58o 



NATURE 



[October 13, 1892 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Paris, 

 Academy of Sciences, October 3. M. de Lacaze-Duthiers 

 in the chair — Observations of the new planet Borrelly, made at 

 the observatory of Algiers (equatorial coude), by MM. Rambaud 

 and Sy, communicated by M. Tisserand. — On considerations of 

 homogeneity in physics, and on a relation between the velocity 

 of propagation of a current and the capacity and coefficient of 

 self-induction of the line, by M. C. Clavenad. — On the coexis- 

 tence of dielectric power and electric conductivity. A claim of 

 priority advanced by Mr. E. Cohn over M. Bouty (see Wiede- 

 mann's Annalen, vol. xxviii. p. 454). — Comparative evaporation 

 of the solutions of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and of 

 pure water, by M. Pierre Lesage. Within the limits of the ex- 

 periments, pure water evaporates more rapidly than solutions of 

 either chloride. The solutions of KCl have, with the same 

 degree of concentration, a greater rate of evaporation than those 

 of NaCl. — On a fossil piece of wood containing fluorine, by M. 

 T. L. Phipson. This was found in the cretaceous sandstone of 

 the Isle of Wight, and analysed thirty years ago. It yielded 

 32'45 percent, of phosphoric acid and 3-90 per cent, of fluorine. 

 It had a brown colour and a density of 271. — Identity of cas- 

 carine and rhacunoxanthine, by the same. — On a respiratory 

 globuline contained in the blood of the chitons, "by M. A. B. 

 Griffiths. The yellow blood of the chitons contains a respiratory 

 globuline which contains no metal. It is colourless, and possesses 

 the same properties of oxygenation and deoxygenation as hsemo- 

 globine, chlorocruorine, and other respiratory suLstances. Its 

 empirical formula is 



^621 "814 N]75 SOi69 



It has been named ;8-achroglobine, to distinguish it from that of 

 the Potella, which has been called acroglobine. — Influence of 

 the electric light on the structure of herbaceous plants, by M. 

 Gaston Bonnier. After his researches on ■. rees carried out at 

 the electric station of the Paris Central Markets, the writer 

 experim nted upon herbaceous plants under similar conditions. 

 Ttie plants were placed at distances varying from i"5 to 4m. 

 from arc lamps, whose light was kept constant for seven months. 

 The excess of ultraviolet radiation was intercepted by glass 

 shades. Under these circumstances, the majority of plants 

 exhibited intense activity of assimilation. 12 gr, of leaves of 

 Ra)nincnlus bolbosiis developed I "05 of oxygen in one hour, the 

 corresponding figure for diffused daylight being 0*52, and for full 

 sunlight in midsummer 3'95. A certain proportion of plants 

 died off, even in int.rmittent light, especially if no shade was 

 used. Some plants showed an exuberant vegetation, the leaves 

 a deeper green, and the pe als more striking colours. Of 

 these, however, the larger number soon began to suffer from 

 excessive assimilation. Some were able to adapt themselves 

 completely, such as bulb plants, grasses raised from seeds, 

 arborescent species, and submerged aquatic plants. The latter 

 al o showed no difference in structure, whereas the leaves of 

 crocuses, anemones, and ranunculi became almost unrecognis- 

 able owing to anatomical modifications. As a general result, 

 if the continuous electric light through glass produces a great 

 development in an herbaceous plant accompanied by an intense 

 green, the structure of the organs is at first highly difTerentiated; 

 but if the electric light is intense, and prolonged for several 

 months without change, the new organs formed by the plant, 

 which are able to adapt themselves to this kind of illumination, 

 present remarkable modifications of structure in their various 

 tissues, and are less differentiated, although always rich in 

 chlorophyll. Further, the direct electric light is prejudicial to 

 the normal development of the tissues in virtue of its ultra-violet 

 rays, even at a distance of more than 3m. 



GOTTINGEN. 



Royal Scientific Society, March to June. — The following 

 scientific papers have appeared in the Nachrichten : — 



March. — Biirger : Preliminary contributions to a systematic 

 account of the Nemertean fauna of the Gulf of Naples. 



