454 
NATURE 
[Marcu 11, 1897 
Gallion, in the County of Londonderry, by Prof. Grenville A. 
J. Cole. The author arrives at the following conclusions: 
(1) The series of hornblendic and pyroxenic rocks on Slieve 
Gallion, hitherto described as of metamorphic origin, include 
a voleanic series of andesite-tuffs and vesicular and com- 
pact andesites, together with their deep-seated representatives. 
The age of this series is “ Dalradian,” using that term in its 
widest sense. (2) The granite, also once held to be of meta- 
morphic origin, is an intrusive mass, which has absorbed some 
of the basic rocks, and has produced quartz-diorites by a process 
of intermingling. The period of its intrusion was pre-Carboni- 
ferous, and probably Middle Devonian, as stated by the officers 
of the Geological Survey. (3) The basic series west of Cooks- 
town, including the volcanic tuffs of Beaghbeg, is indistinguish- 
able from that of Slieve Gallion, and is almost certainly of the 
same geological age. The relations of this series to the gneiss 
that underlies it, have yet to be satisfactorily worked out. The 
suggestion of Mr. Nolan, that the gneiss became remelted to 
provide the granite veins above it and the granite mass of Slieve 
Gallion, deserves the most careful consideration. (4) The 
occurrence of aplitic granites and eurites on Slieve Gallion, 
associated with varieties rich in biotite and in hornblende, and 
the discovery of intrusive veins of pure soda-orthoclase near 
Oritor, suggest that even the biotite in the granite may have 
resulted from the absorption of the basic series by a magma that 
would have otherwise crystallised as an aplite ; and, following 
on this, it is urged that the underlying magmas of the earth’s 
crust may be of far simpler character than has commonly been 
supposed. Prof. Sollas’s investigations at Barnavave, seem to 
point to the same conclusion. It is then suggested that plutonic 
rocks, as we ordinarily know them, are phenomena of contact, 
produced in what are, comparatively speaking, the upper layers 
of the earth’s crust. (5) By a combination of absorption and 
concomitant or subsequent differentiation, an invading igneous 
rock may come to occupy the place of a pre-existing rock, and 
may, in fact, represent it as a pseudomorph, the absorbed matter 
being drawn off through the molten mass to lower levels.—Dr. 
F. T. Trouton exhibited photographs taken by Becquerel’s new 
radiation. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, March 1.—M. A. Chatin’in the 
chair.—The election of M. Violle, in the Section of Physics, 
was confirmed by the President of the Republic. —The Perpetual 
Secretary announced to the Academy the loss it had sustained 
by the death of M. Weierstrass, Foreign Associate.—Notice on 
M. Weierstrass, by M. Hermite.—On the residues of some 
double integrals of rational functions, by M. Emile Picard.— 
Researches on the uranic rays, by M. Henri Becquerel. Uranium 
has the property of discharging electrified bodies in air at a dis- 
tance, the time of discharge being the same for both positive 
and negative charges. The potential of the charged body was 
varied between one volt and three thousand volts. For poten- 
tials under fifteen volts, the velocity of discharge by the uranium 
appears to be proportional to the potential, analogous to the law 
of cooling ; but this law is not followed even approximately for 
very high potentials. Thus, for values between 1500 and 2000 
volts, the velocity of discharge is practically constant. —On the 
histological mechanism of cicatrisation, and on some new fibres, 
“* synaptic fibres,” by M. L. Ranvier. The name, ‘‘synaptic 
fibres” is given to fibres special to a cicatrix. These are 
always firmly attached to the bundles of conjunctive tissue, 
whatever their origin may have been, have a very variable 
diameter, and possess the singular property of retraction. Three 
organic elements appear to be concerned in the formation of 
synaptic fibres, fibrin, the endothelial cells, and the lymphatic 
cells. A new theory of cicatrisation is based on these observa- 
tions. —Remarks by M. Guyon on his work on the therapeutics 
of urinary diseases.—Observations on the sun, made at the 
Observatory of Lyons with the Brunner equatorial, during the 
fourth quarter of 1896, by M. J. Guillaume. The results are 
summarised in three tables, of which the first two deal with 
sun-spots, and the other with the distribution of facula.—On 
the theory of surfaces, by M. A. Pellet.—Discharge by the 
Rontgen rays, by M. Jean Perrin. The effect produced upon a 
charged conductor by the Rontgen rays is shown to consist of 
two effects, one depending upon the nature of the gas alone, the 
other upon the nature of the metal.—Existence of anode rays, 
analogous to the kathode rays of Lénard and Crookes, by M. 
