432 



NATURE 



[August 28, 1890 



the power of nominating a student of not less than three years' 

 standing to a scholarship, on the condition that he indicates 

 high promise of capacity for advancing science or its applica- 

 tions. 



(4) That the Commissioners shall appomt a committee of 

 advice, vi^ho w^ill consider and report upon the reasons for which 

 the nominations are made by the respective colleges, and the 

 Commissioners will appoint to the scholarships upon the report 

 of their committee. 



(5) That the scholarships when awarded shall be tenable in 

 any University either at home or abroad, or in some other in- 

 stitution to be approved of by the Commissioners. The holder 

 of a scholarship must give an undertaking that he will wholly 

 devote himself to the object of the scholarship, and that he will 

 not hold any position of emolument during its continuance. 



Lyon Playfair, Chairman. 



Wm. Garnett. 



T. H. Huxley. 



J. Norman Lockyer. 



a. j. mundella. 



Henry E. Roscoe. 



William Thomson. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



American yournal of Science, August 1890. — On the 

 cheapest form of light, from studies at the Allegheny Observa- 

 tory, by S. P. Langley and F. W. Very. The authors have 

 made a long and interesting series of observations, by means of 

 the bolometer and spectroscope, on the light radiated by the fire- 

 fly {Pyrophorus noctiluczis, Linn.) found in Cuba and elsewhere. 

 It has been previously shown that in all industrial methods of 

 producing light, like the candle, lamp, or gas, more than 99 per 

 cent, of the energy is, as far as illumination goes, wasted ; and 

 in sources of higher temperature, like the incandescent light and 

 electric arc, even under the most favourable conditions, an 

 enormous waste is involved. The study of the radiation of the 

 fire-fly demonstrates that it is possible to produce light without 

 heat other than in the light itself ; that this is actually effected 

 by nature's processes; and that these are "cheaper," that is, 

 more economical in energy, than any industrial method now 

 known. From the observations and facts given there seems no 

 reason why the light should not one day be produced in the 

 laboratory, and used for industrial purposes. — Contributions to 

 mineralogy. No. 48, by F. A. Genth. Analyses are given of 

 the following minerals : tetradymite, pyrite, quartz (pseudo- 

 morphous after stibnite), gold in chromiferous clay from Los 

 Cerillos, New Mexico, zircon, scapolite, garnet, titaniferous 

 garnet, allanite, and lettsomite from Arizona and Utah. — 

 A curious occurrence of vivianite, by Wm. L. Dudley. — 

 Classification of the glacial sediments of Maine, by George H. 

 Stone. — The direct determination of bromine in mixtures of 

 alkaline bromides and iodides, by F. A. Gooch and J. R. 

 Ensign. The method described is as follows : the neutral 

 solution containing the bromide and iodine is diluted to 600 c.c. 

 or 700 CO., and about I c.c. or i'5 c.c. of strong sulphuric acid, 

 or from 2 c.c. to 3 c.c. of the acid mixed with an equal volume 

 of water, are added ; a sufficient amount of sodium or potassium 

 nitrite is then introduced, and the liquid is boiled until the colour 

 has disappeared and the escaping steam no longer gives to red 

 litmus-paper the characteristic colour of iodine. The residual 

 liquid is then treated with excess of silver nitrate, and the 

 precipitated bromide filtered off, dried, and weighed. — Some 

 Lower Silurian graptolites from Northern Maine, by W. W. 

 Dodge. — Siderite-basins of the Hudson River epoch, by James 

 P. Kimball. Some interesting facts bearing on the structural 

 geology of the Taconic area extending to the Hudson River, 

 and on the geology of the whole Taconic region, are brought 

 together and discussed. — On a new variety of zinc sulphide 

 from Cherokee County, Kansas, by James D. Robertson. — 

 Two new meteoric irons, by F. P. Venable. An analysis 

 of a meteorite from Rockingham County, N.C., gave the 

 result : Fe, 87-01 ; P, 0-04 ; SiOg, 0*53 ; CI, 0-39 ; Ni, 11-69 ; 

 Co, 0-79 = 100-45. Another meteoric iron from Henry County, 

 Vancouver, gave : Fe, 90*54 ; CI, 0*35 ; SiOa, 0-04 ; P, 0-13 ; 

 Co, 0-94 ; Ni, 7-70 - 99-70. — Notice of some extinct Testudi- 

 -nata, by O. C. Marsh. 



