196 
proposed to use chased copper in the place of brass in con- 
structing the vessel, on account of its offering greater resistance 
to pressure, and believed to have already found satisfactory 
means for improving the instrument invented by himself and 
his brother.—Dr.-Marthe gave an account of Khiwa based on 
the study of Russian literature on the subject, winding up with 
the suggestion, that the withirawing of a large body of the 
water from the Amu for the irrigation of the oasis, deprived the 
lake Aral of so large a supply, that to this circumstance might 
be due the diminution its surface has suffered, and the fact of its 
resent isolation. The water which before took its way through 
ake Aral to the Caspian, now evaporates from the rice-fields of 
Khiwa, 
Geological Society, June 4.—Dr. J. Ewald in the chair.— 
Baron Richthofen drew attention to the activity recently dis- 
played, according to newspaper reports, by several volcanoes of 
Japan, some of which have not been active for a long time, and 
gave an account of the distribution of volcanoes in Japan. The 
west and east portion of the aggregate body of the Japanese 
islands (leaving out of consideration the small inland passages), 
is in every way the direct continuation of the mountain system 
which occupies the south-eastern portion of China, the axial chain 
of which extends from the frontier of Annam to the island of 
Chusan, in the direction of W. 30° S.; E. 30° N. It is accom- 
panied on either side by a number of parallel chains. The 
prolongation of the main portion of this group of linear chains 
passes through the island of Kiushiu to the great bend of Japan ; 
and in that entire region of country, the structure of the hills, 
the rocks of which they are made up (chiefly Silurian and De- 
vonian strata accompanied by granite), and the lines of strike 
are the same which were observed in south-eastern China. This 
first system is intersected, at either end, by another which runs 
SS.W., NN.E. On the west, it commences in Kiushiu, and 
extends southward in the direction of the Liu-Kiu islands, while 
on the east it constitutes the northern branch of the main island, 
and, with a slight deviation in its course, continues through the 
islands of Yesso and Saghalin. A third system, which does not 
properly belong to Japan, is indicated by the S.W. and N.E, 
line of the Kurilislands, The first system, where it occupies 
the breadth of the country for itself alone, is as free from vol- 
€anoes or any accumulation of volcanic rocks as it is in south- 
eastern China. The second is accompanied by volcanoes. But 
the greatest accumulation of volcanic rocks, as well as of extinct 
volcanoes, is found in the places of interference, or those regions 
where the lines of the two systems cross each other; and be- 
sides, in that region where the third system branches off from 
the second. To the same three regions of interference those 
volcanoes are confined which have been active in historical 
times. Some details were then given regarding the structure of 
Kiushiu. This island, although having its longer axis directed 
from north to south, is intersected, as it were, by several solid 
bars made up of very ancient rocks, and following the strike of 
W. 30° S., E. 30° N. They form high mountain barriers, the 
most central of which (south of the provinces of Higo and 
Bungo) rises to over 7,000 feet, and is extremely wild and 
rugged. Among the details regarding the volcanoes of Satsuma, 
particular attention was drawn to the fact that the various families 
of volcaric rocks have arrived there at the surface in exactly the 
same order of succession as is the case in Hungary, Mexico, the 
Great Basin, and many other volcanic regions, namely, Ist, Pro- 
pylite, or trachytic greenstone ; 2nd, Andesite ; 3rd, Trachyte 
and Rhyolite ; and qtb, the basaltic rocks. There is the greatest 
accumulation of mountain masses in Japan, one of the several 
chains rising to upwards of 11,000 feet in its summits. Among 
them are situated several gigantic volcanoes, such as Fusi-yama, 
the highest of all, Yatsunga-Jake, a series of elevated cones with 
extinct craters, and several others partly active and partly extinct. 
Those of the third group were not visited by Richthofen.— 
Prof. E. Weiss exhibited some curious octahedral crystals of 
Hausmannite, remarkable on account of certain re-entering 
angles and the striated aspect of the faces, and proved that the 
lines which caused this appearance were due to a kind of twin 
formation not hitherto observed. 
PaRIS 
Academy of Sciences, June 23.—M. de Quatrefages, presi- 
dent, in the chair—The following papers were read :—Second 
note on guano, by M. Chevreul.—New researches on the silent 
electric discharge, by MM. P. and A. Thenard.—Researches on 
vhlorine and its compounds, by M. Berthelot. The author dealt 
NATURE 
[Fuly 3, 1873 
with the compounds of chlorine with water and the protosalts.—- 
A new series of observations on the solar protuberances ; new 
remarks on the relations between protuberances and spots, by 
Father Secchi. The Rey. Father presented his observations for 
the last quarter, and then, in his letter, criticised Respighi’s late 
remarks on the absence of the chromosphere over spots, which 
he maintains is not the case. He then gave an account of some 
experiments on scdium vapour, which, however, contained 
nothing new, and then proceeded to state that the line D, ap- 
pears to him to coincide with one of the components of the D 
group which appears when the sun is near the horizon. He has 
also found a bright iron line between 6, and 43, and having 
examined the spectrum of iron with a battery of 50 cells, has 
seen 480 lines, but could not find 1474 Kirchhoff; he hopes to 
repeat this experiment, and if the results are same, he considers 
that the absence of Fe from the corona will be proved. With 
magnesium in the lamp, he finds the same nebulosity as is 
exhibited by the sodium lines, but it is accompanied by a banded 
spectrum of MgO ; he thinks that if the nebulosity is also due 
to the oxide, that the occurrence of oxidation in the sun will be 
proved.—On the influence of atmospheric refraction as it affects 
the time of contact in a transit of Venus, by M. E. Dubois.— 
On the coloration and greening of Neottia Nidus-avis, by M. E. 
