632 



NATURE 



[October 23, 1890 



the systematic education of students of agriculture. The 

 ■question of funds stands in the way, but a syndicate is to be 

 appointed to consider the question, and it is hoped that by a 

 subvention from the County Councils, or by private benefaction, 

 means may be found for the formation of an agricultural 

 department. 



Mr. Wynter Blyth and Dr. Ransome have been appointed 

 additional examiners in Sanitary Science. Between fifty and 

 sixty candidates presented themselves for examination, of whom 

 about forty satisfied the examiners, and have received the Uni- 

 versity diploma in Public Health. 



Mr. J. G. Adami, of Christ's College, has been elected to the 

 John Lucas Walker Studentship in Pathology, in succession to 

 Dr. William Hunter, of St. John's College. 



Mr. E. Lloyd Jones has been appointed Demonstrator of 

 Pathology in succession to Mr. Adami, resigned. 



Mr. L. R. Wilberforce, of Trinity College, has been ap- 

 pointed Demonstrator of Physics, in succession to Mr. F. 

 Newall, resigned. 



The honorary degree of M.A. has been conferred on Dr. 

 Joseph Griffiths, Assistant to the Professor of Surgery, and 

 Pathologist to Addenbrooke's Hospital. 



Dr. Donald MacAlister, of St. John's College, has been 

 appointed Assessor to the Regius Professor of Physic. 



The following have been nominated as Examiners in Natural 

 Science :— Physics : Prof. Carey Foster, F.R.S., and R. T. 

 Glazebrook, F.R.S. Elementary Physics: Prof. J. J. Thom- 

 son, F.R.S., and L. R. Wilberforce. Chemistry: Prof. 

 Liveing, F.R.S., and Prof. Emerson Reynolds, F.R.S. Ele- 

 mentary Chemistry : M. M. Pattison Muir and Dr. Ruhemann. 

 Geology: Prof. A. H. Green, F.R.S., and J. E. Marr. 

 Botany : Prof. D. H. Scott and Prof. J. R. Green. Zoology : 

 Prof. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., and A. E. Shipley. Elementary 

 Biology: Prof. Marshall Ward, F.R.S., and A. Sedgwick, 

 F.R.S. Anatomy: Prof, Macalister, F.R.S., and Prof. 

 Windle. Physiology : L. E. Shore and C. S. Sherrington. 

 Pharmaceutical Chemistry : H. Robinson and E. H. Acton. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, October 13. — M. Hermite in the 

 chair. — M. Tisserand presented the second volume of his 

 *' Traite de Mecanique Celeste," and noted that it deals prin- 

 cipally with two subjects — viz. the figure of celestial bodies, and 

 their movement of rotation. — Presentation of the fifth volume 

 of the "Bulletin du Comite international de la Carte du Ciel" ; 

 state of progress of preliminary works, by Admiral Mouchez. — 

 On a photograph of the Ring Nebula in Lyra, obtained at 

 Algiers Observatory, by the same author. — On a photograph 

 obtained with a nine hours' exposure at Toulouse Observatory, 

 by M. B. Baillaud. (For the three above communications, see 

 Our Astronomical Column.) — Observation of D' Arrest's comet 

 (rediscovered by Mr. Barnard on October 6, 1890) made at Paris 

 Observatory with the West Tower equatorial, by M. G. Bigour- 

 dan. The observation for position was made on October 10. — 

 On the linear equations from partial derivatives, by M. A. Petot. 

 — Vibrations of a platinum wire rendered incandescent by an 

 electric current, under the influence of successive interruptions 

 of this current, by M. T. Argyropoulos. The author has 

 stretched horizontally a platinum wire, 070 metre long and 

 less than a millimetre in diameter, and has raised it almost 

 to white heat by means of an electric current. By inserting a 

 commutator in the circuit, the wire immediately vibrated, and 

 became subdivided into a series of waves having well-marked 

 ventral segments and nodes. The number of segments was 

 augmented by very slowly decreasing the tension of the wire. 

