264 



NATURE 



[July 12, 1900 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, July 2.— M. Maurice Levy in the 

 chair. — Communication from M. Darboux concerning the In- 

 ternational Association of Academies (p. 249). — Permanent but 

 unequal heating by radiation of a wall of indefinite thickness re- 

 duced to the case of an analogous heating by contact, by M. J. 

 Boussinesq. — The combustible gases of the atmosphere ; the air 

 of woods and of mountains, by M. Armand Gautier. Following 

 up the experiments, previously described, made with the air of 

 Paris, air was examined in the middle of a pine wood, and on 

 the summit of a mountain away from all vegetation. The ratios 

 of carbon to hydrogen found in the three cases were 3 "5 for 

 Paris, 22 in the air of woods, and 0*33 in the mountain air, 

 the quantities of hydrocarbons per 100 litres of air expressed as 

 methane being22 6 c.c, ii"3 c.c.,and 2'2c.c. respectively. It 

 was also found that air taken at a high altitude, collected 

 in a place denuded as far as possible of animals, plants and 

 humus, is nearly entirely free from hydrocarbons, but still 

 contains about 2/io,ooo,oooths of its volume of free hydrogen. — 

 Synthesis of aa-dimethyl-7-cyanotricarballylic ester and of the 

 corresponding acid, by MM. A. Haller and G. Blanc. Cyano- 

 succinic ethyl ester is heated with sodium ethylate and o-bromo- 

 isobutyric acid, and the resulting ester separated in the usual 

 way.— M. Zambaco was elected a correspondent for the Section 

 of Medicine and Surgery.— Occultation of Saturn of June 13 

 observed with the Brunner equatorial at the Observatory of 

 Lyons, by M. J. Guillaume.— Ona prerogative of the Gregorian 

 Calendar, by M. Joseph Lais. — On the method of Neumann 

 and the problem of Dirichlet, by M. A. Korn. — On the motion 

 of a wire in space, by M. G. Floquet. — On the propagation of 

 condensed waves in hot gases, by M. H. Le Chatelier.— On the 

 decomposition of harmonics by the ear, by M. F. Larroque. — 

 On the thermo-electricity of some alloys, by M. Eniile Stein- 

 mann. Nickel steel containing 28 per cent, of nickel gave 

 an electromotive force against lead of 385 microvolts be- 

 tween 20° and 260° C. — On the true atomic weights 

 of ten elements deduced from recent works, by M. G. Hinrichs. 

 By applying the method previously described by the author to 

 some recent determinations of atomic weights, the latter are 

 made to appear as whole numbers exactly. — Attempt at a 

 general theory of acidity, by M, de Forcrand. The theory put 

 forward allows of the prediction of the acidity of a compound 

 containing hydrogen replaceable by a metal when the formula of 

 constitution is known ; and also of the heat of fusion when this 

 cannot be determined directly. — Addition of hydrogen to acetyl- 

 ene and ethylene in presence of finely divided platinum, by 

 MM. Paul Sabatier and J. B. Senderens. A mixture of 

 hydrogen and acetylene, the former being in excess, when passed 

 over platinum black reacts vigorously, ethane together with a 

 little ethylene being produced, the secondary products notice- 

 able with nickel being practically absent. With acetylene in ex- 

 cess, ethylene is the chief product, although ethane is still pro- 

 duced in notable quantities. Working at 180° instead of at 

 ordinary temperatures the reaction becomes more vigorous, but 

 the quantity of secondary condensation products increases.— On 

 the methoxy-hydratropic acid obtained by the oxidation of 

 anethol. Identity of phloretic acid and of hydropara-coumaric 

 acid, by M. J. Bougault. — Method for preparing synthetically 

 higher homologues of acetolacetic ester and acetylacetone, by 

 M. L. Bouveault. By the interaction of acetoacetic ether and 

 the fatty acid chlorides, the )3-ketonic ethers and /8-diketones are 

 easily obtained, — On the mode of formation of the compounds 

 [C2H2.(Cu2Cl2).KCl and Ci,H2[(Cu2Cl2)2KCI.], by M. Chavas- 

 telon. — On the metallic compounds of diazoamido-benzene, by 

 M. Louis Meunier. — Action of nitric acid upon trichlor-guaiacol, 

 by M. H. Cousin. The action of nitric acid upon the trichlor- 

 derivative is quite different from that of the tetrachlor- and 

 tetrabromo-derivatives as instead of the orthoquinones produced 

 in the latter case, a complicated condensation product is pro- 

 duced. — On the aloins, by M. E. Leger. — Solubility of cupric 

 chloride in organic solvents, by M. CEschner de Coninck.— On 

 the composition of the albumin of the seed of Gleditschia 

 triacanthos, by M. Maurice Goret. The reserve hydrocarbon 

 in this case is a mannogalactane ; hydrolysis yielding only a 

 mixture of mannose and galactose. — Hermaphroditism and par- 

 thenogenesis in the Echinoderms, by M. C. Figuer. — Study of the 

 digestive apparatus of Brachytrupes axhatinus, by M. L. Bordas. 

