' 
a 
Fan. 5, 1882] ~ 
NATURE 
231 
of Taraxacum extract from the root of the Dandelion ( 7araxacum 
officinale) was received from Calcutta. To supply this demand, 
which was the first occasion on which Taraxacum extract was 
supplied from the Saharunpur Garden, the seeds were sown over 
about half an acre of land in August, and the roots were dug up 
during the month of March and thorcughly dried in the sun, 
after which they were reduced to fine powder, this powder was 
then put into water and allowed to stand one night. The mixture 
was strained through fine cloth, and the clear liquid was then 
heated in a water bath until it had acquired the proper consist- 
ency. During the heating process a certain quantity of rectified 
spirits of wine was added to the extract. The heating pro- 
cess being finished, the extract on becoming cvol was put into 
suitable jars and despatched. Of the Chuffa or Earth Almond, 
the tubers of Cyferus esculenta, a native of South Europe and 
North Africa, Mr. Duthie reports that about two dozen tubers 
have been received from Dr. Schcmburgk, of Adelaide, and of 
this number about one-half had started into growth and were 
thriving luxuriantly. The tubers of this plant are used as an 
article of food in Egypt and in some parts of Europe, and they 
are now recommended for feeding sheep, hogs, poultry, &e., for 
which purpose they are largely used in the Southern States cf 
America. Of Lucerne (Akadicago sativa) it is stated that the 
demand for seed is every year increasing. ‘‘In additicn to its 
good qualities as a fodder plant for horses and oxen it has the 
further advantage of being a perennial, which is very little 
affected by the extremes of heat and moisture it has to endure in 
North India. The Argan (Argania stderoxylon), a valuable oil- 
producing tree of Morocco, has been received at Saharunpur, and 
every care will be taken with the plants should the seeds germi- 
nate. Mr, Duthie says, ‘‘I find from a list published in 1854 
by the late superintendent, that the tree then existed in the 
Saharunpur Garden. As none of the original trees are now to be 
found it would appear that the climate of this part of India is 
not altogether suitable.” 
UNDER the title of a ‘‘ Catalogue of the Phanogamous and 
Vascular Cryptogamous Plants of Indiana” we have received a 
small octavo pamphlet, giving as we believe the first complete 
catalogue of the flowering plants and ferns of the well-known 
State of Indiana, The flora numbers 1432 species referred to 
577 genera, and no doubt further additions will from time to 
time be made. The authors of the useful flora are the editors 
of the Botanical Gazette of Crawfordsville (J. M. and M. S, 
Coulter) and Prof. C. Barnes. 
THE last number of the Zagiska (Memoirs) of the Caucasian 
branch of the Russian Geographical Society contains a valuable 
paper by the late P. K. Ushar, on the ‘‘ Oldest Traditions on 
Caucasus.” 
WE have just received the first part of a second series of Dr. C, 
Fr. W. Krukenberg’s ‘‘ Vergleichend-physiologische Studien,” 
Heidelberg, 1882. This part, of over 180 pages, is taken up 
with a number of very important and interesting memoirs, on 
such subjects as ‘On the Temperature at which the Lymph of 
Invertebrates Coagulates,’”? ‘*On the Colour Substance of 
Feathers,” *‘On the Protective Coverings of the Echino- 
derms,” &c. 
Tue Polytechnic has at last been sold, and will finally close 
on January 21. Until then a varied programme will be pre- 
sented daily, including new musical, optical, magical, and 
popular scientific entertainments, as well as a réchauffé of very 
many of those that have been characteristic of the place during 
the last twenty years. 
A VERY favourable Report is to hand of the Sheffield Free 
Public Libraries and Museum. Many additions have been made 
to the latter, and the small observatory attached, and which is 
open to the public, was visited during the year by about 3000 
people. 