P. de Heen.—Photography of the electric radiations of the sun 
and of its atmosphere, by M. P. de Heen (see p. 447).—Estima- 
NO. 1428, VOL. 55 | 
tion of atmospheric ozone on Mount Blanc, by M. Maurice de 
Thierry. The air at the summit of Mount Blanc having, on several 
occasions, showed presence of ozone by qualitative reactions, 
an attempt was made to estimate the amount quantitatively. 
The estimation was carried out at Chamonix and at the Grands- 
Mulcts by means of the oxidising action upon an alkaline 
arsenite in presence of potassium iodide. The amounts found 
were from two to four times greater than at Montsouris. —Action 
of dilute nitric acid upon certain metallic nitrates in presence of 
ether, by M. Tanret.—The commercial transformation of oleic 
acid into stearolactone ana monoxystearic acid, by M. David.— 
Action of aluminium chloride upon camphoric anhydride, by 
M. G. Blanc. The acid CyH,,O,, previously described as the 
result of this reaction, has now been identified with the isolauro- 
nolic acid of Kcenigsand Heerlin, the campholitic acid of Noyes, 
and the camphothetic acid of Walker.—On a new method of 
sterilising by heat, under pressure, by M. W. Kiihn.—On the 
larva of Zhrixton Halidayanum, Rond., of the tribe Tachininz, 
parasite of Lep/ynia hespanica, Bol., by M. J. Pautel. The 
complete life-history of this species has been studied.—Latent 
and plasmatic life of certain Uredinex, by M. J. Eriksson. The 
fungus appears to be derived from certain special corpuscles 
present in the chlorophyll granules of the host.—Contribution 
to the physiology of grafting, by MM. Gustave Riviére and G. 
Bailhache.—On a method of extracting gold from an auriferous 
mineral, by M. Em. Serrant. 
GOTTINGEN, 
Royal Society of Sciences.—The Nachrichten, Part 4, 
1896 (physico-mathematical section), contains the following 
memoirs communicated to the Society. 
November 21.—A. Schoenflies: on the representation of 
“cubes” of various dimensions upon one another. H. Burk- 
hardt ; theory of linear groups of point-aggregates on algebraic 
curves. H. Weber: ona theorem in integral calculus employed 
in the theory of numbers. E. von Weber : on linear connexes. 
W. F. Osgood: on non-uniform convergence and the integration 
of series term by-term. W. Voigt: kinetic considerations re- 
lating to the theory of evaporation, &c. 
December 5.--P. Stackel: on Goldbach’s empirical theorem 
that every even number may be presented as the sum of two 
primes. 
December 19.—P. Bachmetjew: results 0: an inquiry on the 
dependence of electrical earth-currents on the fluctuations in the 
level of the ground-water in Bulgaria. O. Wallach: researches , 
made in the Gottingen University Chemical Laboratory ; (1) 
on the absorption of violet rays by certain non-saturated ketones ; 
(2) on new compounds of the fenchon-series; (3) on certain 
condensation-products of cyclic ketones ; (4) synthesis of a 
partially-hydrated methyl-fuorine. A. Hurwitz: on the quater- 
nionic theory of numbers. Vice-Admiral de Jonquiéres: two 
errata in vol. ii. of Gauss s Works. 
Sr. Louts. 
Academy of Science, January 4.—Dr. Amand Ravold 
gave a microscopic demonstration of Widal’s test for typhoid 
fever, demonstrating that after the disease has existed for four 
days or more the blood of typhoid patients, probably because of 
some contained antitoxine, possesses the power of inhibiting the 
motion of typhoid bacilli from a pure culture introduced into 
it within a period of one hour or less, whereas in normal blood 
similar bacilli retain their power of locomotion for an indefinite 
length of time. It was stated that typhoid blood possesses this 
property, even after having been dried for a period of four 
weeks or more, so that a few drops obtained from a person 
suspected of having the disease may be sent to suitable places 
for applying the test, thus rendering comparatively easy the 
early diagnosis of a disease which in its early stages presents 
many clinical difficulties. —Prof. F. E. Nipher gave preliminary 
results of partially completed experiments, made through the 
courtesy of the Burlington and Illinois Central Railroads, to de- 
termine the frictional effect of trains of cars on the air near them. 
His apparatus consists of a cup collector supported on a bar 
capable of sliding in guides on a clamp attached to the window- 
sill of the car. The bar is thrust out to varying distances up to 
30 inches. The mouth of the collector is turned in the direc- 
tion of motion of the train. The pressure due to the motion is 
conveyed through a rubber tube attached to the rear of the col- 
lector, and passing lengthwise through the bar to a water 
