December :o, 1894J 



NA TURE 



191 



In those cases where the stream issues from the tarn over solid 

 rocli, he found either (i) direct evidence that the tarn resulis 

 from the blocking up of part of a pre-existing vallev by driU, 

 causing the oefl' ciion of the water to a direction different from 

 that of the original stream in this locality ; or (2) evid'-nre 

 which is perfecily consistent with such an explana'ion <if ihe 

 origin of ihe larn. Umler the circumstances he submiiied that 

 tarns cannot be assumed lo lie in rock-basins simply because ihe 

 issuing stream flows over solid rock (and this assumpiiin has 

 been made), tmt that those who maintain the existence of such 

 rock-basins must pr .ve the occurrence of solid rock entirely 

 around the tarn. — Description of a new instrument for survey mg 

 by the aid of photography, with some observations upon the 

 applicability of the . instrument to geological purposes, by J. 

 Bridges Lee. The instrument described in this paper consists 

 essentially of a photographic camera fitted inside with a mag- 

 netic needle, which cairies a vertical transparent scale divided 

 and numbered to 360°, and also with cross fibres which intersect 

 at right angles. The fittings and adjustments of the instrument 

 are of such a character that the camera can be accurately levelled 

 and directed towards any point in a horizontal direction, and 

 when a photograph is taken in an ordinary way the bearing of 

 the median vertical plane which bisects the instrument through 

 the photographic lens will be recorded automatically on the f.ice 

 of the photograph. The vertical fibre (and its image on the 

 photograph) serves as an inde.i to read the bearing ; and the 

 same fibte marks by its shadow a line right across the photo- 

 graph, which marks the median vertical plane on the imat;e. 

 The horizontal fibre is adjusted to mark on the imagi, the hori- 

 zontal plane which bisects the photographic lens. -The marble 

 beds of Natal, liy David Draper. 



Royal Microscopical Society, November 2i.— Mr. A. D. 

 Michael, I'resident, in the chair. — Messrs. Swift exhibited and 

 described a microtome, which was made as an improvement on 

 the Cambridge rocking microtome. The chief features were 

 that the razor could be fitted at any angle that might be found 

 best suited to the substance it was desired to cut, that it was 

 possible to cut sections embedded in celloidin in spirit, and 

 that it could be u^ed with the ether-freezing apparatus. Messrs. 

 Swift also exhibited an improved example of tlieir new mechan- 

 ical stage. The milled heads of the stage were now placed on t he 

 same side ; the stage had also a greater lateral movement than 

 in the first examples. — Dr. Measures exhibited a new mechan- 

 ical stage by Messrs. Zeiss. He considered that it would be 

 found to be better protected than the old one, and it would 

 admit a much larger plate. It was also fitted with verniers in 

 both directions reading to 1',. of a millimetre. — Dr. \V. A. 

 Turner gave a lantern demonstration on recent methods of 

 staining sections of the central nervous system. — Mr. E. M. 

 Nelson described a simple method for measuring the refractive 

 indices of media. He also described a new reflecting camera 

 lucida, and a portalile microscope by Zentmayer. 



Zoological Society, December 4. — Henry Seebohm, 

 Vice-President, in the chair. — A communication was read fiom 

 Mr. T. Manners Smith, on some points in the anatomy of the 

 water-mole {Oritithorhynchiis paradoxus). The paper relaed 

 chiefly to the muscular anatomy of Ornithorhyiichtis, which 

 was followed by a short description of the tiunk-arterial system. 

 As regards the anatomy, Mr. Smith appeared to have worked 

 out for the first time the comparative morphology of the skeletal 

 muscles of the Monotremes as determined by their innervaiion. 

 — Mr. F. E. Heddard, F. R. S., read a paper upon certain points 

 in the visceral anatomy of Omilliorhyndtiis. The paper dwelt 

 in the first instance with the existence of a free fold passing 

 from the bladder to the liver, where it became continuous with 

 the falciform ligament of the liver. This fold, however, ex- 

 hibited no traces of an anterior abdominal vein. The author 

 also gave a description of the right auriculo-ventricular valve of 

 the heart. In two hearts examined by him the septal flap of 

 this valve was complete, though less conspicuous than the free 

 flap, owing to the fact that it had either no papillary muscles 

 attached to it, or that the muscles were very small. - Mr. 

 Boulenger read a second report on additions to the Lizard 

 Collection in the Natural History Museum. — Prof. F. Jeffrey 

 Bell called attention to the acquisition by the Natural Uiitory 

 Museum of some specimens of remarkable corals of great size 

 from North west Australia, of which he showed some admiralile 

 photographs taken by Mr. Percy Highley. Prof. Bell urged 

 the necessity of the acquisition of large specimens of corals, 

 before coming to any conclusion as to their specific distinctions. 



