456 



NATURE 



\Sept. 8, 1 88 1 



States, 360 institutions of a collegiate grade ; these colleges and 

 ■universities receive their charters from the Legislature of their 

 several States, these charters giving them the unlimited right to 

 confer degrees. The president of the college near Cincinnati 

 told one of the speakers, with a face shining with pride, that his 

 college gave seventeen different degrees. One of these was 

 M.P., which in interpretation meant, not Member of Parliament, 

 but Master of Penmanship. It would seem, moreover, that even 

 the degree of S.D. (equivalent, we believe, to our D.Sc.) has 

 actually been granted by some of these American institutions 

 honoris causa. We trust that the action of the American Asso- 

 ciation %\ill have some influence with the peccant colleges ; it 

 will, at any rate, put people on their guard against American 

 Ph.D.'s and S.D.'s, as well as D.D.'s. 



In the Revue Scicntifiquc of September 3, Mr. G. Delaunay 

 has a paper on the " Equality and InequaUty of the Two Sexes," 

 in which he endeavours to show that except in some of the 

 lowest forms of animal life, and in the lowest stages of human 

 society, the inferiority of the female sex to the male is unmis- 

 takable in all respects — that physically, mentally, and morally, 

 woman is the inferior of man. 



A HUGE mass of rock and earth fell the other day from a 

 mountain side at Somnix in the Grisons, blocked up the course 

 of the Tobel, an affluent of the Rhine, and converted the valley 

 into a lake. The village of Surrheim, hard by, is in great 

 danger. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Malbrouck Monkeys {Cercopithecus cyiio- 

 surus) from West Africa, presented by Mr. H. P. Sherlock ; a 

 Central American Agouti {Dasyprocta isthmica) from Central 

 America, presented by Mr. J. E. Sharp ; two Spotted Cavys 

 {Calogenys paca) from South America, presented by Dr. Portella • 

 a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus) from India, presented 

 by Mr. James W. Duncan ; two Domestic Pigeons (Columha 

 anas, var.) from Arabia, presented by Mr. Reginald Zohrab ; 

 three Common Chama:leons (Chameleon vulgaris) from North 

 Africa, presented by Mr, Alfred R. Rogers; two Greater 

 Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galeritd) from Australia, 

 deposited ; a Black-headed Caique (Caica 7?ie!anocephala) from 

 Demerara, piu-chased. The additions to the Insectarium for the 

 past week include A/tacus permyi, second brood of larvre 

 hatched ; also Attacus cynthia, imago second brood, and the 

 Death's-Head Moth (Aeherontia atropos) larva, presented by 

 Master Kingchurch ; second brood of Ant Lions (Myrmeleons), 

 and a brood of the Edible Snail {Helix potnatia) from specimens 

 presented by Lord A. Russell, F.Z.S., in April last. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, August 29. — M. Decaisne in the 

 chair. — M. Faye presented the first volume of his " Cours 

 d'Astronomie de I'Ecole Poly technique," treating of the diurnal 

 motion, the theory of insti'uments and errors, organisation of 

 great observatories, mathematics and geodesy. The second 

 volume will be devoted to the solar system. — Dioptric studies, 

 by M. Zenger. lie constnicts tables \\hich give, in algebraic 

 form, the relation between the radii of curvature and refractive 

 indices of two media forming the objective of a microscope or 

 telescope. Any one may make his oxvn telescope or microscope, 

 without calculation, taking a lens of quartz or crown glass, and 

 a mixture of aromatic substances giving it a dispersion twice as 

 great, or equal for all spectral rays. The lens being coiTCCted, 

 it is combined with one or two other symmetrical lenses, accord- 

 ing to the well-known process for getting an aplanetic and 

 achromatic doublet or triplet. — MM. Tresca and Breguet were 

 requested to represent the Academy at the inauguration of the 

 monument to Frederic Sauvage in Boulogne on the I2tli 

 inst. — On a very old application of the screw as an organ of 

 propulsion, by M. Govi. This was by Leonardo da Vinci, 



about the end of the fifteenth century. In one of his works is a 

 sketch of a device for rising in the air, consisting of a helix 

 formed of wire and cloth to be rotated about a vertical axis. 

