2>2>^ 



NATURE 



[August 6, il 



■different species, the facts brought forward give considerable 

 support to the idea that Europe, Asia, and America have been 

 connected by land in comparatively recent times. — The Ichthyo- 

 saurus from St. Columbe, by M. Albert Gaudry. This is a 

 description of an Ichthyosaurus exhibited at the Paris Exhibition 

 of 1889. It is proposed to name the fossil Ichthyosaurus bu7-- 

 gtinditE. — Examination of samples of native iron of terrestrial 

 origin discovered in gold washings from the environs of Bere- 

 zowsk, by MM. Daubree and Stanislas Meunier. The specimens 

 examined weighed respectively ii"5 grams and 72 grams, and 

 were discovered near the Eerezowsk gold mines, Persia. The 

 metal is very magnetic, but manifests no polarity. Its density 

 is 7 '59. When treated with an acid it is sensibly attacked, 

 but does not show the Widmanstatten figures as is the case 

 when acid is applied to a clean face of meteoritic iron. This 

 fact and the absence of nickel leads the authors to conclude that 

 the iron is truly native. About one per cent, of platinum is 

 present.— On the volatility of nickel under the influence of 

 hydrochloric acid, by M. P. Schiitzenberger. When dry 

 hydrogen is passed over pure anhydrous nickel chloride at a red 

 heat, it may be shown that the hydrochloric acid gas which 

 comes off from the tube in which the reduction occurs contains 

 a sensible amount of metal in the form of a volatile product. 

 The same result is obtained if, instead of reducing nickel chloride 

 by hydrogen, finely divided nickel is acted on by dry hydro- 

 chloric acid gas. M. Schiitzenberger has not yet been able to 

 isolate this body for the purpose of determining its constitution. 

 — Note on a proposed Observatory on Mont Blanc, by M. J. 

 Janssen. — On the retardation of luminous impressions, by M. 

 Mascart. — Works of applied zoology effected at the Endoume 

 maritime station during 1890, by M. A. F, Marion.— On a 

 geometrical representation and formula expressing the law of 

 the passage of perfect gases through orifices, by M. Henri 

 Parenty. — On the densities of oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, 

 by M. A. Leduc. The values obtained are : hydrogen 0-0695, 

 oxygen 0-1050, nitrogen 4*9720. From the densities of oxygen 

 and nitrogen the percentage proportion of the former element in 

 air is found to be 23-235 by weight and 21-026 by volume. The 

 atomic weight of nitrogen deducedfrom these results is 13-99, and 

 , that of oxygen 15-905. — Remarks on the transport of metallic iron 

 and nickel by carbon monoxide, by M. Jules Gamier. Some 

 observations of the character of the flames issuing from furnaces 

 in which these metals are being reduced are shown to be easily 

 explained in the light of recent work on iron and nickel 

 carbonyls.— Action of water on the basic salts of copper, by 

 MM. G. Rousseau and G. Tite. Certain borates and oxy- 

 chloride of antimony are transformed to oxides by the prolonged 

 action of water at a sufificiently high temperature. Similarly, by 

 heating copper nitrate, brochantite, and atacamite with water in 

 sealed tubes they have been reduced to oxides. Libethenite 

 has been experimented upon, but has resisted the transformation 

 even when kept in the presence of water for three days at a 

 temperature of 273° C.— On an actual mode of formation of 

 mineral sulphides, byM. E. Chuard.— Researches on thallium, 

 by MM. C. Lepierre and M. Lachaud. Thallium chromate 

 has been prepared by acting on thallium sulphate with potassium 

 chromate. Reactions with various bodies are described. — 

 On parabanic and oxaluric acids, by M. W. C. Matignon. The 

 heat of combustion of parabanic acid is found to be 212-7 cal., 

 of oxaluric acid 211 cal. Hence the heats of formation have 

 been calculated, 139-2 cal. and 209-9 cal. The heat of solution 

 of parabanic acid at 20° and with a concentration of 2V mol. per 

 litre is - 5-1 cal. The formation from oxalic acid of its ureide, 

 parabanic acid, gives + 2-2 cal. and of its uramic acid, oxaluric 

 acid, -f 2-5 cal. The formation of the ureides thus gives only a 

 feeble heat- liberation. Each of these acids dissolved in a large 

 excess of potash yields the neutral potassium oxalate. Potassium 

 oxalurate has been prepared by dissolving the acid in its equi- 

 valent of potash and evaporating. Fine prismatic needles are 

 obtamed, differing from the salts of Menschutkin and Strecker. 

