576 



NA TURE 



[April ii, 1895 



recently enunciated by others. The author also argues that the 

 6rst interglacial period was probably of shorter duration than 

 the second ; and in confirming his former conclusion that every 

 general gjaciation marks a period of fiUing-np, and every inter- 

 glacial period marks a period of erosion of valleys, he avers 

 that, if this conclusion be correct, it must needs be destructive 

 of the theory- of glacial erosion.— The Bajocian of the Mid- 

 Cotteswolds,' by S. S. Buckman. The Mid-Cotteswolds is 

 defined as the district between the valleys of the Frome and 

 the ChelL A description of twenty-five sections is given, deal- 

 ing principally with the strata found between the Upper 

 7V7»OT;/a-gTit and the Upper Freestone. 



Pari<. 

 Academy of Sciences, Apiil i.— M: Comu in the chair.— 

 On the composition of drainage waters, by M. P. P. Deherain. 

 An account is given of experiments made on a large scale with 

 fall-w-land and with crops of barley, wheat, beel-root, and the 

 vine. The observations began regularly in March 1892 ; the 

 results are given for three seasons. Comparing the crops of 

 1S93 and 1894 as regards nitrogen, it is seen that the abundant 

 crop of the latter year leaves the soil no more exhausted than 

 the medium crop of 1S93. The nitrates produced in the soil, or 

 added as manure, were belter utilised in 1S94 ; with the po >rer 

 crop a proportion was lost. The author differs from M. 

 Schlosing, insomuch as the latter believes the loss of nitrogen 

 in drainage water to be so insignificant as to be able to be 

 neglected in practical farming, whereas his own results con- 

 firm the Rothamsted experiments, and show that the lo^s from 

 fallow-l-inds is much greater than from lands covered with 

 vegetation. The deduction is drawn that it is good practice to 

 follow up crops such as wheat by some form of autumn growth. 



Ultra-violet radiation of the solar corona during the total 



eclipse of April 16, 1893, by M. H. Deslindres. A descrip- 

 tion of a photograph of the spectrum of the c rona obtained in 

 the Senegal expedition of 1893. The photo-spectrometer used 

 had lenses and prisms of quartz and calcite, and thus enabled 

 a great prolongation of the ultraviolet region to be photo- 

 giaphed. In accordance with previous observations, it was 

 (ound that the ultra-violet spectrum was very feeble in intensity 

 a-i compared with the red : this may be due in part to the great 

 absorbing power of the atmosphere for light in this region ol the 

 spectrum. — Solar observations of the second, third, and fourth 

 quarters of 1894, by M. Tacchini.— On the theory of equations 

 to the derived partials of the second order, by M. E. Goursal.— 

 On the sequences of circular permutations, by M. Desire .Vndre. 

 An analogy is pointed out between circular and rectilinear per- 

 mutations, and it is shown that the former are, in general, more 

 simple. They are not subject to the irregularity introduced 

 into rectilinear permutations by the terminal terms.— On the 

 application of the theory of probability of errors to levelling 

 operations of precision, by M. M. d'Ocagne.— On gratings used 

 in "photogravure," by M. Ch. Fery. A grating of 40 to 60 

 lines to the centimetre is used to enable the production of a 

 photograph which can be directly reproduced by mechanical 

 processes. Such a photograph must necessarily be devoid of 

 half-tints ; the device of placing a grating at a short distance 

 before the sensitive surface replaces these half-tints by alternate 

 black and white squares of the same size. An explanation of 

 this effect is given by the author on the basis of the elementary 

 theory of shadows. On the "molecular deviation" or the 

 "molecular rotatory power" of active sub^tanccs, by M. A. 

 Aignan. The author asserts that M. Guye's formula for mole- 

 cular rotatory power is inexact, and cannot be used instead of 

 Biot's formula for the specific rotatory power in the case of 

 solutions. — On a radiometer of symmetrical construction, turn- 

 ing under the action of unsymmetrical illumin.ation, by M. G. 

