490 



NA JURE 



[Septemher 13, 1S94 



regard to the theory. — On the motion of the satellites of the 

 planets with respect to the sun, by P. Stroobant. The author 

 points out that the moon alone, among all the satellites, always 

 tarns the concavity of its orbit towards the sun. This concavity 

 is less at new than at full moon, but the attraction of the sun 

 always outweighs that exerted by the earth. The author investi- 

 gates theoretically the motions of the satellites round the sun, 

 and introduces the attractions of their planets as perturbations. 

 In order that the trajectory may be looped, the linear velocity 

 of the satellite must be superior to that of the planet. The 

 satellites I., II. and the new one of Jupiter, and Mimas, 

 Enceladus, Tethys, and Dione of Saturn are the only satellites 

 with looped orbits. The rest of the satellites follow a sinuous 

 curve with points of inflexion. Those of Uranus are not taken 

 into consideration. The author expects that if the moon is 

 considered as revolving round the sun, subject to perturbations 

 due to the earth, the lunar theory will be simplified, and suc- 

 cessive approximations will be more convergent. 



BuUetim ae la Socitju S Anthropologic di Paris, tome v. 

 (4= serie^ No. 3, March 1S94 ; No. 4, April 1S94. — Meeting 

 of February l. 1S94. — Dr. P. Mauclaire and M. ISois contributed 

 a note on Ectrodaciyly and Syndactyly, in which they describe 

 a very remarkable case, where the right foot and both hands 

 have the appearance of a two-pronged fork. The authors had 

 the opportunity of dissecting this subject, and give a most 

 interesting account of the anatomy. — M. Paul Denjoy described 

 a religious ceremony in Annam, celebrated at the commence- 

 ment of the new year in honour of ancestors. — M. Ch. 

 Letourneau read a paper on synthetic literature of the first 

 ages, and M. F. Gaillard contributed a note on the sculptures 

 of Gavr Inis. — On February 15, M. E. d'Acy made a com- 

 munication on flint implements from the plateaus of Picardy 

 and Normandy. — At the meeting of .March I, M. L. Lapicque 

 exhibited some photographs of the inhabitants of the Mergui 

 Islands (the Sclungs , and made some anthropological and 

 ethnographical observations on those people. The Mergui 

 archipelago is situated ofi" the coast of Tennasserim (long. 96 

 20' E.; lat. 13' to 9' N.). It is composed of lofty islands 

 covered with ancient forests. The islands themselves may be 

 said to be uninhabited, but in the straits and roadsteads of the 

 Archipelago are to be found several tribes of nomadic fishermen 

 who live entirely on their boats, except during the wet season, 

 from May to September, when they come ashore and build 

 temporary habitations for themselves on the coast. They are 

 very wild, and hold little communication with the people on 

 the mainland. The people seem to be of Mal.ay origin, but 

 there is evidently a considerable admixture of foreign blood of 

 various kinds. — On March 15, M. G, Lagneau read a paper on 

 the mortality from tuberculosis as affected by occupation and by 

 residence. — M. O. Lambert offered some observations with 

 regard to a recently observed case of the presternal muscle, in 

 which he contended that the names rictus l/ioratis and slernalis 

 irutorum as applied to this muscle are misleading, and that it 

 ought to be regarded as a survival of a connection that once 

 existed between the panniculi of the abdomen and of the neck. 

 — Dr. .Michaut contributed an account of the prehensile foot 

 among the Japanese and Annamites. — M. A. Ponchon gave an 

 account of the caves of llerleville. Canton of Chaulnes 

 (Somme) ; and -M. Octave Vauvillij read a paper on the 

 enclosures, dwellings, and common pottery of the Gallic epoch. 

 The conclusions at which M. V,-iuvillc arrives are (i^ that the 

 same forms of pottery were in use at the same time in different I 

 parts of the country ; (2) that the pottery, at the close of the 

 Gallic epoch, was generally made with a wheel ; and (3) that 

 it is evi lent that true arti:t. existed amongst the potters of that \ 

 period. 



L'Anthropologit, tome v. No. 3, May-Jane 1894. — In an \ 

 article on the inauguration of anthropology and human anatomy 

 at the Jardindes Plantcs, .M. I',.-T. Ilauiy gives amost interest- 1 

 ing account of the work of Marin Cureau du la Chambre and 

 Pierre Dionis, who lectured there during the years 1635-1680. 

 Dr. k. Collignon contributes an anthropological study of the 

 Basque race, in the form of a summary of a work pulilished iii 

 i.xtcti:' in the " Memoirs of ihe Anthropological .Society of \ 

 Parij." M. .Salomon Rcinach continues his exposition of 

 sculpture in Europe anterior to Greco- Koman influences. 