ON December 29, 1881, two strong shocks of earthquake were 
felt at Kiangari, in the province of Kastamoumi. The moye- 
ment was from east to west. Considerable damage was done to 
the village, but no details have yet been received at Con- 
stantinople. 
WE have received from the Society of Telegraph Engineers a 
list of the additions to their library during the past year ; this 
library, we may remind our readers, is now open to the public. 
TueE Waterford Literary and Scientific Association have begun 
to publish their Proceedings. The part for 1880-81 contains 
abstracts of various lectures and papers, and the fifth Annual 
Report records the steady success of the Association, 
THE additicns to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus erythreus) from 
India, presented by Mr. Wm. Trent ; a Marsh Ichneumon (Her- 
pestes galeri) from South Africa, presented by Mr. Ernest 
Wells ; an Indranee Owl (.Syrnium indvanee) from Ceylon, pre- 
sented by Commander Burkitt ; a Short-toed Lark (Calandrella 
brachydactyla), British, presented by Mr. H. A. Macpherson; a 
Pike (Zsox Jucius), British fresh waters, presented by Mr. George 
Seaton; a Malbrouck Monkey (Cercopithecus cynosurus) from 
West Africa, a Kinkajou (Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) from Brazil, 
a Black-footed Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) from South Africa, 
deposited ; a Kusimanse (Crossarchus obscurus) from South 
Africa, a White eared Conure (Conurus leucotis) from Brazil, a 
Blue crowned Parrot (7anygnathus luzonensis) from the Philip- 
pines, purchased ; a Molucca Deer (Cervus moluccensis), born in 
the Gardens. 
PHYSICAL NOTES 
THE vapour-tension of liquid mixtures has been lately investi- 
gated by Herr Konowalow (Wied. Ann., No. 9) in the case of 
the first four members of the alcohol and the acid series, each 
mixed, in various proportions, with water. Curves were ob- 
tained by taking the percentages as abscissze and the tensions as 
ordinates. The author finds that each mixture, to which a maxi- 
mum or minimum of tension corresponds, has, at the tempera- 
ture indicated, the same composition as its vapour. Thus liquid 
mixtures, with reference to distillation, are divisible into three 
groups—(a) Those whose curve of tension has neither a maxi- 
mum nora minimum ; (46) Tho-e whose curve has a maximum 
(e.g. propylic alcohol, butyric acid) ; (c) Those whose curve has 
a minimum (¢.g. formic acid). Herr Konowalow shows, from 
a table of all the constant boiling mixtures known to him, that 
in all the boiling temperature of the mixture is either greater or 
less than those of both constituents, z.¢. all the tension-curves 
haye a maximum ora minimum. The existence of such a point 
seems, thus far, to be a necessary condition of the existence of 
a constant boiling mixture. These mixtures have not, apparently, 
a simple molecular constitution. 
In his study of sulphur Saint-Claire Deville obtained (from 
flowers of sulphur) a variety more stable than those known, and 
insoluble in sulphide of carbon; its form being that of a fine 
powder, each grain a hollow vesicle. He failed to find the 
specific gravity of this vesicular sulphur, and suggested to M. 
Spring, about a year ago, to subject the material to the powerful 
compressing apparatus used in bis recent noteworthy experiments. 
This has been done (Bull. Belg. Acad. No. 8), with a pressure 
of 8000 atmospheres for a few seconds and temperature of 13”, 
producing hard pale yellow blocks. Treatment with sulphide 
of carbon showed that 4°21 per cent. was transformed into octa- 
hedral sulphur, so that the density of the vesicular variety is 
less than that of the other. M. Spring further directly deter- 
mined the specific gravity of those blocks at different tempera- 
tures, measuring the expansion ; and by calculation he reaches 
the result that vesicular sulphur has probably the same specific 
gravity as prismatic sulphur (1°960). It was also observed that 
vesicular sulphur dilates regularly under heat up to 43°, beyond 
which it contracts continu vusly, till at 80° it has the same specific 
