6o4 



NATURE 



[October 20, 1892 



ments of the heart, studied by chronophotography, by M. 

 Marey. The heart of a tortoise was removed and mounted so 

 that a funnel led into an auricle, and a bent tube out of the 

 ventricle and upwards to the mouth of the funnel. The funnel 

 was filled with defibrinated blood, which passed into the auricle 

 and thence into the ventricle. When the latter was full, an 

 automatic systole projected the blood upwards through the tube 

 and back into the funnel. This process was repeated for several 

 hours after death. It was more minutely studied by taking a 

 series of instantaneous photographs in rapid succession (repro- 

 duced), which show the details of the process with great 

 accuracy. For actinic purposes, the heart was painted white 

 with water-colour. The hypothesis of an active diastole of the 

 ventricle was proved to be unfounded. — The inhibitory 

 phenomena of the nervous shock, by M. H. Roger. — On the 

 transformation of the equations of Lagrange, by M. Paul 

 Painleve. — On a class of curves and surfaces, by M. A. Pellet. 

 On the motion of a thread in space, by M. G. Floquet. — On 

 internal reflection in crystals, by M. Bernard Brunhes. — A new 

 method of preparation and photometry of the phosphorescent 

 sulphide of zinc, by M. Charles Henry. It is possible to ob- 

 tain several pounds at a time of a fine phosphorescent zinc 

 sulphide by the following process : Add ammonia to a perfectly 

 neutral solution of pure zinc chloride ; redissolve the precipitate 

 in an excess of ammonia ; precipitate completely, but without 

 the slightest excess, the ammoniacal oxide of zinc by sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen ; heat to a white heat in a crucible of 

 refractory earth placed inside a graphite crucible, afier having 

 well washed and dried the amorphous sulphide to the exclusion 

 of all impurities. By Ma^cart's photometer, the intensity of 

 light emitted by a sample of the sulphide in candle-metres after 

 saturation was o"ooo2i5. But this value is probably too small. 

 — On the antimonites of pyrogallol, by MM. H. Causse and C. 

 Bayard. — On the tartaric ethers, by M. P. Freundler. — Volu- 

 metric determination of the alkaloids, by M. L. Barthe. — On a 

 new method of brick manufacture, used in certain parts of 

 Central Asia, by M. Edouard Blanc. This mode of manu- 

 facture is practised by the tribes in Western Mongolia, on the 

 frontier of Siberia. The extremes of temperature render a 

 brick of great durability a necessity of life. This is attained by 

 the use of steam. The oven is cylindrical and surmounted by 

 a hemispherical cap, which is kept open for the first three days. 

 The bricks, about 7000 at a time, are baked by means of a fire 

 fed by about 700D kgr. of an annual ligneous plant, the Alhas;i 

 Camelcrtim. On the third day, the opening is dosed with felt, 

 which is kept constantly wetted, so that the bricks are enclosed 

 in a steam bath, while kept at a red heat. Under these cir- 

 cumstances, some novel chemical reactions appear to take place. 

 The bricks, red after the first period, appear dark grey after the 

 second part of the process. Their structure appears porous ; 

 they become sonorous and acquire a great hardness. They show 

 a striking resemblance to certain trachytes. Made from the 

 same clay as our bricks, they resist weathering very much 

 better, and have an extraordinary hardness and cohesion. — A 

 process for testing the purity of coprah oils and palm oils, by 

 M. Ernest Milliau. — On the part played by spermine in intra- 

 organic oxidations, by M. Alexandre Poehl. — On the respiration, 

 transpiration, and dry weight of leaves developed in sunlight 

 and in the shade, by M. L. Geneau de Lamarliere. — On the 

 structure of the assimilating tissue of the branches in Mediter- 

 ranean plants, by M. William Russell. — Experimental study of 

 the action of the humidity of the soil on the structure of branches 

 and leaves, by M. Auguste Ojier. — Contributions to the strati- 

 graphy of ihe Pyrenees, by MM. Roussel and De Grossouvre. — 

 On some bombs of Etna, from the eruptions of 1886 and 1892, 

 by MM. L. Duparc and L. Mrazec. — Meteoric iron recently 

 fallen at Hassi iekna, in Algiers, by M. Sianislas Meunier. 

 — Oceanographic observations relating to the basin of Arcachon 

 (Gironde), by M. J. Thoulet. — Vege'ation of the lakes of the 

 jura mountains, by M. G. Rambault Ant. Magnin. — M. 

 Bischoffsheim. on behalf of Prof. Weineck, Director of the 

 Prague Observatory, presented a photograph of the lunar crater 

 Vendelinus. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



SUNDAY, October i-i- 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4 —The Distribution of Animals and what 

 it Teaches (with Oxy-hydrogen Lantern Illustrations); Dr. Andrew 

 Wilson. 



TUBS DA Y, October 25. 



MiNERALOGiCAL SociETV. — Anniversary Meeting. — Council Report. — On 

 Crystallized Zirconia (Baddelfyite), a New Mineral Species frnm Ceylon : 

 L. Fletcher, F.R.S —Preliminary Note on Xanthoconiteand Rittingerite : 

 H. A. Miers and G. T Prior. —A Locality of Cerium Minerals in Corn- 

 wall; H. A. Miers. — On Gypsum from Heme Bay : F. Rutley. 

