Oct. lo, 1872] 



NATURE 



487 



bundles of the appendages existing in the parenchymatous axis, 

 and passing out independently of any closed cylinder. The per- 

 manent elements of the circumference of these stems oi Psaivnins 

 are, however, without any analogue in the monocotyledonous 

 stems. 



There seems, then, good reason for establishing two groups of 

 ferns, with differences characteristic of their stems, comparable 

 to those which distinguish the stems of monoctyledons from those 

 of dicotyledons. J'.ut the caution I have always insisted on in 

 dealing only with vegetative organs is specially required here, for 

 I have discovered, I believe, the fruiting fronds of one species of 

 this group of plants. With the Bath specimens of Slcniuiatop- 

 tcris insig^iiis, Corda, as well as witli those found on the Conti- 

 nent, the fronds of Pccoptcris nr/>03L'u-!rns are always associated. 

 It is the only fern found with some of the Bath specimens. It is 

 also to be observed that the bases of the stipes correspond with 

 the size of the leaf scars on the stems. These facts are not abso- 

 lutely sufficient for the correlation of the fronds with the stem, 

 but they are the best evidence for tliis that we can expect in fossil 

 botany short of actual organic union. Now the fruit of J\ropUris 

 ai-bo?csi\-iis is so near to that of Cyathca that I can find no cha- 

 racters whereby they can be separated. Our classification based 

 on the stems must of course yield to that derived from the organs 

 of fructification, and our group of ferns, instead of being made 

 into a new order, as would be the case by some who publish on 

 fossil botany, must be grouped with a tribe of recent Polypo- 



It may seem that this is a forced and arbitrary grouping 

 together of plants that in some important characters so remark- 

 ably differ ; and so it is undoubtedly to those who, with rash 

 confidence, generalise on the systematic position of plants from 

 stem structure alone. But what can such objectors say to the 

 practice of placing in close proximity plants that are beyond 

 question nearly related to each other in all essential characters, 

 though some have caudices, while others possess rhizomes ; yet 

 these two forms of stems are yet more widely separated from each 

 other than the extinct palaeozoic group is from the recent 

 forms. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The double number (Nos. 5 and 6) of the Annalcn der Chemic 

 und rhannaciL' commences with a paper by Carl Grunzweig, on 

 " Butyric acid from different sources.' He prepared the per- 

 fectly pure normal and isobutyric acids and their salts, and 

 examined their properties very carefully ; he then examined 

 butyric acid as obtained from butter, which he finds to be nor- 

 mal butyric acid, and the acid from the oxidation of conine 

 and that from the carob, or St. John's bread, are also 

 the normal acid. — Von Schneider contributes a long paper upon 

 pollen and wax formation ; which is followed by a second con- 

 tribution by Kachler on the compounds of the camphor group. 

 He has accurately examined into the properties of campholic acid 

 and some of its salts, and also into the action of bromine and 

 phosphoric chloride on that body. The action of bromine is to 

 oxidize the acid, forming oxycamphoric anhydride, hydrobromic 

 acid being produced in quantity. He has also examined cam- 

 phinic acid. — Weselsky follows, with an important paper on the 

 azocompounds of resorcin, in the theoretical parts of which some 

 most elaborate graphic formula are brought to life. — Liebermann 

 and Chojnacki have again examined rutiopin, which was first 

 obtained by Anderson from opianic acid. The authors' researches 

 show that it belongs to the anthracene group, as by the action of 

 zinc powder at a high temperature this hydrocarbon can be ob- 

 tained from it. It therefore belongs to the same series to which 

 the colouring matters alizarin and purpurin belong, being the 

 next higher body in the series to purpurin. — Dittmar and Kekule 

 contribute a paper on an aromatic glycoUic acid. The starting 

 point for the production of this body is toluylic acid, which is 

 acted on by bromine, and the resulting bromo-compound again 

 acted on by barytic hydrate. The oxymethylphenylformic acid 

 obtained forms smaU plates or needles as crystallised from water. 

 — Amato has endeavoured to obtain dicyanacetic acid by treating 

 dichloracetic ether with potassic cyanide. He has not succeeded 

 in obtaining the acid, but seems to have produced a body which 

 has resulted from the decomposition of dicyanacetic ether with 

 two molecules of water. — This number contains 18 original 

 papers, several of which, however, are translations from foreign 

 journals. 



Atinalcn der Chcmie nnd rharmacic. No. 7. — This number 

 commences with a lengthy article on chrysanisic acid, by H. 

