66o 



NA TURE 



[October 31, 1S95 



of the slide were made on india-rubber so that the ratio of the 

 length of the scale on the rule to the length of the scale on the 

 slifie Tn't;!it he a!tere<l at will, and thus involution anil evolution 



- performed. Mr. Blakesley ;isked how 

 were dealt with. Prof. S. 1'. Thompson 



u I r\|>re*ise<l their admiration for the author's 

 " stretching" the scale. Mr. Burstall said he had 



■ ) apply a similar methcKl to the Fuller rule, but did 

 i, since in this scale there was only one scale. He 

 lulhor's method could lie applied in a form such that 



a t;rcaltf accuracy than one in 300 could be obtained. Mr. 



Bourne thought the fact that the point of intersection of two lines 



' • .in acute angle had to be read was likely to limit the 



The author haring replied, the Society adjourned 



.... !>er S. 



r.\Ris. 



Academy of Sciences, October 21. — M. Marey in the 

 chair. — The decease of M. Hellrit^el (CorresiKindenl of the 

 Rural Economy Section), at Bernburg, .\nhalt, on September 

 24, was announced to the .Academy. — .-V study of graphite ex- 

 tracted from a pegmatite, by M. Henri Moissan. The .luihor 

 ' ' ■ 1 the impressions of m.irkings on the graphite 

 :-d to surrounding quart/ and fe!s|iar, that the 



5,- . .rfiire the iwgmatite was formed. Thisgraphile 



much rest ite formed in the electric furnace in fused 



metals, aij lieen formed under somewhat similar con- 



ditions. — .\ .-.luily of some varieties of graphite, by M. Henri 

 Moisan. Graphites found in nature may be divided, as recom- 

 ■ V .M. I,u/7i, into inlumescent and nonintumescenl 

 The former ap)iear to have been produced in fused 

 . ....1-s.ses, the latter by the action of a raised teraix-rature 

 on any variety of amorphous carlion. — On the Mounier Obser- 

 %-alory, by M. I'erroiin. Details are given concerning ob.ser- 

 %-ations on the surface of \'enus. The lack of alteration in the 

 characieristirs nf the part of the surface xneived during a con- 

 sider ■ ,• ■ Ill's contention that the pkinet 

 can -■;. — M. Mascarl presented an 



*' ^ ...'- .-... i<^ ...i.i secular variations of terrestrial 



.' by M. \\. rie Tillo. The general conclusions able 



n from a study of the lines of secular variation are : 



(1) the changes of the elements so occur that in one hemisphere 



they are positive, and in the other negative; (2) there is a great 



simil n the imce of the i.sanomals and that of the lines 



of I I variation. — I'rof. Norman Lockyer pre.sented 



" 1 . , . ..,;, laij^-n with an objective and 



ry. The lines in the spectrum 



, I helium. The absorption due 



res of stars showing few lines is due mostly to 



liitm. — The following articles, by M. Cruls, are 



■"►ndence: (1) Posicocs gcographicas. The 



- determined arc those of Rodeio, Entre- 

 ' ' '1' irbacena along the Central 



piques de Rio. (iiven by 



,. . . iJ (3) feclipses de .Soleil 



ct occuilalions. — tjn a long period inequality in the longitude of 



^Tnr^. by M. (.i. I..eveau. An empirical correction proi«»sed by 



'o the \a: Verrier tables of geocentric longitude, and 



V he due to a want of sullicicnl precision in the deler- 



' I ical value of a coefficient, is shown by the 



Ijy an independent method not to be 



ui the tables, .is his results agree exactly 



res. — On the deformation of surfaces, by 



\ correction to Iw applied to readings of 



meters, by M. Schcurer-Keslner. The cor- 



I is to lie applied to the Walferdin or Heckmann 



' for the mercury in the up|x.'r reservoir, 



i'cing inactive as regards expansion shown 



" ''!•• latent heats of vaporisation of fatty 



rie.and of diethyl and dimelhyl car- 



inc. With regard to Trouton's formula 



^ = a con-stant (where M is the molecular weight of the 



S is its Intent heal of vaporisation, and T its absolute 

 int), the results no far obtained warrant the general 



■ : (I) For each of the groups that have been studied 



nearly con.ttanl. (2) It varies notably for different 



K">>ips of sulntances. Ijitcnl heaH may be calculated by the 

 genrral mean value ^iven to the con.slant within 15 percent., 

 and \rf the value obtained from a determination by means of a 



^" '.357. VOL. 52] 



to t 

 hvr! 



wit I 

 M. 



M.S 



substance of the same type within i "5 per cent. — Peroxidised 

 potaiisium derivatives of benzoquinone, by M. Ch. Aslre. Kenzo- 

 quinone contains only two atoms of hydrogen in its molecule 

 replacable by a metal. The dikelonic nature of Iwnzoquinone 

 is supported by the author's rcsult.s. — On the composition of rice 

 imporieil into France, by M. Balland — On the toxicity of 

 acetylene, by M. X. Grehant. .-Kcetylenc is poisonous when it 

 occurs in air to the extent of 40 to 79 per cent., but is not nearly 

 so injurious .as ordinarj- lighting gas. M. H. Moissan added 

 that pure liquefied acetylene jxjssesses an agreeable ethereal 

 odour, and causes no inconvenience when breathed in small 

 quantity. — Serotherapy in the treatment of cancer, by MM. 1. 

