March 26, 1896] 



NATURE 



501 



(lucible to integrals of a similar nature ; but in no case does it 

 appear that its path, nor the catenary, can become of a purely 

 algebraical nature. In the catenar}- on the vertical cone, as well 

 as in the motion of a sphere rolling on the cone, the integrals 

 are more directly reducible to the Jacobian form. In each case 

 I lie developed catenary or trajectory is the form assumed for a 

 constant central attraction or repulsion. — Lieut. -Colonel Allan 

 Cunningham, R.E., gave a proof that \ (5"- i) = 12,207,031, 

 and |.T,V (7'^+ = 10,746,341, are both prime numbers. 



Royal Meteorological Society, March 18. — Mr. E. Maw- 

 Icy, President, in the chair. — Mr. Frederic Gaster, of the Me- 

 teorological Office, delivered a lecture on weather forecasts and 

 storm warnings, how they are prepared and made known, which 

 lie illustrated by numerous instruments, diagrams, and lantern 

 >lides. Mr. Gaster said that in the preparation of forecasts the 

 1 Position held by the barometer was so much more important 

 than that of any other instrument, that its action must be fully 

 comprehended if the rest of the work was to be at all clearly 

 understood. The lecturer having fully explained this, referred 

 to the use of a single isolated instrument, and showed how new 

 light was thrown on the observer who could have telegraphed to 

 him simultaneous observations from a large number of places 

 scattered over a considerable area of the earth's surface. The 

 kind of variation in the distribution was dealt with, isobars were 

 drawn, and the phenomena which they exhibit in the way of 

 high and low pressure areas described. An explanation was 

 given of the terms '"cyclonic" and "anticylonic," and the 

 generally opposite characteristics of these two systems were re- 

 ferred to. Mr. Gaster next drew attention to the obvious im- 

 portance of the variation in the weather over a given area caused 

 by alterations in the position of the cyclonic and anticyclonic 

 systems, and the importance of the fact that the former tended 

 to move round the latter from left to right. This led to some 

 remarks on the indications observed when disturbances were ad- 

 vancing towards our islands from different points. Attention 

 was drawn to secondary systems, both of high and low pressure, 

 the forms they assume, and their effect on the weather which, 

 but for their presence, would probably have accompanied their 

 primaries ; and the necessity for allowing for such systems in 

 sending warnings to our coasts. The lecturer then remarked on 

 the value of auxiliary information, such as is to be obtained 

 from decided changes in the direction of the wind, sudden 

 changes of temperature, the movements of clouds at different 

 levels, observations made at high-level stations, and telegrams 

 from the United States. Mr. Gaster next explained how the in- 

 formation is made known to the public. Forecasts are issued 

 by the Meteorological Office in the Daily Weather Report, and 

 also communicated to the press, &c. Hay harvest forecasts are 

 issued to certain selected authorities, who circulate them as 

 much as possible in their neighbourhood. Storm warnings are 

 telegraphed to our coasts with instructions to hoist the cone- 

 point up when the gale is probable from northerly to easterly 

 points, and point down when from southerly to westerly points. 

 In conclusion the lecturer drew attention to the marked im- 

 provement which had occurred in these warnings in recent years, 

 and to some of the occurrences which from time to time caused 

 failures. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, March 2. — Prof. Geikie in the chair. — A 

 paper was read by Mr. C. A. Fawsitt, on peroxide of hydrogen 

 in reference to its use as an antiseptic. Since its introduction 

 into surgery by Sir Benjamin Richardson, peroxide of hydrogen 

 had not become so popular as was expected. It possessed 

 undeniable advantages — e.g. when its oxygen was given off only 

 water remained. But it had the disadvantages of irritability 

 and instability. The former was due to the presence of acids, 

 usually HCi, and solid matter. This was to be avoided by 

 exercising great care in its preparation. The instability of H^Oo 

 varied with the method of preparation adopted. Mr. Fawsitt 

 recommended that whenever it was procured, it be diluted to the 

 strength required in practice, and kept in a dark place. — Dr. D. 

 Fraser Harris communicated the results of experiments he had 

 been conducting on some points in the physiological chemistry 

 and coagulation of milk. He found that the small globules, as 

 well as the large, contained fat in direct, and " caseinogen" in 

 indirect proportion to their size. Milk that was heated nearly to 

 boiling point gave the l>est results with artificial digestion. — Mr. 

