264 



NATURE 



[July 16, 1891 



inclination may have a sensible influence, and diminish the co- 

 efficient of the inequality in question by a tenth of its value- 

 that is, by about i""6. — On the manner in which the velocities 

 are distributed from the entrance of a cylindrical tube of circular 

 section widened at the mouth up to the points where uniformity 

 is established, by M. J. Boussinesq.— The flight of insects 

 studied by photochronography, by M. Marey. The author 

 describes an apparatus which he has used to obtain photographs 

 of flying insects. It allows exposures to be made so short as 

 ■^^^ of a second. His observations indicate that the wings of 

 insects in flight, by meeting obliquely the resistance of the air in 

 to-and-fro movements, act in a very similar manner to the 

 sculls used to propel rowing-boats. — Study of the tetra-iodide 

 of carbon, by M. Henri Moissan. By acting on carbon tetra- 

 chloride with boron tri-iodide, the trichloride of boron and the 

 tetra-iodide of carbon are obtained by double decomposition. A 

 detailed account is given of this reaction. The carbon tetra- 

 iodide thus prepared forms comparatively large crystals of a 

 beautiful red colour, very similar to the rubies synthetically pre- 

 pared by MM. Fremy and Verneuil. Several new reactions 

 with this compound are described. — Compounds of camphors 

 with the aldehydes : on a new mode of formation of alkyl 

 camphors, by M. A. Haller. — The Eocene formations of 

 Algeria, by MM. Pomel anci Ficheur. It has been previously 

 shown that the Eocene formations of Algeria may be divided 

 into the three groups, lower, middle, and upper. The observa- 

 tions now stated indicate that the Middle Eocene formations 

 only extend over a narrow zone, and that they are characterized 

 by Nummulites of the groups Numm. Imvigata and Numm. per- 

 forata. The Lower Eocenes are defined from a nummulitic 

 point of view by Numm. planulata, Ntimm. biarritzensis, and 

 Numm. gizehensis. — Method of ready transformation of the 

 tubercular products of joints and certain other parts of the 

 liuman body, by M. Lannelongue. — On the determination of 

 the constants and coefficients of elasticity of nickel-steel, by M. 

 E. Mercadier. Experiments have been made to determine the 



relation - for solid sonorous bodies, and, therefore, the coefficient 



of dynamical elasticity, by a method founded on Kirchhoff''s 

 theory of vibration of circular disks. From the results obtained 

 it appears that the incorporation of a sufficient quantity of nickel 

 with steel tends to make the alloy isotropic. The mean co- 

 efficient of dynamical elasticity for alloys containing about 5 per 

 cent, and 25 per cent, of nickel is 18,600, whereas that of pure 

 steel is 20,700. — Calculation of molecular volume, by M. G. 

 Hinrichs. — On an explosive compound which results from the 

 action of baryta water on chromic acid in the presence of oxy- 

 genated water, by M. E. Pechard. By adding baryta water in 

 the presence of an excess of oxygenated water, a precipitate is 

 produced, which, after desiccation, explodes violently by heat 

 or percussion. The compound has the formula BaOj . CrOj. — 

 On the detection of small quantities of boric acid, by M. F. 

 Parmentier. — On the structure of the ocellates of Lithobius for- 

 ficatus, by M. Victor Willem. — Comparative study of the 

 development and morphology of the parapodia of Syllidise, by 

 M. A. Malaquin. 



GOTTINGEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences. — The Proceedings of the 

 Society for February, March, and May 1891 contain the 

 following papers of scientific interest : — 



No. I. — W. Nernst : on Henry's law of chemical equilibrium 

 in solutions. — F. Meyer : on discriminants and resultants of 

 singularity-equations. — O. Venske : contribution to the integra- 

 tion of the equation t^u = o for certain plane figures (the disk, 

 the annulus, the rectilineal angle, the rectilinear strip with 

 parallel sides, the annular sector). 



No. 2. — W. Voigt : contributions to hydrodynamics (pul- 

 sating sphere or cylinder in an infinite liquid ; stationary 

 waves in a stream as an example of Kirchhoff's theory of liquid 

 stream-rays ; successive approximation to the irrotational motion 

 of a heavy liquid with free surface ; stationary combined motions 

 depending on two co-ordinates in a liquid under a conservative 

 system of forces ; non-stationary current-motion, partly rotational, 

 partly irrotational, within an ellipsoidal shell at rest). — O. 

 Venske : integration of a special system of linear homogeneous 

 differential equations, with doubly periodic functions as coeffi- 

 cients. — F. Meyer : on real properties of curves in space. 



No. 3. — G. Tammann : on conduction through membrane- 

 like precipitates. — O. Venske : a new apparatus for the deter- 



mination in absolute measure of the internal thermal conductivity 

 of badly conducting bodies. 



