72 



NA TURE 



[Nov. 19, 1885 



Berlin' 



Meteorological Society, October 13. — The President, 

 Gelieimrath Dr. Thiel, reported that, in accordance with a 

 resoKition passed by the Society in furtherance of the esta- 

 blishment of a thiclcly planted series of rain-stations, rain-gauges 

 had been set up at seven places in the outskirts of Berlin to the 

 north-west and west, and since July had been working well. It 

 was to be hoped that their number would soon be increased and 

 that a lengthened series of observations would yield data for an 

 exact determination of how closely rain-gauges must be placed 

 to each other, in order to obtain a correct representation of 

 the rainfall of any district. — Dr. Hellmann then, after a brief 

 historic survey of the institution of meteorological stations at 

 high points, gave a full description of the meteorological ob- 

 servatory at Ben Nevis in .Scotland, which he had visited in 

 August last. The topographical situation of the station, the 

 construction and position of the instruments, .and the mode of 

 observation were set forth, while some of the climatic peculiari- 

 ties of this station, such as its great humidity, its small ye;irly 

 and daily variations of temperature, its scanty sunshine, the 

 frequent reversal of the change of temperature with the height, 

 and other particulars, were also remarked on. Following up 

 the minute description of this important high station in Scotland 

 Dr. Hellmann enumerated all the stations on the peaks of 

 mountains that had hitherto been erected, which comprised 

 only the Puy de Dome and Pic du Midi in France, the Santis 

 in Switzerland, the Schafberg and Hochobir in Austria, the 

 Schneekoppe and Brocken in Prussia, and Mount Washington 

 and Pike's Peak in the United States of America. Of these 

 stations only the two French, the Swiss, and the Austrian were of 

 the first rank, or between the first and second rank. In addition to 

 these stations on mountain tops there was a whole series of liigh 

 situated meteorological stations on mountain passes and plateaus 

 in operation, which collected valuable material towards the 

 meteorology of the higher atmospheric strata, in Italy, Switzer- 

 land, Germany, India, South America. In the case even of 

 a temporary residence at high situated points brief but very 

 valuable series of observations had been gained — at Ararat, for 

 example. It must, nevertheless, be the endeavour of scientific 

 meteorology to increase tlie number of mountain-top stations of 

 the first rank, and the speaker expressed the hope that umler 

 the contemplated reorganisation of the meteorological service 

 in Germany, and particularly in Prussia, at least one mountain- 

 top station of the first rank, namely, on the Schneekoppe, which 

 was very peculiarly adapted for this purpose, would be esta- 

 blished. In the discussion wliich followed it was maintained on 

 one hand that self-registering instruments at high stations were 

 perfectly useless, and on the other hand that even tourists, many 

 of whom every summer reached heights beyond 4000 metres 

 high, might, by means of portable pocket instruments, supply 

 contributions quite available towards the meteorology of the 

 higher strata. A member of the Society gave some proofs to 

 this effect, and mentioned the remarkable fact that the red- 

 brown ring round the sun, which he had everywhere seen dis- 

 tinctly, appeared from Monte Rosa, not red-brown, but very 

 distinctly reddish-yellow. — Dr. Borsch related that during a 

 determination of longitude between Berlin, Breslau, and Konigs- 

 berg, the observer in Berlin on August 2 was sensible of such 

 lively disturbances of his level that he was obliged to discontinue 

 for a time the use of the transit instniment, and considered the 

 oscillations to be seismic. When he afterwards read in the 

 newspapers of violent earthquakes in the interior of Asia having 

 happened at the same time, he made inquiry of the observers 

 at Breslau and Konigsberg, and learnt that they too had been 

 disturbed by lively oscillations of the ground. These vibrations 

 had been all the stronger the more to the east was the station, a 

 circumstance which likewise pointed to a connection with the 

 earthquakes of the interior of Asia. More careful observation 

 of such phenomena would render possible the exact measurement 

 of the propagation of earth-vibrations. 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, July 2. — Researches on 

 the structure of striped muscles, by A. Rolett. — Contributions 

 to general nerve and muscle physiology (eighteenth communica- 

 tion), on inhibitory effects produced by electrical stimulation of 

 striped muscles and on positive cathodic polarisation, by W. 

 Biedermann. — On pyroracemic glycide ethers, by F. Erhair" — 

 Contributions to the theory of respiratory innervation (fifth com- 

 munication), by Ph. Knoll. — Studies on the endosperm of some 



Graminea;, by E. Tangl. — On a new hydrodensimeter, by A. 

