208 



NATURE 



June 30, 1 88 1 



Prof. Mcleod said that he had produced the same result by sur- 

 rounding the zinc plate with a cage of copper wire connected to 

 the copper plate. Copper deposited on the cage and the cell 

 was in constant use. Dr. Lodge said that arrangement would 

 not however serve as a standard of electromotive force, because 

 all the copper plate should be in the copper solution. In his cell 

 the copper and solution are both in a test tube immersed in the 

 zinc solution, and diffusion has to take place up this test-tube 

 and down the cell so as to enter a second tute, open at the 

 bottom, in which the zinc is placed. — Dr. Guthrie showed a new 

 experiment to the effect that when a magnet is suspended over a 

 disk of copper and the disk is rotated the magnet is repelled 

 upwards. The experiment was shown by suspending a horse- 

 shoe magnet from one end of a scale beam, counterweighted. As 

 a possible explanation he .suggested that the vertically-resolved 

 force of the induction-current before the magnet might be 

 greater than that behind the magnet. — The Secretary read 

 a paper by Prof. Balfour Stewart and Mr. W. Strode, 

 on results obtained by a modification of Bunsen's calori- 

 meter described to the Society in January last year. With 

 a new instrument made by Casella they have determined the 

 mean specific heat of iron to be o'liiS, and that of sulphur 

 o'i756, the true values being given as o"ii3S and o"l776. The 

 advantage of the method is its simplicity, and tbe fact that very 

 small quantities of the substance may be u-ed. — Dr. Lodge then 

 explained experiments by Mr. Sutherland, showing that a Daniell 

 cell keeps its E.M.F. very constant when heated, because the 

 thermo-electric effect at the junction of the zinc with the solution 

 is balanced by that at the junction of the copper with the solu- 

 tion. After remarks by Dr. Moser and Prof. Perry, the Society 

 separated until November next. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, June 20. — M. Wurtz in the chair. — 

 The following papers were read : — Observations on the simul- 

 taneous reduction of two bilinear forms, by M. Jordan. — On the 

 preparation of aldol, by M. Wurtz. — Fresh discovery of native 

 sulphur in the soil of Paris, by M. Daubree. This occurred 

 during the laying of drains in the rue Meslay. The case seems 

 vei-y similar to that previously recorded. — On a new thermo- 

 graph, by M. Mercadier. The instrument consists of a cylin- 

 drical brass reservoir prolonged into a capdiary tube of red 

 copper, which opens into a Bourdon tube. The whole is filled 

 with oil, and closed. The dilatation or contraction of the oil 

 with varying temperature aflects the curvature of the Bourdon 

 tube, and thereby a recording lever. Two such instruments may 

 be used simultaneously to give the curves for a deep and a 

 peripheric part of the body. It is pi'oved that in vaso-motor 

 disorders the animal temperature undergoes variations in opposite 

 directions in the central and peripheric parts. Inanition cools 

 both the centre and periphery, while certain maladies seem to 

 increase the production of heat, for they heat both parts. — On 

 M. Roudaire's project of the interior sea ; reply to M. Cossou, 

 by M. de Lesseps. — On osseous grafts, by M. Oilier. He calls 

 attention to Mr. MacEwen's success (in Glasgow) in recon- 

 stituting a portion of the humeral diaphysis by means of 

 six cuneiform bony fragments taken from the tibias of young 

 children having rachitic incurvations. The osseous tissue 

 was transplanted complete. The antiseptic method was em- 

 ployed. (A note by Mr. MacEwen describes his mode of 

 procedure). — Microscopic phenomena of mupcular contraction ; 

 transversal striation of smooth fibres, by M. Rouget. It is 

 demonstrated that this striation (which occurs only in the state 

 of cimtraction) is due to the fibre when it contracts getting 

 folded on itself, and then presenting alternate projections and 

 depressions. The fibre-cells in polarised light are uniformly 

 bi-refringent in the smooth state, but in the state of contraction 

 they show in the darl; field an alternation of bright and dark 

 bands. It is shown from smooth fibres of the adductor- 

 muscle of .the valves in a cephalous molluscs killed by heat, that 

 a fihre which has lost all contractility may still acquire all the 

 peculiarities of structure and optical characters of striated fibres, 

 if any cause produce in it fine and regular folds. — On the thermal 

 laws of the excitative spark of condensers, by M. Villari. The 

 heat developed by this spark (which is that produced against the 

 exciter) is proportional to the quantity of electricity multiplied by 

 the electric thickness, or it is proportional to the quantity of elec- 

 tricity for the fall of potential. — On the heat of formation of oxy- 

 chloride of calcium, by M. Andre. — Action of protoxide of lead 

 on alkaline iodides, by M. Ditte. — On the ba--ic carbonates of 

 lime, by M. Raoult. The property of hardening in contact with 



water is observed in all basic carbonates obtained by heating 

 any lime, pure or not, in carbonic acid, and it is this that 

 chiefly characterises that class of compounds. — Influence of 

 concentration of hydrochloric acid on the dissolution of chloride 

 of silver, by MM. Ruyssen and Varenne. The decrease of 

 solubility as the acid is diluted is rapid and regular. The 

 insolubility seems approximately to be tripled as the titre of 

 the acid is halved. — Action of arsenic and phosphoric acids on 

 tungstates of soda, by M. Lefort. — Researches on tertiary mona- 

 mines ; action of heat on bromide of allyltriethylammonium, 

 by M. Reboul. — On the microzymas of chalk ; reply to MM. 

