'■34 



NA TURE 



[July q, 1891 



pose of facilitating the growth of oysters. This consists of a 

 series of shallow flat baskets or trays of wire-netting on an iron 

 frame, about 4 inches deep and 2 feet square, placed in tiers, 

 and held together by two iron bands, the number depending on 

 the depth of water in each case. These are either fixed to the 

 soil, or suspended from rafts or other floating bodies, by which 

 means depths of water otherwise inaccessible can be utilized. 

 The other advantages claimed for the apparatus are economy of 

 space in "planting" oysters, and of labour in collecting them, 

 protection of the oysters from five-fingers, and from contact 

 with unsuitable soil, and their exposure on all sides lo the free 

 circulation of the water, resulting in more rapid and regular 

 growth, and a greater tendency to depth of shell than under 

 the most favourable of ordinary circumstances. In the case of 

 beds infested with the boring worm referred to, the trays in 

 question would in all probability afford a ready means of placing 

 the oysters beyond the reach of these marauders. The con- 

 venience of such appliances, especially in cases where French 

 oysters are laid down temporarily on English beds, to be after- 

 wards transferrel to other grounds, e.g. during the winter, 

 would probably be found to be very great. 



At a meeting of the Chemical Society held on June 18, a 

 paper was read by Ludwig Mend and F. Quincke, on a volatile 

 compound of iron and carbonic oxide. The authors describe 

 experiments from which they conclude that iron forms a volatile 

 compound with carbonic oxide of the formula Fe(C0)4, ^^'^- 

 responding to that of nickel. Very finely divided iron — -obtained 

 by reducing iron oxalate by hydrogen at a temperature but little 

 exceeding 400°, and allowing it to cool to 80° in hydrogen — when 

 heated in an atmosphere of carbonic oxide gave a gas which 

 burnt with a yellow flame ; and on passing the gas through a 

 heated tube a mirror of iron was formed at between 200° and 

 380°, while at higher temperatures black flakes of iron and 

 carbon were deposited. Only about 2 grams of iron, however, 

 were volatilized after six weeks' treatment of 12 grams of the 

 metal ; it was necessary every five or six hours to interrupt the 

 operation, and to re-heat the iron to 400° in hydrogen during 

 about twenty minutes. When passing carbonic oxide at the rate 

 of about 2^ litres per hour, not more thin o'oi gram of iron was 

 volatilized, corresponding to less than 2 c.c. of the compound 

 Fe(C0)4 in a litre of gas. The authors have effected an analysis 

 of the compound by passing the mixture of gases into mineral 

 oil, boiling between 250° and 300°, and heating the solution so 

 obtained to 180° ; iron free from carbon is then deposited and 

 carbonic oxide gas is evolved. Five analyses are quoted, the 

 results of which give a ratio of Fe : CO, varying only from 

 I : 4*03 to I :4'264. Dr. Armstrong said that the authors' dis- 

 covery was extremely interesting on account of the explanation 

 which it might be held to afford of the permeability of iron by 

 carbonic oxide at high temperatures, as well as to the production 

 of steel by the cementation process, to which Graham had drawn 

 special attention. Just as platinum was permeable by hydrogen and 

 silver by oxygen at high temperatures, so iron was permeable by 

 carbonic oxide ; it might be supposed, in each case, because a dis- 

 sociable compound of the metal with the gas was formed. Prof. 

 Thorpe drew attention to the value of the experiments in con- 

 nection with the production of steel by the cementation process, 

 and stated that he had recently observed that platinum had the 

 property of causing the separation of carbon from carbonic 

 oxide, Mr. Mond said they had refrained from discussing the 

 application of their discovery in the directions indicated, as the 

 compound was only obtained at low temperatures. Dr. Arm- 

 strong said this might well be the case ; but as Mr. Mond and Dr. 

 Quincke had established the all-important fact that iron had a 

 specific affinity for carbonic oxide, the argument he had used 

 would apply, although the compound might not be sufficiently 

 stable at high temperatures to exist alone. 