 Handl. — On the nutrition of ganglion cells, by A. Adamkiewicz. 

 — On cyanhydrines of nitroso-compounds, by E. Lippmann. — 

 Contribution to the knowledge of dichinolins, byO. W. Fischer. 

 — On benzoyl-ecgonine and on its transformation to cocaine, 

 by Zd. H. Skraup. — Statistics of earthquakes from 1S65 to 

 1SS5, by W. C. Fuchs. — Contribution to the morphology and 

 anatomy of the Coccida, by E. Witlacil. — On the Lower 

 Eocene formation of the Northern Alps and on its fauna 

 (Part I. Lamellibranchiatfe), by K. F. Frauscher. — On para- 

 chloraldehyde, by C. Natterer. — On the action of phenol 

 and sulphuric acid on hippuric acid, by T. Zehenter. — 

 On tlie gum-ferment, a new diastatic enzyma, by which the 

 formation of gum and mucilage in the plants is induced, by E. 

 Wiesner. 



July 16. — Note on the meteorites of Angra dos Rais (Brazil), 

 by" G. Tschermak. — A contribution to the theory of the 

 mechanics of explosion, by E. Mach and T. Wentzl. — On the 

 anatomy of Tyroglyphida;, by A. Nalepa. — Contributions to the 

 theory of respiratory innervation (sixth communication), by Th. 

 Knoll.— On the products of decomposition formed by the action 

 of hydrochloric acid on albumins ; II. on elastin, by T. Hor- 

 baczewski. — Researches on the cloacal epithelium of Plagiosto- 

 mata, by T. H. List.— On chloro- and bromo-derivatives of 

 phloroglucin, by R. Benedict and K. Hazura. — On the action of 

 potassium cyanide on dinitro-derivatives of organic bases, by E. 

 Lippmann and F. Fleissner. — Note on hydrobromo-apoquinine. 

 by P. Julius. — On the action of ammonia on anthragallol, by G. 

 von Georgevics. — On the behaviour of liquid atmospheric air, 

 by T. Wroblewski. — On ethylsulphuric acids of some carbo- 

 hydrates, by M. Hcenig and St. Schubert. — Contribution to 

 chemistry of cerium-metals, by B. Brauner. — On the elements 

 and ephemeris of Barnard's (Nashville) comet (July 7, 1885), by 

 E. Weiss. — On the meteoric fall observed on March 15, 1885, 

 by E. Holletschek. —Studies on pyridine-derivatives, by H. 

 Weidel and F. Blau. — On the electric and thermic properties of 

 salt-solutions, by James Moser. — On the formation of striped 

 fibres from sarcoplasts, by T. Paneth. 



CONTENTS Page 



Loomis's -'Contributions to Meteorology ' .... 49 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Carll's "Treatise on the Calculus of Variations," and 

 Merriman's "Text-Book on the Method of Least 



.Squares" 5' 



Letters to the Editor : — 



It.ilian Aid to Biological Research.— Prof. Trinchese, 

 Prof. Todaro, "Prof. Passerini, Prof. Giglioli, 

 Lieut. Chierchia, and Prof. Dohrn .... 52 



The Resting Position of Oysters.— Dr. Karl Mbbius 52 

 Universal Secular Weather Periods. — E. Douglas 



Archibald 5^ 



Photography of the Corona.— Capt. W. de 'W. 



Abney, RE., F.R.S 53 



Permanence of Continents and Oceans.— J. Starkie 



Gardner 53 



Historj- of Elasticity.— Dr. Karl Pearson 53 



The Heights of Clouds.— N. Ekholm 53 



TheHelm Wind.— Col.J. F. Tennant, R.E.. F.R.S. 54 

 The Mode of Admission into the Royal Society . 54 

 On Measuring the Vibratory Periods of Tuning- 



Forks. By Alexander J, Ellis, F.R.S 54 



Hints on the Construction and Equipment of Ob- 

 servatories for Amateurs. By G. F. Chambers. 



(Illuslraled) 5^ 



Notes *^' 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week. 1885, 



November 22-28 62 



Chemical Notes 63 



Geographical Notes 63 



Bees and other Hoarding Insects 64 



Science in French Cochin China 67 



On the Measurement of Movements of the Earth, 

 with Reference to Proposed Earthquake-Observa- 

 tions on Ben Nevis. By Prof. J. A. Ewing ... 6S 



Univer;>ity and Educational Intelligence 69 



Scientific Serials 1'^ 



Societies and Academies 7^^ 



