48 



NATURE 



[May II, 1893 



healthy and sick people, observing no ill effect with doses equal 

 to the amount of sugar ordinarily consumed. Prof. Heymans, 

 of Ghent, reported that employing Golgi's method he had 

 observed numerous branching nerves in the muscles of the wall 

 of the cardiac ventricle, and particularly in the apex of the heart. 

 Dr. Lilienfeld had studied the relationship of cell-elements to 

 certain colouring matters, and exhibited a mixture of the latter, 

 which appeared of an equally brownish-violet colour, both in 

 aqueous and alcoholic solution. On shaking up in this crystals 

 of nucleinic acid, the chief constituent of the nucleus, they were 

 at once coloured bright green, whereas white of egg assumed an 

 intense red colour. 



April 21. — Prof, du BoisReymond, President, in the chair. — 

 Dr. Goldscheider reported upon experiments on the sense of 

 touch in the blind, as made by Hocheisen on eight individuals, 

 of whom some were born blind, while others became blind in 

 early youth. The results obtained showed that the muscular 

 sense of the blind is far more acute than of those who can see, 

 being more acute in the youthful blind than in those who are 

 older ; in the latter the sense is scarcely more acute than that of 

 those who can see. Similarly the power of localising was more 

 acute in the young than in those who are older, and did not 

 differ appreciably from that of those who can see. By practice 

 both the above senses can be so sharpened in those who 

 possess sight that they are ultimately as acute as for the blind. 

 — M. Kriiger spoke on the chemical constitution of adenin and 

 hypoxanthin, and described the reactions which led to the 

 establishing of their constitutional formulae. 



Physical Society, April 28. — Prof Kundt, President, in 

 the chair. — Prof. Neesen spoke on a new mercurial pump he 

 had constructed on the principle of a Sprengel pump. Dr. 

 Frohlich developed his views on the theory of the electromagnet, 

 which by bringing Hopkinson's theory into accord with con- 

 ceptions of magnetic resistance and ideas on saturation had led 

 to a considerable advance in generalisation. The discussion 

 which ensued was chiefly taken up by Dr. Du Bois, who urged 

 that the views propounded were rather of technical than scientific 

 interest. 



{Note. — In the report of the Physical Society (see Nature, 

 April 27, p. 624), in line five from the top, for " pressure " read 

 " thickness," and in line six from the bottom for " Wren '' read 

 "Wien."] 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



THURSDAY, Mav 11. 



Maithematical Society, at 8.— On some Formulae of Codatzi and Wein" 

 marten in Relation to the Application of Surfaces to each other : Prof. 

 Cayley, F.R.S. — On the Expansion of Certain Infinite Products: Prof. 

 L. J. Rogers. — A Theorem forBicircularQuartic Curves and for Cyclides 

 Analogous to Ivory's Theorem for Curves and Surfaces of the Second 

 Degree : A. L. Dixon. — On the Linear Transformations between Two 

 Quadrics : H. Taber.— The Collapse of Boilertlues : A. E. H. Lowe. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — On the Prevention of 

 Sparking, Compound Dynamos without Series Coils or Magnets ; and 

 Self-exciting Dnamos and Motors without Winding upon Field Magnets : 

 W. B. Sayers. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — ^The Atmosphere; Prof. Dewar, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, May 12. 

 Physical Society, at 5. — The Drawing of Curves from their Curvature : 



C. V. Boys, F.R.S.— The Foundations of Dynamics : Oliver Lodge, 



F.R.S. 

 Royal AsTRONO.MicAL Society, at 8. 

 Roval Institution, at 9. — Isoperimetrical Problems : Lord Kelvin, 



Pres.R.S. 

 Amateur Scientific Society, at 8. — Geological Time (with Special 



Reference to Mr. Mellard Reade's Paper in the Geological Magazine for 



March) : W. H. Davis. 



SATURDAY, May 13. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Johnsoa and Swift : Dr. Henry Craik, C.E. 



TUESDAY, May 16. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On the Atrium and Prostate of the Oligo- 

 chaetous Worms ; F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. — Descriptions of Fifteen New 

 Species of Pleurotomidae : G. B. Sowerby. — List of Mammals inhabiting 

 the Bornean Group of Islands : A. H. Everett. — On a Second Collection 

 of Mammals seat by Mr. .H. H. Johnston, C.B., from Nyassaland : O. 

 Thomas. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Monthly Ballot for Members. — 

 Reception by the President and Council. — Wreck-raising in the River 

 Thames : C. J. More. 



Royal iNSTixuflON, at 3. — Modem Society in China : Prof. . R. K. 

 Douglas. 



WEDNESDA Y, May r;. 



