476 



NATURE 



\ April I 1,1872 



paper, for not quoting Scripture as an authority, stated that 

 it was perhaps judicious, as it enabled him to refute Sir John 

 Lubbock's statement on his own ground, though it seemed strange 

 that the latter should prefer the authority of such as Herodotus, 

 whose writings betrayed ignorance on several points, for instance, 

 where he refuses to believe in snow existing in a land so hot 

 that the inhabitants were black, — to the writings of Moses, 

 which, as writings even, were of a much hip;her order. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, March 25.— M. Serret presented a 

 note by M. A. Mannheim, containing geometrical investigations 

 upon the contact of the third order of two surfaces. — General 

 Morin read a memoir on the simultaneous employment of elec- 

 trical induction apparatus and apparatus of deformation of solids, 

 for the study of the laws of the movement of projectiles, and of 

 the variation of pressures in the bore of guns. — A memoir was 

 also read by M. V. Albenque, relating to the theory of rifled 

 artillery, and treating of the effects of the resistance of the air 

 upon a solid of revolution animated by a simultaneous movement 

 (5f rotation. — M. Phillips presented a note by M. Bresse on the 

 determination of brachistochrones. — A note from Father Secchi 

 was read, giving an account of injury done at Alatri by lightning 

 striking a lightning-conductor, and passing from it to large 

 water pipes.—.A. note by M. G. Volpicelli, on the use of the 

 proof-plane in theinvtstigation of electrical conditions, was read. 

 — M. Wurtz communicated a note by M. G. Salet, on the ab- 

 sorption spectrum of the vapour of .sulphur, in which the author 

 claimed to be the first descrilier of this spectrum, which was 

 noticed by M. Gernez at the meeting of the Academy on March 

 iS. He stated that the most perceptible dark lines coincide with 

 the luminous bands in the si)ectrum of sulphur in the flame of 

 hydrogen,— A letter from M. Donati to M. Delaunay, on 

 auroras and their cosmical origin, was read. The author 

 considers thei^e phenomena to depend on an exchange of 

 electricity between the sun and ihe planets. — M. Delaunay 

 announced the discovery at Bilk by M. Luther on the night of 

 INIarch 15-16 of a new planet of the eleventh magnitude. The 

 discoverer projioses to name it rdtlio. — The miserable dispute as 

 to the priority of the invention of the preservation of wines by 

 heat was continued by M M. Vergnette-Lamotte, Pasteur, and 

 Thenard. — M. Wurtz presented a note on a new class of com- 

 pounds of dulcite with the hydracids byM. Bouchardat. These 

 compounds are crystallisab'e, but rather unstable. — M. Fremy 

 presented a note by M. Prinvault on the action of bromine upon 

 protochloride of phosphorus, by which he has obtained some 

 curious and unexpected compounds. — A note by M. E. Jannetaz 

 on a new type of idiocyc'ophanous crystals was presented by M. 

 Delafosse. — .M. C. Robin communicated a note by M. V. Feliz 

 on the properties of the bones, in which the author stated that 

 matters injected into the spongy tissues of the bones in the living 

 subject are absorbed as rapidly as if they were introduced 

 directly into the veins, from which he in'erred that this spongy 

 tissue is in direct connection with the veins, and must be regarded 

 as forming a system of sinuses. — M. Champouillon, in a note 

 preser,ted by M. Larrey, stated that putrefaction is much more 

 rapid in the dead bodies of alcoholised subjects than in those of 

 comparatively sober individuals.— M. C. Robin presented a no'e 

 by MM. Legros and Onimus containing an account of some ex- 

 periments on spontaneous generation, in which the authors de- 

 scribe the production of fermentation within an egg penetrated 

 with sugar by endosmolic action, and afterwards immersed in a 

 fermenting solution of sugar. —A note by M. A. Oris containing 

 general considerations upon the structure of the bark in the 

 Ericine.-e was communicated by M. Brongniart.— M. A. Baudri- 

 niont read a paper on the existence of mineral matter in plants, 

 which contains some interesting results as to the amount of solid 

 matter in fleshy plants. — M. Roulin presented a note by M. 

 Triana on the Goiiololnis aiitiliirango, a South American plant, 

 reputed to furnish a remedy for cancer. — A paper by M. I,. 

 Vaillant on the fossil Crocodiles of Saint-Gerand-le-Puy was 

 communicated by M. Mdne-Edwards. The author descrilied 

 three species, two belonging to the subgenus DiplocYiioiioii (/>. 

 Katelli Pomel, and/X gracilis n. .sp.), and a true Crocodile allied 

 to the African species [Croc, laiiiiiiiis n. sp.) 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— On Bone Setting: W. P. Hood (MacmMlan and Co,)— Tlie 

 Natural His-ory of the Year : B. B. Woodward (S. W. Partrideel.— Tlie 

 Journal of Mental Science, No. 4 (Churchill). 



of 



DIARY 



THURSDAY. April II. 

