June 21, 1894] 



'NATURE 



189 



have been to a large extent obtained by the same method, 

 namely, from the curves giving the relation of the current flow- 

 ing in the circuit to the time measured from the application or 

 the reversal of the impressed E.M.F'. on the circuit. In this 

 case, however, the personal element has been eliminated from 

 the curves by the application of the autographic recorder re- 

 ferred to as under construction in the previous paper. This 

 apparatus, which is a modification of the " Thomson siphon- 

 recorder," has been found to work satisfactorily, and has con- 

 siderably increased the ease and the accuracy with which the 

 curves can be produced. A description of the apparatus and 

 specimens of the curves drawn by it are included in the paper. 

 There is also included in the paper a description of the ap- 

 paratus and method of experiment in the application of a watt- 

 meter to the determination of the energy dissipated by trans- 

 formers under E. M F. 's of different frequency of alternation. 

 The accuracy of the measurements so made were checked by 

 comparison with the results of measurements made by Joubert's 

 instantaneous contact method. The apparatus and method of 

 experiment adopted for the application of this method were to 

 some extent different from those commonly employed, and they 

 are therefore described. 



The results of some further experiments on the large electro- 

 magnet used in the previous experiments, and described in the 

 paper above referred to, are given, but a large part of the re- 

 sults quoted in this paper refer to closed circuit transformers 

 of the types manufactured by the Westinghouse and the Genera 

 ] Electric Companies. The experiments have been chiefly 

 ! directed to the following points : — 



I (i) A Comparison of the Total Energy rtijtiired to produce 

 I Dijffereiit Mr.i;netic Inductions, and the Corresponding Dissipation 

 \of Eneigy, — In connection with this, the effect of airgap in the 

 I magnetic circuit has been investigated somewhat more fully. It 

 : is shown that, by introducing a moderate airgap, the energy 

 dissipated for a given induction through the coils may be reduced 

 ■one-third. 



(2) Tlie Law of Variation of Hysteresis with Variation of 

 Induction. — The experiments indicate that, although for any 



jspecial case the energy dissipated can be approximately ex- 

 Ipressed by an equation of the form E = AB", that both A and 

 ii are different for difTerent kinds of iron. It seems probable, 

 lalso, from the results obtained, that a is not absolutely constant 

 !for any one iron, but that it increases with increase of B. 



(3) riie Effect of Increased Frequency of Cyclic Variation of 

 Magnetism on the Dissipation of Energy. — In this investigation 

 I transformer, the iron case of which was made up of very thin 

 iheets, was used. The thickness of the sheets was about 

 i6-iooihs of a millimetre, and the sheets were insulated from 

 ;ach other by means of thin paper. The full load capacity of 

 he transformer was about 6000 watts. The range of frequency 

 including the autographic recorder, the wattmeter and thejou- 

 )ert's instantaneous contact method experiments) was about from 



i per minute to 8000 per minute. The results indicated that, 

 hroughout this range, there is no variation in the dissipation of 

 nergy per cycle when the inductions are equal. 



Data deduced from these experiments as to the m.agnetic 

 [ualities of the iron used in the different transformers is given 

 n the paper. 



Zoological Society, June 5. —Sir VV. II. Flower, K.C.B., 

 '".R. S., President, in the chair. — The Secretary read a report 

 n the additions that had been made to the society's menagerie 1 

 uring the month of May. — Mr. Sclater made some remarks on 

 he chief animals that he had observed during a recent visit to 

 he Zoological Gardens of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Hanover, 

 terlin, and Hamburg. — A communication was read from Dr. 

 '.. A. Goeldi, containing critical remarks on the opossums of 

 he Serra dos Orgaos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — Mr. O. Thomas 

 ave an account of the gazelles of Algeria, chiefly based on 

 pecimens brought home by Sir Edmund Loder, and distin- 

 uished three unquestionable species, Gazella dorcas, G. ruvieri, 

 nd G. lodcri, the last being a new species of which examples 

 ad been obtained by Sir Edmund Loder in the sand-hills three 

 ays south of Biskra. A fourth gazelle, of which a skin and 

 sull had been bought by Sir Edmund Loder in Algiers many 

 ears ago, was referied wiih some doubt to Gazilla corinna, 

 leCorinne of Buffon. — Sir Edmund Loder then gave an account 

 f his expedition in search of the " Reem," as the Gace/la loderi 



called by the Arabs, and stated what he had learnt of its 

 abits and distribution. — A second comraunicalion from Sir 



NO. 1286, VOL. 50] 