 FRIDA y, October 28. 



Physical Sociktv, at 5. Di-cussi<in of Mr. Williams's Paper on the 

 Dimensionsof hysical Quanrities.— -Dicussion of Mr. Sutherland's Paper 

 on the Laws of Molecular Force, to include Papers by Dr Young and 

 Mr. 1 homas on the Determination of Critical Density, Critical Volume, 

 and Boiling Points. 



NO. 1199. VOL. 46] 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— The Framework of Chemistry, Part i ; W.. M. Williams (Bell).— 

 A German Science Reader; F. Tones (Perrival).— Chemical Lecture Ex- 

 periments : G. S. Newth (Longmans). — Outlin-^s of Psycholngy, new edi- 

 tion : Dr. J. Sully (Longmans).— Animals' Rights H. S. Salt (Bell).— 

 University College of North Wales Calendar for th" Year 1892-03 (Man- 

 chester, Cornish'.— Ihe Climate of Rome and the Roman Malaria: Prof. 

 Tommasi-Crudeli, translated (Churchill).— The Fauna of Liverpool Bay, 

 Report 3 (Liverp .ol. Dohb). —Atomic Consciousness (Whimple, Harris).— 

 Geographische und Naturv.issenschafiliche Abhandlungen. L: Dr. J. Rein 

 (Leipzig, Engelmann) -Metal-Colouring and Bronzing : A. H. Hiorns 

 (Macmillan).— The Telephotographic Lens: T. R. DaVmeyer (Dall- 

 meyer).— The Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota: N. 

 H. Winchell (Minnesota).— Brachiopoden der Alpinen Trias, Nachtrag 

 L: A Bittner(Wien). -Atlas der Vcilkerkunde : Dr. G. Gerland (Gotha, 

 J. Perthes).- Briiish Fungus Fl ra, vol. i. : G. Massee (Bell). 



Pamphlets.— Rutherfurd Photographic Measures of the Stars about 

 /3 Cygni : H. Jacoby (New York).— Ueber die Einseitigkeit ''er Herr^chen- 

 den Krafttheorie : Dr. N. von Seeland (Leipzie, Pfeffrr).- Weitere 

 Untersuchungen iiber die Tajliche Oscillation des Barometers : J. Hann 

 (W,en). 



Serials —Internationales Archiv fur Ethnographic, Band 5, Heft 4 

 (Kegan Paul) —Annals of Scottish Natural History, October (Edinburgh, 

 Douglas) —Palestine Exploration Fund Qnarterlv Statement, October 

 (Wati). — Transactions of the Leeds Naturalists' Club, Sc. , 1890, vol. 2 

 (Leeds) — Memoirs and Proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philo- 

 sophical Society, 1891-92, vol. 5, N . 2 (Manchester) — Notes from the 

 Leyden Mu>euin. vol. xiv. Nos. i and 2 (Leyden, Briil). — Morphologisches 

 Jahrbuch, 18 Band, 4 Heft (Williams and N.Tgate). B >tani«c'ie Jahr- 

 biicher fiir Systeinatik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie Sech- 

 zehnier Band, 2 Heft; Fiinfzehi.ter Band, 4 Heft (W.lhams and Norgate). 

 —Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, September (Stanford). —Mind, 

 October (Williams and Norgate). — The Asclepiad, No 35, vol. 9 (Long- 

 mans).— Medical Magazine, October (Southwool).— Jahrbuch der k.k. 

 geologischen Reichsanstalt, Jahrg. 1892. xlii. Band, i H-fi (Wien). — Bulletin 

 of the New York Mathematical Society, vol. 2. No. i (New Y.irk). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Fresnel's Theory of Double Refraction. By R. T. G. 581 

 The Progress of Horticulture. By Dr. Maxwell T. 



Masters, F.R.S 582 



Life in Motion. By J. B. H 583 



Plumbing. . 584 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Lilley : " A Lecture Course of Elementary Chemistry. " 



— J. W. R 58s 



Chisholm and Lecte : "Longman's School Geography 



for North America " 585 



Robinson: "Garden Design and Architects' Gardens" 585 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



The Alleged "Aggressive Mimicry" of Volucella. — 



William Bateson -585 



Induction and Deduction. — Francis C. Russell ; 



E. E. Constance Jones 586 



The Tempera ure of the Human Body. — G. N. 



Stewart; Dr. W. Hale White 588 



Photographic Dry Plates. —Prevention 588 



Invitation to Observe the Lumi.>ous Night Clouds. 



By W. Foerster and Prof. O. Jesse 589 



Some Optical Illusions. {Illustrated.) By Dr. Joseph 



Jastrow 590 



The New Satelite of Jupiter. By W. L 592 



N nes 593 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



A New Comet 597 



Our Sun's History 597 



Silvering Glass Mirrors 597 



Himmel und Erde 598 



Geograptiical Notes 598 



The Comparative Physiology of Respiration. By 



Prof. Simon Henry Gage ... 598 



Mines and Mining at the Chicago Exhibition , . . 601 



University and Educational Intelligence 602 



Scientific Serials 602 



Societies and Academies 603 



Diary of Societies 604 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 604 



