28o 



NATURE 



\August 2, 1877 



spot selected is the Carrousel interior yard. The large space 

 within the railings has been found sufficient, after special inspec- 

 tion by MM. Lefeul and Tetreau. The ministerial sanction is 

 expected daily. M. Giffard is continuing his experiments on the 

 production of hydrogen gas with continuous apparatus. 



A BALLOON was sent up on Wednesday carrying an aeronaut, and 

 elicited an interesting fact of aerial physics. The ground current 

 was blowing gently from north-west, but higher up a south-west 

 current was met by the aeronaut. The balloon was carried at a 

 rate of 500 metres per minute to the north-east of Paris. In the 

 night 8 millimetres of rain fell, the upper current having 

 descended into contact with the ground. 



A German Society for the Exploration of Palestine has 

 recently been started by Dr. Zimmermann, Gymnasial Rector 

 in Basle, along with Professors Kautzsch and Socin, of Tiibingen. 

 Several other savaiils have joined it. The first quarterly number 

 of the society's projected journal will appear shortly. The 

 annual contribution to the society (10 marks) entitles one to 

 receive the journal. 



It is proposed in Stuttgart to erect a simple monument over 

 the grave of Th. v. Ileuglin, the well-known African traveller, 

 recently deceased. The committee, at whose head is Prince 

 Hermann of Saxe-Weimar, invite subscriptions. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Bonnet Monkey {Ulacacas radiatus) from 

 India, presented by Mr. C. L. Norman ; three Chaplin Crows 

 (Corvits capellaniis) from Persia, presented by Dr. J. Huntley; 

 a West African Python (Python sdia] from West Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Lionel Hart ; a Red River Hog {Potamochanis 

 fcniiillatiis) from West Africa, received in exchmge ; a Barbary 

 Ape (IMacacus inuiis) from North Africa, a Squirrel Monkey 

 (Saimaris schafo) from Guiana, deposited; a Military Maccaw 

 (Ara ntilitarU) from South America, purchased ; ten Amherst 

 pheasants ( Thautnalea amherstur), three Temminck's Tragopans 

 {Ceriornis temminckii) bred in the Gardens. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, July 23. — M. Peligot in the chair. — 

 The following papers were read : — New researches on electro- 

 cnpillary plienomena, by M. Becquerel. One experiment is 

 this : into a cracked tube containing nitrate of silver solution 

 are introduced some very small fragments of carbon, and the tube 

 is put in a vessel holding monosulphuret of sodium. Here the 

 wall of the crack in contact with the inrer solution is the 

 negative pole of the electro-capillary couple, and that in contact 

 with the outer solution the positive. Not only does the negative 

 wall get covered with metallic silver, but the carbon fragments 

 are also coated in proportion to their nearness to the crack. 

 Each fragment acts like the crack. The action is like what 

 occurs in a metallic circuit composed of several conductors. — 

 Fixation of nitrogen on organic matter and formation of ozone 

 under the influence of weak electric tensions, hy M. Eerthelot. 

 He has given up metallic armatures, introducing the gas 

 into an annular space between two vessels holding dilute 

 sulphuric acid solution, which were connected with the 

 battery poles. He mentions four reactions in which forma- 

 tion of ozone has thus been obtained. Again, to estimate 

 fixation of nitrogen, a glass cylinder (with spherical c?!otte), 

 internally covered with tin, externally half with water-moistened 

 Berzelius paper, half with syrupy solution of dextrine, w.is placed 

 on a lac-covered glass-plate and enclosed in a concentric glass 

 cylinder with outer coating of tin ; the tin armatures were con- 

 nected with five Leclanche elements during several months, 

 and fixation of nitrogen in paper and dextrine was demonstrated. 

 He shows the application of such facts. — On an experiment by 

 Dr. Bastian relating to urine neutralised by potash, by M. Pasteur. 

 He describes a form of Dr. Bastian's experiment he has per- 

 formed several times in presence of Academy members, and 

 never got bacteria ; the nature and treatment of the vessel is a 

 salient point. — Tertiary strata of Hungary (continued), by MM. 

 Hebert and Munier-Chalmas. — On the electric conductivity of 

 trees, by M. Du Moncel. After referring to the local currents 



and currents of polarisation got on applying to each tree two 

 platinum electrodes 9 ctm. square, with an interval of 6'44 m., 

 he gives a table of resistances for various species. The soft 

 woods with spongy tissue and vigorous vegetation, such as 

 elm (resistance 1,431 km.), chestnut (1,694), hme (1,988), 

 poplar (2,090), are the best conductors. Among hard 

 woods with slow vegetation, box had a resistance of 

 12,511 km. Birch (4,777) formed an exception. — Reply to M. 

 Cosson's observations on the Saharan Sea, by M. D'Abbadie. 