Edmund Loder contained remarks on the period of gestation of 

 the Indian antelope, as observed in captivity. — A communication 

 was read from Or. W. B. Benham, containing notes on a par- 

 ticularly abnormal vertebral column of the ball-frog (Rana 

 inugiens), and on certain other variations in the anurous column 

 of this frog. — Mr. Lindsay Johnson read a communication on 

 the pupils of the felida;, and stated that, after an examination 

 of the eyes of iSo domestic cats, as well as the eyes of all the 

 felidx in the society's gardens, he had come to the conclusion 

 that the natural shape of the pupil in Felis is circular. Although 

 under various degrees of light one might gel every shape from 

 the circle througli all degrees of oval to a perfectly vertical line, 

 yet instillations of atropine or cocaine solutions caused every 

 pupil to become a true circle. The younger the cat the greater 

 the tendency for the pupil to become pointed oval !n ordinary 

 light, and, conversely, the older the cat the more frequently did 

 we find a circular pupil. Brilliant light always caused con- 

 traction to oval, and diiect sunlight to a thin line in the smaller 

 felida: ; in the larger felidae Mr. Johnson had frequently found 

 the pupils contract to a small circle. Suddenly alarming a cat 

 had the effect of momentarily dilating the pupil ; while in sleep 

 the pupil was always contracted The communication was 

 illustrated by models and diagrams. 



Entomological Society, June 6. — Henry John Elwes, 

 President, in the chair. — Mr. \V. F. H. lilandford exhihiied a 

 series of eleven male specimens of Rhina harbirosliis from 

 British Honduras, of which the largest and smallest examples 

 measure respectively 60 and 17 mm. The difference in bulk, 

 supposing the proportions to be identical, is as 43 to r. He 

 remarked that this variation of the size is especially common in 

 the BrenthidiT, Ci'ssonidic, and other wood-boring Coleoplera. 

 The President, Dr. Sharp, F. R. S., the Rev. Canon Fowler, 

 Mr. Jacoby, the Hon. Walter Rothschild, Mr. Merrifield, and 

 Mr. Champion tojk part in the discussion which ensued. — Mr. 

 A. J. Chitty exhibited specimens of Cardiophorus equiseti taken 

 near Braunton, on the north coast of Devon, in May 1891. 

 Mr. Champion and Mr. Blandford made some remarks on the 

 species. — Mr. McLachlan, F.R S., exhibited for Mr. J. W. 

 Douglas male specimens of a Coccid {Leoinium prunastri), 

 bred from scales attached to shoots of blackthorn (Frunus 

 sfinosa) received from Herr Karel .Sulc, of Prague. Mr. 

 Douglas communicated notes on the subject, in which he 

 stated that the species was common on blackthorn in 

 Clermany, and should be found in Britain. — Lord Walsingham, 

 F'.R.S., exhibited a seiies of Cacaciu fodaiia, Scop., reared 

 from larvK feeding on Lapageria and palms in Messrs. Veitch's 

 conservatories in King's Road, Chelsea, including some very 

 dark varieties. The fion. Walter Rothschild stated that he 

 had taken the 5p;cies on lime. Mr. Hampson and .Mr. Tutt 

 also made some remarks on the habits of the species. — Mr. C. 

 Fenn exhibited a long series of Sclcnia lunaria, bred from one 

 batch of eggs, which included both the spring and summer forms; 

 and also two unforced specimens, which emerged in November. 

 He remarked that the variation between the two emergences, 

 viz., spring and summer, is considerable, and also the range of 

 variation inter sc, especially in the spring form ; but it is very 

 remarkable that the summer form has one or two representa- 

 tives among the specimens of the spring emergence. He 

 said that the p,arent female was taken at Bexley in 

 May 1S93. — Mr. F. Lovell-Keays exhibited a variety of 

 L. ale.xis (female), having the marginal ocelli on the hind 

 wings entirely without the usual orange-coloured lunules. The 

 specimen was captured at Caterham on May 22, 1S94, and was 

 the first example of the species observed by the captor this 

 season. Mr. Barrett made some remarks on the specimen. — .Mr. 

 J. H. Durrant exhibited a series of Steganoptycha pygnutana, 

 Hb., taken at Mcrton, Norfolk, between March 25 and the 

 middle of April last. Lord Walsingham made some remarks 

 on the species. — Mr. II. Goss read an extract from a report from 

 Mr. J. R. Preece, her Majesty's consul at Ispahan, to the Foreign 

 Office, on the subject of damage caused to the wheat crop in the 

 district of Rafsinjan by an insect which was called " Sen " by 

 the natives, and which he described as " like a flying bug, 

 reddish-olive in colour, with heavy broad shoulders." .Mr. Goss 

 said he had been asked by Mr. W. H. Preece, F.R. S. , to 

 .ascertain, if possible, the name of the species known to the 

 natives as "Sen." Dr. Sharp said that in the absence of a 

 specimen of the insect it was impossible to express an opinion 

 as to the identity of the species. —The Rev. Canon F'ovvler 



