mass by means of a second electrode of platinum 

 wire. Analyses of the products resulting from the electrolysis 

 yielded a new compound of platinum and barium ; at the same 

 time 50 per cent, of the sulphur, originally present as sulphates, 

 was found to have disappeared, and its place to have been taken 

 by 40 per cent, of a new substance, which the speaker had also 

 obtained during the electrolysis of sulphur. According to his 

 views, sulphur is to be regarded as a compound of this new 

 substance with hydrogen. — Dr. Budde described new experi- 

 ments on the inert layer in emulsions of chloroform and soda, 

 which confirmed him in his view that the layer is due to the 

 rapid evaporation of chloroform from the upper surface of the 

 mixture. A mixture of chloroform and water is even more suitable 

 for the^experiments, and, since chloroform is more soluble in cold 

 than in warm water, he takes a solution of chloroform saturated 

 in water at 0°, and then warms it to 20°; at the latter tem- 

 perature the chloroform separates out in minute drops, yielding 

 a perfectly opaque emulsion, while the upper layer remains clear, 

 owing to the evaporation of the chloroform. When this upper 

 layer is removed by a pipette it remains clear, and must there- 

 fore contain less chloroform than the lower saturated portions. 

 The regular configuration of the inert layer in vessels of varying 

 shape had been at one time regarded by Dr. Budde, in agree- 

 ment with Liebreich, as due to capillary action. His more 

 recent researches have, on the other hand, shown that it is due 

 to currents in the fluid resulting from differences of temperature, 

 and may therefore be altered at will. When the external tem- 

 perature is lower than that of the fluid, downward currents are 

 established along the walls of the vessel, upward currents in the 

 centre of the fluid, and the meniscus is convex : when the ex- 

 ternal temperature is higher, the reverse effect is produced, and 

 the meniscus is concave. 



April 8. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, President, in the 

 chair. — Dr. Lammer gave an account of alterations made 

 by him, in conjunction with Dr. Brodhan, on a spectro- 

 photometer, with a view to improving the photometric part 

 of the instrument by the introduction of his glass-cube. In 

 connection with the above, Dr. Lammer went very fully into 

 Prof. Abbe's theoretical researches on the delineation of non- 

 luminous objects, which had been made during the latter's 

 studies on the mode of action of microscopes, and transferred 

 the results arrived at by Abbe to the conditions existing in a 

 spectrophotometer. 



Meteorological Society, April 5. — Prof Schwalbe, Pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — Dr. Sprung spoke on atmospheric rings, 

 and explained the formation of solar and lunar rings as the 

 result of refraction of parallel solar rays in ice-prisms. The 

 prisms must be three-sided, and the maximal intensity of light 

 is obtained when the angle of entry and exit from the prism is 

 22^, in which case the deviation is minimal. Solar and lunar 

 halos are the result of the bending which light undergoes at the 

 edges of minute ice-particles. The phenomenon can be ob- 

 served by strewing lycopodium powder on a sheet of glass, and 

 looking at a flame through this film. The speaker further 

 exhibited some photographs of rings and halos, explained the 

 conditions which are necessary for their successful production, 

 and gave the formulae involved in the calculation of the phe- 

 nomena. — Dr. Schumbert made a communication in connection 

 with Dr. Lachmann's (see report of previous meeting), and gave 

 a synopsis of temperature maxima and minima observed at 

 woodland stations, both in the woods and just outside them. 

 Some interesting differences were observed, depending upon 

 the kind of trees and the position of the thermometer. After 

 some remarks by Dr. Lachmann on a paper by von Bebber in 

 Hitnmel und Erde on the same subject. Dr. Hofmann in con- 

 clusion exhibited an apparatus for registering the observation of 

 meteors. 



NO. II 73, VOL. 45] 