 Chamberland and Roux, by M. Bechamp. — Studies on the coal- 

 formation of Commentry ; its formation attributed to transport 

 in a deep lake, by M. Fayol. He here criticises adversely the 

 theory of primitive horizontality of the deposits with general 

 subsidences of the ground. The natural explanation is transport 

 without subsidence. Important industrial interests depend on 

 arriving at an exact theory of formation of coal strata. — M. 

 Daubree presented the first volume of Annals of the School of 

 Mines of Ouro-Preto, sent by the Emperor of Brazil in name of 

 M. Gorceix. This describes some of the mineral riches of 

 Brazil. — M. Tabourin communicated a project for the electric 

 light : he would place in the pedestal supporting the carbons a 

 small magneto-electric machine driven by the force of water in 

 pipes, or by compressed air, or by descent of a weight. 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, June 17. — L. T. Fitzinger 

 in the chair. — T. Exner, examinations into the localisation in the 

 cortex cerebri of man. — A. RoUett, on the action of salts and 

 sugar on the red-blood corpuscles. — L. Boltzmann, contributions 

 to the theory of viscosity of gases. — On some theorems relating 

 to heat-equilibrium, by the same. — Ign. Klemencic, on the 

 deadening vibrations of solid bodies in liquids. — Dr. K. Friesach, 

 on the transits of Mercury and Venus in 1881 and 1882. — G. 

 Haberlandt, on the collateral vessels in the leaves of ferns. — T. 

 Herzig, contributions to the knowledge of trigenic acid. — A note 

 on cyanuric biuret, by the same. — H. Fiirth, on berberonic acid 

 and the products of its decomposition. — G. Goldschmidt, on 

 some new aromatic hydrocarbons. — C. Senhofer, on the direct 

 action of carboxyl groups on phenols and aromatic acids. — C. 

 Senhofer and F. Salay, on the action of hydroquinone on potas- 

 sium dicarbonate. — C. Brunner, on the action of tolu-hydro- 

 quinone on potassium dicarbonate. — T. Zehenter, on some 

 derivates of o-dio.xybenzoic acid. — D. T. Woldrich, second 

 report on the diluvial fauna of Zuzlawitz near Winterberg 

 (Bohemia). — T. Pernter, on the daily and yearly course of atmo- 

 spheric pressure on mountain-summits and in Alpine valleys. 



CONTENTS Page 



Illusions By George J, Romanes, F.R.S 185 



OOK Book Shelf :— 



Hutton's " Studies in Biology for New Zealand Students ... 188 



Gregg's " Text-Book of Indian Botany " 188 



Letters to the liolTOR ; — 



A^cW. I. Bishop.— Dr. William B. Carpenter, F.R.S. ... 188 



American Meteorological Observations.— W. B. Hazen .... 189 



A Meteor.— Major G. L. Tupman ; A 189 



Earthquake in Van.— Capt. Emilius Clayton 189 



Freshwater Actinea^.—Capt. W. Sedgwick 189 



The Observation of Hailstorms.— J. A. B. Oliver 189 



How to Prevent Drowning.— W. Mattieu Williams .... 190 



Buoyancy of Bodies in Water.— Dr. John Rae, F.R.S 191 



An Optical Illusion.- Clakence M. Boutelle I'J" 



Resonance of the Moulh-Cavity.— John Naylor 191 



!-^ American Cretaceous Flora.— Prof.fJ. S. Newberry 191 



George Rolleston, M.D.. F.R.S "92 



The Zoological Society's Insectarium „ " '^^ 



Dr. Bessels' Account op the "Polaris" Expedition. By 



H. N. MosELEV, F.R.S. (/f'/M/Zfes/rrttfOTis) -'t, o ' ''^ 



The Comet By R. S. Newall; Dr. William Huggins, F.K.b. ; 

 W. H M Chkistie, F.R.S. ; Rev. S. J. Perry, F R.S ; 



E. J. Stone; George M. SEABROOKE(»K«M///»f/raft<»w) . . 197 



Notes ^°* 



Biological Notes: — 



Rhythmic Contraction of Voluntary Muscles =°= 



The Gorilla and the Chimpaniee ^"3 



Salivary Globules =°3 



Fish Mortality in the Gulf of Mexico =°3 



On the Nectar-Secreting Glands in Species of Melampyrum. . . 203 



Chkmical Notes '°3 



Geographical Notes / ' ' 'tj' r' r^ ^ 



Pror. Rowland's New Theory .of Magnetic Action. By J- J- 



Tho.mson ^°J 



Umiyersity and Educational Intklligbnce =°° 



Scientific Serials ^ 



Societies and Academies 



