2 4 



NATURE 



[Nov. 6, 1884 



in temperate North and South Africa, and four or five come 

 from extra-tropical South America. 



We can only direct general attention to Mr. Justice Gillies' 

 important paper giving the result of his experiments in 18S2-S3 

 on the production of sugar from Sorghum, which seem to have 

 been most successful, and to give promise of a good future for 

 sugar-making in the colony ; and to Mr. W. Arthur's report on 

 the brown trout introduced into Otago. 



Zoology. — E. Meyrick, New Zealand Microlepidoptera and 

 Geometrina ; R. W. Fereday, new species of Cidaria ; T. H. 

 Potts, on a species of Mantis ; W. M. Maskell, on new Coccida? ; 

 Geo. M. Thomson, new Crustacea and Pycnogonida ; C. Chilton, 

 New Zealand sessile-eyed Crustacea ; T. Jeffery Parker, on 

 Palinurus ; A. T. Urquhart, habits of earthworms ; Capt. F. 

 W. Hutton, revision of land Mollusca, of recent Rhachiglossate 

 Mollusca, new species of Mollusca ; H. B. Kirk, Anatomy of 

 Sepioteuthis bilineata ; Dr. J. von Haast, occurrence of the Red 

 Phalarope in New Zealand ; Dr. W. Buller, notes on rare birds ; 

 Prof. T. J. Parker, on the occurrence of some rare fishes ; Dr. 

 Hector, notes on New Zealand ichthyology. 



Botany. — W. Colenso, further contributions to New Zea- 

 land b itany ; J. D. Enys and T. Kirk, Botrychium lunaHa in 

 New Zealand ; T. Kirk, botanical notes, descriptions of new 

 species of plants ; J. Adams, the botany of the Thames gold- 

 fields ; A. T. Urquhart, the spread of the Eucalyptus ; J. Buchanan, 

 notes of new and rare plants, Campbell Island and its flora ; 

 Charles Knight, Lichenographia of New Zealand ; T. F. Cheese- 

 man, additions to New Zealand flora, revision of the genus 

 Carex (New Zealand species). 



Chemistry. — J. A. Pond, the pottery clays of Auckland 

 district. 



Geology. — R. M. Laing, thermal springs at Lyttelton ; H. 

 Cox, new minerals ; Captain F. W. Hutton, the lower gorge of 

 the Waimakariri ; D. Sutherland, discoveries near Milford 

 Sound. 



Miscellaneous. — W. Arthur, brown trout introduced into 

 Otago ; Mr. Justice Gillies, Sorghum experiments, 1882-83 > 

 Coleman Phillips, the law of gavelkind, a reply to Messrs. 

 George and Wallace. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, October 27. — M. Rolland, President, 

 in the chair. — Remarks on the first volume of the late M. Dumas' 

 " Discours et Eloges Academiques," presented to the Academy 

 by M. J. Bertrand. — Note on contaminated waters in connection 

 with the spread of cholera, by M. Marey. A careful study of 

 this epidemic since its first appearance in Europe, together with 

 some personal observations in Paris and other parts of France, 

 have convinced the author that the disorder is propagated chiefly 

 through the medium of water. All other influences are of 

 secondary importance, so that to secure the purity of drinking- 

 water in every affected locality should be the first care of the 

 sanitary authorities. — On the formation of saltpetre in plants, by 

 MM. Berthelot and Andre. — On the oxidation of copper, by 

 MM. Debray and Joannis. — On the laws determining the pene- 

 tration of the rolled plates of ironclads by projectiles, by M. 

 Martin de Brettes. — On the employment of the aqueous solution 

 of the sulphuret of carbon for the destruction of Phylloxera, by 

 M. A. Rommier. — Account of an easy process for rapidly pre- 

 paring solutions containing sulphuret of carbon in large quantities, 

 by M. Ach. Livache. — Observations of the lunar eclipse of 

 October 4, made at the Observatory of Lyons (Brunner 6- 

 inch equatorial), by M. Gonnessiat. — Observations of the 

 comets of Barnard and of Wolf made at the Observatory of 

 Lyons (Brunner 6-inch equatorial), by M. Gonnessiat. — On a 

 representation of the exponential function by an infinite product, 

 by M. R. Lipschitz — On the equilibrium of a homogeneous 

 segment of a revolving paraboloid floating on a fluid, by M. 

