November 8, 1894] 



NATURE 



47 



dried at llo°, reduced to powder, and then heated on an oil- 

 bath, at i2o'-l 30°, with 12 per cent, hydrochloric acid. The 

 work was carried out in an atmosphere of hydrogen. It resulted 

 in a slow evolution of carbon dioxide. This may be accounted 

 for on the hypothesis that the contained carbohydrates have a 

 ketonic constitutiin. Experiments on the simple carbohydrates 

 are in progress. — On the movements which certain animals 

 make in order to fall on their feet, when precipitated froii a 

 height, by M. Marey. Successive instantaneous photographs, 

 taken in two planes, are given of a cat in the act of falling. 

 The necessary movements are accomplished by the animal ro- 

 tating the forepart of its body when drawn in, so that its 

 moment of inertia is small as compared with that of the ex- 

 tended hind-quarters, and by this movement being repeated by 

 the latter when drawn in and the fore-part extended. — A note 

 concerning the above communication, by M. Guyon. It is 

 shown that the rotation of the animal is not contrary to received 

 laws. — Observations on the principle of areas, by M. Maurice 

 Levy. — Reduction of the equation of continuity in hydraulics to 



the form — -^^', -- -fo— ' - 2p^i- 'v=0- An abstract of a memoir 

 dl as as as 



by M. P. E. Touche. — The first volume of a work by M. G. 

 Hinrichs, "On the Mechanics of .Vtoms," gives adiscussion of 

 atO'Tiic weights and metho<is use.l in their determination, and 

 treats of the question of the unity of matter. — On the problems 

 of dynamics of which the differential equations admit a con- 

 tinuous group, by M. P. Staeckel. — On the differentiation of 

 trigonometric series, by M. Matyas Lerch. — On the constitution 

 of the electric arc, by M. L. Thomas. The arc between two 

 carbons containing metallic salts consists of a nucleus surrounded 

 by an envelope ; in the former are found the substances giving 

 band spectra, hydrocarbons or carbon vapour and cyanogen, 

 in the envelope metallic vapours from the dissociated salts pass 

 from the positive to the negative pole, and there burn in the 

 oxygen of the air, producing the metallic line spectra character- 

 istic of this region. — Relation between the miximum vapour 

 pressures of water, ice, and a saline solution at the freezing- 

 point of this solution, by M. A. Ponsot. — Oa the gaseous 

 products given off by wood charcoal when heated to a 

 high temperature out of contact of air, by M. Dosmond. — 

 On the transformation temperatures of irons and steels, by M. 

 Georges Charpy. — Kermesite, by M. H. Baubigny.— On the 

 superposition of optical effects of several asymmetric carbon 

 atoms in the same active molecule, by MM. Ph. .\. Guye and 

 M. Gautier. In a molecule containing several asymmetric carbon 

 atoms, each of them acts as if all the remainder of the molecule 

 were inactive. The optical effects of several asymmetric carbon 

 atoms in the same molecule are algebraically added to give the 

 optical activity of the molecule. — On the saturated hydrocarbons 

 with active amyl radicals, by Mdlle. Ida Welt. — On the estima- 

 tion of alcohol in essential oils, by M.M. Charles Fabre, Garrigou, 

 and Surre. — On the existence of cellules en panicrs in the 

 acinus and excretory conduits of the mammary gland, by .M. E. 

 Lacroix. — Observations on a note by M.M. Prillieux and 

 Delacroix. — On ihe goinmose liacillairc oi vines, by M. L. Daille. 

 — Culture of a fungus {CoUybia vclutipes) g,rov/iag on wood, by 

 MM, Costantin and Matruchot. — On the disease " Rouge " in 

 the Paris nurseries and plantations, by M. Louis Mangin.— On 

 the relations of the basalt and phonolite of the Sue d'Araules 

 (Haute- Loire), by M. Ferdinand Gonnard. — On the geology of 

 French Congo, by M. Maurice Barrat. — On several quaternary 

 grottos of the Dordogne, and on s.jme megalithic monuments of 

 Orne and La Manche, by M. limile Riviere. 



New South Wales. 



Royal Society, June 6.— C. Moore in the chair.— The 

 following papers were read : — Notes 00 some minerals and 

 mineral localities in the northern districts of New South Wales, 

 by D. A. Porter. — On the magnetic susceptibilities of specimens 

 of Australian basalts, by Prof. A. W. Riickcr, F.R.S. — On 

 boleite, nantokite, kerargyrite, and cuprite, from Broken Hill, 

 by Prof. Liversidge, F.K. S — -From number to quaternion, by 

 C. Fleuri.— New orbit of the double star 3 416 = Scorpii 1S5, 

 by Ptof. S. Glasenapp. — On the value of gravity at the Sydney 

 Observatory, by E. F. J. Love. — Preliminary notes on ihe 

 pharmacology of carissa ovata, var. stoloni/era. Bail, by Dr. 

 T. L. Bancroft. — On the almandine garnets from the Ilawkes 

 bitty sandstone at Sydney, by H. C. Smith. — Oa a natural 

 mineral spring at Bungonia, by Rev. J. Milne Curran. 