Stockholm. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, June 10, — On the treatment 

 of cancer through injections, by Prof, Rossander. — Analysis of 

 a pyrite, which seems to contain a new element, by Herr L. J. 

 Igelstrom. — A letter from Baron Ferd. von Mueller on the Aus- 

 tralian contributions towards a South Polar expedition planned 

 in Sweden, communicated by Baron Nordenskiold. — The inten- 

 sity of the radiation of gaseous bodies under the influence of an 

 electric discharge, by Dr. K. Angstrom. — On derivates of sulphur 

 urates, iii., by Dr. Hector. — A solution of a mechanical problem 

 which leads to the functions of Rosenhain, by Dr. Olsson. — 

 Some experiments on the respiration of the Algse, by Miss H. 

 Loven. — The African genera of the Calandrides related to the 

 Oxypisthens, by Prof. Chr. Aurivillius. — A comparison between 

 the methods of Angstrom and Neumann for determining the con- 

 ductibility of heat in bodies. Part iii., by Dr. Hagstrom. — On 

 1-6 dibrom-naphthaline, by Herr Forsling. — Triazol combina- 

 tions produced from aldehydes and dicyan-phenyl-hydrazine, by 

 Herr Holmqvist. — On the ammoniacal combinations of iridium, 

 by Dr. Palmser. — On the formulas for calculating the mortality 

 during the first year of human life, as derived from the statistics 

 of the population, by Dr. G. Enestrom. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Among the Butterflies : B. G. Johns (Isbister). — The Business of Travel, 

 W. F. Rae (Cook).— The Melanesians : Dr. R. H. Codrington (Clarendon 

 Press). — Verlags-Catalog von R. Friedlander und Sohn, iSjo-go (Berlin, 

 Friedlander). — The Geology of Nova Scotia, &c., or Acadian Geology, 

 4th edition : Sir J. W. Dawson (Macmillan and Co.). — British Cage Birds, 

 Part i5:.R. L. Wallace {U. Gill).— North Midland School Cookery 

 Book (Raithby). — Der Peloponnes Versuch einer Landeskunde auf Geo- 

 logischer Grundlage, Abtg. i : Dr. A. Philoppson (Berlin, Friedlander). — 

 Darkness and Light in the_ Land of Egypt : Colonel Fraser (Sutton). — Die 

 organischen Elemente und ihre Stellungim System : W. Preyer (Wiesbaden, 

 Bergmann). — Destructive Locusts: C. V. Riley (Washington).— U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture — Reports of Observations and Experiments 

 (Washington). — Insect Life, vol. iii., Nos. 9 and 10 (Washington).— 

 Stonyhurst College Observatory — Results of Meteorological and Mag- 

 netical Observations, 1889-93 : Rev. W. Sidgreaves (Market Weighton). 

 — Simple Recipes for Sick-Room Cookery : Mrs. Buck (Raithby).— journal 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. ii. Part ii. No. 6 (Murray). — Journal 

 of the College of Science, Imperial University of Japan, vol. iv. Part r 

 (Tokio). — Mind, July (Williams and Norgate). — The Pedagogical Seminary, 

 vol. i. No. 2 (Worcester, Mass.). — The Economic Journal, No. 2 (Macmillan 

 and Co.).— London and Middlesex Note-Book, No. 2 (E. Stock). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Organizers of Technical Education in Conference. 



( With Map) 241 



The Evolution of Animals. By R. Lydekker . . . 243 

 Metallurgy. By Prof. W. C. Roberts-Austen, F.R.S. 245 



Bacteria and their Products • .... 246 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Gordon: "Our Country's Flowers." — C. H. W. . . 247 

 Pascoe : "A Summary of the Darwinian Theory of 



the Origin of Species." — R, M 247 



Rae: " The Business of Travel " 247 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Albert University.— Prof. G, Croom Robert- 

 son ; Rev. A. Irving 248 



Name for Resonance. — Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, 



F.R.S 248 



Force and Determinism. — Prof.C. Lloyd Morgan ; 



Edward T. Dixon '..... 249 



Magnetic Anomalies. — Alfonso Sella 249 



Physical Religion. — B. Woodd Smith 249 



Some Applications of Photography. {Illustrated.) 



By Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S 249 



The Smithsonian Astro-physical Observatory . . . 254 



The New Gallery of British Art 255 



Cardinal Haynald 256 



Oxford Summer Meeting of University Extension 



Students . . . . • 256 



The Proposed Teaching University for London . . 257 



Notes 257 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Stellar Cluster x Persei 259 



On the Vegetation of Tibet 260 



Societies and Academies 260 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received ..... 264 



NO. I 133, VOL. 44] 



