March 12, 1896] 



NATURE 



455 



:.ame any note struck on a piano. Then followed a demonstra- 

 tion of the acoustic turbine of Dvorak and Mayer, and of a 

 flame so sensitive that it was affected by the ticking of a watch. 

 Next, Prof. M'Kendrick exhibited Graham's method of pro- 

 ducing a musical tone in a circuit containing a variable resistance 

 apparatus and a telephone. The sound emitted was like that of 

 a cornet or flute. Finally, Prof M'Kendrick made some 

 further obser%ations on the phonograph. He described 

 apparatus by which the sounds could be magnified, and detailed 

 his methods of studying the curves on the wax cylinder, of which 

 he exhibited photographs. He showed that each note and 

 sound had its characteristic curve, and, to show it, spoke the 

 words " Arrubnide fo Eetisrevenu" into a machine moving 

 backwards, and the meeting was considerably startled to hear, 

 on the instrument being turned in the proper direction, the 

 words coming out " University of Edinburgh."' 



Cambriuge, 



Philosophical Society, February lO.— Prof. J. J. Thom- 

 son, President, in the chair. — Exhibition of a method of 

 measuring <«mosis at atmospheric pressure, by Dr. Lazarus- 

 Barlow. — Exhibition of specimens showing the communication 

 Ijetween the peritoneal cavity and renal veins through the 

 nephrostomial tubules in the frog, by E. J. Bles. — On the effect 

 of currents on the assimilation of water-plants, by F. Darwin 

 and D. F. M. Pertz. The amount of gas given off by water- 

 plants under the influence of light is markedly increased by con- 

 tinuously stirring the water. This holds good in the case of 

 Elodea, but only under certain circumstances with Potamogeton. 

 That form of gas-evolution which continues in darkness, owing 

 to the gas-pressure in the water, is also increased by disturbing 

 the water. The authors described simple methods of showing 

 the effect of barometric pressure and of surface tension on the 

 yield of gas. — On a collection of plants from New Britain (A^^«< 

 Pom»icrn), by I. H. Burkill. This collection was brought home 

 by Baron A. von Hugel, having been made in the neighbourhood 

 of Blanche Bay. There are in it a number of species not hitherto 

 known as natives of New Britain ; among them a new Eran- 

 themuiti described as E. Httegelii. The name Alpinia oceanica 

 is suggested for a plant described by Prof. K. Schumann as A. 

 nuiaiis : this being also held as possibly not identical with Rum- 

 phius' Glohba sylvestris minor. The total number of species 

 known from New Britain is still small, two-thirds of them having 

 been found in German New Guinea, and about one-half in the 

 Fiji Isles. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, March 2. — M. A Cornu in the 

 chair. — On the divergence of the series used in astronomy, by 

 M. H. Poincare. The results obtained by M. Hill are shown 

 to be in agreement with those previously obtained by the author, 

 the contradiction being only apparent. — Observations on the 

 subject of photography through opaque bodies, by M. A. 

 d'Arsonval. In reviewing the work of M. G. Le Bon and his 

 critics, it is shown that their results are not necessarily con- 

 tradictor)'. The solar rays do not appear to penetrate a thin 

 plate of metal, even of aluminium ; if a plate of glass, however, 

 especially a fluorescent glass, be placed above the metal screen, 

 the photographic plate is affected. — On the invisible radiations 

 emitted by phosphorescent bodies, by M. Henri Becquerel. 

 The light emitted by crystals of uranyl -potassium sulphate, 

 K(U0).S04 -I- HoO, can pass both through thin sheets of metal 

 and also through black paper. This eft'ect was first shown by 

 covering a sensitive film with a metal screen, placing some crystals 

 of the double sulphate on this, and then exposing to sunlight. But 

 it was afterwards found that the crystals exerted the same photo- 

 graphic effect in the dark, a phenomenon which can hardly be attri- 

 buted to phosphorescence, since T^^^th of a second after exposure 

 to light, these radiations are no longer visible (see p. 445).— The 

 relation between the energy of muscular work and albuminoids 

 in food, by MM. A. Chauveau and C. Contejean. The albu- 

 minoids in food are not directly concerned with the production 

 of muscular energy, since the amount of nitrogen excreted in 

 the urine is independent of the work done by the animal. — Ob- 

 servations on the Comet Perrine (1895 ^)> made at the Observa- 

 tory of Toulouse with the Brunner equatorial, by M. F. 

 Rossard. — On a means of recognising small variations in the 

 rate of astronomical clocks, by M. G. Bigourdan. The use of a 

 free pendulum, working in a vacuum at a constant temperature, 

 is suggested. — On groups of operations, by M. Levavasseur. — 

 Keply to the observations of M. H, Poincare on the theory 



NO. 1376, VOL. 53] 



of the kathode rays, by M. G. Jaumann. — Observations on the 

 subject of the preceding communication, by M. H. Poincare. 

