56 



NATURE 



{_May 1 6, iS; 



Entomological Society, May 6.— Mr. H. T. Stainton, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. E. Saunders ex- 

 hibited a series of s|)ecies of AustraUan Biiprcstid.c, illustrating 

 the great sexual differences existing in these insects. — Mr. F. 

 Smi'h exhibited a lart;e collection of Hymciiiipk-nu chiefly Acii- 

 Ictila, sent by Mr. c;. Lewis from Hiogo in Japan. The whole 

 collection was strikingly European in its aspect, though the 

 species were in most cases different ; tlie genera we c all repre- 

 sented in Europe save one genus of ants. — Mr. Verrall exhibited 

 an example of Syrfihns lasiophlhaliiius with a peculiar mal- 

 formatinn of two lilii.v, whi :h appeared as though they had 

 been broken, probably when the insect had juit emerged 

 from the puparium, and b.adly united afterwards. — Mr. 

 Stainton exhibited an aspen leaf, sent by Lord Walsing- 

 him from Oregon, p'erced by a multitude of small oval hole;;, 

 caused Ijy small mining nucro-lei>idopterous liiViX;, which 

 each detached an oval case formed of tlie cuticles of the leaf. 

 These cases had produced a minute moth of the genus AspiJisca, 

 which he also exhibited. — Mr. E. Saunders read " Descriptions 

 of twenty new species of Biiprcstidir." — ^Mr. H. W. Bates read a 

 memoir on the Longicorn Colcopti-ra of Cliontales, Nicaragua ; 

 enumerating 242 species sent home by Mr. Belt, and describing 

 the new forms. Tliis collection elicite;! two general facts — firstly, 

 the homogeneity of the insect fauna of the forest region of tropical 

 America, over, probably, 45 degrees of latitude, and, secondly, 

 the existence of a distinct northern elemenl, whose metropolis is 

 Central America. 



Chemical Society, May 2. — Dr. Franklind, F.R.S., presi- 

 den', in the chair. Mr. E. Riley delivered his lecture on the 

 Manufacture of Iron and Steel. The lecturer in his discourse 

 treated of the inllaence of the elements associated with iron in 

 the pig, and the part they play in the subsequent conversion of 

 pig into wrought-iron and steel. Although in certain districts 

 tliere is not much variation in the pig made, the same ore and 

 fuel being constantly used, yet in others, as South Wales and 

 Staffordshire, so many varieties of ore are employed that pig 

 of all descriptions is produced. From the results of the analysis 

 of samples of Yorkshire hot- blast pig (No. i to 6 iron) from the 

 same works, it would appear that whilst the phosphorus is almost 

 constant in all the kinds, namely, about o 9 percent, the quantity 

 of sulphur decreases and that of silicon increases with the 

 number. It is possible that the differences in the amount of sul- 

 phur present would explain the differences in the quality of the 

 pig, for it is certain that sulphur makes grey iron white ; but, 

 at the same time, the different numbers of grey iron may be pro- 

 duced by differences in tlie rate of cooling. On examining llie 

 pigs from wliich the best wrought-iron is made, they will be found 

 to contain silicon and pliosphorus. Swedish iron, wliich con- 

 tains no phosphorus and but little silicon, when used by itself, 

 gives red short iron. It will be seen from this that silicon and 

 phosphorus play an important part in tlie manufacture of iron. 

 Fliematite pig frequently contains as much as 4 or 5 per cent, of 

 silicon. The chief constituents of pig-iron are, besides iron, car- 

 bon, silicon, sulphur, phosphorus, and manganese, traces of copper 

 and titanium (the latter only in grey iron), frequently nickel and 

 cobalt, and occasionally vanadium and arsenic. The per-centage 

 of carbon in pig iron varies from 3 to 4 per cent., but the question 

 as to whether it forms any definite compound with iron is open to 

 great doubt. Mr. Snelus has shown that by sifting out the finer 

 portions from the borings of Middlesboro' pig a material couid 

 be obtained containing 7 per cent, of carbon, and by elutriation 

 one containing more than 41 per cent. The sulphur seems always 

 to be derived from tlie sulphide of iron present in the fuel or 

 ore, but from some experiments it would seem tliat an excess of 

 lime may act on the sulpiride in the coke and convert it into sul- 

 phide of calcium and metallic iron. Silicon is always present to 

 a greater or less extent in iron. With respect to phosphorus, 

 practically speaking, all that is present both in the ore and in the 

 fuel passes into the i-on. After some remarks on the com- 

 paratively small value of titanium as an ingredient of iron, the 

 speaker discussed the quality and composition of the fuel em- 

 ployed in smelting, and then passed on to the process of refining. 

