240 



NATURE 



\_7an. 21, 1875 



attracted in great numbers to the gas lamps in the neighbourhood 

 of Lewisham. Mr. Weir remarlced on tlie importance of ascer- 

 taining whetlier they were hybemated specimens or whetlier they 

 had been newly hatched during the severe weather. — A letter 

 was read from Mr. R. S. Morrison, of George Town, Colo- 

 rado, expressing a wish to be placed in communication with 

 any entomologists who might be interested in the insect faunas 

 of the higher altitudes (8,000 to 14,000 ft. ), which he considered 

 should be more fully investigated. — The Secretary exliibited a 

 small bottle containing specimens of a Mantis, forwarded to him 

 from Sarawak by Mr. de Crespigny. He stated that while 

 sitting at table liis notice was attracted by the unusual appear- 

 ance of a column of ants crossing it ; but on looking more nar- 

 rowly he observed that they were not ants, but a species of Mantis, 

 and he believed them to ije full-grown insects, but that they had 

 no wings. Mr. M'Lachlan, however, observed that some of the 

 specimens had rudimentary wings ; and the President aud others 

 expressed a belief that they would prove to be larvce, and not 

 perfect insects. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, Jan. 12. — Mr. Thos. E. 

 Harrison, president, in the chair. — The paper read was on the 

 construction of gasworks, by Mr. Harry E. Jones. 



Berli.n 



German Chemical Society, Dec. :g. — Annual ordimry 

 meeting; A. W. Hofmann, V.P., in the chair. — The vice- pi tsi- 

 uent reported on the state of the Society, which counts 1,209 

 members, while the reports are published to the number of 

 1,800 copies. The number of papers published through its 

 means amounted to more than 500 during the last year. The 

 elections called the resident oflicers back to their posts, while, as 

 non-resident members of the committee, the lollowing were 

 elected for the new year : — Messrs. Baeyer, Grless, Ladenburg, 

 Landolt, and Schorlemmer. 



Dec. 28.— A. W. Hofmann, V.P, in the chair.— P. Wallach 

 and A. Bohringer, in treating methylated examine with PCI5, 

 have produced a well-defined base yielding well-crysiallised 

 monobasic salts and a direct combination with CnH^I. The 

 base C4HSCIN2 has received the name chloroxal methyline, and 

 is homologous with CgHgClN2 lately produced by Dr. Wallach 

 from ethylated oxamine in a similar way. — I. Piccard has 

 succeeded in producing anthrachinone by heating, in closed tubes 

 to 220°, beiuol and phthalic chloride with zinc : 



CfiHj QQj^i +C6Hb =C|iH4 ^qC^Hj 



I. Siebel proposed as a method for producing soda the treatment 

 of tribasic phosphate of soda with carbonic acid, adding subse- 

 quently carbonate of ammonia. The double phosphate of 

 sodium and ammonium crystallises out, while two-thirds of the 

 sodium, transformed into carbonate, remain in solution. — A. 

 Ojipenheim reported on a mechanical method for preventing the 

 most frequent cause of the incrustation or furring of steam 

 boilers, lately patented by a large boiler-maker, M. Paukoch, 

 in Landsberg. Instead of introducing the water directly into 

 (he boiler, he lets it run slowly through a wide tube passing 

 through tiie boiler. Here, on being heated, the water deposits 

 its carbonate of lime before it is admitted into the boiler. As 

 the inner tube is not in contact with the fire, the deposit in it 

 cannot produce the usual dangerous results. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, Jan. 11. — M. M. Fremy in the chair 

 — The following papers were read : — On the mesaticephalic and 

 brachycephalic fossil human races, by M. de Quatrefages, being 

 the third part of the author's and M. Hamy's work on the skulls 

 of the human races. — Report on M. Alph. Guerin's work, on the 

 patho-genetic effect of fermentation products in surgical cases, 

 and a new method of treatment of the amputated, by M. Gosselin. 

 — MM. Bouilland and Pasteur then spoke in detail on the same 

 subject ; M. A. Trecul made some observations with regard to 

 the production of vibriones and bacteria, in reference to the last 

 subject. — Report on M. Halphen's memoir, concerning the im- 

 portant points of plane algebraic curves, by M. de la Gournerie. 

 — On the existence of the integral in equations with partial de- 

 rivatives, containing any number of functions and independent 

 vaiiables, by M. G. Darboux. — On the action of electrolytic 

 oxygen on alcohol, by M. A. Renard ; experiments made by the 

 author, who exposed alcohol, to which about five per cent, of 

 dilute sulphuiic acid had been added, to an electric current from 



four to five Bunsen cells, and analysed the products after forty- 

 eight hours' action : he found ethylic formiate and acetate, 

 aldehyde, acetal, ethyl-sulphuric acid, and a new substance, 

 ethylenic-monoethylate, which may be regarded as an acetal 



c'\\Q \ C0H4, in which one Coll;; is replaced by H, thus 

 possessing the formula - j|q | C2II4. — On the "seiches" of 



Lake Leman, by F. A. Forel. Seic/ics are the sudden rises and 

 fills in the level of this lake. The author gives an explanation of 

 these phenomena and considers them constant and frequent in all 

 larger lakes, and not rare and accidental as was believed hitherto. 

