524 



NA TURE 



[April I, 1886 



by K. Novak. — On the dispersion-equivalent and coefficient of 

 expansion of sulphur, by A. Schrauf. 



Bulletin dc F Acadanie Royak de Bdgique, December 1S85. — 

 Some remarks on Gen. Liagre's remarks and Baeyer's posthu- 

 mous note on winter and summer tides, by M. Folic. The 

 statements that the tides are higher in summer owing to the 

 greater heat of the sun, and that for the same reason there is 

 greater barometric pressure, are both shown to be groundless. — 

 Note on the Middle Devonian rocks of Belgium : the Givet 

 limestones, their stratigraphic relations and distribution, by E. 

 Dupont. The pure limestones of the Givet epoch are classified 

 asunder: (i) Fossiliferous gray, with stromatopores, favosites, 

 alveolites, &c. ; (2) deep blue, rarely lilac, granular or sub-com- 

 pact, occasionally schistoid ; (3) blue sub-compact, with small 

 spathose particles disseminated ; (4) oolithic gray ; (5) fissured 

 gray. All these limestones are distinctly stratified. — The Ceta- 

 ceans of the European waters, by P. J. Van Beneden. These 

 Cetaceans, which are described in detail, are divided into three 

 groups : (i) BalienidEe, or true whales, such as B. biscayensis, 

 BiliTiiopttya sibbaldii, &c. ; (7.) Ziphioid;e, or Cetodonts with 

 teeth in the lower jaw only, such as the Cachalot (Pvsetcr 

 macrocephalus), HyperooJon rostralus, &c. ; (3) Delphinidas, or 

 Cetodonts with two rows of teeth piercing the gums, such as 

 Phocmna communis, G'obiceps melas (the Grindewall of the 

 Orkneys), Orca gladiator, Grampus griseus, &c. — The Camiguin 

 volcano, by A. Renard. A full description is given of the 

 geological constitution and other natural features of this volcanic 

 isbnd, one of the most remarkable in the Philippine Archi- 

 pelago. — Note on the meteoric display of November 27, and 

 on an enigmatical luminous phenomenon observed on November 

 28, 1885, by F. Terby. In a field of observation about one- 

 fifth of the celestial Hiorizon the author observed, at Brussels, 

 1806 meteors in 57 minutes, or a mean of 3r7 per minute, 

 which for the whole sky would give a mean of I58'4 per minute. 

 The moment of maximum intensity appeared to be 6.16 p.m., 

 when the meteors passed at the rate of forty-nine per minute. 

 At 7.50 the following evening, durinj a violent storm accom- 

 panied by heavy rain, the observer noticed, at about 60° above 

 the southern horizon, a very luminous region of spherical form, 

 with a diameter of from 5° to 8°. The phenomenon, which re- 

 turned at 8.5, lay evidently behind the clouds, by which it was 

 more or less obscured. Its altitude and position seemed to con- 

 nect it with the needle of magnetic inclination, and it may have 

 been associated with an aurora borealis partly concealed by the 

 clouds. — On a new method of separating and effecting a qu.in- 

 titative analysis of cadmium and copper, by Dr. Leo Backen- 

 landt. — On the Bacteria of bread fermentation, by Emile 

 Laurent. It is shown that viscous bread is produced by Bacd- 

 lus panificans, which renders the albuminoids soluble, feeding 

 on saccharose, and at a depth of 7 or 8 mm. resisting the baking 

 process. It abounds in ordinary bread, and, after the baking, 

 may attack the starch when not sufficiently acid, transforming 

 it to a substance analogous to erythrodextrine. The formation 

 of viscous bread may be prevented by the addition of a suffi- 

 cient quantity of organic acid. 



Rivisia Scicntifico-Industriale, January 31. — Notes on the 

 tliree comets recently discovered by Fabry, Barnard, and 

 Brooks, by Prof. Tempel. The last-mentioned already passed 

 its perihelion in November, but the two others will both be 

 visible simultaneously and not far apart from each other during 

 the second half of April and the first of May next. It is possible 

 that F.abry's may even be projected on the solar disk on April 

 26 and 27. — Description of a new polarimeter (three illustra- 

 tions), by Prof. Augusto Righi. The apparatus here described 

 belongs to the penumbra type of polarimeters, which are now 

 universally preferred, especially for measuring the rotation of 

 vibrations. The inventor believes it to be as sensitive as those 

 of Jellet or Laurent, while combining in itself the special 

 advantages which are separately possessed by those two instru- 

 ments. — New facts on etherification by double decomposition, 

 by Dr. Giacomo Bertoni. Berthelot having stated that the 

 analogies between the ethers and the salts are superficial and th.it 

 profound differences exist between them, supporting this view 

 by the assertion that direct metathesis at a cold temperature has 

 not been obtained on organic compounds, the Italian chemist, 

 on the contrary, here demonstrates that metathesis between 

 organic bodies really tal es place in the same way. Thus is 

 demonstrated the extension of Berthelot's own law to organic 

 compounds, and the principle being in perfect harmony with 

 thermo-dynamics, in no way contradicts the laws of thermo- 



chemistry. With these brilliant researches Dr. Bertoni not only 

 illustrates the theoretical aspect of modern chemistry, but also 

 opens a wide field for new and useful applications. 