April. — Wallach and Marme : New chemical combinations of 

 vegetable origin. — Hecht : Contributions to geometrical crystallo- 

 graphy. — Hurwitz : On the theory of Abelian functions, general- 

 ising algebraic functions into multiplier-functions and stating the 

 generalised " Roch " theorem. — Schonflies : Certain rectilinear 

 portions of Riemann surfaces. — Fricke : Discontinuous groups 



whose substitution-coefficients are integral numbers belonging 

 to a quartic "Korper." — Fricke: Modular correspondences. — 

 Fricke: On the j-lunction (2, 3, 7). — Ritter : One-valued auto- 

 morphic forms of deficiency zero. — Lindemann : Solution of 

 equations by transcendental functions. (Second note. See Roy, 

 Soc. of Giittingen, 1S84.) 



June. — Hallwachs : Velocity of light in dilute solutions. — 

 Klein: v'Pt'a/ relations in Abelian functions.— Bo dliinder : Mole- 

 cular combinations in solution';. — Traube : The crystal forms of 

 optically uniaxial substances. — Drude : The theories of light 

 tested by practical physics. 



NO. 1 198, VOL. 46] 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Matriculation Chemistry: Temple Orme (Lawrence andBullen)- 

 — Elements of Human Physiology '• Dr. E H. Starling (Churchill) —A 

 Vertebrate Fauna of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides : J. A. Harvie-Brown 

 and T. E. Buckley (Edinburgh, Douglas). — Le L6man Monographic Limo- 

 logique ; F. A. Forel : Tome Premier (Lausanne, Rouge).— Epidemic 

 Influenza : Dr. F. A. Dixey (Clarendon Press). — Das Photographische 

 Pigment-Verfahren : Dr. H. W. Vogel (Berlin, Oppenheim). 



Pamphlets. — Etude sur la Courants et sur la Temperature des Eauxde la 

 Mer dans I'Ocdan Atlantique : General H. Mathiesen (Christiania, Larpent). 

 — Jupiter and his System : E. M. Clerke (Stanford). 



Serials. — Engineering Magazine, October (N. Y.). — Contributions from 

 the U.S. National Herbarium, vol. i. No. 5 (Washington).— Himmel und 

 Erde, October (Berlin, Paetel). — Veroffentlichungen aus dem Koniglic'ien 

 Museum fiir Volkerkunde, 2 Band, -74 Heft (Berhn, Spemann). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Vivisection at the Church Congress 557 



The New Volume of Weismann. By P. C. M. . . 558 



Elementary Chemistry. By J. W. R 559 



Life and Death. By A. E. S 560 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Brown : "Contagious Foot Rot in Sheep."— W. T. 56© 



Bower: " How to Make Common Things " .... 561 

 Bose : " The Student's Manual of Deductive Logic, 



Theory and Practice" 5^1 



Ormerod : "A Text-book of Agricultural Ento- 

 mology" 561 



Letters to the Editor : — 



A Functional Hermaphrodite Ascidian. — Prof.W. A. 



Herdman, F.R.S 561 



The Present Comets.— T. W. Backhouse .... 561 



Women and Musical Instruments. — Otis T. Mason . 561 

 Determination of^by Means of a Tuning Fork. — Prof. 



A. M. Worthington 561 



The Total Eclipse of the Sun, 1893. By John King ; 



William M. Martin 561 



Dr. Modigliani's Recent Explorations in Central 

 Sumatra and Engano. (illustrated.) By Prof. 



Henry H. Giglioli 565 



A Modern Revival of Prout's Hypothesis. By Prof. 



R. Meldola, F.R.S 568 



Notes 572 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Luminous Night Clouds 575 



NovaAurigae 57^ 



Minor Planets 57^ 



Report of Mr. Tebbutt's Observatory 576 



Photographic Chart of the Heavens 576 



Geographical Notes 57^ 



The Micro-organisms of the Soil. By Prof. Alfred 



Springer 57^ 



University and Educational Intelligence 579 



Societies and Academies 580 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 580 



