December 5, \Sgi 



NA TURE 



19 



limental evidence. — A new series of hydrazines, by F. D. 

 i.attaway and H. Insjle. The quaternary hydrazines of the 

 iieral formula R.jN.NK._, may l)e prepared from secondary 

 aniiies by acting on the sodio-derivatives of the latter with 

 iodine. -^The action of certain acidic oxides on salts of hydroxy- 

 acids (partii.), by G. C. Henderson and D. Prentice. A number 

 "f crystalline compounds of antimonious and arsenious oxides 

 ith salts of citric, malic and mucic acids have been prepared. — 

 - dium nitrososulphate, by E. Divers aud T. Haga. — The con- 

 .^liiution ofnitrososulphates, by E. Divers and T. Haga. In thes^ 

 two p.ipers the authors detail evidence showing that the nitroso- 

 sulphates are true sulphates of the constitution RONj O.SOjjK. 

 — Normal hexane from light petroleum (petroleum ether), by 

 £ G. L. Thomas and S. Voun;;. Employing their recently de- 

 ' rscribed form of dephlegmator, and treating the fractions with 

 mixed nitric and sulphuric acids, the authors have been able to 

 separate an almo.st pure sample of normal hexane from light 

 petro'.eum. — The vapour pres;ures, specific volumes and critical 

 constants of normal hexane, by G. L. Thomas and S. Young. 

 The critical temperature, pressure and volume of a gram of 

 synthetic normal hexane are 234°.8, 22510 mm. and 4'268 c.c. 

 respectively : the oil boils at 69" o under 760 mm., and has the 

 specific gravity 0'67696 at o"". — Acidylihiocarbimides, by A. E. 

 Dixon. — Some constituents of the root of Polygonum ciispidatum, 

 by A. G. Perkin. From the roots of this plant, which is a 

 native of China and Japan, the author has separated a new 

 glucoside, cuspidatin, C..,H.j)0,o, which yields emodin on hydro- 

 lysis ; a second glucoside, emodin, and a wax were also isolated. 

 — Note on the action of hydrofluoric acid upon cr)-stallised sili- 

 ■on, by G. S. Newth. Gaseous hydrogen fluoride causes the 

 ignition of warm crystallised silicon. — Note on the periodides of 

 theobromine, by G. E. Shaw. The author has prepared four 

 new periodides of theobromine and its hydrochloride. — A 

 synthesis of diphenyloxytriazoline, bj' G. Young. — Note on 

 piperovatine, by W. R. Dunstan and F. H. Carr. Piper- 

 ovatine may be rapidly extracted from Piper oi'atwn by 

 ■percolating the material with ether. ^Dibenzaconine and tetra- 

 ■cetylaconine, by W. R Dunstan and F. H Carr. — Mole- 

 •cular volume change during the formation of dilute solutions 

 in organic liquids, by A. W. Jones. A series of determina- 

 tions of the volume changes occurring when a number of liquids 

 .are dissolved in benzene and carbon disulphide have been made. 

 Royal Meteorological Society, November 20 —Mr. R. 

 In»vards, President, in the chair. — A paper by Mr. J. Eliot, 

 F. R.S., was read, on the origin of the cold weather storms of 

 the year 1893 '" India, and the character of the air movement 

 ■ on the Indian seas and the equatorial belt, more especially 

 •during the south-west monsoon period. This was really a 

 •discussion of the data contained in the Indian Monsoon Area 

 Charts, the publication of which was sanctioned by the Indian 

 •Government for the two years 1893-4. Cyclonic storms are of 

 frequent occurrence during both the north-ea.st and the south- 

 ■west monsoons, but they differ in many important respects. 

 The storms of the south-west monsoon originate almost in- 

 variably over a sea surface, and travel in very variable directions, 

 and occa.sionally develop into intense and furious hurricanes. 

 The cyclonic storms of the north-iCast monsoon almost invariably 

 •originate over the plateau of Persia or Baluchistan, or in North- 

 western India, and travel in an easterly direction at a velocity 

 Tanging between fifteen and twenty miles per hour. These 

 plateau-formed .storms of the cold weather are the chief instru- 

 iments of the distribution of the moderate rainfall essential for 

 the great c6ld weather wheat and other crops of Northern India, 

 ;and are the chief sources of the sndwfall of the Western 

 Himalayas. After giving an account of the more important 

 cold weather storms in January and February 1893, ^"^^ the 

 .results of the tabulation of the wind observations for the 

 •equatorial belt, the author describes the ''burst of the mon- 

 soon." Ml-. Eliot SayS that the evidence of the year 1893 is 

 strongly in favour of the supposition that the .south-west mon- 

 soon currents in the Indian seas are the direct continuation 

 north of the equator of the horizontal movement of the soulh- 

 •east trade winds ; and that the larger variations in the strength 

 of the .south-ea.st trades near the equator during the mon.soo 1 

 period are reproduced in the monsoon currents in the Indian 

 seas from June to September. — Mr. W. H. Dines showed an 

 interesting experiment to illustrate the formation of the tornado 

 ■cloud. The characteristic funnel cloud was readily seen extend- 

 ing from the tray of hot water to the mouth of the pipe at the 

 itop of the box, and when the draught was strong and the con- 



KO. 1362, VOL, 53] 



ditions favourable, a decided protuberance was observed on the 

 .surface of the water just under the end of the cloud. Mr. Dines 

 is of opinion that the cloud is formed by true dynamic cooling 

 as the air, saturated by the vapour from the hot water, comes 

 under the influence of the decreased pres.sure at the centre. — A 

 paper by Mr. C. Davison was also read, on the diurnal variation 

 of wind velocity at Tokio, Japan. 



