240 



NA TURE 



{Jan. 7, 



the hydrate of chloride, by M. H. Le Chatelier. The prin- 

 ciples here developed are directly applicable to'all the hydrates 

 of gaseous bodies, and to a large number of other compounds, 

 such as the alkaline bi-carbonates, with which the author is at 

 present occupied. — Action of some deoxidising agents on 

 vanadic acids, by M. A. Ditte. It is shown that, when sub- 

 jected at a high temperature to the action of hydrogen, sulphur, 

 arsenic, phosphorus, and some other reducing agents, vanadic 

 acid may, according to the circumstances, lose a greater or less 

 quantity of oxygen. — Note on the preparation and physical 

 properties of the pentafluoride of phosphorus, by M. H. Moissan. 

 — Note on the combinations of the trichloride of gold with the 

 tetrachlorides of sulphur and selenium, by M. L. Lindet. — 

 Thermic researches on glyoxylic acid (C^HjOj), by M. de 

 Fnrcrand. — On the oxidation of sebacic acid, by M. H. Carette. 

 — On a new means of testing the purity of volatile substances, 

 by M. E. Duclaux. — On the normal character of the morliid 

 process developed by tuberculous inoculations, by M. G. Colin. 

 — Remarks on the character of the glycogen observed in the 

 ciliated Infusoria, showing that it is in every respect analogous 

 to that developed in the liver of higher organisms, by M. E. 

 Maup.as. — A physiological study of acetiphenone, by MM. A. 

 Mairet and Combemale. — On the dialytic properties of the mem- 

 brane of the cyst in Vorticetla nebulifcia and other Infusoria, 

 by M. F. Fabre. — Note on the polychete Annelidce found on the 

 French coast, district of Dinard, by M. de Saint-Joseph. — On 

 the traces left by the Quaternary glaciers in the cave of Lom- 

 brives, Ariege Valley, by M. E. 'I'rutat. — Remarks on the first 

 sheets of the new geological map of France, prepared to a scale 

 of I : 500,000, by MM. G. Vasseur and L. Carez. This work, 

 which is to be completed during the course of the year iSS6, 

 will comprise altogether forty-eight sheets, of which fifteen have 

 already been issued. These include the south coast of England, 

 the greater part of Belgium, Luxemburg, the Rhine to Bonn and 

 Frankfort, Alsace-Lorraine, the eastern and central parts of the 

 Paris Basin, and the neighbourhood of Bordeaux. — Chief results 

 of the systematic researches made in Sweden since the year 1S73 

 on the upper atmospheric currents, by M. H. Hildebrandsson. — 

 Note on the northern limit of the south-west monsoon in the 

 Indian Ocean, by M. Venukoff. It appears from M. Prjevalsky's 

 recent voyage to Northern Thibet that the limit of the south- 

 western monsoon coincides approximately with the 37th parallel 

 of latitude, and stretches west and east from about the head- 

 waters of the Oxus and Tarim Rivers to the meridian of Lang- 

 chew, capital of the province of Kan-su, in West China. — A 

 reply to M. Bourquelot's recent note on interverted sugar, by M. 

 E. Maumene. — Note on the guano of Alcatras, by MiSI. A. 

 Herbelin and A. Andouard. — Reply to M. Cartailhac's objec- 

 tions on the human remains and pottery recently found in the 

 cave of Nabrigas, by MM. Martel and de Launay. The authors 

 deny the possibility of a post-Quaternary disturbance of the cave, 

 and consequently maintain the conclusions already formulated 

 on the significance of these discoveries. — The death was 

 announced of M. Tulasne, Member of the Botanical .Section, 

 who died at Hyeres on December 22, 1885. 



Vienna 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, October S, 18S5. — 

 On the establishment of a homogeneous magnetic field on 

 the tangent galvanometer for measuring stronger currents, 

 by G. A. Schilling. — On the blood-circulation of the ganglion- 

 cell, by A. Adamkiewicz. — Determination of the orbit of 

 the planet Ida (243), by N. Herz. — On the energy of the 

 yeast-cell, by G. Czeczetka. — On a new method for the deter- 

 mination of phosphorus in pig-iron and steel, by W. Kalmann. 

 — On Brooks's comet of September 2, 1S85, by E. Weiss. — 

 Astronomical researches on the eclipses noted by Hebrew- 

 writers : i. the Biblical eclipses, by E. Mahler. 



October 15. — Contributions to our knowledge of sulpho- 

 hydantoins, by R. Andreasch. — On the disposition of karyoki- 

 netic figures in the central nervous system and in the retina of 

 adder-embryos, by L. Merk. — Researches on strychnine, by F. 

