oe 
March 16, 1882] 
NATURE 
ate ~ : ‘ 
sulphide and ammonium hydrate; dilute solutions have more 
action than the concentrated reagents.—Analysis of a piece of 
oxidised iron from the condenser of H.M.S. Spartan, by R. 
Cowper. This contained no metallic iron, but 42°33 per cent. 
of ferrous oxide, 2°21 per cent. of ferric oxide, 5°24 per cent. 
phosphoric acid, 2 per cent. chlorine, and 16°71 per cent. water. 
Under ordinary circumstances iron rust is chiefly composed of 
ferric oxide.—On the action of sodium hydrate and carbonate on 
felspars and Wollastonite, by W. Flight. The hydrate acts 
powerfully as a solvent, but the strongest solutions of the 
carbonate have but little action.—On the preparation of pure 
nitrogen, by W. Flight. The anthor finds that ferrous oxide, 
freshly precipitated by adding caustic potash to ferrous sulphate 
solution, completely derives ordinary air of oxygen ; potassium 
pyrogallate and other reagents do not remove the last traces of 
oxygen.—Some observations on the luminous incomplete com- 
bustion of ether and other organic substances, by W. H. Perkin. 
_ When, in the dark, a jet of ether is blown from a wash-bottle 
on toaniron plate-at a dull red heat, a lambent blue flame is 
observed, the temperature of which is so low that it does not 
_char paper ; a similar flame i, seen when a heated iron ball is 
suspended over a dishof ether. Sir H. Davy, Doebereiner, and 
Boutigny, have noticed this phenomenon. Spermaceti, when 
melted over a hot iron ball shows a similar phenomenon, 
Paraffin, alcohol, &c., also give a blue flame when treated as 
above. 
Mathematical Society, March 9.—S. Roberts, F.R.S., 
president, in the chair.—Mr. A. Buchheim, B.A., Scholar of 
New College, Oxford, was elected a Member.—The following 
communications were made :—In how many ways can a polygon 
of 22 sides be divided into quadrilaterals by means of non-inter- 
secting diagonals with an extension to the general case of division 
into Z-gons ? Prof. Rowe.—Systems of formule for the sv, cx, 
dn of u+u+w, Prof. W. Woolsey Johnson (communicated by 
J. W. L. Glaisher, F.R.S.).—Remarks on the preceding paper, 
and on elliptic function formule, Rey. M. M. U. Wilkinson.— 
Two notes, Mr. C, E. Bickmore.—Note of proofs of the addi- 
tion theorem for the second integral, and Fagnani’s theorem by 
confocal conics, J. J. Walker. 
Linnean Society, March 2.—Sir J. Lubbock, Bart., F.R.S., 
in the chair.—The following gentlemen were elected Fellows of 
the Society, viz. :—Col. R. H. Beddome, T. Lb. Chambers, Rev. 
W. H. Dallinger, C, D, Ekman, W. Fream, Rev. R. Hooper, 
C, Dubois Larbalestier, Rev. R. P. Murray, and R, Vipan.— 
Prof. P. M. Duncan showed an example of the pollen-tube of 
Crocus sativa, and he explained his views thereon.—Mr. Chas. 
Stewart also exhibited sections of the ovule of Crocus, and Mr. 
C. Fred. White likewise exhibited a series of drawings of the 
pollen of various plants.—D. T, Spencer Cobbold called atten- 
tion to drawings of the pollen-tubes of Portulaca oleracea, &c., 
received from Mr. Krutschnitt, of New Orleans, U.S.—A paper 
on the structure and habits of the coal-reef annelid /a/olo 
viridis, by the Rev. Thomas Powell, was read ; the information 
regarding its periodic visits to Samoa and Fiti being of con- 
siderable interest.—Contributions to the Lichenographia of New 
South Wales, by Chas. Knight, was also read, some fifty new 
species of Lichens being described.—Mr. A. G. Butler gave a 
communication on the butterflies collected by Lord Walsingham 
in California; and Mr, R. B, Sharpes’ seventh contribution to 
the ornithology of New Guinea, and a description of a new 
species of sand-martin (Co/z/e) from Madagascar, were read. — 
There followed a description of a new genus (JZicrogale), and 
two new species of Insectivora from Madagascar, by Mr. 
Oldfield Thomas. 
Anthropological Institute, February 21.—Edward B, 
Tylor, F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair.—The election of 
W. Crowder was announced.— Mr, J. E. Price read a note on 
Aggri beads. These beads are occasionally dug up on the Gold 
Coast, and sell for more than their weight in gold, being among 
the most valued of royal jewels. They have been found in 
various parts of England, some of those exhibited having been 
obtained from Colchester, where they were found associated 
with human remains, whilst others were discovered during the 
recent alterations at Leadenhall Market. The author thought 
that the appearance of these beads in England might be ac- 
counied for by the fact, that when the Romans occupied the 
country they brought with them many African slaves who wore 
necklaces with Aggri beads attached, and that when these slaves 
died their necklaces were buried with them.—Dr, Macfarlane 
read a paper on the analysis of the relationships of consanguinity 
and marriage; and in the absence of the authors the director 
read a paper entitled from Mother-right to Father-right, by Mr. 
