144 



jVA ture 



[December 7, 1893 



weather, by M. Ch. Andre. — On the preparation of metallic 

 lithium, by M. Guntz. — Improvement of culinary and lubri- 

 cating oils by an electric treatment, by M. L. A. Levat. — 

 On chloralose, by MM. M. Hanriot and Ch. Richet. — On some 

 facts relating to the effects of injections of organic liquids upon 

 animals, by M. E. Meyer. — On absorption by the urinary ducts, by 

 M. Bazy. — Transpiration and respiration asfunctionsdetermining 

 the habitat of the Batrachians, by M. A. Dissard. — On a ptomaine 

 extracted from urine in influenza, by MM. A. B. Griffiths and R. S. 

 Ladell. This ptomaine is a white substance crystallising in pris- 

 matic needles, soluble in water, and showing a feebly alkaline re- 

 action. Its formula is C,,H3N04. It is a poison producing 

 strong fever and death in eight hours, and is not met with in 

 normal urine. — On a new genus of fishes, related to Fierasfer, 

 by M. Leon Vaillant. — -On the male genital apparatus of the 

 Hymenoptera, by M. Bordas. — Researches on the anatomy and 

 development of the female genital apparatus of the Orthoptera, 

 by M. Feytoureau. — On the localisation of the active principles 

 in the Limnanthere, by M. Guignard. — On the localisation of 

 the active principles in the Cucurbitacese, by M. L. Braemer. — 

 Experiments on the disinfection of mushroom beds, by M. I. 

 Costantin. — On the exchanges of carbonic acid and oxygen 

 between plants and the atmosphere, by M. Th. Schloesing fils. 

 — Subterranean grafting, applied to the preservation of ungrafted 

 French vines, by M. Geneste. — On the requirements of direct 

 or grafted vines, by M. Albert Renault. — Study of a variety of 

 the cider apple in all its life periods, by M. A. Truelle.— Proofs 

 and cause of the actual slow movements of Scandinavia, by 

 M. A. Badoureau. — Observations on the oolitic limestone 

 superior to the gypsum of Villejuif, near Paris, by M. Stanislas 

 Meunier. 



Amsterdam. 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, October 28. — Prof, vande 

 Sande Bakhuysen in the cliair. — Prof. Behrens treated (i) on 

 the structure of native gold. Several samples of auriferous 

 quartz were examined under the microscope, on the supposition 

 that they would be found to contain agglomerated granules of 

 metal. The gold was found to be crystallised in cubes, and in 

 combinations of the cube with the octahedron, so perfectly as 

 even to present good cleavage planes. It would appear, there- 

 fore, that such gold must have been precipitated and crystallised 

 at the same time and under the same conditions as the sur- 

 rounding quartz. Further evidence for this conclusion was 

 afforded by the presence of microscopical cavities in small 

 nuggets. Like the cavities in quartz, they occur in streaks and 

 small heaps, being partly spherical or oval, and partly of a sub- 

 angular shape. By the distribution of the alloyed silver in 

 concentric layers of rich and poor alloy, the supposition of a 

 molten state is excluded. All these peculiarities were also found 

 in grains of gold washed from an auriferous ochre, enclosed by 

 auriferous quartzite. (2) On the chemical constitution of 

 alloys, (i. ) Lead was found to be a good solvent for crystallising 

 copper and its alloys, a small quantity of lead only being taken 

 up by the latter. If a piece of copper is put into red-hot lead 

 containing a little tin, the surface of the copper is changed to 

 bronze, which does not melt, but will partly dissolve in the 

 lead, and on cooling separate out in crystals. Bronze and 

 common brass will not split up into definite alloys under this 

 treatment. The alloy of copper with 10 per cent, aluminium, 

 which is said to be homogeneous, behaves differently. It will 

 yield red crystals in the upper part of the button, yellow ones 

 in the middle, and white ones near the bottom of the crucible, 

 (ii. ) I> copper in bronze univalent or bivalent? With a view 

 to solving this question, a series of silver-tin alloys was com- 

 pared with corresponding bronzes. The following results were 

 obtained: Regular crystals, Cu^Sn and Ag,;Sn, CujSn and 

 AggSn, CuSn and AgSn, CuSno and AgSno ; other systems 

 (rhombohedric ?) CujSu and Ag^Sn (maximum of hardness), 

 CuoSn and Ag.^Sn (second maximum), CuoSng and AgoSn.j. 

