July 5, 1883] 



NATURE 



239 



an investigation into the rate of chemical change, by V. H. 

 Veley. — Note on the action of allylic iodide upon phenol in 

 the presence of zinc or aluminium foil, by P. Frankland and T. 

 Turner. Orthopropyl phenol was obtained. — On a new gas 

 burner for beating combustion tubes, by W. Ramsay. — On a 

 by-product of the manufacture of aurin, by A. Claparede and 

 Watson Smith. When aurin is prepared from phenol, oxalic 

 acid, and sulphuric acid, some quantity of white crystals appears 

 on the lids of the aurin-pots. These were examined by the 

 authors, and were found to consist of a phenyl ortho-oxalic 

 ether. 



Meteorological Society, June 20. — Mr. J. K. Laughtom 

 M.A., F. R.A.S., president, in the chair. — The following papers 

 were read : — On the structure of the ice-cloud disposed in threads, 

 proposed to be called " cirro-filum," by the Rev. W. Clement 

 Ley, M.A., F.M.S. Of the cirriform clouds one of the most 

 important to the weather forecaster is that to which the author 

 has given the name of "cirro-filum." Having from the time he 

 was twelve year- of age carefully studied this cloud whenever 

 visible, and having for the last twenty-five years made it the sub- 

 ject of minute study, he is enabled to bring forward some re-ults 

 which may prove of value. The author then gives, first, a short 

 ace Hint of the mode in which he was led to prosecute this study ; 

 secondly, a classification of the more recent and reliable obser- 

 vations ; and lastly, an explanation of the principal phenomena 

 observed. — Notes on a second series of experiments on the dis- 

 tribution of pressure upon flat surfaces perpendicularly expo ed 

 to the wind, by Richard H. Curtis, F.M.S. The re-ults ob- 

 tained in these experiments agree very closely with those of the 

 former experiments. — On the reduction of wind records, by the 

 Hon. Ralph Abercromby, F.M.S. The author discu-ses the 

 significance and best method of deducing from anemographie 

 records the total quantity, the quantity from different points of 

 the compass, the relative frequency, the mean and annual velo- 

 city, the mean velocity from different quarters, the resultant, and 

 the mean and diurnal direction of the wind. — The spectroscope 

 as an aid to forecasting weather, by F. W. Cory, M.R.C.S., 

 F.M.S. — Note on river temperatures as compared with air tem- 

 peratures at Greenwich and Bremen, by Robert II. Scott, M. A., 

 F. R. S. The author compares the results given in a recent paper 

 by Sir G. B. Any on- a comparison between the records of 

 the temperature of the Thames and those of air temperature 

 taken at Greenwich with those published by Herr von Freeden 

 for the temperature of the Weser as compared with that of the 

 air at Elsfleth, close to Bremen, for the ten years 1S5S-67. 



Physical Society, June 23. — Prof. Clifton in the chair. — 

 New member, Mr. Steam. — Prof. D. E. Hughes, F.R.S., 

 exhibited a number of experiments illustrating his theory that a 

 magnet is made up of magnetic molecule, each of which is a 

 small magnet. When a magnetic metal is in a neutral state he 

 showed that there is a symmetrical arrangement of the molecules 

 such as to make them satisfy their mutual attractions ; not as on 

 Ampere's theory a "higgledy-piggledy" arrangement. Prof. 

 Guthrie stated that a piece of watch-spring magnetised retains 

 its magnetism when impregnated with mercury. Prof. Everett, 

 Mr. W. H. Coffin, and others remarked that Ampere's theory 

 tried to account for the magnetism of the molecules. Professors 

 Perry and Ayrton observed that when soft iron is between red 

 and white hot, it ceases to be attracted by a magnet. — The new 

 absolute sine galvanometer of Prof. Minchin was then exhibited 

 to the meeting by Prof. G. Carey Foster. It is intended for the 

 Cornell University, and measures less than the E.M.F. of a 

 Daniell cell. The principle of the instrument was described at 

 a former meeting of the Society. Prof. Ayrton, Lord Rayleigh, 

 Mr. Coffin, and Prof. Clifton offered some remarks on the appa- 

 ratus. — A note on the induction-balance effect and the densities 

 of alloys of copper and antimony, by Mr. George Kamensky, 

 A.R.S.M., was then explained by Prof. Chandler Roberts. 