A. W. Howitt and the Rey. Lorimer Fison, 
Geological Society, February 22.—J. W. Hulke, F.R.S.,_ 
president, in the chair.—Richard Kerr, Baron Ferd. yon Miiller, 
K.C.M.G., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S., William Whitehead Watts, 
and Joseph Wilkinson, were elected Fellows of the Society.— 
The following communications were read :—Additional dis- 
coveries of high-level marine drifts in North Wales, with remarks 
on driftless areas, by D. Mackintosh, F.G.S.—On some sections 
of Lincolnshire Neocomian, by H. Keeping, of the Wood- 
wardian Museum, Cambridge, communicated by W. Keeping, 
F.G.S.—Notes on the geology of the Cheviot Hills (English 
side), by C. T. Clough, F.G.S. 
Physical Society, March 11.—Prof. Fuller in the chair.— 
New Member, Mr, D. Reece Jones.—Mr. Newth showed some 
experiments illustrative of the fact announced by M, Maseart in 
1875, that solid particles in the air are necessary to the forma- 
tion of fogs ; and secondly, that certain gases, such as sulphurous 
acid gas, also cause fogs in the same way, by permitting the 
mpisture to condense upon these particles. The experiments 
consisted in passing an electric light beam through large bulbs of 
glass containing air and a small quantity of water. When the 
air in the bulbs was washed with the water, and thus freed from 
motes, the fog produced in the bulb by slightly exhausting it 
with an air-pump was much less than when the air of the room, 
or smoke, or sulphurous acid gas, was admitted into the bulb, 
The dust on a platinum wire, rendered incandescent within the 
globe by an electric current, also caused a sensible fog. It fol- 
lows that with gas fires instead of coal, there would still be fogs, 
though not so black ones.—Prof. F. Guthrie, F.R.S., read a 
paper on the discharge of electricity by heat. This was con- 
cerned with additional experiments to those made by the author 
on the subject nine years ago. He showed by means of a gold 
leaf electroscope that a red-hot iron ball, when highly heated, 
would neither disckarge the positive prime conductor of a glass 
electrical machine nor the negative one, but on cooling the 
ball a temperature was found at which the ball discharged 
the negative conductor, but not the positive one, Lastly, 
on cooling the ball still further (but not below a glowing tempe- 
rature) it was found to discharge both positive and negative 
electricity. A platinum wire rendered red hot by the current 
also discharged a, negatively-charged electroscope more readily 
than a positively charged one. When placed between two 
electroscopes, one having a + and the other a — charge, it 
discharged neither, When the + one was withdrawn the — 
was discharged ; but when the — was withdrawn the + was not 
discharged, There therefore seemed a tendency in a hot body 
to throw out + rather than — electricity. That a material 
medium between the heated body and the electrified one was 
necessary, was shown by the failure of the experiment with a 
Maxim incandescent lamp consisting of a carbon filament in a 
vacuous bulb. Dr. Guthrie also showed the demagnetisation of 
asmall magnet in the heat of a Bunsen flame by inserting it in 
a coil of wire connected to a mirror galyanometer and heating it 
in the flame. He also showed that the pole of a voltaic battery 
could be discharged by heating it red hot. This was done by 
connecting a piece of fine platinum wire to one pole and heating 
it in the flame of a spirit lamp, care being taken to insulate the 
lamp to prevent conduction to earth, The discharge was shown 
by means of a mirror electrometer, 
Entomological Society, March 1.—Mr. H. T. Stainton, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—Mr, T. R. Billups exhibited 
queens of Vespa germanica, taken on the wing on January last, 
and specimens of Callistus lunatus and Ichneumon erythreus.— 
Mr, R. McLachlan showed papers in which butterflies had been 
received from Borneo, bearing an unusually distinct imprint of 
the inclosed insect.—Messrs. Meldola and Cowan called atten- 
tion to the assembling of butterflies round pupz.—Mr. E. A, 
Fitch exhibited some eggs of Entozoa.—Papers read :—Mr. C. 
O. Waterhouse, a description of Paramellon socialz, a new genus 
and species of Myrmecophilous Coleopteron from India.—Dr. 
D. Sharp, on some New Zealand Coleoptera.—Mr. A. G. Butler, 
additional notes on Soméyces collected in Chili by Mr. T, 
Edmonds.—Mr. E. Saunders on the abdominal segments in 
aculeate Hymenoptera, and Sir S. S. Saunders on those in the 
Chalcidide. 
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