380 
NATURE 


communicated having been both numerous and important. 
Amongst the actual contributions by members to the progress of 
science during the session may be mentioned—A Method for 
ascertaining the Existence of Lunar Activity (Mr. W. R. Birt, 
F.R.A.S., vice-president), A new variable Star e Herculis 
(Mr. H. T. Vivian), Experiments to ascertain the Absorption 
of Atmospheric Nitrogen by Plants (Mr. G. E. Davis), A Deter- 
mination of the Dimensions of the System of Algol (Mr. A. P. 
Holden), A List of the Fossil Mammalian Remains in the Lea 
Valley (Mr. R. E. Olliver), A new’ Section Cutting Apparatus 
(Mr. W. West), A new classified Catalogue of variable Stars, 
&c. Numerous original papers had also been read. Good pro- 
gress had been made with the library, which had been enriched 
by contributions from several gentlemen, societies, and mem- 
bers. The officers for the fifth session haying been elected, the 
meeting was brought to a close. 
PaRIS 
' Académie des Sciences, August 21.—M. Faye in the 
chair.—M. Chabris has calculated the quantity of nitrate of am- 
monia yearly carried down to the soil for the nutrition of 
plants by means of the rain to be two pounds of nitric 
acid, and consequently, three pounds of nitrate of ammonia 
per acre.—M. Dumas contributed to the Academy a piece 
of bread, the provision for the army, which had been infected 
by Ozdium aurantiacum. Such facts are not exceptional, prin- 
cipally in very hot weather, and may be detrimental to the 
public health, as the fungus spreads very rapidly, and it is very 
difficult to get rid of it. A special committee has been appointed 
to prevent the infection if possible. MM. Dumas, Baron 
Larey, Tulasne the botanist, and Pasteur, the celebrated 
author of so many works on spontaneous generation, are mem- 
bers.—M. Berthelot has examined most carefully a piece of 
carbon from the Cranbourne meteorite, an Australian stone, and 
shows by many scientific arguments that the Cranbourne carbon 
is quite unlike the Orgueil meteorite carbon (a French specimen). 
The Cranbourne carbon must have been acted upon by a high 
temperature in ultra-terrestrian space, and no trace of organic 
origin is to be found on it.—M. W. de Fonvielle sent through 
M. Leverrier a note establishing that meteoric phenomena analo- 
gous to the Marseilles phenomenon are not exceptional cases. — 
M. Bert, the former Prefect of Lille during the war, described 
some most interesting experiments on the effects of pressure in 
suffocating animals living in a confined space. The rapidity of 
death is not the same for every kind of animal. If the pres- 
sure is very high the death is not due to any mechanical effect or 
to the want of oxygen, but to the presence of carbonic acid, re- 
sulting from respiration. It is poisoned by the produce of its 
own lungs.—The Academy held a secret committee for the 
nomination of a free member. The list of candidates long 
delayed was at last published, and M. Belgrand is at the head. 
But the nomination will be contested. 
August 28.—M. Faye in the chair.—M. Saint Venant, a mem- 
ber of the Academy, sent a rather long paper ‘‘On the Motion 
of the Waves,” and tried to express through several groups of 
equations the several motions, which he calls Zoudes and clapotis, 
both of which become manifest when the sea is heavy. These 
new calculations are in some respects grounded on a work pub- 
lished by Gerstner in 1804, ‘‘ Theorie der Wellen.”—Dr. Wurtz, 
amember of the Academy, sent a paper ‘*On the Action of 
Chlorine on Aldehyde.” —M. Dumas presented, in the name of 
MM. Moniefiore, Levy, and Kunzel, a work entitled ‘ Experi- 
ments on Different Alloys, and principally on a Phosphoric 
Brass, which can be used for casting guns.”—M. Jaussen sent to 
the Academy a complete report *‘ On the Aé:onautical Expedi- 
tion with the Volta.”’ The paperis printed in full.— MM. Troost 
and Hautefeuille sent a very long paper ‘‘On Subchlorides and 
Oxychlorides of Silicon.” These chemical researches were exe- 
cuted in the laboratory of the Normal School, and have induced 
the learned experimenters to explain a new chemical paradox, 
and to show how it may happen that silicon appears to 
be volatilised under very curious and peculiar circumstances.— 
M. Leverrier read an account of several papers sent from Florence 
by M. D. Muller, relating to several important questions of ter- 
restrial magnetism. In one of these papers the learned physicist 
explained how a very large perturbation was observed at the 
very moment when the sun and the moon came into contact on 
December 22, 1870, and ceased just when the two discs were 
separated. M. Muller was one of the Italian eclipse party sent 
to Terra Nova (Sicily). The view of the eclipse was lost, but a 
most interesting fact was witnessed, The Italian Government 



