36o 



NA TURE 



[August 13, 1891 



Atlantic. Special floats were thrown into the "^ea in three 

 different places, and their progress was traced from place to 

 place. As a preliminary trial i6o floats were thrown into the 

 sea between the Azores and the Canary Islands. Some of these 

 arrived at the Bermudas eighteen months later. In all 1703 

 floats were despatched, and the result was that the great ocean 

 currents of the North Atlaniic were now fairly well known. 

 The Prince's new yacht is provided with an electric search-light 

 of io,coo candle-power for illuminating the surface of the sea 

 when investigations are being carried on at night. Soundings 

 can be made to a depth of 8000 metres without much difficulty. 

 — M. le Baron Jules de Guerne, President of the Zoological 

 Society of France, read a paper on the zoological results of the 

 voyages of the Hirondelle (the Prince of Monaco's former yacht). 

 He described the work of exploration among the Oceanic Is- 

 lands, and alluded specially to the new species which had been 

 found. — Mr. J. Y. Buchanan described a cartographic device 

 which is of great use in the treatment of some geographical 

 and telluric problems. — Mr. W. E. Hoyle described a deep-sea 

 tow-net, which, by means of an electrical device, can be opened 

 and closed at definite (arbitrary) instants. — Dr. H. R. Mill 

 exhibited an improved form of his self-locking water-bottle. 



July 20. — The Hon. Lord McLaren in the chair. — Some 

 additional observations, by Prof. Mcintosh, on the development 

 and )ife-hi-tories of the marine food-fishes and the distribution 

 of their ova, were communicated. By means of various kinds 

 of tow-nets, an endeavour has been made to ascertain the 

 distribution of the eggs of the food- fishes on our shores. They 

 are found at all depths, at the surface, and at the bottom. The 

 floating eggs of the pilchard and mackerel are chiefly found on 

 the south and south-we-t shores. On the east coast of Scotland 

 the ova of the cod, whiting, and haddock are abundant. On 

 the west coast, those of the sole, &c., abound. — The Astronomer- 

 Royal for .Scotland read a paper on the bright streaks on the 

 moon. When the moon is half full its brilliancy is not nearly 

 one-half so great as its brilliancy when it is quite full. Now at 

 full moon the surface is observed to be c >vered by bright streaks 

 which originate at the craters. The author believes that the 

 great brightness of the full moon is due to these streaks. He 

 considers them to be convex or concave, and so to be largely 

 invisible under cross light, while they are brilliantly illuminated 

 when the sun shines full upon them. The paper was illus- 

 trated by a model in plaster of Paris, with glass beads attached 

 to its surface.— A paper, by Prof. C. G. Knott, on the effect of 

 longitudinal magnetization on the interior volume of iron and 

 nickel tubes, was communicated. — Dr. H. R. Mill read an 

 obituary notice of Prof. C. I. Burton. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 3.— M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. — Experimental researches on the probable role of gases at 

 high temperatures and pressures, and in rapid moveoient, in 

 various geological ])henomena, by M. Daubiee. The experi- 

 ments show how gases at high pressure, and contained in a 

 closed reservoir, may, by a sort of latecit action, violently push 

 out rocks into conical or bell-shaped formations without any 

 noise or escape of gas occurring to indicate their gaseous nature. 

 — Heats of combustion and formation of nitrobenzenes, by 

 MM. Berthelot and Matignon. The heats of combustion of 

 ortho-, meta-, and para-dinitrobenzenes are found to be respect- 

 tively 704-6, 698*1, and 696*5 calories ; and the heats of forma- 

 tion 0-5, 68, and 8*4 calories. The heats of combustion of the 

 two isomeric trinitrobenzenes examined are 665 "9 and 680*6 

 calories; and the heats of formation -f5*5and - 9*2 calories. — 

 On the oldest European Dicotyledons observed in strata at 

 Cereal, Portugal, by M. G. de Saporta.— On some improve- 

 ments carried out in the manufacture of artificial Seltzer water : 