 He-ricourt and Ch. Richet. — On a new Lamellibranch (S.iolvnlhi 

 iiiislralis) commensal with an Echinoderni. by M. Felix Bernard. 

 — On the age of the lignite formation of Southern Chili, the 

 Auracaria group, the Chilian equivalent of the Laramie and 

 Chico-Tejon group of North .Vmerica, by M. A. F. Nogues.- 

 On the daily variations of relative humidity, by .M. D. Eginitis. 

 — On new observations in the Padiriac chasm (Lot), by M. E. .\. 

 Marlel. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Hooks. — Elementary Physics ; J. Henderson (Longmans). — The PcopK- 

 of ihe Moon : T. Carter (KUctrician Comp.iny). — An Account of P.-iimyra 

 .-inil Zcnobi.-i : Dr. W. Wright (Nelson). — Rambles in Japan: Dr. H. H. 

 Trislram (R.T.S ).— Technic.1l Kdiicator. \ols. v. and vi. (C.-is.sell).— liird- 

 uf lieruickshire : G. Muirhead. Vol. 2 (Kdinhurgh, OougLis), — Practic.il 

 Trigonomelr>- : H. .-Vdams (Whitlakcr). — The Valley of Kashmir: W. R, 

 Lawrence (Fronde). — Atlas of ihc Kertilization and Karj-okcnesis of the 

 Ovum : Drs. Wilson and Lc.iming (Macmillan). 



P.\MrHLETS. — .-Vnleilung zur Alolckiil.argcwichlsbcstimmung ; Dr. O, 

 Fiichs (Leipzig, Engelinann). — Ucber den Zusammenh.ing Zwischen der 

 Krdnragnetischen Horizonl.-ilinlensitat und der Inclination : Dr. H. Krilsche 

 (St. Petersburg). — Complc Rendu des Travaux dc la Soci6t6 Helvclique dc^ 

 Sciences Xalurelles r^unie a Schadhousc, 1894 (Gcnfeve). — Congrfes de la 

 Science de r.\tmosphire, .Anvcrs, 16.18 Aoul 1894, Communications: .\. 



I ' ■ \"vers). 



I ufis College Studies No. 4 (Tufts College. Mas.s.).— Zeil- 

 -cnscbaftliche Zoologie, Ix. ltd. 1 Heft ( (.eipzig, Engclmann). 

 - ... ,.-.,. liiology from t>" '!■-■'■ ■'-'' '>■•■■■''■■'■'■' -^f the Owens Colleiie, 

 Vol. 3 t.\!anchcster. Corni^' ' r (Isbister). — Snmlay 



Maci/ine. November (Isl :ie. NovemlxT (Lorv.;. 



"■ ■ 1 — ' ■ ■!'• !•■ ... Ociolwr (William-). 



•It m Pern, Nr. i;;^-i;;. 

 I : \ turforschcnden l_lesilK. h.i'i, 



I, , ,- ,t ,.. - i.softhe Royal Dublin S.i. i..i\ . 



\'oI. V. .series 2 : The Papillary kidges on the Hands and Feet of Monkc\ - .iiui 

 Men: I>. Hepburn (Williams). — Hum.anitarian, Novcmlicr (Hutchiiw.Mi). 

 .'\stropliysical Journal, October (Wesley). — Natural Science, NoNcinln-r 

 (R.-iii). 



CONTENTS. PACK 



The Centenary of the Institute of France 037 



The Gold Mines of the Rand. By Bennett H. 



Brough 6;.'s 



Starch. By Prof. H. Marshall Ward, F.R.S. . . . 640 



Applied Meteorology. By W. E. P. . . (>.ii 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Scherren : " Popular History of Animals lor \ ouiig 



People " 64J 



Bower : " Simple Methods for Detecting Food Adul- 

 teration" 64J 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Introduction of a West Indian l'*rog into the Royal 



(iardcns, Kew.— Dr. Albert Gurither, F.R.S. . . 643 



TheCauseofan Ice.Vge. Dr.E.W.Hobson, F.R.S. 643 



(Jrcen Oysters. — Dr. D. Carazzi . . 643 

 Oxford Endowmcnis. -R. E. Baynes: Prof. Sydney 



J. Hickson, F.R.S 644 



Uile Leaves and Fruit.— J. Lloyd Bozward . . . 644 

 The Centenary Fetes at Paris. By Dr. Henri de 



Varigny 044 



History of the Institute of France. Hy M. Jules Siinon (145 

 ■■ Barisil Guns" and "Mist Poulfers." By Prof 



G. H. Darwin, F.R.S 650 



Notes 650 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Kiilherford's Stellar l'hntogra|ihs 655 



KailinI Velocities of .SaUirn 655 



The Capo Observilory 655 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers 655 



Recent Fishery Literature 657 



The Formation of Bacterial Colonies. By Prof 



H. Marshall Ward, F.R.S 65S 



University and Educational Intelligence 65X 



Societies and Academies 659 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 660 



