Fune 17, 1886] 
NATURE 
163. 
to glass for lantern illustration. They were shown upon a 
portable screen by Mr. G. Smith of the Sciopticon Co. Mr. 
Evans claimed that he had been more than ordinarily successful 
in overcoming the chief difficulty in the matter, that of obtaining 
such a focus as would properly represent the various planes of 
eyen deep objects, and this without loss of natural effect. The 
objects illustrated comprised Diatoms and Desinids, Foraminifera, 
Polycystina, star-fishes, sections of Echinus spines, insect prepara- 
tions, animal parasites, and anatomical and vegetable sections, 
the remarkable clearness of most of the photographs calling 
forth frequent favourable comments from the Fellows present. 
Entomological Society, June 2.—Mr. R. McLachlan, 
F.R.S., President, in the chair.—The following gentlemen were 
elected Fellows, viz. Mr. C. Baron-Clarke, M.A., F.R.S., Mr. 
Dannatt, Mr. H. Wallis-Kew, Mr. J. P. Mutch, Mr. B. W. 
Neave, Mr. A. C. F. Morgan, and Mr. W. Warren, M.A.— 
Mr. Stevens exhibited an example of Heydenia auromaculata, 
from the Shetlands, a species new to Britain.—Dr. Sharp exhi- 
bited certain specimens of Sva¢hylinide, specially prepared and 
placed in cells of cardboard, sealed up with layers of bleached 
shellac.—Mr. Billups exhibited Afécorus Juridus, Ruthe, a 
species of /chneumonide new to Britain.—Mr. W. White exhi- 
bited cocoons of Cerura vinula, and made some observations as 
to the mode by which the perfect insect escapes from these solid 
structures. He thought that formic acid secreted by the insect 
was a probable factor in the operation. The question of how 
the parasitic /chneumonide and Diptera escaped from these 
cocoons was also raised, and the President, Baron Osten-Sacken, 
Mr. Waterhouse, and Prof. Meldola, made remarks on the sub- 
ject.—Mr. Elisha exhibited living larvae of Geometra smarag- 
daria, from the Essex marshes. He also exhibited the singular 
pupe of 4. dennettii.—Mr. Howard Vaughan exhibited a long 
series of Peronea hastiana, showing the innumerable varieties of 
the species. He also exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Sidney Webb, 
of Dover, an interesting series of Cidaria suffumata, and read 
notes on the varieties of this species, communicated by Mr. 
Webb. Mr. Jenner-Weir, Mr. Waterhouse, Dr. Sharp, Mr. 
Distant, and Mr. Stainton took part in the discussion which 
ensued. —Mr. A. G. Butler communicated a paper on new 
genera and species of Lepidoplera-Heterocera from the Au-tralian 
region, in which 21 new genera, and 103 new species were 
described. —Dr. Baly communicated a paper on uncharacterised 
species of Diaby otica. 
EDINBURGH 
Mathematical Society, June 11.—Dr. R. M. Ferguson, 
President, in the chair.—Mr. Alexander Robertson discussed a 
problem in combinations.—Mr. John Alison gave a mnemonic 
for a group of trigonometrical formule.—Mr. A. Y. Fraser 
read a communication from Mr. George A. Gibson on integra- 
tion by parts and successive reduction. 
PARIS 
Academy of Sciences, June 7.—M. Jurien de la Graviére, 
President, in the chair.—Remarks on the works of M. Jean 
‘Claude Bouquet, by M. Halphen. To this notice is appended 
alist of the scientific writings of the illustrious mathematician, 
who was born at Morteau, Franche-Comté, on September 7, 
1819, and died on September 9, 1885.—A new method of deter- 
“Mining the refractions of light at all altitudes by means of the 
known value of one alone (continued), by M. Loewy. The 
formulas are here given by which various refractions may be 
found after one has been determined by the method already 
explained.—On the part played by Lavoisier in determining the 
unit of weight in the metrical system, by M. C. Wolf. The 
‘imperfect data contained in Delambre’s ‘Base du Systéme 
-Metrique” are here supplemented from fresh documents tracing 
the action of Lavoisier in determining the various standards of 
weight in the metrical system adopted by the French Govern- 
Wee 
oe at the close of the last century.-—Heat of combustion and 
ormation cf the sugars, hydrates of carbon, and allied poly- 
atomic atoms, by MM. Berthelot and Vieille. By their new 
‘method the authors have at last succeeded in ef’ecting complete 
combustion of the sugars by free oxygen, thereby correcting the 
determinations already obtained by Rechenberg with the chlorate 
| of potash for mannite, dulcite, lactose, saccharose, cellulose, and 
‘some other substances.—Fresh observations on the ammonia 
present in the ground, by MM. Berthelot and André. In reply 
io M. Schlcesing’s last note the authors deal with the interesting 
| Poblems suggested by that chemist’s remarks on the laws regu- 
7 
‘ating the interchange of ammonia between the atmosphere and 
the earth.—On the atomic weight and the spectrum of germanium, 
by M. Lecocq de Boisbaudran. Under the induction-spark a 
