Feb. 25, 1875] 



NATURE 



337 



dibutyiyl morphine, CgiHgjICjH-OjoNjO,;, is formed, and at 

 the same time a non-cryslalliiie base isomeric with this latter 

 body is produced. Eutyric anhydride heated with morphine 

 forms a tetrabutyril derivative, which is decomposed on long- 

 continued boiling with water into the dibutyryl derivative. The 

 autliors next treat of acetyl-butyryl-morphine, obtained by 

 heating Ihe alkaloid with a mixture of the acids. Benzoic anhy- 

 dride gives with codeine a di-deriva^ive, and with morphine a 

 tetra-derivative, which is decomposed by water into dibenzoyl- 

 morphine. Benzoic acid gives, with morphine, an o- di-derivative. 

 The action of benzoic anhydride on a-diacetyl-morphine has 

 been studied, and likewise the action of benzoic and acetic 

 anhydrides on tetra-acetyl-morphine and on tetra-benzoyl- 

 morphine. — The last paper communicated to the Society in the 

 present number is by E. A. Parnell, on the use of potassium 

 permanganate in volumetric analysis, and on the estimation of 

 iron in iron ores. 



Gazzct/ii Chimica Italiaiin, fascicolo ix. and x. — Tlie;e parts 

 contain the following papers : — On the dilatation of phosphorus, 

 by G. Pisati and G. de Franchis ; Action of sulphur on water 

 and on calcium carbonate, by Brugnatelli and Pelloggio ; Re- 

 searches on the nature and constitution of tannic acid, by Hugo 

 Schiff; Refractive indices of cymene, benzene, and of some 

 derivatives of natural and synthetical thymol, by G. Pisati and 

 E. Paterno. A, Casali contributes a paper on chrome green. 

 .Search for amylic alcohol in spirits of wine, by C. Bcttelli. J. 

 Macagno describes a volumetric process for determining phos- 

 phoric acid. —The concluding paper is by Grassi, on the fermen- 

 tation of must. — The part contains also a number of abstracts of 

 papers published in other journals. 



Memorie della Societa degli Spdtroscopisti Italiani, November 

 1874. — This number contains a discussion of the coincidence of 

 the lines in the spectrum of Jupiter with that of our atmosphere, 

 by Father Secchi, in which he appears to disagree with the con- 

 clusions arrived at by A'ogel as to the coincidence of the Hues 

 and the brightness of the same. — The same author contributes a 

 note on the comparison of the spectra of the compounds of 

 carbon with the spectrum of Coggia's Comet ; and for reasons 

 given by him he considers the spectrum of the oxides of carbon 

 best correspond to that of the comet ; and further, he considers 

 one of the spectra of the electric arc most similar, for he has 

 observed two spectra superposed when viewing that arc. On 

 examining the spectrum of the comet with a polariscope the 

 continuous spectrum disappeared, leaving only that of the bands, 

 proving apparently that the continuous spectrum is reflected 

 light only. Drawings of the chromosphere for July, August, 

 September, October, and November, by Secchi, accompany thi« 

 number. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Royal Society, Feb. 11. — " On the Structure and Develop- 

 ment of Myrwt/ida" by Prof. AUman. 



The endoderm of the body is shown to be composed of nume- 

 rous layers of large spherical cells of clear protoplasm. Externally 

 it is continued in an altered form into the tentacles, while in- 

 ternally it forms long thick villus- like processes which project 

 mto the cavity of the body. 



Interposed between the endoderm and the ectoderm is the 

 fibrillatcJ layer. It consists of longitudinal muscular fibrillre, 

 closely adherent to the outer surface of a structureless hyaline 

 membrane — the " Stiitzlamelle " of Reichert. 



The ectodium is composed of small round cells containing yel- 

 lowiih granules. Among these the thread-cells may be seen, 

 lying chiefly near the outer surface of the body. 



The deeper part of the ectoderm consists of cells, each of 

 which is prolonged into a tail-like process, so that they assume 

 a claviform shape. 



The male and female sporosacs are borne by the trophosonic. 



The generative elements, whether male or female, originate in 

 a special cavity (gonoger.etic chamber), which is formed in the 

 substance of the endoderm of the sporosac. 



Immediately after its expulsion it is seized by the sucker-like 

 extremities of certain remarkable organs (claspers), which are 

 developed among the blastostyles and resemble long filiform and 

 very contractile tentacles. 