 M. de Lesseps corroborates M. D'Abbadie's arguments. — On 

 the ophitic phenomenon in the Pyrenees and the Haute-Garonne, 

 by M. Leymerie. Ophite proper and Iherzolite are two different 

 but concomitant facies of an eruptive phenomenon characteristic 

 of the Pyrenees, which may, as a whole, be termed ofhitic. It 

 is only met with in the lower part of slopes. — Reply to M. 

 Naudin's observations on the interior sea of Sahara, by M. 

 Roudaire. — On the degree of efficacy of sulphide of carbon as a 

 means of destruction of phylloxera, by M. Boiteau. — On the 

 grape-disease of the Narbonnese vineyards, by M. Cornu. — On 

 the Doryphora of potatoes, by M. Girard. He thinks sulpho- 

 carbonate of potash would be useful against it ; also that the 

 fear of the beetle is exaggerated. Another chrysomelian 

 (ColaspiJema atruni), which attacks lucern in France, is very 

 like the Colorado beetle in its ways, and it is successfully resisted. 

 — On curves having the same principal normals, and on the surface 

 formed by these normals, by M. Mannheim. — On the extension to 

 space of two laws relative to plane curves, given by M. Chasles, by 

 M. Fouret. — Influence of heat on magnetisation, by M. Gaugain. 

 Certain magnetic bars of Sheffield steel heated .and let cool are 

 found at last to have changed in the sign of their magnetism. — 

 On the magnetisation of circular plates where the isodynamic 

 lines are concentric circumferences, by M. Duter. — On the elec- 

 trolysis of sulphurois acid, by M. Gueront. This substance is 

 decomposed like a salt. — Note on the determination of manganese, 

 nickel, zinc, and lead, by M. Riche. — On the density of vapour 

 of sulphhydrates of ammonia, by M. Horstmann.— On the nature 

 of gases contained in the tissues of fniits, by M. Livache. He 

 applied M. Schlcosing's analytic method ,of immersion in ether 

 (without lesion of tissue). In the tissues of healthy fruit the 

 gases are a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen in the proportions 

 found in air. — On the products of fermentation of the mud of 

 Paris, by M. Maumene. — On the fecundation of the star-fish and 

 sea-urchin, by M. Fol. — On the anatomy and the migrations of 

 oxyurides, parasites of insects of the genus Blatta, by M. Ghaleb. 

 — Influence of the sun and moon on magnetic and barometric 

 variations, by M. Broun. — Some observations on the trajectory 

 of hail during thunderstorms, by M. Ziegler. A hailstone cannot 

 (he considers) attain a great weight except through a long course 

 in dense air in the lower regions of the atmosphere, and he cites 

 cases to prove that the trajectory of large hailstones forms a very 

 acute angle with the ground. 



CONTENTS Pagb 



Thh Physical Basis of Mind. By Douglas A. Spalding . . . 261 



Gore's "Electro-Metallurgy" 263 



Our Book Shelf : — 



Berg's •' Enumeraclon dc las Plantas Europ^as que se liallan como 



Silvestres en la Provincia de Buenos Aires y en Patagonia " . . 264 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Optical Spectroscopy of the Red End of the Solar Speclrum. — 



Prof. PiAzzi Smyth. F.R.S 264 



The Cretaceous Flori of America.— J. S. Newberry 264 



Meteorological Notes from Lisbon. — Henry O. Kordhs . , . . 265 



Fertilisation of Flowers by Insects. — Hermann MUller . . . 265 



Local Museums.— J. Romilly Allen 266 



Proposed New Museum — Hhnky H. Howorth 266 



Adaptation of Plant Structure ^Henry Collett 266 



Ratilesnakesin Wet Weather —Hunter Nicholson 2(6 



Meteors.— W. Ainslie Hollis 266 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Herschelian Companion of Aldebaran 266 



The Third Comet ot 1759 267 



Meteorological Notes: — 



Sun-spots and Rainfall in Calcutta . 267 



Winds of the South Atlantic 267 



Climate of Kossier, on the Red Sea 268 



Drought in Canada 268 



Early Allusions to the Magnetic Needle 26S 



Evolution of Nerves and Nbevo-Svstems, 11 By George J 



Romanes, M. A., F.L.S, («'i//i///M/?-rt.'io«i) 269 



The Norwegian Atlantic Exploring Expedition 271 



Mr. Kroude's New Dynamometer (fTiJA/Z/iw/ra/iow) .... 272 

 The Commission of the French Academy and the Pasteur- 



Bastian Experiments. By Dr. H. Charlton Bastian, F.R.S. 276 



Notes 279 



Societies and Academies 280 



Erratum. — P. 238, col. i, line 9 from top, for EkfUn7iite read Ekdeniite, 



