ii8 



NA TURE 



[June i, 189: 



mem made by several technical writers to the effect that white 

 lead acts on the oil with which it is ground, is erroneous. — 

 Notes on capillary separation of substances in solution, by L 

 Keed. The author has made experiments on the separation of 

 salts in solution by selective absorption in bibulous paper, using 

 a method differing somewhat from those employed by previous 

 workers. If a drop of a fairly dilute aqueous salt solution is 

 allowed to spread on bibulous paper, a pure water margin is 

 obtained surrounding a sharply defined interior space containing 

 stronger salt solution. The width of the exterior zone is ap- 

 parently dependent on the nature and concentration of the 

 solution employed ; some solutions, such as those of chrome 

 and ammonia alums, give no pure water zone. — Note on a meta- 

 azo-compound, by R. Meldola and F. B. Burls. A comparison 

 of meta'azo-compounds of the formula 



I 



OH 



../ 



N : N. X 



where X is an ?/«safo^!V«/i»(/ hydrocarbon radicle, with the cor- 

 responding ortho- and para- series, would be of interest as throw- 

 ing light on the question of the constitution of organic colouring 

 matters, the "quinonoid" bonds not being present in the meta- 

 compounds according to the present method of formulation. 

 The authors have hence prepared metaphenolazo-o-naphthyl- 

 amine with the intention of converting it into naphthaleneazo- 

 metaphenol ; they have not yet isolated the latter substance and 

 are therefore extending the investigation to other compounds of 

 the same series. — The influence of moisture in promoting 

 chemical action. Preliminary note, by H. B. Baker. The 

 author has continued his investigations on the influence of moist- 

 ure on chemical action. Ammonia was dried as completely as 

 possible by freshly ignited lime ; on then subjecting it to the 

 action of phosphoric anhydride very little of the gas was ab- 

 sorbed. Hydrogen chloride was dried first by sulphuric acid 

 and finally by a week's contact with phosphoric anhydride. 

 On mixing ammonia and hydrogen chloride, dried in this way, 

 no ainmonintn chloride fumes ivcre produced ^n^ no contraction 

 was indicated by the mercury gauge attached to the apparatus : 

 it may therefore be concluded that ammonia and hydrogen 

 chloride do not combine when dry. Union at once occurs, 

 however, on introducing a small quantity of moist air. In like 

 manner sulphur trioxide was found not to unite either with 

 lime, barium monoxide, or copper oxide. Furthermore, no 

 brown fumes were produced on mixing dry nitric oxide with 

 dry oxygen. — The genesis of new derivatives of camphor con- 

 taining halogens by the action of heat on sulphonic chlorides, 

 by F. S. Kipping and W. J. Pope. When the sulphonic 

 chlorides derived from camphor recently described by the 

 authors, are heated at temperatures not very far above their 

 melting points, decomposition occurs and sulphur dioxide is 

 evolved whilst haloid derivatives of camphor remain. In the 

 case of camphorsulphonic chloride, a chlorocamphor melting at 

 137-138', is thus obtained. From chlorocamphorsulphonic 

 chloride, a well-crystalline dichloriicamphor melting at i iS-i 19° 

 is formed, whilst bromocamphorsulphonic chloride yields a 

 compound which crystallises in long prisms and melts at 142- 

 143'. These three derivatives of camphor appear to be dif- 

 ferent from any known compounds and their further study will, 

 it is hoped, throw light on the complex question of isomerism 

 in the camphor series. 



May 5, Extra Meeting.— Dr. Armstrong, President, in the 

 chair. — This being the anniversary of the death of Prof. A. 

 \V. von Hofmann, the President, after opening the proceedings 

 with a short speech, called upon Lord Playfair, SirF. Abel and 

 Dr. Perkm to deliver addresses commemorative of Hofmann 

 and his work. 



Anthropological Institute, May 9. — Prof. A. Macalister, 

 President, in the chair. — Mr. C. Dudley Cooper exhibited and 

 described the skull of an aboriginal Australian. — A paper by 

 Mr. Charles Hose on Borneo was read. The Baram District, 

 with which the author was most intimately acquainted, is 

 situated in the Northern portion of Sarawak, and the races in- 

 habiting it may divided into four sections : — vl) The low country 

 people and the inhabitants of the coast ; (2) the Kayans and 

 Kenniahs, inhabiting the head waters of the Baram River and 

 its tributaries ; (3) the Kalabits, living inland ; and (4) the 

 Punans, no nomadic tribes, found at the head waters of all the 

 great rivers in Central Borneo. Each of these four divisions 



NO. I 23 I, VOL. 48] 



comprises a number of sub-divisions speaking different dialects, 

 which can, however, be traced to the same origin. All the 

 various races, except the Punans, employ dogs in hunting. 

