2l6 



NATURE 



[July 2, 1891 



•showed two hybrid Odontoglossums with the parent plants — 

 namely, O. Wilckeanum (produced from 0. crispum and O. 

 Juteopurpureum) and O. excellens (produced from O. pescatorei 

 and 0. tritimphans). These had first appeared as natural 

 hybrids out of i^uported plants, and the parentage was sub- 

 sequently ascertained under cultivation. — On behalf of Sir 

 ■George Macpherson Grant, Mr. J. E. Harting exhibited some 

 curiously abnormal horns of the Roe Deer (the result of disease), 

 ■which had been taken from an animal found dead near Forres, 

 N.B. For the purpose of comparison he exhibited some normal 

 heads of the Roe from other parts of Scotland and Germany, 

 and made some remarks on the causes of variation in the size 

 and form of the antlers to which Roe Deer were peculiarly 

 liable. — A paper was then read by Mr. Spencer Moore on the 

 true nature of Callus, and in continuation of former remarks on the 

 same subject (Linn. Soc. Journ., Bot., vol. xxvii., Nos. 187-188). 

 He showed that the outer sieve-plates of the fig are obliterated 

 by a substance giving all the dye reactions of Callus, which 

 does not peptonize and will not yield proteid reactions. Many 

 of the inner sieve-plates he found to be stopped up with a 

 proteid Callus resembling in every way the substance of Ballia 

 stoppers, and the proteid Callus of the vegetable marrow. It 

 appeared that true Callus would dissolve in a solution of gum- 

 arabic, but whether by agency of a ferment or of an acid he 

 had not yet determined. — A second paper by Mr. Spencer 

 Moore dealt with the alleged existence of protein in the walls of 

 vegetable cells, and the microscopical detection of glucosides 

 therein. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, June 22. — M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. — Method for the determination of the equatorial co- 

 ordinates of the centres of the plates which are to form the . 

 photographic map of the heavens, by M. Lcewy. — On a 

 generalization of equations relating to the theory of the functions 

 of a complex, variable, by M. Emile Picard. — On the determina- 

 tion of the mechanical equivalent of heat, by M. Marcel Deprez. 

 At the meeting of June 8, M. Miculesco described an apparatus 

 he had employed for determining the mechanical equivalent of 

 ■heat. It is now remarked that the same method was employed 

 by Hirn in the experiments made by him in i860, and in latter 

 years by M. d'Arsonval. — On the formation of the leaves of 

 ALsculus and of Pavia, and on the order of appearance of their 

 first vessels, by M. A. Trecul. — On the apparent and real 

 glycolytic fermentation in the blood, and on a rapid and exact 

 method of estimation of glycogen in the blood, by MM. R. Lepine 

 and Barral. — On a telephone receiver of reduced weight and 

 dimensions, by M. E. Mercadier. — Observations of the new 

 asteroid discovered at Nice Observatory on June 11, by M. 

 Charlois. Observations for position were made on June 1 1 and 

 12. — Observations of the same asteroid made at Algiers Obser- 

 vatory with the telescope of o'5 metre aperture, by MM. Ram- 

 baud and Sy. Observations for position were made on June 12 

 and 13. — Extraordinary luminous phenomena observed on the 

 sun, by M. E. L. Trouvelot. — On the determination of spiral 

 surfaces according to their linear element, by M. L. Raffy. — On 

 certain systems of spherical co-ordinates, and on the correspond- 

 ing triple orthogonal systems, by M. A. Petot. — On the damp- 

 ing of Hertz vibrations, by M. V. Bjerknes. — Transmission of 

 light across disturbed media, by M. A. Hurion. — On the 

 electrolysis of barium chloride, pure or mixed with sodium 

 chloride, by M. C. Limb. With moderate currents the author 

 fails to obtain metallic barium ; with the pure salt an infusible 

 body of high resistance is deposited ; with the mixed salts 

 chlorine is disengaged at the anode, and, from the results of 

 analyses given, it would appear that among the products of the 

 electrolysis some subchloride must be formed. — The calculation 

 of the temperature of ebullition of any liquid whatever, under 

 all pressures, by M. G. Hinrichs.— Action of heat on solutions 

 of chromium salts: green salts of chromium, by M. A. Recoura. — 

 The constitution of the green chromium salts is elucidated by means 

 of the results of experiments following thermochemical methods. 

 — Researches on osmium, osmiamic acid, andosmiamates, by M. 

