i8 



NATURE 



{_May a, 1877 



pany of man, for a chance gathering of these remains through 

 the agency of water is precluded by the local topography c f the 

 place. 



News from M. I'rihcvalsky, forwarded on March 23 by 

 telegraph from Vernyi, appears in the official paper, the Rusiian 

 Invalid. On February 1 1 he had reached Lake Lob-Nor, vid 

 the Valley of the Lower Tarim. The population of the Valley 

 is very sparse. Its height above the sea is somewhat more than 

 2,000 feet. Its flora and fauna very poor. The topography is 

 quite different from that represented on the maps. He was, 

 at the time of telegraphing, in the mountains Altyn-Tagh, some 

 distance south of Lake Lob-Nor. The valleys of the exterior 

 spurs of these mountains reach about 12,000 feet above the sea. 

 Here, as well as in the lower regions there are wild camels- 

 In the neighbourhood of Lob-Nor he found the ruins of two old 

 towns. He was to spend February and March at Lob-Nor, 

 April on the Lower Tarim, and May and June on the Tian- 

 Shan, returning to Kuldja at the beginning of July. 



We have received as a contribution to the Gauss Fund, 1/. 

 from Mr. G. Griffith. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an Egyptian Gazelle (Gazflla dorcas) from 

 Egypt, presented by Her Majesty the Queen ; an Indian Leopard 

 (Fclis pard:is) from India, presented by Dr. Sidney Smith ; a 

 Crested Porcupine {Hystrix crislala) from Ceylon, presented by 

 Capt. Smerdon, s.s. Orion ; a White Pelican {Pelecanus onocro. 

 inlui) from Egypt, presented by Mr. A. C. Henderson ; a King 

 Parrakeet {Apiosmictus scaptdatns) from New South Wales, pre- 

 sented by Miss Jones ; a Suricate {Suricaia zenik) from South 

 Africa, presented by Mr. J. Forbes Dixon ; an Indian Cobra 

 (Naia tripudians) from Ceylon, presented by the Hon. W. D. 

 Wright ; a Beisa Antelope (Oryx bcisa), two African Sheep 

 (Ovis aries), eight Vulturine Guinea Fowls (Numida vnUiirina), 

 from East Africa, a Toque Monkey [Macacus pileatus] from 

 Ceylon, deposited ; a Pigmy Marmoset [Ilapale pygmmus), two 

 Bay-headed Parrots (Caica Imccgastra), a Rough Terrapin 

 {Clemmys punctiilaria) from the Upper Amazons, purchased. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The American Journal of Science and Arts, April, 1877. — 

 On the sensation of colour, by C. S. Peirce. — Note on the 

 binocular phenomenon observed by Prof. Nipher, by J. Le 

 Conte. — Revision of the genus Belemnocrinus, by C. Wachs- 

 muth and F. Springer. —Thorpe's and Bunsen's methods for 

 the estimation of nitrogen in nitrates, by S. \V. Johnston. — 

 Westfield during the Champlain period, by J. S. Diller. — New 

 embryonic forms of trilobites, by S. W. Ford. — The winds of 

 the globe, or the laws of atmospheric circulation over the sur- 

 face of the earth, by J. H. Collin. — On some nitro-derivatives of 

 diphenylamide, by P. T. Austen. — On mineral analysis ; on 

 some fluorides ; and on molecular volumes, by F. W. Clarke. — 

 On the identity of the so-called Peganite of Arkansas with the 

 Variscite of Breithaupt and Callamite of Damour, by A. H. 

 Chester. — On a fibrous variety of sepiolite from Utah, by the 

 same. — On Dr. Peale's notes on the age of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains in Colorado, by J. J. Stevenson. 



Po'^igendorff'' s Annalen dcr P/iysii und Chcmic, No. 2, 1S77. — 

 The spectra of chemical compounds, by M. Moscr. — Researches 

 on the volume-composition of solid bodies, by M. Schroder. — 

 Current regulator for gas, by M. Teclu. —Contribution to Boltz- 

 mann's theory of elastic reaction, by M. Kohlrausch. — Further 

 communicattons on the connection between the viscosity and the 

 galvanic conductivity of various liquids, by M. Grotrian. — On the 

 theory of resonators, by M. Grinwis -- On photography of the 

 less refrangible parts of the solar spectrum, by M. Vogel. — Re- 

 searches on the motions of radiating and irradiated bodies, by 

 M. ZoUner. — New proof of the falsity of the emission theory of 

 light, by E. Feussner. — On double excitation of the ebonite 

 electrophoius, by ^L Schlusser. 