Prillieux.—On semi-diurnal barometric variations, by M. Broun.— 
On hot-air warming apparatus, by M. Ducrot.—A letter was re- 
ceived from M. de Lesseps praying the Academy toinclude his name 
among those of the candidates for the vacant seat of Académicien 
libre, vacant by M. de Verneuil’sdeath.—On the constitution of the 
sun and the theory of the spots, by M. E. Vicaire.—On the pro- 
duction of methylic alcohol by the distillation of calcic formate, 
by MM. C. Friedel and R. D, Silva, The authors believe that 
formic aldehyde is first formed by the reaction (CHO,),C1 = 
CO,Ca? + H,O + CH,O, and that the aldehyde is converted 
into alcohol by the action of nascent hydrogen.—On terebene, 
by M. J. Ribau.—On the production of the rotatory power ia 
the neutral derivatives of mannite, by M. G. Bouchardat.—An 
answer to a late no‘e, by M. du Moncel, on the resistance 
maxima of induction coils, by M. Raynaud. 
DIARY 
FRIDAY, Jury 4. 
Geotocists’ AssocIATION, at 8. 
ARCHAOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, at 4. 
Horricu.TurRat Society, at 3.—Lecture. 
SATURDAY, Juty 5. 
Gegovocists’ AssociaTion.—Excursion to Plumstead and Crossness. 
MONDAY, Jury 7. 
Gerocrapnicat Society, at 8.30 —Boat Journey up the River Wami: C. C. 
Hill.—Remarks on Zanzibar and the East Coast of Africa: Sir Bartle 
Frere, K C.B., president. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL Society, at 7. 
BOOKS RECEIVED 
AmeRICAN.—Families of Fishes: Theo. Gill (Smithsonian Institution). 
—Memoir of Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, 2 vols : George 
Ellis (Claxton & Co, U.S.A.).—U-S. Sanitary Commission in Valley of 
Mississippi, 1861-6 : Dr. Newberry (Cleveland, U.S.A.).—Geologica! Survey 
of Indiana: E. T. Cox (Indianopolis, U.S.A.) 
: CONTENTS 
Pace 
An Orper oF INTELLECTUAL MERIT. « . . «sw ww es 1977 
Cookery aT Souru Kenstncton. By Dr. E. Lanxester, F.R.S.. 178 
Cox's Poputar PsycHOLOGY » . 6 se 2 1 se ee 6s 8 190 
Our Book SHELF. < s.jagkeP Ol «Werle “ec 1a) «cee 
LetrTers To THE EptroR:— 
Dr. Bastian's Turnip-Cheese Experiments —Dr. BuRDON SANDER- 
SON. F.RS,. . Bales «so oe + ee nn 
The Zodiacal Light —T. W Backuouse; Maxwett Hatt . . 184 
Meteorological Influence of Trap-Rocks.—T. SrevgNSON . . . 181 
Winters and Summers —J, J. Murruy, F.G.S. . . Oe 182 
Cyclones.—J. J. MurrHy, PGS... . 2... « ee. 182 
A Mirage in the Fens—S, H. Mitter. . . ..... . « 182 
‘Lhe Westerly Progress of Cities.—B.G. Jenkins . . . . . . 182 
How does the Cuckoo deposit her Eggs.—‘T’ ANnpas . o atte'paBa 
Tue Late Mr. ARCHIBALD SMITH... oes 185 
New EXPERIMENTS FOR THE D&TERMINATION OF THE VELOCITY OF 
Licut py M. ALFRED Cornu (With [dlustrations) . . .. . . 
FERTILISATION OF F. OWERS BY INSECTS, and on the reciprocal adapta 
tions of both. By Dr. HERMANN MULLER (H4/sth llustrations) . 
ON SOME REMARKABLE ForMS OF ANIMAL LIFE FROM GREAT 
Deers orF THE Norwecian Coast. By Rev. Tuomas HINCKS . 189 
NOEs +. sss) 5 ee oe ne 8 se ee 
SCIENTIFIC'SERIALS’ 4s: GieMerte, bls) a lo os Ser aL 194 
SocteTI£s AND ACADEMIES'¢),:0):) a6)! « s+ 90 ol glenn 104 
DIARY «105.2, 0.0 (© ogee! tel atyatly , |» 1/84 0 sat a oe ee 
Booxs Ruckivap. .. 6 sia lebwi she ss «sc ee ouSTe 
