I20 



NA TURE 



[May 31, 1894 



Ihe same galhering would perhaps be met with specimens other- 

 wise identical, some with aud some without eyes, or the eye 

 present on one side only. The pigment greatly varied in 

 amount, or was entirely wanting, but without sections it was 

 difficult to say whether that was the case with the true nervous 

 part of the visual organ, which, from its transparency, was easily 

 overlooked in merely surface views. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, May 21. — M. Lcewy in the chair. — 

 Researches on trimethylene and propylene, and on a new class 

 of hydrocarbans ; dynamical isomerism, by M. Berthelot. Tri- 

 methylene and propylene have, respectively, - 171 Cal. and 

 - 94 Cal. for heats of formation from their elements. The 

 corresponding dibromides, sulphates, and alcihols have nearly 

 the same heals of formation ; just as trimethylene and propylene 

 diSier by - 77 Cal. in heat of formation, so the formation of 

 bromides, sulphates, and alcohols from these subs'ances 

 liberates more heat in the case of trimethylene, the excess being 

 + 94, -(- 8S, and 4- 102 Cal. in the respective cases. The 

 dibromides liberate heat on the fuither addition of bromine as 

 follows : — 



-l-Br. -^B^.;. +3Br.. -fjBrj. 



Propylene dibromide ■fO-522, +0872, 4-1-397, -(-l'66lcal. 

 Trimethylene dibromide-(-o-592, -H'OIO, -H'567, -f 2-052 ,, 



The heat of formation of terebenthene is +4-2 Cal., of citrene 

 is + 217 cal., and of liquid camphene is about 24 Cal. The 

 corresponding hydrochlorides have nearly the same heats of 

 formation. From these data it is argued that trimethylene and 

 terebenthene belong to a new class of hydrocarbons, and are 

 dynamical isomerides of propylene and camphene respec'ively. — 

 A note by M. Lcewy accompanying the presentation of a 

 volume of the " Annales de I'Observaloire de Bordeaux." — 

 On the formation of urea in the liver after death, by M. Charles 

 Richet. The formation of urea is analogous to the production 

 of sugar. Urea continues to be formed in the liver after 

 removal from the body and cleansing (rom blood, &c., by 

 washing, probably by hydrolysis due to the action of a soluble 

 diast.ase. — The insects of the carboniferous period, by M. 

 Charles Brongniart. — On the superficial tension of saline solu- 

 tions, by M. H. Sentis. If F be the superficial tension of the 

 saline solution, /'that of water at the same temperature, u the 

 volume of 100 molecules of water, ami v that of a mixture of « 

 molecules of the salt with 100 - « molecules of water, we have 



♦ =r-i^-", 



/ 



-Jl 



where ♦ is the action per unit of length between the mole- 

 cules of the salt and the molecules of water. With re- 

 gard to ♦— (1) This action is independent of the tem- 

 perature between 0° and 25^ ; (2) it is proportional to « up 

 to the most concentrated solutions ; (3) it is independent 

 of the nature of the salt and approximately equal to 0-78 dyne 



per centimetre for each radical equivalent {t.g. - for NaBr, 



KCy, MgSO,, CaCI,, and KjCrO^ is respectively i 6 ; rS; 

 1'6; 2-3; and 2 '4). —Properties of magnetic substances at 

 various temperatures, by M. P. Curie. Oxygen, manganese 

 chloride, ferrous sulphate, and palladium follow the law ex- 



pre«ed hy i = - where i is the specific coefficient of magne- 



liulion, A is a constant, and T is the absolute temperature. 

 The temperature of magnetic transformation of nickel is near 

 340' lis coefficient /■ lictween 373' and 806° is indciiendent of 

 ihe intensity of the field, and decreases regularly and very 

 rapidly as the limperalure rises. The temperature of magnetic 

 tran formation o( magneiiie is about SiS- I'rom 550° to 850" 

 it behaves like nickel, (rom 850'' to 1370° it olicys the same 

 law as o«yg>-n. Iron exhibits very comjilex phenomena. 

 Between 860' and 1280' there appears 10 be annber modifi- 

 lion of iron foimed ; before 860* and beyond 1280", 

 iron liehaves like nickel.— On a system of new scales, 

 by M. Alexandre de Uertha. — Apparent death produced by 

 alternaiiig currents, ke^ioralion to life by means of artificial 

 respiration, by M. A. d'Atsonval. In the cases where death has 

 apparen'ly t>ccn cau<e<l by direct action of the current on the 

 nerve cemres, without lesion or destruction of the tissues, it is 

 found possible to revive the patient by the treatment adopted 



NO. 1283, VOL. 50J 



with apparently drowned persons. — On a method permitting 

 the measurement of the mental intensity of vision and the longi- 

 tudinal aberration of the eye, by M. Charles Henry. — Absorp- 

 tion spectra of hydrobromic solutions of cupric bromide, by M. 