Rendiconti del Reale Istitulo Lombardo, February 4. — On the 

 birational transformations of three geometrical forms of the 

 second species, by Prof. G. Jung. The subject is treated under 

 three separate heads. In the first are generalised some proper- 

 ties of the geometrical forms of the second species ; in the 

 second is given a new demonstration of two familiar formulas 

 which occur in the theory of birational transformations ; in the 

 third the aforesaid properties are discussed in connection with 

 some analogous subjects recently treated by several writers, 

 especially with the question of undetermined analysis solved by 

 De Jonquieres (Comptcs rendus, November 2 and 9, 1885) and the 

 researches of Autonne on the groups of biration.al substitutions. 

 — On the reciprocal linear correspondences in a linear space of 

 any species, by F. Aschieri. It is shown that two fundamental 

 forms of h species in a linear space Sn - 1 will be reciprocal if 

 one is obtained from the other with a finite number of opera- 

 tions (projections and sections), and will constitute a polar 

 system in respect of a general quadrature belonging to one of 

 said forms. — A theorem on the functions each term of which is a 

 function of c(= x -f- iy), by Prof. Giulio Ascoli. — Meteorological 

 observations made at the Brera Observatory, Milan, during the 

 month of January . 



Sitzungsberichtederphysikalisch-medizinisc/ienSocicldtzu Erlaii- 

 oen. Heft 17, 1S85. — On alkaline fermentation of urea, and on 

 " urea-ferment," &c., by \V. Leube. — The diffraction-phenomena 

 of a circular aperture and a circular shield, by E. Lommel. — On 

 reducible curves, by M. Xoether. — On some syntheses in the 

 pyrrol series, by L. Know. — Projection of the interference of 

 liquid waves, by E. Lommel. — Visible representation of the 

 focus of the ultra-red rays by phosphorescence, by the same. — 

 The discriminants of the binary form of the sixth degree, by R. 

 Gordan. — On calomel, by k. Heischer. — On partial arching of 

 the tympanum with moderate increase of the air-pressure in the 

 outer auditory passage, by W. KiessellMch. — On an anomaly of 

 the lower vetia cava, by 1.. Gerlach. — On a new way of making 

 glass windows in the shell of birds' eggs before or in the first 

 stage of incubation, by L. Gerlach. 



Revue d'.-Uithropologie, tomei. fasc. i, Paris, 1886. — M. Topin- 

 ard, editor of the Rcz'iie, treats at great length of the measure- 

 ments made by Dr. P. Broca, of various crania derived from the 

 so-called Baye Caverns in the valley of Petit-Morin (Marne). 

 These caves, of which M. de Baye has thoroughly explored 

 120, have been excavated by the hand of man in the chalk, both 

 as habitations and as places of burial, and from the appearances 

 of the two hundred and odd skulls that have already been 

 brought to light, and the general character of the finds, these 

 deposits may be referred to the polished stone age. Dr. P. 

 Broca's hitherto unpublished measurements of forty-four of 

 these crania, and his explanations of the methods adopted in 

 his determinations, together with his remarks on the evidence 

 favouring his opinion that two mixed races were represented in 

 the remains of the Marne caves, are accepted by M. Topinard as 

 incontrovertible proof of an augmentation in the mean cephalic 

 index among the successive races who advanced from the south 

 to the north of France dui'ing the Neolithic period. The general 

 mean of the index of the forty -four crania was found by Broca to be 

 78'i, while he gives 72'6 for the Cave-men of L'Homme Mort, 

 and 79"5 for the men of the dolmen of Vaureal, near Paris, the 

 Baye Cave skulls thus presenting a mean between these ex- 

 tremities. The present paper, which is a sequel to the series 

 published by the Society from thi mass of materials left by 

 Broca in a more or less complete condition, will be followed 

 by others of similar interest. — On the Cro-Magnon race, 

 their migrations and descendants, by M. le Dr. Verneau. 

 The author is of opinion that the Cro-Magnon type was 

 not effaced in the Glacial period, and that it still survives 

 in many parts of France and Italy, and nowhere in greater 

 purity than among the Western Basques, while recent re- 

 searches in Spain and Portugal show that a race presenting 

 identical cranial characteristics had spread from one extremity of 

 the peninsula to the other. M. Verneau believes that their 

 presence may be traced froai the valley of the Vezere, with its 

 Cave-men, to the dolmen regions of North- West Africa, and even 

 to the Canary Isles, and that the race, which was one of hunters, 

 migrated from north to south in pursuit of the game on which 

 its existence depended. — The Kirghis, by M. Nicolas Sceland. 



