1 68 



NATURE 



{Dec. 17, 1885 



Milan-Paris ... +27111. 25-3155. ( 



Paris-Nice ... - 19m. 51 -5135. )^^^ -'i:--'cs f '^ = 0'°''- 

 Nice-Milan ... - 7m- 33'Si25. \'' ' "^ -'~^' ) 

 — Movement of the molecules of the so-called "soHtary wave" 

 propagated on the surface of a stagnant canal, and vfhich after 

 some agitation acquires a constant and uniform motion, by M. 

 de Saint- Venant. — Experimental researches undertaken to deter- 

 mine the influence exercised by lesions of the spinal marrow on 

 the form of the convxilsions assumed by artificial epilepsy of 

 cerebral origin, by M. Vulpian.— On the theory of algebraic 

 forms in connection with M. Halphen's differential invariants, 

 by M. Sylvester.— Note on the fresh experiments carried out in 

 1885 with the navigable balloon La Frame, by M. Ch. Renard. 

 The results of three ascents during the months of August and 

 September gave a mean velocity of about 67 metres per second, 

 with 55 to 57 revolutions of the screw per minute. On the two 

 last occasions the balloon was brought back to the point of de- 

 parture, Chalais, near Meudon.— On the propagation of motion 

 in an undefined fluid (1st part), by M. Hugoniot.— Discovery of 

 a new comet in the constellation Andromeda at the Paris Ob- 

 servatory on December i, by M. Fabry.— Observations made 

 at the Observatories of Paris, Bordeaux, Lyons, and Algiers, 

 presented by M. Mouchez. — On the employment of spherical 

 convex glasses (boules-panorama) as solar signals, by M. Hatt. 

 — Note on certain hyper-Fuchsian functions, by M. E. Picard. 

 — On Lagrange's form of interpolation, by M. Bendisson. — Note 

 on the trigonometric series, by M. H. Poincare.— On the solu- 

 tions common to several partially-derived linear equations, by 

 M. R. Liouville.— On the holomorphous conditions of the 

 integrals of the iterative equation, and on some other functional 

 equations, by M. G. Koijnigs. —Remarks relative to a preceding 

 communication on M. Koenig's theorem, by M. Ph. Gilbert.— 

 On the part played by the rotation of the earth m de- 

 termining the deviation of running waters on the surface of 

 the globe, by M. Pontes. The author considers it now de- 

 monstrated that terrestrial rotation has a perceptible in- 

 fluence on the tendency shown by rivers to corrode one side 

 or the other of their banks.— Note on the spectrum of absorp- 

 tion of oxygen, by M. N. Egoroff. The results of the author s 

 spectroscopic researches, combined with those of M. Thollon, 

 completely explain the origin of the telluric bands in the sec- 

 tion K—b of the solar spectrum ; 1 26 bands, distributed in 

 equal proportion and identically in the groups A, B, and a, 

 depend exclusively on oxygen, while the others belong to the 

 vapour of w.ater.- On the characteristic equation of carbonic 

 acid, by M. E. Sarrau. — On the preparation of hypophosphoric 

 acid, by M. A. Joly.— Note on some properties of zinc, by M. L. 

 L'Hote. Pure zinc, alloyed with a very small quantity of arsenic 

 or antimony, conducts itself in water like zinc alloyed with iron. 

 Hence all the zincs of commerce decompose water at the boiling- 

 point.— Heat of combustion of some ethers of organic acids: 

 ethylic ether of lactic acid, citrate of ethyle, normal ethylbutyric 

 ether, ethylisobutyric ether, by M. Louguinine.— On the pyro- 

 genous decomposition of the polyatomic acids of the fatty series, 

 by M Hauriot.— On the normal and primary monochloruretted 

 butyric compounds, by M. Louis Henry.- Action of chlorine 

 on anhydrous chloral, by M. Henri Gautier.— Analysis of the 

 deposits formed by the mineral waters of Chabetout, Puy-de- 

 Dome, by M. Fr. Thabuis. The chief constituents of the de- 

 posits from these ferruginous waters are sesquioxide of iron, 

 nearly 50 per cent. ; organic matter, 9-4 ; lime, 2-2 ; gelatmous 

 silica, ii-i ; carbonic acid, 1-8.— Optical examination ol some 

 little-known minerals : kirwanite, a silicate of the protoxide of 

 iron, lime, and alumina, with about 4 per cent, of water ; hul- 

 lite, consisting mainly of amorphous matter, and found in the 

 Irish basaltic rocks ; harringtonite, a zeolithe of lime and soda ; 

 bowlingite, a hydrosilicate of alumina, iron, and magnesia ; 

 botryolite, identical with datholite, by M. A. Lacroix.—On 

 experimental denutrition, by M. Ch. E. Qumquand. Ihis 

 process, which consists in stat-'iitg an organ, or part of an organ, 

 supplies a new and useful method of investigation, enabhng 

 physiologists to advance the study of elementary nutntion and 

 of the fundamental action of medicines.— On the effects pro- 

 duced by the ingestion and intra-venous injection ol some 

 colouring substances derived from coal, and much used m 

 colouring drinks and aliments, by MM. P. Cazeneuve and K. 

