528 



NATURE 



[March 30, 1899 



1 



in ammonia ; (3) the increase in the proportion of neutral sul- 

 phur, but not in the sulphur as sulphuric acid, thus explaining 

 the non-increase of ammonia and corresponding with diminished 

 elaboration of urea ; (4) non-increase in the proportion of 

 phosphorus as phosphates, indicating the absence of an in- 

 creased decomposition of nuclein compounds ; (5) no alteration 

 in the proportion of potassium and sodium, such as has been 

 described by Sachowski as occurring in fever in man ; (6) 

 decrease in the excretion of chlorine out of proportion to the 

 decrease in the bases, raising the question of what acids take 

 the place of hydrochloric acid in the urine. — Dr. Gregg Wilson, 

 in a paper on the first foundation of the lung in Ceratodus, 

 showed that the lung arises, as in amphibians and higher forms, 

 in a mid-venlral gut in the pharynx, immediately posterior lo 

 the gill region. This expands into a considerable unpaired 

 vesicle, which in later stages grows round the gut till it lies 

 dor.sally. — Dr. Gregg Wilson also read a paper on the embry- 

 onic excretory organs of Ceratodus, in which the pronephros 

 was shown to be of amphibian type, having two nephrostomes 

 opening directly into the anterior of the body cavity. Later 

 there is a pronephric chamber formed, as in amphibia, by 

 secondary fusion of the gut and body wall. Into this region 

 of the crelom the glomerulus projects. The backward growth 

 of the union of gut and body wall finally leads to the closing 

 of the nephrostomes and the obliteration of the pronephric 

 chamber. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, March 20.— M.vanTieghem in the 

 chair. — The President announced to the Academy the death of 

 M. Naudin, Member of the Botanical Section. — Action of 

 hydrogen sulphide and alkaline sulphides upon the double 

 cyanides, by M. Berthelot. This paper contains thermochemical 

 data for the reactions between AgCN. KCN, Hg(CN).,2KCN, 

 Zn (CN).j2KCN, and hydrogen or sodium sulphides. — Maximum 

 quantity of chlorides contained in sea air, by M. Armand 

 Gautier. The greatest amount found was O'022 mgr. of common 

 salt per litre of air. — Astronomical and magnetic observations 

 made on the eastern coast of Madagascar, by M. R. P. Colin. 

 — Observations of the Swift comet (1899 a), made at the 

 Toulouse Observatory with the 23 cm. Brunner equatorial, by 

 M. F. Rossard. — Observations of the Swift comet (1899 a), 

 made at the Observatory of Besanijon by M. P. Chofardet, by 

 -M. J. Gruey. — On the lines of curvature of certain surfaces, by 

 M. E. Blutel. — On some applications of the law of parallelism 

 til bundles and congruences, by M. C. Guichard. — On some 

 arithmetical properties of analytical functions, by M. Paul 

 Slaeckel. — On the unsymmetrical alternating current arc 

 between metals and carbons, by M. A. Blondel. The oscilla- 

 tions are given in the form of curves, fifteen of which are 

 reproduced in the paper. — On the increase of the mean intensity 

 if the current by the introduction of the primary of the coil, in 

 the case of the Wehnelt electrolytic interrupter, by M. II. 

 Pellat. In a circuit at no volts, containing the Wehnelt com- 

 mutator but not the primary of the coil, an ammeter showed 

 four to five amperes. The introduction of the additional resist- 

 ances of the primary of the coil increased the current to twenty- 

 five amperes, the additional impedance thus considerably in- 

 creasing the mean current strength. This paradoxical result is 

 shown to be in accordance with the known laws of induction. — 

 On an isomer of menthoxylic acid, by M. Georges Leser. — On the 

 electro-negativecharacter of certain unsaturated organic radicals, 

 by M. Ernest Charon. The propylenic group, CH3.C1I=CH — 

 has much more marked electro- negative properties than ihe 

 vinyl group, CH2=CII — . — Action of formaldehyde upon 

 albumenoid materials. Transformation of peptones and albu- 

 moses, by M. Charles Lcpierre. — Silico-tungstic acid as a re- 

 agent for alkaloids, by M. Gabriel Bcrtrand. The reagent pro- 

 posed is i2W03.Si0.j.2U.jO, or its sodium salt, in 5 per cent, 

 solution. It has the advantages of giving well-defined sails, 

 absolutely stable, the analysis of which can be made with 

 exactitude. Its high molecular weight is also advantageous. 

 The precipitates formed have the composition 



[i2W03.Si0.j 2n.jO -f 4alk. -I- hH„0] : 



analyses are given of the salts with pyridine, morphine, and 

 -Strychnine. — Researches on the physiological value of the pyloric 

 tubes in certain Tcleostia, by M. Th. Boudourg. —An old 

 Russian legend relating lo a fall of stones, by M. Stanislas 

 Meunier. 



. GolTlNCEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences. — The Nachrichten (mathe- 

 malico physical section) part iv. for 1898, includes the following 

 memoirs comnnmicated to the Society : — 



October 29, 1S98. — W. Voigt : On the connection between 

 the Zeem.an and the Faraday effects. 



November 26. — H. Ludendorff : On a remarkable property of 

 certain equations in the theory of characteristic planets. — W. 

 Voigt : Theory of the phenomena observed by Macaluso and 

 Corbino. Double refraction of sodium vapour in the magnetic 

 field at right angles to the lines of force. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



li'EDNESDAV, Ai'Kil 5. 

 Entomological Society, at 3. 



THURSDAY, Airil 6. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 8. -On Carex WahUnbcrgiatia : C. B.Clarke, 

 F.R.S.— On the Discovery and Development of Rhabdilcs in Cephalo- 

 discus : F. J. Cole. 



FRIDAY, AiRiL 7. 

 Geologists' Association, at S. — The Geolo^- of Brittany, with Special 

 Reference to the Whitsuntii'.e Excursion t Dr. Charles Barrois. 



BOOKS AND SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— Die Optischen Instrumente : C. Leiss (Leipzig, Engelmann). — 

 Kritik der Wissenschaftlichen Erkenttnis : Dr. H. v. Schoeler (Leipzig, 

 Engelmann).— Light Railways at Home and Abroad : W. H. Cole (C. 

 Griflin).— A Manual of Locomotive Engineering : W. F. Peltigrew and A. 

 F. Ravenshear (C. GrilTin).- Die Kontinuitat der .Atomverkettung : Dr. 

 t;. H.irmann (Jena, Fischer) —The New Science and Art of Arithmetic : 

 A. Sonnenschein and H. \. Nesbitt (Sonnenschein).— Le Climat de la 

 Belgique en 1897 : A. Lancaster (Bruxelles. Hayez).— Life of Admiral Sir 

 Wm. R. Mends: K. S. Mends (Murray). —Tiue Tales of the Insects: L. 

 N. liadenoch (Chapman).-Explorations in the Far North : F. Russell 

 (Iowa). 



Serials.— Economic Journal, March (Macmillan).— Journal ol the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, April (Victoria Street). — Journal of the Chemical 

 Society, March (tiiirney).— Physical Review, February (Macmillan). — 

 Gootl Words, .\pril (Isbister).— Sunday Magazine, .Xpril (Isbister). — 

 Chambers's Journ.il, April (Ch.ambers).— L'Anthropologie, tome x. No. i 

 (Paris).— Humaiiitari.an. April (Duckworth).— Bulletin ol the American 

 Mathematical Society, March (New York). — Science Gossip, .-Vpril (Strand). 

 —Century M.agazine, April (.Macmillan). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Meteorology in France 505 



River Development 5°^ 



Pyramid and Planisphere 507 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Byrd ; " \ Laboratory Manual in .Astronomy " . . 508 



Briggs and Bryan : " The Tutorial Algebra " . . . 508 



Vines: " .\n Elementary Text-book of Botany " . . 509 

 "The Principles of Agriculture: a Text-book for 



Schools and Rural Societies-" — R. W 509 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Experiment to Illustrate the Zeeman Eftect. — Prof. 



Geo. Fras. FitzGerald, F.R.S 509 



The Colour of Sea Water.— John Aitken, F.R.S. . 509 

 The Wehnelt Current Interrupter.— R. J. Strutt ; 



William Webster 510 



l'al:ioliihic Implements from the Valley of the \'er. 



{llluilratf.l.) Worthington G. Smith .... 510 

 The Native Tribes of Central Australia. (Illiis- 



(ral,-d.) By Hy. Ling Roth S" 



Sir Douglas Galton. K.C B., F.R.S. By W. H. C. 512 



Professor Othniel Charles Marsh. By R. L. . . 513 



Wireless Telegraphy between France and England 514 



Notes S'S 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Aslronomioal Occurrences in April 5'9 



Orbit of Comet 1S96 III. (Swift) 5'9 



Saturn's Ninth Satellite 5'9 



Measuring Extreme Temperatures. (//VcA Dia- 



or.imi.) II. H> Prof. H. L. Callendar, F.R.S. . 519 



Central American Archaeology 5^* 



The Study of Waves 5^3 



A New 'Vertical Component Microseismograph . 523 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 5^3 



Scientific Serials 5^4 



Societies and Academies S^S 



Diary of Societies 5^* 



Books and Serials Received 5^8 



NO. 1535. VOL. 59] 



