I20 



NATURE 



[December 5, 1895 



conclusions arrived at by this investigator, but he more par- 

 ticularly limited his experiments to an examination of the 

 internal intercartilaginous intercostals. It appeared that the 

 latter, in opposition to the expiratory action of those between 

 the ribs, have an inspiratory function, and contract synchronously 

 with the diaphragm. After an artificial apnoea they enter 

 again into activity at a slightly later period than does the 

 diaphragm, resembling in this the inspiratory external inter- 

 costals. Dr. Rawitz recommended the employment of a 

 very dilute solution (three to five drops of the concentrated 

 ammoniacal solution in 30 to 50 c.c. of distilled water) of either 

 hsematoxylin or hsematein, when these are used for staining, 

 either alone or as subsequent to the use of eosin. The sections 

 should lie in this solution for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. 

 He then spoke on the use of alizarin and alizaro-cyanin for 

 histological purposes. These substances can only be used with 

 a mordant, of which a chromium salt was found to be most 

 efficient with the former stain, and a salt of iron with the latter. 

 In this way very brilliant permanent stainings may be obtained, 

 which are particularly suited for the investigation of nuclear 

 division. — Dr. Benda exhibited some striking preparations of 

 neuroglia, obtained by a method to be described later on. 



Physical Society, November i. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Dr. Claude du Bois Reymond exhibited 

 specimens of colour-photographs, made by Dr. Joly, of Dublin, 

 and described how they had been obtained. Dr. Rubens gave an 

 account of experiments made by D. C. Cole on the refractive 

 index of water and alcohol for electrical rays of short wave- 

 length. Having failed to obtain any results with a prism for 

 rays of 5 cm. wave-length, he used Fresnel's formula and the 

 reflexive powers of these fluids for vertical and parallel polarised 

 rays. In this way he found that for water the coefficient for rays 

 of the above wave-length is the same as for rays, as previously 

 investigated, of 10 cm. and of 60 cm. In the case of alcohol 

 it was markedly less for rays of shorter than for those of gre ater 

 wave-length. The method was also applied to petroleum, and 

 gave results similar to those previously obtained for this liqu id by 

 other methods. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 

 THURSDA y, December 5. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Studies in the Morphology of Sp>ore-producing 

 Members. Part II. Ophioglossaceae : Prof. F. O. Bower, F.R.S.— On 

 the Weight of a Cubic Decimetre of Water at its Maximum Density : Pro f. 

 Mendeleeff, For. Mem. R.S.— The Measurement of High Potential Differ- 

 ence : H. C. Leake, R. Leventhorpe, and C. S. Whitehead. — Variations 

 in the Electromotive Force of Clark Cells with Temperature: Prof. 

 Ayrton, F.R.S., and W. R. Cooper. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8.— On a New Species of Bromus in Britain : G. C. 

 Druce. — Notes on New or Rare Phasmidas in the Collection of the British 

 Museum : W. F. Kirby. 



London Institution, at 5.— Old Musical Instruments : A. Dolmetsch. 



Chemical Society, at 5. — The Constitution ofTerpenes : Prof. Armstrong, 

 F.R.S. — New Derivatives from a-dibromo Camphor: Dr. M. O. Forster. 

 The Chemistry of Dibromopropyl Thiocarbimide, and the Action of 

 Bromine and Iodine on AUyl Thiourea: Prof. A. E. Dixon. — Ballot for 

 the Election of Fellows. 



Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30. 



FRIDA Y, December 6. 



Geologists' Association, at 8. — Notes on Indian Geology, including a 



Visit to Kashmir : W. H. Hudleston, F.R.S. 

 Quekett Microscopical Club, at 8. 



.Sf/TV/J^F, December 8. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4.30. — Lecture by Sir B. J. Richardson, 

 F.R.S. 



MONDAY, December 9. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— Exploration in the Central 

 Alps of Japan: Rev. Walter Weston. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Mechanical Road Carriages : W. Worby Beau- 

 mont. 



TUESDA Y, December 10. 



Royal Photographic Society, at 8.— The Recording of High Tempera- 

 tures by Photographic Means : Prof. W. C. Roberts- Austen, C.B., 

 F.R.S. — A New Form of Apparatus for Measuring the Densities of 

 Photographic Plates : Chapman Jones. 



Royal Victoria Hall, at 8.30.— The Rhine : Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S 



Royal Asiatic Society, at 3. 



Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, at 8.30. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Discussion upon the Papers by 

 Messrs. Arnold and Wrightson, on the Physical Properties of Iron and 

 Steel. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8.30. — The Game of Teetotum, Queens- 

 land : R. Etheridge. — Notes on Australian Shields, more particularly the 

 Drunmung : R. Etheridge. — Stone Cooking-Holes and Grooves for 

 Stone-Grinding, used by the Australian Aborigines : R. H. Mathews. — 

 The Burbung of the Wiradjuri Tribes : R. H. Mathews.— The Bora, or 

 Initiation Ceremonies of the Kamilaroi, Part II. : R. H. Mathews. 



WEDNESDAY, December ii. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Adjourned Discussion on Mr. Cunynghame's 



Paper on Locomotive Carriages for Common Roads. 

 Pharmaceutical Society, at 8.30. 



THURSDAY,DKC^mBK^ 12. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



London Institution, at 6. — The New Far East : Arthur Didsy. 



Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— Note on the Convergency of Series : Dr. 

 R. Bryant.— Sexdecimic Residuality of 2 : Lieut. -Colonel Allan Cunning- 

 ham, R.E. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Annual General Meeting. 



FRIDAY, December 13. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 



Malacological Society, at 8.— The Culture of the Edible Oyster : Prof. 

 Herdman, F.R.S. 



Clinical Society, at 8.30. 



Physical Society, at 5.— A Mechanical Device for performing the Tem- 

 perature Corrections of Barometers : Dr. John Shield. — On the Existence 

 of Earth- Air Electrical Currents : Prof. A. W. Rucker, F.R.S. 



Epidemiological Society, at 8. 



SA TURD A Y, December 14. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Organisation of Science 97 



The Growth of the Brain. By F. A. Welby . . 89- 

 The Valley of Kashmir. By Sir W. Martin Con- 

 way . • . • 99 



Metallurgical Processes. By W. R.-A loa 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Aikman : " Milk, its Nature and Composition' . . . lOE 



Henderson: "' Elementary Physics " lOl 



Adams : " Practical Trigonometry." — W. S IDE 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Remarkable Sounds.— Prof. J. P. O'Reilly ; W. 



F. Ganong; W. Tucknell lOl 



Fireball of November 22.— W. F. Denning; R, T. 



Lewis I02; 



A Joint Meeting of Associations for the Advancement 



of Science.— Dr. Wm. H. Hale 102-. 



The Metric System of Weights and Measures.— John 



W. Evans 102: 



Dendrexetastes capitoides.—Xiv. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S. 102. 



" The Zoological Record."— Dr. D. Sharp, F.R.S. 103. 



The London University 103. 



Henry Seebohm • 105, 



Notes 105 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Positions of the New Comets 109 



Swift's Comet, 1895 II 109. 



A Peculiar Variable Star 109 



Saturn's Rings 109- 



The Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society . . no 



Dr. Dubois' "Missing Link." [With Diagrafu.) . . 115. 



Science in the Magazines 116 



Scientific Investigations of the Fishery Board for 



Scotland ii7 



University and Educational Intelligence 118 



Societies and Academies 118 



Diary of Societies 120- 



NO. 1362, VOL. 53] 