 Presentation of prints obtained by M. Rontgen's method, by 

 M. Londe. — Dark light, a reply to some criticisms, by M. 

 Gustave Le Bon. — Diffusion of the Rontgen rays, by M\L A. 

 Imbert and H. Bertin Sans. The experiments show that if the 

 rays are regularly reflected, it must be only to a very small 

 extent ; they can, however, be readily diffused, and the 

 diffusion appears to depend rather on the nature than on the 

 condition of the surface of the diffusing body. — On the photo- 

 graphic representation of a medal obtained by the Rontgen 

 rays, by M. J. Carpentier. — On the passage of the Rontgen rays 

 through liquids, by MM. Bleunard and Labesse. Water, either 

 coloured or not, and solutions of borax and potassium perman- 

 ganate are transparent to the rays. Solutions of potassium 

 bromide, antimony chloride, and potassium bichromate, 

 on the other hand, are not so transparent. — Discovery 

 and extraction of a needie embedded in the hand by 

 means of the Rontgen rays, by M. P. Delbet. — Appli- 

 cations of the method of Rontgen, by MM. C. Girard 

 and F. Bordas. — Extraction of rhodinol from the essence of 

 pelargonium and from essence of roses ; identity of these two 

 alcohols, by MM. P. Barbier and L. Bouveault. — On the pre- 

 paration of silicochloroform, silicobromoform, and on some 

 derivatives of triphenyl-silicoprotane, by M. C. Combes. Silicide 

 of copper, prepared in the electric furnace, and containing 20 

 per cent, of silicon, is heated in a current of dry HCl to the 

 boiling point of diphenylamine. The liquid obtained consists of 

 silicochloroform (80 per cent.) and silicon tetrachloride (20 per 

 cent. ), readily separated by fractional distillation. In this way 

 there is no difficulty in preparing i kilo, of silicochloroform at 

 one operation. — Oxidation of crotonic aldehyde, by M. E. 

 Charon. By careful oxidation with silver oxide only one crotonic 

 acid is produced. — The elements of the retina vibrate trans- 

 versely, by M. A. Charpentier. — On functional assimilation, by 

 M. F. Le Dantec. — A new function of the tubes of Malpighi, 

 by M. V. Mayet. — Some diseases of the potato, by M. E. Roze. 

 — The Hypostomacese, a new family of parasitic fungi, by M. 

 Paul Vuillemin. A description of two new parasitic fungi dis- 

 covered in the needles of Conifers. — On the inversion of the 

 folds on the two sides of the Atlas of Blida (Algeria), by M. E. 

 Ficheur.— On the secondary layers of the provinces of Murcie, 

 Almeria, Grenada, and Alicante (Spain), by M. R. Nickles. — 

 The Observatory of Mount Argoual (Gard), by M. G. Fabre. 



Philadelphia. 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, February 18. — A paper 

 entitled as follows was presented for publication, "Contributions 

 to the Life-history of Plants, No xii.," by Thomas Meehan. (i) 

 Fecundity of Heliophytum Indicum ; (2) origin of the forms of 

 flowers ; (3) spines on the Citrus family ; (4) flowers and flowering 

 of Lanium purpiireiim ; (5) cleistogamy in Umbellifene ; (6) 

 rhythmic growth in plants ; (7) pellucid dots on some species 

 of Hyperiaim ; (8) honey glands of flowers ; (9) varying 

 phyllotaxis in the elm; (10) special features in a study of 

 Corntis stolonifera ; (11) Folial origin of cauline structures; 

 (12) polarity in the leaves of the Compass and other plants ; ( 13) 

 hybrids in nature; (14) origin and nature of plant glands; 

 (15) nutrition as affecting the forms of plants and their floral 

 organs; (16) some neglected studies. — Mr. D. S. Holman 

 exhibited a new stage for the microscope devised for the purpose 

 of studying large objects and widely-spread preparations. It 

 can be adapted to all instruments provided with square stages, 

 and has a motion of two inches each way. — Prejjarations of 

 minerals containing diatoms in transverse section, and other 

 microscopic arrangements of diatoms prepared by Mr. John A. 

 Schulze, were exhibited by Mr. F. J. Keeley. — Prof. Edw. D. 

 Cope described specimens of fossil reptilia from the Permian 

 and Trias. They belonged to the order Cotylosauria, which had 

 been described by him in 1879, and was afterwards characterised 

 by Seeley from African types. The order embraces the families 

 Elginiidis, Pariasauridie, Pariotichida*, the distribution and 

 characters of which were dwelt on. New genera of Diadectidie 

 were described under the names Bolbodon and Diatomodon, 

 the teeth of which, as well as of the other genera of the family, 

 were illustrated. The Platodontia may have been derived from 

 the Diadectidre. The roof over the temporal fossa and the 

 foramen for the temporal eye were illustrated by specimens. 

 The molar teeth of a species of Empedias, the cranium of 

 temtitectis, and the lower jaw of Diatomodon were 