 RoVAL SociSTV, at S 30.— Researches on Solar Physics - Part 1 1 1. : W. De 



La Rue, F R S., 1! Stewart, F. R S , and B. Loe*y.— The Action of 



0.\ygen on Copper Nitrate in a Sta^c of Tension : Dr. "Gladstone, F.R S., 



and A. Tiibe. 

 SociETV OF Antiquaries, at 8.30.— On son 



Brittany : Sir H. E. L. Dryden, Bart. 

 JKthematical Society, at 8— On the Mechanical Dcicription of ceruin 



Se.xtic Curv.s: Prof. Cajley, F.R.S. 

 RovAL Institution, at 3.- Heat and Light: Dr. Tyndall. 

 London Institution, at 7.30 —On the Distribution of Coal in the Brtish 



Islands, and its probable duration : K. Etheridge, F.R S. 



FRIDAY, April 12. 



ASTRONO.MICAL SocIETV, at 8. 



Royal Institution, at g — Rousseau's Infli 

 J. Morley. 



QuEKETT Microscopical Club, at 8. 



SATURDAY, April 13. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— The Star-Depths : R. A. Proctor. 

 Government School of Mines, at 8.— On Geology : Dr. CobLold. 



SUNDAY, April 14. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4— On ^ther : the Evidence for its Exist- 

 ence, and the Phenomena it explains : Prof. W. K. Clifford. 



European Th uight : 



TUESDAY, AiRii 

 .t 3--0n Statistics, 



RovAL Institution, at 3.— On Statistics, Social Sc 



Economy : Dr. Guy. 

 Zoological Society, at 9.— On the Mechanism of the Gizzard of Biids 



A. H. Garrod — On a supposed New Monkey from the Sunderbund: 



nd Pa'itica 



the 



East of Calcutta ; Dr. John Ande 

 Statistical Society, at 7.45. 



IVEDNESDAY, April 17. 

 Society of Arts, at 8.— On the Great Central Gas Company's Works : 

 A. Angus Croll. 



^°^'\'- ''S^"^~^, °^ Literature, at 8.30 —On the Trade of Phoinicia with 



Ophir, Tarshi.h, and Britain : W. S. W. Vaux. 

 Meteokological Society, at 7. 



THURSDAY, April 18. 

 Royal Society, at 8.30. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— On Heat and Li^ht: Prof Tynd.ill, F.R S. 

 Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30. 

 Linnean Society, at 8.-- On Begoniell.t. a new genus of Degoniacex : P.of 



Uliver.-On th^ee new genera of Malayan plants: frof. Uhvcr.— On 



Camellia scolt:a>ta and Terttstramia coriacca : Prof Dyer. 

 Cheaiicai. Society, at 8.— Notes from the Laboratory of the Andersonian 



University; (Jn a Compound of Sodium and Glycerin; ; and On Benzyliso- 



cyanate and Isocyanurate : E. A. Letts. 



CONTENTS p^r.B 



Newspaper .Science 



Grisedach's Vegetation of the Globe .=3 



Our Book Shelf 'I 



Letters to the Editor:— 



The Adamites. -C. S. Wake .5j 



The Aurora of Feb. 4.— A. Buchan ; S. Dix ; F. G. Browkerg 401 



On the Colour of a Hydrogen Flame— W. F. Barrett . !• i 

 Barometric Depressions.— W. H. S iMonck '461 



Heig t of Cirrus Cloud.- R.Strachan . ...'.'.'.'..'. ^62 



Low Conductivity of Copper Wire ,(/, 



A Pelagic floating Fish Ne=t. -J, M Jones ..'..'.'' .al 



'•AnOddFish,"-Lieut. J. E Mekyo.x, R.N '. . 462 



TheLawof Variation.- A. J. Warner . . . Zli 



ActinicPoweroftheElectricLight.— J. J. Murphy, F.G.S.' ! '. 462 



Protective iSlimicry . . g. 



Cranial MEASUhEMENTS. By Lawson Tait, F.r'c.'s. '. '.'.'.'. 461 



One Source of Sicin Diseases Is, 



The School of Military Engineering ' ' ' 46, 



Lyell's Principles of Geology. By T. McK. Hughes F (j S 



(IFit/i ntuslratimis.) ' ' ,g 



Notes '■'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. \ \bi 



Annual Addre.ss to the Geological Society of London, Fed. 



\6,\iT I (Continues). By J. Prestwich, F.R.S 470 



Scientific Serials '' 



Societies and Academies 471 



Books Received 1';; 



D'-Hv : : : : : : : : ; :^6 



NOTICE 



We beg leave to state that we decline to return rejected conununua- 

 tions, and to this rule -we can make no exception. Communica- 

 tions respecting Snbscripions or Advertisements must be addressed 

 to the Publishers, not to the Editor, 



