Feb. 4, 1875] 



NATURE 



279 



Parker sent specimens of Af'Otioi;doit dislachyon, flowered in the 

 open air at Tooting, in a pond supplied by a spring, the tempera- 

 ture ol which never fell below freezing- point. 



Anthropological Institute, Jan. 26. —Prof. Busk, F.R.S., 

 p-esident, in the chair. — Anniversary meeting. — In the Report for 

 1874, the Council stated that the Institute hid been enabled through 

 the liberality of its members to pay offthe debt which had so long 

 burdened it, and that one of the immeoiateadvantagesaiising from 

 its improved position would be the more.regular issue of its Jour- 

 nal, which in future would contain varied anthropological news 

 and notices in addition to its usual proceedings. — In his address, 

 on his retiring from the presidency, Prof. Busk gave a summary 

 of the chief works and memoirs on the many branches ot anthro- 

 pology that had appeared during the pa^t year, especially refer- 

 ring 10 the labours of Prof. Owen, M. Mortillet, Dr. P. Broca, 

 Dr. A. B. Meyer, Madame Rover, Src. ; and in conclusion, he 

 drew attention to the comprehensive range of subjects contained 

 in the proceedings of the Institute, niid to the professed aim of 

 the Council to exclude no subject that could possibly be em- 

 brac'-d under the general term o' Anthropology. The officers and 

 Council to serve lor 1S75 were elected as follows: — President, 

 Col. A. Lare Fox, F'.S.A. Vice-IVesidenls : Prof. George 

 Busk, F. U.S.. John Evans, F.R.S., A.W.Franks F.R.S., 

 Francis Galton, F.R.S., George Ilanis, F.S. A., Sir John Lub- 

 bcck, Bart,,F.R.S. Directors : E. W. Brab'ook, F..S.'A., F. W. 

 Rudltr, F.G.S. Treasurer, Rev. Dunbar I. Heath, M.A. 

 Council: J. Beddoe, M.D., F.R.S., W. Blackmore, H. G. 

 Bohn, F.RG.S., Hyde Clarke, J. Barnard Davis, M.D., F.R.S., 

 W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., Robert Duim, F.R.C.S., David 

 Forbes, F.R.S., Sir Duncan Gibb, Bart., M.D., Chas. Harrison, 

 F.R.S.L., J. Path Harrison, M.A., Prof. T. McK. Hughes, 

 P'.G.S., T. J. Hutchinson, F.R.G.S., Prof. Huxlev, F.R.S., 

 F. G. H. Price, F.RG.S. , J. E. Price, F.S.A., C. R. Des 

 Ruffierts, F.R.S. L, Lord Arthur Russell, M.P., Rt. Hon. D. 

 H. Stone, E. Burnet Tylor, F.R.S. 



Medical Microscopical Society, Jan. 15. — Mr. JabezIIogg, 

 the retiring president, in the chair.— Froin ttie report of the com- 

 miitee it appeared that the society was in a flourishing condition, 

 the numbe. of metnlers being 135. Tlic number of papers read 

 during the past year was sixteen, besides several minor communi- 

 cations, all oi which were followed by brisk discussion. Above 

 100 specimens were exhibited during the year, and eighteen jirc- 

 sented to the society. A present was also announced of a 

 microscope for use in the exchange o\ specimens, a system which 

 is found to woik well and offers great facilities for obtaining a 

 large collection of good preparations. The treasurer's report 

 showed a balance of 15/. \os. The following officers were eleced : 

 — President, Dr. J. F. Payne. Vice-Presidents: Mr. Jabez Hogg, 

 Mr. W. B. Kesteven, Mr. H. Power, Dr. U. Pritchard. Trea- 

 surer, Mr, T. C, White. Hon. Secretaries : Mr. C. H. Golding 

 Biid, Mr. J. W. Groves. Committee : — St. Baitholom:w'.s, 

 Mr. J. A. Onierod ; Charing Cross, Dr. M.Bruce; St. George's, 

 Mr. K. C. Baber ; Guy's, Mr. F. Durham; King's, Mr. H. S. 

 Atkinson; London, Mr. J. Needham ; St. Mary's, Mr. George 

 Giles ; Middlesex, Dr. S. Coupland ; St. Thomas', Dr. W. S. 

 Greenfield; Univer.^iiy College, Mr. E. A. Schiifer ; West- 

 minster, Dr. W. H. Allchin ; General Profession, Dr. Foulerton. 