 He seems to have made small paper models actuated by thin 

 slips of steel, twisted, then left to themselves. Another sketch 

 shows that Leonardo da Vinci conceived the idea of the para- 

 chute. — On some new cases of equipotential figures, realised 

 electro-chemically, by M. Guebhard. — On the absorption of 

 ultra-violet rays by some media, by M. de Chardonnet. Two 

 methods are described. The liquids which circulate in plants 

 or impregnate roots and fruits show a great avidity for chemical 

 rays. Fluorescence does not appear to be in direct ratio to the 

 intensity of actinic absorption ; thus, e.g. the decoction of radish 

 is a less powerful absorbent than tliat of potatoes ; yet the 

 former is fluorescent, the latter not. White wine is weakly 

 fluorescent, red wine lacks the properly. The few animal 

 substances studied gave veiy varied results. While blood, even 

 vei7 dilute, is a strong absorbent, the (fresh) aqueous humour 

 of a calf's eye and the albumen of hen's eggs have no action on 

 the chemical rays (at least up to 20 mm. thickness). Distilled 

 water, alcohol, sulphuric ether, normal collodion, and solution 

 of cane-sugar are also without action. Gelatine appropriates 

 readily all the actinic rays. An object-glass of Uallmeyer 

 projected an invisible spectrum 25 to 40 per cent, longer than 

 one of Darlot, of Paris, of equal focus. — Figures produced 

 by fall of a drop of water holding minium in suspension, by 

 M. Decharme. Minium, in fine powder, is mixed with water 

 and spread uniformly on a horizontal glass plate ; then a drop 

 of the mixture is let fall on this layer. Figures resembling those 

 of the three systems Caladni observed on vibrating plates are 

 produced ; the three types usually coexist, but one or other may 

 be made to predominate at \\ ill. — On the composition of buck- 

 wheat, by M. Lechartier. Marked differences appear between 

 the crops of 1S79 and of 1880. Thus the ashes of the straw in 

 1880 had twice as much pot.ash as in 1879, and phosphoric acid was 

 still more increased ; and there was also more chlorine. The com- 

 position of the grain is little modified. The straw may contain 

 more of mineral matter than the grain. Buck-wheat removes 

 more of the fertilising principles from the soil than corn. — On 

 hydrosulphurous acid ; reply to M. Schutzenberger's note, by M. 

 Bernthsen. — On the dissolution of silver in presence of alkahne 

 iodides, by M. Ditte. — On the constitution of glyceric ether, and 

 on the transformation of epichlorhydrine into normal propylic 

 alcohol, by M. Silva. — On pyruvic alcohol and its derivatives, 

 by M. Henry. — Action of triethylamine on epichlorhydrine ; 

 compounds of oxallylti-iethylammonium, by M. Reboul, — Bio- 

 logical evolution of the pucerons of the alder tree, by M. Licht- 

 enstein. — Observations on a new enunciation of the second law 

 of Gay-Lussac concerning combinations of gas, by M. Garcia de 

 la Cruz. He indicates some of the numerous exceptions to M. 

 Verschaffel's proposition: "The space occupied by a gaseous 

 compound is always double the space occupied by that one of the 

 components which enters with less volume into the combination." 

 This law he regards as less general than the la\\-s of conu-action 

 long accepted. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Stuuent's Darwin. By George J. Romanes, F.R.S. ... 429 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Tebbutt's Comet— Origination of its Proper Light.— Prof. PiAZZI 



Smyth . . . . Ai-^ 



Schaberle's Comet.— J. Rand Capron ( IVit/i Diagrnms) ... 430 

 Comet /> iSSi.— J. Rand Capkon : George M. Seabroke ... 431 



A Pink Rainbow.— A. M 43' 



The Glacial Period.— Dr. A. WoElKOF 43= 



The British Association .•■.,■,'•, V.' ^^^ 



Section A— Mathematical and Physical— Openmg Address by Sir 

 William Thomson, F.R.S . Professor of Natural Philosophy in 

 the University of Glasgow, President of the Section . . . . . 433 



Section D-Bioloey— Department of Anthropology— Opening Ad- 

 dress by Prof. W. H. Flower, LLD.. F.R.S., Pres. Z.S., V.P. 

 Anthrop. Inst , &c., Chairman of the Department ... ... 43' 



Department of Anatomy and Physiology— Opening Address by J. 

 Burdon-Sanderson. M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., Professor of Physio- 

 logy in University College, London, Vice-President of the 



Section ^^^ 



Section F— Geography— Opening Address by Sir Joseph D. Hooker, 



C.B., K.C.S.i., F.R.S., &c, President of the Section . . . . 443 

 Section G— Mechanical Science— Opening Address by Sir \V . 

 Armstiong, C.B., D.C.L.. LL.D.. F.R.S., President of the 



Section 't'tS 



The Rise and Progress of Pai..eontologv. By Prof. T, H. 



Hi'XLEV, Sec. R.S 152 



Notes 455 



Societies and Academies 45" 