 — A note by M. Martha-Becker, relating to hii piaper on ether 

 and the origin of matter. — A note by M. H. de Kerikuff, witli 

 corrections for his communication on the velocity of light and the 

 parallax of the sun. — A note by M. Poupelle, with regard to a 

 system of electric danger signals to prevent raUway collisions on 

 a single line of rails. — On the reduction ot equations with partial 

 derivatives to ordinary differential equations, by M. W. de 

 Maximovitch. — M. E. Flaquer communicates the observations 

 and calculations made by the French Commission for the mea- 

 suring cf the arc of meridian between Barcelona and the Balearic 

 Isles. — RI. Lemonnier gives some new theories witli regard to 

 equations with common roots. — tin the correction of Descartes' 

 ovals, by M. A. Genocchi. — On some properties of the curva- 

 ture of the surfaces, by M. lialphen. — On stratified light, by M. 

 Neyreneuf. — On the specific rotative power of mannite, by M. G. 

 Bouchardat ; accomits of experiments made in M. Berthelot's 

 laboratory. — M. P. Bouloumie communicates the results of his 

 observations and researches on micro-organisms in suppurations, 

 their influence on the healing of wounds, and the different means 

 to prevent their development. — On white globules in the blood- 

 vessels of the spleen, by MM. Tarchanofif and A. Swaen. — On 

 the hal its of a remarkable serpent of Cochin China : Herpeton 

 Untaculatum, by M. A . Morice. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 



British. — Oil the Recent Progress and Present State of Systematic 

 Botany: George Bentham, F.K S. (British Association). — Institution of 

 Civil Engineers ( Printed by Private Press). — Agricultural Gazette Almanack, 

 1875 (W. Richards).— Westminster Review, January 1873 (Triibner).— The 

 NAgpur Waterworks : James Forrest (Clowes and Sons). 



Foreign. — Note sur un precede pour donner ou pour rendre leur couleur 

 rouge aux muscles Conserves dans I'alcool : Felix Plateau (F. Hayez, 

 Bruxelles).— Un parasite de I'Heiropteres de Belgique : Felbc Plateau 

 (Academie F.oyale de Belgique). — Die I.osung del wichtigsten probleme in 

 der Natur ; Johann Friedrich Lochner (E. H. Mayer, Leipzig).— Les 

 Comctes: Amedee Guillemin (Paris, Hachette and Co.) — In Sachen 

 Darwin's insbesondere Contra Wigand : Dr. Gustav Jaeger (Stuttgart, E. 

 Schweigerbart). — Annuaire de I'Academie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres, 

 et des beaux-Arts de Belgique, 1875 (Brussels, F. Hayez).— Third Annual 

 Report of the Director of the Imperial Mint, Osaka, Japan. Vcr ending 

 July 31, 1S74 {Hiogo News Office). — Der Darwinismus und der Natur- 

 forschung Newtons und Cuviers ; Dr. Albert Wigand (Brunswick, F. Vieweg 



und Sohu). 



CONTENTS Pagk 



Lloyd's "Treatise on Magnetism." Ky Prof. Balfour 



■, F.R.S 221 



iDERs OF France" 224 



Notes AND Queries 226 



OUK Book Shelf: — 



Oliver's " Elementary Botany " 226 



Letters to the Editor: — 



On the Northern Range of the Fallow Deer in Europe.— By Prof. 



BovD Dawkins, F.R.S 226 



The Habits of the Belted Kingfisher {Ceryle alcyouy—CnAS. C. 



Abbott 227 



Kirke's Physiology. — W. Percy Ashe 227 



Phcenician Characters in Sumatra. — J. Park Harrison .... 228 



Ring Blackbird.— Dr. C M. Ingleby 228 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Eclipse of the Sun ou April 6 228 



Encke's Comet i ,.. 228 



Winnecke's Comet 228 



Borrelly's Comet 229 



On a Probable Cause of the Change of the Course of the Amu 

 Dakva from the Caspian to the Aral. By Major Herbert 



'WooDilVzi/t lilu^iration) 229 



The Paris International Congress of GEOCRArHicAL Science . 232 

 On the Alteration of the Note of Railway Whistles in 



Trains meeting each other. By Dr. W. Pole, F.R.S. ... 232 



Glasgow Science Lectures. By John Mayer 233 



Atlantic Notes. By CapL Wm. W. Kiddle 234 



The Transit of Venus .' 234 



Notes 235 



Scientific Seriai-s 238, 



Societies AND Academies 238 



Books and Pamphlets Receivkd 240 



