144 



NA TURE 



[June 5, 1890 



Sprung took part. — Dr. Wagner announced that arrangements 

 had been made for endeavouring to take simultaneous photo- 

 graphs of flashes of lightning at widely separated stations during 

 the approaching summer. It was hoped that by this means, if 

 successful, it would be possible to obtain some idea of the 

 spacial and dimensional relations of the flash. 



Physical Society, May i6. — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Dr. Kopsel exhibited and described an 

 apparatus for the calibration of the torsion-galvanometer of 

 Siemens and Halske. The magnet which is used in that form 

 of the galvanometer which is employed for technical purposes, 

 frequently changes its magnetism in presence of other powerful 

 magnets or currents, hence the instrument requires constant 

 calibration and adjustment. Dr. Kopsel explained his method 

 of effecting this with the help of a Clarke element. He further 

 described a new form of resistance to be used in the measure- 

 ment of very powerful electric currents. The older form, con- 

 sisting of a brass tube filled with water, in communication with 

 a reservoir of water, had proved useless in practice. The new 

 resistances consist of nickel wires, surrounded by an insulating 

 layer, inserted into a tube of lead and immersed in water. These 

 wires were not rendered incandescent by currents of 80 to 90 

 amperes, and have been proved to be practically useful. 



Physiological Society, May 23. — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof. Falk gave an account of a case 

 of a man who was found dead, and who must have died sud- 

 denly. A post-7nortem examination showed that all the tissues 

 and organs were in a normal state with the exception of the 

 pancreas, which was infiltrated with blood. This he regarded 

 as the cause of death, although it is as yet impossible to suggest 

 how the lesion leads to death. Rupture of a blood-vessel in the 

 pancreas is of rare occurrence. — Dr. Heymans had recently tested 

 Engelmann's statement that the ureters. contain ganglia at their 

 upper and lower ends, but no nerves, employing the ureters of 

 mice. Using gold chloride he observed, with low powers of the 

 microscope, nerve-fibres accompanying the blood-vessels which 

 surround the ureters. After removing the peritoneum and 

 spreading out the excised ureters, he also found fine fibres 

 between the muscle-cells, some of which appeared, under high 

 magnification, to be attached directly to the muscle-cells. He 

 was not able to make out that a nerve-fibril supplies each muscle- 

 cell. — Dr. Bruhns gave an account of his researches on adenin 

 and hypoxanthin, with a view to determining their chemical 

 <;onstitution ; in this he has not as yet been more than partially 

 successful. During his researches he came across a compound 

 of adenin and hypoxanthin, whose properties explain many 

 opposing statements of the less recent authors. The silver salts, 

 with picric acid of the above bases, are the ones most suited for 

 discriminating between them. Their salts with mercury are 

 also extremely interesting from a chemical point of view, owing 

 to their close resemblance to the amido-compounds of mercury. 

 — Prof. Zuntz described a modified form of intestinal fistula 

 which he and Dr. Rosenberg had recently applied. 



Brussels. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, April 3. — M. Stas in the 

 chair. — The following communications were made : — Researches 

 on the volatility of carbon compounds, by M. Louis Henry. — On 

 monocarbon derivatives, by the same author. — Reply to a note by 

 General Liagre relative to M. Ronkar's work "On the Mutual Im- 

 pulse between the Crust and Interior of the Earth on account of 

 Internal Friction," by M. Folic. The criticism referred to appeared 

 in Bulletin No. 3 of this year, and in reply to it M. Folic ad- 

 duces proofs of diurnal nutation. — On the extent of the curative 

 action of hypnotism : hypnotism applied to alterations of the 

 visual oi-gan, by M. J. Delboeuf, with the collaboration of M. 

 J, P. Null and Dr. Leplat. An extended account is given of 

 the treatment of a patient suffering from an eye-disease which 

 was completely cured by hypnotism. — A new Nematoid of a 

 Galago from the coast of Guinea, by M, P. J. Van Beneden, 

 — Note on the law existing between unit of variation of vapour 

 tension and absolute temperature, by M. P. De Heer. — On the 

 structure of the equatorial bands of Jupiter, by M. F. Terby. — 

 On the thickness of the earth's crust deduced from diurnal 

 nutation, by M. E. Ronkar. From an extended investigation 

 it is concluded that the thickness of the earth's crust does not 

 exceed -^\-^ of the radius. — On the mutual impulse between the 

 crust and interior of the earth on account of internal friction 



NO. 1075, VOL. 42] 



(second note), by the same author. — Experimental methods for 

 determining whether polarized light, of which the plane of 

 polarization is in vibration, exercises any influence on a magnetic 

 field, by M. H. Schoentjes. — Experiments on the absence of 

 bacteria in the ducts of plants, by M. Emile Laurent. 



