July 5, 187 7 J 



NA TURE 



199 



Taunton College School — In reference to our article on 

 Taunton College School, Mr. C. P. Bahin, of Heaton Moor, 

 Stockport, writes that science was taught at that school before Mr. 

 Tuckwell's time. Mr. Bahin forwards us a prospectus of the 

 school for the year i860, and what position was allotted to science 

 at that time in the school may be inferred from the fact that 

 " Physical Science" comes in as the last subject in the General 

 Department after Fortification, that no mention is made of it in 

 the Classical Department, and that "Monthly Lectures on 

 General and Scientific Subjects are given during the winter 

 season ; and in summer, occasional excursions, with a view to 

 the practically illustrating the various branches of Natural History, 

 are taken in one of the weekly half-holidays." This is exactly the 

 state of things we have all along protested against, and which Mr. 

 Tuckwell has managed so successfully to remedy in the case of 

 the Taunton School. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Rmle Istituto Lombardo di Scunze e Letttre. Rendiconti, vol. 

 X., fasc. ix. and x. — On the equation of the eikosahedron in the 

 resolution of equations of the fiftd degree, by M. Klein. — Further 

 notices and observations on the comets of 1877, by M. Schia- 

 parelli. — On the morphological nature of distigma, by M. Maggi. 

 — Case of fracture of the neck and diaphysis of the femur, by M. 

 Scarenzio. — The combustibihty of tobaccos, by M. Cantoni. — 

 Stratigraphical observations on the Province of Pavia. by M. 

 Taramelli. — Experimental researches on heterogenesis, by MM. 

 Maggi and Cantoni. — On the relative length of the index and 

 ring finger cf the human hand, by M. Mantegazza. 



Fasc. xi. — Contributions to the morphology of Amphizonella, 

 by M. Maggi. — On the Arachnlda of Greece, by M. Pavesi. — On 

 the tension of induced electricity, by M. Macaluso. — The albu- 

 minous matter of urine, by M. Pellogio. — On the relative and 

 specific weight of the cerebellum and the arch of the cranium, by 

 MM. Colombo and Pizzi. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 

 Chemical Society, June ai. — Dr. Gladstone in the chair. 

 The president announced the following grants from the Research 

 Fund of the Society : Dr. Wright, 50/. ; Mr. Neison, 25/. ; Mr. 

 C. Williams, 25/. ; Mr G. Harrow, \ol. The following papers 

 were read : On diamyl, by H. Grimshaw. This substance was 

 prepared by the action of sodium on amyl bromide. It boils at 

 l6o». A chloride and acetate were obtained and investigated. 

 By the action of caustic potash on the acetate, two alcohols were 

 formed boiling at 202'' and 212°. On oxidation acids were 

 formed. — On the action at a high temperature of certain volatile 

 metallic chlorides on certain hydrocarbons, by Watson Smith. 

