May 1 6, 1895] 



NA TURE 



are found in positions where they could not have been placed 

 except by the agency of floating ice-floes. He considers that 

 the marks of glaciation were caused by ice-floes, driven by strong 

 north-east and south-west currents, in a sea whose surface 

 reached a level on the land of from 1500 to 2000 feet over the 

 present level. The two glens run nearly parallel in a north- 

 easterly direction, and are separated by a range of hills and 

 moors not much more than two miles broad. The rocks of 

 both belong to the same geological formation, and yet the glens 

 are entirely dissimilar in appearance. Glenshira has smooth, 

 regular slopes, with a smooth level bottom ; Glenarayis atypical 

 highland glen traversed by a rapid river with a rocky bed and 

 three waterfalls, and exhibits strong glaciation. His Grace does 

 not consider that an ice-sheet, operating over the whole countr)', 

 could account for these diflerences. Neither does he consider 

 that local glaciers could have produced the effect, for such a 

 glacier must have been formed on the slopes of Ben Loy and have 

 flowed down Glenshira. On the other hand, Glenaray terminates 

 in a low pass 480 feet above sea-level, while Glenshira is closed 

 in by ridges 2000 feet in height. The former was therefore open 

 to the action of floes, while the higher peaks would shelter the 

 latter. 



.April 17. — Sir Douglas Maclagan, President, in the chair. — 

 Prof. Flinders Petrie gave a lecture " Ona New Race in Egypt," 

 describing the result of his work in Eg)'pt during the last season. 



" Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, May 6. — M. Marey in the chair. — 

 The zoological work of James Dana, by M. Blanchard. The 

 main outlines of James Dana's work are sketched from a 

 zoologist's point of view. lieference is particularly made to his 

 work on the geographical distribution of zoophytes, on coral reefs 

 and islands, on animal distribution with reference to depth and 

 temperature in the sea, and on Crustaceans. — The mineralogical 

 and geological work of James Dana, by M. Daubree. A very full 

 account is given of the chief points in Dana's geological work, 

 special reference being made to his publication of a " System of 

 Mineralogy," and his " Manual of Geology." — The work of M. 

 Carl V'ogt, by.M. Emile Blanchard. — Researches on the cerite 

 earths, by M. P. Schiitzenherger. The author establishes the result 

 that in cerite, cerium oxide is accompanied by small quantities of 

 another earth of a metal with somewhat lower atomic weight, 

 which is capable of being oxidised like cerium oxide, and of 

 which the sulphate is isomorjihous with that of cerium, and gives 

 insoluble double sulphates with alkaline sulphates. The 

 calcined higher oxide is of reddish-brown colour, even without 

 presence of didymium. — Action of fluorine on argon, by M. 

 Henri Moissan (see Notes, p. 61). — Systematic application of 

 the potato to the feeding of cattle, by M. Aime Girard. 

 The results are reported of experiments on the feeding of 

 cattle and sheep, both quantity and quality of meat obtained 

 being considered. The best results were obtained with 

 given proportions of cooked potatoes and hay, a very 

 superior article being obtained yielding high profits. — Report on 

 the table of triangular numbers of M. .\maudeau. — On the orbit 

 of the 1771 comet, by .M. Bigourdan. A re-examination of 

 the original manuscript of Saint-Jacques has allowed the dis- 

 covery of an error made by Burckhardt in reducing observations 

 of this comet. The result of a preliminary recalculation of the 

 observations allows the definite rejection of a hyberbolic orbit, 

 and renders it verj- probable that the orbit is an ellipse of 

 eccentricity 0-998. — Every algebraical condition imposed on the 

 movement of a body is realisalile by means of an articulated 

 system, by M. (J. Kcenigs. — On the use of a fourth dimension, 

 by M. (le la Rive. — On fluted spectra, by Prof. Arthur Schuster. 

 A discussion of the different interpretation of phenomena by the 

 author and .M. Poincare. In conclusion, the author is unable to 

 doubt the justice of M. Gouy's view, that the regidarity of the 

 vibrations, shown by the observations of Fizeau and Foucault, 

 does not exist in the luminous movement, but is produced by the 

 apparatus used. — Unequal absorption of dextrorotatory and 

 livorotatory circularly polarised light in certain active substances, 

 by M. A. Cotton. This unequal absorption is indicated by the 

 conversion of a plane polarised ray into an elliptically polarised 

 ray by passage through substances such ;xs the coloureil metallic 

 tartrates. The method of measuring the effect is indicated and 

 results promised in a further communication. — On the freezing 

 of solutions at constant temperature, by M. Sarrau. Solidi- 

 fication is produced under pressure so that no lowering 

 of the freezing point occurs, the . connection between the 



NO. 1333, VOL. 52] 



compensating pressure and molecular weight is considered. — 

 Closed isothermal cycles, reversible and maintained in equilibrium 

 by gra\-ity, by .M. .A. Ponsot. — Observations on the project of a 

 balloon expedition to the Arctic regions put forth by M. S. \. 

