NATURE 



\August 17, 1882 



coloured solutions. — G. Gruss and K. Koegler, on the orbit 

 of Oenone (215). — I. Tesar, kinematic determinations of the 

 outline of a warped screw- plane. — A. Wassmuth, on an appli- 

 cation of the mechanical theory of heat to the process of mag- 

 netisation. — W. Fossek, on some new derivates of isobutyl- 

 aldehyde. — H. Weidel and R. Brix, contribution to the know- 

 ledge of cinchonic and pyrocinchonic acid. — A. Freund, on 

 trimethene. — I. v. Hepperger, computation of the way of the 

 comet 1874 III. (Coggia). 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, August 7. — M. Blanchard in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read: — Researches on the 

 action of ethylenic chlorhydrin on pyridic bases and on chinoline, 

 by M. YVuttz. — Employment of photography to determine the 

 trajectory of bodies in motion, with their velocities at each 

 instant and their relative positions ; applications to animal 

 mechanic?, by M. Marey. A body brightly illuminated is set in 

 motion before a dark screen, and its path photographed on a 

 very sensitive plate. Thus M. Marey obtained the path of 

 a stone wrapped in white paper and thrown in the air ; such a 

 stone whirled by means of a string ; the fame while a person 

 walked forward ; a black baton with terminal white ball, with 

 which the author traced the letters of his name, &c. To indicate 

 velocity, the light is interrupted (say) 100 times a second, by 

 rotation of a spoked wheel ; and to determine synchronism of 

 motion of different parts of a moving body, one of the spokes is 

 broadened to double the length of eclipse at intervals. — On the 

 sensibility of the cerebral lobes in mammalia, by M. Vulpian. 

 He is unable to confirm M. Couty's observation of movements 

 provoked by mechanical stimulation of the grey cerebral cortex. 

 He considers the substance of the cerebral lobes to have but little 

 sensibility.— A note from M. Vaison, at Saint Denis (island of 

 Reunion), stated that a comet was there seen on June 16 in the 

 Crab, with nucleus comparable to a; tar of the second magnitude. 

 — Remarks concerning the problerrc of Kepler, by M. Radau. — 

 Observations of solar protuberances, faeula?, and spots at the 

 Royal Observatory of the Roman College, during the first six 

 months of 1882, by P. Tacchini. The oscillations of the pro- 

 tuberances, north and south, are regular and periodic ;the period 

 of oscillation is less manife-t fur the spots, and for the faculx it 

 fails entirely. Spots and faculrc y resent two maxima, between 

 ± 10° and db 30°, as in the last half of 1SS1 ; (the faculse reach 

 higher latitudes than the spots). The protuberances figure in all 

 zones, and their maxima correspond to those of the facul.e and 

 spots. The minimum of protuberances, observed in December, 

 extended into January ; then there was an increase till March. 

 Another minimum occurred in May. — On the longitudinal vibra- 

 tions of elastic bars, &c. (continued) by MM. Sebert and Hugoniot. 

 — On the elasticity of rarefied gases, by M. Amagat. Having 

 repeated his experiments with modified apparatus (especially the 

 differential barometer), he affirms that down to the lowest pres- 

 sures (and he reached two-tenths of a millimetre), there does 

 not seem to occur a sudden change in the law of compressi- 

 bility of gases. They still follow the law of Mariotte 

 with little divergence. — On the influence of a quantity of 

 gas dissolved in a liquid on its superficial tension, by 

 M. Wroblewski. In contradiction of M. Kundt's theory, 

 he finds that lowering the temperature, instead of retarding 

 the decrease of surface ten ion, accelerates it. The pheno- 

 mena are quite independent of pressure, and depend on the 

 state of saturation of the liquid surface (or quantity of gas dis- 

 solved in the surface layer). — Numerical relations between ther- 

 mal data, by M. Tommasi. When one metal is substituted for 

 another in a saline solution, the quantity of calorics liberated is, 

 for each metal, always the same, whatever the nature of the 

 acid forming part of the salt or of the halogen body united to the 

 metal. — Researches on the telephone, by M. d'Arsonval. Various 

 facts prove that the really active part of the wire is that lodged 

 between the poles of the magnet ; thus in the two-pole telephones, 

 all the wire not between the poles may be considered useless 

 resistance. He describes an instrument realising this idea ; it 

 transmits with great force and distinctness. — On the equivalent of 

 iodides of phosphorus, by M. Troost. — Heat of formation of 

 the princ'pal palladium compounds, by M. Joannis. — Factitious 

 purulent ophthalmia produced by the liquorice-liana (Al>nis 

 praatorius) or the jequirity of Brazil, by M. de Wecker. — Re- 

 searches on chinoline and on (uridine, by M. Ame Pictet. — The 

 vaso-dilator nerves of the ear, by MM. Dastre and Morat. — 

 Researches on the pancreas of cyclostomes, and on the liver 



without excretory canal of Petromyzon matinus, by M. Legouis. 