Beibliitter zu den Annalen. — Quantitative comparison between 

 friction and galvanic electricity in respect of tension, by M. 

 Nystrom. — Oir the deduction of a new electrodynamic funda- 

 mental law, by M. Clausius. — Thermoelectric researches, by M, 

 Tidblom. 



The Naturforscher (March). — ^From this part we note the fol- 

 lowing papers : — On the functions of the larger brain (cerebrum), 

 by Herr Goltz. — On the expansion of growing vegetable cells 

 through the tension existing between the contents of the cells and 

 the membrane forming them, by Hu^o de Vrics. — On the spec- 

 trum of the new star in Cygnus, by R. Copeland. — On the 

 atomicity of phospharus, by Ira Remsen. — On the high tides in 

 the River Elbe, by K. R. Bornemann. — On the reproduction of 

 eels, by M. C. Dareste. — On the formation of hail, by \\. Fritz. 

 — On the inhalation of air by the roots of plants, by MM. P. P. 

 Deherain and J. Vesque. — On electrolysis accompanied by the 

 development of hydrogen at both electrodes, by Emil Elsaesser. 

 — On the daily and yearly course of magnetic declination, by J. 

 Hann. — On the behaviour of leaves in an atmosphere free from 

 carbonic acid, by B. Corenwinder. — On the companions of the 

 pole star, by A. de Boe and others. — On the spreading of drops 

 of liquids, by Fillipo Centolesi. — On the preparation of photo- 

 graphic plates in daylight, by Oswald Lohse. — On the oiigin of 

 the Hying power of bees, by Herr Utinhoff. — On the chlorophyll 

 of Coniferje germinating in the dark, by R. Sachsse. — On the 

 behaviour of chlorophyll in the vine, by G. Briosi. — On the 

 glycogen contained in muscles, by Th. Chandelon. 



yoiirnal de Physique, March. — On the dynamical theory of 

 gases, by M. VioUe. — On the effects of a jet of air sent into 

 water, by M. de Romilly. — On the suspension and ebullition of 

 water on a large-meshed tissue, by the same. — On the phenome- 

 non of the black drop and its influence on observation of the 

 transit of Venus, by M. Andre. — The persistence of impressions 

 on the retina, various experiments with the projection-phena- 

 kisticope, by M. Gariel.— On Optography, by M. Kuhne. 



Reale Islilulo Lomhardo di Scienze e Lcttere, Rendiconti, vol. x. , 

 fasc. iii. — On two recent works (on flagellation and the ana- 

 tomical museum at Pavia) presented to the Institution, by M. 

 Verga — On some rare alterations of the first formation of the 

 uterus and its attachments ; on a cause not yet confirmed of 

 distonia, by M. Sangalli. — On a new defence of the theory of 

 Melloni on electrostatic induction, by M. Cantoni. — On the 

 divisibility of comets into minute parts, and on a dark spot found 

 in the Milky Way, by P. Secchi. 



Revue des Sciences Naturelles, tome v. No. 4. — On the so- 

 called cladodes of Ruscus, by M. Duval-Jouve. — Study of a 

 chromogenic bacterium in the water of steeping of flax {Bac- 

 terium rnbescens, Ray Lankester [?] ), by Prof. Giard. — On the 

 development of the AuJuiUula Aceti, Ehrb., by M. Hallez. — 

 Economical Aquarium, by M. Sabatier. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Royal Society, March 22. — " On Stratified Discharges?'. 

 Stratified and Unitratified Forms of the Jar- Discharge," by 

 William Spottiiwoode, M.A., F.R.S. It is well known that if 

 a Leyden jar be discharged through a vacuum tube, the discharge 

 generally takes the form of an unbroken column of light, ex- 

 tending from the point of the positive terminal to the hilt of the 

 negative, i.e., to the extreme negative end ol the tube; and that 

 it shows no trace of either negative glow or intervening dark 

 space. On the other hand, I have found, by experiments with 

 a large Leyden battery, that if a tube luaving one terminal con- 

 nected with the negatively charged coating of the battery and 

 the other held beyond striking distance from the positively 

 charged coating, the discharge in the tube will show a separation 

 of the positive from the negative part by a dark intervening 

 space. Under suitable circumstances of exhaustion it will aho 

 show stri^, in the same manner as when the discharge is effected 

 directly with a Holtz machine, having the conductors either 

 closed or open beyond striking distance (see Roy. Soc. Proceed- 

 ings, vol. xxiii. p. 460). Again, I have found, with the same 

 battery, that if the tube bejconnected — otherwise as before — and 

 held at a distance less than at first, but a little greater than 

 striking distance, a stratified discharge much more brilliant and 



