592 



NATURE 



[Oct. 



12, iJ 



Among the more important memoirs may be mentioned the fol- 

 lowing :— On historical incidents and traditions of the Maoris 

 Part II.— Contributions to a better knowledge of the Maori race' 

 Part IV and on the fine perception of colour of the ancient 

 .Maori, by W. Colenso.— On the causes leading to the extinc- 

 tion of the Maoris, by Dr. A. K. Newman. -Several memoirs 

 on the mollusca of New Zealand, by Prof. Hutton —On New 

 Zealand Crustacea, by C. Chilton.— On the skeleton of Nolornis 

 mantel!, Py Prof. Parker.— On New Zealand shells and cepha- 

 lopoda, by T W. Kirk.-On the Coccidae of New Zealand, by 

 W. M. Maskell.— On New Zealand Crustacea, by G M Thom- 

 son.— On new Orthoptera and Coleopteta, by W. Colenso —On 

 tne freshwater alga? of New Zealand, by W. Spencer fa very 

 imperfect paper).— On additions to the flora, by T. F. Cheese- 

 man.— On new species of plants from New Zealand forests by 

 V\. Colenso.— On the Alpine flora of New Zealand, by Tohn 

 Buchanan.— On the New Zealand olives, and on recent addi'ti, ,ns 

 to the flora, by T. Kirk.— On a deposit of moa bones (probably 

 the oldest yet found) near Motanau, North Canterbury, by A 

 McKay.— Notes on the mineralogy t of New Zealand, by S* 

 Herbert Cox. 



Berkhte iiber die Verhandh<ngen der Naturforschenden Gesell- 

 schap zu Freiburg, I.B. Band viii. Heft I, 1882.— On some 

 actions cf coercitive force, by E. Warburg.— Imitation of the 

 phenomena of optically-anomalous crystals by stretched colloids, 

 by F. Klocke.— On the action of unilateral pressure on optically- ' 

 anomalous crystals of alum, idocrase, and apophyllite, by the 

 same.— Axial images in convergent light in alum, nitrate of lead 

 pressed gelatine, and quickly-cooled glass, by the same.— On the 

 motion of glaciers, by K. R. Koch and Fr. Klocke (second 

 paper).— On the cla sification of surfaces according to the dis- 

 placeability of their geodetic triangles, by H. v. Mangoldt.— On 

 tbe conneclion between viscosity and density in fluid, especially 

 gaseous fluid substances, by E. Warburg and L. v. Babs.— On 

 a meihod of testing micrometer screws, by K. R. Koch. 



Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig, vol. v. 

 Heft 3, 1882.— Pagan remains found in the Weichsel-Nogal 

 delta, by Dr. Marshall. — Communications on amber, by O. 

 Helm.— A case of duplication of the allantois and the external 

 genitals, by O. Meyer.— Proceedings of the West Prussian 

 Botanical-Zoological Society ; fourth meeting at Elbing in June, 

 1SS1.— On the hygienic significance of drinking water and 

 rational principles for its examination and estimation, by M. 

 Earth. — On Cenomanian petrefactions from the diluvium of the 

 environs of Danzig, by J. Kiesovv.— Telegraphic determination 

 of longitude between Danzig and Konigsberg, by E. Kayser 



in the propagation of light, by M. De Klercker. He believes 

 he has, by a purely physical method, established a new theory 



tx LZTT° a tH ? treatment ° f Phy'^erised vines with coal 

 Ur Apropos of a recent communication of M. MaxCcrmi, by M 

 Balb,am.-On the employment of heavy oils of coal in treat- 

 ment agamst the winter egg of phylloxera, by M. De LaffiUe 

 -A telegram from Munich (October 2) announced that the ex- 

 perimental ransm.ss.on of force by an ordinary telegraph wire 

 between M.esbach and Munich (57 km.), by M DeW 

 method, had fully succeeded. Another telegram Tseptember 

 26) was received from the Emperor of Brazil about the comet 

 The presence of sodium and carbon v. as noted—Observations 

 of the comets Barnard and Common (1882), at the Lyons Ob- 



two V il7' ^^ Ana ^- V daSS ° f u " iform Unctions of 

 tv,o independent variables, by M Piccard. -Hydrodiapasons, by 



iLdYiX™ r, e of the , e ,s form ?' of a brass tube of el °" 



gated (J shape, with a nozzle screwed into the curved part and 

 conducting town water. The upper part of each branch is bent 

 round, so that the free ends are closely opposed. To these ends 

 disks or other pieces may be attached with screws. On panose 

 ° tt „l Wate f r ' ( . a r u esula / vibrat or y motion occurs, with sound ; by 

 attraction if the branch-nozzles have thick edges, by repulsion if 

 hey have thin. The experiment is betterif the branches are 1 at in 

 water. I he feeling when one touches the instrument is like that of 

 shocks from a weak induction coil.-On the nature of vibratory 

 motions which accompany the propagation of flame in eoinbu.. ible 

 gaseous mixtures, by MM. Mallard and Le Chatelier. They 

 have studied, with the help of photography, the period of 

 accelerated and very irregular velocity (accompanied by sound) 

 which follows a (first) period of slower, silent, and regular 

 Propagation, in a tube closed at one end, and having its com- 

 bustible gaseous contents (bioxide of nitrogen and sulphide of 

 carbon) lit at the other. A vibratory movement is indicated • 

 the amplitude increasing as the last third of the tube's length ' 



