June 26, 1884] 



NA TORE 



209 



spring and turns with it ; the pointer P fixed on the frame of the 

 instrument points to an indication of the weight on a spiral line 

 drawn on the cylinder D. This second arrangement allows of 

 the employment of springs whose ends have a relative motion of 

 five or six revolutions. 



The authors also brought before the Royal Society a model 

 -.howing a combination of bifilar and spiral spring suspension, 

 in which great rotation and small axial lengthening or shortening 

 ire produced by an axial force. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Cambridge. — Mr. A. E. Shipley, of Christ's College, will 

 s;ive a repetition of the Elementary Biology course in the Mor- 

 1 hological Laboratory during the Long Vacation, beginning 

 J uly 7. 



The workshops of Mechanism will be open during the Long 



acation. 



The Observatory Syndicate report 2305 observations of R.A. 

 md N.P.D.in 1SS3-84, including 1579 observations of zone-stars 

 made on loo nights. The observations of standard stars are 

 reduced to about the end of 1883. The zone-stars are com- 

 pletely reduced to end of 1SS1, the mean R.A. and N.P.D. to 

 end of 1877. 



It appears that the new expenditure entered into for professors, 

 1 eaders, University lecturers and demonstrators, and for appar- 

 atus and buildings, already exceeds the annual receipts from the 

 colleges under the recent Act. Thus there is little chance at 

 present of the appointment of the numerous readers contemplated 

 by the University Commissioners. 



The placing of a new story over the Mineralogical Museum 

 1 ' ir a laboratory of Elementary Biology has been sanctioned, 

 fhe recommendations regarding a lecture-room and additions to 

 !ie Physiological Laboratory are in abeyance. 



The Botanic Garden Syndicate reports that during the past 

 ■ear the houses have been improved in many details. The 

 Bromeliaceee are now represented by fifty species. A new fern 

 pit for filmy ferns is well stocked. The collection of Irises has 

 1 een greatly improved, largely by Prof. Michael Foster's 

 generous contribution, making it probably the finest in any 

 botanic garden. The liberality of Mr. Ban- has contributed a 

 very fine collection of daffodils, and one of Funkias, not sur- 

 passed anywhere. Numerous plants of scientific interest have 

 llowered in the Gardens and been figured. Col. T. Clarke has 

 contributed a set of important Croci ; Messrs. Low of Clapton 

 1 fine set of orchids. 



The local lectures in provincial centres continue to gain 

 iarge audiences, many courses of lectures on physical science 

 and biology being given. Great difficulty, however, is felt in 

 establishing sufficiently continuous courses of lectures in suc- 

 cessive years, so as to give complete schemes of study. 



The Cavendish and the Chemical Laboratories will be open 

 luring July and August. 



Prof. Macalister will hold a class in Osteology during the Long 

 Vacation. The Demonstrator will take a class in Practical 

 Histology. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The Journal of Botany for May contains several articles of 

 interest to cryptogamists : — Mr. W. B. Grove describes a num- 

 ber of fungi, some of them but little known or new ; and the 

 paper is illustrated by two plates. — Mr. S. Le M. Moore has 

 paid special attention to the small class of endophytic algse, and 

 gives some interesting particulars regarding the structure and 

 reproduction especially of Chlorockytrium Lemme and Scotino- 

 sphcera paradoxa. — Dr. Hance describes, under the name 

 Piilopteris, a new genus of polypodiaceous ferns ; and Mr. J. 

 G. Baker several new species of ferns in the collection of M. 

 Humblot from Madagascar. — Among the minor notes evidence 

 i:> given that Centaurea Jacea, L., must be regarded as a true 

 British species. 



In the number for June the only original article of importance 

 is an exhaustive monograph by Mr. F. Townsend, of the variable 

 species Euphrasia officinalis. He classifies the various forms 

 under eight groups, only three of which are found in the British 

 Islands. — A large portion of this number is occupied by the 

 completion of the annual list (continued from the previous num- 

 ber) of new flowering plants published in periodicals in Britain 

 luring 1883. The length of this list affords evidence that the 



study of descriptive and systematic botany is not altogether 

 neglected in this country. 



Rcndiconti del R. Istituto Lombardo, May 15. — Biographical 

 notice of Giovanni Polli, with a list of his scientific productions, 

 by Prof. Gaetano Strambio. — Influence of Virgil on the style of 

 Dante, Petrarch,' Metastasio, and Parini, by E. Giulio Carcano. 

