43^ 



NATURE 



[August 29, 1S95 



found in the same position (the middle third of the posterior 

 limb) as the degenerations resulting from lesions of the hallux and 

 thumb centres. In this backward movement of the facial fibres 

 in the capsule there is necessarily a level in which they enveloi>e 

 the genu, which would account for the fact that they are gene- 

 rally described as occupying that position. .\s in the other lesions, 

 most of the fine degeneration passed from the internal capsule to 

 the thalanms. In the crus the degeneration was scattered pretty 

 evenly over the area of the middle third, exactly corresix>nding 

 to the situation of the pyramidal fibres in the other experiments, 

 and not occup)-ing the position usually assigned to them, mesial 

 to the pyramidal fibres. No degeneration was found in the 

 accessory bundle to the fillet. .Vs in the other experiments, de- 

 generate fibres were found passing from the crus to the substantia 

 nigra. The remaining degenerate fibres began to leave the left 

 pyramidal tract at the junction of the pons and medulla, passing 

 as single degenerate fibres to the facial nucleus of one or the 

 other side. Below the level of the facial nuclei these fibres 

 passed to the motor nuclei of the glossopharyngeus and vagus 

 on both sides, the majority crossing the raphe to reach the nuclei 

 on the opposite side. Occasional fibres were observed which 

 apparently jiassed to some termination dorsal to these nuclei. 

 This movement of degenerate fibres continued as far as the 

 sensorj- decussation. A few degenerate fibres ( probably thumb 

 or finger fibres) remained in the pyramid and crossed in the 

 decussation to the right lateral column, and disappeared in the 

 lower cervical or upper dorsal region. In some of the facial 

 lesions there were appearances of ilegeneration in the right 

 internal capsule, but its connection with the lesion could not be 

 demonstrated. 



P.\RIS. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 19.— On matches tipped 

 with explosive mixtures, by .M. Th. Schlitsing. The author has 

 ex])erimented with a number of mixtures of substances with the 

 \new of finding a jxisie endowed with the properties of that mix- 

 ture containing white phosphorus, and not having its poisonous 

 character. The results show that it is necessary to use potas- 

 sium chlorate, red phosphorus, ground glass, and glue or its 

 equivalent, and that it is by no means a simple matter to find a 

 ]wrfect substitute for the paste used in tipping common matches. 

 — On the storms and earthquakes in .\ustri;i during June, by M. 

 Ch. V. Zenger. It is shown that during this ixrriod : (i) Solar 

 activity has been sexy great. (2) Magnetic perturbations have 

 been very ample and fre<)uent. (3) Karthquakes and cyclonic 

 storms of extraordinar)' violence have coincided with the appear- 

 ance of numerous and brilliant meteorites, and with the passage 

 of numerous shooting stars. — On equilateral hyperboke of any 

 order, by M. Paul Serret. — On permanent deformations and the 

 rupture of solid Ixxlies, by M. l-aurie. — On the conducting 

 pfiwer of mixtures of metal filings and dielectrics, by M. Ci. T. 

 Lhuillier. — Researches on the combinations of mercury cyanide 

 with chlorides, by M. Kaoul \'aret. A thermocheniical study 

 on the combinations of mercury cyanitle with the chlorides of 

 sodium, ammonium, barium, strontium, calcium, magnesium, 

 zinc, and caflmium. The solutions of these double salts do not 

 give the isopurpurate reaction with a iiicrate at 30", and hence 

 the cyanr^en remains wholly in combmation with the mercury 

 at this lemiK'ralure. On boiling, however, there is evidence of 

 interchange of a small projOTrtion of cyanogen for chlorine. — 

 Thermal researches on cyanuric acid, by M. I'aul Lemoull. .'vs 

 in the case of phosphoric acid, the addition of each of three 

 equivalents of alkali is marked by a different evolution of heal ; 

 the acid is a triliasic mixed acid. — Heat of combustion of some 

 0-kclonic ethereal .salts, by M. J. duinchanl. — Oeterminalicm of 

 heat disengaged in alcoholic fermenlalion, by M. .\. Houffard. — 

 f)n the gum of wines, by M.M. O. Niviere and .\. Hubert. — 

 ')n the migration of phosphate of lime in jjlanls, by M. L. 

 Vaudin. — Origin and r<>le of the nucleus in the formation of 

 s|x)rcs and in the acl of fecundation, among the Uredinea-, by 

 M. .Sappin-Trouffy. 



BKRI.rN. 



Physiological Society, July 5.— Prof. Munk, President, in 

 tbi- 'hair. — Prof. II. M\mk spoke on conlracturcs he had 

 oh., rvcd in monkeys after removal of the motor areas of the 

 "'■'■' •T'rx. — Prof, (lad reported some experiments of Prof. 

