;36 



NATURE 



[February 6, 1896 



their derivatives, by M. G. Terrier.— On Russian essence of 

 aniseed, by MM. G. Bouchardat and Tardy. — On the pro- 

 duction of pure gaseous formic aldehyde, by M. A. Brochet. 

 For the purposes of disinfection by gaseous formic aldehyde, 

 free from water vapour, a current of a warm indifferent gas 

 (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) is passed through a tube containing 

 fragments of trioxymethylene. The quantity can be regulated 

 by altering the temperature.— On antivenomous serum, by MM. 

 Calmette, Hankin, and Lepinay. An account of some experi- 

 ments with a serum, the injection of which protects the animal 

 from snake venom. — On some points in the anatomy of Tetra- 

 clita porosa, by M. A. Gruvel.— New form of negative reaction 

 on the retina, by M. Aug. Charpentier. — Proofs of the submarine 

 extension to the south of Marseilles of the Maures and Esterel 

 group, by MM. Vasseur and Fournier. 



Berlin. 



Physical Society, December 13, 1895. — ^''^f- Warburg, 

 President, in the chair. — The President referred to the deaths 

 of Prof. Knoblauch, of Halle, and Prof. Sporer, of Potsdam. 

 — Prof. Des Coudres spoke on kathodic radiation, and 

 demonstrated its sensitiveness to magnetic lines of force. — 

 Prof. Neesen described two interesting strokes of lightning, 

 of which one pierced the roof of a church-tower unprovided 

 with a conductor, and stopped short at the organ. Its 

 effects were characterised by the rents it made in the inside 

 of the church above the organ, similar to those observed in a 

 tree when struck. The second struck a petroleum store, 

 whose four tanks were each protected by five-pointed conductors 

 adequately put to earth. Two of the tanks were completely 

 shattered by a violent explosion, the other two burnt out by fire. 

 The speaker was of opinion that the petroleum vapours above 

 the tanks had been ignited by small sparks during the discharge, 

 and he had verified this view by experiment ; he therefore pro- 

 posed that for the purpose of adequate protection all openings, 

 more particularly manholes, should be guarded by wire netting, 

 on the principle of the Davy lamp. — A small instrument was ex- 

 hibited by Mr. von Hefner-Alteneck for demonstrating minute 

 variations of atmospheric pressure. It consists of a flask, whose 

 neck communicates with a horizontal glass tube, whose central 

 portion is bent slightly downwards ; in this tube there is an ex- 

 tremely mobile index of coloured petroleum, which follows the 

 least change of external pressure. The apparatus is one hundred 

 and fifty times more sensitive than a mercurial barometer. — Prof. 

 Neesen criticised a recently published method of measuring the 

 velocity of projectiles. It consists in making the projectile close 

 and open a current which passes spirally round a tube contain- 

 ing carbon bisulphide ; the plane of polarisation of this fluid is 

 rotated during the time of flight, and hence a beam of light pre- 

 viously extinguished by crossed Nicols can now pass through, 

 and make a record on jahotographic paper. 



Physiological Society, December 6, 1895. — Prof- H. 

 Munk, President, in the chair. — Prof. I. Munk reported on 

 further experiments as to the minimal proteid requirements of a 

 dog during nitrogenous equilibrium. 



December 20. — Prof. H. Munk, President, in the chair.— Dr. 

 Cohnstein reviewed the laws of osmotic pressure from the existing 

 point of view of physical chemistry.— Dr. Rosenberg spoke on 

 reported cases of presumed regeneration of the bile duct some 

 twenty days after its extirpation. He reported a case of a lateral 

 branch from the duct recently observed in a dog and leading 

 into the intestine, and urged that the possible existence of .such 

 a branch should have been in every case disproved before con- 

 cluding that a regeneration of the duct had taken place. — The 

 President exhibited a section of an elephant's tooth, which 

 showed a circular green streak round the outer border of the 

 pulp cavity. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— Eclipses du Soleil et Occultations : L. Cruls (Rio de Janeiro).— 

 Le Climat de Rio de Janeiro: Ditto (Ditto).— Posicoes Geographicas : Ditto 

 XDitto).— Iowa Geological Survey, Vol. 4 (Des Moines).— Ex-Meridian Alti- 

 tude Tables : Brent, Walter, and Williams (Philip).— A Naturalist in Mid- 

 Afnca : J. F. Scott Elliot (Innes).— Domesticated Animals : N. S. Shaler 

 (Smith, Elder).— Practical Studies in Fermentation : Dr. E. C. Hansen, 

 translated by Dr. A. K. Miller (Spon).— Petroleum : B. Redwood, 2 vols. 

 (Griffin).— Computation Rules and Logarithms : Prof. S. W. Holman(Mac- 

 millan).— Catalogue of the Mesozoic Plants in the Department of Geology, 

 British Museum (Natural History) : The Wealden Flora : A. C. Seward, 

 Part 2 (London).— Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British Museum 

 ■-(Natural History) : A. S. Woodward, Part 3 (I/ondon).— Roads and Pave- 

 ments in France : A. P. Rockwell (Chapman).— Cyanide Processes : E. B. 

