4 So 



NA TURE 



[M/.RCH 14, 1895 



Cambridge. 



Philosophical Society, February 25.— Mr. R. T. 

 CUiebiook, Treasurer, in the chair. — On binocular colour 

 niixlurcs, by Dr. W. II. R. Rivers. Two methnris of 

 producing binocular colour mixture were shown — by Wheat- 

 s!one's stereoscope and by a modification of Hering's 

 roe' hod devised by Mr. E. T. Dixon. Colour mixture 

 and rivalry were described as occurring in the after-imige 

 following binocular combination of coloured patches. — On a 

 new parasite probably allied to Echinorhynchu'. by Mr. A. E. 

 .Shipley. The specimens described came from the skin of a 

 bird Htmignathus frccerui, taken by Mr. Perkins in the Island 

 of Kauai, one of the Sandwich I.-lands. — Notes on l'.nchytheca 

 (with exhibition of specimens^ by Mr. A. C. Seward. The 

 genus Pachylhfca from Siluri.in and Devonian rocks of Britain 

 and Canada has been a subject of discussion among palzeon- 

 tologisis ever since its discovery in 1S53. Several writers have 

 placed the fossil among -A^lga;, and this position has been assigned 

 to it on the grounds of a .supposed resemblance of its histo- 

 logical structures to that of certain recent genera. An examin- 

 ation of a series of micro'icopic sections prepared by Mr. 

 Storiie, of Cardiff, has led the author to doubt the sufficiency 

 of the evidence on which the comparison with any existing alga 

 has been based, and to regard Pathytheca as an organism of 

 uncertain position which might well receive attention at the 

 hands of zoologis's. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, March 4. — M. Marey in the 

 chair. — The life and works of Admiral Paris, member of ilie 

 Geography and Navigation Section, by M. E. Guyou. — Axoids 

 of two plane lines, by M. H. Resal. ^Prophylactic remedy for 

 marsh-fevers, by M. d'Abbadie. The use of a daily fumigation 

 of the body with sulp*-ur is urced as a preservative against inter- 

 mittent fevers in malarial districts. — On the interior pressure 

 and the virial of the interior forces in fluids, by M. E. H. 

 Amagat. A mathematical paper in which the variations of 

 certain theoretical constants, deduced from the results of the 

 experimental determinations of the properties of gases under 

 high pressures, are discussed. — Observation of Wolf's planet 

 BP, made at Toulouse Observatory, by M. F. Rossard. — 

 Rectitica'ion of some arithmetical theorems, by P. Pepin. — The 

 month of February, 1S95, at Pare de Saint-Maur O'lservaiory, 

 by M. E. Renou. A discussion of the meteorological conditions 

 obtaining in the neighbourhood of Paris. It is shown that 

 a continued low temperature is very rare in February. The 

 mean temperature of the month is given at - 4 '^S. The 

 minimum temperature was reached on the 7ih at Pare de Saint- 

 Maur — I5'''4, and at CI ateaudun - I4°'6, and on the gih at 

 Vcndome —19° 4. At the first-named station the earth w.as 

 frozen beneath turf to a depth of 0'53 metres, ami in the 

 kitchcngardt-n to a depth of 0*65 metres. — Panoramic views 

 obtained wiih the repeating twin-camera, liy M. J. Carpcntier. 



— Ba^ic and acid oxides and sulphides. Zinc sulphide, by M. 

 A. Villiers. — Calorimelric researches on dilute s>luiions. 

 Sodium acetate, by M. E. Monnet. The heat of solution of 

 sodium acetate augments wi'h the concentration of the solution. 



- -On hexamelhylene-amine ; ammonium salts ; action of acids ; 

 production of primary amines, by M. Dclei'ine. The reaction 

 of acids on the ammonium iodides of hixamethylene-amine. 

 C.II„N4RI-l-6H,0 = 6ClI,q-^3Nir, + NKM3l. is given as 

 a new method of forming primary amines. The use of bis- 

 muth potassium iodide for the isolation of these primary amines 

 is noted. —On the composition of French and foreign oats of 

 the 1893 crop, by M. Ualland. — New cin'ideralions on the 

 comparative anatomy of the limbs, by M. J. P. Durand (ile 

 Gro»). M. Edmond Perrier followed up this paper with a dis- 

 cu.'tion of the theory of the compound nature of the higher 

 animal organisms. — On a disease of the spiny lobster, by 

 MM. E. L. Uouvier and Georges Roche. — On the formation of 

 the shell of molluscs, by M. Moynicr de Villepoix. — On the 

 diffusion of perfumes, by M. Jacques Passy. — Researches on the 

 f,.,! I ,„ , "^^irriaU required liy the vine, by M. .\. Miiniz. The 

 f rclusions have been arrived at : (1) In all vineries 

 til n of nitrogen and potash is much more considera'ile 

 than that of phosphoric acid. (2) Nitrogen is absorbed in large 

 quanii y by the viite, and, contrary to widely received opinions, 

 nit<rigenou« manures ought to be uiied ; ihc«c are in other re- 

 f|)ect« the most effective. (3) In the southern vint-yards, nitrogen 

 is al»ort>ed in greater proportion than potash ; in more northern 



NO. 1324, VOL. 51] 



regions potash is most absorbed. (4) Notwithstanding the 

 enormous difference in yield, the southern vine requires no 

 greater amount of nut'iiive materials than the vines of more 

 temperate clim.ites. (5) The qunntity of fertilising elements 

 u-ed by the vine per hectolitre of wine produced is three or four 

 times more considerable in the more northern districts than in 

 the south. — On the abnormal partitions of the fronds of ferns, 

 by M. Adrien Guelih.ird. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED 



Hook*:. — Abi<_>:c de la Thcorie dcs Konctions Klliptique?: : C. Henry 

 (Paris, Nuny). — Mechanics— Slatic^ : k. T. Glazcbr. ok (Camhridcc Uni- 

 vetMiy Press).— Sicam-Powfrand Mill-Wcrk : G. W. Sutdiffc (Whittaker). 