NO. 1087, VOL. 42] 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 18.— M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. — Contribution to the theory of the experiments of M. 

 Hertz, by M. H. Poincare. After pointing out an error in the 

 calculations of M. Hertz, an attempt is made, starting with 

 Maxwell's fundamental hypotheses, to develop a more rigorous 

 formula for the rate of propagation of the wave in air. — Inter- 

 national meteorological tables, presented by M. Mascart. These 

 are of the form finally decided upon by the International Com- 

 mittee at Zurich, 1888. — Order of appearance of the first vessels 

 in the flowers of some Tragopogon and Scorzonera, by M. A. 

 Trecul. — Experimental tuberculosis, on a mode of treatment and 

 of vaccination, by MM. J. Grancher and H. Martin. The 

 paper describes the result of some experiments on the inocula- 

 tion of rabbits. The process described affords a more or less 

 complete protection from tuberculosis to the rabbits inoculated. — 

 On a portable electrical safety-lamp, for use in mines, by M. G. 

 Trouve. The smallest lamp described, supplied with six Plante 

 accumulators (weight 420 grammes), runs for five hours. — Note 

 on a theorem concerning life annuities, by M. A. Quiquet. — 

 Experiments on transversal magnetization by magnets, by M. C. 

 Decharme. — On an electric lighting-apparatus, for examining 

 the strata in borings, by M. G. Trouve. — Allyl-cyano-succinic 

 ether ; new synthesis by means of cyano-succinic ether, by M. 

 L. Barthe. In this synthesis sodium-cyano-succinic ether is 

 treated in alcoholic solution with allyl iodide. The new ether 

 forms a colourless oil, and distils under 35 mm. pressure at 207°- 

 210". — Methyl cyano-succinate, and methyl cyano-tri-carballylate, 

 by M. L. Barthe. Both these ethers are produced when sodium- 

 methyl cyanacetate is treated with methyl chloracetate. — Re- 

 searches on butter and margarine, by M. C. Viollette. This 

 paper contains results of ten complete analyses. By the method 

 given an adulteration of pure butter with ten per cent, of mar- 

 garine can be detected. — Researches on the optical analysis of 

 butters, by the same. The differences between the values of 

 the refractive indices for pure butter and for margarine are suffi- 

 cient to serve as the basis of an analytical method. — On a charac- 

 teristic reaction of cocaine, by M. F. da Silva. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Theoretical Ballistics. By Prof. A. G. Greenhill, 



F.R.S 409 



British Fossils. By R. L 412 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Casazza : "II Teorema del Parallelogramma delle 



Forze dimostrato erroneo." — A. G. G 413 



Alix : "L'Esprit de nos Betes"; De Courmelles : 



" Les Facultes Mentales des Animaux " 413 



Pendlebury and Beard : " Elementary Arithmetic " . 414 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



British Association Procedure.— Prof. H. E. Arm- 

 strong, F.R.S , • • • 414 



The Mode of Observing the Phenomena of Earth- 

 quakes. — ^John Marshall 415 



On a Problem in Practical Geometry. {With Dia- 

 grams.)— ]ohn. Bridge 415 



Caught by a Cockle. — Surgeon D. McNabb, R.N. 415 

 On Stellar Variability. By Prof. J. Norman Lockyer, 



F.R.S 415 



Some Points in the Physics of Golf. {With Dia- 

 gram.) By Prof. P. G. Tait 420 



The Working Efficiency of Secondary Cells. {With 



Diagrams.) 423 



Notes 426 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope. — A. Fowler 428 



Observations of Saturn at the Disappearance of the 



Ring 429 



Objects having Peculiar Spectra 429 



On the Fishes of Young (Immature) Fishes, and 

 what Constitutes an Immature Fish. By Prof. W, 



C. Mcintosh, F.R.S 429 



Establishment of Science Scholarships 431 



Scientific Serials 432 



Societies and Academies 432 