 On increasing the tension the number was diminished until the 

 incandescent wire vibrated transversely with a single ventral 

 segment at the middle. — Combinations of cyanide of mercury 

 with lithium salts, by M. Raoul Varet. The following com- 

 pounds have been prepared : (i) an iodocyanide of mercury and 

 lithium, having the composition HgCyj, 2LiCy, Hglj, 7^2^* > 

 {2) a bromocyanide of the same metals, for which the formula 

 2HgCy2, 2LiBr, yHjO is given ; (3) a chlorocyanide of mercury 

 and lithium, of doubtful composition. ■ — Researches as to the best 

 conditions for the preparation of mono-isobutylamine in quantity, 

 by M. H. Malbot. — On a general process for the synthesis of 

 /3-ketonic ethers and nitriles, by M. L. Bouveault. The author 



NO. 1095, VOL. 42] 



gives the most general method for the formation of /3-ketonic 

 nitriles, and shows that these bodies may readily be transformed 

 into the corresponding ethers. The method is given in 

 sufficient detail, and several examples of its application 

 shown.— Upon the presence and the disposition of trehalose 

 in mushrooms, by M. Em. Bourquelot.— On the lateral nerve 

 of Cyclopteridae, by M. Frederic Guitel. — Physiological re- 

 searches on floral envelopes, by M. Georges Curtel. It is con- 

 cluded that ( 1 ) the flower possesses energetic respiratory and trans - 

 piratory functions, superior in general to those of the leaf of 

 the same plant ; (2) the assimilation is generally feeble, and 

 cloaked or much diminished by the very intense respiration ; (3) 

 the volumetric proportion of carbon dioxide emitted to oxygen 

 absorbed is always small, and less than unity. — On the porphy- 

 ritic eruptions of Jersey, by M. A. de Lapparent, 



Sydney. 



Royal Society of New South Wales, August 6. — Dr. 

 Leibius, President, in the chair. — Seven new members were 

 elected. — A letter was read from the Committee appointed by 

 the Victorian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Aus- 

 tralasia and the Royal Society of Victoria conjointly, inviting the 

 co-operation of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 

 carrying out the proposed Swedish-Australian expedition to 

 the Antarctic Regions, and stating that Barons Nordenskiold 

 and Oscar Dickson had promised to defray half the cost of the 

 expedition, providing an equal amount (;^5ooo) was raised in 

 the colonies. — The following papers were read : — On the theory 

 of repetition measures of angles with theodolites, by G. H. 

 Knibbs. — Record of hitherto undescribed plants from Arnheim's 

 Land (partii.), by Baron Ferd. von Mueller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. 

 — On the Australian aborigines, varieties of foo d and methods 

 of obtaining it, by W. T. Wyndham. — On some photographs of 

 the Milky Way, recently taken at the Sydney Observatory, by 

 H. C. Russell, F.R.S. 



September 3. — Dr. Leibius, President, in the chair. — The fol- 

 lowing papers were read : — ^Record of hitherto undescribed plants 

 from Arnheim's Land (part iii. ), by Baron Ferd. von Mueller. 

 — On the application of the results of testing Australian timbers 

 to the design and construction of timber structures, by Prof. 

 Warren. — Exhibits : Enlargement of photograph of a negative 

 of Fresnel's interference bands, for lecture purposes, by Prof. 

 Threlfall ; Edison's latest perfected phonograph, by C. L. 

 Garland. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



British Farm, Forest, Orchard, and Garden Pests . 609 



Tornadoes. By H. F. B 612 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Beuttler: "Inorganic Chemistry: the Chemistry of 



the Non-Metals " 614 



Gray: " Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical " ... 614 



Ball: " The Story of the Heavens " 614 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Passage of Electricity through Gases. — Prof. 



J. J. Thomson, F.R.S .• • • ^'4 



Changing the Apparent Direction of Rotation. — 



Hercules Macdonnell 614 



Earthquake Tremors.— H. G. Dixon 615 



A Ball of Fire.— Charles Randolph 615 



Hydrazoic Acid — a New Gas. By A. E. Tutton . . 615 



Prof. S. A. Hill. By H. F. B 616 



John Hancock 616 



Notes 617 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A. Fowler 619 



Photographs of Nebulae 619 



Stars having Peculiar Spectra 619 



The Photographic Chart of the Heavens 619 



D' Arrest's Comet 619 



A New Asteroid 619 



The Teaching of Botany 620 



The Present Position of the Hydrate Theory of 

 Solution. {With Diagrams.) By Prof. Spencer 



Umfreville Pickering, F.R.S 626 



A Teaching University for London 631 



University and Educational Intelligence 631 



Societies and Academies 632 



