with buds and fruit. It was flowering laterthan usual. He also 
showed a variegated sport of the common laurel from the same 
gentleman.— Willow, species of : Some specimens of new species 
of willow, eg. S. holosericea, &c., were received from Dr, Fraser, 
of Wolverhampton. It was suggested that they were hybrids or 
accidental importations, They were forwarded to the Kew Her- 
barium.— Carica condamarcensis, Fruit of: A fruit of this plant 
was received from Mr. J. A. Henry, of Edinburgh. It was 
raised from seed_sent by the late Prof. Jameson of Quito, 
and had been fertilised by the late Prof. Dickson.—Witrogen 
in worm-casts ; Dr. Gilbert described some experiments he had 
made in order to ascertain the proportion of nitrogen in worm- 
casts ; which latter, according to Mr. Darwin, amount to between 
17 and 18 tons per annum per acre, of ‘2 inchindepth. He 
collected the casts of two or three weeks’ formation, and found, 
by analysis of the dried mould, that it contained *35 per cent. of 
nitrogen, which is higher than that of mould of pasture land, viz. 
*25-"3 per cent. in the first nine inches, or two or three times as 
high as that of arable land, but not so rich as highly manured 
kitchen garden mould. Ten tons per acre would, therefore, 
yield 80 lbs. of nitrogen per annum, or more than double that of 
ordinary meadows without manure. The conclusion was that 
no gain accrued to the soil except from what the worms brought 
up from below, as by trenching.—/lants exhibited ; Columnaa 
Kalbreyerana, with satin-like pendulous secund leaves and yellow 
flowers, from New Grenada, exhibited by Messrs. Veitch. It 
received a botanical certificate. Tecophilea cyanocrocus, from 
Chili. This had flowered previously at Kew. It was brought 
by Mr. G. F. Wilson, <A small bulbous plant with slender 
tubed and globular perianth of lilac colour, brought by Mr. Maw 
from Mount Ida, was exhibited by the Rev. H. H. Crewe. It 
was referred to Kew for identification and name [Colchicum 
montanum, Bieb.]. Lygodictyon Forstert, a fine specimen of a 
climbing fern, from Mr. Green, of Kingsford Stanway, near 
Colchester. Dracena Goldiana, exhibited by Mr. Wills, flower- 
ing for the first time in this country, with variegated foliage, 
received a botanical certificate. 
Victoria Institute, January 16.—A paper on “ Biblical 
proper Names, personal and local, illustrated from Sources ex- 
ternal to Scripture,” was read by the Rev. H. G. Tomkins. 
Communications from Prof. Sayce, MM. Renouf, Lenormant, 
Naville, &c., followed, and a discussion ensued, in which Dr. 
Rassam and others took part. 
PARIS 
Academy of Sciences, January 9.—M. Jamin in the chair. 
—The following papers were read :—Documents relative to the 
subject of Papin’s stay at Venice, by M. Daubrée. Papin went 
to Venice with Paul Sarotti, a Venetian senator whom he met 
in London, and who had founded an academy in his own house 
in Venice (beginning about 1632), with a valuable library, M. 
Daubrée, ina recent visit to Venice, gained some information 
about the work done at the meetings. The Sarotti Academy 
still existed in 1690.—On the powers and roots of linear substi- 
tutions, by Prof. Sylvester.—Experimental study on metallo- 
scopy, hypnotism, and the action of various physical agents in 
hysteria, by MM. Dumontpallier and Magnin. Among other 
things, the authors suppose there is an intercrossing of sensitive 
and motor fibres in the dorso-lumbar region of the spinal cord, 
occasioning simultaneous movements of the upper limb on one 
side, and the lower on the other ; excitation of the surfaces of 
the latter causes movement of the former. This may explain 
the walk of quadrupeds, of man ‘‘on all-fours,” &c. The 
nervous hyperexcitability of hysteric persons in a state of hyp- 
notism is illustrated. The so-called radiating neuric force in 
hysterics is merely a manifestation of physical acts called into 
existence (peripheric modifications caused by physical agents).— 
On the processes of coppering cast-iron, employed at the Val 
d'Osne, by MM. Mignon and Rouart. They use a distinctly acid 
solution, whereas alkalinity is the basis of M. Weil’s method 
(in which the organic acid is only an accessory). —The Secretary 
gave the gist of a volume of memoirs by Prof. J. P. Cook of 
Harvard.—M. Dumas presented a fine work by M. Civiale, 
“Voyages photographiques dans les Alpes.’”’-—On an extension 
of the arithmetical notion of genus, by M. Poincaré.—On alge- 
braic forms with several series of variables, by M. le Paige.— 
Differential equations of motion of waves produced at the sur- 
face of a liquid by the emersion of a solid, by M. Boussinesq.— 
On some consequences of the principle of Gauss in electrostatics, 
by M. Croullebois—On a sound-transmitter with stringed 
sounding-board, by M. Bourbouze. A microphone , ee 
the sounding-board of a piano or like instrument, and is affected 
by the strings vibrating in unison with sounds produced (with 
the voice or an instrument) near them. Such a transmitter is’ 
very sensitive.—Measurement of the interior resistance and the 
electromotive force of electric machines in action, by M. 
