4i6 



NATURE 



[Mar. 2 1, 187^ 



ins from Britain and Eastern Siberia, and remarked upon their 

 affinities. The exhibition represented five British species and 

 five corresponding Siberian forms, which differed totally specifi- 

 cally, though they might be considered representative species. 

 One species only, C. granulaliis, was common to the two ex- 

 tremities of the vast district comprising Dr. Sclater's Palrearctic 

 Region, though there are at least fifty known European forms, 

 and fifty others from Siberia. One other species was common 

 to Siberia and Western North America. Mr. Bates was inclined 

 to doubt the advis.ibility of separating the Patearctic and Nearctic 

 Regions, and further he considered the partition of the globe, 

 from a zoological point of view, into great divisions, was, to a 

 considerable extent, based upon arbitrary evidence. He looked 

 rather to the later geological changes, and the present configura- 

 tion of land and sea, for dates upon which to ground theories of 

 geographical distributi^m. — Mr. Baly communicated a paper 

 *'Oii new species of exotic Cdssi\/uAr." — Mr. Kirby communi- 

 cated notes upon the butterflies described by Jablonsky and 

 Herbst in their " Natursystem alter bekannten Insekten." — Mr. 

 Dunning read an exhaustive memoir on the genus AfcntroJyi4s, 

 and after a review of the writings of the various authors who 

 had treated upon tliis singular genus, he arrived at the conclusion, 

 now almost universally maintained, that the genus is truly Lepi- 

 dopterous, and further, that the evidence adduced failed to con- 

 vince him of the existence of more than one species, for which 

 he retained the name Accnlropits nivcns. 



Photographic Society, March 12. — Mr. John Spiller, vice- 

 president, in the chair. Mr. Valentine Blanchard read a paper 

 on " Retouching : its use and abuse." While utterly condemn- 

 ing the frequent and elaborate retoaching of negatives, such as 

 one sees every day, Mr. Blanchard pointed out ttiat there were 

 occasionally some instances — for example, the correcting of false 

 lights — where retouching was not only allowable, but really de- 

 sirable, in order to render the picture more true to nature. The 

 camera was at times at fault in reproducing objects in their true 

 character ; and under these circumstances the retouching brush 

 or pencil might be fairly used. 



Cambridge 



Philosophical Society, February 12. — "FurtherObservations 

 on the state of an Eye affected with a peculiar malformation," by 

 the AstronomerRoyal. In this paper the author showed by the 

 discussion of numerical results obtained during a period of several 

 years that the astigmatism had changed. — "The Comparison of 

 Measures o //•ij/A- with Measures (5 bouts" by Profes-or Miller. A 

 method of comparing these measures without sinking cavities in the 

 bar^-, was described, and the various processes that had been used 

 were commented upon. 



February 26. — "On Teichopsia, a form of transient half blind- 

 ness ; its relation to nervous or sick headache, with an explana- 

 tion of the phenomena," by Dr. Latham. The author considered 

 the cause of the affection to be contraction of the vessels of the 

 brain (probably the middle cerebral artery), and so a diminished 

 supply of blood, produced by excited action of the sympathetic ; 

 and that the subsequent exhaustion of the sympathetic caused 

 dilation of the vessels and consequent headache. — "A Machine 

 for Tracing and otherwise exhibiting curves in connection with 

 the theory of Vibration of Strings," by Mr. S. C. W. Ellis. 

 Paris 



Academy of Sciences, March 4. — M. de Saint-Ven.ant 

 read a continuation of his memoir on the hydrodynamics of 

 streams. — M. Guibal presented a memoir on a ventilator applied 

 to the aeration af mines. — M. H. Sainte-Claire Deville presented 

 a note by M. D. Gernez on the ab orption-spectra of chlorine 

 and chloride of iodine. — M. W. de Fonvielle communicated an 

 explanation of three cases of fulguration in which the lightning- 

 conductors proved to be insufficient. — M. Sainte-Clare Deville 

 presented a note by M. E. H. von Baumhauer on the origin of 

 aurora^, in which the author called attention to an explanation 

 of these phenomena given by him in a work "De ortu lapidum 

 meteoricorum," published at Utrecht in 1S44. The author 

 ascribes the production of auroras to the penetration into our 

 atmosphere of clouds of uncondensed cosmical matter, the pre- 

 sence of iron and nickelin which, he seems to think, may account 

 for their being attracted towards the magnetic poles of the earth. 