 the siphon arrangement, by M. de Pietra Santa.— On a new 

 and improved construction of the thermo-cautery of 1876, by 

 M. Paquelin. — Periodic variations of the latitudes of solar pro- 

 minences, by M. A. Ricco. The author's observations de- 

 monstrate that solar prominences, like spots, approach the 

 equator up to the minimum period of activity, and afterwards begin 

 again to appear more numerous in high latitudes.— On induc- 

 tion inclination needles, by M. Ernest Schering. 'I'his is a 

 brief description of a new magnetic inclination needle con- 

 structed by the author, and with which it is said to be 

 possible to determine inclination with a probable error 

 of 4"'2. — On the expansion of phosphorus, and its change 

 of volume at the melting-point, by M. A. Leduc. The 



coefficient of expansion for solid phosphorus between o" and 

 44°*i is fmnd to be 0*000372, whilst for liquid phosphorus 

 between 26° and 50° the coefficient is 0*000560. The expansion 

 is regular up to the melting-point, but an abrupt change of 

 volume then occurs. The relation between the volume of 

 phosphorus in the liquid and solid state is 1*0345.- Study of the 

 chemical neutralization of acids and bases, by means of their 

 electric conductivities, by M. Daniel Berthelot. From the 

 investigation it appears that, when potash is acted on by hydro- 

 chloric acid, acetic acid, and phenic acid, compounds are formed 

 having approximately equal electric conductivities. Ammonia, 

 with the first two acids, gives similar stable salts, but with the 

 last acid an unstable compound having a less electric conduc- 

 tivity is i>roduced. Aniline forms with hydrochloric acid a 

 stable compound having good electrical conductivity ; and with 

 acetic acid, an unstable body whose conductivity is said to be 

 mediocre. — Action of phenylhydrazine on phenyls, by M. 

 Alphonse Seyewetz. — On the development of sponges {Spongilla 

 Jhiviatilis), by M. Yves Delage. — On Isaria densa, Link, a 

 parasite of the white worm, by .M. Alfred Giard. — The parasite 

 of the cockchafer, by M. Le Moult. — Action of poisons on the 

 germination of the seeds of the plants which furnish them, by 

 M. Ch. Cornevin. — On the resistance of the rabic virus to the 

 action of prolonged cold, by M. Jobert.— Chromoscopic analysis 

 of white light, by M. A. Charpentier. 



Erratum. — On line 36, p. 336, instead of 0*1050 and 4*9720, 

 read 1*1050 and 09720. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Elementary Science Lessons, Standard III. : W. Hewitt (Longmans). — 

 Elementary Geometry of Conies. 7th edition: Dr. C Taylor (Bell). —In- 

 structions M^teorologiques, ^me edition : A. Angoc (Paris. Gauthier-Villars). 

 — Bush Friends in Tasmania: L. A. Meiedith (Macmillan). — Illustrations 

 of the CO. S. System of Units: J. D. Everett (Macmillan). — Elements of 

 the Differential and Integral Calculus : A. Harnack ; translation (Williams 

 and Norgate).- Denmark : its Medical Organization, Hygiene, and De- 

 mography (Churchill). — Statistical Investigations concerning the Imbeciles 

 in Dentnark, 1888-1889 (Churchill). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The International Congress of Hygiene and Demo- 

 graphy 337 



A Life of Darwin. By Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S. . . 337 

 Pines and Firs of Japan. By Dr. Maxwell T. 



Masters, F.R.S 339 



Elementary Hydrostatics. By Pr -f. A. G. Green- 

 Hill, F.R.S 341 



Our Book Shelf :- 



Todhunter : " Plane Trigonometry for the Use of 



Colleges and Schools " 342 



Young : " Lessons in Astronomy " 342 



McLennan : " Cosmical Evolution : a New Theory of 



the Mechanism of Nature " 342 



Williams: " The Telescope : an Introduction to the 



Study of the Heavens" 342 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Silver Lodes and Salt Lakes. — George Sutherland 342 



A Magnificent Meteor. — Donald Cameron .... 343 



Bees and Honey-dew.— F. M. Burton 343 



Dredging Products.— Alexr. Meek 344 



The International Congress of Hygiene and Demo- 

 graphy 344 



Programme of Technological Examinations . . . . 346 



Botanical Survey of India 347 



M. Faye's Theory of Cyclones. By Henry F. Blan- 



ford, F.R.S 348 



Notes 350 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



The Spectrum of /3 Lyrse 355 



The Polarization Theory of the Solar Corona .... 355 



Observations of the Motion of Sirius 355 



Return of Encke's Comet 355 



On some Test Cases for the Maxwell- Holtzmann 

 Doctrine regarding Distribution of Energy. [Illus- 

 trated.) By Sir William Thomson, P. R.S. ... 355 

 The International Geographical Congress at Berne . 358 



Scientific Serials 358 



Societies and Academies 359 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 360 



NO. I 137, VOL. 44] 



