524 
NATURE 
[March 29, 1883 
os a  .t.;_ cow TO 
C. papaya, having the well known property of rendering it 
tender. He wrapped a piece of steak in a leaf for twenty-four 
hours, and it was quite effectual in softening it, and when cooked 
was pronounced excellent, though some thought there was a 
somewhat peculiar flavour as compared with a similar piece not 
wrapped up. 
MANCHESTER 
Literary and Philosophical Society, January 9.—H. E. 
Roscoe, F.R.S., &c., president, in the chair.—Dr. Joule said 
that he had, in December, 1882, made a fresh determination of 
the freezing-point in a sensitive thermometer constructed thirty- 
nine years ago. During that time the point had risen about 1° 
Fahrenheit, and although now rising very slowly, was not even 
yet quite stationary, having risen 1/40 of a degree Fahrenheit 
since November, 1879. 
January 23.—J. P. Joule, F.R.S., vice-president, in the 
chair,—Remarks on the simultaneous variations of the barometer 
recorded by the late John Allan Broun, by Prof. Balfour 
Stewart, F.R.S.—A paper was read entitled ‘‘ Jeremiah Horrox 
and William Crabtree, the Observers of the Transit of Venus in 
1639,” by Mr. John E. Bailey, F.S.A. 
February 6.—Prof. Balfour Stewart, F.R.S., in the chair.— 
Note on the vapours of incandescent solids, by Henry Wilde.— 
Remarks on Prof. Osborne Reynolds’ paper on isochronous 
vibrations, by Robert Rawson, Hon. Member, Assoc, I.N.A., 
Mem. of the London Mathematical Society. 
February 20.—H. E. Roscoe, F.R.S., &c., president, in the 
chair. —Mr. R. D. Darbishire, F.G.S., read a note upon the 
Mammoth Cave, by Mr. G. Darbishire. 
BERLIN 
Physiological Society, February 23.—Prof. Du Bois 
Reymond in the chair.—Prof. Lucae, induced by the per- 
ception of a low noise when, in the open country, a strong 
wind blew against his ear, has long experimentally studied 
this phenomenon, investigating sounds and noises which arise 
on blowing into the external auditory meatus. He ob:erved 
in normal ears which were closed with a sound tympanic 
membrane a moderately high noise, the pitch of which 
could not exactly be determined. When the tympanic mem- 
brane was stretched, the noise was somewhat higher and piping ; 
when, on the other hand, the tympanic membrane was broken 
through or was absent, so that in the experiment the large air- 
space formed by the middle ear with the large cellular air-spaces 
beyond was blown into, he then heard a very deep noise. This 
great difference between the proper tone of the external auditory 
meatus and that of the large irregularly-formed air-space behind 
the membrane Prof. Lucae has verified both in all suitable patients 
and in dead bodies. An estimate of the relation of resonance of 
the ear cavities was obtained when, upon a spherical resonator 
which gives the tone c, on blowing, a short open cylinder was 
placed, which, blown into separately, gives the tone c,; when 
this combination was jointly blown into, the considerably deeper 
tone 7 washeard. When, however, between sphere and cylinder, 
a stretched membrane of caoutchoue was introduced, and the 
system blown into, there was heard again a higher tone, 7. The 
influence here exercised by the degree of tension of the membrane 
could not be determined. To bring this schema of the air-spaces 
of the ear still nearer to the natural conditions, dry sponge was 
placed in the spherical resonator, the cavities of this material 
corresponding to the bone cells communicating with the middle 
ear; the pitch of the tone on blowing was not thereby much 
altered. ‘The determination of the proper tone of the tym- 
panum and the influence of these conditions on audition are 
further engaging the author’s attention.—Dr. Pohl Pincus had 
explained at a previous meeting of the Society that in the non- 
vascular frog heart two groups of muscular fibres with different 
action must be distinguished. The one class of fibres surrounds 
the fissures of the heart-wall, which perform the function of the 
vessels and admit the nutritive liquid to the tissue (vessel- 
muscles) ; the others, by their regular contractions and dilatations, 
act in the way of moving the blood (proper heart-muscles), The 
contraction of the first kind of muscles closes the fissures and 
produces paleness of the heart-wall, and their dilatation opens 
the fissures, lets the blood penetrate into the substance of the 
heart, and reddens the heart-wall ; while the action of the second 
group of muscles produces systole and diastole of the heart. 
Now the actions of these two kinds of muscles—the heart-vessel 
muscles and the proper heart-muscles—are not simultaneous and 
similar under the influence of local stimuli, removal of the brain, 
section of the spinal cord in different places, and poisons ; some- 
times the heart-walls were observed to be pale in diastole and 
deep red in systole, and there were various other local differences 
of behaviour. This led the author to seek also an anatomical 
difference of the two groups of muscles, and he found one such 
on microscopical examination, for the proper heart-muscle fibres 
were cross-striped throughout and had long cell nuclei, whereas in 
the others the cross-striping did not comprise the whole width of 
fibres, and the nuclei were oval. With this anatomical difference 
the different mode of reaction of the two kinds of muscles and 
their different function is intelligible. 