Malacological Society, November 8. — Prof. G. B. 

 Howes, President, in the chair.— The following communications 

 were read : — Descriptions of new species of terrestrial and 

 fluviatile mollusca from the Hadramaut, South Arabia, by J. C. 

 Melvill and J. H. Ponsonby.— Notes on the anatomy of 

 Hanleya abyssorum, M. Sars : {a) on the presence and position 

 of an o.sphradium ; (b) general notes, by R. H. Burne.— 

 Description of a new species of the genus Cassis,, by G. B. 

 Sowerby. — Description of a new species of Vitrina and new 

 forms of HclicidiC together with a list of the Helicoid land- 

 shells hitherto found in the Canary Islands, by G. K. Gude. — 

 Description of a new species of Strep/axis, by G. K. Gude. 

 Specimens in illustration of their respective papers were exhibiied 

 by the authors.— Mr. Da Costa exhibited a series of land-.shells 

 from the Galapagos Islands. Mr. Moss exhibited a white Helix 

 perplexa, Fer., from Grenada.— Mr. Sykes exhibited land-shells 

 from a deposit at Blashenwell, Dorset. 



Academy of Sciences, November 25. — M. Marey in the 

 chair. — On para-ethoxyquinoline, by M. C Grimaux. The 

 j3roduction and properties of para-ethoxyquinoline and some of 

 its derivatives are described Conforming to Skraup's nomen- 

 clature, the name quinethol is given to this substance and its 

 derivatives are termed nitroquinethol and amidoquinethol. — 

 Observations of small planets, made with the great equatorial of 

 Bordeaux Observatory, by MM. G. Rayet, L. Picart, and Feraud. 

 — M. Lannelongue has been nominated by vote as member of the 

 Medicine and Surgery Section of the Academy. — The rapid estima- 

 tion of nitric nitrogen in vegetable products, by M. P. Pichard. 

 The method is a colorimetric process based on the colouration pro- 

 duced when nitric acid acts on brucine. — Observation of the new 

 comet Perrine (November 16, 1895), made at Marseilles Obser- 

 vatory, by M. Esmiol. — The polar snows of Mars, by 

 M. Camille Flammarion. A comparison of some observa- 

 tions by the author with observations recorded at Lick 

 Observatory. — On the displacement of a trihedral trirectangle 

 around its summit, the position of this trihedral figure depend- 

 ing on two parameters, by M. Maurice Fouche. — On the electro- 

 capillary properties of dilute .sulphuric acid, by M. Gouy. — 

 Action of phenol on mercurous iodide, by M. Maurice Francois. 

 It is shown that phenol has a similar action on mercurous 

 iodide to that of aniline. A certain proportion of the salt is 

 decomposed to mercuric iodide and mercury until a state of 

 equilibrium is set up between this action and the rever.se action. 

 Equilibrium obtains when 100 grams of solution contain 275 

 grams of mercuric iodide. — On manganese silicide, by M. 

 Vigouroux. The compound SiMn._, has been produced (i) by 

 the direct action of silicon on the metal, (2) by the action of 

 silicon on the oxide, (3) by the action of carbon on a mixture of 

 silica and oxide. It is a very hard and sonorous substance of 

 metallic lustre, and perfectly crystallised. Its aspect is steel- 

 grey, density at 15° = 6'6, and it is unalterable in the air and 

 fusible at the temperature of the reverberatory furnace. The 

 chemical properties are given in detail in the paper. — On the 

 toxicity of acetylene, by AI. L. Brociner. A note calling atten- 

 tion to some of the author's work published in 1887, and prior 

 to the recent publication on this subject of M. Grehant. — On 

 some reactions of tartaric acid and alkaline tartrates, by M. L. 

 Magnier de la Source. — On the morphological interpretation of 

 double larva; in composite Ascidians of the genus Diplosoma, by 

 M. Maurice CauUery. — On the effects produced on the rabbit 

 and pigeon by the extraction of the stapes or of the columella 

 and the experimental lesion of the membranous vestibule, by 

 M. (iarnault. — Laccase in fungi, by MM. Em. Bourquelot and 

 G. Hertrand.— On the distribution of nitrogenous and mineral 

 matters in bread, by M. Balland. 



Berlin. 



Physiological Society.October 25. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, 



President, in the chair. — Dr. Rene du Bois Reymond gave an 



account of experiments made in repetition of Martin's, on the 



action of the internal intercostal muscles. He confirmed the 