 The heat of neutralization of oxaluric acid is 30-2 cal., as against 

 34-2 cal. for oxalic acid,— The transformation of gallic acid and 

 tannm mto benzoic acid, by M. Ch.-Er. Guignet.— On the 

 polymeric acids of ricinoleic acid, by M. Scheurer-Kestner.— 

 On the fermentation of bread, by M. Leon Boutroux. During 

 an examination of the conditions essential for the fermentation 

 of bread, the author has isolated five species of yeast and three 

 species of bacteria. The parts played by each of these organisms 

 are described, and the conclusion is finally drawn that the fer- 

 mentation of bread consists essentially of a normal alcoholic 

 NO. II 36, VOL. 44] 



fermentation of sugar pre-existing in the flour, and that only 

 the yeasts producing alcoholic fermentations are necessary; the 

 ordinarily co-existing alteration of gluten is a subsidiary and 

 unessential action due to some of the bacteria present. — On a 

 thermogenic substance in urine, by M. Paul Binet. — On the 

 transformation of carboxy-haemoglobin into methasmoglobin, and 

 a new process of examination for carbon monoxide in the blood, 

 by MM. H. Bertin-Sans and J. Moitessier. — On a new apparatus 

 for measuring muscular power, by M. N. Grehant. — Measure of 

 the muscular power of animals under the action of certain 

 poisons, by MM. Grehant and C. Quinquaud.— On the con- 

 cordance of Prof. S. P. Langley's experimental results on the 

 resistance of the air (see Nature of July 23, p. 277) with the 

 values obtained by calculation, by M.Drzewiecki. — Analysisby 

 means of chrono-photography of the movements of the lips dur- 

 ing speech, by M. G. Demeny. Using M. Marey's method for 

 photographing objects in rapid motion, the author has succeeded 

 in portraying the movements of the lips during speech, and 

 finds that it is possible to distinguish the letters of the alphabet 

 when the photographic results are spun in a zootrope. — Relation 

 between oscillations of the retina and certain entoptic phenomena, 

 by M. A. Charpentier. — The nanny-goat is not refractory to 

 tuberculosis, by M. G. Colin. — Researches on the pathogenic 

 microbes in muds from the Dead Sea, by M. L. Lortet. — On 

 the excretory apparatus of Carididse, and on the renal secretion 

 of Crustaceae, by M. P. Marchal.— On the nervous system of 

 Monocotylidae, by M. G. Saint-Remy.— Contribution to the 

 natural history of a cochineal, Rhizcecus falcifer, Kiinck, dis- 

 covered in the greenhouses of the Museum and living on the 

 roots of the vine in Algeria, by MM. Kunckel d'Herculais and 

 Frederic Saliba. — On specific assimilation in Umbelliferse, by 

 M. Genean de Lamarliere. — Document relative to the trajectory 

 of the Ensishein meteorite of 1492, by Prof. H. A. Newton. — 

 On the erosion and transport by torrential rivers having glacier 

 affluents, by MM. L, Duparc and B. Baeff. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Cosmical Evolution : E. McLennan (Chicago, Donohue).— The Artillery 

 of the Future and the New Powders : J. A. Longridge (Spon).— British 

 Rainfall, 1890 : G. J. Symons and H. S. Wallis (Stanford).— Epidemic 

 Influenza, Notes on its Origin and Method of Spread : Dr. R. Sisley (Long- 

 mans).— Essays upon Heredity and Kindred Biological Problems ; author- 

 ized translation, vol. i., 2nd edition : Dr. A. Weismann, edited by E. B 

 Poulton, S. Schonland, and A. E. Shipley (Oxford, Clarendon Press). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Physicist on Colour- Vision. By H. H 313 



Positive Science and the Sphinx. By C. LI. M. . . 315 

 Analytical Methods of Agricultural Chemists ... 317 

 Geological Rambles round about London. Bv 



T. G. B ^3x7 



Our Book Shelf:— ^ ' 



" Katalog der Bibliothek der Deutschen Seewarte zu 



Hamburg" 218 



"Scientific Results of the Second Yarkand Mission" . 318 



Airy: " Popular Astronomy " -210 



Letters to the Editor :— 



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

 Edward T. Dixon ; D. Wetterhan ; Rev. T. 



Travers Sherlock -jig 



Technical Education for Farmers, Farriers, and 



Engine-Drivers. — ^John L. Winter 320 



The Eruption of Vesuvius of June 7, 1891. {//lus- 



trated.) By Dr. H. J. Johnston-Lavis 320 



The Production of Musical Notes from Non- 

 Musical Sands. By Cecil Carus-Wilson .... 322 



Notes 323 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Researches on the Mean Density of the Earth .... 327 



Parallax of P Ursse Majoris 327 



The Progress of Medicine. By Dr. T. Lauder 



Brunton, F.R.S 327 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers . . . . . 332 

 The New Gas, Chlorofiuoride of Phosphorus. By 



A. E. Tutton 333 



Prof. Mendeleeff on the Variation of the Density of 



Water at Different Temperatures 334 



University and Educational Intelligence ..... 335 



Scientific Serials * , , 33? 



Societies and Academies ... ...'..'. 335 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received . . . . . 336 



