>36 



NA TURE 



[Jan. 8, il 



new members were elected and 1 29 donations received. A paper 

 was read, "Notes on some mineral localities in the northern 

 districts of New South Wales," by D. A. Porter. The follow- 

 ing extracts from a letter, dated from Queensland, October 8, to 

 Prof. Liversidge, from Mr. Caldwell, were read: — " Ceratodus 

 has interfered with Platypus. The Platypus eggs were hatched 

 three weeks ago, and I should have been in New England by 

 now, but Ceratodus is much more important. Platypus embryos 

 are quite easy to get. I can't understand how they have not 

 been got before. The fact tha the monotremes are oviparous is 

 the end of the research for many. They don't understand that 

 it is the fact of the egg having a lot of yelk that promises to yield 

 valuable information. Here are some of the principal points in 

 the development of Ceratodus as observed on the whole embryos. 

 1 have not attempted to make sections yet ; you know what sec- 

 tion-cutting is now-a-days. The egg measures about 2I mvn. 

 diameter, and has the protoplasmic pole darker, as in Amphibia. 

 This egg is surrounded by a strong, closrly-investing gelatinous 

 membrane about 3i mm. thick. The segmentation is complete 

 (Holoblastic). Part of the blastopore remains open, and persists 

 as anus. The stages up to hatching closely resemble those of 

 the newt, Amblystoma. After hatching, the larva goes into the 

 mud. It lies on its side like Pleuronectidre among Teleosteans, 

 and the oldest stages I have reared still show no signs of external 

 gills. The larval changes I expect will continue for many 

 weeks, and I have two plans to save my waiting here, both of 

 which 1 intend to put into execution at once. First, I shall 

 leave an aquarium with a large number of the larvae here on a 

 station, where a friend has kindly promised to put a few of the 

 fish in a bottle every day. Second, I shall bring a supply of 

 eggs to Sydney, and attempt to rear them in my laboratory. I 

 hope to get to Sydney in about a fortnight or three weeks' time. 

 I have more than thirty blacks with me now ; they have found 

 over 500 Echidna in the last six weeks." — Prof. Liversidge 

 exhibited specimens of sapphires, zircons, the topaz and diamond 

 from the old gold workings near Mittagong, and stated that 

 flints occurred at these mines closely resembling those of the 

 cretaceous formations at home. — Mr. C. S. Wilkinson exhibited 

 specimens of chloride of silver from Silverton, native antimony 

 in calcite, Lucknow, also dendritic gold and arsenical pyrites 

 in massive serpentine. — Mr. Charles Moore announced the 

 discovery of a new species of the giant Australian lily, between 

 the Clarence and Richmond Rivers, and promised some notes 

 upon it at the next meeting. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, December 29, 1884. — M. Rolland, 

 President, in the chair. — Note on the classification of the moles 

 (genus Talpa, L.) of the old world, by M. Alph. Milne-Edwards. 

 — Theorem regarding the complete algebraic polynomes ; its 

 application to the rule of Descartes' signs, by M. de Jonquieres. 

 — On the integers of total differentials, by M. H. Poincaie. — 

 On the integers of total differentials, and on a class of algebraic 

 surfaces, by M. E. Picard. — On a series analogous to that of 

 Lagrange, by M. Amigues. — Some simple and closely related 

 formulas for the equilibrious pressure of sandy masses or 

 bodies without cohesion, by M. Flamant. — Rectification of the 

 numerical results indicated in a previous communication for the 

 calculation of compressed gas manometers, by M. E. H. Amagat. 