 The retiiing president then read an address. 

 Dublin 



Royal Irish Academy, Dec. 14. — William Stokes, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Dr. S. Ferguson, vice-president, read a 

 paper on further Ogham texts from Monataggart, County Cork. 

 — Mr. W. Archer read a paper descriptive of the apothecia and 

 spores found by him in two species of Scyloneiiia and two of 

 Sirosiphon, and one of Stigonema, all of them specihcally dif- 

 ferent from any of the few similar cases hitherto recorded. — 

 Mr. R. C. Tichborne read a paper entitled "Laboratory Notes :" 

 On the solut.on ol alloys and metals by acids ; on fluorescence 

 as a means of detecting adulteration ; on the printing inks of 

 the i6th and 17th centuries. — Mr. G. R. Leeper read a paper on 

 retro-peritoneal cavities in man. 



Manchester 



Literary and Philosophical Society, Dec. 29, 1874. — Mr. 

 E. W. Binney, F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — On a case 

 of reversed chemical action, by Mr, James Bottomley, B. Sc. 

 Having observed the solubility of iodine in a solution of borax, 

 an experiment was made to see what the result of this solution 

 would be, expecting to obtain a combination of soda with excess 



of acid. 27-8475 grms. of borax were dissolved in about 2t;o 

 grnis. of water. The iodine was added at hazard, the quantity 

 used being nearly seven grms. When assisted by heat, almost 

 the whole of this quantity dissolved in the solution. The sohi. 

 tion, which amounted to about 200 cc, had only a faint yellowish 

 tint. Being set aside for some days, it deposited crystals which 

 proved to be ordinary borax, for 0-5932 grms. of the crystals lost 

 by heating 0-2773 grms. of water of crystallisation, corresponding 

 to 46-75 per cent., the theoretical quantity being 47-13. After 

 removing the crystals the solution was still further evaporated in 

 a retort. As the evaporation proceeded, instead of the faint 

 yellow tinge disappearing as was anticipated, the colour of the 

 solution began to darken, finally becoming opaque owing to the 

 quantity of free iodtne in solution ; vapours of iodine were also 

 given off along with the steam. Thus the iodine which had 

 previously dissolved and chemically united with the soda when 

 the solution was dilute, was displaced and eliminated in the free 

 condition when the mixture was past a certain degree of dilutiCt' 

 The explanation of this reversal of chemical action is as follows. 

 When sodic borate is diluted with water, its constituents are so 

 far dissociated that the iodine acts towards the soda in the same 

 way as it would towards caustic soda, sodium iodide and sodium 

 iodate being the result. When, however, the solution is con- 

 rcentrated, the boracicacid, notwithstanding its feebly acid powe, 

 is able to displace continuously and simultaneously small quan- 

 tities of iodic and hydroidoic acid from combination with 

 sodium, but these two acids cannot coexist in the free state ; by 

 mutual reaction they give iodine and water. 



Jan. 12. — Mr. R. Angus Smith, F.R.S., vice-president, in tlie 

 chair.— On the action of rain to calm the sea, by Prof. Osborne 

 Reynold.s, M.A. There appears to be a very general benef 

 amongst sailuis that rain tends to calm the sea, or, as I have often 

 heard it expressed, that rain soon knocks down the sea. With- 

 out al aching very much weight to this general impression, my 

 object in this paper is to p.int out an effect of rain on falling 

 int J water which I believe has not been hitherto noticed, and 

 which would certainly tend to destroy any wave motion there 

 might be in the water. When a drop of rain falls on to water 

 the splash or rebound is visible enough, as are also the waves 

 which diverge from the point of contact ; but the effect caused 



by the drop under the surface is not apparent, because, the water 

 being all of the same colour, there is nothing to show the inter- 

 change of place which may be going on. There is, however, a 

 very considerable effect produced. If instead of a drop of rain 

 we let fall a drop of coloured water, or, better still, if we colour 

 the topmost layer of the water, this effect becomes apparent. 

 We then see that each drop sends down one or more masses of 

 coloured water in the form of vortex rings. These rings descend 

 with a gradually diminishing velocity and with increasing size to 

 a distance ol several inches, generally as much as eighteen, 

 below the surface. Each drop jcnds in general more than one 

 ring, but the first ring is much more definite and descends 

 much quicker than those which follow it. If the surface of the 

 water be not coloured this first ring is hardly apparent, for it 