A 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, October 2.— M. Elanchard in the 

 chair.— Reference was made by M. Dumas to the death of 

 Friedrich Wohler (who was a Foreign Associate). — M. de Can- 

 dolle presented a work on the origin of cultivated plants. It 

 treats of 247 species ; and of all, except three (viz. two species 

 of Cueurbita and the kidney bean), it is possible to say whether 

 thry are from the old or the new world. Of 49 species culti- 

 vated for more than 4000 years, six or seven are extinct or in 

 e of extinction. — Transit of Venus over the sun, by M. 

 Dumas. The last of the eight missions, that to Florida, under 

 Col. Perrier, left Havre on September 30. M. Dumas gives 

 the complete list. The navy figures prominently. There are 

 three members of the Academy, MM. dAbbadie and Tisserand, 

 and Col. Terrier ; also a nephew of Arago. The eight destina- 

 tions are: I'on-au-Prince, Mexico, Martinique, Florida, Santa- 

 Cruz, Chili, Chubut, and Rio-Negro. Each station will have 

 two equatoi ials carefully tested. The members have all practised 

 at the Observatory with artificial transits. Most of the missions 

 will u-e photography. The railway and steamboat companies 

 have given great facilities in transport.— On the shock of imper- 

 fectly electric bodies, by M. Resal.— Typographic reproduction 

 of photographs ; process of M. Ch. Petit, by M. Marey. Two 

 samples of the process (which is named similigravure, but is 

 not described), are given.— Optical communications between 

 Mauritius and Reunion, by Mr. Adams.— The coercitive 

 force of steel rendered permanent by compression, by M. 

 Clemandot. lie attributes the effect to the more absolute 

 homogeneity produced by pressure and cooling under pressure. 

 The steel submitted to compression is soft, and maybe filed, 

 bored, &c— Researches on the action of the intermolecular ether 



neared (where is one of the ventral segments of vibration) J 

 mean pressure of at least 5 aim. is produced for a few ten 

 thousandths of a second. The mean velocity of propagation is 

 accelerated as the amplitude and rapidity of {he vibrations 

 increase—Action of anhydrous chloride of aluminium on the 

 acetone, by M. Louise.— On the secretory epithelium of the 

 kidney of batrachians, by M. Bouillot.-Cause of the rot of 

 grapes in America, by M. rrillieux. The rot is due to penetra- 

 tion of Peronospora, not to Pkoma uvicola, which is merely deve- 

 loped on the grapes already killed.— M. Daubree sketched the 

 "™ of a Committee which has reported to the Minister of 

 Public Works on the means of preventing explosions of fire- 

 damp.— M. Daubree presented a catalogue of the collection of 

 meteorites of the Museum of Natural History on July 1 1882 

 and noted recent acquisitions, &c. 



CONTENTS 



A History of Coal Mining 



Gariel's Electricity 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Recent Magnetic Storm and Aurora.-W. H. M. Christie, 



1J.R.S. ; Geo. M. Seabroke: A. Per'-y Smith: 1. King 



watts; Anns Giftord; W.Lakden; H.Mblush . . . 



Joh°nson '''"' a " d Fraunhofer ' s Lines. -Prof. Alexander 



The Spectroscope and Weather Forecasting.— Hon.' Ralph 



Abrrcrombv 



The Comet.— Wentworth Erck .... 



1 the History of Optical Glass.— Major' J. Hersch'el' ! '. 

 Experiment in Complementary Colour— Chas. T. 



Page 

 569 



573 



A " Natural 

 Whitmeli 

 Animal Intelligence 

 An Insect attacking a Worm. -Prof. William Swan; Herbert " 



Chiasmodon Niger and Notacanthus Rissoanus.— Theo. Gill ' . ~Ita 

 — Ceylon, VI 5™ 



57? 



5-S 



57 1 



Professor Haec 



The Sanitary Insti't 



On the Perception of Colours by the Ancient Maoris'. '. 



Friedrich Wohler " ■ 



Paleolithic Gravels or North-East London. By Worthincton 



G. Smith {With Diagram*) .... „„ 



The Comet (With Illustraticn) '.'.'''' ,82 



Notes ' ' j!g 



Chemical Notes . . . ' ' \ fsj 



On the Alterations in the Dimensions of thr Magnetic 



Metals by the Act of Magnetisation.. By Prof. W. F. 



Barrett, F.R.S.E 5 s- 



Sunlight and Skylight at High Altitudes. By Capt. Abney, 



C.B., F.R.S.. and Prof. Langley (IVith Diagrams) rtfi 



I- nderground Temperature, II 580 



University and Educational Intelligence ........ 5 gi 



Scientific Serials -„, 



Societies and Academies '. s92 