VIENNA 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, January 4.—The fol- 
lowing papers were read :—G. Haberlandt, on the physiological 
anatomy of milk-tubes.—T. Wiesner, on the entering of the 
winter-buds of creeping blackberry-shoots into the soil, and on 
the mechanical cause of this process.—F. Rathay and B, Haas, 
on Phallus and Caprinus.x—A, y. Obermayer, on diffusion of 
gases (third paper). 
January 11.—F. Enrich, on the action of bile acids on albumen 
and peptones, and on their antiseptic effects.—T. Haubner, on 
the logarithmic potential of an uninsulated elliptic plate—A. 
Lieben and S. Zeisel, on the products of condensation of propion- 
aldehyde and its derivatives.—F. Anton, determination of the 
orbit of the Cassandra planet (114).—T. Ehrmann, on the for- 
mation of adipose tissue by the fat-organs, named winter-sleep- 
glands. 
January 18.— C. Rabl, contribution to the history of develop- 
ment of Prosobranchiata.—F. Brauer, systematic studies based 
on the Diptera-larvze, with a description of new species (third 
part).—R. Andreasch, on the oxidation of bases obtained by 
the action of halogen-compounds on thio-urea,—T. Freydl, note 
on the dry distillation of tartaric and citric acid with an excess 
of lime.—C. Pelz, on the determination of the outlines of warped 
screw-planes.—G. Goldschmidt, on the products of decomposi- 
tion of the anhydrides of salicylic acid by distillation.—F. N. 
Dafert, on amylbenzol. 
February 1.—W. Biedermann, contributions to general nerve 
and muscle physiology (tenth communication); to the know- 
ledge of secondary contraction.—A. Belohoubek, on erystallised 
potassium hydroxides.—T. Blaas, contributions to the know- 
ledge of natural water containing double sulphates.—T. Hep- 
perger, determination of the orbit of Schmidt’s nebulz.— M. 
Kretschy, on the oxidation of kynurine and kinurenic acid. 
CONTENTS PaGE 
Tue American ASSOCIATION. By Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S. « 501 
PrincsHEtm’s BoTaNnicaL YEAR-BooKS. By Prof. W. R. McNas 502 
Our Boox SHELF:— 
Brocklehurst’s ‘‘ Mexico To-day” ..... . . + =» = « 503 
LETTERS TO THE EpiroR:— 
The Matter of Space, II.—Prof. A. S. Herscuer (With 
Diagram). 256 Vey fel eine fn es ad hs Nish ae ee 
Mr. Stevenson's Observations on the Increase of the Velocity of 
_ the Wind with the Altitude. —E. DouGias ARCHIBALD . 506 
On the Formation of Mudballs.—Prof. G. H. Darwin, F.R.S. 507 
Snow Rollers.—G. J. Symons, F.R.S. ; F. W. Grey . ee ey 
Incubation of the Ostrich.—Prof. H. N. Mose Ley, PRS.) ee) a2: 
Holothurians.—J. G. GRENFELL . . - - - - «= + « + + 508 
The British Circumpolar Expedition —Dr. J. Rar, F.R.S.. . - 508 
Meteor BROWN) uel unite) osteitis 508 
Mimicry.—Dr. PAuL HENRY STOKOE . . +. + ss = =) L505 
Threatened Extinction of the Elephant.—Epwarp E. PRINCE 509 
A Curious Case of Ignition.—M. . . - - « © + © + + «© = 509 
StncinG, SPEAKING, AND STAMMERING, I. By W. H. Strong, 
M.D: FREGiDioe so cae pin ist arch con el anutlet xrau o/h (ont EeD 
ACCLIMATISATION OF Eprpre MorrusKs. By Dr. J. Gwyn 
Jerrreys, FIRIS. oe ee ws 8) eee ihe) eens 
Tue ALFIANELEO METEORITE) <) «) <) so 0) le) +) = (>) ose een 
Tue Suares oF Leaves, IV. By Grant ALLEN (With Jélustrations) 51x 
Fossit AtG@ (With Illustration) . . . + + bthey ton thie bes ree 
Notes. .« Sebo OAaOec sie . 515 
Our ASTRONOMICAL CoLUMN:— 
TheiCometixS83ia) (205 elas ey oe) see 517 
The Minor Planet No. 228 . . - - «© «© © © © 518 
Binary Stars) fee he) my fe kon ee ee 518 
ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION OF FORCE AND STORAGE OF Power. By 
Dr. C. WILLtAm SIEMENS, F.R.S. . . . + « a it ev - 518 
FAUNA AND Fiora OF THE ALEUTIANISLANDS . . + + + + «© +. 520 
Puysicat History or THE DEAD SEA, THE JORDAN VALLEY, AND 
PALESTINE) © cs) 0m a Soh blmiel ols) We ia tatedl pike n> oe > Laees) Oe 
ScCHENTIFIC/SERIALS).) 0) co, Gen =) tye eee et deus Ue 5 5 521 
SociztT1zs AND ACADEMIES . Bree. Hine Chae s bORG 521 