 R. C. Mossman read a paper on the seasonal death-rate from 

 certain diseases in Edinburgh during the period 1878-94, with 



remarks on the relation between weather and mortality. He 

 exhibited the curves of the mortality from various diseases 

 plotted above those denoting temperature, variability of tempera- 

 ture, and rainfall. The most marked result was that bronchitis, 

 pleurisy, and pneumonia, while only very slightly influenced by 

 low temperature, were very directly associated with variability 

 of temperature. 



March 16. — Prof. Copeland in the chair. — Mr. J. V. 

 Buchanan read a paper on the action of water on mono- 

 chloracetic acid. — Dr. David Hepburn communicated a re- 

 vised description of the dorsal interosseous muscles of the 

 human hand, with suggestions for a new momenclature of the 

 palmar interosseous muscles, and some observations on the 

 corresponding muscles in the anthropoid apes. The shaft of 

 each metacarpal bone, with the exception of the first, presents 

 two triangular areas, a larger in the dorsal aspect and a smaller 

 in the palmar aspect, neither of which affords origin to muscular 

 fibres. It follows, therefore, that the palmar asf>ect of the 

 various metacarpal bones are more fully occupied by muscles 

 than the dorsal aspects. The dorsal interosseous muscles, which 

 are abductor in function, are smaller than current descriptions 

 lead us to believe. This is quite in accordance with the com- 

 paratively feeble nature of the abductor movements. Each 

 digit is provided with a short flexor muscle presenting radial 

 and ulnar heads, which are capable of acting independently, and 

 thereby producing a certain amount of abduction and adduction 

 according to their position with regard to the middle line of the 

 hand. Every muscle of the dorsal or abductor series is inserted 

 in common with one of the heads of a short flexor muscle, and in 

 consequence of their close fusion the line of separation between 

 them is somewhat obscured and has been overlooked. The 

 members of the palmar or true adductor stratum have all dis- 

 appeared from the human hand with the exception of the adductor 

 Poinds ohliqntis et transi'erstis ; hence the action has been thrown 

 upon certain heads of the short flexors, and in consequence 

 these heads stand out more distinctly, especially as their presence 

 is not marked by fusion with any other muscle. Whenever 

 true adductor muscles are found, as in certain of the apes, they 

 are inserted in conjunction with those heads of the short flexors 

 which are capable of supplementing this action. In the case of 

 the human pollex, which possesses the one true adductor muscle, 

 not only is this muscle inserted in common with one head (the 

 ulnar) of the Flexor hrezns pollicis, but in consequence that 

 that head is always obscured, and in many cases extinguished. — 

 Mr. A. T. Masterman communicated a note on the structure 

 and affinities of Phoronis. He suggested that Phoronis should 

 take its place amongst the Hemichordata, since it showed 

 various points of resemblance to Balanoglossus, to Cephalodiscus, 

 and to Rhabdopleura. — Dr. W. Peddie communicated the 

 second part of a paper on the torsional oscillations of wires. In 

 the first part it was proved that the loxmwXz. y\x -V a) — b— 

 where y represents the range of oscillation, k represents the 

 number of oscillations which have taken place, and «, a, b are 

 constants— expresses the law of decrease of the oscillations with 

 great accuracy in any one experiment. The value of n is 

 increased by increase of the initial range, and also by fatigue. A 

 theoretical deduction of the formula was also given, it being 

 assumed that the loss of energy jier oscillation was proportional 

 to a power of the range. When n is zero the curve changes 

 form and becomes logarithmic. Thus the well-known law for 

 small oscillations is accounted for. In the second part of the 

 paper, additional proof of the great accuracy of the formula is 

 given. The relation nh = BK" is established between the 

 quantities n and b, B and K being absolute constants. And it 

 is further shown that K is, in terms of the particular angular 

 unit employed, the value of a critical angle for the given wire. 

 This critical angle is such that, when the range is equal to it, 

 the loss of energy' per oscillation is totally independent of the 

 magnitude of the mitial range or of fatigue. When the range 

 exceeds the critical angle, the loss of energ}' per oscillation is 

 increased by fatigue ; when the range is less, the loss of energy is 

 decreased by fatigue. A theoretical explanation of the existence 

 of a critical angle was given. In the particular wire employed^ 

 the critical angle corresponds to a twist of alx)ut O'l" pe 

 centimetre of length. 



Cambritkie. 



Philosophical Society, March 9.— Prof. J. J- Thomson, 

 President in the chair.— Notes on the geological history of 

 .Monocotyledons, by Mr. A. C. Seward.— A description of the 



NO. I37S. VOL. y^;] 