 The time required for this seems to depend on the quantity of 

 silicon present in the pig, much of it being separated during the 

 operation, along with some sulphur and phosphorus, and a little 

 carbon. The process of puddling was then described, and the 

 merits of the various machines for superseding manual labour dis- 

 cussed, wiih especial reference to the results obtained with that 

 of Mr. Danks ; the great advantage of machine puddling being 

 the uniform quality of the wrought-iron made. In conclusiun 



the author made some remarks especially with reference to the 

 occurrence of silicon in steel. This elaborate and exhaustive 

 memoir was copiously illustrated by analyses, 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English. -Tlie Eartti's Cri.st : D. Pjg- rttUckWM'ls).— The Flora ot 

 BnCish India, P..r: I. : Dr. J. D. Hooker (L. Keev5 an 1 Co.) — Air.an.l Rain ; 

 til? beginnin? of .T Chemical Clirmlology ; R. Angus Smkh (Longmans). — 

 M.nn in thi: Pa5t, Present, and Future: U. L BAchner, transl.itcd by W. .1. 

 D.iUas (Assher and Co). -Naval Scien-e, No. i: Editei by E. J. Reed 

 (Lock wood). 



AvinnrcAN.— The Geological Survey of Ohio ; Report of Progress, 1870 : 

 J. S. Nswberry. 



DIARY 



THURSDAY, Mav 16. 

 Royal Societv, at 8.30. — On the Specific Heat and oth-r Physical CHa- 



racters of Mixtures in Methylic Alcohol an 1 Water: Dr. Duprci. -0\ 



Supersaturated S.tline Solutions, Part III : C. Tonilinson. F R.S-, and 



G. Van der Mensbrugghe.— Remarks on the Sense of Sight in Birds : Dr. 



R. J. Lee. 

 SociETV OF Antiquaries, at 8.30. — Prehistoric Implements in Eden-iJc, 



ne.irSt. Bees, Cumberland: R. D, Darbishire, F.G.S. 

 Chemical Societv, at 8. 



FRIDAY, Mav 17. 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— On the nnre impirtint S.ibaitutes fur Gun» 



powder: Prof. Abel, F.R.S. 



SATURDAY, May iS. 

 RoVAL Institution, at :;.-0n the Chcmx.il Action of Liyht : Prof. 



Roscoe, F.R.S. 

 Government School of Mines, at 8.— On Geology : Dr. Cobbold, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, May 20. 

 Anthropological Institute, at 8. — On a New Instrument for Measuring 



the Proportions of the Human Bodv : Joseph Bonomi. — On Mural Inc- 



sponsibility resulting from Insanity : George Harris. 

 TUESDAY, May 21. 

 Zoological Society, at 9. — On the Royal Antelope and allied species of 



Nanotyng}is: Sir Victor Brooke, Bart.— Notes on the Anatomy of the 



Huia Bird : A. H. Garrod. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — On Development of Belief and Custom: 



E. B. Tylor. 



WEDNESDA Y, May 22. 

 Geological Society, at 8.— On the Phosphatic Nodules of the Cretaceous 



Rock of Cambridgeshire: Rev. O. Fisher, F-G..S.— Some Observations oa 



the Upper Grcensand Formation of Cambridge: W. Johnson Solhs. 



Notes on Sand-pits, Mud Volcanoes, and Brine-pits, met v\-ith during the 



Yarkand E.xpedition of 1870 : Dr. G. Henderson. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. —On Painted Metallic H.mgings for Mural Decora- 

 tions : G. Clark. 



THURSDAY, May 23. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — On Heat and Light : Pi of. Tyndall, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS Page 



Examinations in Technology 4» 



Watts's Diction.'.ry of Che.mistry 42 



Our Book Shelf 43 



Letters to the Editor ; — 



Magnetism in Copper Slags. — Edmond F. Mondy 43 



The Volcanoes of Central France.— W. J. Green 43 



The Eruption of Vesuvius in 1S55.— Charlotte Hall .... 41 



l'".:irthquakes and Permanent Magnets. — \V. W. Wood 44 



The Australian Eclipse Expedition 4» 



Waterspouts in the Fen land.— S. B.J. SKERTCH..V 4t 



•Ihe Geologists' Associ.aiion at Watford.- J. Hopkinson .... 45 



Temperitureof Hill and Valley.— J. J. MlRPiiY, F.G.S 45 



Meteors. — Geo. C. Thompson 45 



The Ivory Crayfish.— W. A. FonBEs 4i 



The AMERrcAN Academy of Sciences 4i 



Natural Science Scholarships at Oxford 4*5 



A Lecture on Thomson's Galvanometer 46 



On Measuring Temperatures by Electricity. By C. \V. Siemen.;, 



F.R.S. (IVitlt Illustrations.) 47 



Notes 5' 



History of the Names Cambrian a.-.d Silurian in Geology.- III. 



ByT.STEKRV Hunt, F.R.S $-, 



Societies and Academies 55 



Books Received 56 



Diary 5' 



NOTICE 

 U'e lii-« leave to stale that we decline to return rejected coinnmmca- 

 iions, and to this rule we can make no excettion. Communica- 

 tions respecting Subscriptions or Advertisements must be addressed 

 to the Publishers, NOT to the Editor. 