 — A note by M. H. Caron on crystallised or "burnt " iron was 

 read, in which the author treated of the brittle condition produced 

 in a bar of iron w hen heated to whiteness and allowed to cool in the 

 air. He finds that this effect is not due to an absorption of oxygen 

 as has been supposed. He also states that good iron is not ren- 

 dered crj'stalline by exposure to intense cold. — M. Wurtz pre- 



sented a note by M. G. Bouchardat upon the acetic sethers of 

 dulcite, in which the author describes the following compounds : — 

 diacetic dulcite, diacetic dulcitane, hexacetic dulcite, tetracetic 

 dulcitane, pentacetomonochlorhydric dulcite, and pentacetic dul- 

 cite. — M. Wuttz also presented a note by M. Reboul on the 

 hydrobromates and hydrochlorates of allylene, and a note on 

 pyruvine, by M. Schlagdenhauffen. The latter is a glyceride of 

 pyruvic acid obtained by heating glycerine with tartaric acid. — 

 M. Fremy communicated a note by M. E. Landrin, on the recip- 

 rocal action of acids and alkaline bases when separated by a porous 

 partition. — M. L. Kessler forwarded a note on a modification of 

 the processes for the determination of nitrogen in a free state in 

 the analysis of organic substances — M. Decaisne presented a 

 note by M.. J. E. Planchon, on Cial^egus aronia (Spac'i) and its 

 relations with C. oxyacantha and C. azarolus of Linne. The 

 author regards C. aroitia as a cross of the other two forms, 

 which are probably distinct races of the same species. — M. E. 

 Robert accounts fur the renewed fermentation of wines at the 

 period of the flowering of the vine, by the abundance of germs 

 oi Mycoderma vini in the atmosphere at that period. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— The Year Book of Facts, 1872 : J. Timbs (Lockwood and Co.). 

 — An Elementary Treatise on Curve Tracing : P. Frosi ( Ma millan and Co.). 

 — Monograpft of tfie Bridsh Graptolitidas : H. A. Nicholson (Edinburgh, 

 Blackwood and Sons). 



DIARY 

 THURSDAY, March 21. 

 Royal Society, at 8 3».— New Researches on the Phosphorus Bases: Dr. 

 Hofmann. F.R.S.— On some Heterogenic iModes of Origin of Flagellated 

 Monads, Fungus-Germs, and Ciliated Infusoria: Dr. Bastian, K.K.S. 

 Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30. — Ballot for the Election of Fellows . 

 London Institution, at 7. — How Plants are Fertilised : A. W. Bennett. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— On the Chemistry of Alkalies and Alkali Manu- 

 facture; Prof. Odiing, F.R.S. 

 Linnean Society, at 8. — On the Geographical Distribution of Compositae : 



G. Bentham. 

 Chemical Society, at 8. 



FRIDAY, March 22. 

 Royal College of Surgeons, at 4. — On the Digestive Organs of the 



Vertebrala: Prof. Flower, F.R.S. 

 Royal Institution, at 9,— On the Results of the last Eclipse Expedition ; 



J. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S. 

 QuHKETT Microscopical Club, at 8. 



SATURDAY, March 23. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Demonology : M. D. Conway. 



tyfOADAY, March 25 

 Royal College of Surgeons, at 4. — On the Digestive Organs of the 



Vertebrata: Prof, t- lower, F.R.S. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. 



IVEDNESDAY, March 27. 

 Royal College of Surgeons, at 4.— On the Digestive Organs of the 



Vertebrata: Prof. Flower, F.R.S. 

 Royal bociETY of Literature, at 8.30. — On some Greek and other in- 

 scriptions recently procured in the HaurAn ; W. S. W. Vaux. 



CONTENTS Page 



The History of the Royal Institution 397 



Our Book Shelf 398 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Ocean Currents.— J. Croll, F.G.S 399 



Science Stations. — E. Ray Lankester 399 



The Etymology of " Whin,"— A. Hall ; F. de Chaumont; J. 



Jeremiah 399 



The Aurora of Feb. 4.— Col. G. Greenwood ; G. S. Blackik, M.D. 400 



Barometric Depressions 400 



The Meteor of March 4.— Rev. T. W. Webb, F.R.A.S 400 



Theodor Goldstucker .... 400 



Report of the Association for the Improvement of Geome- 



tkical Teaching 401 



The Yellowstone Park 403 



Dr. Liedreich on Turner and Mulready 404 



The Natural History of Eastern Thibet 406 



On the Cause oe Fixed Barometric Depressions. By W. H.S. 



MONCK 407 



On the Adaptive Colouration of Mollusca. By Prof E. S. 



Morse , 408 



Science at the London School Board 410 



Notes 411 



The Study of Natural History. By Rev. Canon Kingsley. F.L.S. 413 



Scientific Intelligence from America 414 



Scientific Serials 415 



Societies and Academies <(i5 



Books Received 416 



Diary 416 



Errata. — Page 379, 2nd col., lines 16, 17, should read thus : — 



Present River . {l{;^/:,!,f„ ; ; ; ; j-s, .' i ; .' .,/ol 

 Line 13 from bottom, for "4*6 per cent." read 4'6 degrees. 