 .\ndree, by M. Gaston Tissandier. — Researches on mercurous 

 sulphate, nitrate, and acetate, by M. Raoul Varet. The heals of 

 formation from their elements taken in their actual states are : 

 for HgoSOj sol. -f- 175 Cal.; for Hg„ (NOjjj 2H2 O sol. -f 69-4 

 Cal.; and for Hgj (CjH^Oojo sol. -^ 202-1 Cal. — On the presence 

 of chitin in the cellular membrane of mushrooms, by M. Eugene 

 Gilson. Chitin has been found in all the fungi examined, taking 

 the place and fiilfiUing the functions of cellulose in phanerogams 

 and cryptogams. The experimental e\-idence concerns -Agaricus 

 campestris, Amanita muscaria, Cantharellus cebarius, Hypholoina 

 fasciculare, Polyporus ofticinalis, Polypoms fumosus, Russula, 

 Boletus, Tricholona, Bovista, and Claviceps purpurea. — Com- 

 parative study of the "appareils odorifiques" in the different 

 groups of Heteropterous Hemiptera, by M. J. Kiinckel d'Her- 

 culais. — Overlap of the furassic beds in the massif of the \'endee, 

 by M. Fred. Wallerant. — Influence of de-oxygenated blood, and 

 of some poisons, on the contractility of the h-mphatic vessels, by 

 MM. L. Camus and E. Gley. — On the scarlatinous strepto- 

 coccus, by M. Ad. d'Espine. — The manuring of vines and 

 quality of the wines, by M. A. Mtintz. The supposed deleterious 

 action of manure on the quality of wine produced from the 

 dressed \'ineries has no substantial foundation in fact. 



Berlin, 



Physiological Society, April 5.— Prof H. Munk, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Prof J. Munk had investigated the excre- 

 tion of mineral waste during Prof. Zuntz' experiments on the 

 effects of excessive exercise on metaboUsm. (See Nature, vol. 

 li. p. 503.) He found that the urinary output of sulphur was 

 increased in correspondence with the increased proteid meta- 

 bolism, the excess taking the form of sulphuric acid, not of 

 ethereal-sulphates. Phosphorus and potassium were also simi- 

 larly increased, and since neither of them are normal constituents 

 of proteid, their greater excretion denoted some destruction of 

 other tissues. This view- was confirmed by the increased excre- 

 tion of lime, which further points to a possibly greater metabolism 

 of bone-tissue during the exercise. — Dr. Treitel had carried out 

 observations on the perception of the N-ibrations of tuning-forks 

 by the skin, and had found that the sensibihty varied in diflerent 

 parts of its surface, and did not correspond with that for the per- 

 ception of mere touch or localisation. — Dr. Schultz demonstrated 

 the contraction of single bundles of unstriated muscle-fibres on a 

 preparation made from the muscular coat of a frog's stomach. 

 The fibres could be seen to slowly contract on electric stimula- 

 tion, relaxing equally slowly after the stimulus had ceased. 



Meteorological Society, April 2.— Prof Hellmann, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Dr. Less spoke on the various types of 

 winter weather, dealing in detail with the five types established 

 by Teisserenc de Bort as depending on the distribuuon of baro- 

 metric maxima and minima over the Atlantic Ocean and 

 Europe. He added to these a sixth type of mild and squally 

 weather which most usually follows after other types of warm 

 winter weather. He pointed out that the winter just past could 

 for the liiost part not be included under any of the above six 



types. 



Physical Society, April 26.— Prof. Schwalbe, President, in 

 the chair. — Dr. Pringslieim gave an account of his experiments 

 on the electric conductivity of heated ga-ses. In a Chamotte-tube 

 closed by brass caps the various gases, such as air, hydrogen, 

 and carbon dioxide, were heated to a temperature of 700" to 

 900° C. The electrodes consisted of circular discs of platinum 

 capable of being placed at varying distances from each other. 

 .\ current of 1-6 to 10 volts was passed through the gases, and 

 all the results obtaincti by Becquerel in 1S53 were confirmed. 

 As the electrodes were separated from each other the deflection 

 of the galvanometer became less, and with constant distance 

 between the electrodes the current became less the longer it 

 flowed. This fact led to the suspicion, verified by experiment, that 

 polarisation was here playing a jxart. On breaking the primary 

 current, the p<ilari.salion of the electrodes was quite perceptible 

 for a full half-hour. . The spc>aker concluded from the above 

 that conduction in heated g;ises is an electrolytic phenomenon, 

 and intends to carry on his researches, using more carefully 

 purified gases and a trustworthy pyrometer.— Dr. du Bois re- 

 ported on !i paper presented by Prof, van Aubel, dealing with 

 Hall's phenomenon as investigated on thin layers of bismuth 