 The houses usually stand about twenty feet above the ground 

 supported by huge posts of hard wood ; they are some four 

 hundred yards in length, and often hold more than a hundred 

 families. In times gone by the first post put into the ground 

 was passed through the living body of a slave — usually a young 

 girl — but wild animals are now used instead of human bemgs 

 lor this purpose. Mr. Hose exhibited and described a large 

 collection of native implements, weapons, and other objects, 

 and the paper was further illustrated by a number of photo- 

 graphic viewsshown by the limelight. — Prof. Macalister exhibited 

 a skull from North Borneo. — Mr. F. \V. Rudler exhibited a 

 wooden fire syringe from the Malay Peninsula, with a bean 

 tinder box. — Mr. R. G. Leefe contributed a paper on the 

 nivates of Tonga. 



Geological Society, May 10.— W. H. Hudleston, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — The following communications were 

 read ; — The felsiles and conglomerates between Bethesda and 

 Llanllyini, N. Wales, by Prof. J. F. Blake. The author brought 

 forward fresh evidence in support of the views he had previously 

 expressed as to the Cambrian age of these felsites, and as to the 

 unconformity of the conglomerates on the purple slates. A new 

 tunnel-section at Penrhyn Quarry was described, in which felsite 

 was followed by St. Ann's Grit with a conglomerate-banc , and 

 there lying in the midst of the Cambrian series. After a word 

 or two on the conglomerate on Moel Rhiw-wen, the secticms on 

 either side of Llyn Padarn were discussed in detail, and it was 

 shown that the distribution of the rocks on the surface of the 

 country could only be explained by the unconformable position 

 of the conglomerates and grits, which, moreover, lie nearly 

 horizontal. Aflera discu-sion of the conglomerates of Bettws- 

 Garmon, a detailed section of the adit at Moel Tryfaen was 

 given, in which it was shown that there was only a 3 ft. 6 in. 

 band of conglomerate next the purple slates, followed by 1350 

 feet of banded slates and laminated grits with four distinct 

 intercalated bands of felsite ; and it was argued that the con- 

 glomerate on the summit, 55 yards across, could scarcely be 

 represented by this thin band. Finally, the distribution of rocks 

 on Mynydd-y Celgwyn was shown to be satisfactorily explained 

 by unconformity. Incidentally it was mentioned that a band of 

 rock in the felsite at Llyn Padarn, which had been con>idered 

 to be a deposited slate, was in reality an intrusive igneous rock. 

 The conglomerates described were considered to be an overlap 

 of the Bronllwyd Grit. The reading of this paper was followed 

 by a discussion, in which the President, Prof. Hughes, Mr. 

 Rutley, Mr. Marr, and the author took part. — The Llandovery 

 and associated rocks of the neighbourhood of Corwen, by Philip 

 Lake and Theo. T. Groom. The area described forms a part 

 of the northern slope of the Berwyn Hills, and s' retches along 

 the southern bank of the Dee from Corwen to Pen-y-glog. The 

 beds of the 'icrwyns are here thrown into a series of folds 

 which run nearly E.- W. ; and the northerly limbs of these folds 

 are long and low, while the southerly limbs are short and steep. 

 The folds are cut through by a numberof faults which run nearly 

 E.-W.', generally along the crests of the anliclinals, and these 

 invariably throw down towards the north. The southern bank 

 of the Dee Valley is here formed by these faulis. A second 

 series of faults running about 20" W. of N. to 20° E. of S. is of 

 later date. One of these, near Corwen, presents some peculiar 

 features, since its downthrow in some places is on the east and 

 in others on the west. The lowest beds present are bluish 

 slates, with numerous Bala fossils. These are succeeded im- 

 mediately by the Corwen Grit of Prof. Hughes. No fossils 

 have been found in this at Corwen ; but in a grit occupying a 

 similar position at Glyn Ceiriog numerous fossils have been dis- 

 covered. The Corwen Grit is .'•ucceeded by grey slates with grit- 

 bands ; and in Nant Cawrddu, near Corwen, and Nant Llechog, 

 near Penyglog, these slates are followed by banded black 

 shales containing numerous graptolites of the Mono^raptus 

 gregarius-zone. Above these are pale bluish slates ; and 

 nothing further is exposed till we reach the Tarannons. The 

 Corwen Grit clearly forms (he base of the Llandovery in this 

 area, as suggested by Prof. Hughes. Some remarks were made 

 on this paper by thr; President, Prof. Hughes, Mr. Groom, and 

 Prof. Lapworth. Mr. Lake briefly replied. 



Zoological Society, May 16.— Osbert Salvin, F.R.S., Vice- 

 President, in the Chair. — Extracts were read from a letter 