 Em. Barbier. — Measure of the horizontal component of ter- 

 restrial magnetism by the method of amortisement, by M. J. 

 B. Bailie. — Note on the relation between temperatures and 

 pressures of the protoxide of liquid carbon, by M. V. Olszewski. 

 — On some reactions of chlorochromic acid, by M. Quantin. The 

 oxide of carbon acting alone on chlorochromic acid changes it to 

 a green sesquioxide of chromium and to a violet sesquichloride. 

 The simultaneous action of the oxide of carbon and of an excess 

 of chlorine changes integrally the oxychloride of chromium 

 to a sesquichloride. — Chemical analysis of the apatite (phos- 



phate of calcium) occurring at Logrozan in Spain, by M. 

 A. Vivier. ■ — On a graphic granite with large crystals of 

 chlorophyllite from the banks of the Vizezy near Mont- 

 brison (Loire), by M. F. Gonnard. — Heat of combination 

 of the compounds of hydrogen and oxygen, by M. A. Boillot. — 

 On the phenomena accompanying the solar corona at present 

 visible in the Alps, by M. Duclaux. These phenomena are 

 regarded as purely atmospheric, the sun being merely the lumi- 

 nous source. The solar corona itself is attributed to normal 

 although rare causes, and is considered as analogous to the halo 

 so often observed round the moon, when the atmosphere is 

 charged with moisture. — Observation of the solar coronas during 

 the aerostatic ascents of October 23 and 24, by MM. A. and G. 

 Tissandier. — Note on solar energy and the oscillations of the 

 magnetic needle, by M. Duponchel. From the observations 

 made from the middle of the sixteenth century down to the 

 present time the author infers that the secular variations of the 

 needle are due to the action of a new ultra-Neptunian planet 

 which he names the Ocean, and which may have a revolution 

 of about 467 years. This planet must have passed through 

 the longitudes 80° and 260° about the years 1580 and 

 1S13, and should now be in the longitude of 314° in the con- 

 stellation of Capricorn. — Note on the employment of hydrosul- 

 phuric acid for discharging colours, by M. A. Gerardin. This 

 acid, discovered by M. Schiitzenberger, and now extensively 

 employed, produces remarkable effects, acting by reduction, 

 contrary to chlorine and oxygen, which act by oxidation. This 

 property seems capable of important industrial application. — 

 Note on distilled water used for drinking-purposes, by M. A. 

 Hureau de Villeneuve. The author argues that the price of 

 distilled water might be greatly reduced by obtaining it from 

 steam-engines at work in mills ; that it is neither unpalatable 

 nor difficult to digest ; that it generally contains a sufficient 

 quantity of air, and that the absence of calcareous salts is rather 

 an advantage than a draw back. 



CONTENTS Pj 



Two Bee Books 



Dr. Klein on Micro-Organisms. By Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.R.S 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Johnson's " New Method of treating Glaucoma " . . 

 Letters to the Editor .- - 



An Unnoticed Factor in Evolution. — Edmund 



Catchpool 



Earthquake Measurement. — Prof. J. A. Ewing . . 



The Sky-Glows.— W. G. Brown ; Mrs. Ellen A. 



Day; Surgeon Thomas Leeming, R.N. . . . 



Peculiar Ice Forms. — B. Woodd Smith 



The Blackness of Tropical Man. — Lieut. -Col. A. T. 



Fraser, R.E 



The Distribution of Scientific Works Published by the 



British Government. — G. F. B 



A New Method of Heating in the Regenerative Gas 



Fur.-ace 



The Prime Meridian Conference. By William Ellis 

 The Illuminated Fountains at the Healtheries. (Illus- 

 trated) 



Experiments with Coal-Dust at Neunkirchen in 



Germany. By W. Galloway. (Illustrated) .... 



Flowers out of Season. By Dr. Maxwell T. Masters. 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Barnard's Comet 



The November Meteors 



The Lick Observatory, California 



Variable Star in the Orion-Nebula 



Geographical Notes 



Natural Science in Schools. By Prof. Henry E. 



Armstrong, Ph.D., F.R.S 



Transactions of the New Zealand Institute .... 

 Societies and Academies 