 Seguy.— An absolute electrometer for high potentials, standard 

 and simplified types, by MM. M. Abraham and J. J.cmoine.— 

 An extremely sensitive galvanometer, by M. Pierre Weiss.— On 

 the oldest French series of meteorological and thermomctric 

 observations, by M. I'abbe Maze. An account of the contents 

 of a newly-discovered register, entitled "Ad thermomelrum 

 obscrvationes anno 1658 Parisiis : Thermometrum Florcntia; 

 fabricaium." — On the first mercury thermometer, by M. I'abbe 

 Maze. Ismacl Boulliau used a mercury thermometer together 

 with his Florence thermometer in March 1659, or sixty-two 

 years before Fahrenheit's invention —Thermal study of the 

 anhydrous barium and strontium iodides, by M. Tassilly.— On 



M. de Forcrand. .\ thermal study of the compounds— 

 (CsHsOWCaO),, (CH40VBaO)3. and (CjHeOjjlBaOV The 

 action of alcohols on the alkaline-earthy oxides does not give 

 true metallic alcoholates, but addition compounds.— On the 

 ammonium b.ises deiived from hexamethyliri-imidotriphenyl- 

 methane and their action on the fuchsines, by M. A. Rosensiiehl. 

 —On some new combinations of hexamethylene-amine, by M. 

 Delepine.— On the gases of the swimming bladder of fishes, by 

 M. Jules Richard. These consist of oxygen, nitrogen, and 

 traces of carbon dioxide. The oxygen varies in three cases 

 given from 786 toSy? per cent.— Action of the nervous system 

 on the principal lymphatic canals, by MM. L. Ca.uus and E. 

 Gley.— On the genus Kiitya, of the family Ternstra-miacex-, by 

 M. J. Vesque.— On the basic rocks occurring as narrow veins m 

 the Iherzoliie of the Pyrenees, by M. A. Lacioix. There are 

 two families of granular basic rocks, without peridote and 

 felspar, which are allied to the peridotites. 



BOOKS and SERIALS RECEIVKU. 



Books.— R.^infall in ihe F.a^t Indian .^rcViipclago, 1S93 (Balav.a).— Short 



udies in Nature Knowledge; W Gee tMac.nillan).-slire'ocheniie : L. 



Monod(P.iris. Gauth.er.Villar.).-l>raclicil Microscopy. O.t- Davis, 



St- 



?rd'cX'iMV^'iienY-1:ambVidg7Naturai"Hisiory--MolluJc^ ^^^^">- 



pods : Rev. A H. Cooke. A E. Shipley, and F. R. C. Keed (Macraillan). 

 -Manual ol Geology : Prof. I. D. liana <th edition (New Wk.A.nerican 

 Bo.k Company).-The Spirit of Co.kery: Dr. J. L W rhud.chun. 

 (Baillil-'e) -The Evolmion of Industry : Hy. Dyer (Marmillan) -Horses, 

 ■\sses. Zebras, .Mules and MuleBieeding : W. B. Te«e.meier and C. L. 

 Sutherland (Co.x). -Sir Samuel Baker-A Memoir: 1. D. Murray and A. 

 S. While (Macmilla..).-Our Teelh-Care and Preservauon . Dr. V. 

 Dilcham (B.iillilre).-Clioical Lectures on the Prevention of C .nsumpuon . 

 Or W Murrell(Baillicre).-l-a Fonclionnemenl dcs Madi.nes a Vapeur . 

 G Leioutre (P.ir.s. Gaulhier-V.llars) -Des Mare;,: P. H..U (Pans 

 Gaulhier-V,llars).-Manche,ter Museum : Owens Col efie, t-alalogue of 

 ihe Library: W. E. Hoyle (Maochesler, C .rnish) -M=tt,odisches Lehr- 

 buch der Elementar-Ma.bematik : Dr^ G. HoU nil ler. Ers-er und ZweUer 

 TeiULeipzie, I'eubner).— the B:>ok ofihe Dcad-tac-simileof ihe Papyrus 

 ofAniinlh?Briti.h Museum. 2nd edition (British Museum).-lne Fam- 

 ti .n of Africa : J S. Kellie. 2nd edition (Stanford). m„ . ■ 



Seriaus -Scnbner-s Maga.me, Apnl (, ow).-Mctcor,c P.ipers No^i. 

