Jan. 3, 1884] 



NATURE 



>ion that the malleus of Rhytina is Iir^er ihan in ATanatiis, and 

 iherefire it is the largest and bu]l<iest ma'leus to lie found in the 

 " hole section of the animal kingdom where such a lione exists, 

 that in the characters of its body it resembles Manatiis rather than 

 Ifalicore, and that in the manubrium it differs frjm the other 

 Sirenia, and is far more generalised. The incus is of the 

 Maiialus type, and so is the stapes, which is also the largest and 

 bulkiest stapes to be found in any animal. — A paper on the 

 organs of secretion in the Hypericace;x% l>y Mr. J. R. Green, 

 WIS read. He concludes (i) that the vieiv advocated Ijy Link, 

 Martinet, and De Bary, of the lysigenons origin of the reser- 

 voirs of ethereal oil in these plants is the correct one ; (2) that 

 there exists in many parts of the platvts a series of ducts or 

 I r.issages differing only slightly from these reservoirs, the differ- 

 ences being that they are not globular and isolated, but are gene- 

 rally connected more or less intimately with each other, and that 

 iheir secretion is not a clear ethereal oil, but a viscid or resinous 

 liquid, the points of agreement being those connected wiih their 

 development and function: (3) that at least in some species 

 there is also a series of schizogenous ducts confined to certain 

 portions of the phloem ; (4) that the dark glands which have 

 I'Cen described are in intimate relationship with the filirovas- 

 cular system ; (5) that the formation of resin and kindred secre- 

 tions in these plants is confined to the parts where metabolism 

 is active, and where there is a primary meristeni. That all such 

 ]iarts give evidence of such formation with the exception of 

 t'^e roots. — A paper on the glands of Copvosma biti^riana, 

 t>y Mr. Walter Gardiner, was read. These glands are 

 externally well developed and very typical. The so-called 

 siipular body is placed immediately behind each leaf, and in 

 t' e young condition the stipule arches over the leaf, and the 

 glands with which it is provided secrete copiously a mucila- 

 ginous fluid, which bathes and surrounds the young leaf structure. 

 As to the development of the glands, they arise as protrusions of 

 the stipule parenchyma, which are covered by an epidermis. 

 ^.ach epidermal cell then rapidly grows out at right angles to 

 tlie protuberance. In Coprosma the glands are situated on the 

 s'des of the stipules, but it more usually occurs in other genera 

 that they are distribute I over the inner face of the base of the 

 stipular organ. — The last paper tal;en was on the development 

 of starch grains in the laticiferous cells of the Euphorbtaceje, by 

 M. C. Potter. It is pointed out that while the discovery of the 

 existence of starch-forming corpuscles had been made by 

 Kruger, yet he had failed to interpret their function, which Mr. 

 Potter's researches now fully prove in the case of the Euphor- 

 biacea:, where the development of rod or spindle-shaped gr.ains 

 of starch lying within cell protoplasm has been clearly 

 demonstrated. 



Chemical Society, Dec. 6, 1SS3.— Dr. Perkin, president, 

 in the chair. — The following gentlemen were elected Fellows :— 

 F. A. Blair, T. J. Barr, C. I- Baker, L. Briant, R. G. Durrairt, 

 Kamchundra Datta, L. L. Garbutt, A. E. Hams, T. Hart, w'. 

 Irwin, S. Johnson, R. lackson, H. C. Lee, W. H. Martin c' 

 E. Potter, B. M. K. Ro_Ters, C. W. Stephens, P. H. Wright,' 

 H. A. Wetzel, and W. G. Whittam.— The following papers 

 were read : — On the constitution of the fulminates, by E. Divers 

 and M. Kawakita. When moist mercury fulminate is treated with 

 much strong hydrochloric acid, hydroxyammonium chloride and 

 hydrocyanicacid are formed ; if :hefulminate bedry, no pru^sicacid 

 is formed. The carbon is completely converted into formic acid. 

 No oxalic acid is produced. — Theory of the constitution of the ful- 

 minates, by E. Divers. — On Liebig's production of fnlminating 

 silver without the use of nitric acid, by E. Divers and M. Kawa- 

 kita. When nitrous acid is passed into an alcoholic solution of 

 nitrate of silver, cr}-stals separate ; these are not, as Liebig 

 stated, fulminating silver, but nitrate of silver. — Note on the 

 constitution of the fulminates, by H. E. Armstrong. — Experi- 

 mental investigation on the value of iron sulphate as a manure 

 for certain crops, by A. B. Griffiths. The author obtained from 

 an experimental plot of land manured with ferrous sulphate fifty- 

 six bushels of beans ; a similar plot in its normal state gave 

 thirty-five bu.-,hels. The ash of the plants also cmtaiied more 

 iron and ])hosphoric acid in the first case. 