 NO. I 132, VOL. 44] 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Chimpanzee {Anthropopit/iecus troglodytes S ) 

 from West Africa, presented by Major Al. McDonnell Moore ; 

 a Duyker Bok {Cephaloplms mergens S ) from South Africa, 

 presented by Mr. A. Barsdorf; five West Indian Agoutis 

 {Dasyprocta antillensis) from Jamaica, presented by the Board 

 of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica ; a Spotted Cavy 

 (Ccslogenys paca) from Guiana, presented by Mr. R. Kirk ; two 

 Slow Loiis {Nycticebus tardigradus), a Javan Fish-Owl [Ketupa 

 javj-nensis) from Java, presented by Mr. R. Dixon ; an Orange- 

 cheeked Waxbill {Estrelda melpoda), a Zebra VVaxbill {Estrelda 

 subjlava) from West Africa, a Nutmeg Finch {Munia punctti- 

 laria) from India, presented by Mrs. Harris ; a Chattering Lory 

 {Loritcs garrulus) from Moluccas, presented by Miss Alice 

 Dundas ; a Common Viper ( Vipera berus), British, presented by 

 Mr. W. H. B. Pain ; four Grey Parrots {Psittacus erithacus) 

 from East Africa, deposited ; a Thar {Capra jemlaiea), born in 

 the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Luminous Outburst observed on the SvN.—Comptes 

 rendiis for June 22 contains the information that on June 17, at 

 loh. i6m. Paris mean time, M. Trouvelot observed a luminous 

 outburst on the sun, apparently of the same character as that 

 witnessed by Carrington and Hodgson in 1859 {Monthly Notices 

 R.A.S.,^o\. XX. pp. 13-16). A luminous spot subtending an 

 angle of 3° appeared near the western limb of the sun (position- 

 angle 281°). It had not the characteristic white colour of 

 faculae, but was yellowish, and strikingly resembled the light 

 emitted by incandescent lamps shortly before they reach their 

 maximum brilliancy. M. Trouvelot's first impression was that 

 an opening at the eye-piece allowed a ubiquitous sunbeam to 

 fall upon the screen upon which the sun's image was being 

 projected, but an exammation proved that the phenomenon was 

 truly solar. In fact, shortly after the time of the first observa- 

 tion, a similar brilliant object subtending an angle of about 5" 

 or 6° ^appeared slightly to the north of the first, its position- 

 angle being about 289". By means of spectroscopic observa- 

 tions it was found that the first object consisted of a central 

 eruption from which a species of incandescent volcanic bombs 

 were thrown to heights of 2' or'3' above the chromosphere, where 

 they rested as it" suspended, and appeared as dazzling globes on 

 the red background on which they were projected. A few 

 minutes later the sparkling balls were replaced by numerous 

 brilliant filaments or jets, which at loh. 24m. were shot out to 

 a height of 5' 24". In spite of the vivid light of this prominence 

 only a few lines in the spectrum were seen to be reversed. In 

 addition to the lines C, Dg, F, and G, which were all extremely 

 bright, the line at A 6676'8, the b group, .and a line about 

 A 4394*8, were seen bright. The sodium lines, Dj and Do, 

 showed no indication of reversal. Considerable displacements 

 of the C line towards both ends of the spectrum were observed. 

 On the following day at gh. 30m. the eruption was still very 

 apparent, but diminishing in activity, and at 2h. 45m. all signs 

 of an eruptive prominence had disappeared. The striking 

 character of the outburst led M. Trouvelot to suggest that it 

 might be accompanied by a simultaneous terrestrial magnetic 

 perturbation. This was not the case, however, for after ex- 

 amining the records obtained at Kew Observatory, Mr. Whipple 

 writes that there was not the slightest magnetic disturbance on 

 the dates when the eruption Was observed. 



LORD HARTINGTON ON TECHNICAL 

 EDUCATION. 



T^HE fourth annual meeting of the National Association for 

 -'■ the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education took 

 place on Friday last at 14 Dean's Yard, Westminster. Lord 

 Hartington, President of the Association, occupied the chair. 

 He said : — 



In opening the proceedings it will be, fortunately, unnecessary 

 for me to trouble you with more than a very few brief obseiva- 

 tions. It has not been considered necessary to make any 