Cabanellas.—Note on the theory of formiates by M. Maumené. 
Thermal researches on oxychlorides of sulphur, by M. Ogier.— 
On acarbonic ether of boeineol, by M. Haller.—On the formation 
of bases of the quinoleic series in the distillation of cinchonine 
with potash, by M. Cichsner de Coninck.—On terpine, by M. 
Walitzky.—On the existence of an automatic rhythm common 
to several nerve-centres of the medulla oblongata, by M. 
Fredericq. With inspiration (respiratory centre) there is diminu- 
tion of arterial pressure and acceleration of pulsations (¢.¢. mini- 
mum of action of centres for vasomotors and for stoppage of the 
heart). With expiration and respiratory pause, the effects are 
opposite. This intermittent activity occurs apart from all change 
in the state of the thoracic organs, provided the blood bathing the 
medulla oblongata has a certain degree of viscosity ; if it be too 
much arterialised, the three centres more or less suspend their 
action.—On the positions of equal luminous intensity in twin 
crystals, between crossed Nicols, and application to the study of 
the concentric bands of felspar, by M. Lévy. The felspars in 
rocks are generally formed by juxtaposition of concentric bands ; 
and in these the optical properties vary irregularly, though the 
crystallographic orientation seems the same. Some have tried 
to explain this by supposing a variation in the chemical compo- 
sition of the bands. M. Lévy pronounces this insufficient, and 
regards the bands as often due to a submicroscopic association 
of hemitropic lamellz of a fundamentally single felspar, accord- 
ing to the laws of albite and of pericline.—On the artificial 
reproduction of analcime, by M. de Schulten, His former 
method was heating a solution of caustic soda in sealed tubes of 
ordinary French glass. In another, he mixes solutions of sili- 
cate and aluminate of soda, such that the silica and alumina are 
in the same ratio as analcime, adds some lime-water (to facilitate 
crystallisation), and heats in a copper tube at 180° for eighteen 
hours. While analcime, in natural specimens, has optical pro- 
perties indicating the quadratic form, the author’s first artificial 
reproduction gave crystals apparently rhombohedral, and his 
second, distinctly cubical crystals.—Study of subterranean 
waters in the department of the Meuse, by M. Holtz. Some 
parts of France, such as Normandy, are almost entirely without 
subterranean waters, owing to the refractory nature of their 
ground, but it is otherwise with the departments of the north- 
east (Meuse included), in the oolithic zone.—M. Pernolet indi- 
cated several examples of the diffusion of carbon. 
CONTENTS Par 
Our Nationa Derences SE a eke o> iol wee 26r 
Term Sunics oh. Gb s bis, csr sstest te od =e ase gn 262 
Tuupicum’s ANNALS OF CHEMICAL MEDICINE co eh eee 263 
Our Book SHetr :— 
Robihs: “Riga sc se 8s, fe pe began ta oe 264 
Madan’s “‘ Tables of Qualitative Analysis” . . . . +6 = « 264 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR :— 
Tidal Sees and Geology.—Dr. SamuEt HauGuron, F_R.S.; 
Tis Remarkable White Spot on Jupiter.—W. F. DewninG .« 265 
Fossil Insects of the Dakota Group.—Dr. H. A. HaGEn « 265 
On Combining Colour-Disks.—Cuartes K. WeapD .- 266 
Sound-Producing Ants.—D. M. Lewis. . . . « 266 
Nepotism?—Joun H. van Lanner. . - 2. . s+ «+ + « + 266 
ComprRESSED Ark uPon TRAMWays. By W. D. Scort Moncrisrr 266 
Sea Frotu. By Capt. S.P. Ortver.. . 2 «© - + + + + ss « 268 
On THE HEIGHTS oF THE Rivers Nite AND THAMES. By Prof. 
BALFour STEWART, F.R.S. (With Chart) . . . + + « + + « 268 
OLEo-MARGARINE a lita “Yor is | abtak SPP OU subem tel reals oa 369 
Screntiric EpucaTION IN LIVERPOOL . « . . . + + - « + 5 270 
Byerknes’ HypRopYNAMIC ExpEeRIMENTS (With Diagrams). . 271 
Joun Wituram DRAPER. + - + + 6 6 © © © te te 274 
NG@res™ Fa: Ske jo vers ke oo we 275 
Our AsTRONOMICAL COLUMN :— 
Solar Parallax from Observations of Mars . 278 
Variable Stars ~ . = ee See 278 
The Royal Astronomical Society 278 
The Great Comet of 1881 . . Perea i 
Tue DeTeRMINATION oF ExecrromoTive Force In AnsoLuTe 
Evecrrostatic Measure. By Georce M. Mincnin (With 
Diagram). cP RE ore i eee She 
Vevocities tn Trpat Rivers (With Diagram) . . - + + + + + 28 
On THe Economica Use oF Gas-ENGINES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 
Exvectricity. By Prof. W. E. Ayrton, F.R.S. . . + + + + + 280 
New Birps FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. « » « 6 + + «© + 282 
Screntiric SeRIALS. . «. . 2 WA ee ea eee ee Ao Pe = 
Societies AND ACADEMIES . . - + = + @ « 
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