636 



NA TURE 



[October 24, 1895 



Dr. a. Rothtletz has been appointed Extraordinary Pro- 

 fessor of Geolog)' and Pal.vontoUig) in the I'niversity of Munich ; 

 Dr. Ernst Lecher, Professor of Physics in Innsbruck L'niversily, 

 has been nominated to succeed Prof. Machs at Prague : Dr. F. 

 Mares has been made Ordinary- Professor of Physiolog)' in the 

 Bohemian University at Prague ; and Dr. J. E. Humphrey has 

 been appointed Lecturer in Botany at the Johns Hopkins 

 University, Baltimore. 



The Calendar of the University College, North Wales, for 

 the year 1805-96, has been received. The physical, chemical, 

 and biological labfiratories (plans of which are given in the 

 Calendar) now cover an extensive area. Under Prof .'Andrew 

 (-'■ray, the physical department has greatly developed ; and the 

 appliances and electrical installation with which it is equipped 

 enable the College to offer a complete course of instruction in 

 all branches of electro-technical education. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Pakis. 



Academy of Sciences, October 14. — M. Janssen in the 

 chair. — The decease of Baron Larrey, free member, wa.s an- 

 nounced from the chair. He died on Octoljer S. M. Emile 

 Blanchard pointed out the great influence of the deceased in 

 modem surgery. — The Prince of .Monaco has sent to the .Vcademy 

 No. L\. of his publications concerning the scientific work 

 done on his yacht : a contribution to the study of the Cephalo- 

 pods of the North Atlantic, by M. Louis Joubin. — On a 

 mechanical amplification of the horizontal component of the 

 earth's rotation, by M. Jules Andrade. — On a hydraulic 

 apparatus to show the movement of rotation of the earth, by 

 M. Aug. Coret. — -M. Aug. Fabre, in a memoir on " Integration 

 of the equation to the derived partials of the first order, of a 



function x with « independent variables .v,, .V;, .r,, >„ " 



gives a quick new method of arriving at the general integral of 

 an equation fi {x, jr,, j-., . . , x„, p,, p,, . . p„) = o. 

 — M. J. Janssen, in the name of the Bureau des Longitudes, 

 presented the 1898 volume of " Connaissance des Temps." 

 There has been added to the tables concerning the satellites of 

 planets, a table giving the elements for the calculation of the 

 position of Mar.s' satellites at any given moment. In the 

 ephemerides of the fundamental stars, the brightness of those 

 above the first magnitude h.as l>een given, taking Aldebaran as 

 unit. — The Perpetual Secretar)' announced to be printed in the 

 Correspondence, " Theorie dcr endlichen Gruppen von 

 cindcutigen Transformationen in der Ebene," by .M. S. Ivantor. 

 — On a class of linear equations to the derived partials, by .M. 

 II. von Koch. — On the surfaces of which the lines of curvature 

 form a network with equal t.ingential invariants, by M. \. 

 II .laut. — On the double elliptic refraction and the tetra- 

 n ;tingence of quartz near its axis, by M. (i. (,)uesneville. — On 

 the estimation of argon, by M. Th. Schlicsing. .\n appar.itus 

 with circulating mercury pump is described, which allows of the 



' r|ition of nitrogen and measurement of the residual argon. 

 I nhole arrangement is a modified form of Ramsay's apparatus 



I r Isolating argon — On the action of hydrochloric acid on 

 ■ "\'\«:x. by .M. K. Engcl. Copper decomposes a salur.-ited solu- 



II .11 iif hydrogen chloride at 15'C., with lilieration of hydrogen. 

 This interaction does not occur if the concentration be less than 

 th:it vhnwn by the formula IICl. I0ll,0. The presence of 



' 'ride retards the reaction greatly. — Action of potash 



■ m elhoxide on fK;nzo<)uinone, by M. Ch. Astrc. — 



lions of aniipyrine with the diphenols, influence of the 



.siiions of the hydroxyl groups, by MM. CI. Patein 



lU. Pyrocatcchol, resorcinol, and quinol (hydro- 



!i:ive differently with regard to aniipyrine ; the orlho- 



1 1 ihenols combine with two molecular proportions, the 



iiieu- with one. The combination occurs through one of the 



nitrof^cn atoms and the phenolic hydroxyl, which loses this 



lien its hydrogen is repliicecl by a metal or radical. — 



s on the reducing power of pure yeasts, means of 



., .:. by M. NaslukofT. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



I .-1.1 M»«- 



iitcntAry 



■ rice. An 



I Kiuctlom : K. 



^y : T>r. r.. N. 



^y K. Priichard 



(Mtir,cm,Kiri>. hrail Cl.iIUrtn U l lit An ; -S. H, .Si.udJtr (Hmlon, Hough* 



l^n).— Darwin and afitr Darwin : Or. G. J. Romanes, ii. (l-ongmanuX— 



AmonR Rhode Island Wild Flowers : Prof. \V. W. Bailey (Providence, 

 R.I., Preston). — Pagan Ireland ; W. Ci. Wood-Martin (Longmans). — First 

 Steps in Egj-ptian: Dr. E. A. W. Hudge (K Paul).— Birxlcrafi : M. O. 

 Wnght (Macmillan) — Fishes, Living and Fossil : Dr. B. I>ean (Mac- 

 millan). — Science and Art Drawing : J. H. Spanion (Macmillan). — Ureal 

 Astronomers : Sir R. S. Ball (Isbisier). — Elcktrophysiologie : Prof. W. 

 Bicdermann. Zwcitc Abthg. (Jena, Fi«:hcr). — Protol>asidiomycctcn : A. 