 The rectifications here made are stated by the author in no way 

 to affect his general conclusions. — On seleno-uria and the sub- 

 stances derived from it, by M. A. Verneuil. — On the solubility 

 of the substances comprised in the oxalic series — 

 CO(OH)— (CH2)"— CO(OH), 



by M. Friedel. — On the composition of the seed of the cotton- 

 tree and on the abundance of alimentary substances contained 

 in this grain, by M. Sacc. Writing from Cochabamba under 

 the date of October 25, 1S84, the author announces the discovery 

 <ii a new alimentary substance presenting some most remarkable 

 features in its composition. The accompanying analysis shows 

 tha' this seed of the cotton- tree, of which several varieties are 

 cultivated in Bolivia, is the richest of all known grains in nitro- 

 genous substances. When milled, it yields the following 

 results : — 



Yellow meal 

 Black bran 

 Waste 



56'50 kilogramme 

 40-50 

 3'°° >> 



The writer is convinced that this flour is destined to take an im- 

 portant place in human alimentation, and in the preparation of 

 all kinds of pastes, where it may act as a substitute for milk. — 

 Note on the history of the discovery of the action of the white 

 globules of the blood in inflammatory complaints, by M. A. 

 Ilorvath. This discovery, hitherto attributed to Cohnheim, is 

 here assigned to Dutrochet, win, so far back as 1824, accu- 

 rately described the migration of the sanguine globules and 

 their passage into the organic tissues. — Note on the biological 

 evolution of the genus Aphis, and of the allied genera in the 

 family of the Aphidse, by M. Lichtenstein. — On the discovery 

 of the impression of an insect in the Silurian sandstones of 

 Jurques, Calvados, by M. Ch. Brougniart. The traces are 

 described of the wing of a blattina, to which the author gives 

 the name of Pakeoblattim douvillei, in honour of M. Douville of 

 the Paris School ol Mines. — On a crystalliferous vitreous mass 

 resembling obsidian, and evidently derived by igneous action 

 from the schistose rocks of the Commentry coal-measures, by 

 M. Stanislas Meunier. 



Stockholm 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, December 10, 1884. — Prof. 

 Edlund communicated some observations made during the last 

 year? confirming his theory on the origin of the electricity of the 

 air, and also of the origin of the aurora borealis and of thunder- 

 storms. — Prof Nordenskjold presented a paper on kryokonite 

 from the inland ice of Greenland by himself. — Prof. Angstrom 

 gave an account of a report by E. D. Norrman, civil engineer, 

 concerning his observations on ship-building, &c. , during a Con- 

 tinental tour undertaken with a grant given by the Academy 

 from the funds of the Littcrstedt donations. — Dr. Widman 

 reported on his own researches on a new sort of indigo and on 

 some new derivations of chinolin produced by him from 

 kumminol. The Secretary, Prof. Lindhagen, presented the fol- 

 lowing papers : — On the passage of the light through isotropical 

 substances, by Prof. Rubenson. — A method to separate chlorine 

 and bromine quantitatively, by Dr. E. Berglund. — On Vortmann's 

 method to determinate chlorine directly, and also the presence of 

 bromine, by the same. — On the intermediate orbit of the cimet 

 of Faye in the vicinity of Jupiter in the year 1841, by Dr. 

 Alexander Shdanow of Pulkowa. 



CONTENTS Page 



Science and Surgery 213 



De Bary's " Vegetative Organs of the Phanerogams 



and Ferns " 213 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Groth's " Solar System " 215 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Apospory in Ferns. — W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 



C.M.G., F.R.S 216 



Frost Formation on Dartmoor. — F. Pollock and C. 



C. Collier 216 



Krukenberg's Chromatological Speculations. — C. A. 



MacMunn 217 



Our Future Clocks and Watches.— H. H. Clayton 217 

 Mode of Reckoning Time amongst various Peoples 217 



The Late John Lawrence Smith 220 



The North Afghan Border Tribes. By Prof. A. H. 



Keane. (Illustrated) 220 



Anthropometric Per-Centiles. By Francis Galton, 



F.R.S 223 



Notes 225 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Total Solar Eclipse of 1914, August 20-21 . . . 228 1 



The Minor Planets 228 



The Brightness of Saturn 228 



Encke's Comet 228 



Geographical Notes 228 



Experiments suitable for Illustrating Elementary 

 Instruction in Chemistry. By Profs. Sir H. E. 



Roscoe and W. J. Russell 229 



Characteristics of the North American Flora. By 



Prof. Ass Gray 232 



Societies and Academies 235 





