June 12, 1884] 



NA TURE 



161 



ing the size or condition of the brain. — On muscular anomalies 

 of the diaphragm ; suggestions for a planispheric representation 

 of the cerebral convolutions, by M. Duval. — On the disappear- 

 ance of the more fitting in the struggle for existence, by M. 

 I felauny. The author endeavours to show that superior as well 

 as inferior species have disappeared, leaving only the interme- 

 diate species; the inferior having succumbed to the superior, 

 while the latter have become extinct through sterility. — On the 

 dog of the Tertiary period in Europe, by M. Zalorowski. — On 

 the value of the information to be deduced from ancient Egyptian 

 paintings by the naturalist, ethnographist, and historian, by M. 

 Pietrement. — On a supernumerary nipple with mammary glands 

 in a young woman, by Dr. Testut. — On the origin of right- 

 handedness in man, by Mme. Clemence Royer. — On the sym- 

 metrical character in anomalies in man, and on the influence 

 attributable to atavism in such anomalies, by M. Verrier. — On 

 the geographic distribution of the Opatas, 1'imas, &c, with an 

 ethnographic chart of the Basin of the Rio Grande de Santiago, 

 by M. E. T. flamy. 



Bulletin de la Societe des Naturalistes de Moscou, 1SS3, 

 No. 3. — History of the hypothesis of the cosmical waves proposed 

 for explaining the forms of the comets, by Prof. Bredichin (with 

 two plates), being a discussion of M. Schwedoffs hypothesis on 

 this subject ; and on some apparent anomalies in the structure of 

 the tails of the comets, by the same (both in French). Prof. 

 Bredichin arrives at the conclusion that, more than ever, he is 

 right in affirming that the theory of repulsive forces is enabled 

 to explain and to predict by means of calculus, not only the 

 whole of the phenomena afforded by the comets and their leading 

 features, but also the slightest details of their structure. — A reply 

 of Dr. Morawitz to General Radoszkowsky's critics with regard 

 to the Russian species of Bombus (in German). — On the Pecten 

 exc'sus and pyiidatus ; note by M. Ant. deGregorio (in French). 

 — Monopetal plants of Dr. Radde, being a continuation, in 

 German, of Dr. Fred, von Herder's capital description of these 

 plants — Materials to the fauna of Russian Hemiptera, by W. 

 Vakovleff; three new Russian species of O lontarsus and one 

 Emblethis tenillus from Northern Persia are described (in 

 Russian). — On the beans of Abrus precatorius compared with 

 seeds of other Papilionaceas, by Col. Tichomirow (in German), 

 with two plates. — On the remains of Edestus and other fishes from 

 the Lower Carboniferous of Moscow, by Prof. II. Trautschold 

 (in German) ; the new species Cymalodus reclinatus, Pcecilodus 

 undatus, and the new genus Eucanthus margaritatus, are 

 described. — On the chief problem of higher geodesy, by Th. 

 Sloudsky (with a plate) ; a mathematical discussion (in French) 

 of the best means for determining the figure of the earth. — 

 Letters from A. Regel from Central Asia. 



Atti del/a R. Accadtmia del Lincei, April 6. — Report on 

 Alfonso di Legge's memoir on the length of the solar diameter, 

 by S. Schiaparelli. — On the compressibility of fluids, and es- 

 pecially of water under temperatures varying from 0° to 99° C, 

 and under pressures of from 1 to 4 \ atmospheres, by Stefano 

 Pagliani and Giuseppe Vicentini.— On the symbolic meaning of 

 the Egyptian pyramids, by Dr. Ernesto Schiaparelli. — On the 

 theory and classification] of nomographics in a linear space 

 to any number of dimensions, by Dr. Corrado Segre. — On the 

 equilibrium of Hexible and rigid surfaces, part i., by Vito Volterra. 

 — Remarks on the observations of the solar spots and facules 

 made at the observatory of the Collegio Romano during the first 

 quarter of 1 S84, by Pietro Tacchini. — On some transformations 

 of orthonitroaniline and orthodiammine, by G. Koerner. — On 

 the action of phtalic anhydride on pyrolignite, by G. L. Ciamician 

 and M. Dennstedt. — On the molybdate of didymium, by Alfonso 

 Cossa. — On the geological constitution of the Maritime Alps, by 

 S. Capellini. — On some psychological difficulties which may be 

 explained by the idea of the infinite, by Francesco Bonatelli. — 

 Some fresh experiments with neurine, by Aliprando Moriggia. 