fine specimen of this element received from M. Winkler yields a 
beautiful spectrum withremarkably bright blue and violet rays, with 
atomic weight 72°27. Germanium would therefore appear to lie, 
not between bismuth and antimony, as at first supposed, but 
between silicium and tin, like the ekasilicium of Mendelejeff’s 
classification. Winkler had fixed its atomic weight provisionally 
at 72°75.—Note on the age of the Pikermi, Mount Leberon, 
and Maragha fauna, by M. Albert Gaudry. The author's obser- 
vations induce him to refer this geological epoch rather to the 
Middle than to the Upper Tertiary.—Researches on gelatine, by 
M. P. Schutzenberger.—Influence of the anzesthetic vapours on 
the living tissues, by M. R. Dubois. The paper gives a descrip- 
tion of the action exercised by the vapours of chloroform, ether, 
sulphuret of carbon, and alcohol on the protoplasm of the animal 
and vegetable tissues. The action is regarded not so much as 
one of coagulation, as of substitution analogous to that obtained 
by Graham when studying the effects of ether, alcohol, &c., on 
the mineral colloidal hydrates.—Observations of the comet ¢ 
(1886) made at the Observatory of Lyons with the Brunner six- 
inch equatorial, by M. Gonnessiat.—Note on the herpolhodie, by 
M. Hess.—Extension of the general law of solidification to 
thymol and napthaline, by M. F. M. Raoult. ‘The figures 0°61 
and 0°64, here determined for these two substances, approach as 
nearly as possible to 0°62 given by the author’s general law of 
solidification announced some years ago.—On a visual illusion 
and the apparent oscillation of the stars, by M. H. de Parville. 
The phenomenon of the apparent motion of slightly illumined 
bodies in the midst of darkness is here associated with that 
of the apparent motion of the stars known to the Germans 
by the name of Sternschwanken.—Action of the hydrogenated 
acids on vanadic acid, by M. A. Ditte.—Action of the 
oxide of lead on the hydrochlorate of ammonia, by M. F 
Isambert. This reaction, which absorbs heat, is shown to be 
entirely analogous to a phenomenon of dissociation, and con- 
trolled by the ordinary laws of dissociation.—Note on the molyb- 
date of cerium, by M. Alph. Cossa. The form of this substance 
prepared by different processes by the author and M. Didicr, 
confirms the strict analogy of molecular structure between certain 
combinations of the metals of cerite and the corresponding 
combinations of calcium and lead.—Note on a new alloy of 
aluminium, by M. Bourbouze. This useful alloy, consisting of 
Io parts tin and 1:0 aluminium, is white, and has rather a higher 
density (2°85) than the pure metal.—On the presence of chole- 
sterine in some new fatty substances of vegetable origin, by 
MM. Ed. Heckel and Fr. Schlagdenhauffen.—On the presence 
of cholesterine in the carrot; researches on this direct prin- 
ciple, by M. A. Arnaud. The cholesterine yielded by the 
carrot contains : carbon, 83°90 ; hydrogen, 12°20 ; oxygen, 3°90. 
It is insoluble in water, but very soluble in boiling alcohol, in the 
sulphuret of carbon, chloroform, and oils. It thus differs little 
from animal cholesterine, and is absolutely identical with the 
substance derived by Hesse from the Calabar bean.—Note on 
piliganine, the alkaloid of Lycopodiacea from Brazil, by M. 
Adriau. The piligan plant, which yields this principle, is a 
lycopod closely allied to the European Z. Se/ago, and probably 
the variety known in Brazil as Z. Saussurus. The extract is a 
strong poison, soluble in water, in alcohol, and chloroform.—Re- 
searches on the vegetable development of the sugar beetroot, by 
M. Aime Girard.— On the crystalline form of the pyrophosphates 
and hypophosphates of soda, by M. H. Dufet.—Cn anthophyllite, 
an orthorhombic amphibole with two prismatic cleavages, m 
(110) (7 = 125° about), anda third, 2’ (oro), by M, A. La- 
croix.—On the development of the elements of the gray cortical 
substance of the cerebral circumyolutions, by M. W. Vignal.— 
On a chronometer with magnetic coupling, by M. A. d’Arsonval. 
This is an apparatus constructed at the suggestion of M. Brown- 
Séquard for the purpose of determining the velocity of sensitive 
impressions transmitted through the spinal marrow in a normal 
or pathologic state. —Note on sacculine, by M, Y. Delage. The 
author replies to the objections recently urged by M. Giard 
against some cf the results announced by him on the evolution 
of sacculine.—On the internal air of i: sects compared with that 
of plants, by M. J. Peyrou.—On the stratigraphic structure of 
the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Ronda, South Spain, by MM. 
Ch. Barrois and Alb. Offret.-—On the geology of the Central 
Tunisian region between Kef and Kairwan, by M. G. Rolland. 
—Cn the genus Sornia, F. Roemer, one of the most charac- 
