August 3, 1882] 



NATURE 



33* 



present. The " Studies from the Biological Laboratory " of 

 the Johns Hopkins University for June, contains original matter 

 relating to the pulse wave in the coronary artery, the influence 

 of digitaline on the heart, polar action in nerves, temperature 

 and reflex actions, &c. A reprinted memoir by Staff-Commander 

 Tizzard, R.N., and Mr. John Murray, on "Exploration of the 

 Faroe Channel during the Summer of 1880 in Her Majesty's 

 hired Ship Knight Errant," with various subsidiary reports, has 

 also reached us, and we hope soon to refer to its contents. 



"The Photographic Studios of Europe," by Mr. II. Baden 

 Pritchard (London : Piper and Carter) gives copious informa- 

 tion that the professional photographer will appreciate and 

 find helpful, but has also much to interest the general reader. 

 It is the outcome of a house-to-house visitation of the principal 

 -tudios in Europe, and a record, in colloquial style, of the prac- 

 tice observed. For convenient reference the information is 

 tabulated in the introductory chapter, under nine heading 

 reception-room, the studio, the dark room, &c), and the 1 ames 

 of the photographers follow, in each case, with the page- 

 numbers. Among matter of a special nature we rote accounts 

 of photographing prisoners at Millbank and Pentonville, and at 

 the Prefecture of Police in Pans ; also a popular account of Dr. 

 Huggins' photographs of the Stars. 



Sig.nor Maudelix affirms that the violets V. syrtica, V. 



tricolor, and V. arvensis contain from 0^083 to 0144 per cent. 



of salicylic acid. The other species contain none; at least no 



-iable quantity. The wild violet has much more than the 



tricolor. It is the action of salicylic acid that explains the use 



f the violet in pharmacy. 



Mr. \V. B. Cooper has lately brought before the Franklin 

 Institute a device for increasing the dynamic effect of the vibra 

 tions of diaphragms. To one end of a wire or band he attaches 

 a diaphragm or other pulsating body ; the wire is passed a half 

 turn or several turns round a drum or pulley, n liich is rotated 

 towards the diaphragm. To the other end may be attached a 

 lever having a pointadapted to indentation of sheet metal passed 

 under it at uniform speed. With such an arrangement (called a 

 " phonodynamograph ") Mr. Cooper has embossed brass of the 

 thickness of writing paper by impact of the voice on a diaphragm 

 like that of the phonograph. (The force of the pull is augmented 

 by force derived from friction en the surface of the pulley). 

 The principle is applicable to the telephone, both for increasing 

 the intensity of the electric impulses transmitted, and augmenting 

 their effects at the receiving station, and Mr. Cooper shows how 

 this may be advantageously done. 



The northernmost place in the world where rye and oats 

 mature is at Kengis, in the Swedish province of Norrbotten, 49 

 miles to north of the Polar Circle, whereas the northernmost 

 spot where corn is grown is at Muoniovara, 98 miles to north of 

 the Circle. The rye yields, it is stated, 9S per cent., and the 

 oats about 90. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Malbrouck Monkey (Cercqpithccus cyno- 

 sures i ) from West Africa, presented by Mrs. Cumberleye : a 

 Ring-necked Parrakeet (PaLcornis torqitattis) from India, pre- 

 sented by Mr. W. K. Stanley; four Egyptian Ouarans [Psam- 

 mosaurus scincus) from Egypt, a Horseshoe Snake (Zamcuis 



hippocrcpis), eleven Snakes {Zamenis ventrimaculatus), 



an Ocellated Sand Skink (Seps ocellalus), South European, pre- 

 sented by Messrs. Wylde Beyts and Co. ; a Greater Sulphur- 

 crested Cockatoo (Cacalua galerila) from Australia, deposited ; 

 a Spotted Bower Bird (Chlamydodera maadata) from South 

 Australia, a White-billed Parrakeet {Tanygnathus albirostris) 

 from Celebes, a Yellow-billed Sheathbill (Chionis alba), captured 

 at sea, off Cape Horn ; a Shag (P/ialacrocorax cristatus), North 



European, a Cornish Chough (Fregilus graettltu), British, four 

 Eyed Lizards (Lacerta ■occllata), South European, purchased ; 

 a Humboldt's Lagothrix (Zag-ol/irix Humboldti) from Upper 

 Amazon, received in exchange ; five Undulated Grass Parrakeets 

 (Mclopsiltacus undiilatui), a Geoffrey's Dove {Peris/era gcoffroii), 

 bred in the Gardens. The following insects have emerged during 

 the past week in the Insect House: — Silk Moths : Telca pro- 

 methca ; Butterflies : Vanessa aniiopa, Vanessa polychlorus, 

 Vanessa io, Melanagria galathca, Gonoepteryx rhamni, Thecla 

 betulir, Ertbia blandina, Hipparchia janira ; Moths : Deilephila 

 euphorbnc, Bombyx castrensis, Liparis monacha, Liparis dispar, 

 Chelouia caja. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Continental Observatories.— The last number of the 

