396 



NA TURE 



[August i6, 1894 



snow was cootinuously bordered by a dark streak of nearly uni- 

 form width. Mr. Lowell thinks that this belt was water at the 

 edge of the mel'ing snow ; in fact, a polar sea. His view finds 

 support in the observation that the streak was widest where the 

 dark markings on the planet's face — the markings intrepreted 

 as seas — were greatest in extent. Several brilliant star-like 

 points flashed out upon the snow-cap at diflerent times and 

 disappeared after being conspicuously visible for a few minutes. 

 The imaginative mind may think that these flash lights repre- 

 sent signals from the Martians, but a more probable explanation 

 is that they are produced by snow slopes being illuminated in 

 such a manner that the sunlight after glancing across them is 

 reflected at a particular angle to the Karlh. The great rift in 

 the snow-cap was observed and found to be about twelve 

 hundred miles long, and rather more than two hundred miles 

 wide. Mr. Lowell did not see any irregularities upon the ter- 

 minator of Mars, so he concludes that there are few, if any, 

 great mountains on the planet. The first canal, thought to be 

 Cerberus, was observed on June 7, and two days later it was seen 

 double for an instant. Other canals were glimpsed from time 

 to time, and some were seen well enough to be sketched. 

 Prof. \V. H. Pickering has also observed Mars at the Lowell 

 Observatory. He remarks: " What appears to me to be the 

 most important conclusion deducible from our work is that 

 Mars does not always present the same appearance at the cor- 

 responding lime upon two successive Arean years. This 

 remark does not apply merely to small details, but to large and 

 prominent features. Moreover, this difi'erence does not seem to 

 be due simply to the fact that one season is a few weeks later 

 than the other, but that the phenomena presented upon the two 

 years are really difl^erent." Prof. Pickering has noticed slight 

 notches in the terminator, but he thinks these are produced by 

 variations in the inclination of the surface of the planet rather 

 than by differences of level. 



The Rotation of the Terrestrial Poles.— Dr. S. C. 

 Chandler has lately been investigating the question whether 

 either component of the polar rotation deviates from a uniform 

 circular motion (Astr. Jour. No. 323, July 27). The discus- 

 sion furnishes clear prool that the figure descriticd by the pole 

 ofrotaliun and pole of figure approximates to an ellipse with 

 a major axis of about o"55 and a minor axis of about o 30. 

 Dr. Chandler refers this departure from circular, or rather 

 epic)clical motion, 10 the annual term alone. A computation 

 based upon this assumption shows that the figure is " a very 

 eccentric ellipse with a major axis of o"'32, lying m the line 

 53°"-33'i Slid a minor axis of about o'lo; the period being 

 manifestly about a year, and the motion being from west to 

 east. The angular velocity seems to stand in some inverse 

 relation to the radius." 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 6. — M. Ltewy in the chair. 

 — On the variations of Sfirijer Vemeiiili, by M. Gossclet. — 

 New anthropological and palxontological researches in the 

 Dordogne. Abstract of a memoir by ^L Kmile Riviere. Cer- 

 tain details are given concerning pal.xolithic remains from the 

 " Groltc5 des Combarclles," the "GrolteRcy," the " Orotic 

 de Cro Ma^non," and the "Grotte de la Fontaine, " including 

 bones from a numerous fauna and carved and sculptured fr.ig- 

 mcnts. Neoliihic remains from Pageyral, Sircuil, and Pagenal 

 will be described in a future coninr.unication. — The Secretary 

 announced the deaths of the following correspondents: M. A. 

 Hannover, July 7 ; M. Rollil, .\ugust 2. — On groups of substi- 

 tutions ikomotphous with symmetrical or alternate groups, by 

 M. Maillei. — On the zeros of certain discontinuous functions. 

 Principle of the method for finding the zeros of cenain functions, 

 by M. Dcsaint. — On thcc>|uationsof djnamics, by M. R. Liou. 