 N 'f Athens), which had <lemonslralcd the presence of 



li' ' in the pyloric gastric glands and in Hrunner's glands, 



July 19. — Prof, du Hois Kcymond, President, in the chair.— 

 Dr. Schulti demonstrated micro- and macro-scopically the con- 

 traction of the unstriatetl muscle fibres of the stomach of Sala- 



mander. It was seen that the excised strips only contract 

 when they are cut out in the direction of the long axis of the 

 fibres, not when the fibres arc cut through at right angles to 

 their axis. Dr. Rawitz had stained the lymphatic glands in the 

 mesentery of Maciuiis cynoiiio/giis by his "additive" method. 

 He found the nuclei of the cells were generally placed excen- 

 trically, and contained a minute round chromatin ixilch. The 

 linin network was marked by minute nuclei at the points of 

 intersection and attachment. The structure of the plasma was 

 quite indeterminate, but it appeared to contain a small round 

 body, 2 to 3 ^ in diameter, which stained somewhat deeply, and 

 which he regarded as van Beneden's " attraction sphere." Dr. 

 Schultz had examined the optical properties of unstriated 

 muscle-fibres of vertebrates in polarised light. It was found 

 that although single fibres were not doubly refmcting, a thicker 

 layer of them was so quite distinctly. From this he concluded 

 that the siiig/i: fibres are in reality doubly refracting, but too 

 feebly so to be perceptible. The double refraction l>ecame less 

 during contraction, from which he concluded that, in accordance 

 with von Ebner's theory, llie anisotropic property of the fibres is 

 due to differences in their internal tensions, the latter being 

 greater in a transverse than in a longitudinal direction. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Erdmagnetische Me&sungen in Osterreich : J. Liznar (Wien). — 

 Durham College of Science, Calendar (Reid).— Oic Schflpfung des 

 Menschen und ilciner idealc : Dr. \V. Haacke (Williams and Norgate).— 

 Elements of Coordinate Gcomctr>' : Prof. S. I.oney (Macmillan). — A 

 Lalwraiory Manual of Organic Chemi.-iiry : Prof. l^xss.-ir-Cohn, translated 

 by Prof. A. Smith (Macmillan). — Asironomische Mitiheilungen von der 

 Koniglichcn Stcrnwartc zu Gotiin^cn : Prof. \V. Schur, Vicrtcr Thcil 

 (GOitingen, Kacstner). — Symons's British Rainfall, 1894 (Stanford). — Forty- 

 second Report of ih- Department of Science and Art (liyre and Spottis- 

 woodc). 



pAMt'HLETS. — Geological Survey of Alabama ; Report upon the Coosa 

 Coal Field : A. M. Gibson (Montgomery). — Plants and (hardens of the 

 Canar>" Islands : Dr. D. Morris (SpoitiswiH>de). 



Serials. — Boianischc Jahrbuchcr fur Systematik, Pflanzengcschichtc und 

 Pfl an zcn geographic, Einundzwanzigsier Band, 3 Heft (Williams and Nor- 

 gate). — Journal of the Institute of Jamaica, April (Kingston). — L'Anthro- 

 pologie, Tome 6, No. 4 (Paris). — Quarterly Journal of Nlicroscoi>i«:al 

 Science, August (Churchill). — Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, 

 August (117 Victoria Street). — Longman's Magazine, August (Longmans). 



NO. 1348, VOL. 52] 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Sir Samuel Baker and Northern Africa. By J. 



W. G 409 



Bio-optimism. Hy H. G. Wells 410 



The Glyptodont Origin of Mammals. Bv R. 



Lydekker, F.R.S 411 



Our Book Shelf;— 



l)c Marchi : " Le Cause dell' Era Glaciale" .... 412 

 Rawitz : " LeitfadenfiirhistologischeUntersuchungen." 



—A. A. K 412 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Tnivcrsitv of London. —W. T, Thiselton- 



Dyer, C.M.G., F.R.S 413 



The Nomenclature of Colours. — Herbert Spencer . 413 



Clausius' Virial Theorem.— Colonel C. E. Basevi . 413 



Incubatiim among the Egyptians. J. Tyrrell Baylee 414 



Mountain Sickness.- -George Griffith 414 



IIow was Wallace led to the Discovery of Natural 

 .Sclu(li.)n ? Dr. A. B. Meyer; Dr. A. R. 



Wallace, F.R.S 415 



A Problem in Thermodynamics. (flluslraUd.) — E, 



Blass 415 



.\ RL-markalile I'lighl of Birils -R. A. Bray . . . . 415 



The Ipswich Meeting of the British Association . . 415 



A Souvenir of C//.;//< /;;'.' Work, {//liislraltui.) . . . 417 



Dr. Friedrich W. G. Sporer. By W. J. S. L. ... 417 



Notes 418 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Rcap])earaiife of .Swill's Comet 421 



The Latitude Variation Tide 421 



The Solar Parallax from Mars Observations .... 421 

 The Sun's Place in Nature. X. {///it.(/ra/iJ.) By 



J. Norman Lockyer, C.B., F.R.S 422 



The Iron and Steel Institute 425 



The Spectrum of Helium. I!y V/. Crookes, F.R.S. 428 



University and Educational Intelligence 430 



Scientific Serials 431 



Societies and Academies 431 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 432 



