288 



NATURE 



I January 23, 1896 



The result of his investigations on the first subject showed 

 that the proportion of COj in the atmosphere of Edinburgh 

 in 1893 was 3-96, in 1894, 372, and in 1895, so far, 3-45 

 per , ten thousand. Dr. Stewart contended that eventually 

 the amount of COo in the air depended on the nature of 

 the soil, as the ground air was the source and regulator 

 of the atmospheric. The ground soil of Edinburgh being clay, 

 produced less carbon than a "travelled" and therefore porous 

 soil. Passing to the second part of his subject, Dr. Siewart 

 adduced statistics to show that, in the case of summer diarrhoea, 

 the mortality was low when the soil was clay, and high when it 

 was sandy. — Prof. Hartley, of Dublin, read a paper on the 

 cause and nature of chemical changes in ocean deposits, and Dr. 

 J. L. Kerr described a new method of making plaster of Paris. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, January 13.— M. A. Comu in the 

 chair. — Observations of the minor planet CH Charlois 

 (January 8), made at the Observatory of Paris, by M. O. 

 Callandreau. — The expenditure of energy in muscular work, by 

 M. A. Chauveau. In the case of a muscle which is doing positive 

 work, such as lifting a weight, the expenditure of energy by the 

 muscle is divided by the author into two parts ; one spent in dis- 

 placing the weight, the other in sustaining it during the displace- 

 rnent. In the experimental study, the external work done in 

 lifting a weight is measured directly, the energy changes in the 

 muscles indirectly, by means of analyses of the inspired and 

 expired air.— Note from the report of M. P. Ballif on the 

 hydraulic works carried out in Bosnia- Herzegovina, and on the 

 meteorology of the two provinces, by M. B. de la Grye. 

 — On the variations in the ratio of the two specific heats of 

 gases, by M. E. H. Amagat. From calculations of the 

 values of the ratio of the specific heats of air at 50° C. under 

 pressures varying from i to 50 atmospheres, widely differing 

 results are obtained according as the determinations of the 

 specific heat at constant volume by Joly, or those at constant 

 pressure by Lussana, are taken as the basis of the calculation. 

 The results of Joly are shown to be the most probable. The 



expression p{v - f)y = constant, where e is -^f--' and /, v, and 



ap 

 y have their usual significations, is then developed, as giving the 

 adiabatic expansion for fluids, including highly compressed 

 gases. For low pressures e is negligible, and the equation 

 reduces to the ordinary form.^Observations of the minor planet 

 CH Charlois, made at the Observatory of Toulouse, by M. F. 

 Rossard. — On the nature of the solar prominences, by M. J. 

 Fenyi. — On the generalisation of the idea of the limit, and on the 

 extension, to summable divergent series, of Abel's theorem on 

 complete series, by M. E. Borel. — On the theory of cathode rays, 

 by M. G. Jaumann. A reply to a note of M. H. Poincare. The 

 author thinks it is not necessary to modify his hypotheses to meet 

 the objections of M. Poincare. — Observations on the preceding 

 communication, by M. H. Poincare.— On Hall's phenomenon in 

 liquids, by M. H. Bagard. An experimental proof of the exist- 

 ence of the Hall effect in a saline solution. The results for a 

 solution of zinc sulphate are of the same order of magnitude as 

 for metallic bismuth. The experiments contradict the conclu- 

 sion previously arrived at by M. Roiti, that Hall's effect did 

 not occur with liquids. — Acetylene as a photometric standard, 

 by M. J. Violle. As a single chemical individual of high 

 illuminating power now easily obtained in a state of purity, 

 acetylene offers obvious advantages as a secondary photometric 

 standard. A flat flame of acetylene burning under a pressure 

 of 30 cm. of water, and used with a screen, gave perfectly 

 satisfactory results. — On the heat of formation of some com- 

 pounds of manganese, by M. H. Le Chatelier. Thermo- 

 chemical data are given for the combustion in oxygen of man- 

 ganese, its carbide and protoxide. — On the crystallised iodides 

 of strontium and calcium, by M. Tassilly. A thermo-chemical 

 paper. — On aldehydes derived from the isomeric alcohols CjoHigO, 

 by MM. Ph. Barbier and L. Bouveault. — On the multirotation 

 of the reducing sugars and isodulcite, by M. Tanret. — Retinal 

 oscillations resultingfrom luminous impression, by M. A. Char- 

 pentier. — On the formation of the duramen, by M. E. Mer. — On 

 a new locality in France ioxPiniis Salz/zianni, by M. G. Fabre. — 

 Pliocene glaciers in the mountains of Aubrac, by M. G. Fabre. 

