194 
NATURE 
| Fuly 3, 1873 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Der Naturforscher, May.—This serial, containing little that is 
original, furnishes a weekly supply of well-selected and adapted 
matter from varibus sources. In the present number attention 
may be called to an academical address delivered by Herr 
Streng at Giessen, on the “ circle-course” of substances in nature, 
treating chiefly of geological phenomena ; to an account of Herr 
Janettaz’s recent careful researches on the conduction of heat in 
crystals (some 44 mineral species having been examined) ; to atheo- 
retical investigation by Herr Handl (Vienna Academy) of thecondi- 
tions of: satitvated and supersaturated Solutions, and to several papers 
of meteorological experiment : on moisture in forests and in the 
open, on the temperature of rain, and on the velocity of winds 
as measured on various heights on Antwerp Cathedral.—Some 
observations of M. Du Breuil on the partial decortication of 
horse-chestnuts, are worthy of notice. He found about twenty 
of these trees in the park at Compiégne, the bark of which had 
been eaten off twenty-four years previously, by rabbits, to a 
height of 30 or 40 centimetres. From several experiments hé 
concluded that the chestnuts could live thus long without com- 
munication with the sdiJ, and that the elements necessary to 
their growth were obtained partly from the atmosphere, partly 
through endoSmose from the woody tissue formed before decorti- | 
cation.— Among several French Academy papers are those by 
M., Jamin on the laws of the normal magnet, and M. Faye on 
circulation of hydrogen in the sun.—English and American 
science is also represented.—A curious fact is stated in the 
‘*Kleinere Mittheilungen”: Herr Eimer has recently found, on a 
precipitous rock near the island of Capri, a new species of lizard. 
It is blue all over, with dark spots on the back ; while the lizards 
in Capri are of a bright green, with only a little blue at the ex- 
tremities. Now the rock (which is frequented by birds of prey) 
has little or no vegetation, and its natural colour is a bluish 
grey, or dark blue in the shaded parts. The lizard, when at 
rest, can hardly be detected by sight, its colour is so like that 
of the rock. Herr Eimer finds indications that the rock was 
once connected with the land, and suppos-s green lizards to have 
gone over and been gradually transformed to blue, through natu- 
ral selection. 
THE American Fournal of Science and Arts for June com- 
mences with a biographical notice of Dr. John Torrey, the 
botanist, who died in March last, in the 77th year of his age.— 
Mr. G. J. Brush contributes a paper on the avalysis of an Angle- 
site from Arizona, worked out in the Sheffield Laboratory of 
Yale College.—Prof. Dana discusses some results of the earth’s 
contraction from cooling, including the origin of mountains and 
the nature of the earth’s interior.—Prof. J. H. Eaton has a 
paper on the relations of the sandstone, conglomerates, and 
limestone of Sauk County, Wisconsin, to each other and to the 
Azoic.—Prof. Le Conte replies to Mr, T. S. Hunt’s criticisms 
on his paper on the formation of the great features of the earth’s 
surface.—Mr, Verrill remarks on Mr. Jeffrey’s article on ‘* The 
Mollusca of Europe compared with those of Eastern North 
America,” in which, while differing from that author, who thinks 
that most of the New World forms are derived from the old, he 
considers the reverse is the case.—Prof. Young proposes thé use 
of diffraction ‘‘ gratings” a& a substitute for the trains of prisms 
in a solar spectroscope; and he considers that they might well 
supersede prisms on account of their lightness and ease in 
management. Prof. Marsh gives further notices. of Tertiary 
mammals, describing two new genera, Tillotherium and 
Brontotherium, allied respectively to Anchigpodus and Titano- 
therium. 
Bulletin Mensuel de la Société d'Acclimatation dz Paris, —The 
ril number of this serial has only just come to hand. It gives 
details of all the prizes in the gift of the Society for papers or 
Works on matters it Which it is specially interested, or for Success 
in ‘carryiig out its objects in the acclimatisation or improvement 
‘of various animals or plants. No less than 88 prizes, of the 
money value of more than 75,000 fr, (3,000/.), remain to be com- 
peted for, besides 31 medals. By this means the Society does much 
to popularise the work it has in hand, and to make known the 
experiencé gained by those who have interested themselves in it. 