 These experiments were to determine whether the curve of the 

 electrical resistance of the copper antimony alloys would be a 

 straight horizontal line, U-shaped or of the L type. They were 

 found to belong to the last type. It is seen from the curve 

 exhibited that there is a rapid fall from copper to the alloy con- 

 taining only 10 per cent, antimony, and this decrement is con- 

 tinned until the alloy StCu 4 is reached, when the curve turns 

 rapidly and rises to StCu 2 , then turns again, and passes to pure 

 antimony. Prof. Roberts has shown that the alloy SnCu 4 

 occupies the to 'est point of the curve, namely, the position that 

 in the copper-antimony series is occupied by the alloy StCu 4 . In 



the copper-tin series the second critical point is held by SnCu 3 , 

 and in the copper-antimony curve this point is held, not by 

 Cu 3 Sb, but Cu 2 Sb, the formula for the violet alloy known to 

 alchemists as the "regulus of Venus." The specific gravities 

 were also plotted in curves, showing that the alloy Cu a Sb does 

 not stand out from the rest, while the alloy Cu 4 Sb has a higher 

 density than copper, 



Edinburgh 



Royal Society, June 18. — Prof. Maclagan, vice-president, 

 in the chair. — The Astronomer-Royal for Scotland presented a 

 paper which was read by Prof. Crum Brown, on bright clouds 

 in a dark night sky. This phenomenon Prof. Smyth had twice 

 witnessed, on April 8, 18S2, and April 30, 1883. On bo'h these 

 occasions the meteorological conditions were peculiar, the air 

 being for a few hours remarkably dry. The explanation given 

 was that ihe glow on the clouds was due to reflection of the gas- 

 lights of Edinburgh from the hollow water-drops in the cloud, 

 Which fi >m their floating in a very dry atmosphere had become 

 sufficiently thin-walled to throw back a strong reflection from the 

 two surfaces. — Prof. T.dt read a mathematical note by Mr. 

 Anglin, in which a solution was given of the problem to express 

 x'" in terms of powers of x lower than «, when x" is given in 

 terms of these lower powers, and m is greater than «. — Prof. 

 Tait c imtnunicated the results of his recent measurements of the 

 compressibility of water. The water was compressed in a tube 

 silvered inside and dipping with its lower and open end in a 

 trough of mercury. The whole was placed inside the hydraulic 

 press, and exposed to pressures of I, 2, 24, and 3 tons weight 

 per square inch, the compression of the water being measured 

 by the height of ascent of the mercury, which was given at 

 once by the lower limit of the silver film. For water, both 

 fresh a d salt, the compressibility was found to diminish with 

 increase of pre-sure, diminishing at much the same rate in both 

 cases, although to begin with the fresh water was more com- 

 pressible than the sea-water in the ratio of about 72 : 67. The 

 results obtained for the fresh water could be very accurately re- 

 presented by the formula c — "0072(1 - "043/), w here c is the true 

 compressibility per ton at pressure/ tons weight per square inch. 

 The mean temperature of the water was I2°C. At the same tempe- 

 rature alcohol of density '83 showed a much greater c impressibility 

 (•01202 for one ton weight per square inch), which also dimi- 

 nished with increase of pressure — '01043 being the average com- 

 pressibility for 3 tons weight. 



Sydney 



Linnean Society of New South Wales, April 25. — The 

 following papers were read : — Notes on a collection of fishes 

 from the Burdekin and Mary Rivers, Queensland, by William 

 Macleay, F.L. S., &c. The new species described are Serramts 

 gstuariuSf Therapon fuliginosus and parvicfps, Diagramma 

 laMosum, Corvina argentta, Caranx comprcssus, Cybium st'tni- 

 J'asciatum, Platycephalus Mortoni, EUvtiis planicfps, Athcrin- 

 ichthys maculatus, MugilRamsayi, Chatotssus tlongatus, Anguilla 

 margiuipinnis, and Taniura Mortoni. — By J. J. Fletcher, M.A., 

 B.Sc, notes on a viviparous lizard. The author's attention had 

 been drawn to the subject during last January, when he obtained 

 at Burrawang several examples of female lizards in an advanced 

 stage of pregnancy. The embryos were from two to three 

 inches long, enveloped in a thin and transparent chorion quite 

 devoid of the calcareous matter with which it is more or less im- 

 pregnated in the oviparous species. — Notes on a method of ob- 

 taining water from Eucalyptus roots, as practised by the natives 

 of the country between the Lachlan and Darling Rivers, by K. 

 H. Bennett. — Prof. Stephens exhibited a photograph and a 

 sketch forwarded by Mr. C. Jenkins, representing a fessil from 

 the Devonian formation of the Murrumbidgee valley, near Yass. 

 Mr. Jenkins is inclined to refer it to Aslcrolepis (which is closely 

 connected with Pterichthys), but chiefly on account of the 

 character of sculpture of the scales. On the same ground he 

 doubts its relationship to Cacosteus or Cephalaspis. Prof. 

 Stephens added that without the actual specimen before them 

 with all its collected fragments, it would be premature to deter- 

 mine even the genus of this ancient fish, but pointed out that it 

 appeared to have some points of resemblance to Macropetalichthys 

 of the North American Devonians. — Mr. ]. J. Fletcher exhibited 

 a specimen of a giant earthworm, 25 inches long, from Burra- 

 wang, N.S.W. It probably belongs to Prof. M'Coy's genus 

 Mtgascolides, and its existence in this colony is now rec irded for 

 the first time. 



