March 8, 1894] 



NA TURE 



449 



A NEW departure in University Extension claises has 

 been made at the Croydon centre, where a course of lectures 

 on the "Geology and Scenery of the Alps" is being delivered 

 by Miss M. M. Ogilvie, D.Sc. The course consists of 

 ten lectures, six referring to general subjects bearing on the 

 main question. Four lectures are devoted to special districts : 

 the Western Alps, the Eastern Alps, the Bavarian Alps and 

 North Tyrol, and the "Dolomites" of South Tyrol. The 

 distribution of the population, political boundaries, trade routes, 

 and many similar subjects controlled by the geology and 

 physical geography are discussed. It is proposed to follow 

 this course with an excursion to the Alps, during which various 

 points discussed in the lectures will be studied on the ground. 



Mr. G. H. Morley informs us that the report that the late 

 Mr. Thomas Avery, of Birmingham, bequeathed the sum of 

 ;^2,ooo to the Midland Institute, is incorrect. He left £,7.,CiOO 

 to the Mason College, Birmingham, and only ;^i,000 to the 

 Institute with which Mr. Morley is connected. 



Mr. F. W. Dyson has been appointed Prof. H. H. Turner's 

 successor at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Mr. Dyson is 

 a Fellow of Trinity College, and has held the Isaac Newton 

 Studentship for the last two years. 



We learn from the Allahabad Pioneer that the Senate of the 

 Madras University have reported unfavourably on the reference 

 made to it by the Government regarding the proposal to estab- 

 lish degrees in science and agriculture. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



IViedemanns Annalen der Physik und Chemie, No. 2. — On 

 kathode rays in gases at atmospheric pressure and in extreme 

 vacua, by Philipp Lenard. This paper gives a detailed account 

 of the behaviour of kathode rays when allowed to penetrate 

 through a metallic screen in the walls of the vacuum lube into 

 the air or other gas outside. It is shown that their behaviour 

 is of a distinctive character, and largely independent of the 

 electric forces producing them. Photographic plates were suc- 

 cessfully employed in studying the distribution and divergence 

 of the rays in air and other gases. — Concerning the theory of 

 magnetic and electric phenomena, by Hermann Ebert. This 

 is au attempt to show that by a consistent application of the 

 cyclical theory of electric and magnetic phenomena, as illustrated 

 by Fitzgerald's ether model, a complete and simplified explana- 

 tion of these phenomena may be obtained. — On the laws of 

 galvanic polarisation and electrolysis, by O. Wiedeburg. This 

 is a detailed investigation of polarisation phenomena from the 

 point of view of a theory which assumes that only a fractional 

 portion of the ions clustering round the electrodes give rise to an 

 opposing electromotive force. The author shows that this as- 

 sumption leads to a complete and consisient representation of 

 observed facts. — Some formsof immersed electrodes for measure- 

 ments of electrolytic resistance, by F. Kohlrausch. The elec- 

 trodes, which consist of small platinum plates about I sq. cm. 

 in area, are soldered to platinum wires which are mounted in a 

 double capillary tube. They are also surrounded by a glass 

 vessel with a hole at the bottom for letting in the liquid. In 

 measuring resistances they need only be immersed, no further 

 adjustments or precautions being necessary. — Some experiments 

 concerning the so-called waterfall electricity, by K. Wesendonck, 

 The author quotes a large number of experiments elucidating 

 the generation of electricity by the impact of water-spray, 

 vapour, and air upon water and metallic conductors. Vapour 

 inpinging upon a water surface charges the latter positively, this 

 being analogous to waterfall electricity, and independent of 

 friction. — A new actinometer, by O. Chwolson. This consists 

 of two thermometers placed close together, and is based upon 

 the method of observing the changes in the difference of tem- 

 peratures of the two instruments, the warmer being in the 

 shade, and the colder being exposed to the rays of the sun. 



American Journal of Mathematics, vol. xvi. No. i (Balti- 

 more, January.) — Zur Kettenbruchentwickelung hyperellip- 

 tischer und ahnlicher Integrale, by E. B. van Vleck (pp. 

 I-91), is illustrated by numerous diagrams, but we miss the 

 usual useful index of contents accoaipanying long papers in this 

 yournal. — Waves and jets in a viscous liquid, by Mr. A. B. 

