24 



NA TURE 



[November 7, 1895 



law to hold: "The specific heat mulliplied by the density 

 equals the porosity, the porosity of hydrogen at the given 

 temperature and pressure being taken as unity." — Observations 

 of the comet 1895, August 20, and of Wolf's planet (1895, 

 October 13) made at Toulouse observatory with the great 

 telescope, and the 0"25 m. equatorial, by M. Rossard. — On the 

 double diurnal oscillation of relative humidity, by M. Alfred 

 Angot. It is shown that the phenomena described by M. 

 Eginitis in a recent number of the Comptes reitdus, is due to sea- 

 breezes, r.nd has been noticed previously. It does not occur in 

 continental stations, on plains or plateaux. — Observation of an 

 electric phenomenon, by M. Mettetal. A description of an 

 electric fire-ball observed in stormy weather, but in the absence 

 of thunder and lightning, at Grenoble, on October 2. The 

 phenomenon vanished without detonation. — Researches on 

 lithium, magnesium, and cuprous cyanides, by M. Raoul Varet. 

 A thermochemical paper giving the heats of formation of these 

 cyanides. It is pointed out that there is not the same parallelism 

 between the cuprous and cupric cyanides as obtains with the 

 mercurous and mercuric salts. — On beryllium carbide, by M. 

 Louis Henry. The author calls attention to the weakness of 

 M. Lebeau's argument for assigning the atomic weight 14 

 to beryllium, and recapitulates the considerations which have 

 determined the acceptance of 9 as its atomic weight by most 

 chemists. —On the analysis of emerald, by M. P. Lebeau. — On 

 the estimation of argon, by M. Th. Schloesing, jun. The 

 author discusses the errors inherent in the method lately 

 described by him, and gives results of the estimation of argon in 

 air taken at different times and from different places. The 

 amount found is constant at 0"934 per cent. Gases from soil 

 show some variations in the amount of contained argon, possibly 

 due to the solubility of this gas. — Synthetical formation of a 

 new ketonic acid, by M. E. Burker. — On the muscles of ants, 

 wasps, and bees, by M. Charles Janet. — On the development of 

 nerve terminations (neuromuscular junctions and motor plates) 

 in striated muscular fibres, by MM. G. Weiss and A. Dutil. — 

 Liquefaction of gelatine, saline digestion of gelatme, by MM. 

 A. Dastre and N. Floresco. — Researches on the biological value 

 of inflammatory leucocytosis, by M. Wladimir Woronine. 

 Localised inflammatory leucocytosis is peculiar to vertebrates, 

 and is an accidental consequence of the particular conditions 

 •occurring in their system of blood -circulation. Leucocytosis is 

 not a purposed defence against an enemy which has penetrated 

 •the organism, as the phagocyte theory maintains. The modifica- 

 tions which are common to all the cases studied are not 

 aggressive, but passive. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



THURSDA V, November 7. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — On Mimicry in Butterflies of the Genus Hypo- 

 limnas, Hiibn. : Colonel Swinhoe. — A Revision of the Genus Pentas, 

 Benth. : G. F. Scott Elliot. — An Account of the Butterflies of the Genus 

 Charaxes, Ochs. : Dr. A. G. Butler. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — The Temperatures of Flames and the Acetylene 

 Theory of Luminosity : Prof. Smithells. — The Action of Acidic Oxides on 

 Salts of Hydroxy-acids : Prof. G. G. Henderson and D. Prentice. — Sodium 

 Nitrosulphate and the Constitution of Nitrosulphates : Profs. Divers and 

 Haga. — And other Papers. 



FRIDA V, November 8. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. _ 



Physical Society, at 5. — The Magnetic Field of any Cylindrical Coil or 

 Plane Circuit : W. H. Everett.— The Latent Heat of Volatilisation of 

 Benzene : Mr. Griffiths and Miss Marshall. — The Comparison of Latent 

 Heats of Volatilisation : Prof. Ramsay and Miss Marshall. 



SUNDAY, November 10. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — What Man can obtain from the Land : 

 Prince Kropotkin. 



MONDAY, November ii. 



Royal Geograihical Society, at 8. — Progress of the Jackson-Harms- 

 worth Arctic Expedition : A. Montefiore. 



rt^.e^Z'^F, November 12. 



Royal Photographic Society, at 8. — Colour-Correct Photography and a 

 New Plate : James Cadett. — Note on the Sensitiveness of Picrated Gela- 

 tine to Light : W. K. Burton. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8. 30. ^The Customs and Habits of the 

 Natives inhabiting the Bondee Country : Rev. Godfrey Dale. 



Royal Victoria Hall, at 8.30. — Mountaineering in Central Africa : Dr. 

 J. W. Gregory. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Address by Sir Benjamin Baker, 

 K.C.M.G., President, and Presentation of Medals, &c. 



