544 



A' A TURE 



[August i, 1901 



heterocercal non-bilobate caiuial. The cephalic shield is, how- 

 ever, still without corniia. — Mr. Thomas Heath exhibited the 

 photographs of the corona which he had taken during the total 

 eclipse of May 2S, 1900. The character of the corona was well 

 marked in all ; but from comparison with drawings taken by 

 skilled draughtsmen it appeared that the outlying parts of the 

 corona were not shown in the photographs. This might be due 

 to the brightness of the sky consequent on the eclipse being one 

 of short duration, or to the possible lack of actinic rays in these 

 outlying regions. — Drs. D. Hepburn and D. Waterston read a 

 paper on the true shape, relation and structure of the ali- 

 mentary viscera of the common porpoise as displayed by the 

 formal method. The animal on which the observations were 

 made was .an adult male, captured in fishing nets nearly eight 

 months ago. It was carefully preserved within twenty-four 

 hours of its capture, so that the organs retained their natural 

 shapes and positions, while the various tissues were suitably 

 " fixed " for microscopic examination. The authors have estab- 

 lished, among other novel results, the presence of a peritoneal 

 pelvic cavity which was not formerly recorded and which, from 

 its relations to the vertebral column, provides a key to the sub- 

 division of that part formerly called lumbosacral into lumbar 

 and sacral sections. They have also revised the homologies of 

 the multi-chambered stomach and placed them upon a more 

 accurate footing ; and similarly as regards the duodenum and 

 intestine. The microscopic structure of the alimentary viscera 

 was likewise examined under favourable conditions. The authors 

 also report the presence of the tape-worm, Bothiiocephaliis 

 liitits, not hitherto recorded for marine animals. — Dr. A. T. 

 Masterman communicated a paper on the central plexus of 

 Cepkalodisdts doJaalop/ms, M'l. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, July 22.— M. Fouque in the 

 chair. — The president announced to the Academy the death o( 

 M. de Lacaze-Duthiers, member of the section of zoology. — 

 Remarks by M. Boussinesq on his work on the analytical 

 theory of heat. — On the acidity of certain animal secretions, by 

 M. Berthelot. In this study of acidity five indicators were 

 employed — methyl orange, dimethylamidoazobenzene, red 

 alizarine-sulphonate, litmus and phenolphthalein. Comparative 

 determinations with these indicators were made of the acidity 

 of the gastric juice, saliva and of urine. — Some observations 

 made with uranium at very low temperatures, by M. Henri 

 Becquerel. It was shown four years ago that between + 100' 

 and - 20° C. there was no notable variation in the radiation 

 from uranium, and in the present communication the intensity 

 of this radiation is found to be practically constant at temper- 

 atures down to that of boiling liquid oxygen. — On the law of 

 pressures in cannon, by M. E. Vallier. — New nebula; discovered 

 at the Observatory of Paris, by M. G. Bigourdan. Details of 

 the positions and appearance of twenty-three new nebul.i;. — On 

 the Hermitian, by M. Leon Autonne. The name " Hermitian " 

 is suggested instead of the "definite form " of Lcewy, and the 

 properties of these functions are summarised. — On an application 

 of potential functions to the theory of elasticity, by MM. Eugene 

 and Francois Cosserat. — On the dielectric cohesion of gases ; the 

 influence of the walls, by M. E. Bouty. An experimental 

 study of the disturbances produced by the walls of the vessel 

 containing the gas under examination shows that the critical 

 phenomenon, that is the point at which the discharge com- 

 mences to take place, is altogether independent of the material 

 of the walls. The action of the latter is indirect, in so far as it 

 modifies in a more or less irregular manner the field in which 

 the gaseous mass stands. — Gratings obtained by the photography 

 of rigorously achromatic fringes, by M. G. Meslin. — On the 

 nature of the X-rays, by M. Jules Semenov. From the ex- 

 periments described the author concludes that the X-rays re- 

 present directions of transmission, by means of the ether, of 

 electrical vibrations. These vibrations communicate themselves 

 to all bodies which they meet in their course. When these 

 bodies are charged with electricity and are protected against 

 discharge by convection, they lose their charge by radiation. — 

 The action of hypophosphorous acid upon acetone, by M. C. 