 Loebisch and P. Schoop. 



October 22. — On some applications of the principle of 

 apolarity, by B. Igel. — Studies on quercetin and its derivatives, 

 ii., by J. Herzig. — On some derivatives of phloroglucin, by the 

 same. — On rhamnin and rhamnetin, by the same — Results of an 

 embracing computation of the elements of all central and partial 

 eclipses of the sun — 8000 — which have occurred in the period 

 - 1207 November 10 (Jul.) till -h2i6i November 17 (Greg.), 



and of all total eclipses of the moon — 5203— in the period from 

 - 120C April 21 (Jul.) till -1-2163 -"^piil 12 (Greg.), by Th, von 

 Oppolzer. — On prophetic eclipses, by E. Mahler. 



November 5. — On the fat of cochineal, by E. Raimann. — 

 On Tosoraphinia tcxta, Rcem. sp., and on Scvlalia pertnsa, 

 Reuss. sp., from the environs of Raudnitz (Bohemia), by J. 

 Fahalka. — On Crocodilida from the Miocene of Styria, by A. 

 Hofmann. — On the application of the gravity of a rolling body 

 as a motive power, by J. Burgaritzki. — On a new mechanical 

 principle of the force hitherto called gravitation, by W. Bosse. — 

 A preliminary note on the zodiacal light, by T. Unterweger. — 

 Sketch of a theory of the moon, by Th. von Oppolzer. 



Stockholm 



Academy of Sciences, December 9. — Remarques con- 

 cernant un cas .special du probleme des trois corps, eclaircies par 

 une premiere approximation pour les mouvements de la planete 

 Hecube (108) sous I'influence du soleil et de Jupiter, by Dr. 

 Paul Harzer. — On Schefferite from Ldngbau and Pajsberg, by 

 Dr. G. Flink. — Observations on the meteoric showers, November 

 27, 1885, by Prof. H. Hildebrand. — Sur la theorie des ensembles, 

 by Prof. G. Cantor. — Remarks on this paper, by Dr. G. Enstrbm. 

 — New and imperfectly-known Isopoda, by Dr. C. Bovallius. — 

 Systematic list of the family Asellida, by the same. — The laws 

 of the atomic weights, by Dr. Y. R. Rydberg. — On double 

 oxalates of platinum, by lljerr H. G. Soderbaum. — On rocks 

 composed of pyroxene and amphibole in Central and Eastern 

 SmJland : (i) classification and descriptt n of the rocks, by Dr. 

 F. Eichstadt ; (2) Myrmecological studies, by Herr G. Adlerz. 

 —On pyramidal stones ( Dreikanter) from the Cambrian furma- 

 ion of Sweden, by Prof. A. G. Nathorst. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Races of Britain. By Charles Roberts . . . . 217 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



■' Journ.al of the Royal Agricultural Society" . . . 218 

 Meignan's "From Paris to Pekin over Siberian 



.Snows" 219 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Iridescent Clouds — Prof. C. Piazzi-Smyth ; Charles 



Davison; John Stevenson 219 



The Recent Star-Shower.— J. B. Haslam ; Com- 

 mander Alfred Carpenter, R.N 220 



Deposits of the Nile Delta. — Sir J. William Daw- 

 son, F.R.S 221 



The Discovery of the Source of the Mississippi. — 



Henry Gannett 221 



Chictoderma. — Prof. W. A. Herdman 201 



A Solar Halo.— E. J. Stone, F.R.S. , R.-idclifte Ob- 

 server 222 



Ventilation. — Dr. Ernest H. Jacob 222 



Travellers' Snake-Stories. — Major Allan Cunning- 

 ham, R.E 222 



Blackbird with White Feather. — Thomas J. Busk ; 



E. Brown ; E. K 222 



On the Method of Reciprocants as Containing an 

 Exhaustive Theory of the Singularities of Curves. 

 By Prof. J. J. Sylvester, F.R.S. (///;M/;-,7to/) ... 222 

 The Geology of Malaysia, Southern China, &c. By 



Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods 231 



John Hunter's House. liy Dr. Benjamin Ward 



Richardson, F.R.S 233 



Notes 233 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Discovery of a New Nebula by Photography . . . 235 



Gore's Nova Orionis 235 



The Astronomical Prizes of the Paris Academy of 



Sciences 235 



Fabry's Comet 236 



Barnard's Comet 236 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1886 



January 10-16 236 



Standards of White Light 236 



Physics at Johns Hopkins 237 



Univer.'iity and Educational Intelligence 238 



Societies and Academies 23S 



