6 OS OS ee ee ee eee ee 
374 
tion of the land shells of the region. Each plate will be accom- 
panied by an explanatory page of letterpress. With each issue 
of the plates, full description of the genera and species, with 
synonomy and their distribution, will be given in separate 
pamphlets, Svo, similar in type to the Proceedings of the Zoo- 
logical Society of London. Col. Godwin-Austen hopes to secure 
the co-operation of Messrs. H. F. and W. T. Blanford, Sylvanus 
Hanley, William Theobald, Geoffrey Nevill, Dr. J. Anderson, 
and others interested in East-Indian conchology. The work 
cannot be brought out at regular intervals ; but whenever a few 
plates are ready a part will be issued, and it is hoped that at 
least two parts may be completed during the year. Intending 
subscribers should communicate with Col. Godwin-Austen, 
Deepdale, Reigate, Surrey. 
IN the January number of the Archives des Sciences Professors 
Dufour and Amstein describe a simple registering barometer, 
now in use in the Meteorological Observatory of Lausanne. It 
depends on displacement of the centre of gravity of a glass tube 
containing mercury, The form of the tube may be described as 
that of an [_ leading down toa LJ bya vertical portion. The lower 
end isopen. The tube swings in the plane of its angles on a hori- 
zontal axis placed above the centre of gravity ; with increased baro- 
metric pressure it inclines to the right, with decreased pressure 
to the left; and these movements are recorded by means of a 
style attached to the LJ part and applied to a moving strip of 
paper. By a simple contrivance the pendulum of a clock is 
made to impart a slight shock every second swing to the tube, 
so as to destroy any adherence of mercury. The instrument is 
easily made, and proves very sensitive and reliable. 
MULLER’s imitation of the phenomena of geysers, by means of 
a vertical tube filled with water and heated in the bottom and 
about the middle, is open to the objections that we may not 
assume two places of heating in the actual] geyser, and that the 
eruption of water is only producible once. HerrG, Wiedemann 
has, therefore, contrived what seems a more suitable apparatus 
(Wied, Ann., No. 1). It consists of a flask attached to a stand, 
and having a caoutchouc stopper which supports two glass 
tubes; one tube 1 cm. wide (beginning flush with the under- 
surface of the stopper) reaches upwards about 70 cm., projecting 
through a small basin, and ending with an aperture of diminished 
section. The other tube (about 3 mm. to 4 mm. wide) passes 
obliquely upwards, and enters the side of a jar which is about on 
a level with the top of the vertical tube; at the other end it 
passes through the stopper, and is bent a little upwards near the 
bottom of the flask. The cistern is filled with water, and, a 
Bunsen bumer being brought under the flask, the varied action 
of geysers is very well imitated 
Mr. ErNEsT Satow, Secretary to our Legation in Tokio, 
and Lieut. Hawes, have recently produced a work of very great 
general value on Japan. Although it is entitled ‘*‘ Handbook 
for Travellers in Central and Northern Japan,” and is written 
after the model of Murray’s celebrated Guide Books, it will be 
found useful to persons who never intend visiting that country. 
It will be found indispensable to compilers of encyclopzdias, 
gazetteers, and other works of reference. Besides the dry details 
of routes for travellers, it gives the history of the principal towns 
and statistical information respecting each. The large mixture 
of history and legend makes the book tolerably amusing reading 
even for those unacquainted with Japan. The difficulty of writing 
a work of this kind for a Japanese scholar cannot be great, as 
Japanese literature has from time immemorial possessed vo- 
luminous guide-books and topographical works. Every Japan- 
ese province and district has its own guide, generally containing 
statistical, geographical, historical, and legendary information. 
These are illustrated with rude woodcuts representing the 
principal scenes, temples, idols, &c. The great guide to old 
~~ “tee 
NATURE 
Yedo, called the ‘‘ Yedo Meisho,” is an exhaustive wot 
about fifty volumes. In addition, every road has its little 
giving the distances between the various places, the principal it 
the places of interest near the route, and other information of 
or interest to travellers. Theeare either given grafis at the inn 
or are purchased for about a halfpenny. A tolerably exte: 
collection of Japanese guide-books is to be found in the Britis 
Museum. Although Messrs. Satow and Ilawes doubtless use 
such works as these ; the various routes and places mentioned | 
their volume are evidently described from personal knowledg 
IN a note that appeared in the last number of the Russi 
Chemical and Physical Seciety’s Journal, Mendeleeff points ou 
that Berthelot’s hyposulpburic acid is formed under the cond 
tions that generally yield peroxides, peroxide of hydrogen bein 
formed at the same time. It appears to have all the propertie 
of true peroxides, and even ccmbines with water ina = | ; 
manner to Barium peroxide. As it does not give salts wii . 
bases, the name of acid which is given to it is inexact, and 
this inexactitude has arisen from a general deficiency of our 
nomenclature of oxygenated compounds. It is usually admitte¢ 
that—as in the case of manganese—we have, first, bases, 
peroxides, and then anbydrids of acids. But it is well-known 
that the bioxides of manganese, lead, and others, do not bave 
the characters of peroxides ; thus it would be better to call them 
simply bioxides ; true peroxides belong to the type of the per- 
oxide of hydrogen, as true bases and acids belong to the type of 
water. The highest known oxygen compound of sulphur, 
S,0,, corresponding to Cr,O;, which should be termed peroxide’ 
of chromium, should be termed sulphurperoxide. Regarded in’ 
this way the peroxides generally are bodies in a more oxidised 
condition than that in which they yield either bases or anby- 
drides of acids. The peroxides of Barium, sulphur, and hydro- 
gen are the extreme oxidised compounds of these bodies known, 
and have compav-atively neutral qualities. 
SoME interesting facts regarding the influence of heat on the 
molecular structure of zinc are given ina recent paper by Herr 
Kalischer to the Berlin Chemical Society. Rolled zinc becomes 
crystalline when strongly heated, and the author recommends as 
a lecture experiment dipping a heated strip of zinc for half a_ 
minute in concentrated sulphate of copper solution, then washing 
off the precipitated copper with water, whereupon distinct signs 
of crystallisation appear. The effect is not merely superficial ; 
plates ,mm. to 5mm. thick (no thicker were tried) proved 
crystalline throughout. The mode of cooling (quick or slow) 
has no marked influence. Zinc when heated, loses its ring, and 
if bent gives a scund like the ‘‘cry” of tin; this fact, with the 
crystallisation, confirms the view that the cry of tin is also due to 
crystalline structure. Zinc must be heated over 150° C, to show 
crystallisation on corrosion, but the ‘‘ery” is perceptible at 
about 130°, and increases with the temperature. As the tenacity 
of rolled zinc diminishes with crystallisation, and the cry un- 
doubtedly proves incipient crystallisation, some important dedue- 
tions for technical work are indicated. Herr Kalischer finds the 
ratio of the specific gravity of zinc in crystalline to that in 
ordinary state is 1°0004:1 or an increase, for the former of 
about ,4, per cent. The ratio of electric resistance of zinc wire 
ordinary to crystallire = 1°0302:1, or a decrease for the latter 
of abcut 3 percent. Herr Kalischer was unable to prove so 
fully crystallisation in copper, brass, iron, and aluminium, but 
here were indications of it in some of these. 
THE French Commission appointed by the Gambetta Cabinet 
to report on the position of artistic industries, has not been kept 
in operation by the new government, but transferred from the 
French Board of Trade to the Minister of Public Instruction ; 
M. Ferry has been appointed its president. The Commission 
will appoint special committees, which will visit the principal 
cities of France. 
