120 



NA TURE 



[May ^o, 189: 



Sir J. W. Dawson, C.M.G., F.R.S., on the physical character 

 and affinities of the Gaunches, or extinct people of the Canary 

 Islands, illustrate<l by photographs, was read. In it the author 

 reviewed the historical facts as to the Canar)- Islands and these 

 inhabitants, the characters of the crania found, and the wea)ions, 

 ornaments, A;c. , and described the conclusions he had arrived at 

 with reference to the relationship of the Gaunches to ancient 

 fieoples of Western Eurojie and Africa, and their possible 

 connection with the colonisation of Eastern America. 



Royal Microscopical Society, May 15. — Mr. A. D. 

 Michael, President, in the chair. — Mr. J. Swift exhibited an 

 improved form of the Nelson microscope-lamp, fitted with 

 mechanical movements ; an<l also a Wales microscope which had 

 Ijeen fitted with the new mechanical stage. — Mr. T. Comber 

 read a paper on the development of the young valve of 

 Troihyiuis aspcra. The subject was illustrated with lantern 

 photographs exhibited upon the screen. — .Miss Ethel Sargant's 

 paper, " On the first nuclear division in the pollen mother cells 

 of Liliuin martagoii, &c.," was communicated by Dr. D. H. 

 Scott. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, May 20. — M. Marey in the chair. — 

 The decease of M. C. Ludwig, correspondent of the Medicine 

 and Surgery .Section, was .-innounced by the President. M. 

 Ludwig will be chiefly remembered for his work on blood 

 pressures and circulation, on artificial circulation, and on the 

 physiology of the nervous system. — Reduction to sea-level of 

 the values observed for gravity at the surface of the earth (Coast 

 and Geodetical Survey), by M. G. K. Putnam. .\ translation of 

 some passages of this work is given by .M. H. Faye, in which it 

 is shown that Faye's correction causes anomalies to more nearly 

 ilisappear than Bouguer's correction. M. Faye then discusses 

 the probable form of the earth's crust, and shows the bearing of 

 his discussion on the theories of geologists. — New rssearches on 

 the thermochemical relations lietween aldehydes, alcohols, and 

 acids, by M.M. Hcrthelot and Rivals. .\ rdsunu' is given of the 

 known ihermixrhemical data connecting aldehydes with corre- 

 sponding alcohols and acids. — Existence of phosphorus in notable 

 proportion in oysters, by M.M. .K. Chatin and .K. Miintz. Not ' 

 only has phosphorus l)ccn found in the shells of different kinds 

 of oysters in (he form of tricalcic phosphate, l)Ut organic ■ 

 phosphorus has been found in oyster flesh in quantity, more in 

 Portuguese oysters (Gryfhca aiigiilata) than in French natives 

 {Oslrea edulis). — Classification of the chemical elements, by M. 

 Lecoq dc Boisbaudran. .V theoretical paper discussing the 

 author's system of classification and the genesis of elements from 

 a primordial matter. — On the spectroscopic analysis of ga.ses 

 '>biained from various minerals, by Mr. Norman Lockycr. — On 

 thereducing pro[x:rtiesof sfKliumalcoholatesat a high temperature, 

 by .MM. \. Ilallcr and J. .Minguin. The results of heating 

 together in sealed tubes al about 200" C. are given for : desoxy- 

 f>cnzom and sodium eihylate in absolute alcohol ; benzophenone 

 and .STKlium cthylate ; anihraquinone and sodium ethylate, 

 amylate, and bulylatc resixrctivcly. — On stereoscopic projections 

 and the " stereojumelle, by M. .Mocssard. — Studies on the 

 activity of the diastole of the ventricles, on its mechanism, 

 and its physiological and irathological applications. An abstract 

 of a memoir by the author, M. Leon Germe. — A comparison 

 Ijctween the spectra of the g.ises from cleveite and the spectrum 

 'if the solar atmosphere, by .M. H. Dcslandres. A list of wave- 

 lengths of lines observed in the s]iectra of gases from cleveite is 

 compared with a similar list of lines observed in the solar chromo- 

 sphere spectrum (see p. 56). Twenty lines in the former list are 

 recorded and thirteen lines in the latter list arc shown to have 

 ihe same wave-length, extending through the luminous and 

 ultra-violet jKirtions of the spectra. Two /crwaHo// chromo- 

 sphere lines, 587'6oand 447'l8, ctirrespfjnd to two of the prin- 

 cijal gas lines, 587'6o(D,) and 447'I75. There now remain but 

 two stich chromf)sphere lines always obtainable, which do not 

 corrcspmd to lines obtained in terrestrial s|iectra. — On the 

 isomeric transformations of mercury sails, by M. Raoul Varet. 

 It is shown Ihal black amorphfius IlgS disengages +0^24 Gil. 

 in changing to the red amorphous variety, and yields a further 

 -♦■0'o6 Cal. in tiecoming red crystalline Hg.S. — Action of 

 nitrogen tieroxlde on the halogen salts of antinumy, by 

 M. V. Thomas. — Meats of formation of lienzoyi chloride 

 and loliiyl chloride, by M. Paul Rivals. The substitution 

 of the group (COCI) for a hydrogen in benzene or toluene 

 results in an incrca.ic in the heat of formation of -f 58 Cal. and 

 + 55'3 Ca'- rcsficctivcly. — Study of scnccionine and scnecinc, 



by MM. .A. Grandval and H. Lajoux. Two alkaloids have 

 been prepared from Scndio vulgaris. Senecionine appears to 

 have the composition C^gll-jfiNOj, and does not possess very 

 marked reactions. Senecine appears to possess much more 

 definite reactions with the usual alkaloi<l reagents. — On phcnyl- 

 sulpho-orthotoluidine and some of its derivatives, by M. Ch. 