 Salkowski. This acid was discovered Ijy Cahours, in the year 

 1S49, and has been experimented on by many chemists. Kekule 

 has proved that it has the constitution of a dinitrobcnzoic acid, 

 of the formula CoH,(NO.,)„(NH,)CO.,H. Dr. Salkowski has 

 now made some experiments on this and its derivatives. Chry- 

 sanisic acid is obtained by treating anisol with nitric acid of i'4 

 sp. gr., which converts it into nitro-anisic acid ; this latter body 

 is then treated with red fuming nitric acid, the product of which 

 action is submitted to the action of ammonia, which yields am- 

 nionic chrysanisate. This crystallises easily, and the acid can 

 be obtained from it in the pure state without difficulty. The 

 author has prepared a number of the salts of this acid, which are 

 here described in detail. By the action of hydrochloric acid and 

 tin on chrysanisic acid, triamidobenzoic acid is produced ; this 

 acid, on heating, is decomposed into triamidobenzol and carbonic 

 anhydride. Triamidobenzoic acid appears to possess both acid 

 and basic properties, as it can form salts with both strong acids 

 and bases. Both classes of salts have been prepared and are 

 described. Thus triamidobenzoic acid forms a compound with 

 two molecules of hydrochloric acid, and also with one of sul- 

 phuric acid. Chiysanisic acid, by the action of strong hydro- 

 chloric acid, yields trichlorobenzoic acid ; and by the action of 

 nitrous acid, dinitroparoxybenzoic acid is obtained. From this 

 body the monethyl and diethyl derivatives can be prepared. — 

 An interesting paper on the influence of potassium and sodium 

 salts on fermentation, by C. Knapp, follows. He finds that both 

 potassium and sodium salts, more especially the chlorides which 

 he has worked vrith, exert a hastening influence on alcoholic fer- 

 mentation, the potassium chloride being the better of the two. He 

 also finds that a small percentage of the salt acts more vigorously 

 than a large one. — Richard JIaly contributes two papers on the 

 colouring matter of bile, &c. ; and Liebermann and Van Dorf 

 follow with an exhaustive paper on the cochineal colouring mat- 

 ters. — The next paper is by Beilsteinand Kohlberg, on isomerism 

 in the benzol series. This is the fourteenth contribution fronr 

 these authors on this wide subject, the present treating on cin- 

 namic acid and metanitrobenzoic acid. 



Bulletin dc P Academic Imperiale dcs Seienees de St. Fetcrsbuyo, 

 t. xvii.. No. I. — This number contains an important paper by 

 Prof. Kamintzin on the employment of inorganic salts as a means 

 for studying the development of lower organisms containing chlo- 

 rophyll. He studied the action of salt solutions of specified 

 composition and various concentration on forms of alga;, chiefly 

 Chlorococcus iiifiisionum and Protocoeeus viridis. The algpe and 

 higher cryptogams bear a higher concentration than the phanero- 

 gams. In a 3-per-cent. solution they develop vigorously ; in 

 solutions under two per cent, zoospores were produced, these 

 again forming zoosporangia ; but where the concentration was 

 higher the development was by division into round motionless 

 bodies. Prof. Kamintzin also studies the development of indi- 

 vidual varieties, owing to internal causes, the external conditions 

 remaining the same, thus extending to the lower plant forms the 

 class of observations made by Darwin m the animal kingdom. 

 The plasticity of various forms of algre under the above 

 treatment is fully shown and illustrated. — O. Grimm describes 

 the integumental structure of one of the Crinoidea, the 

 Coiiiatitla mcditerraiiea. Certain small canals observed in an 

 internal fibrous layer he considers to be organs of respiration, the 

 water entering by small openings on the external surface, — There 

 are two short papers by Dr. Levschin on thedevelopment of osseous 

 tissue and the structure of terminal blood-vessels in the bones of 

 the newly-born. In a paper by Dr. Gruber, the dissection of a 

 hand having two thumbs is described, and compared with three 

 other cases of the same kind ; 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 

 Royal Microscopical Society, October 2. — Dr. Hudson 

 read a paper "On PedalioH mira," and exhibited specimens 

 under the society's microscopes. This curious little animal was 

 discovered last year by Dr. Hudson near Bristol, and a figure 

 and short description of it is given in the Monthly Microscopical 

 JoKrnal for September 1 87 1. — The President read a paper " On 

 the Development of the Skull of the Crow." — Dr. Woodward 

 sent a series of photographs for exhibition, showing the resolu- 

 tion of Nobert's 19th band with a ToUes lens, which was not 

 properly conected for chromatic errors. 



