524 



NA JURE 



[April 2, 1885 



atratulum, Reitt. ; and specimens of an Indian Cassida in which 

 the colours were preserved. Dr. Sharp remarked on the 1 olour- 

 ing matter of the Cassidids. Mr. Fowler likewise exhibited a 

 microscopical movable stage, suited to entomological purposes. — 

 Mr. W. F. Kirby exhibited a variety of Spilosoma lubriupeda, 

 Esp., which had been found in the British Museum (Natural 

 History), South Kensington. — Mr. A. G. Butler communicated 

 a few observations touching M. De Nice'ville's recent suggestions 

 on seasonal dimorphism in the Lepidoptera, which gave rise to 

 some discussion. — Dr. D. Sharp remarked on the recent dis- 

 covery of two different forms of spermatozoa in Hdops striates, 

 Fonsc. — Papers read : — A monograph of British Braconida, 

 Part I, by the Rev. T. A. Marshall. — Descriptions of new 

 species of Languriidae, by the Rev. W. W. Fowler. — On the 

 discovery of a species of the Neuropterous family, Nemopterida, 

 in South America, with general considerations regarding the 

 family, by Mr. R. McLachlan. 



Mineralogical Society, March 10. — The Rev. Prof. Bonney. 

 D.Sc, F.R.S., President, in the chair. — Messrs. James Currie, 

 Alfred Harker, and M. Alfred Lacroix were elected members. — 

 The Secretary read a paper by M. H. Sjogren (communicated 

 by Dr. Hugo Miiller) on the crystalline character of graphite. — 

 Mr. W. Semmons read a paper on a new discovery of connelite. 

 — The balance sheet of the Society for the year 1884, which will 

 be issued with the next part of the Journal, showed the Society's 

 financial position to be satisfactory. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, March 24. — Sir Frederick 

 J. Bramwell, F.R.S., President, in the chair. — The paper read 

 was on the electrical regulation of the speed of steam-engines 

 and of other motors for driving dynamos, by Mr. P. W. 

 Willans. 



Edinburgh 



Royal Physical Society, March 18. — Mr. B. N. Peach, 

 F.R S.E., F.G.S., President, in the chair.— The following 

 communications were read : — On certain peat and tarn deposits 

 in the North of England, by Mr. Hugh Miller, F.G. S., 

 Assoc.R.S.M.— Mr. Robert Kidston, F.G.S., described three 

 new species of Fossil Lycopods from the carboniferous forma- 

 tion : Sigillaria M'Murtrie, from Redstock ; Sigiltaria C«riacea, 

 from the Newcastle coalfield ; and Lpidodendron rcachii, f om 

 Falkirk. — On the chemical composition of some samples of 

 Scotch ensilage, by Mr. W. Ivison Macadam, F.C.S., F. Inst. 

 Chem. — Specimens and sections of caseous tumours, found in 

 the muscles of a hake, were described and exhibited by G. Sims 

 Woodhead, M.D., F.R.C.P.E., who had received them from 

 Dr. R. H. Traquair, F. R.S. These caseous masses were com 

 posed of broken-down muscular fibre, which appeared to have 

 undergone a peculiar waxy or vitreous degeneration. Surround- 

 ing these was an area of young cellular tissue, with a consider- 

 able number of blood-vessels, and around this cellular area the 

 muscles were undergoing the same peculiar waxy change. No 

 parasite could be found, and it was suggested that the change 

 might be due to violent muscular action. Dr. Woodhead also 

 showed specimens of the liver of a fowl, in which were numerous 

 caseous nodules. In these bacilli were found in very consider- 

 able numbers, giving the same reactions as Tubercle and Lepra 

 bacilli. Mr. Owen Williams, M R.C.V.S., in the discussion 

 which ensued, mentioned that tuberculosis was often found in 

 highly-bred fowls, and in rabbits. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, March 23. — M. Bouley, President, 

 in the chair. — Remarks on the map of France issued by the 

 Depot de la Guerre to the scale of 1 : 200,000, with specimen 

 sheets of a new map of France to the scale of 1 : 50,000 by 

 Col. F. Perrier. Of the War Office map, the six first sheets, 

 embracing the districts of Metz, Nancy, Vesoul, Troyes, 1 >ijon, 

 and Chalons-sur-Marne, are finished. The whole, comprising 

 eighty sheets, 0*6401. by o'4om , is to be completed within the 

 year 1889, and will form a superb specimen of modern carto- 

 graphy. — Experimental researches on the electric excitability of 

 the brain, properly so-called, by M. Vulpian. The author's 

 experiments on the dog, cat, monkey, and other animals, lead 

 him to infer that the arguments hitherto used to prove the excit- 

 ability of the grey cortical substance at certain determined 

 points are groundless, and fail altogether to support the hypo- 

 thesis of local cerebral functions. — Remarks in reply to some 

 criticisms of M. Friedel on the existence of the hydrate 

 of chloral in the state of vapour, by M. L. Troost. — 



A comparative study of vessels from the standpoint of the pro- 

 pelling force, by M. A. Ledieu. — A simple demonstration of 

 Lambert's theorem on the mutual action of the sun, the earth, 

 and of a celestial body observed from the latter, by M. E. 

