36o 



NATURE 



[August 7, 1890 



agencies of development, to which the comprehensive system in 

 its structure and physiognomy points. Whatever there is of 

 system in the greater feature-lines, whether marked in troughs or 

 in mountain chains, or island ranges, must come primarily from 

 systematic work within. The work may have been manifested 

 in long lines of flexures or fractures as steps in the process, but 

 the conditions which gave directions to the lines left them subject 

 to local causes of variation, and between the two agencies, the 

 resulting physiognomy has been evolved. 



We have from the Pacific area one observation of a volcanic 

 nature bearing on the comprehensiveness of the system of feature 

 lines in the oceans, and although I have already referred to it, I 

 here reproduce the facts for use in this place. 



If the ranges of volcanic islands were, in their origin, lines 

 of fissures as a result of comprehensive movements, the lines 

 should continue to be the courses of planes of weakness in the 

 earth's crust. The New Zealand line, including the Kermadec 

 Islands and the Tongan group, has been pointed to as one of 

 these lines, and one of great prominence, since it is the chief 

 north-eastward range of the broad Pacific, and nearly axial to 

 the ocean. The series of volcanoes along the axis of New 

 Zealand is in the same line. It was noticed, at the Tarawera 

 eruption of 1883, that/t^wr or five days after the outbreak, and 

 three after it had subsided. White Island, in the Bay of Plenty, 

 at the north end of the New Zealand series, became unusually 

 active ; and two months later there was a violent eruption in the 

 Tonga group, on the Island of Niuafou. The close relation in 

 time of the latter to the New Zealand eruption is referred to by 

 Mr. C. Trotter, in Nature of December 7, 1886.^ May it not 

 be that these disturbances were due to a slight shifting or move- 

 ment along a series of old planes of fractures, taking place 

 successively from south to north ; and, hence, that even now 

 changes of level may take place through the same comprehensive 

 cause that determined the existence of the earth's feature lines ? 

 Owing to the long distance of the Tonga group from New 

 Zealand an affirmative reply to the question cannot be positively 

 made. But there is probability enough to give great interest to 

 this branch of geological enquiry. James D, Dana. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, July 28. — M. Hermite in the chair. 

 — Aquatic locomotion studied by photo-chronography, by M, 

 Marey. The author has made similar investigations on animal 

 locomotion to those of Mr. Muybridge, but with different appa- 

 ratus, A single camera, the sensitive plate of which takes the 

 form of an endless band moving past the focus of the lens, has 

 been used in the investigations, and appears to possess many 

 advantages over the multiple camera system. The contractions 

 and dilatations of the body of the medusa, the undulations of 

 the lateral fins of the ray, and the rapid movements of the 

 dorsal fin of the Hippocmnpus (sea-horse), have all been 

 analyzed, and in the zoetrope the successive photographs 

 appear to have reproduced the motions to perfection. — Obser- 

 vations, orbit, and ephemeris of the comet discovered by M, 

 Coggia ((^1890) at Marseilles Observatory, by M. Stephan. — 

 On the observation of the annular eclipse of the sun of June 17, 

 by M. A. de la Baume Pluvinel. A detailed description of the 

 instruments employed by the author for his observations in 

 Canea (Island of Crete) is given. As previously noted (Nature, 

 July 10), the results give further support to the view that the 

 oxygen absorption bands in the solar spectrum are of telluric 

 origin. — Observations of the minor planet recently discovered 

 by M. Charlois &\, made with the coude equatorial and the 

 Foucault telescope at Algiers Observatory, by MM. Rambaud 

 and Sy. Some observations of position and comparison stars 

 are given. — Observations of Coggia's comet, made with the 

 great equatorial of Bordeaux Observatory, by MM. Picart and 

 Courty. — Observations of the same comet made at Paris Obser- 

 vatory, by Mdlle. D. Klumpke. — On a new method of exposi- 

 tion of the theory of theta functions, and on an elementary 

 theorem relative to hyperelliptic functions of the first dimen- 

 sion, by M. F. Caspary. It is shown that the fifteen hyper- 

 elliptic functions of the first dimension are proportional to the 

 fifteen elements of an orthogonal system. — Earthquakes in 

 Madagascar, by M. R. P. Colin, Director of the Antananarivo 

 Observatory. The five earth-tremors observed this year appear 

 to have had an influence on the azimuth error of the transit 

 ' American journal of Science, III., xxxiii., 311. ' 