 — On some anomalies in the temperature of subterranean springs, 

 by M. E. A. Martel. — On the mechanical production of extreme 

 temperatures, by M. E. Solvay. A note admitting the priority 

 of Prof. Dewar in the use of vacuous envelopes for retarding 

 heat radiation. — On a meteor observed at Chambery, by M. 

 Chabert, January 6, 5.15 p.m. ; direction N.E. to S.W. 



NO. 1369, VOL 53] 



Berlin. 

 Meteorological Society, December 3, 1895.— Prof. Hell- 

 mann. President, in the chair.— General von Tillo, of St. 

 Petersburg, who was present as a guest, explained a series of 

 charts giving the chief results of his observations on the distri- 

 bution of terrestrial magnetism. — Dr. Fischer described in detail 

 a thunderstorm which occurred over Silesia and Posen on 

 September 30. It began at midnight in a region of low tem- 

 perature, advanced very slowly, accompanied by very light or 

 even no wind, and did not cease until the next night. The 

 storm area was covered with dense mist, rain was slight and 

 local, and the atmospheric pressure was maximal. This storm 

 was therefore due to neither heat nor wind eddies. — Dr. Zenker 

 spoke on the climate of Werchojansk, with special reference to 

 its temperatures. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— Plant-Breeding : L. H. Bailey (Macmillan).— N.S.W. Govern- 

 ment Railways and Tramways. Annual Report of the Railway Com- 

 missioners for the Year ending June 30, 1895.— First Annual General 

 Report upon the Mineral Industry of the United Kingdom for the Year 

 1894 : Dr. C. Le Neve Foster (Eyre).— On the Deep and Shallow-Water 

 Marine Fauna of the Kerguelen Region of the Great Southern Ocean : Dr. 

 J. Murray (Edinburgh, Grant). 



Pamphlets.- Von der Menschlichen Freiheit : Dr. H. Achter (Leipzig, 

 Engelmann). — Review of the Mineral Production in India for 1894 (Cal- 

 cutta). 



Sekials. — Quarterly Journal -of Microscopical Science, January 

 (Churchill). — American Journal of Psychology, Vol. \ii. No. 2 (Worcester, 

 Ma.ss.). — Psychological Review, January (Macmillan). — North .American 

 Fauna, No. 10 (Washington). — Journal of the Franklin Institute, January 

 (Philadelphia).— Journal of the Sanitary Institute, January (Stanford).— 

 Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement, January (Watt).— Int'es. 

 Archiv fiir Ethnographic, Band viii. Heft 5 and 6 (Leiden, Brill).— Record 

 of Technical and Secondary Education, January (Macmillan). — Nyt Maga- 

 zine for Naturvidenskaberne. 34te Binds 3 die og 4 de Hefte, 35te Binds, 

 I ste, 2 de og, 3 die Hefte (Christiania). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Some Recent Works on Butterflies and Moths . . 265 

 Recent Works on Physiology. By Dr. J. S. Edkins 266 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Harrison : " Practical Plane and Solid Geometry " . 267 



Bovey : " A Treatise on Hydraulics " 267 



Ostwald : "The Scientific Foundations of Analytical 



Chemistry."— J. W. R. 267 



Welsford : " Elementary Algebra " ....... . 267 



Letters to the Editor:— 



On Rontgen's Rays. — Prof. Arthur Schuster, 



;F.R.S. ; Dr. J. T. Bottomley, F.R.S 268 



The Astronomical Theory of the Ice Age. — Edwd. 



P. Culverwell 269 



Changes of Length in Bars and Wires of Magnetic 



Material due to Magnetisation. — C. Chree .... 269 

 The Metric System. — Lieut. -General Richard 



Strachey, R.E., F.R.S 270 



Marsupial with an Allantoic Placenta. — Prof. G. B. 



Howes 27a 



The Origin of Plant Structures.— Rev. George 



Henslow ; C. A. B , 271 



A Remarkable Discharge of Lightning. — Rob. God- 



lonton 272 



Lecture Experiments on the Nodes of a Bell. — R. L. 



Taylor 272 



The Status of London University 272 



Vote of Convocation on the Cowper Commission 



Scheme 274 



On a New Kind of Rays. {Illustrated.) By Prof. 



W. C. Rontgen 274 



Professor Rontgen's Discovery. {Illustrated.) By 



A. A. C. Swinton 276 



Notes 277 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



A New Australian Observatory 280 



The Sun's Path in Space 280 



Equatorial Velocity of Jupiter 280 



Perrine's Comet 280 



Oysters and Typhoid 280 



The Smithsonian Institution. II. {Illustrated.) By 



Dr. G. Brown Goode 281 



University and Educational Intelligence 285 



Scientific Serials 286 



Societies and Academies 286 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 288 