 a. The authir investigates the action of antimony trichloride, and 

 tin tetrachloride on naphthalin, benzene, and toluene, when these 

 substances are severally passed in the state of vapour through 

 red hot tubes. Benzene and tin tetrachloride gave a very large 

 yield of diphenyl in one distillation. Toluene and antimony 

 trichloride gave oils boiling at 270 — 320°. Naphthalin and 

 antimony trichloride : 77 grm. of the former yielded 242 grm. of 

 yellow crystalline isodinaphthyl ; with tin tetrachloride, m addition 

 to a large yield of isodinaphthyl, a reddish oil, and a citron 

 yellowpowder were obtained, b. Isodinaphthyl sulpho-acids and 

 salts with certain other derivatives ; the a. and & sulpho-acids 

 were prepared, also an oxydinapthyl, a nitro-substitution pro- 

 duct, and a cyanogen derivative. ir.A newdinaphthyl. In the 

 purification of crude isodinaphthyl by petroleum spirit, a fine red 

 solution was obtained ; from this the author succeeded in separat- 

 ing thrte substances melting at 75°, 147^ and 253° ; the latter is 

 probably Lossen and Otto's polymeric dinaphthyl, the second 

 is an isomeric dinaphthyl already obtained by Lossen, the first is 

 a new isomeric dinaphthyl. — On the action of alkaline oxalates 

 on the earthy carbonates, and of solutions of alkaline carbonates 

 on the earthy oxalates, by Watson Smith. The author having 

 observed that when a solution of ammonium oxalate was brought 

 into contact with chalk or powdered marble, an ammoniac.d 

 odour at once became apparent, has carefully measured the extent 

 of this and similar reactions. — Note on thalhous platinocyanide, 

 by R.J. Friswelland A. J. Greenaway. In 1S71 oneof theauthors 

 stated that the above substance was colourless, but that a compound 

 of it with Ihallious carbonate crystallised in dark red needles 

 reflecting a green metallic lustre. Carstangen having confused the 

 two substances and stated that thallious platinocyanide crystallised 

 in blood red needles, the authors have re-investigated the question, 



and fully confirmed the statements made in 1871. — On crystal- 

 lised barium silicate, by E. W. Prevost. Pisani having stated 

 that this substance crystallises in barium hydrate reagent bottles, 

 the author has examined similar crystals, and finds that they 

 consist of barium hydrate. — A note on anethol and its homo- 

 logues, by W. H. Perkin. Methylparoxyphenylacrylic acid, 

 when boiled in a bulb tube, furnishes a distillate, consisting of 

 an oil with the formula C<,Hj(,0, which on oxidation yields 

 apparently anisic acid. Methylparoxyphenylcrotonic acid yields 

 anethol, methylparoxyphenylangelic acid yields a similar sub- 

 s'ance. — Note on persulphocyanic acid, by R. W. Atkinson, 

 Japan. The author discusses the constitution of the above sub- 

 stance, and after investigating various silver and mercury com- 

 pounds, concludes that the formula proposed by Glutz is probably 

 correct. — On the oxidation products ol the aloins, by \ Tilden, 

 D Sc. Barbaloin and socaloin when oxidised by potassium 

 dichromate and sulphuric acid, yield a yellowish substance, 

 which the author proposes to call aloxanthin, having the formula 

 CjjHiqOc. This substance, when treated with fuming nitric 

 acid, yields a yellow nitro-acid, having the properties of aloetic 

 acid. 



Geological Society, June 6. — Prof. P. Martin Duncan, 

 F.R. S., president, in the chair. — The Rev. Charles Leach, 

 William May, John W. Myer.', and John Fletcher Pagen, were 

 elected fellows of the Society. The following communications 

 were read : On the rank and affinities in the reptilian class of the 

 Mosasaitrid.c, Gervais, by Prof. R. Owen, C.B., F.R.S. The 

 author stated that while the Mosasaurians had been originally 

 re'erred to the Cetacea by Camper, then to Crocodilia by Faujas 

 de St. Fond, and to the Lacertilia by Cuvier, Prof. Cope had 

 recently thought he recognised in them Ophidian affinities, 

 spoken of them as "sea-serpents," and formed of them an order 

 called Pythonomorpha He then discussed in detail the various 

 characters presented by the remains of these animals. The dis- 

 tinctive characters did not appear to the author to be sufficient 

 for ordinal rank, and with P. Gervais he regarded the Mosa- 

 sauridje as a family of Lacertilia equivalent to the Iguanodontid^ 

 and Megalosauridse in the order Dinosauria. The order Lacer- 

 tilia among reptiles, being equivalent to the order Carnivora or 

 Ferae among Mammal?, the Mosasauriaus would be the equi- 

 valents of the seals in the latter. — Note on the occurrence of the 

 remains of Hycenarclos in the red crag of Suffolk, by Prof. 

 William Henry Flower, F.R.S. The traces of llyisitarctos, 

 described by the author in this paper, consist of a right and a 

 left first upper molar, which were obtained from the Red Crag 

 of Waldringfield, and are so much alike, that but for the former 

 being rather more worn, they might have belonged to the same 

 animal. On comparison these teeth were found to show no 

 appreciable difference from the corresponding teeth of the 

 original specimen of HyuTitarclos sivalcnus from the Sewalik 

 Hills, and hence the author did not venture to regard them 

 as representing a species distinct from the Indian one. — 

 On the remains of Hypsodoii, Port/tens, and Iclithyodectes from 

 Kritish cretaceous strata, with descriptions of new species, by E. 

 TuUey Newton, F.G.S., of H.M. Geological Survey. — On the 

 precarboniferous rocks of Charnwood Forest, Part I., by the 

 Rev. E. Hill, F.G.S., and the Rev. T. G. Bonney, F.G.S. 

 The authors described a mass of slates, grits, and volcanic 

 breccia?, accompanied by some knolls and dykes of syenite, 

 spread over a space of about fifty square miles. They showed 

 that the patches marked on the Survey Map as greenstone of 

 Bardon, Birchwood, and Buck Hill, except a very small portion 

 of the latter, are really altered rock ; that the syenite knoll of 

 B.iwdon Castle carries a mass of breccia in its centre; and that 

 the area of syenite in Bradgate House Woods must be enlarged. 

 .Several writers have noticed that part of the porphyritic region 

 of the north-west corner is altered rock. The authors showed 

 that there is in it no igneous rock at all, and that the same is 

 the case with every one of the smaller patches marked as 

 porphyry on the Survey Map. All are volcanic brecc as, ashes, 

 or agglomerates some of enormous size. The extent to which 

 volcanic materials enter into the rocks of the district is remark- 

 able. The authors endeavoured to correlate the stratified rocks, 

 and adduced evidence to prove that the pebble and ash-beds of 

 Forest Gate, the grit and pebble-beds of the Hanging Rocks, 

 the similar beds in the grounds of Mr. A. Ellis, at .Swithland, 

 and the quartzites of Bradgate Stable Quai'iy, Groby Pool, and 

 Steward's Hay Spring, form one horizon ; the slate breccias of 

 lUores Hill, Bradgate, Ulverscroft Mill, Markfield, Bardon, and 

 High Towers, a second ; the coarse ash-beds of Benscliff, Chitter- 