 Rabaut. In conclusion, attention is drawn to the resistance of 

 this substance to oxidation and to its great stability in ]iresence 

 of dilute acids and heat, notwithstanding its amide character. — 

 .\nalysis of a mummy l)one, by M. Thezard. — t)n a leucomaine 

 extracted from urine in cases of .-Vngina pectoris, by M. A. B. 

 Griffiths anil C. Massey. .\ new poisonous base, causing death 

 in two hours, of which the composition is given .ts C10H9NO4. — 

 On .some improvements in the preparation and study of thin 

 plates of .sedimentary calcareous rocks, by M. Blcicher. — (^n 

 the anomalous divisions of ferns, by M. Adrien Gucbhard. — 

 The catastrophes of Titel in the Banal and of Mendoza (Argen- 

 tine Republic), by M. Ch. V. Zenger. .\rgunients are .adduced 

 to .show a connection between these seismic pheni>mena and 

 sun-spot appearances on the sun. — The use of crude petroleum 

 for prevention of incrustations in boilers is advocated by M. G. 

 Lievin. 



NO. 1335, VOL. 52] 



BOOKS AND SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.- The Teltphonc Sy^tcmv of the Continent of Kurope : A. R 

 Bennett (Longmans).— The Theory of LJehi : Prof. T. Preston, and edition 

 (Macmillan).— Dental Microscopy : A. M. Smith (Dental Manufacturing 

 Company). — A Renders Guide to Contemporary Literature : W. S. Sonnen- 

 schcin (Sonncnschein).— A First Book of Klectricity and Magnetism : \V. 

 P. Maycock, 2nd edition (Whitiaker). — The Way about .Middlesex (IlifTe).- 

 The Way about Hertfordshire (IIiffe).~An F^lcmentar>- Treatise on Elliptic 

 Functions : Prof. A. Cayley. and edition (Bell). — La Pluie en Bel^ique : A. 

 I^ncaster, Premier Fa.sc. (Bruxelles, Hayez). — Nature in Acadie : H. K. 

 Swann (Bale).— The Linacre Reports, Vol. ? : edited by Prof. E. Ray Lan 

 kesicr (Adlard). 



Serials.— Boianischejahrbucher fur Sysiematik, Pflanzenccschichte und 

 Pflanzcngeocraphie, Zwanzigster Band, ^ Heft (I-cipzig, Engelmann). — 

 Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftliche Zoologic. Ii.\. Band, 2 Heft (l^iprig, 

 Engelmann). — The Evergreen, Spring (Unwin). — American Naturalist, 

 May (Philadelphia). — Papers read before the Engineering Society of the 

 School of Practical Science, Toronto, No. 8, 1894-5 (Toronto).— Good 

 Words, June (Isbistcr).— Sunday Magazine, June (Isbister).— lx)ngman's 

 Magazine, June (Longmans).— Chaml>ers"s Journal, June (Chambers).— 

 Century Magazine, June (Unwin).— Journal of the College of Science, 

 Imperial University, Japan, Vol. vii. Part 4 (TCkyO).— Journal of the Insti- 

 tution of Electrical Engineers, No. ii7(Spon). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Spirit of Cookery 97 



Weather Observation and Predictions 9& 



An Album of Classical Antiquities 100 



A Desideratum in Modern Botanical Literature . loi 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



"Tile Noxi'iusand Iknelirial Insects of the i^Iale of 



Illinois." E. A. 102 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Origin of the Cultivated Cineraria.- W. Bate- 

 son, F.R.S. ; Prof. W. F. R. Weldon, F.R.S. loj 

 Biilt7mann's Minimum Function. — S. H. Burbury, 



F.R.S 104 



Kesearch in Education.— Miss L. Edna Walter . 105. 

 The Hiljliograph)' of Spectroscopy. — Prof. Herbert 



McLeod, F.R.S 105 



.\n .\nuatic IIymeno]iierous Insect. — Fred. Enock 105 



Ilalleys Chart.- Thos. Ward 106 



On the Line Spectra of the Elements. (H'ilh Dia- 



nana.) I'.v Prof. C. Runge 106 



Karl Vogt. I'.v E. B. T. ; G. C. B. ; W 108 



Notes no 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Mercury .ind Venus 'IJ 



The Total Solar Kclipse of 1898 January 21-22 ... 113 



The -Vstrophotographic Chart 113 



.Award of the Walson .Medal II3 



A Lecture Experiment. [Iltmlralal.) Hy Prof. 



W. C. Roberts-Austen, C.B., F.R.S 114 



The Life-History of the Crustacea in Early Palico- 

 zoic Times. (//VM Diagram.) Hy Dr. Henry 



Woodward, F.R.S n* 



Scientific Serials "S^ 



Societies and Academies "9 



Books and Serials Received 120 