Tome v. No. 4, July-.\ugusl, 1S04. — This number opens 

 with an interesting article, by Antony Jully, on funeral riles, 

 graves, and honours paid to Ihe dean in Madagascar. The worship 

 of ihe dead is greatly developed in Ihe different tribes that people 



NO. 1298, VG!.. 50] 



the isle of Madagascar, and the ceremonies connected with it 

 [ and the monuments that result from it are distinctive characters 

 of that race, composed though it is in all probability of hetero- 

 geneous elements. The dead is honoured, not because his 

 memory is dear to his relations, but because they fear to rouse 

 his anger by neglect, and so to suffer from his vengeance. Careful 

 I attention is paid to the orientation of the graves, which are 

 placed to the north-east of the house and in close proximity to 

 it. — In a short paper on the remains of Elk and Lion, found 

 in a prehistoric station at Saint Martory (Haute-Garonne), 

 the author explains the reasons that have induced him to include 

 these animals, together with ihe reindeer, in his list. — In an 

 article on Mycenean Crete, M. Salomon Keinach gives an account 

 of the important discoveries lately made in that island by Mr. 

 Arthur Evans. — M. Eugene Toulouze describes the discovery 

 of an interment of the neolithic period at the village of S.-iint 

 Mammas (Seine et Marne). The sepulchral chamber measures 

 l"75m. in length by o"9om. in width, and it is bounded by walls 

 constructed of comparatively small stones. A vase, a polished 

 axe, an arrow-head, and three other worked flints were found 

 associated with Ihe human remains, which were much damaged. 

 — Prehistoric crania of Patagonia form the subject of a valuable 

 article by Dr. R. Verneau. According to M. Moreno, it is 

 possible to distinguish five or six distinct types amongst the 

 known skulls of the ancient inhabitants ot Patagonia. Dr. 

 Verneau shows ihat all the crania have cerl.iin characters in 

 common, such as great capacity, prominent glabella and super- 

 ciliary ridges, sub-nasal prognathism, extroversion of the 

 mandibular angles, large chin, and much-worn teeth. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, June 21. — "On Some Phenomena in 

 Vacuum-tubes. ' IJy Sir David Salomons, Bart. 



This paper deals with the phenomenon known as strise, or 

 bands, in vacuum tubes. 



As far as Ihe author could learn from the sources of informa- 

 tion available to him, no one had previously discovered how to 

 produce a predetermined number of bright and dark bands in 

 a lube having an open or free path. 



After a prolonged investigation he has succeeded in pro- 

 ducing this result, and in the present paper he describes, first, 

 the methods by which a definite number of bright and dark 

 bands can be produced in a vacuum-tube ; and, secondly, a 

 number of interesting phenomena which have a bearing on the 

 production of the bands in general. 



Some of the conclusions drawn from the experiments are : — 



That bands may be produced with greater facility in small 

 tubes than in large, and that they become more accentuated 

 probably on account of the inequality of the diameter of such 



tubes. I ;; 



That for the production of bands, the glass of the tube itself .t, 

 appears to play a part, since the bands are difficult to produce I I! 

 unless they reach to the glass of the tube. 



That an exceedingly minute current produces bands which to 

 the eye, in most instances, disappear when Ihe current is some- 

 what increased, and on further increasing the current they 

 become visible .again. The author believes that in all previous 

 investigations it has been stated that the bands cannot be 1 TO- 

 duced until a considerable current is passed. He refers to 

 investig.itions by Messrs. Warren de la Rue, G.issiot, and 

 others. Mis experiments, however, prove the contrary. The 

 probable reason why these statements were m.ide is due to the 

 fact that with the apparatus employed at that time such small 

 currents could not be easily produced. When the minute 

 current is increased, and the bands seem to disappear, the 

 author thinks this is due to an optical illusion : the bands are 

 there, but too faint to be seen, perhaps in consequence of the 

 dark bands being so narrow that they escape observation. 



That, when an electric discharge lakes place in a large lube 

 in which is placed a partition pierced with a hole, "a forcing 

 effect " frequently appears to be produced. Any bright bands 

 being pioduced at the hole in Ihe partition may give the 

 appearance of being pushed throuL;h to the side of the tulie 

 which has Ihe greater length. This phenomenon is mentioned 

 because it is apt to mask many efTicIs, unless the current is 

 suitably adjusted. 



That it is not impossible, after the first trace of light become* 

 visible in a tube when passing a very minute currenl, that the 