 Lepine. One of these (binitronaphthol, or Manchester yellow), 

 is shown to be distinctly injurious ; the other two derived from it 

 quite harmless.— On the anatomy, digestive, and nervous 

 systems of the genus Discina, by M. L. J oubin.— Account ot a 



young megaptera recently stranded in the maritime district of 

 La Seyne (Mediterranean), where this species of whale is 

 extremely rare, by M. G. Pouchet. — On the respiration of plants, 

 continued, by MM. G. Bonnier and L. Mangin. — On the 

 desiccation of plants immersed in aqueous solutions, by M. 

 Albert Levallois. — On the processes of fructification of the 

 various genera of sigillaria, by M. B. Renault. — On the under- 

 lying rocks of the Tertiary formations in the neighbourhood of 

 Is?oire, Auvergne, by MM. Michel Levy and Munier-Chalmas. 

 — Geological observations on the kingdom of Shoa and Galla 

 countiy, south of Abyssinia, by M. Aubry. — Note on the dis- 

 covery of phosphates of lime made in the spring of the present 

 year in the lowest Tertiary strata in the south of Tunis, by M. 

 Philippe Thomas. — On the Jebel Zaghwan range, Tunis, and on 

 the great fault in this orographic system running north-east and 

 south-west, and indicating the line of upheaval of the lower 

 chalk foniiations now in contact with the Upper Eocene rocks, 

 by M. G. Rolland. — Note on the discovery of a human station 

 dating from the Stone Age in the woods of Clemert, by M. 

 Emile Riviere. — On the advantages to be derived from a 

 thorough knowledge of the displacements of the Gulf Stream in 

 weather forecastings, by M. de Tastes. — Various communica- 

 tions on the shooting stars of November 27, from M. Stephan, 

 of the Marseilles Observatory ; M. Hirn, of Colmar ; M. 

 Colladon, of Geneva ; M. Perrotin, of Nice ; M. Quenin, of 

 Pelonne (Drome) ; MM. Hildebrandsson and Charlier, of 

 Upsala ; M. Phipson, of London ; and others, with remarks by 

 1\L Faye. 



CONTENTS Page 

 The Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition— Crus- 

 tacea • • • '45 



Charles Darwin. By George J. Roinanes, F.R.S. . 147 

 Our Book Shelf: — 



Pennington's " Briti^h Zoophytes " 149 



"Handbook of Jamaica, I SS5-86" 15° 



Pye-Smith's "Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on 

 Physiology, delivered at Guy's Hospital " .... 150 



Wood's " Nature and her Servants " I5° 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Whole Duty of a Chemist.— Dr. G. Gore, 



The' Recent' Star- .Shower.— P. J. Denza ; John 

 M'Keague; Robert H. West; Arthur Wm. 

 Waters ; C. A. Young ; E. J. Lowe ; Wm. H. 



Lyne ; W. F. Denning 150 



The Supposed Fall of an Aerolite in Naples.— Dr. 



H. J. Johnston-Lavis '53 



The Rotation-Period of Mars.— H. G. Van de 



Sande Bakhuyzen '53 



Ventilation.— Thos. Fletcher '53 



Rain at Smyrna.— Hyde Clarke I54 



The Sea-Mills at Argostoli.— O. W. J. ; L. Fne- 



derichsen and Co. . • '54 



Friction and Molecular Structure.— Rev. Edward 



Geoghegan '54 



The Resting Position of Oysters— A Correction.— 



A. R. Hunt '54 



Radiolaria.— W. H. Shrubsole 154 



The Continuity of the Germ-Plasma Considered as 

 the Basis of a Theory of Heredity. By Prof. H. 



N. Moseley, F.R.S '54 



Thomas Andrews, F.R.S 157 



Notes '59 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Bright Lines in Stellar Spectra 'o' 



Photometry of the Pleiades '*;' 



Fabry's Comet "" 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week, 1885, 



December 20-26 • •,,■,.,• ' ' ^ ' ^ 



The Return of the Leonids in 1885. By William F. 



Denning .' '.i ti' ' 



Notes from the Otago University Museum. By 



Prof T. Jeffery Parker. (Illustrated) 103 



University and Educational Intelligence 164 



Scientific Serials '^4 



Societies and Academies '"4 



