882 Transactions of the American Institute. 1 



blind beetles. 

 M. Ch. Lesp6s has published a memoir on coleoptera inhabiting 

 caverns. He examined specimens belonging to five distinct fami- 

 lies of beetles taken from caves, and was unable to discover even 

 rudimentary eyes in any of them. The optic nerve appears to be 

 undeveloped: the cerebral ganglia lie parallel to each other, and 

 have the form of two simple oval bodies, like those found in certain 

 blind larva which, when fully developed, do possess eyes. The 

 absence of eyes in these beetles, as well as in the fishes of the 

 Kentucky Cave, which live in a world of darkness, indicate an 

 arrest of development caused entirely by external conditions. 



ANNATO. 



W. Stein has examined annato, prepared by De Vry, in Java, 

 from fresh fruit, by treatment with alkaline water and super- 

 saturating with sulphuric acid, and finds that it gives an acid 

 infusion containing a bitter principle, which may be removed by 

 charcoal, and another substance which reduces the salts of copper. 

 About one-half of the mass is fat and the residue is soluble in 

 caustic and carbonated alkalies. Solutions thus formed, on the 

 addition of acids, yield impure bixin, which appears to contain 

 nitrogen in combination and which, either alone, or after dissolving 

 in alkali, and adding a small quantity of ammonia, gives ofi" the 

 odor of musk. 



NEW CARBONATE OF SODA PEOCESS. 



M. Kessler has patented in France the following simple and 

 »,ppareutly economical process for making carbonate of soda 

 {sodemcmt). Common salt (sodamad) is first intimately mixed 

 with sesqui-oxide of chromium {chremit) either alone or with oxide 

 of manganese (rnanamat). Chromate of iron or chromate of lead 

 may be used and perhaps a good chrome iron ore. The ingre- 

 dients are heated to redness in a furnace and subjected to a current 

 of steam. The hydrogen of the steam unites with the chlorine of 

 the salt forming hydrochloric acid. When the evolution of hydro- 

 chloric acid gas {galad) ceases, the charge containing chromate of 

 soda is withdrawn, and, after being mixed with a proper proportion 

 of coal, is again heated without steam, when sesqui-oxide of chro- 

 mium is rej)roduced, and the carbonate of soda thus formed is 

 separated by lixivation. The sesqui-oxide of chromium is again 

 ready to be mixed with salt and may be used for an indefinite time. 