Physical Society, December 8.— Prof. G. Carey Foster, in 

 the chair.— New members -.—Major McGregor, R.E., Mr. James 

 Walker, M.A., Mr. W. B. Gregory, B.A. — Prof. .Silv.anus P. 

 Thompson, D.Sc, read a paper on ihe .static induction telephone 

 as an instrument of research. The author had empl lyed Dol- 



bear's telephone in investigating the action of influence machines 

 such as those of Holtz and Wimshurst or Toepler. This was 

 done by holding the end of a wire (connected to one terminal of 

 the telephone) near the electrified pai-ts of the machine, for 

 example the "carriers" in the Toepler apparatus. The carriers 

 induced a change in the telephone, whose other terminal was to 

 earth, as they passed, and the pitch of the note heard in the tele- 

 phone increased with the speed at which the machine was 

 driven. Useful results were obtained leading to modifications 

 of some machines. The same telephone was also applied to the 

 measurement of capacities of condensers arranged like the resist- 

 ances of a Wheatstone balance, and the telephone taking the 

 place of a galvanometer. For the "divided coil" of the 

 balance Prof. Thompson" substituted a double condenser, or 

 rather two condensers, so joined that the earth-plates were 

 separate, while the other plates were in one. This device w as 

 made from two gla^s tubes with tinfoil round their outsides and 

 a brass tube sliding into both interiors in such a way that the 

 relative capacities of the two condensers thu-i combined could be 

 altered by sliding the tube between them. A modification 

 of this plan was suggested by Mr. Starling, the author's 

 assistant, which was analogous to Prof. Foster's arrangement of 

 the Wheatstone balance, that is to say, six condensers were used, 

 the two^extra ones being included lietween the battery connec- 

 tions and the sliding tube. The battery was in this case an 

 induction coil having no condenser, as a discontinuous current is 

 necessary to give sounds. The author also showed that the 

 Dolbear telephone could be used instead of the quadrant electro- 

 meter in such experiments as those of Mr. J. E. H. Gordon on 

 specific inductive capacity. The author also showed how he 

 had applied it to explore the equipotential surfaces round cou 

 ductors charged statically by an induction curr. nt. With two 

 w-ires from the terminals of a telephone silence is produced when 

 both ends are on the same equipotential surfices ; and sounds 

 when they are not. — Prof. Thompson then read a note on a new 

 insulating stem. This consisted of a glass tube with one end 

 blown into a flat foot, which was planted on the bottom of a 

 glass bottle and cemented there by a little wax iiaraffin. The 

 upper and open end of the tube served to hold the stems of brass 

 plates, or other electrified bodies. Paraffin oil or strong sul- 

 phuric acid could be used in the bottom of the bottle. A cap 

 of rubber or percha made to slide up the stem served as 

 a dust cover. — Prof. Thompson next made a communica- 

 tion on the first law of electrostatics, and illustrated his re- 

 marks with experiments showing how a series of floating 

 magnet poles of like name repelling one another tend to produce 

 equal distribution of the poles. Prof. Thompson, arguing from 

 the second law of electrostatics (inverse squares), sought to ex- 

 plain the first law in a rational manner, on the hypothesis of self- 

 repelling molecules, which tend to uniform distriliution. When 

 there is a surplus in one part and a deficit in another, the mole- 

 cules are urged towards each other, i.e. attract. This was 

 shown by putting a surplus of floating magnets at one part of the 

 basin. By the movements of these magnets when confined by 

 barriers, and with surplus and deficit purposely m.ade, the author 

 imitated the effects of a Leyden jar, induction, a battery current, 

 &c., the motions and arnangement of the poles illustrating the 

 hypothetical behaviour of electricity. The author was led by the 

 hypothesis to infer that either the ether is electricit)', or that the 

 ether is electrified, and the former seemed the simpler conclusion. 

 — Dr. Monkman showed some experiments illustrating the 

 attraction and repulsion of bodies in motion. The attraction of 

 a light bal need body to a vibrating tuning-fork was shown ; al-o 

 the attraction between tv/o di^ks of paper revolving parallel and 

 in the same direction. The author showed that two smoke- 

 rings travelling ahre-st in the same direction attracted each 

 other, and that two paper rings revolving in the same direction 

 close together attract, while if revolving in opposite directions 

 they repel. — Mr. Walter Baily exhibited his new integrating 

 anemometer in action by means of a small electric motor, which 

 took the place of the Robinson cups. The apparatus sums up, 

 or integrates, the wind velocities on the lines of the four cardinal 

 points. An electric counter is attached. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, December 17, 1883. — M. Blanchard, 

 president, in the chair. — Preliminary report on the expedition 

 of the Talisinatt to the Atlantic Ocean, by M. Alph. Milne- 

 Edwards. — On the preparation and manner of employing arti- 