Rendiconti del R. Ltituto Lombardo, May 1. — Biographical 

 notice of Prof. Giovanni Polli, part i., by Prof. Gaetano Stram- 

 bio. — On a problem in mathematical analysis, by Prof. F. Brios- 

 chi. — Note on certain variations in the stem and blossom of 

 Gagea urvensis, Schult, by Silvio Calloni.— On the struggle for 

 existence between the Staphylinus olens, Mull., and the Lutn- 

 bricus agricola, Hofltn., by the same author. — The Court of 

 Cassation in connection with the question whether women should 

 be admitted to the legal profession, by Prof. E. Vidari.— Meteo- 

 rological observations made at the Brera Observatory, Milan, 

 during the month of April. 



Rivista Scientifico-Inditstriale, April 30. — On certain works 

 required to be carried out in the Island of Ischia, in order, if 

 possible, to prevent the disastrous consequences of future earth- 

 quakes, by Prof. Temistocle Zona. — Installation of the electric 

 light in the railway station of Porta Nuova at Turin. — Consider- 

 ations and suggestions regarding the adoption of earthenware 

 tubes in underground telegraphs, by the engineers R. Fabri and 

 G. A. Romano. — Obituary notice of Quintino !-ella, with a list 

 of his scientific writings, by Giuseppe Grattarola. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Royal Society, May 15. — "On the Influence of Coal-dust 

 in Colliery Explosions, No. V." By W. Galloway. Commu- 

 nicated by R. H. Scott, F.R.S. 



At the beginning of the first paper on this subject, which I 

 had the honour of reading before the Fellows of the Royal Society 

 now somewhat more than eight years ago (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. 

 xxiv. p. 354), I gave a short account of what appeared to me to 

 be a rational mode of explaining the occurrence of all great 

 explosions in dry and dusty collieries ; and since then I have had 

 opportunities of studying several remarkable instances of this 

 class of phenomena, with the result that I am now more than 

 ever satisfied with the correctness of the views which I then 

 expressed. It is true, as some subsequent writers, among whom 

 I may name Sir Frederick Abel, F. R. S., have observed, that 

 coal-dust had been previously recognised as a factor in colliery 

 explosions. I think I may safely claim, however, that no earlier 

 author had gone the length of crediting it with the role of prin- 

 cipal agent, and relegating fire-damp to a secondary position. 



It is also admitted, I believe, by every one familiar with the 

 subject, that my experiments with mixtures of coal-dust and air 

 containing a small proportion of fire-damp were original. Similar 

 experiments were subsequently made by members of the North 

 of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, by a 

 committee of the Chesterfield Institute of Engineers, by Prof. 

 Abel on behalf of the Home Office and the Royal Commission 

 on Accidents in Mines, and by others in this country, by MM. 

 Mallard and Le Chatelier for the Commission du Grisou in 

 France, and by others on the Continent, all of which led to the 

 same conclusion, namely, that air containing too small a propor- 

 tion of fire-damp to render it inflammable at ordinary pressure 

 and temperature becomes so when coal-dust is added to it. 

 Differences of opinion were expressed as to the actual proportion 

 of fire-damp, the comparative fineness of the coal-dust, and the 

 quality of the coal necessary to the attainment of this result, but 

 the general conclusion, in every case, was the one I have stated 

 above. 



In my first paper, already referred to, I had said : " If it 

 could be shown therefore, that a mixture of air and coal-dust is 

 inflammable at ordinary pressure and temperature, there could 

 be mi difficulty in accounting for the extent and violence of many 

 explosions which have occurred in mines in which no large accu- 

 mulations of fire-damp were known to exist," and, immediately 

 following these words, I gave what appears to me to be a new 

 hypothesis regarding the mode of occurrence of great collier)' 

 explosions. 



My reasons for thinking it necessary to show that a mixture of 

 air and coal-dust alone is inflammable were, first, that after some 

 great explosions it was found that the flame had passed through 

 very long galleries, containing presumably nothing but pure air, 

 and of course dry coal-dust in a state of greater or less purity ; 

 and secondly, it was impossible to account for certain other ex- 

 plosions, except on the supposition that they had been originated 

 by the firing of a shot in pure air in galleries containing dry 

 coal-dust as in the last case. To have proved that a mixture of 

 air, coal-dust, and fire-daYnp is inflammable did not appear to 

 me fully to meet the case, and it was for this reason that I made 

 further experiments with the help of a grant made to me by the 

 Lords of Committee of Council on Education at the recom- 

 mendation of this Society. The results have been described in 

 some of the former papers of this series. In making these ex- 

 periments, and in drawing certain conclusions from them, all 

 favourable to the hypothesis referred to, I was simply carrying 

 out the details of the work then begun, and nothing more. 



In former papers I referred to several great explosions which 

 had come under my own immediate observation. In particular 

 I had made a very careful and complete examination of Peny- 

 graig Colliery after the explosion there in December 1880 (Proc. 