 ville. A claim for priority in reference to the subject-matter of 

 two notes by M. \V. Vladimir dc Tannenberg, of dates July 30 

 and May 25 respectively. — On carbonic hydrate and the com- 

 position of h)dtatei ol gases, by M. P. Villaid. The author 

 determines the cumposiiion of a hydrate of carbon dioxide 

 formed by himself 10 be CO, .6lljO, and calls attention to the 

 remark al>le resemblance between 1 his substance and the hydrate 

 of nitrogen monoxide NjO 6IIjO. They have apparently the 

 lame crystalline form, the .'ame heat of formation, and are both 



NO. 1294, VOL. 50J 



optically inactive. The hypothesis is m.ide that hydrates of 

 gases should, in general, have a composition expressed by the 

 Ibrmula M.6II;0. This assumption is supported by the for- 

 mulae found by the author for the similar compounds of sulphur 

 dioxide and methyl chloride. The hydracids are excepted from 

 the rule. Doubt is thrown upon the formula C1.,.SH;0 for 

 chlorine hydrate. — I3.isic salts of calcium, by M. Tassilly. The 

 best method of preparation and thermal data concerning calcium 

 oxybromide and calcium oxyiodide are given. These substances 

 have an exactly similar composition to that of Andre's oxy- 

 chloride, CaCl5.3CaO. l6H,,0. They have the same heat ol 

 solution and a heat of formation increasing with increasing 

 atomic weight of the halogen present. — On the use of selected 

 ferments, by M. Charles Fabre. The following conclusions are 

 given — (i) The selected ferment cannot be employed with any 

 must for the production of high-class wines. (2) The must in 

 which the ferment is sown should have been obtained from grapes 

 belonging to or vines long acclimatised in the region from which 

 the selected ferment has been obtained. — Peripheric applica- 

 tions of alkaloids in the treatment of acute maladies with 

 cutaneous determination, by MM. L. Guinard and Gustave 

 Geley. The external application of sparteine in cases where 

 the skin is the active seat of disease has been found to give 

 remarkable cur.ative results, more particularly in cases of ery- 

 sipelas. — On coprolitic bacteria ol the Permian age, by MM. 

 B. Renault and C Eg. Berlrand. Bacillus pcrmitiisis, occur- 

 ring in cjprolites from the Permian at Autun, consists of recti- 

 linear bacillus elements, isolated or in pairs, and having the 

 dimensions 14 to 16^ by 25 to 3'3^i by o'4u. It sometimes 

 occurs curved or twisted in spirals or chains. — On the n:iiiir. 

 of the great crevasse caused by the last earthquake at Locn 

 by M. Socrate A. Papavasilion. — On the existence of /<•>;/. 

 recifaUs with Ammonites in the Barrcmicn near Chalillon-cii 

 Diois, by M.M. G. Sayn and P. Lory. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED j 



BoDKS.— Ttic- .-Mjorij^ines of Western Aiisffiilia: A. F. C.ilvcr: (Simpkinl 

 — Tlicoretical Mechanics — Fluids: J. E. T.iylor (Longmans). — A Tr' 

 on Aslronomic-il Spectroscopy : Piof. Dr. J. Schciner, translated, ^S.. 

 F.. B. Frost (Ginn). — Contr^jverscn in der I'.thnologie. IV., FniRcstellui . 

 der Fin.ilur3achen : A. B.-istian (Berlin, Wcidmann). — Coal Uiist an K\ 

 plosive Agent: D. M. U.Stuart (Spon).— Geological Guide-Hook for _ai 

 bxcursion to ihc Rocky M luntain. : S. F. Emmons (K. P.-»ul).- -BrilisI 

 Kainfall. 1893: G. J. Symons .-ind H. S. Wallis (Stanford) —Sys 

 Nalura; : Rc^niim Animale, cdiiio drcima 1753 : C. Linna^i (L.eipzl>;, I 

 mann). — Lc Centre de TAfrique, Amour du Tchad: P. Br'inachc tli 

 Alcan). — Memoirs of the International Congress of Anthropology ; cditti 1' 

 C. S. Wakc(K. Paul).— The Water Supply of T.iwniand the ConslriKtiui 

 of Waterworks : Prof. W. K. Burton (Lockwood). 



PAMfHLETS. — Supplement to 41st Report of the Department of S' 1 > 

 and Art (liyre and Spotliswoodc). — Krprcsentation and SuiTragc in M 

 chuset:s, 1620-1691: Dr. G H. Hayncs (Ualtunore). 



Serials. — School Review, June (Hamilton, New Vork). — Pi-occediit 

 the Royal Physical Society. Session 1S92-93 (Edinbiirgh).--Ani' 1 



iournal ot Science, August (New Haven).— Papers and Pr iceedings oi 

 :oyal Society of Tasmania for iSj^(Hobart).—Zcilschrift fur Hhysikftlisct; 

 Chcmie, xiv. Band. 4 Heft (Leipzig. KngelmaniO. — Engineering Magaiine 

 August (Tucker). — Notes Ironi the Leyden .Museum, 'January to Apn 

 (Leyden, Brill) — Astronomy and Astro- Physics, August (Wesley). —Jouriia 

 of ihe Royal Micro-copical S icicty, August (Williams and Norgatc).- 

 Scchzehntcr Jahrcs-Bcricht aber die Thatigkeil dcr Deutschcn Seewartt 

 fUr das Jahr 1&93, Bciheft i. (Hatnburg). 



CONTENTS. PAC) 



The British Association 361 



Section I)--Biology. — Opening Address by Prof. I. 

 Bayley Balfour, F.k S., President of the Section 371 



Section V. Gi:ography. — Openin.; Address by Capt. 

 W. J. L. Wharton, F.R.S.., President of the 

 Section 37'. 



Section G— Mechanical Science. — Opening Address 

 by Prof. A. B. W. Kennedy, F.R.S., President 

 of the Section 3^. 



Section II- .-Vnthropnlogy. — Opening .-Vildress by Sir 

 W. H. Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., Ircsidenlof the 



.Section 38; 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Recent Observations of Mars 



39.' 



• • • 39; 



The Kiitaiion of the Terrestrial Poles 39' 



Societies and Academies 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 



39' 

 39' 