will very shortly issue a special publication on this unexpected 
phenomenon. It is to be noted, moreover, that the total amount 
of ecliptic perturbation was diminished in proportion to the dist- 
ance from the central Jine of total obscurity. —At the secret com- 
mittee which followed M. Belgrand was elected a free member. 
New ZEALAND 
Wellington Philosophical Society, July 1—The pre- 
sident, W. T. Locke Travers, F.L.S., in his address, dwelt 
on the rapid extinction of the interesting subalpine vege- 
tation of New Zealand, and stated that in a few years many 
plants that were not rare when he first bo‘anised the Nelson 
Mountains would soon only be found inherbaria. Mr. Buchanan 
described the following addition to the flora: Hadoragis aggre- 
gata, Celmesia laterale, Acena glabra, Rosthovia Nove Zelandie, 
Danthonia monowa, and subspecies of Danthonia semi-annularis 
and Carex pyrania. Dr. Knox gave the results of the dissection 
of the supposed Native Rat, and showed that it could not be 
distinguished from AZus Rattus. Mr. Skey announced the isola- 
tion of the bitter principle of the kernel of the Karaka berry 
(Corynocarpus levigata) as a non-nitrogenous crystallisable resin 
similar to Digitaline. He proposed to name it Karakine. Dr. 
Hector exhibited the neck of a Moa with the skin, feathers, and 
tissues attached, and pointea out the similarity of the feathers to 
those of the Emu, while they differed from the Kivi; remark- 
ing that Afteryx Mantelli has the feather shafts prolonged, 
giving the skin a harsh bristly feel, which distinguishes it from 
A. Australis, He showed a fine series of models of Moa’s eggs 
he had prepared for comparison with the cast of the ASpyornis 
egg recently received. By a series of specimens which he had 
obtained alive from the natives and afterwards dissected, Dr. 
Hector showed that the difference between Glaucopsis Wilsoni 
and G. olivascens are merely sexual. Captain Hutton described 
the following additions to the birds of New Zealand : //ydro- 
cheledon leucoptera, Temm, Procellaria fuliginosa, Thalassi- 
droma marina, Strepsilas interpres, and a Totanus and Laurus 
that have not yet been determined. He also showed evidence of 
the existence in New Zealand of a goose allied to the Bean goose 
of Europe, and stated that it had been surmised by Dr, Finsch 
in a paper published last year that two of the above—Strepsilas 
and Totanus—would probably be found in New Zealand, and 
also an Actitis, which has not yet, however, been obtained. 


CONTENTS Pace 
THE TRON AND) STERL INSTITUTE <3 =. oe ea ee 
INSTRUCTION TO SCIENCE TEACHERS AT SouTH KENSINGTON 361 
Macnus’s Bones oF THE HEAD oF BirpDs ...... .. . 364 
OUR Book SHEERS =) jc) <0. cic seedbeiye) waite nen nee 365 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR :— 
Pendulum Autographs.—W. Swan; S. M. Drach ... . . 365 
Whickness of|the;Harth’s Crust |. <) "0 s) 6) «en 
Spectrum of the Aurora —Lorp Linpsay . 366 
Transparent Compass.—GrorGz FAucus . 366 
A Substitute for Euciid. es endlied ie gts: @etiie «Nel fee falnieee ema Oel 
Monolithic Towers of Cement Rubble for Beacons and Lighthouses. 
—T. STEVENsoN, C.E. mye he lef vao wi L eoth ton Sp) Nolte a aE 
Neologisms.—J. M. Wison. Susie) teyeie +) aa) eae 
The Nucleus of Adipose Tissue.—Dr. Lionet S. BEALE, F.RS.. 367 
E.lipse Photography —A. BKoTHERS, F.R.A.S. oa se 
The Museums/ofithe\Conntry) 2 |. ls) aia) eet 
Thunderstorms.—Rev. C. A. JouNs, F.L.S.. . . . . . + + 367 
Sir W. Tuomsow oN THE LAw oF BIOGENESIS AND THE LAW OF 
Gravitation. By E. Ray Lanxester, F.L.S. . .. . . « 368 
ReceNT FRENCH ZOOLOGICAL DiscovERIES . . «ey 5 OR 
Penputum AuTocrapus. Part II. By H. Airy. (IVith Jldustrations.) 370 
Some SPECULATIONS ON THE AuRoRA. By J. M. Wi1son 372 
ee ETE ONOMN Sec wb kc ctec nme 
Tue Britisn AssociaTion.—Epinsurcu MEETING, 1871. 
Section A.—Sectional Proceedings . . . . 375 
Section C.—Sectional Proceedings . . A 5 376 
Section D —Sectional Proceediugs - ©. 377. 
Scientiric SERIALS =. oalenee iene Rae are a ome Bc el 
SocieTizs AND ACADEMIES . 6 5 «+ 5 «0.55 . © 379 


Erratum —Vol. 1v., p. 358, second columa, line 20 from bottom, for “1870” 
read “‘ t770.” 


NOTICE 
We beg leave to state that we decline to return rejected communica- 
tions, and to this rule we can make no exception, 
[Sepe. 7, 1871 


pe ee elllaP at iy ce 