 — Scientific and Technical Papers of Werner von Siemens. Vol. 2. Technical 

 Papers, translated (Murray). — From a New England HiMsidc : W. Potts 

 (Macnuilitn).- Prince Henry the Navigat->r ; C. R. Bcazley (Putnam).— 

 Catalocue of the llird-ol Prey, with the Number of Specimens in Norwich 

 Museum : I. H. Gumey (Porter). — Annuario publicado pelo Ob^ervatorio 

 do Rio de Ja' eiro. iSq4 (Rio de Janeiro). — A Theoretical and Practical 

 Treatise on the Manufacture o( Sulphuric Acid and Alkali : Dr. G. Lunge, 

 2nd ediii- n, Vol. 2 (tiurney and Jackson). — A Students' Text Book of 

 Boiany : Dr. S. H. Vine^ (Sonrensch<:in).— The Origins of Invention : Dr. 

 (). T. Mason (Scoti). — Die Gcsellschaftsordiiung und ihrc Natiirllchen 

 Grundlagen : O. Amnmn (Jena. Fischer).— Die Grundgcbiidc dcr Ebciicn 

 Geoniciric: Dr V. tberhard, 1 Band (Leipzig, Teubner). — Vorlesungen 

 aus der Analytischen Geometric der Kegclschnittc : F. Dingeldey (Leipzig, 

 Teiibner).— The Astrologer's Ready Heckorer: C. .T. Baiker (H.ilifax, 

 (bccult IJnok O-mpany). — 1"he Voyage of H. ^LS. ChalUuger. A Summary 

 of the Scientific Kc-ults (with Appendices), 2 Pans (Eyre and Spoliis- 

 woodc), — Le Climai ds la Belgique en iSg^ (Bruxelles). 



Pamihlets.- Sweet Cas»av.i : H. W. Wiley (Washington). — Neudrucke 

 von Schrilten und K.arten fiber Metcorologie und Erdmagnetismus, No. 4 

 (Berlin, Asher).—Uber die Grundlagen und /.cle der Raumlchre : Dr. V. 

 Kberhard (Leipzig. Teubner).- A Summary of Piogrcss in Mineraloay and 

 Petrography in 1894 (Waierville, M" ).— Sociedad Cicntifica Aigentina. 

 Flores «i I nbccios : A. Galllardo 1 Buen^ s Aires). — The Basic Massive Rocks 

 of the Lake Superior Region: W. S. Bayley (Chicago). 



Shkials. — Geographical Magazine, March (Stanford). — L'Anthropologie. 

 tome vi. No. i (Pans) — Bulleiin of the American Mathematical Society, 

 February (New York). — journal of the Chemical Society, March (Gurney 

 and Jackson).- Natural History of Plants, Pan xi. (Btackic), — Vcrhand- 

 lungen dcr K. K. geologischrn Keichsanstalt, Jahrg. 1894, No i bis 18 

 (Wien).— Inser I Life, vol. 7. Nos. 1-5 (Washington) — American Journal of 

 Science, March (New Haven). — Bulletins de la Soci6t(i d'Anthropologie de 

 Paris, No. 8, 1894 (Paris). — Psychological Review, March (Macnullan). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Life of Dean Buckland 457 



Our Book Shelf:— 



"The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New 



Jersey." (With Dia^^ram.') 458 



Durand and Schinz : "Cons|iectus Flora; Afrlce, ou 



Enumeration des Plantes d'Afiiciue." — W. B. H. . 459 

 Gautier and Charpy : " Lemons de Chimie." — 



J. W. R 459 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Variation ami .Specific Stability,— W. T. Thiselton- 



Dyer, CM G.. F.R.S 459 



Do Plants Assimilate Argon? — E. Blass ; Prof. W. 



Ramsay, F.R.S 461 



The Mcisuremcnt of Pressures in Guns. — Rev. F. 



Bashforth 461 



The Velocity of the Argentine Earthquake Pulsations 



of October 27, 1894.— C. Davison 462 



The Sociity of .Spcla;ol igy. — Mark Stirrup ... 462 



Contraction of Trees caused by Cold. — J. Clayton . 462 

 The Harrenness of Prt Cambrian Kocks. — Dr. C. 



Callaway 462 



The Anilicial .Spectrum Top. — Newton and Co. . 463 

 Research in Education. Hy Dr. H. E. Armstrong, 



F.R.S 463 



Notes 468 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Spec'riim ip( the flrion Nebula (71 



The I'xlipse of the Moon 472 



The N<iiili<n/ .■llmaiiM, 1898 472 



Physical Woik o( Hermann von Helmholtz. I. 



{It'ith Oiai^nim.) Hy Prot. A. W. Riicker, F.R.S. 472 

 Jame .Walt and Ocean Navigation, liy Dr. Francis 



Elgar 475 



University and Educational Intelligence 477 



Scientific Serials 477 



Socieiieii »nd ^cidomies 477 



Books, Pampnleis, and Serials Received .... 480 



1 