 Vicaire. — On the integers of total differentials, by M. E. Picard. 

 — Description of an electric pile acting with a single bichromate 

 fluid, and presenting special conditions of Constance, by M. 

 Mascart. — Chemical and physiological effect of light on chloro- 

 phyll, by M. C. Timiriazeff. — Relations between the ultra violet 

 spectrum of the vapour of water and the telluric bands A, B, a 

 of the solar spectrum, by M. H. Deslandres. — On the prepara- 

 tion of ammoniac gas, by M. Isambert. — On a monochloruretted 

 and monobromuretted isomerous camphor, by M. P. Cazeneuve. 

 — On the di-ethylamido-a-butyric acid, by M. E. Duvillier. — 

 On the existence of three ganglia in the auditory nerve of man, 

 forming a zone of cellules analogous to one of those found in 

 the retina, by M. E. Verrier. — On a new type of Cordaitese 

 largely represented in fossil vegetation, by MM. B. Renault 

 and R. Zeiller. — A contribution to the study of the Eocene ferns 

 in the West of France, by M. L. Crie. — On the upheaval of the 

 Cote-d'Or range, by M. J. Martin. Contrary to the generally- 

 received opinion, which assigns this range to a period inter- 

 mediate between the Jurassic and Cretaceous, the author argues 

 that it is in reality posterior to the latter. — Supplementary 

 remarks on the gigantic turtles of Madagascar, by M. L. Vail- 

 lant. From the remains found by M. Grandidier at Etsere and 

 Ambulitsate the author determines two distinct species, which 

 he names 7'estudo Grandidieri and Testudo abrupta. — On the 

 production of a new crystallised phosphate of magnesium and 

 the corresponding arsenate, by M. A. de Schulten —Descrip- 

 tion of the cylindrograph, a new photographic apparatus which, 

 by a simple rotation of the objective, enables the surveyor to 

 obtain views of the landscape embracing an angle of about 170°, 

 by M. Moessard. 



CONTENTS Page 



Th2 Meteorology of the Atlantic 501 



Muir's " Principles of Chemistry '' 502 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Meyer's " Eine Weltreise" 5 02 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Molecular Dynamics. — Prof. Geo. Fras. Fitzgerald 503 

 Civilisation and Eyesight. — Surgeon H. B. Guppy 503 

 Mr. Lowne on the Morphology of Insects' Eyes. — 



Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S 504 



On the Terminology of the Mathematical Theory of 

 Elasticity. — Prof. Alex. B. W. Kennedy. {Illus- 

 trated) 504 



The Colours of Arctic Animals. — R. Meldola . . . 505 

 An Error in Ganot's Physics. — E. Douglas Archi- 

 bald 505 



Exceptional Whiteness in Tropical Man. — Lieut. - 



Col. A. T. Fraser 505 



Far-sightedness. — Dr. Emil Metzger 506 



Krakatoa. — Henry Cecil 506 



The Recent Aurora. — Willoughby Smith .... 506 

 The Cosmogonic Theory of M. Faye. By Dr. G. H. 



Darwin, F.R.S 506 



Sir William Thomson on Molecular Dynamics, II. 



By Prof. George Forbes ... • 508 



City and Guilds of London Institute 510 



The Peabody Museum at New Haven, U.S. (Illus- 

 trated) 510 



Notes 512 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



A Star with Large Proper Motion 515 



Wolf's Comet 5'5 



The April Meteors 515 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1885, 



April 5-1 1 5'5 



Geograptiical Notes 516 



A New Arrangement of the Apparatus of the Rotat- 

 ing Mirror for Measuring the Velocity of Light. 



By M. C. Wolf 517 



Accidental Explosions Produced by non-Explosive 

 Liquids, III. By Sir Frederick Abel, C.B., F.R.S. 518 



Dr. Klein on Cholera 521 



Scientific Serials 521 



Societies and Academies 522 