 I. Calvert (Lond m).-Namral History of Plants : kern.r and Oliver. 

 Part 12 (Black.e).-Notes from ihe Leyden Museu.n, Vol. xvi. Nos. 3 and 

 4(Le,dcn. Brill).-Mind, April (Williams .■indNorBatej.-HroceedmKs of 

 fhe Societ; for Psychical Research, March (Pa.it)K - Plionosrap iic gu..r eriy 

 Keview. April (P..man).-Transac.ions of .he Na.ural H'-»7 J»,'i'''>- oj, 

 Oueensland. Vol. . (Brisbane) -liMllelin of ■{"= Geographical Uub of 

 Philadelphia, March (Philadelphia).-Records of the t'5,°l°8'"' ^""7.™ 

 India. Vol. xxviii. Part . (Calcut.a).-Bulletin of the New Yo k Mathe- 



matickl Society, March (New York M»<:"''ll='")-Mi','''""-"''5f,L:V?Fdin' 

 February (Macmillan).-Annals of Sc .ttish Natural Hi-t .ry, Apnl (Edin- 

 burgh, Douglas) -Reliquary and Ill.is.ra.ed Arch.-c .logist, Apn (Bern- 

 rose) -Archiv fur Patholo^ische An»'r"L ■'"'' ,'^''>^!'' "«T„„Tp J. 

 Klinische Mcdicin, Band .,0, Uef. i (Uerlm, Kj"".'='>:-«'.'r;""='r" "A^d™' 

 April (Berlin. PaeteD.-Proceedmgs of ihe Physical Society of London, 

 Vol. 13 Part s (Taylor and Francis^ 



PAGE 



By Prof J. 



CONTENTS 



Physiology of the Excitable Tissues 



Burdon Sanderson, F.R.S 



The Physiology of Plants 



Mines and Minerals 



Our Book Shelf:— ,,,„.„ 



Sexton: " Elementary Text-book of Metallurgy 

 Blake: " Annals of British Geology,_l893 " .... 



Mason: " The Origins of Invention " . ...... 



Gee- "Short Studies in Nature Knowledge . . . 

 Whiteley : " Org,anic Chemistry : the Fatty Com- 

 pounds " . 



Letters to the Editor:- j t, k „ 



The Age of the Karih.-Dr Bernard Hobson . 



Prof. W.J. SolUs, F.R.S 



Polycmbryony.— Frank J. Cole 



Improvements in Photometry bV> 



Notes 56' 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The l.ynil Meteors . . 



A .New Form of Zenith Telescope 



The < )rii>n Nebula ■ ; '„ ' i' 



The Suns Place in Nature. III. {IlliislraUd.) By J 



Norman Lockyer, C.B., F.R.S 



The Institution of Naval Architects .■■••• 

 Questions bearing on Specific Stability. By Dr 



Francis Gallon, F.R.S . . 



A New Determination of the Ohm . . 



The Smithsonian Institution Report for 1894 . . 

 University and Educational Intelligence .... 



Scientific Serials ■ 



Societies and Acade^mies. (Illustrated.) 55^ 



SS3 

 554 

 555 



556 

 557 

 557 

 557 



557 



558 

 558 

 558 



564 

 564 

 564 



568 



57° 

 57! 

 57' 

 572 

 573 



the properties of »alts of nickel and cobalt, by M. de Koninck. -^ t>.,-.„.M 



A priority claim.— On the alcoholates of lime and baryta, by I Books and Serials Received 



MO. 1328, VOL. 51 