 Moller (Jena, Fischer).— The Tallcrman-Shetlield Patent Localised Hot-Air 

 Bath (Baillierc). — University College of North Wales. Bangor, Calendar for 

 the Year 1895-6 (Manchester, Cornish). — Atla> d'Ositologie : Prof. C. 

 Dcbierre (Paris, Alcan). — Evolution and Effort : E. Kelly (^iacmilIan). — A 

 Handl>ook uf British lx:pidoptera : E. Mej-rick (Macmillan). — Surface Cur- 

 rents of the Great Lakes : M. W. Harrington, revised edition (Washington). 

 — Annuario p.p. Observatorio do Rio de Janeiro, 1895 (Rio dc Janeiro). — 

 U.S. Geological Survey Report, 1892-93, 2 parts (Washington). 



Pami'HLETS — Neue Versuche zum Saison-Dimorphisnius der Schmetter- 

 lingc ; Dr. A. Wcisniann (Jena. Fischer). — Ncue Gedanken /ur Vererhungs- 

 frage : Dr. .-X. Weismann (Jena. Fischer). — Cavendish l^'Cture on Dreamy 

 Mental States: Sir J. Crichton-Brownc (Baillicre). — The People's Stone- 

 henge : J. J Cole (Sutton). — Iron and Steel Institute : Presidential Address : 

 Sir D. Dale ; Metal Mixers : A. Cooper ; The Effect of Arsenic on Steel : 

 J. E. Stead ; The Mines of Elba : H. Scott ; On the Manufacture of Steel 

 Projectiles in Russia : S. Kern ; Ternary Alloys of Iron with Chromium. 

 Molybdenum, and Tungsten : J. S. de Bcnnevillc (A'icioria Street). ^Thc 

 Siouan Tribes of the East : J. Mooney (Washington). — .\rchjeologic In- 

 vestigations in James and Potomac V'allej-s : G. Fowke (Washington). — 

 Chinook Texts : F. Boas (Washington). 



Seriai_s. — Proceedings and Transactions of the Queensland Branch of the 

 Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Vol. .\. (Brisbane).— Quarterly 

 Review, October (Murray). — Journal of Anatomy and Physiology", October 

 (Griffin). — Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium. Vol. 3, No. 3 

 (Washington). — Jahrbuch der kk, Geologischen Rcichsanstalt, xlv. Band. 

 I Heft (Wicn).— Societa Rcale di Napwii, atii dclla Reale .Accademia delk- 

 Scienze Fisiche e Matematiche, serie second. Vol. vii. Napoli). — American 

 Journal of Psychology. Vol. vii. No. i (Worcester, Mass.)~Ethnoiogische- 

 N'otizhlait, Heft i (Williams and Norgate). — English Illustrated Magazine. 

 November (198 Strand). — Transactions of the Acidemy of Science of St. 

 I>}uis, Vol. vl. No. 18, Vol. vii. Nos. 1, 2, 3 (St. Ix>uis, Mo.). — Transac- 

 tions of the Wagner Free Institute of Science of Philadelphia. Vol. 3. Pan 

 1, (I'hiladelphia). — Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 

 _'|anu.iry, 1895 (PhlKidelphia).— Proceedings of the ,\cadcmy of Naiur-il 

 Sciences of Philadelphia, iSq^, Part i (Phil.^delphia). 



NO. 1,356, VOL. 52] 



CONTENTS. PACK 



The Metallurgy of Iron, liv W. Gowland .... 61 ; 



The Life of Rennell. By Dr. Hugh Robert Mill . 614 



Counter-Irritation. By F. W. T 615 



A New Departure in Geometry. Hy A. E. H. L. . . 610 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Hutchinson: " 1 landbook of Grasses " 617 



Cireenwull : " Rural Water Supply " 61; 



Smith and ILiri : " Climbing in the British Isles" . 617 

 Letters to the Editor:— 



Tlie Feed ing-t; round of the Herring. — Alexander 



Turbyne" 617 



The Toronto Meeting of the British Associ.alion. — 



Dr. Wm. H.Hale 61S 



The Theory of M.-ignetic Action upon Light. — A. B. 



Basset, F.R.S 61S 



The Society of fhemical Industry and Abstracts. — 



Prof. James Hendrick 61S 



Note o]> the L)endrt)Colapline Species, DeiidrexelasUs 



iapitoiiics of Lylon.— Dr. Henry O. Forbes . . . 619 

 The Pressure of a Saturated \'apour as an Kxplicit 



I'unction of the Temper.iture. — F. G. Donnan . . 619 



Colours of MolheroflVarl.—C. E. Benham . . . Oiq 



A Rational Cure for Snake-bite. By A. A. K. . . . O20 



Scientific Knowledge of the Ancient Chinese . . . 622 



The Flora of the Galapagos Islands. By W. Botting 



Hemsley, F.R.S 62,; 



The Late Professor Hoppe-Seyler. II. By Dr. 



Arthur Gamgce, F.R.S "... 623 



Notes 625 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



.Sunsp<il Ob.servalions in 1894 629 



Planetary 1'erlurb.itions 629 



The System of a Ccntauri 629 



Holmes' Comet 629 



On the Habits of the Kea, the Sheep-eating Parrot 



of New Zealand. Ily W. Garstang 629 



The Penetration of Roots into Living Tissues. Hy 



Rudolf Beer 630 



Dr. A. Schmidt's Theory of Earthquake-Motion. 



(///»</;. !/<•</.>. Hy C. Davison 63I 



The Total Solar Eclipse of August 8, 1896. By 



Colonel Burton-Brown. (Willi Map.) 633 



University and Educational Intelligence 635 



Societies and Academies 63'' 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 6V' 



