250 
NATURE 
[Dec. 30, 1869 ts 
and stated that with these substances as opposite electrodes an 
electromotive force, equal, to more than one-fourth of that of a 
Daniell’s couple, is at first developed, but that this gradually 
diminished. This was ascribed by him to the slow modification 
of the electrodes in opposite directions. According tothe author, 
the modification in quéstion takes some time for its production, 
but it is also long persistent ; and he indicated that this property 
of platinum electrodes may be applied to the determination 
of the acid oralkaline nature of liquids, even when these 
are so dilute as to have no action upon _ test-papers.— 
M. Peligot read a note ‘On the presence of potash 
and the absence of soda in most plants.” He maintained, 
as on former occasions, that soda is not necessary for the 
‘nutrition of plants, and cited experiments made with potatoes 
cultivated close to and far from the sea, which showed no 
difference of constituents; soda was always absent. _M. Boussin- 
gault remarked upon this communication that he had already 
shown, by analysis, that soda was in many cases far inferior in 
importance to potash, but he thought the question was especially 
a geological one, the composition of the ground appearing to be 
of much importance. M. Payne considered that spectrum 
analysis should be made use of in this investigation. —A discussion 
was raised by M. Bertrand on M. Carton’s note for the demon- 
stration of the proposition that the three angles of a triangle 
cannot be less than two right angles. M. Bertrand explained 
M. Carton’s proposed demonstration. —M. Faye called attention 
to a passage in Genesis, in which mules are mentioned as exist- 
ing in the time of Abraham, and suggested that where there 
were mules the horse must have been known, MM. Roulin 
and Milne-Edwards remarked that the passage cited by M. Faye 
probably related to the Hemiomis.—The following papers were 
~ also communicated :—A note by M. Bulliani on the Constitution 
of the Ovum in the Saccading ; a note showing that cedema does 
not always result from the mere ligature of vessels, but that this 
must be accompanied by paralysis of the vaso-motor nerves, pre- 
sented by M. Claude Bernard on the part of one of his pupils ; 
asecond note by M. Perizeux on the Secular Acceleration of 
the Movement of the Moon; a note on the Modifications pro- 
duced in Skins by the operation of Tanning, presented by 
-M. Boussingault on the part of one of his pupils; and a note by 
M. Blaserga on the Graduation of Galvanometers. 
PRAGUE 
National Museum of Bohemia, Natural Sciences Sec- 
tion, Noy. 20.—Prof. T. Krejci gave a résumé of his researches 
on the Permian strata at the foot of the Riesengebirge, on the 
northern frontier of Bohemia. The most interesting district is 
that near Schwadowitz. The Permian strata and the cretaceous 
grit here form a crest about 2,000 feet in height, the Falten- 
gebirge, which fills up the space between the two masses of the 
Riesengebirge and the Adlergebirge. Its elevation is attribut- 
able to an extensive fault situated at.its southern foot ; this same 
fault having occasioned the denudation of the coal strata of 
Schwadowitz which have been actively worked for some years past. 
Vhe latter belong partly to the carboniferous formauon, partly 
to the Permian, which possess a good number of species in com- 
mon, just as in the basin of Schlan, near Prague, thus indicating 
a gradual transition from the one of these formations to the 
other. To the south of the Schwadowitz fault extends an 
abruptly-elevated ridge of Permian and cretaceous grit, the 
former of which is in reality the margin of an ancient fjord of 
the cretaceous sea running up (from the direction of Hronar) far 
into the Permian strata, Similar cretaceous fjords are found in 
the primitive strata near Czaslaw, in the-centre of Bohemia, and 
at Kieslingswalde, in Silesia. At the northern foot of the Fal- 
tengebirge, near Radoventz, there is also a deposit of coal sup- 
posed for a long time to be carboniferous, but now acknowledged 
to be Permian.—M., O. Feistmantel reported on the fossil plants 
of Schwadowitz collected by himself and M. Krejci, in 1869. 
