264 



NATURE 



[July 



Edinburgh 

 Royal Society, June 19 — The Right Hon. Lord Moncreiff, pre- 

 sident, in the chair.— Prof. Tait, in Tart III. of his paper on Mirage, 

 called attention to an elaborate Memoir on the subject by Biot, who 

 had anticipated him in many particulars. Biot had pointed out the 

 existence of the curve of vertices, which Prof. Tait made the basis 

 of his discussion, but had not made any use of it, preferring to 

 investigate the phenomena by means of the caustics — a much 

 more difficult method. Further, in his explanation of the 

 appearances described by Vince, Biot regarded the rays as 

 being for the first part of their course concave upwards — a 

 state of affairs which Prof. Tait regarded as very unlikely. 

 Such a point, however, could be settled only by careful mea- 

 surements of the dip of the horizon taken at different heights 

 above sea-level. — Dr. Dobbie and Mr. G. G. Henderson, 

 B.Sc, communicated the results of their analysis of the red resin 

 obtained by Prof. Bayley Balfour, from the Socotra species 

 Dracana Cinnabari, and of their comparisons between it and 

 other specimens of dragon's-blood. These they found to differ 

 considerably, specimens going by the same name being often 

 markedly distinct in their chemical properties. They concluded 

 that of the several distinct and well-defined varieties which they 

 bad investigated, each was probably derived from a distinct 

 genus, different species of the same genus yielding the same 

 resin.— Prof. Crum Brown read a paper by the Rev. J. L. 

 Blake, on breath pressure. This paper was a careful analysis 1 f 

 the individual efforts or distinct breath-pulses by which articu- 

 lated utterance is effected, and by which emphasis is regulated ; 

 and was illustrated by examples selected from various auth. .is. 

 — In a preliminary notice on the effect of moisture onjthe electric 

 discharge, Dr. Macfarlane and Mr. Rintoul mentioned that they 

 had obtained indications that the difference of potential required 

 to cau-e the discharge between two plates was greater in dried 

 than in undried air. — Prof. Crum Brown communicated a note by 

 Mr. A. P. Laurie and Mr. C. I. Burton, on the heats of combi- 

 nation of the metals with the halogens, which they had com- 

 pared liy the electrometer method, assuming Sir W. Thomson's 

 formula which expresses the electromotive force of a cell in 

 terms of the thermal equivalent of the chemical action. The 

 lesults obtained were in fair agreement with those of direct 

 calorimetric experiment. 



Gottingen 



Royal Society of Sciences, August 6, 1SS1. — Omthe Biehler 

 collection of gems, by F. Wieseler. 



December 3, 1881. — Observations in the Gauss -Magnetic 

 Observatory, by K. Schering. 



May 6, 1882. — On the geological structure of the neighbour- 

 hood of Gottingen, by A. von Koenen. — Contribution to 

 knowledge of the inflammatory force of retarded discharges, by 

 W. Holtz. 



June 13, 18S2.— Whence comes the x of mathematicians, by 

 P. de Lagarde. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, July 3. — M. Jamin in the chair.— 

 It was announced that the Romanchi, with the expedition for 

 Cape Horn, would sail that week. Good wishes were expressed, 

 also thanks to the Naval Minister for carrying out the Academy's 

 request. — On the appearances of the electric arc in sulphide of 

 ccrbon vapour, by MM. Jamin and Maneuvrier. When a little 

 of the sulphide is brought into the vacuous receiver, there occurs 

 an explosion, as it were, of brilliant unbearable light between 

 the (parallel) carbons ; the persistent arc is of horse-shoe form, 

 and pale green, and a long flame rises above. The spectrum 

 consists of four channelled spaces, quite alike, in red, yellow, 

 green, and violet, the green, however, being most luminous. If 

 air have remained in the jar, sulphur is deposited on the 

 walls ; if not there is a brown deposit, probably a com- 

 pound of sulphur and carbon.— On the electrolysis of oxy- 

 genated water, by M. Berthelot. The minimum force re- 

 quired was a Daniell. The electrolytic reactions and heat 

 consumed are shown to be in correlation with the electromotive 

 forces. — On the electromotive force of a zinc-carbon element, 

 by M. Berthelot. His experiments (with the Mascart electro- 

 meter) show the unfitness of the zinc carbon element to give a 

 constant electromotive force. — M. Berthelot gave some observa- 

 tions on the Channel Tunnel, which he had visited. — Analysis 

 of the mechanism of locomotion by means of a series of photo- 

 graphic images on one plate, representing successive phases of 



the motion, by M. Marey. — On the second comet of 1784, by M. 