 Wilson (Chapman).— Heating and Ventilating Buildings : Prof. R. C. Car- 



NO. 137 1, VOL. 53] 



penter (Chapman). — Manual of Lithology : Prof. E. H. Williams, jun. 

 (Chapman).— Vegetable Culture : A. Dean (Macmillan).— Lessons in Ele- 

 mentary Botany : T. H. MacBride (Boston, Mass., Allyn). — University 

 Correspondence College Calendar, 1895-96 (Red Lion Square). — Catalogue 

 of Scientific Papers (1874-1883), compiled by the Royal Society of London, 

 Vol. xi. (C. J. Clay). 



Pamphlets.— The Authentic Letters of Columbus : W. E. Curtis 

 (Chicago). — Contribution to the Flora of Yucatan : C. F. Millspaugh 

 (Chicago). — Variation of Latitude at New York City. Part i : Declinations 

 .and Proper Motions of Fifty-six St.ars : Dr. H. S. Davis (New York).— 

 Shanghai Meteorological Society. Third Annual Report : Essay on the 

 Winter Storms of the Coast of China : Rev. S. Chevalier (Shanghai).— 

 Laboratory Tables for Qualitative Analysis (Manchester, Cornish). — Hand- 

 book and Catalogue of the Meteorite Collection : Dr. O. C. Farrington 

 (Chicago).— The Honey-Bee : F. Benton ( Washington). — Proceedings of 

 the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists 

 (Washington). 



Serials. — Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, 1895, Part 2 (Philadelphia). — Proceedings of the Rochester 

 Academy of Science, Vol. 2, Parts 2 and 4 (Rochester, N.Y.). — Proceedings 

 and Transactions of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, Session 1893-94 

 (Halifax, Nova Scotia). — Zeitschrift fiir Phy.sikalische Chemie, xix. Band, 

 I Heft (Leipzig, Engelmann). — History of Mankind: F. Ratzel, translated 

 (Macmillan).— Cassell's History of England, Part i (Cassell).— Humani- 

 tarian, February (Hutchin.son). — koyal Gardens, Kew. Bulletin of Miscel- 

 laneous Information, 1895 (Eyre). — Proceedings of the Physical Society of 

 London, Vol. 13, Part 1,3 ; Vol. 14, Part i (Taylor) — Contemporary Review, 

 February (Isbister). — Terrestrial Magnetism, No. i (Chicago). — National 

 Review, February (Arnold). — Fortnightly Review, J ebruary (Chapman). — 

 American Journal of Mathematics, January (Baltimore). — Centralblatt fiir 

 Anthropologie, &c., t Jahrg., Heft i (Williams). — Journal of the.Chemical 

 Society. December (Gurney). — Century Magazine, February (Macmillan). — 

 Geographical Journal, February (Stanford). — Science Progress. February 

 (Scientific Press). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Recent Psychological Literature 313 



Prototypes of the Fungi. By Geo. Massee .... 314 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Clautriau : " Etude chimique du Glycogene chez les 



Champignons et les levures " 315 



Fowler: " Popular Telescopic Astronomy " .... 315 

 Fuchs : "Anleitung zur Molekulargewichtsbestim- 



mung." — ^J. W. R 315 



Hospitaher : " Recettes de I'lilectricien " 315 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Velocity of Propagation of Electrostatic Force. ( With 



Diagram.) — Lord Kelvin, F.R.S 316 



The New Actinic Rays.— Alfred W. Porter; W. 



Saunders ; R. B. H 316 



The Stress in Magnetised Iron. — Prof. J. A. Ewing, 



E.R.S.; Dr. E. Taylor Jones 316 



The Astronomical Theory of a Glacial Period. — 



Dr. Alfred R. Wallace, F.R.S 317 



The Fall of the Altels Glacier, September 11, 1895. — 



Dr. Leon du Pasquier ". , 317 



Remarkable Sounds. — Kumagusu Minakata . . . 317 

 The Antiquity of the Finger-Print Method. — Kuma- 

 gusu Minakata 317 



Earthquake of January 22. — Prof. Albert Riggen- 



bach . . . 318 



Magnetic Influence of the Planets. By Prof. Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S 318 



The Story of Helium. {Illustrated.) By J. Norman 



Lockyer, C.B., F.R.S 319 



The Cambridge Natural History. {Illustrated.) By 



W. F. H. Blandford 322 



Medical Applications of Rontgen's Discovery . . . 324 

 A Contribution to the New Photography. {Illus- 

 trated.) By William J. S. Lockyer 324 



Notes 325 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Eclipses in February 328 



Astrophysical Standards 328 



Reproduction of Astronomical Photographs. {Illus- 

 trated.) 329 



Holmes' Comet 329 



The Liquefaction of Air and Research at Low 

 Temperatures. {Illustrated.) By Prof. J. Dewar, 



F.R.S 329 



Science in the Magazines 331 



The Constitution of Scientific Societies 332 



Scholarship Schemes of Technical Education Com- 

 mittees 332 



University and Educational Intelligence 333 



Scientific Serials 334 



Societies and Academies 334 



Books. Pamphlets, and Serials Received 336 



