6l 2 



NA TURE 



[October i8, 1894 



means of the finer terminal fibrils, which are shown to be 

 frtqaently arranged in ihe form of distinct tufts, having a 

 constant position relative to each other. On this account the 

 author hazards the suggestion "that the nervous energy 

 resembles a static electrical charge, in the fact that the discharge 

 takes place most readily through point'," the opposing tufts of 

 fibrils of different elements beinj thus comparable to the 

 "brushes" of an electrical machine. In the second and third 

 of his " Studies," Mr. Allen deals with the Slomatogastric 

 System of AslacmxnA Hi'mariis, wiih the Beading of Nerve- 

 fibres, and with End Swellings.— Olher papers in the same 

 number are by Mr. E. A Andrewi, on some abnormal annelids, 

 and Mr. W. E. Collinge, on the sensory canal sysiem of 

 Ganoids. .\ll these papers are admirably illustrated. 



American Mitecrolo^kal Journal, September.— On cloud 

 formation, by Prof. W. von BezolH. This is a translation, by 

 L. \. Bauer, o( an address delivered in the "Crania" of 

 Berlin, November 29, 1S93, and published in Ilimmel u»d 

 Eriie, vol. vi. No. 5. f We gave a brief notice of this valuable 

 paper in vol. xlix. p. 50S 1 Prof, von Bezold's e.-cplanations of 

 the formation of fogs and clouds are exceedingly interesting and 

 instructive, and the translation into English will be of great use 

 to many readers who may be unacquainted with German. 

 Several of the cloud views have been made in Berlin expressly 

 for this article.— Summer hot winds on the Great Plains, by J. 

 M. Cline, M.D. This paper has been reprinted from the 

 BtilUtin of the Philosofhical Society of IVashiiigton, vol. xii. 

 1894, and contains an account of the hot winds observed from 

 1874 to 1S92, and of the general meteorological conditions pre- 

 vailing at the time of their occurrence, together wiih a descrip- 

 tion of the general characleris'ics of those hot winds, and con- 

 clusions as to their causes.— The meteorological services of 

 SDUth America, by A. h. Rotch. The countries in which 

 meteorological observatories and central stations exist are Peru, 

 Chile, Argentine Repu'ilic, Uruguay, and Brazil. Those dealt 

 with in this article are Peru, in which is situated the observatory 

 of El Mist', the highest station in the world, and Chile, of 

 which the National Observatory is at Santiago, and was founded 

 by the United States Transit of Venus Expedition in 1S48. 



Normal propyl alcohol, L = (l) 164 07 cal. ; (2) 163-19 cal. 



Isoprcpyl alcohol (Sp. lit. assumed same as N. P. Alcohol), 

 L = li;972 cal. 



Normal hu"tyl alcohol, L = 138-18 cal. 



Isobutyl alcohol (Sp. Ht. of normal alcohol used), L = 136-16 

 cal. 



Fermentation amyl alcohol, L = 118-15 "'• 



Dimethylethylcarbinol (Sp. Ht. assumed same as amyl alco- 

 hol), L = 110-37 cal. 



.\U determinations were made at pressures between 745 and 

 755 mm. — On a particular case of the action of alkalies on glu- 

 cose, by M. Fernand Gaud. The reaction of the alkali on 

 glucose has been followed by means of different metallic oxides, 

 capable of precipitating each of the products in turn, step by 

 s,ep. — On Ihe production of gaseous formaldehyde for purposes 

 of disinfeciion, by MM. K. Cambier and \. Brochet.— Manu- 

 facture of alumina from clays, by M. Joseph Ileibling.— On the 

 germination of oleaginous grains, by M. I.eclerc du S.xblon. — 

 Experiments on ihe eggs of the mulberry silkworm, an annual 

 race, by M. Victor RoUat. It is found that halching may be 

 produced at any desired time by suhmiiiing ihe eggs 10 ihe 

 action of compressed air at the pressure of 6 to 8 atmospheres 

 for a fortnight — M. J. Posno describes, in a nole, ihe results 

 obtained by a process of distillation of house refuse. — M. F. 