 Gylden. — On the decomposition of protochloride of gallium by 

 water, by M. Lecocq de Boisbaudran. Metallic gallium is dis- 

 solved in the cold state in concentrated hydrochloric acid. The 

 The clear liquid produced, left to itself, yields gas very 

 slowly, but if water be added, "in torrents." — On the me- 

 chanism of stoppage of hemorrhage, by M. Hayem. The 

 hematoblasts play an active and considerable part in it, becoming 

 adhesive when they reach the edge of a wound (as when they 

 meet a foreign body), accumulating, stopping others, and so 

 narrowing the orifice. The other elements of blood and the 

 formation of fibrine have only a secondary role. — MM. Pellicot 

 and Jaubert recommended sulphate of iron as a remedy 

 for phylloxera. — On a new series in elliptic functions, by 

 M. Faa de Bruno. — On entire transcendants, by M. I'oincare. 

 — Researches on the use of crusher manometers for measure- 

 ment of pressures developed by explosive substances, by MM. 

 Sarrau and Vieille. The authors seek to render the indications 

 of these instruments more definite. — On the theory of equipo- 

 tential figures obtained by the electro-chemical method, by M. 

 Guebhard. — Determination of the densities of vapour in glass 

 globes at the boiling temperature of selenium, by M. Troost. 

 With glass globes of small fusibility, and 300 c.c. capacity, he 

 finds iodine vapour to have still at 665° a coefficient differing 

 very little from that of air, while even at 440° its coefficient of 

 compressibility is notably different from that of air. Sulphur 

 vapour passes, like oxygen, from one allotropic state to another 

 as the temperature rises. — Some remarks on didymium, by M. 

 Cleve. — Action of sulphuretted hydrogen on chloride of nickel, 

 by M. Banbigny. — On the isomerism of cupreous sulphites, by 

 M. Etard. — Reduction of certain silver ores by hydrogen and 

 the wet process, by M. Laur. Wherever hydrogen appears in 

 a liquid containing sulphide, chloride, bromide, and iodide of 

 silver, a hydrogen acid is formed, and the silver passes to the 

 metallic slate. — Action of chloroform on 0-naphtol, byM. Rous- 

 seau. — Introduction into industry of vanadium extracted from 

 the basic scoriae of Creusot, by MM. Witz and Osmond. The 

 Creusot scoria? contain vanadium estimated at 60,000 kg. annually. 

 The authors have been able to extract either metavanadate of 

 ammonium, or new vanadic products specially applicable to 

 manufacture of aniline blacks with chlorates.— On an anomaly 

 of the eye, by M. Dareste. He has noticed arrested development 

 of the eye (reducd to the secondary optic vesicle) in anomalous 

 or monstrous embryos. — On the histology of Ciona intestinalis, 

 by M. Route. — On the development of Gregarina; and Coccidae, 

 by M. Schneider. — Use of oxygenated water in surgery, by MM. 

 Peau and Baldy. The substance may be advantageously substi- 

 tuted for alcohol or carbolic aoid in treatment of wounds, 

 ulcerations, deep abscesses, &c. M. Bert remarked on the killing 

 of microbes, and the incessant libation of oxygen to the wound. 

 — Researches on a new cardiac medicament ; physiological pro- 

 perties of Convellaria mdtaiis (May lily), by MM. See and Boche- 

 fontaine. It acts like digitalis, but is without certain drawbacks 

 to that substance. In man it has diuretic properties superior to 

 those of any known agent. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Geology of China. By Arch. Geikie, LL.D., F.R.S. ... 241 



Old English Plant-Names, By James Bkitten 242 



Lbttens to the Editor : — 



The Analysis of the Tuning Fork.— W. F. Stanley 243 



The Mount Pisgah (U.S.) Stone Carvings.— Charles Rau ... 244 

 The Influence of Light on the Development of Bacteria.— James 



Jamieson 244 



Fireballs observed in the Netherlands.— Dr. H. J. H. Groneman 245 



Aluminium for Movable Coils.— Dr. Eugene Obach 245 



The Recent Weather— D. J. MacgowaN 24s 



'■Megaceros Hibernicus" inPeat— G. H. KtNAHAN 246 



Perception of Colour.— J. W. Swan 246 



Water-Jet Propellers. By W. H. White, Chief Constructor to the 



Navy ■ s 4 6 



A Rapid-View Instrument for Momentary Attitudes. By 



Francis Galton, F R.S. (With Illustrations) 249 



The Chemistry of the Plant* and Faure Cell, III. By Dr. 



J. H. Gladstone, F R.S., and Dr. Alfred Tribe. F.R.S. ... 251 

 Un the Dbvblofment up the Crocodilian Skull. By Prof. 



W. K. Parkhr, F.K.S. (With Diagrams) 252 



Prof. Haeckel in Ceylon and India. 1 254 



Notes 2 5 6 



Prof. Mendeleef on the Heat of Combustion of Hydro- 

 carbons =S8 



The Wedge Photometer. By Prof. Edward C Pickering ... 259 



Electricity on Pikk's Phak 260 



University and Educational Intelligence =£2 



Scientific Serials 2 ° a 



Societies and Academibs 2t > 2 