This deposit yields in point of richness to that of Radnitz : 
nevertheless, M. Feistmantel has discovered among nearly 2,000 
specimens forty-eight species, only one of which (from this mine) 
was known to M. Ettingshausen. These remains are arranged 
in three zones. The lowest, that of the pure schist, contains 
Pteridece (Lonchopteris, Alepthopteris, Neuropteris, Sphenopteris, 
Adiantites, Cyatherites), and iquisetaceze (Calamites, Asterophyt- 
lites, Annularia, Sphenophyllum), The second zone, that of 
the black schist, contains Lycopodiaces: (Lepidodendron, Le- 
pidostrobus, Lycopodites, Sagenaria), Noggerathice (Cordaites, 
Woggerathia), and Sigillarice (Sigi/laria, Sigmaria). ‘The third, 
that of coal, contains only Sigillaria and Stigmaria, At Rad- 
ganice, where fossil-trunks of Araucaria in the red grit were the 
only remains of plants heretofore observed, M. Feistmantel 
obtained from the Permian coal eleven species of the genera 
Annularia, Asterophyllites, Sphenophyllum, Alettsopteris, Cy- 
atherites, Calamites, and Stigmaria. A fine specimen from this 
locality shows that /Zuttonia spicata is the fruit of Calamites 
Suckowi, and the constant presence of Stigmaria without Sigil- 
laria is a strong argument against the received doctrine that 
Stigmaria is the root of Sigillaria. 
November 24.—Prof. J. Blazek demonstrated, by an elegant 
method, and without making use of the higher calculus, a series 
of theorems relating to Aolyhedra maxima inscribed in an ellip- 
soid of three axes. The latter being considered as a sphere dis- 
torted according to certain laws, the author demonstrates that 
the corpora maxima inscribed in the sphere are distorted accord- 
ing to the same laws, and that this likewise holds good for the 
corpora maxima of the derivative ellipsoid.—M. T. Palacky ex- 
plained his views of the botanical geography of Asia. M. 
Grisebach has recently divided Asia into four botanical pro- 
vinces—Western, or that of the steppes; Eastern, or Chinese ; 
Boreal, or Siberian ; and Souther, or that of India. M. Palacky 
only admits two provinces, the one Southern, the other Boreal, 
including in the latter the whole of Asia beyond the Himalayas, 
because the first three provinces of M. Grisebach do not appear to 
him to differ morefrom one another in regard to their flora than the 
sub-provinces of each do. The author lays special stress upon 
the tropical species inhabiting China—where they are not arrested 
by steppes—as far as Pekin, and even as far as the Amoor. 
According to him the existing flora of Central Asia is an invasion — 
of the Mediterranean flora, which took place after the elevation 
of the Turcoman plateau in the place of the ancient post-tertiary 
sea between Europe and Asia. ‘The principal obstacle in the way 
of researches connected with botanical geography is the diversity ~ 
of the views adopted by various botanists ; one species of Hooker, 
Wallich, &c., being at least equivalent to twenty-five species 
of Maximowicz, Ruprecht, and most of the German botanists. 
DIARY 
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30. « 
Roya Institution, at 3—On Light (Lectures adapted to a Juvenile 
Auditory); Prof. Tyndall, F.R.S. 
SATURDAY, January 1. - 
Roya Institution, at 3.—On Light (Juvenile Lectures): Prof. Tyndall, 
F.R.S. 
MONDAY, January 3: 
ENTOMOLOGICAL Society, at 7. 
MEDICAL SOCIETY, at 8. 
TUESDAY, J#Nnvary 4. 
PATHOLOGICAL Society, at §.—Anniversary meeting. P 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SoclETy, at 8 —On the Psychical Elements of Religion : 
Mr. Owen Pike —On the Inhabitants ot the Chatham Islands; Dr. Bar- 
nard Davis and Mr. A. Welsh. 
Syro-EGyr1ian SociETy, at 7°30.—On the Suez Canal: Mr. W. H. Black, 
F.S.A. 
Roya Institution, at 3.—On Light (Juvenile Lectures) : Prof. Tyndall, _ 
E.R.S. : 
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5. 
PHARMACEUTICAL Society, at 8. 
OpsretricaL Society, at 8.—Anniversary meeting. 
Royar Society oF LirerRaATuRE, at 8.30. 
CONTENTS $ 
PAGE 
A DepuctioN From Darwin’s THeory. By Prof. W. STANLEY 
JENONS: Wey ti pa jel koe PM Wry ich fae one Sp 
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