NO. I312, VOL. 51] 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, December 'O-j^I- ^oe^vy J" 'he 

 chair —The Secretary announced the death of M. Tchebichel, 

 foreign associate, on December S.-The decease of M Fer- 

 dinand de Lesseps, on December 7. "as referred to by the 

 President, and the meeting adjourned, after receiving the cor- 

 respondence, as a mark of respect for the deceased member.- 

 A study of the different varieties of graphite, by M. Heiiri 

 Moissan. Any variety of carbon may be converted into graphite 

 by sufficiently raising the temperature. This graphite may be 

 amorphous or crystalline. Its specific gravity vanes ^om 210 

 to 2''5. Its ignition point in oxygen IS about 660. Its stability, 

 as evidenced by its resistance to transformation into graphitic 

 acid, depends on the temperature to which it has been raised.— 

 A survey made by means of photography, for the delimitation of 

 the frontier between Alaska and British Columbia by M. 

 Laussedat.— On the secular variations of the orbits of the lour 

 interior planets, by Prof. S. Newcomb. (See "Our Astro- 

 nomical Column.")-On a new ossiferous cavern discovered 

 at Pointe-Pescade, to the west of AlgerSaint- Eugene, by 

 M A. Pomel. There appears to be no trace of man or of 

 the monkey, though numerous other species of animals are 

 represemed in the remains.-On the solution of nutnerical 

 equations by means of recurrent series, by M. K. 1 errin. 

 —On the composition of linear forms and congruences, 

 by M Stoufr.— On elimination, by M. Hadamard.— On the 

 law of resistance of air, by M. C. Chapel. A claim to 

 priority over M. Vallier in regard to the empirical laws recently 

 enunciated by the latter.— An experimental theory of the clip- 

 ping and punching of metals, by M. Ch. Fremont. A machine 

 is described with which the author has succeeded in registering 

 the work done during punching operations on an indicator dia- 

 cram.— Integration of the equations of light in transparent and 

 fsotropic media, by M. E. Carvallo. -Electromotive force of 

 magnetisation, by M. D. Hurmuzescu.-Determination of the 

 proportions of carbonate of lime and carbonate of magnesia in 

 earths, ashes, &c., by M. Albert Trubert. A description of a 

 simple indirect analysis.— The phosphate of the Gr.ande 

 Connetable, by M. A. Andouard.-On pectase and pectic 

 fermentation, by MM. G. Bertrand and A. Mallevre. The 

 conclusions have been arrived at, that (i) this ferment is iiot 

 able to coagulate pectin when acting alone ; (2) it produces this 

 transformation only in presence of -salts of calcium, barium, or 

 strontium ; (3) the precipitate produced is an alkaline-earthy 

 pectate.— On a new process for the purification of alcohols, 

 sugars and a certain number of other organic matters, by M. 

 E.°Maumenc.— Influence of radiation at low temperatures on 

 the phenomena of digestion ; FrigotherapfUtics, by M. Raoul 

 Pictet.— On the morphology and classification of the Coccidians, 

 by M. Alphonse Labbe.— Succession of the lower ler'iary 

 strata in the cretaceous protuberance of Saint-Sever, by M. L. 

 Reyt —On the calcaires ,i lUhothamnium of the valley of the 

 Chellif, by M. Repelin. -Influence of the dryness of the year 

 1893 on the forest vegetation in Lorraine, by M. Henry. The 

 production of wood for 1893 w.-is but 30 to 76 per cent, of the 

 normal yield.— The ascension of the balloon Archimede 

 (October 11, 1894). Comparative thermcmietric and hygro- 

 metric diagrams of the aerostat gas and ihe surrounding atmo- 

 sphere, by MM. Gustave Hermite and Georges Besan^on. 



Berlin, 

 Physical Society, November 16.— Prof, von Eezold, 

 President, in the chair.— Prof. H. W. Vogel spoke on 

 the perception of colours, and demonstrated the various 

 effects which monochromatic illumination has on a series 

 of pigments. The effect of two coloured lights on the 

 several pigments was specially interesting. Thus, for in- 

 stance, red or yellow squares illuminated by yellow and red 

 light appeared to be white and grey ; under yellow and blue 

 they appeared to be red, and in yellow and green lights they 

 appeared the same as when illuminated by white light. Dr. 

 Rubens gave an account of experiments carried out on a large 

 scale in conjunction with W. and E. Rathenau on telegraphing 

 10 a distance without wires. They were based, in contra- 

 distinction lo those of Preece, on the principle of the distribu- 

 tion of currents in the conducting earth. On the banks of the 

 W.annsee, near Potsdam, two electrodes were sunk in the water 

 at a distance from each other of 500 metres, and a current from 

 fifty-five accumulators placed on the bank was sent through 

 them. From each of two boats connected by a cable an. 