The actinuloid, on its escape from its capsule, is provided not 



oidy with long arms but with short scattered clavalc tentacles 

 The short clavate tentacles become the permanent tentacles of 

 the fully developed hydroid ; the long arms, on the other hand 

 are purely embryonic and transitory. ' 



The long embryonic arms originate in the spheroidal Flamda 

 They are formed by a true invagination, and at first grow inwards 

 into the body-cavity of the Planula. It is only just before the 

 escape of the actinuloid from is capsule that they eva"inate 

 themselves and become external. *" 



After enjoying for one or two days its free existence, during 

 which it moves about by the aid of its long arms, the embryo 

 fixes itself by its proxim.ll end, the long arms gradually disap- 

 pear, the short permanent tentacles increase in number, and the 

 essential form of the adult is soon acquired. 



Linnean Society, Feb. 18.— Dr. G. J. Allman, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair.— The following papers were read :— On the 

 structure, affinities, and probable source of the large Human 

 Fluke, Distoma cmssuiii, Busk, by Dr, T. S. Cobbold, F.R.S. 

 The author commenced by recording all the facts he could gather 

 respecting the original discovery of the parasite by Prof. Busk, 

 dwelling especially on the circums'ance that an interv.al of thirty 

 years had elapsed since the first examjiles were made known to 

 science. He next refen-ed to other singular instances of the 

 supposel rarity of certain human helminths, adducing the cases 

 of Tania nana and Distoma hdcrophyes ; and he also remarked 

 upon the long lapse of time occurring between the periods of dis- 

 covery and verification of particular species of Entozoa, instancing 

 the cases of Suphaniiyus dentatiis and Disloma cou/uiidiim. He 

 was indebted to Dr. George Johnson, F.R.S. , for having brought 

 the new hosts on bearers of ])istoma crassuin under his obser- 

 vation. The patients, a missionary and his wife, had been 

 four years resident in China, most of their time being spent at 

 Ningpo, where they had partaken freely of fish, oysters, and 

 salads. The author of the paper had secured seven parasites, 

 two from the lady and five from her husband. Only two of the 

 seven specimens supplied him with such new facts as he had been 

 able to make oat in respect of the organisation of the animal. 

 The only example which gave the best results Dr. Cobbold had 

 since deposited in the University Museum at Oxford (Prof 

 Rolleston's department). He found the vitelligenc glands to be 

 largely developed, and he believed that in place of there being 

 two testes, as had hitherto been conjectured, there was only one 

 large compound gland, with remarkably large and conspicuous 

 semmal ducts. These ducts were well seen in the dried specimen 

 exhibited to the Society. The hitherto supposed upper testis 

 turned out to be the ovary, and there was a special and smaller 

 organ in front of the ovary which he regarded as an unusually 

 developed shell-gland. The intestinal tubes are simple and un- 

 branched, but on the other hand the uterine organ a]ipeared not 

 to consist of a single continuous tube, but to be partly branched, 

 as obtains in D. laiiiwlatum, and in some other less known 

 flukes. The remainder of the communication w as taken up with 

 remarks on the affinities of the parasite, and with a hne( n'smnJ 

 of the hitherto known facts of trematode development, in so far 

 as they tended to throw light on the source of Distoma crassuin. 

 In particular he referred to the labours of Mr. Moseley in con- 

 nection with the land planarians of Ceylon, to the contributions 

 of Giard, Claparede, Pagenstecher, and others in respect of 

 Buaphahis, and to the still more recent discoveries of Dr. Ernst 

 Zeller as regards the destiny of Lciicochhridiiiiii. From a general 

 revievvofall the data thus obtained. Dr. Cobbold believed that 

 the Distoma crassuin had been obtained by the consumption, on 

 the part of the missionary and his wife, either of Ningpo oysters 

 or of fish insufficiently cooked. After the reading of the paper 

 Mr. G. Busk and Dr. G. Johnson added a few more facts re- 

 specting the parasite.— On the external anatomy of Tana is 

 vittatus, by Dr. M 'Donald. 



Mathematical Society, Feb. 11.— Prof. H. J. S. Smith, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair.— Prof Caylev communicated 

 two short notes : on a point in the theory of attractions, and on 

 the question of the mechanical description of a quartic curve. — 

 Prof. Sylvester exhibited a new sort of lady's fan, and briefly 

 indicated its mode of construction and properties. Willi the fan 

 it is possible to divide any angle into any assigned equal number 

 of parts, and the trajectories of points taken in the several links 

 connectmg together the sticks of the fan have finite nodes whose 

 numbers are successively, i, 2", ■3,\ 4*. . . . He then dwelt in 

 detail on the expression of the curves generated by any given 

 system whatever of linkwork under the form of an irreducible 

 determinant. The author stated : That parallel motions exist at 