 — Direct observation of the motion of water in the vessels of 

 plants, by M. Veigne. He describes microscopical observations 

 on cut stems of Tradlscantia zebrina and J/artwegia comosa 

 verifying recent views of M. Boehm. — Simultaneous existence of 

 flowers and insects on the mountains of Dauphine, by M. 

 Musset. Flowers and insects being never simultaneously and 

 mutually wanting, Heckel's objection to cross-fertilisation on 

 the score of absence or rarity of these auxiliary animals on 

 flower-bearing summits loses all value. — M. Bigi presented a 

 self-winding \ ; clock, depending on thermo-electric currents 

 produced by variations of temperature. 



Berlin 

 Physiological Society, July 28. —Prof. Du Bois Reymond 

 in the chair. —Dr. Saltet has, by a series of experiments in the 

 Berlin Physiological Institute on frog's hearts that were traversed 

 by different liquids, and placed in various baths, sought to deter- 

 mine the cause of their fatigue. It appeared that the carbonic 

 acid formed by the heart-muscle in its action acts prejudicially to 

 its nutrition and work ; it diminishes the height and frequency 

 of the pulse, so long as it is in contact with the muscle-fibres. 

 On the other hand, fatigue of the heart does not occur, when, 

 by strong contraction, the carbonic acid is separated from the 

 mu=cle-fibres, and, mixing with the nutritive liquid, is carried 

 away with it. For prevention of fatigue, moreover, those 

 baths acted very favourably, into which the carbonic acid 

 easily diffused, e.g. alkaline and ordinary salt-solutions ; 

 whereas, in an oil-bath which does not take up the carbonic 

 acid, fatigue occurs very quickly, under like conditions. 

 A heart fatigued in the oil bath, being brought into a salt solu- 

 tion, while the same nutritive liquid passed through, the fatigue 

 disappeared, and the pulsations reappeared, probably because 

 the carbonic acid could now diffuse away. Quite similar results 

 were arrived at by Herr Joseph Denys by experiments on other 

 involuntary muscles of the frog, whose contractions, with maxi- 

 mum stimulation, were indicated by the kymographton. It 

 appeared from this investigation, also carried out under the 

 guidance of Prof. Kronecker, that carbonic acid is the most 

 probable cause of the diminished work, as the curves increased 

 in height when, during rest, the muscle was traversed by liquids 

 which cou'd absorb the carbonic acid. — Prof. Kronecker reported 

 finally on experiments by Dr. Wedenski, on the muscle tone in 

 electric stimulation. The observations were made with a tele- 

 phone, and showed an essential agreement between the number 

 of the vibrations heard and the frequency of the electric stimuli. 

 On voluntary contraction of his arm-muscles, Dr. Wedenski 

 heard a deep humming tone, whereby, on the whole, the data 

 of previous observers as to the pitch of the muscle-tone were 

 confirmed. 



CONTENTS Paob 



The Life of Immanuel Kant. By R. B. Haldanb 361 



R-ECENa- Ornithological Literature 362 



Iceland. By G. F. Rodwell 363 



Our Book Shelp: — 



" Madeira" — J. Starkie Gardner 363 



" Tschermak's Lehrbuch der Mineral>gie " 364 



Letters to the Edi ron : — 



Scientific Exploration in Egypt.— General A. Pitt-Rivers, C.B.. 



F.R.S 364 



Francis Maitland Balfour.— G. Griffith ; Dr. M. Foster, 



F.R.S 3 6 5 



On "Gelling" Coal by Means of Caustic Lime.— Paget Mos- 



iev ; William Gallowav 365 



Science at the Victoria Hall — One of the Committee . . . . 366 



Spelling Reform — John Fenton 366 



Possible Sound Organs in Sphingid Pupae — C V. Riley ... 366 



Meteorology of the Antarctic Region.— Joseph J*hn Murphy . 366 



Sun-spots and Markree Rainfall. By Dr. VV. Doberck ... 366 



'I he New Reptile Hoiife at the Zoological Society's Gardens 367 



Difficult Cases of Mimicry. By S. E Peal (With Illustration) 368 

 The Washburn Chronograph. By Edward S. Holden (With 



I II 11 strut ion) 368 



TitK Limit of the Liquid State of Matter. By J. B. Hannav. 370 



International Meteorology 370 



The Smoke Abatement Institute 371 



The Colours of Flowers, as Illustrated by the British 



Flora, IV. (With Illustrations). By Grant Allen 371 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers 37s 



Prof. Haeckel in Ceylon, III 375 



Notes 377 



Climate in Town and Country. By E. Frankland, D.C.L , 



F.R.S 380 



Scientific Serials 383 



Societies and Academies 3 8 