 Marie. By the interaction of acetone and hypophosphorous 

 acid two new crystallisable acids are obtained, the constitution 

 of which is not yet determined.- — The preparation of pure oxide 

 of cerium, by M. Jean Stebba. By the use of electrolysis as a 

 means of oxidation, the method of Wyrouboff and Verneuil 

 is rendered more rapid. The oxide of cerium thus purified 



NO. 1657, VOL. 64] 



from other metals may have a distinct colour, but becomes snow 

 white on completely eliminating the last traces of nitrogen. — 

 The thermal study of the solid hydrates of soda, by M. de For- 

 crand. — The action of copper hydrate upon solutions of metallic 

 salts, by ^L A. Mailhe. With solutions of several metallic 

 chlorides and bromides, copper hydrate gives a mixed basic 

 salt. — The action of silver upon hydrobromic acid and the in- 

 verse reaction, by M. Jouniaux. The results obtained were 

 generally parallel with those previously obtained with hydro- 

 chloric acid and silver, the value for the heat of reaction calcu- 

 lated from the equilibrium pressures at various temperatures 

 being in practical agreement with the direct determinations of 

 Berthelot. — The oxidation of propylglycol by Mycodcrma aceti, 

 by >L Andre Kling. The oxidising action of Mycoderma aceti 

 upon propylglycol lesembles that of the sorbose bacterium, the 

 acetol, CH3.CO.CH.jOH, being produced in both cases. — The 

 action of the pyridine bases upon the tetrahalogen de- 

 rivatives of benzoquinones, by M. Henri Imbert. — On the 

 chlorides and bromides of the supposed binaphthylene-glycol, 

 by M. R. Fosse. — The action of gaseous ammonia upon 

 the chlorhydrates of fatty amines, by M. Felix Bidet. — On 

 some new vegetable species of Madagascar, by >L E. Drake 

 del Castillo. — Histological researches upon the sporulation of 

 the Schizosaccharomycetes, by M. A. Guilliermond. — On the 

 intracellular diastases of the Amceba, by M. H. Mouton. — 

 Light from the phosphorescent bacilli of the Baltic, by M. J. 

 Tarchanofi". — Electrical stimulation produced by two waves 

 inverse to each other, by ^L Georges Weiss. — On the yield of 

 bread from flour, by M. Balland. —The utilisation of wine resi- 

 dues and wines useless through disease as manure, by M. F. 

 Garrigou. The residues left after the distillation of wine, 

 together with large quantities of wine spoilt through disease, are 

 at present discharged into drains and rivers. In this way vast 

 amounts of substances of considerable manurial value are 

 wasted, and in the present paper methods are suggested for 

 utilising these materials. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Speculative Biology. ByJ. A. T . . 321 



A Philosopher on Evolution 323 



Coal Mining 324 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Thorndike : "The Human Nature Club"; Binet : 



" Psychology of Reasoning. " — A. E. T 325 



Herbertson : " Outlines of Physiography. An Intro- 

 duction to the Study of the Earth "... . . 325 



Selous : " Bird Watching " 325 



Letter to the Editor : — 



History as a Science. — J. S. Stuart-Glennie . . . 326 



The Congress on Tuberculosis 327 



Position and Prospects of Electrochemical Indus- 

 tries. . 329 



Miss Eleanor A. Ormerod. By W. F. K 330 



Notes (Illuslraled.) ... 330 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in August 335 



The Paris Observatory in 1900 . 335 



Photography by the Light of Venus 336 



New Nebulce 336 



The Crystallisation of Salt Solutions. (IVith 



Diagrams.) By Dr. H. M. Dawson 336 



Boomerangs. (IVith Diagrams.) By Gilbert T. 



Walker 33S 



The International Seismological Conference at 



Strassburg. By Dr. F. Omori 340 



University and Educational Intelligence 341 



Scientific Serial . 341 



Societies and Academies ylVM Diagrams.) . . . 341 