 — Prehnite considered as a constitutive element of metamorphic 

 limestones, by M. A. Lacroix. — On the combinations of the 

 nucleins with metallic compounds, alkaloids and toxins, by M. 



NO. 1602, VOL. 62] 



H. Stassano. — The power of selective coloration by methylene 

 blue, possessed by living spore-bearing filaments oi Spirobaciilui 

 gigas, by M. A. Certes. — A preventive remedy against the 

 mannite disease of vines, by M. P. Carles, 



Cape Town. 

 South African Philosophical Society, June 6. — L. Perin- 

 guey. President, in the chair.— Mr. W. L. Sclater exhibited a 

 series of photographs of birds and their nests taken by Mr. 

 R. H. Ivy, in the neighbourhood of Grahamstown.— Dr. J. D, 

 F. Gilchrist exhibited :—(i) A Gadoid fish, belonging to the 

 genus Haloporphyrus and probably a new species, found by the 

 Government steamer in trawling about 40 miles off Cape Town, 

 iri over 100 fathoms. (2) Four fishes showing luminous organs, 

 viz. : a MonoceiUris from shallow water, Mossel Bay ; an 

 Argyropelecus, a Paraliparis and a Scopelns from over 100 

 fathoms off the Cape Peninsula, probably all new species. 

 (3) A number of new Alcyonarians which have been procured 

 by the Government steamer and described by Prof. Hickson, 

 F.R.S. These included the nevi gewas, Acrophytzim claviger, 

 and three new species — Heteroxeina capensts, Sarcophytiwi 

 trochiforme, Gorgo7tia capensis. (4) Specimens of Veritillum 

 illustrating the difference in size of the fauna of the east and 

 west coasts of Africa, the eastern forms being larger than those 

 from the west coast. (5) A specimen of Agriopus torvus. (6) 

 A new species of Anchovy from East London, this being the 

 second species of the genus Engraulis discovered in South 

 African waters. — Dr. F. Purcell exhibited specimens of all the 

 known South African species of Peripatus, including, in addition 

 to the three previously described forms, four others recently 

 described by himself in the annals of the museum j making seven 

 in all. Dr. Purcell in his remarks on the genus maintained 

 that the supposed great antiquity of Peripatus was very doubtful, 

 depending as it did on the supposition that the tracheae of the . 

 tracheate Arthropods could only have originated once, for it is 

 now known that true tracheae have originated independently in 

 at least three different ways, for instance, in two ways in spiders 

 and in a third way in insects. It would be reasonable to suppose, i 

 therefore, that Peripatus may also have acquired its tracheae i 

 independently of those of the insects. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Monograph on Land-Planarians. By F. W. 



Gamble 241 



A Scientific Engineer 243 



Count Scheibler's Sporting Tour. By R. L. ... 244 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Heinrich : " Die Moderne Physiologische Psychologic 

 in Deutschland " ; " Zur Prinzipienlragen der 

 Psychologic"; Stanley: "An Outline Sketch, 



Psychology for Beginners " .... 245 



Fairchild : " Rural Wealth and Welfare : Economic 



Principles illustrated and applied in Farm Life" , 245 

 Van'tHoff: " Lectures on Theoretical and Physical 



Chemistry" 245 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Eclipse Photography. — Prof. Francis E. Nipher 246 

 The Action of Water Upon Glass. — Edmund F. 



Mondy . . • . . " 246 3 



The Total Solar Eclipse as Observed by the 



Smithsonian Expedition. {Illustrated.) .... 246 

 The Board of Education and its Consultative 



Committee 248 



The International Association of Academies. By 



M. Darboux 249 



The New Physical Laboratory at Owens College . 250 



Notes 251 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Comet Giacobini (1900 rt) 256 



Walter Percy Sladen. By G. B. H 256 



Jeremiah Horrocks and the Transit of Venus. 



{Illustrated.) 257 



Jubilee of the Imperial Geological Institute of 



Vienna . 258 



A Partial Explanation of some of the principal 



Ocean Tides. {With Diagram.) 258 



University and Educational Intelligence 259 



Scientific Serials 260 



Societies and Academies 260 