 — On the present condition of agricultural interests in Europe 

 and North America, by Prof. Gaetano Cantoni. — On surfaces of 

 the third order, by Prof. E. Bertini. — Experimental studies on 

 the cure and prevention of tuberculosis, by Prof. G. Sormani. 



fourtial de Physique, April. — E. Blavier, study of earth-cur- 

 rents. In France these currents generally flow from north-west 

 to south-west, and inversely ; but often their direction changes 

 and they go from north to south, north-east to south-west, east 

 to west, or inversely. It is still impossible to give a general law, 

 — E. Mascart, on the reciprocal action of two electrified spheres, 

 shows that if the distance between centres is triple the diameter 

 the law of Coulomb is correct to 2 per cent. — M. Brilloin, dura- 

 tion of swing of a magnetic system with its index. — M. Izarn, 

 electro-dynamic and electro-magnetic experiments. An astatic 

 float based upon that of Ampere is used to demonstrate the law 

 of repulsion of consecutive elements of the current. The appa- 

 ratus does not disprove Maxwell's view, however. — M. Buguet, 

 action of two consecutive portions of one current. 



May. — E. Mercadier, on the laws of transverse vibrations of 

 elastic rods. From experiments on rods of steel and iron held 

 at two points it appears that the number of vibrations is propor- 

 tional to the thickness in the direction of the displacement, 

 inversely proportional to the square of the length, and inde- 

 pendent of the breadth. — P. Garbe, on Joule's law. Experi- 

 ments made with an incandescent lamp placed in a calorimeter. 

 — M. Marey, analysis of movements of photography. Gives a 

 diagram of movements of a man running. — E. Mafhieu, figures 

 of liquid drops at the moment when they are about to detach 

 themselves from a capillary tube fastened to the bottom of a vase. 

 — M. Neyreneuf, on the transmission of sound. 



Bulletin de V Academic R. de Belgique, April 5. — Investiga- 

 tions on the spectra of the comets and on the luminous spectra 

 of the hydrocarbonic gases, by Nicolas von Konkoly. — On the 

 presence of the Biscay whale (Nordcaper) on the coasts of Nor- 

 way in ancient and modern times, by G. A. Guldberg. — On the 

 influence of temperature on the bands of the spectrum, by Ch. 

 Fievez.— On the sand-heaps and sandstone boulders scattered 

 over the Upper Devonian hills in the Sambre and Meuse dis- 

 tricts, by Michel Mourlon. — On the influence of the atmospheric 

 conditions on the appearance of certain colours in the scintilla- 

 tion of the stars ; application of these observations to the pre- 

 diction of changes of weather, by Ch. Montigny. — Spermato- 

 genesis in A scan's mcga/occphala, by Edouard Van Beneden. — 

 On the advanced state of vegetation in Belgium in the month of 

 March, 1SS4, by G. Dewalque. — Remarks on the cause of meta- 

 morphism in the rocks of the Recogne district, Luxemburg, by 

 Jules Gosselet. — On the existence of a fourth species (Balano- 

 ptcra borealis) of the genus Balamoptera in the North European 

 waters, by G. A. Guldberg. 



Journal 0/ the Russian Chemical and Physical Society, vol. 

 xvi. fasc. 3. — On the formation of amides of ammoniacal salts, 

 by X. Menschutkin. The speed of amidation of the investigated 

 acids increases with the imrease of temperature, and the influ- 

 ence of temperature could be represented by similar curves for 

 the different acids. The velocity of amidation depends also 

 on the molecular weight, that of formic acid going on at a 

 greater speed than those of acids which have higher molecular 

 weights. Even with the aromatic acids the speed of amidation 

 depends on the isomeric form of the acid. The results as to the 

 dependency on isomerism and molecular weight are identical with 

 those arrived at with regard to the compound ethers. — On the 

 hydrates of the chloride of cobalt, and on the cause of the 

 changes of colour of its dissolution, by A. Potilitzin. — On the 

 action of the haloid salts of aluminium on the saturated hydro- 

 carbons, by G. Gustavson. Organic bodies undergo great 

 modifications when they enter into reactions with these salts, 

 even when they enter into unstable temporary combination- ; 

 they acquire the capacity of entering into several new reaction-.. 

 and undergo deep modifications even without being heated. The 

 experiments might throw a new light on the part played by 

 mineral salts in organisms, the component parts of which maybe 

 thus submitted to changes that are favourable for life. — On a new 

 salt of rhodium, by Th. Wilm.— Note on M. Kanonnikoff's 

 memoir on the refracting power of organic substances, by F. 