 Viertcljahrsschrift der Astronomischen Gesellschaft contains re- 

 ports of the proceedings of some twenty of the observatories on 

 the continent during the year 1SS1. At Berlin observations for 

 the zone + 20° to 25°, were actively continued, upwards of 

 10,000 being made in the year. The 9-inch refractor was em- 

 ployed for comets and small planets, &c, the physical appear- 

 ances of the comet 1S81 III. receiving special attention. With 

 the Declinograph 1200 small stars were observed, making, up 

 to the end of 1S81, 12,329 stars, mostly from the eleventh to 

 the thirteenth magnitudes, thus determined, in connection with 

 the identification and observation of the small planets. At 

 Bonn the southern "Durchmusterung" furnished observations 

 of upwards of 14,000 stars, so that rapid progress is being made 

 with this work under the direction of Prof. Schonfeld. At 

 Brussels astronomical physics, as well as meridian observations, 

 have been attended to ; the meteors of the August period were 

 extensively observed over Belgium ; Christiania was mainly occu- 

 pied, under Dr. Fearnley, with the zone 65° - 70 , and the 

 curious circumstance of the existence of four variable stars in this 

 zone within a radius ol I s is recorded, the first in 20h. 59m. 20s. 

 + 66° S''5, has been estimated by various observers from 5m. 

 (Lalande) to 9m. (Argelander), the second is in 20h. 59m. 48s. 

 + 67 s 35''9, the third in 2lh. 7m. 33m. + 67° 54'-4, and the 

 fourth in 2lh. Urn. 49s. + 66° 0''9, for 1855-0. Baron v. 

 Engelhardt, at* Dresden, Las zealously observed the various 

 comets of the year, and has made HI observations of 19 minor 

 planets, the principal instrument in the Baron's observatory is 

 an equatorial refractor by Howard Grubb, of Dublin, aperture 

 306 mm. A new physical observatory has been erected at 

 Hereny, Hungary, by Eugen and Alexander von Gothard, the 

 position of which is 12m. 49'Ss. east of Berlin, with latitude 

 47° 16' 37" ; the observatory is provided with a 10.} inch equa- 

 torially mounted reflector by Browning, of London, observations 

 were commenced in the second week of November, and chiefly 

 consisted of the examination of star-spectra. At Keil an S-inch 

 refractor by Steinheil has been received : meridian observations 

 here were largely devoted to circumpolar stars + 79° to 82°, but 

 according to the present plan, the observations will be continued 

 to the pole. Leipsic is now under the direction of Prof. H. Bruns. 

 At Lund the zone undertaken by the observatory was continued, 

 more than 5200 stars being determined. From the Observatory of 

 Brera, Milan, Prof. Schiaparelli makes the welcome announcement 

 that the late Baron Dembowski had confided to him all his astrono- 

 mical manuscripts with the condition that they were to be 

 utilised to the best advantage for the science. His measures of 

 double stars, upwards of 20,000 in number, will be published 

 under the auspices of the Accademia Reale dei Lincei ; they are 

 to form four volumes, of which the first will contain the measures 

 made by Dembowski at Naples with his Plossl Dialyte in the 

 years 1S52-5S ; the second and third, the observations made at 

 Galarate on stars of the Dorpat Catalogue, and the fourth, the 

 measures of stars in W. Struve's appendix, the Pulkowa Cata- 

 logue, and double stars discovered by other astronomers, more 

 especially by the eminent American observer, Mr. Burnham. 

 The first volume is in course of preparation. At Plonsk Dr. 

 Jedrzejewicz continues, in his private observatory, measures of 

 double stars as his principal work. The passages of the red 

 spot on Jupiter, by the middle of the disc, were micrometrically 

 determined from November 25, 1S80, to February 5, 1881, from 

 174 rotations, the period was found to be 9h. 55m. 34'4is.± 

 O'13-s., and at the same time the jovicentric latitude of the centre 

 of the spot was found -22°'8, and its length in degrees of the 