The system of lending ‘specimens, ‘on condition of receiving, for 
further distribution, a certain part of the produce, is explained 
in a paper by .M. Passy, the vice-president. It appears that 
Algeria and Madeira, Guadeloupe and Martinique,, besides 
Switzerland, Russia, Italy, Austria, atid some other Européan 
countries, are brought within the field Of the Suciety by means 
of branches, or affiliated societies of a similar nature.—A paper 
entitled ‘* Le Jardin de mon,Grandpére,” by Edmond About, the 
George Augustus Sala of French literature, gives some idea of 
the benefits conferred by careful cultivation. ‘* To increase the 
resources given by Nature to manis a task at once too noble and 
too useful not to induce the sympathy and earnest assistance of 
people in all parts of the world.” Such is the aim of the 
Society. The last year has had good results. Foreign coun- 
tries have all been made to give their quota towards increasing 
the material wealth of France and the knowledge of those interest: 
in the Society. ‘‘China, hitherto so unknown, will soon have 
no secrets from us. A work on the ichthyology of the Celestial 
Land has given details as to the modes of pisciculture in that 
country.” The financial position of the Society is satisfactory, 
the balance-sheet for 1872 showing receipts 54,944 fr. (2,200/.), 
and expenditure 45,704 fr. (1,828/.), 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
Lonpon ‘ 
Royal Society, May 15.—On a Periodicity of Rainfll in 
connection with the Sun-spot Periodicity, by C. Meldrim, 
Director of the Meteorological Observatory, Mauritits, Com- 
municated by Sir Edward Sabine. 
Assuming that there is a sun-spot periodicity, in the course of 
which the sun undergoes a variation with respect to heat, or 
some other form of energy, we should expect to find a corre- 
sponding variation in the state of our atmosphere. 
With this idea, it was some time ago determined to discuss 
the cyclones that had occurred during the Jast twenty-five years 
in the Southern Indian Ocean, and 1t was found, what had been 
often surmised, that they were more frequent and more violent 
in the maxima than in the minima sun-spot years. 
It is well known that the cyclones ot the Indian Ocean aré 
attended with much rain, which is not confined to the body of 
the storm, but extends over wide areas. Years remaikable for 
cyclones, therefore, should be also years remarkable for rain ; 
but to test this inference, with regard to the Indian Ocean, we 
had no rainfall statistics, except eighteen years’ obs<rvations at 
Mauritius ; and these were in every respect favourable, the 
rainiest years having been those in which cyclones were most 
abundant. In the absence of other data, the Brisbane and 
Adelaide rainfalls were consulted, and it was found that, like 
Mauritius rainfall, they indicated a periodicity. It was then 
surmised that there might be a rainfajl periodicity generally ; 
and that, if such was the case, both it and the cyclone-periodicity 
Were condomitant effects of one and the same catsé. This sup- 
position having been strétigthened by the results of an exaimina- 
tion of the rainfall of England, it was resolved to examine all 
the rainfall tables (containing one or more sun-spot periods) that 
could be obtained. By comparison of an extensive series of 
weather statistics kept at a large number of places all over the 
world, the decided conclusion is that, with scarcely an excep 
tion, all the years of maxima and minima rainfall are within a 
fraction of the correspofiding maximum and midimim sun-spot 
year. 
Chemical Society, June 19.—Dr. Odling, F.8.8., president, 
in the chair,—Nine commihications were read, of which the 
following are the titles:—1. ‘‘ Reseatches on the Action of thé 
Copper Zine Couple on Organic Bodies III. on Normal and 
iro-propyl iodide,” by J..H. Gladstone, F.R.S., and A, Tribe, 
being a continuation, in the propyl series, of the author’s pre- 
vious researches. 2, ‘*On the Influence of Pressure on Fer- 
mentation, Part 4. The influence of reduced atmospheric 
pressure on the alcoholic fermentation,” by Horace T. Brown, 
in which he finds that, under diminished pressure, the progress 
of the alcoholic fermentation is retarded in a remarkable way. 
3. ‘*On Cymene from different Sources, optically considered,” 
by J. H. Gladstone, F,R.S. 4. ‘‘ Note on the Action of Bro- 
mine on Alizarine,” by W. H. Perkin, F.R.S. This reaction 
gives rise to Bromalizarine, an orange-coloured crystalline sub- 
stance, possessing feebler dyeing properties than pure alizarine, 
the colouring principle of madder. 5. “On some Oxidation 
and Decomposition Products of Morphine Derivatives,” by G. 
L. Mayer and C. R. A. Wright, D. Sc. 6. ‘On the Decom- 
position of Tricalcic Phosphate by Water,” by R. Warrington. 
7. ‘“Communications from the Laboratory of the London In- 
stitution, No. XII.” : “On the Nature and on some Derivatives - 
of Coal-tar Cresol,” by Dr, H, £, Armstrong aiid 'C, L, Wield, 