 Paul Sabalier. The absorption between A=66o/i/i and 

 \ = 440 ^ju is far more intense than in the cases of the alcoholic 

 solution of the anhydrous salt or the aqueous solutions of the 

 green and blue hydrates. — On the molecular transformations of 

 some chromic compounds, by M. A. Recoura. — On some com- 

 binations of ammonia with various silver salts, by M M. Joannis 

 and Croizier. The compounds AgBr.3NHj, AgHr.liNH,, 

 AgBr.NH.,, AgLNHj, Agl. iNHa, AgCy.Mla, AgNOj^NH,, 

 A«X03.2NHs, .-\gNO3.NH3 have been studied, and their 

 temperatures of dissociation, as also their characteristic formulse 

 for the pressures of dissociation at any temperature, are given. 

 — On the detection of hydrochloric .icid, by M.\I. A. Villiers 

 and M. K.-iyolle. — On geraniol from the essence of AnJrofogon 

 Schtrnanthus. — Does dige.stion of proieid matters without 

 digestive ferments exist? by M. A. Bechamp. — Essay on a 

 theory of ihe temporal (bone), by M. S. Jourdain. — On the 

 increase of temperature of earth-layers with the depth in the 

 low Algerian Sahara, by M. Georges Rolland. In many parts 

 of the low Algerian Sahara, between 30 and 35° Lat., the 

 temperature increases with the depth at least I for 20 metres, 

 and often much more rapidly. — Agronomic map of the canton 

 of Ferle-sous-Jouarre, by >I. Galellier. 



BOOKS and PAMPHLETS RECEIVltD. 



Books. — Studies in Forestry : Dr. J. Nisbet (■ Ixlord, CLirendon Press). — 

 Systerpalic Survey of the (.trRanic Colouring Matters ; Drs. G. Schiillz and 

 P. Julius, tr.inslated and edited by A. G Green (M.i'-millan). — Discourses, 

 Biolo>: cal .ind Geological: T. H. Huxley (Macmilt.-\n). Gcolony: C. 

 Bird(l^ngnians). — Primitive Civilizations. 2 Vols. : E. J. Siincox_(Sonnen- 

 scbcin). — Lehrbuch der Zoologie : Dr J. E. V. Boas (len.». Fischer). — 

 Bl.ickic's Chemistry De'iionNtration Sheets ; eijiht Sheels(BI.-lckic) — .Micro- 

 (IrRanisns in Aater: Prof. P. Frankland and Mrs. P Frankland (Long- 

 mans). — Climbing and Exploration in the Karakoram Himalayas: W. M 

 Conway (Unwin). — Elude Industrielle des Giles Miit.illif<ircs : G. Moureau 

 (Paris, Baudry). 



PnM^HLl^T^. — The Marine Biological Laboratory 6th Annual Report, 

 iSy5 (Boston). — A Description of Two Large Spinel Rubies; Dr. V. Ball 

 (Dublin). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Mathematical Theoiics of Elasticity. Hy Prof. 



A. G. Greenhill, F.R.S 97 



Law and Theory in Chemistry. By M. M. 



Pattison Muir 98 



Climate and Lung Disease 99 



Our Book Shelf:— 



" Hisiories of .Vmerican Schools for the Deaf, 1817- 



,893."— P. Macleod Yearsley, F.R.C.S. ... lOO 

 Smith : " Monograph of ihe .Sialacliies and Stalag- 

 mites of the Cleaves Cove, near D.ilrv, Ayrshire " 100 

 Brooke: " Botanical Charts ami Definitions" . . . 101 

 Seeley : "The Great Globe ; Fust Lessons in Geo- 

 graphy " 101 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Tritubcrculy and Polybuny. — Dr. C.I. Forsyth Major lOI 

 The Deteimination of Latitude and l.ongilude by 



Photography — Prof. C. Runge 102 



Sodium and Uranium Peroxides, iStc. — -Thomas 



Fairley ... 103 



Cataloguing Scientific Papers. — A. G. Bloxam . . 104 

 ClaviUttla prolitera. — Henry Scherien . . . 104 



The Destructive Effects of Small Projectiles. By 



Prof Victor Horsley, F.R S 104 



George John Romanes. By Prof. E. Ray Lankester, 



F.RS 108 



Notes 109 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Sun spots and Weather I13 



Ivphcmcris (or Tempel's Comet tI3 



Iu|>iter's Saiellites in 1664 113 



Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Geographical 



Society 113 



The Magnetic Deflection of Cathode Rays . . •. . 114 

 Some London Polytechnic Institutes. II. {Illus- 



irafo/.) liy R. A. Gregory 114 



University and Educational Intelligence Kii 



Scientific Serials >>!i 



Societies and Academies nS 



Books and Pamphlets Received 120 