 Basset, F.R.S. (pp. 93-110), in continuation of an article by 

 Prof. Greenhill, in the ninth volume, in which he discusses 

 wave-motion in a frictionless liquid, here considers certain 

 problems of like character when the viscosity of the liquid is 



NO. I 27 I, VOL. 49] 



taken into account. — Sur Tin version des integrales de fonction 

 a multiplicateurs, by M. E. Picard (pp. 111-122), discusses in 

 greater detail some points touched upon in chapter vi. of his 

 memoir sur les fonctions algebriques de deux variables indcpen- 

 dantes (four nal des Alathematiques, 1889). On orthogonal substi- 

 tutions that can be expressed as a function of a single alternate 

 (or skew symmetric) Linear substitution, by H. Taber (pp. 

 123-130). This is a continuation of the author's previous work 

 in the form of a proof of a theorem for certain orthogonal 

 matrices discussed in a paper read by the writer at the Mathe- 

 matical Congress in Chicago last year. The selected portrait is 

 an excellent one (we feel sure) of Sophus Lie. 



Symons's Monthly Meteorological Magazine, February, con- 

 tains an article entitled " The January Frost." The author has 

 tabulated all the lowest temperatures that he has been able to 

 collect between the 5th and 8th of that month, and arranged them 

 according to counties. The following are the minimum readings : 

 Essex — 2°, Berwick — 3°, Aberdeen, Nottingham, and War- 

 wick — 4°, York - 5°, Northumberland, Roxburgh, and Stir- 

 ling — 6^ Fife and Perth - 8^, Forfar — II^ In Ireland the 

 temperature was higher, but still remarkable ; between Cork 

 and Tyrone several records were below 10^. A comparison with 

 the great cold of January 1881 shows that that year was much 

 more severe ; the general mean for a number of representative 

 stations was 3^ "9, while this year it was 4' 7. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Royal Society, Februarys. — " Further Observations on the 

 Organisation of the Fossil Plants of the Coal-Measures. Part 

 I. Calatnites, Calamostachys, a.nd Spkeno/ihyllutn" By W. C. 

 Williamson, LL.D. F.R.S., and D. H. Scott, M.A., Ph.D., 

 F.L.S., F.G.S. 



(1) Catamites. — The first part of the paper gives a detailed 

 account of the vegetative structure of Catamites. It is proved 

 that the primary structure of the young stem, before growth in 

 thickness had begun, agreed in all essential points with that of 

 an Eqidsetum, and thus the anatomical characters are found to 

 completely confirm the supposed equisetaceous affinities of the 

 genus. The true nature of the canals which accompany the 

 vascular bundles in the internodes of Catamites is demonstrated, 

 and their complete homology with the carinal canals of Equisetiun 

 established. In both cases the canal contains the disorganised 

 protoxylem of the vascular bundle. 



The development of the secondary tissues, which were always 

 formed in Calamities, is traced in detail, and their origin from a 

 normal cambium proved. 



The formation of periderm in the cortex has also been clearly 

 observed. 



The position of the branches and their exact mode of con- 

 nection with the tissues of the main stem is fully investigated. 

 It is shown that many of the branches were abortive, and became 

 enclosed in the wood. 



The roots of Catamites, as M. Renault has proved, were 

 identical with Astromyelon. 



(2) Calamostachys. — The anatomy of the axis of the strobilus 

 has been fully investigated, and found to agree in the main 

 features, though not in details, with that of Catamites or 

 Equisetiun. 



In general anatomical and morphological characters the 

 homosporous species, C. Binneyana, and the heterosporous C. 

 Casheana show the closest agreement, and only present minute 

 differences. In C. Binneyana, developing spores, still grouped 

 in tetrads, are frequently found. One or more members of 

 each tetrad were usually abortive. The abortion of these spores 

 must have allowed of an increased nutrition of the survivors, 

 and thus have been of considerable physiological importance. 

 In C. Casheana the micro- and macro-sporangia were borne on 

 the same strobilus. The diameter of the macrospores is three 

 times that of the microspores. The macrospores are constantly 

 accompanied by abortive spores. This abortion of certain 

 spores, involving the better nutrition of their sister-cells, appears 

 to throw considerable light on the origin of heterospory within 

 this genus. 



This axis of the strobilus of C. Casheatia has a well-marked 

 zone of secondary wood, thus affording direct evidence of the 

 occurrence of secondary growth in a heterosporous cryptogam. 



The affinities of Calamostachys are fully discussed. The fruc- 

 tification is evidently Calamarian, and the relation to Catamites 

 itself is a close one. 