July 4.— Prof. Threlfall, President, in the chair.— The fol- 



NO. 1306. VOL, 51] 



lowing papers were read :— On a transparent star-chart : a con- 

 venience for observers, by II, C. Russell, F.R.S. — .\borigina/ 

 Bora held at Gundabloui in 1894, by R. H. Mathews. — Ob- 

 servations and orbit elements of comet Gale 1894, by John 

 Tebbutt. — On the structure and composition of some .\ustralian 

 basalts, by Rev. J. Milne Curran. 



August I. — Prof. Threlfall, President, in the chair. — The 

 following papers were read : — On garbage destructors, by Prof. 

 Warren and Dr. .\shburton Thompson. — The geology of lime- 

 kilns, Bathurst district, by W. J. C. Ross. — The territorial 

 divisions of New South Wales into counties, by W. D. Camp- 

 bell. — On the timbers of New South Wales, by J. V. De 

 Coque. — On the -Aboriginal rock carvings and paintings in New 

 South Wales, by R. H. Mathews. — The Society's bronze medal 

 and money prize of £2^ were presented to each of the two 

 last-named gentlemen for their papers. 



September 5. — Prof. Threlfall, President in the chair. — The 

 following papers were read : — Some stone implements used by 

 the .\borigines of New South Wales, by R. H. Mathews. — 

 Recent researches in the testing of cement, by W. S. de Lisle 

 Roberts. — A comparison of the languages of Ponape and 

 Hawaii, by the late Rev. E. T. Doane, with additional notes 

 and illustrations by Sidney H. Ray. — Preliminary note on the 

 structure of gold nuggets, by Prof Liversidge, F.R.S. Gold 

 nuggets on being cut through or sliced and polished, and then 

 etched by chlorine water, were found to exhibit well-marked 

 crystalline structure closely resembling the Widmanstatt 

 figures shown by most metallic meteorites, except that in the 

 nuggets the crystals are more or less square in section and show 

 faces which evidently belong to the octahedron and cube. On 

 heating the nuggets in a bunsen burner, blebs or blisters form, 

 on both the polished and unpolished surfaces, and on still more 

 strongly heating, these, in some cases, burst with sharp reports, 

 and pieces of gold are projected with considerable violence. 

 As no explosions have been observed on dissolving or eating 

 away the crusts of these blisters by chlorine water, it would 

 appear that the blebs are probably due to the vaporisation of 

 some liquid or solid substance. As soon as a fresh supply of 

 nuggets is obtained, experiments will be proceeded with to 

 ascertain definitely whether gold nuggets contain occluded 

 gases, or liquids or solids which are vaporisable. In slicing 

 some nuggets, scattered granules of quartz were met with 

 inside, although quite invisible outside, and at first it was 

 thought that the explosions might be due to the quartz ; but 

 the gas, in some cases, continued to issue from the burst bleb 

 (where the aperture formed was small) and forced the bunsen 

 flame out into la'eral jets, just as if urged by a blow-pipe. 



Linnean Society, September 26. — Prof. David, President, in 

 thechair.^Oii the correct habitat o( Patella tirmajecenis, Pilsbry 

 { = J'. PUsbryi, Braz. ), by John Brazier. The author expressed 

 the ooinion that this is the species referred to in Mr. Percy 

 Smith's pamphlet, " The Ker iiadec Islands : their Capabilities 

 and Extent" (Wellington, 18S7), which states that on Macauley 

 Island there occur '• large limpets (as big as small saucers, and 

 good eating)." — On a Trocims from Port Jackson, and new 

 varieties of Bulimus miltocluilus. Reeve, from the Solomon 

 Islands, by John Brazier. Under the name of Trochus Adamsi, 

 n.sp., was re-describcd a Port Jackson mollusc, the original 

 specific name of which ( 7". comptus, A. Ad.) is preoccupied for 

 a species named by Phillipi. Dr. Fischer also confounded T. 

 comptus, A. Ad., with the New Caledonian T. Poupineli, 

 Montr., which is a distinct species. Thn-e new varieties of 

 Bulimus millocheilus, R-evi-, were also described. — Observa- 

 tions on Dctidrolagus bennctlianus, De Vis, by Edgar R. Waite. 

 The author described ihe species from material recently 

 obtained from the Bloomfield River, Queensland. He was of 

 opinion that in respect of bjth external and anatomical 

 characters it is a well-marked species. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, September 29. — Prof. Vande 

 Sandi: Bakhuyzen in the chair. — Mr. Beyerinck discussed the 

 reduction of sulphates by a specific sulphide (erment. This 

 suliject bears on two questions of general bacteriology, i.e. (l) 

 the production of sulphureited hydrogen, and (2) the power of 

 reduction. Bacteria may produce H.^S in four different ways : 

 Firstly, frim sulphur, this being dissolved, by the excretion of 

 ammonia, amines or alkahiids lorming sulphides, which are 

 (Kcompo ed by carbonic acid; secondly, from proteids con- 

 taining sulphur, well known in cases of putrefaction ; thirdly, 