 Larroque reports the ravages produced by anthrax in the higher 

 pastures of the Pyrenees. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, October 8. — M. I.oewy in the 

 chair.— On the eccentricity of the orbit of Jupiter's fifth satel- 

 lite, by .M. F. Ti'serand. If a be the great semi-axis, e the 

 eccentricity, and ■»,, ihe longitude of perijove at a certain epoch 

 (October 28, 1892), we have, as a first approximation, 



a = 47" -906, e = o 0073, ■='" = -- ■4°- 

 —On Ihe groups of transformations of differential linear equa- 

 tions, by M. Kmile Pieard.— Theory of flow on a weir without 

 lateral contraction, when the bending liquid sheet is either de- 

 pressed, submerged below, or adherent to the weir, by M. J. 

 Boussinefq.— On the propagation of electromagnetic waves in 

 ice, and on the dielectric power of this subs' ance, by M. R. 

 Blondlol (see Notes, p. 604).— Mean magnetism of the globe and 

 " isanomales " of terrestrial magnetism, by M. Alexis deTillo. 

 The tables given show the mean value for the magnetic ele- 

 ments for parallels at 10' intervals for the years 1829, 1842, 

 1880, 1885.— M. Ilaton de la Goupillicre informs the Academy 

 that M. Colteau has left his fine collection of fossil Echino- 

 derms to the National School of Mines. This collection, com- 

 bined with the Michclin collection, already at the School of 

 Mines, uill probaiily be the most complete of its kind.— On the 

 dielectric power of ice, by M. A. Perot. On recalculation of 

 the results published on June 27, 1S92, K assumes the value 

 2-04.— A study of the latent heals of vaporisation of the satu- 

 rated alcohols of the faity series, by M. W. Louguinine. The 

 latent heals of vaporisation obtained are as follows : For ethyl 

 alcohol, mean of eleven cx|ierimcnts, 201-42 cal. -, Ramsay anri 

 Young's value, 206.4 cal., calculated by means of the formula 



L = (,-,.);.f. 



where t = absolute Icmpcralure and I is the mechanical equiva- 

 lent o( heal, probably differs from the experimental value owing 

 to accumulate 1 errors o( data entering into their formula. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Optics of Photography. By Prof. R. Meldola, 



F.RS 589 



The Measurement of Electrical Resistance. By 



W. W S9i 



An Astronomical Romance. By R. A. Gregory . . 592 

 Our Book Shelf: — 



Barlow : " Ueber die geometrischen Eigenschaflen 

 hoinogener starrer Structuren und ihre Anwendung 



auf Krystalle."— H. A. M 



Thornton: -' Theoretic.il Mechanics. — Solids" . • 

 Small : "The Earth : an Introduction to the Study of 



Inorganic Nature " ^ ^^ 



Islomin and Diitsch : " Songs of the Russian People 

 The Prince of Mantua and Montftrrat ; "Visions of 

 the Interior of the Earth, and of Past, Present, and 



Future Events" 



" The Complete Poetical Works of Constance 



Naden " 



Letters to the Editor:— ^, 



Some New Facts with regard to " Bennettiles. — 



A. C. Seward ■ • 



Science Teaching in St. Mary's Hospital Medical 

 School. — Dr. Arthur P. Luff ... .... 



Gohna Like.— Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.RS. . . . 



Instinctive .\ttitu.les. — Hiram M. Stanley .... 



The Tclrahedral Carbon Atom.— W. A. T 



" .\bstract Gcomctry.'—Edward T. Dixon . . 

 On the Doctrine of Discontinuity of Fluid Motion, 

 in Connection with the Resistance agamst a 

 Solid moving through a Fluid. IV. [H'tthDia- 



■grains.) By Lord Kelvin, P. R.S 



Paracelsus, liy M. M. Pattison Muir 



On Hollow Pyramidal Ice Crysta s. {Illustrated.) 



By Dr. Karl Grossmann .in.l Joseph Lomas . . 



The Glacial System of the Alps, liy B. Hobson . 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Rio de Janeiro Observa-.ory 



Observations of Mars 



The Mass of Mercury 



Brorsen's Comet 1X51 HI ■ 



M. Papavasihore on the Greek Earthquakes of 



April 1894. Hy Davison ■ 



The Affiliated Societies of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science 



Recent Exploration in British New Guinea .... 

 University and F,ducalional Intelligence . . . . • 



Scientific Serials 



Societies and Academies 



593 

 593 



593 

 594 



594 

 594 



594 



595 

 596 

 596 

 596 

 S96 



597 

 598 



600 

 602 

 603 



6c6 

 606 

 607 

 607 



607 



60S 

 609 

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 611 

 612 



NO. 1303, VOL. 50] 