 Now, for Ag4Sn, no other structural formula can be admitted 

 than Ag., = Sn = Ag, hence there is a great probability for the 

 univalent character of copper in its allnys with tin. Several of 

 the other formulse will probably have to be doubled. The 

 formula AggSn cannot be construed here, and the reasoning 

 leads to (he supposition that also in bronzes rich in coiiper 

 the surplus of the predominant metal is simply dissolved 

 in an isomorphous combination. — Prof. Schoute treated on 

 regular seci ions and projections of the ikosat.-trahedron. The 

 author studied the central sections perpendicular to, and the 

 orthogonal projections in, the direction of four lines that join 



NO. 1256, VOL. 49] 



the centrum to a vertex, or to the centre of an edge, of a tri- 

 angular face, or of a bounding octahedral three-flat. As to the 



vertices, the four dimensional being L (24 = number of bound- 



a 



ing three-flats, a = length of edge), proves to be the combina- 

 tion of a L (tessaract) and a L , , or of three L 's: as to the 



^ ^ V 2 a 



bounding three-flats it may be considered as the combination 



of a L ^^ and a L ^^^ or of three L ^^'s. — Prof. Kamerlingh 



Onnes gave a comparison made by Dr. Zeeman of his measures 

 of polar reflection of light on magnets with the theories of Gold- 

 hammer and Drude. His experiments decide in favour of the 

 first theory. Prof. Onnes communicated also an explanation 

 by Dr. Kuenen of the abnormal phenomena observed in the 

 neighbourhood of the critical temperature by the theory of 

 mixtures. The experiments of Dr. Kuenen agree with the 

 results of Gouy. 



BOOKS and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



BfiOKS.— Julius Cssar, with Introduction and Notes, &c. : W. Dent 

 (Blackie). — Heat and the Principles of ThermoHynamics : C. H. Draper 

 (Blackie) — Hydrostatics and Pneumatics: R. H. Pinkerton (Blackie). — The 

 Elements of Hypnotism: R. H. Vincent (K. Paul). — Handbook of British 

 Hepaticas : Dr. M. C. Cooke (Allen). — Helical Gears, a Foreman Pattern 

 Maker (Whittaker).— Choix et Usage des Objectifs Photographiques : E. 

 Wall in (Paris, Gauthier-Villars). — Geologic Atlas of the United States, 

 Hawley Sheet, Massachusetts (Washington). — Jubil(5 de M. Pasteur (Paris, 

 Gauthier Villars). — Marveillesde la Nature, La lerre avant 1' Apparition de 

 r Homme: F. Priem (Paris, Bailliere). — Specola Vaticana, Classificazione 

 delle Nubi (Roma, Tipografia Vaticana). — Celestial < Ibjects for Common 

 Telescopes : Rev. T. W Webb, 5th edition, vol. i (Longmans). 



Serials. — Zeitschrift fiir Physikalische Chemie, xii. Band, 5 Heft (Leip- 

 zig, Engelmann). — Bulletin of the U.S. National Muse. nn, No. 45, Mono- 

 graph of the North American Proctotrypidse : W. H. Ashmead (\Vashing- 

 ton). — Berichte der Naturforschende GeselUchaft zu Freiburg i. B., Band 

 vii. Heft I and 2 (Williams and Norgate). — Botanical Gazette, November 

 (Bloomington, Ind.) — Journal of the Anthropological Institute, November 

 (K. Paul). — Natural Science, December (Macmillan). — Geological Maga- 

 zine, December (K. Paul). — American Naturalist, November (Philadelphia). 

 — Geographical Magazine, December (Stanford). —Mitteilungen des Vereins 

 fur Erdkunde zu Halle a S. (Halle a S.). — Bulletin of [the New lYork 

 Mathematical Society, November (New York, Macmillan). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Elementary Practical Science. By Sir Philip 



Magnus 121 



The Pyrenees. By T. G. B 122 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Rodet et Busquet : " Les Courants Polyphases " . . 122 

 Loney : " Solutions of the Examples in the Elements 



of Statics and Dynamics" . • 122 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Sir Henry Howorth and "Geology in Nubibus." — 



R. M. Deeley • 122 



The "Zoological Record."— Dr. P. L. Sclater, 



F.R.S. ; John E. Marr 123 



The Proposed Continuous Polar Exploration. — 



Robert Stein 124 



On the Classification of the Tracheate Arthropoda. — A 



Correction. — R. I. Pocock 124 



The Loss of H.M.S. "Victoria." II. By Dr. 



Francis Elgar 124 



Reappearance of the Freshwater Medusa {Lutino- 

 coaium Sowerbii). — Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. 127 



Death of Prof. Tyndall 128 



Notes 129 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Variation of Latitude 133 



Meteor Shower for December 134 



Refraction Tables 134 



Geographical Notes 134 



The Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society . . 134 

 Tne Temperature of Ignition of Explosive Gaseous 



Mixtures. By A. E. Tutton 138 



University and Educational Intelligence 139 



Scientific Serials 139 



Societies and Academies 140 



Books and Serials Received 144 