THURSDAY, November 14. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— On the Stability and Instability of certain 

 Fluid Motions, iii. ; and on the Propagation of Waves upon the Plane Sur- 

 face separating Two Portions of Fluid of different Vorticities : Lord Ray- 

 leigh, Sec.R.S.— Note on Matrices : J. Brill. — Determination of the 

 Volumes of certain Species of Tetrahedra without employment of the 

 Method of Limits : Prof. Hill, F.R.S.— Some Algebraical Theorems con- 

 nected with the Theory of Partitions : Prof. Forsyth, F.R.S.— Certain 

 General Series : F. H. Jackson. — An Extension of Sylvester's Constructive 

 Theory of Partitions : Major MacMahon, F.R.S.— Note on the Repre- 

 sentation of a Conic by a Linear Equation: J. Griffiths.— On the 

 Representation of a Number as a Sum of Squ.ares : Prof. G. B. Mathews. 

 —Theories of Magnetic Action upon Light : A. B. Basset, F.R.S. 

 FRIDAY, November 15. 



Epidemiological Society, at 8. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— An Exercise Book of Elementary Practical Physics : R. A. 

 Gregory (Macmillan). — Statically Indeterminate Structures and the Prin- 

 ciple of Least Work : H. M. Martin {Engineering Office).— Mensuration 

 for Senior Students : Prof. A. Lodge (Longmans).- Milk, its Nature 

 and Composition : Dr. C. M. Aikman (Black).— British and European 

 Butterflies and Moths : A. W. Kappel and W. E. Kirby (Nister).— Physio- 

 logy : Dr. A. MacAlister (S.P.C.K.).— The Structure and Development of 

 the Mosses and Ferns : Prof. D. H. Campbell (Macmillan).— Toxin : 

 " Ouida " (Unwin) — Die Artbildung und Verwandtschaft bei der Schmet- 

 terlingen : Dr. G. H. T. Eimer, ii. Theil (Jena, Fischer).— Ethnische Ele- 

 mentargedanken in der Lehre von Menschen : A. Bastian, 2 Vols (Berlin, 

 Weidmann).— North American Shore Birds : D. G. Elliot (Suckling).— 

 Practical Physiology of Plants ; F. Darwin and E. H. Acton, 2nd edition 

 (Cambridge University Press).— Hints on the Teaching of Elementary 

 Chemistry in Schools and Science Clas.ses : Prof. Tilden (Longmans). 



Pamphlets. — Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Constructio : J. Nepero, 

 facsimile reprint (Paris, Hermann).— Die Uberwindung des Wissenschaft- 

 lichen Materialismus : Prof. W. Ostwald (Leipzig, Veit). 



Serials.— National Review, November (Arnold).— Quarterly Journal of 

 the Geological Society, Vol. Ii. Part 4, No. 204 (Longmans). —Contemporary 

 Review, November (Isbister).— Quiver, November (Cassell).— Natural 

 Science, November (Rait). — Fortnightly Review, November (Chapman). — 

 Imperial University, College of Agriculture Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Tokyo). 



NO. 1358, VOL. 53; 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Gay Science of Arithmetic. By G. B. M. . . . i 



The Structure and Life of Birds 3 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Lowe: " Fern Growing " 3 



Gundelfinger : " Vorlesungen aus der analylischen 



Geometric der Kegelschnitte " 4 



Highton : "Light" . 4 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Curious Aerial or Subterranean Sounds. — Prof. R. 



Meldola, F.R.S. ; C.Davison 4 



Thermal Conductivity of Rocks.— B. O. Pierce and 



R. W. Willson 4 



MacCullagh's Theory of the rEther.— Dr. J. Larmor, 



F.R.S 5 



Lightning.— Chain Formation.— William Crawford. 5 

 Personal Injury from a Fire-ball.— Prof. George M. 



Minchin, F.R.S 5 



The Disper.sal of Acorns by Rooks.— Clement Reid . 6 

 On the Audibility of Fog Signals at Sea. — F. E. 



Fowle 6 



To Friends and Fellow Workers in Quaternions. — G. 



H.J. Hurst 6 



The Colours of Mother-o'-Pearl.— F. A. Bather ... 6 

 The Star Showers of November. {JVitk Diagram.) By 



W. F. Denning 7 



The Old and New Naturalists. By Prof. C. Lloyd 



Morgan 9 



Hermann Hellriegel n 



Notes II 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Stars with Bright and Dark Hydrogen Lines .... 15 



Parallaxes of Stellar Systems 15 



The Solar Parallax 16 



The Epping Forest Museum at Chingford 16 



Concentration of Gold Ores. By Dr. T. K. Rose . . 16 



A Destructive Plant Parasite 18 



Science in the Magazines 18 



The Geological Survey of the United Kingdom. By 



Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S 19 



University and Educational Intelligence 22 



Scientific Serials 23 



Societies and Academies 23 



Diary of Societies 24 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 24 