Royal Meteorological Society, at 7.— Mean Daily Maximum and 

 Minimum Temperature at the Royal Observatory. Greenwich, on the 

 Average of the Fifty Years from 1841 to 1B90 ; William Ellis.— Sugges- 

 tions, from a Practical Point of View, for a New Classification of Cloud 

 Forms : Frederic Gaster. — Notes on Winter : Alex. B. MacDowall. 



Royal Microscopical Society, at 8. — Exhibition with the Projection 

 Microscope : Sir David L. Salomons. — Notes on Rotifers : C. Rousselet- 



THURSDAY, May 18. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



ChemicalSociety, at8. — Observations on the Production of Oione during 

 Electric Discharge through Oxygen : W. A. Shenstone and M. Priest. — 

 The Relative Strengths or Avidities of some Weak Acids : Dr. Shields. — 

 The Boiling Points of Homologous Compounds, Part I. : Dr. James 

 Walker. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Geographical Distribution of Birds : Dr. 

 R. Bowdler Sharpe. 



FRIDAY, May 19. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Poetry and Pessimism : Alfred Austin. 



SA TURD A Y, May 20. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Johnson and Wesley: Dr. Henry Craik, C.B. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— The Future of British Agriculture : Prof. Sheldon (W. H. 

 Allen). — The Nests and Eggs of British Birds: C. Dixon (Chapman and 

 Hall). — Theorie der Optischeo Instrumente : Dr. S. Czapski (Breslau, 

 Trewendt). — Practical Astronomy, 2nd edition : P. S. Michie and F. S, 

 Harlow (K. Paul). — An Analytical Index to the Works of the late fohn 

 Gould, F.R.S. : Dr. R. B. Sharpe (Sotheran).— The New Technical Edu- 

 cator, vol. I (Cassell) 



Pamphlets. — Determinations of Gravity with Half-second Pendu.ums 

 on the Pacific Coast, in Alaska, and at Washington, D.C., and Hoboken, 

 N.J. : T. C. Mendenhall (Washington).— The Photoscope (Liverjjool, 

 Sanders). 



Serials. — Medical Magazine, May (Southwood). — Quarterly Journal of 

 the Geological Society, vol. xlix. Part 2, No. 194 (Longmans). — Journal 

 and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Soulh Wales, vol. xxvi. (K. 

 Paul). — Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te 

 Amsterdam, Erste Sectie, Deel. i, Nos. i, 2, 4, 5, 6 ; Tweede Sectie, Deel. i. 

 Nos. I, 4, 10 (Amsterdam, J. Muller). — Journal of the Chemical Society, 

 May (Gurney and Jackson) —Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 

 vol. XIX. pp. 193-2OS (Edinburgh). —Himmel und Erde, May (Berlin, 

 Paetel). — Jahrbuch der k.k. Geoiogischen Reichsanstalt, Jahrg. 1892, xlii. 

 Band 3 and 4 Heft (Wien). — Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society, 

 third series, No, ix. (Blackwood). — -Proceedings of the American Academy 

 of Arts andfSciences, new series, vol. xix. (Boston, Wilson). — Report ol the 

 Marlborough College Natural History Society, No. 41 (Marlborough). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Book on Physiography. By Prof. A. H. Green, 



F.R.S 25 



Sir W. Bowman's Collected Papers 26 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Williams: " Aids to Biology " 26 



Sykes : " Public Health Problems " 27 



Cripps : " Galenic Pharmacy " 27 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Mr. H. O. Forbes's Discoveries in the Chatham 



Islands.— Dr. Alfred R. Wallace 27 



Swarms of Amphipods.— Prof. W. A. Herdman, 



F.R.S 28 



A Difficulty in Weismannism Resolved. — Prof 



Marcus Hartog 28 



Medical Biology.— L. CM 29 



Afterglows in Spain. — Prof. Augusto Arcimis . . 29 

 Soot-figures on Ceilings.— Dr. A. Irving; Dr. Hugh 

 Robert Mill; Lieut. -Col. Allan Cunningham; 



E. B. Poulton, F.R.S. . . 29 



The Appreciation of Science by German Manu- 

 facturers. (Illustrated.) By Prof. Henry E. Arm- 

 strong, F.R.S 29 



Electro-Optics. By A. B. Bassett, F.R.S 34 



Notes 34 



Our Astronomical Column :^ 



Meridian Circle Observations 39 



The Lunar Atmosphere 39 



Geographical Notes 4° 



The Recent Solar Eclipse 40 



The Orientation of Greek Temples. By F. C. Penrose 42 



Explorations in the Karakoram 43 



University and Educational Intelligence 44 



Scientific Serial 44 



Societies and Academies 44 



Diary of Societies 48 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 48 



NO. 1228, VOL. 48] 