NO. 1084, VOL. 42] 



instrument. — On the water of crystallization of neutral sulphate 

 of alumina ; analysis of a natural product, by M. P. Marguerite- 

 Delacharlonny. The analysis of two samples of definitely crystal- 

 lized natural sulphate of alumina from Bolivia supports the 

 author's previous conclusion that its formula should be written 

 with sixteen instead of eighteen molecules of water of crystal- 

 lization. — On the optical rotatory power of camphor in solution 

 in various oils, by M. P. Chabot. The author finds that the 

 rotation produced by the solutions is sensibly proportional to 

 their strengths, and that, after allowing for the slight rotation 

 due to the oil, the calculated molecular rotatory power of 

 camphor is practically constant. — On the malonates of lithia 

 and on the malonate of silver, by M. G. Massol. Some experi- 

 ments on the heats of formation are given, — Researches on the 

 optical dispersion of organic compounds ; fatty acids, by MM. 

 Ph. Barbier and L. Roux. The authors have examined the 

 normal fatty acids from formic to pelargonic as well as isobutyric 

 and isovaleric acids, and find that the specific dispersive powers 

 increase with the molecular complexity, and that those of isomeric 

 acids are practically equal, though the normal acids have slightly 

 the higher value. — On the presence of furfural in commercial 

 alcohols, by M. L. Lindet. — Contribution to the study of arti- 

 ficial musk, by M. Albert Baur. — Mode of action of bacterial 

 secretions on the vasomotor nervous system ; connection be- 

 tween these phenomena and diapedesis, by MM. A. Charrin 

 and E. Gley. — Does haemoglobin exist in the blood as a homo- 

 geneous substance ?, by M. Christian Bohr. — On the identity of 

 structure of the central nervous system of Pelecypoda and other 

 Mollusca, by M. Paul Pelseneer. — -On the bathymetric distribu- 

 tion of the deep-sea Brachiopods collected in the Travailleur 

 and Talisman expeditions, by MM. P, Fischer and D. P. 

 CEhlert. — On the position in the plant of the compounds which 

 produce the sulphuretted essential oils of the Cruciferse, by M, 

 Leon Guignard. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



The Theory of Light : T. Preston (Macmillan).— Weather Forecasting of 

 the British Isles : Captain H. Toynbee (Stanford).— Psychology : M. Maher 

 (Longmans).— Geometrical Conies, Part i : Rev. J. J. Milne and R. F. 

 JJavis (Macmillan).— Text-book of Mechanics : T. W. Wright (New York, 

 Van Nostrand).— Sap : Does it rise from the Roots? J. A. Reeves (Ken- 

 ning).— The History of Federal and State Aid to Higher Education in the 

 United States : Dr. F. W. Blackmar (Washington).— Proceedings of the 

 Department of Superintendence of the National Educational Association at 

 its Meeting in Washington, March 6 to 8, 1889 (Washington). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The History of Botany. By D. H. S 337 



A Text-book of Physiological and Pathological 



Chemistry 338 



The Advancement of Science . 339 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Salet, Girard, and Pabst : "Agenda du Chimiste." — 



A. E. T 340 



Williams: " The Philosophy of Clothing " 340 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Zoological Affinities of Heliopora cerulea, Bl. — 



W. Saville-Kent 340 



Chambers's "Hand-book of Astronomy." — E. W, 



Maunder ; The Reviewer 341 



Gregory's Series,— R. Chartres 341 



The Perseid Meteor Shower.— W. F. Denning . . 342 

 Comparison of the Spectra of Nebulse and Stars of 

 Groups I. and II. with those of Comets and 

 Aurorse. I. By Prof. J, Norman Lockyer, F.R.S. 342 

 On the Study of Earthquakes in Great Britain, 



{Illustrated.^ By Charles Davison 346 



The Horned Dinosaurs of the United States. {Illus- 

 trated. ) By R. L 349 



The Meeting of the British Association at Leeds . 351 



Notes 352 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A. Fowler 354 



Catalogue of Red Stars 354 



Ancient Eclipses - 354 



Coggia's Comet {b 1890) 355 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers 355 



On the Origin of the Deep Troughs of the Oceanic 

 Depression : Are any of Volcanic Origin ? By 



Prof. James D. Dana 357 



Societies and Academies 360 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 360 