 A. Joly. Taking the revised atomic weight of osmium, the 

 analyses of Fritzsche and Struve, as well as those of the author, 

 point to KNOSO3, and not to KaNaOsjOg, as the formula 

 denoting the composition of potassium osmiamate. Relations 

 may be traced between osmiamic acid and the nitroso-compounds 

 of ruthenium, RUNOCI3 and RuNO;OH)3, O-OsNO— OH 

 may be viewed as the first anhydride of the hypothetical 

 •OsNO(OH)3.— On the alkaline zirconates, by M. L, Ouvrard. 



NO. 1 131, VOL. 44] 



— On the bromo-iodides of silicium, by M. A. Besson. — On the 

 cyanogen compounds of magnesium, by M. Raoul Varet. — On 

 the action of nitric acid of different degrees of concentration 

 upon iron at various temperatures, by MM. Henry Gautier and 

 Georges Charpy. The writers conclude from their experimental 

 results that " iron is always attacked by nitric acid, whatever its 

 concentration." The action may proceed in two ways — (i) 

 rapid, and accompanied by the disengagement of gas ; (2) slow, 

 and without evolution of gas. The latter corresponds to what 

 is known as the passive state of iron. — Action of sodium ben- 

 zylate upon camphocarbonic ether, by M. J. Minguin. — Com- 

 parative influences of the sulphates of iron and calcium on the 

 preservation of nitrogen in naked soils and on nitrification, by 

 M. P. Pichard. — On the value of animal debris as nitrogenous 

 dressing, by MM. A. Muntz and A. C. Girard.— -On the deve- 

 lopment of blastodermic leaves in Crustacea; Isopodee {Porcellio 

 scaber), by M. Louis Roule. — On the disengagement of oxygen 

 by plants at low temperatures, by M. H. Jumelle. It appears 

 that in plants capable of resisting excessive humidity or cold 

 the decomposition of carbon dioxide may continue at very low 

 temperatures, even when respiration has ceased. Conifers such 

 as the juniper-tree, and a \'ichtn{Evernia prunastri), in light can 

 assimilate the carbon in the air in an atmosphere having a tem- 

 perature as low as -30° or -40° C. — The parasitic fungi of 

 Acridians, by MM. J. Kunckel d'Herculais and C. Langlois. — 

 On the supposed post- Secondary granites of Ariege, by M. A. 

 Lacroix. — On the age of a porphyritic granite from the Western 

 Pyrenees, by M. Joseph Roussel. — Experimental researches on 

 muscular exertions, by M. Charles Henry. — Diseases of the 

 bones of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orang-outangs, by M. 

 Etienne Rollet. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Crystallography. By Prof. John W. Judd, F.R.S. . 193 

 Photography in Colours. By Prof, R. Meldola, 



F.R.S 194 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Graham: " Geometry of Position." — Alex. Larmor 195 

 Trelease : " The Species of Epilobium occurring 



North of Mexico." — J. G. B . 196 



Sargant and Wishaw : " A Guide Book to Books "• . 196 



Johnston: " Tasmanian Official Record, 1891 " . . . 196 

 Letters to the Editor :— 



The Albert University.— W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 



C.M.G., F.R.S 197 



The Holarctic Region. — Prof. Alfred Newton, 



F.R.S 197 



Force and Determinism. {With Diagram.) — Evan 



McLennan; Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S. . 198 



The Scorpions at the Zoo. — R. I. Pocock 198 



Cetaceans in African Lakes.— V. Ball, F.R.S. . . . 198 

 On some Points in the Early History of Astronomy. 



V. {Illustrated.) By J. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S. . 199 

 The Later Larval Development of Amphioxus. 



{Illustrated.) By Prof. E, Ray Lankester, F.R.S. . 202 

 The Cardiff Meeting of the British Association. By 



R. W. Atkinson 204 



The Marine Biological Association of the United 



Kingdom * 205 



University Extension Students at Cambridge . . . 205 



Norman R. Pogson, CLE. By W. E. P 205 



Notes 206 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



The Capture Theory of Comets 209 



Wolf's Periodic Comet {b 1891) 209 



Yoruba and Gazaland 209 



The Condition of Space. By Sydney Lupton . . . 210 

 The Flowers of the Pyrenees and their Fertilization 



by Insects. By Prof. J. MacLeod 211 



University and Educational Intelligence 212 



Societies and Academies 212 



