56o 



NATURE 



[October 2, 1890 



Engineering"; "Sewage Disposal Works: the Construction 

 ■of Works for the Prevention of Pollution of Rivers and 

 Estuaries," by W, Santo Crimp ; and the eighth annual issue of 

 the "Year-Book of Learned and Scientific Societies." 



Messrs. Cassell promise "Hygiene and Public Health," by 

 Dr. Arthur Whitelegge ; " Medical Hand-Book for Colonists," 

 by E. Alfred Barton ; new editions of "Climate and Health 

 Resorts," by Dr. Burney Yeo, and "The Story of the 

 Heavens," by Sir R. S. Ball ; " The Art of Cooking by Gas," 

 by Marie Jenny Sugg, illustrated ; " Nature's Wonder- Workers : 

 being some Short Life- Histories in the Insect World," by Kate 

 R. Lovell; "Object Lessons from Nature: a First Book of 

 Science," by L. C. Miall ; "Commercial Botany of the 

 Nineteenth Century," by J. R. Jackson ; two new volumes of 

 " Cassell's Agriculture Series," edited by John Wrightson — 

 "Soils and Manures," by Dr. J. Munro, and "Crops," by 

 Prof. Wrightson ; and "The Year-Book of Treatment for 

 1891 : a Critical Review for Practitioners of Medicine and 

 Surgery. " 



Messrs. Whittaker will publish a new and revised edition of 

 Mr. Gisbert Kapp's "Electric Transmission of Energy"; 

 "Electro-Motors," by S. R. Bottone : "Metal Turning," by 

 the author of "Practical Ironfounding " ; a fourth and popular 

 -edition of Colonel Findlay's " The Working and Management of 

 an English Railway" ; and "A Manual of Wood-Carving," by 

 Charles G. Leland. 



A work on "Animal Life and Intelligence," by Prof. C. 

 Lloyd Morgan, Dean of University College, Bristol, is in the 

 press, and will be published by Mr. Edward Arnold in October. 



Mr. Stanford will publish "The Philosophical Basis of 

 Evolution," by Dr. James Croll, and "Through Magic Glasses " 

 by Arabella B. Buckley (Mrs. Fisher). This will be a sequel to 

 the same author's " Fairyland of Science." 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, September 22. — M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. — Account of a scientific expedition to the summit of Mont 

 Blanc, by M. J. Janssen. (See Our Astronomical Column.) — 

 On the modular equation for the transformation of the eleventh 

 order, by Prof. A. Cayley. — On some curious phenomena pro- 

 duced in a current of water, by M. Daniel Colladon. The 

 author presented two photographs taken at Geneva above a 

 river bridge having a grating stretched across its arches. By 

 moving certain of the bars, miniature water-spouts and other 

 phenomena are produced. These forms are conspicuously visible 

 and have been photographed in plan and elevation. The paper 

 contains some observations of their average dimensions. — M. 

 Berthelot announced the death of M. F. Casorati, Professor at 

 the University of Pavia. — Observations of the new minor planet 

 (^h made with the equatorial coude of Algiers Observatory, by 

 M. F. Sy. The observations extend from September 11 to 13. 

 — On the electrical resistance of metals, by M. H. Le 

 Chatelier. The accompanying figure expresses the results 

 obtained with various metals and alloys : — 



•B^^B^^^B^^^^^^^^^^= 



'On the excretory apparatus of some crustacean decapods, by 

 M. Paul Marchal. — Comparative influence of anaesthetics on 

 chlorophyllian assimilation and transpiration, by M. Henry 

 Jumelle. The researches of the author seem to show that anass- 



NO. 1092, VOL. 42] 



thetics increase the transpiration of plants exposed to the light, 

 when sufficient is given to suspend assimilation. This increase 

 of transpiration is evidently due to the action of the ether on 

 the chlorophyll which is exposed to the light, because, from 

 experiments made in the dark, it has been found that the ether 

 acts in an opposite manner on the protoplasm. 



Sydney. 



Royal Society of New South Wales, June 4. — Dr. 

 Leibius, President, in the chair. — The following papers were 

 read : — A compressed air-flying machine, by L. Hargrave. — 

 On the treatment of slips on the Illawarra Railway at Stanwell 

 Park, by W. Shellshear. — On native names of some of the 

 runs, &c., in the Lachlan district, by F. B. W. Woolrych. — ■ 

 Remarks on a new plant rich in tannin, by C. Moore. — The 

 following exhibits were shown and described : two" new filmy 

 ferns, by C. Moore ; the Narraburra meteor found in 1854 — 

 specific gravity 7 "57, weight 70 lbs. 14 oz., by H. C. Russell, 

 F.R. S. (of which an account was given in Nature of Sept. 25, 

 p. 526). 



July 2. —Dr. Leibius, President, in the chair. — Record of 

 hitherto undescribed plants from Arnheim's land, by Baron 

 Ferd. von Mueller, F. R.S. — A new mode of demonstrating 

 the manner in which the mind judges of objects in the outer 

 world, also working models demonstrating the value of the 

 spinal curve in diminishing the evil effects of mechanical 

 violence, by Prof. Anderson Stuart. — Charles, third Earl 

 Stanhope's arithmetical machine, bearing date 1780, also his 

 " demonstrator," an instrument for the performance of logical 

 operations, by Rev. Robert Harley, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Metal of the Future. By H. Baker 537 



Electric Darkness . 54° 



Coues's " Hand-book of Ornithology" 541 



Our Book Shelf:— 



" Swanage : its History, Resources, &c." — ^J. S. G. . 542 

 Cowham : " Graphic Lessons in Physical and Astro- 

 nomical Geography." — w 542 



Werge : "The Evolution of Photography."— W. , . 543 

 Morris : " Geometrical Drawing for Art Students." — 



W 543 



Pinkerton : "An Elementary Text-book of Dynamics 



and Hydrostatics." — W 543 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Pilcomayo Expedition.— Prof. Isaac Bayley 



Balfour, F.R.S. ; J. Graham Kerr 543 



Protective Colours.— Dr. Walter K. Sibley; E. B. 



Poulton, F.R.S 544 



The Aryan Cradle-Land.— J. S. Stuart Glennie . , 544 

 Mr. Dixon's Mode of Observing the Phenomena of 



Earthquakes.— Prof. John Perry, F.R.S. ... 545 



Butterflies Bathing.— G. A. Freeman 545 



Surface-Tension and Surface- Viscosity. — W. P. O. . 545 

 On Stellar Variability. ( With Diagrams. ) By Prof. J. 



Norman Lockyer, F.R.S 545 



The Labyrinthodonts of Sv/abia. {Illustrated.) By 



R. L 551 



Notes 553,. 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A, Fowler . . -555 



The Telluric Spectrum 555 



Astronomy and Numismatics 556 



Geographical Notes 55^ 



"The Age of Science" 556 



Mimicry. By Edward B. Poulton, F.R.S 557 



Forthcoming Scientific Books . . 559 



Societies and Academies *. 560 