Stockholm. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, May 14. — On the discovery 

 of Tertiary volcanic rocks near Lake Dellen in Helsingland 

 and Lake Mien in Smaland, Sweden, by Dr. N. O. Hoist 

 and Dr. F. N. Svenonius. Specimens exhibited and commented 

 upon by Baron A. E. Nordenskiold. — Report on an entomo- 

 logical tour in Norrland and Jemtland, chiefly for the study of 

 the Poduridse of these countries, by H. Schott. — Some observa- 

 tions on the distribution of the sexes in the galls of Andricus 

 rai/nili, by Prof. C. Aurivillius. — On the Graptolithidie of the 

 island of Gotland, by Dr. G. Holm. — On the employment of 

 indefinite determinants within the theory of linear differential 

 equations, by H. von Koch. — Invariant expressions for the 

 generalized substitution of Poincare, by F. de Brun. — On a 

 generalization of the functions of Klein of the third family, by G. 

 Cassel. — The form of the integrals in linear differential equations, 

 by A. M. Johanson. — Contributions to the knowledge of the 

 Chlorophyceseof Sweden, by O. F. Andersson, — Helminthological 

 researches from the west coast of Norway, Part I., Cestodn, by 

 Dr. E. Lonnberg. — Some Muriceidee of the genera Acantho- 

 gorgia, Paramuricea, and Echinomuricea in the Zoological 

 Museum of Upsala, by T. Hedlund. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



A Synonymic Catalogue of the Recent Marine Bryozoa : E. C. Jelly 

 (Dulau).— The Colours of Animals : R. B. Poulton (K. Paul).— Rambles 

 and Reveries of a Naturalist : Rev. W. Spiers (C. H. Kelly) —Pond Life ; 

 Alga; and Allied Forms : T. S. Smithson (Sonnen.schein). — Faune des Ver- 

 tebre's de la Suisse ; Vol. v., Histoire Naturelle des Poissnns. 2me. Partie : 

 Dr. V. Fatio (Geneve, H. Georg). — Gesammelte Mathematische Abhand- 

 lungen, 2 vols : H. A. Schwarz (Berlin, J. Springer). — Hints on Reflecting 

 and Refracting Telescopes, &c., 5th edition : W. H. Thornthwaite (Home), 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Tea in Japan 121 



Catalogue of British Fossil Vertebrates 122 



An Ephemeris 124 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Mendham : " The Wimshurst Electrical Influence 



Machine."— H. H. H 124 



Grinnell : "Pawnee Hero- Stories and Folk-Tales" . 124 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



The Influences at Work in producing the Cerebral 



Convolutions. — Prof. D. J. Cunningham .... 125 

 The Bourdon Gauge. {With £>mo-rat/i.).—PTo[. A. 



M. Worthington 125 



A Subject-Index and the Royal Society. —F. Howard 



Collins 126 



Stream Lightning.— W. B. Croft 126 



Atmospheric Circulation.— Dr. M. A. Veeder ... 126 



Testing for Colour-blindness. — D. D. Redmond . . 126 



The Green Flash at Sunset.— T. Archibald Dukes . 127 



The Theory of Screws. By Prof, O. Henrici, F.R.S. 127 



The Sixth Scientific Cruise of the Steamer Hyana 



with the Liverpool Marine Biology Committee. 



By Prof. "W. A. Herdman 132 



W. S. Dallas. By A. G 132 



Notes 133 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A, Fowler 137 



Actinic Light of the Solar Corona 138 



On the Rotation of the Sun 138 



Pulkova Observatory 138 



Telluric Lines of the Solar Spectrum 138 



Brooks's Comet (a 1890) 138 



Newton's Influence on Modern Geometry. {Illus- 

 trated.) By Robert H. Graham 139 



University and Educational Intelligence 142 



Societies and Academies 142 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 144 



