488 



NATURE 



\Oct. lo, 1872 



Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, February 

 27. — " On an Extinct Whale from California," by Prof. E. D. 

 Cope. (George Davidson, of the United States Coast Survey, 

 recently jM-esenled tlie Museum of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences, the proximal portion of the left ramus of the mandible 

 ofa whalebime whale. Tiie specimen was found in digging a well 

 at San Hiego, on the coast, in the southern part of the State, at a 

 depth ofsevenly-fonr feet below tlic surface, July 27, 1S71. The 

 an 'le and conilyle are broken from the specimen, and the distal 

 extremity was not preserved. It possessed a coroncjid process, the 

 apex of which has been lost. The inner face is plane, somewhat 

 convex above, beliind tlie basis of the corodoid process. An- 

 teriorly it becomes more convex, the smface turning inwards to 

 the superior and inferior margins. The exterior face is convex, 

 so tlmt at the posterior foramen its diameter above the middle is 

 greater than that below the middle. The inferior outline, from 

 below the coronoid process to below the last external foramen, is 

 straight, not decurved. It is obtuse most of this distance, but 

 becomes narrowed at the anterior point. The superior margin is 

 obtuse anteriorly, narrowed acute for ten inches anterior to the 

 coronoid process ; it is not tnincate anteriorly. The internal 

 foramina are large, and form a series below the upper margin, 

 without distinct groove. Tiie external foraminal series termi- 

 nates much anterior to the interior, that is, the last external is 

 opposite the sixth from behind of the inner row. There is no 

 internil Meckelian groove. The Meckelian cavity of the ramus 

 is large beliind the coronoid, but small and in the upper part of 

 the ramus at the last exterior foramen. The dental foramen is 

 large, and above the base of the Meckelian cavity, so that its 

 inner wall descends to the floor of the latter. Below the base of 

 the coronoid the inferior part of the ramus is rounded, but 

 narrower than at the dental foramen. The presence of coronoid 

 process indicates that the present species was a finner, and allied 

 to BaUcnoptcra. Though there are no vertebra; or other elements 

 to determine its reference to this genus or its ally Eschrichtius, it 

 may be proper to refer it provisionally to the latter genus, since 

 so many of its allies on the Atkantic coast formations have been 

 found to be referable to it. This course is still more appropriate 

 from the fact that the strata of tertiary age near San Diego are 

 reported to be of miocene age, the same in which the eastern 

 Eschrichtii have been found. As to its specific characters, these 

 differ entirely from those of the latter. The ramus lacks the 

 decurvature of most of them. In size, it approaches nearest the 

 E. poivponis. Cope, ani E. priscus, Leidy. It is much less 

 convex externally than the latter. The exterior series of pores 

 does not extend so far posteriorly as in E. polvporus, and the 

 dental foramen has a superior position besides other differences. 

 Size that of E. priscus. This whale, when living, probably 

 attained a length of about forty feet. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, September 23. — M. Faye, president. 

 — The following gentlemen, memliers of the International Metric 

 Commission, were present at the meeting, to which tliey were 

 presented by the president: — Baron de Wrede, Sweden; M. 

 Broch, Norway; M. de Jolly, Bavaria; MM. Stas and Mius, 

 Belgium ; General Ricci and M. Govi, Italy ; P'ather Secchi, 

 Pontifical States ; M. llirsch, Switzerland ; M. Struvc, Russia ; 

 Mr. Hilgard, U.S. America. General Fligelly, of the Austro- 

 Hungarian Empire, member of the International Geodesical 

 Committee, was also presented. — M. P. Favrc read a note on 

 the origin of the heat developed when the motion of a metallic 

 disc is retarded by the inlluence of an electro-magnet. The 

 author had stated in a paper read on the nth .September, 1871, 

 that this heat is due to tlie "work furnished by the operator," 

 and that the magnet expends no energy In producing it, the same 

 effects being produced by permanent magnets which do not ex- 

 pend anything. He has repeated liis experiments with apparatus 

 of very great power, and finds all his statements conhrmed. — 

 — M. Vvon Villarceau then presented the elements and epheme- 

 rides of the planet 103, Hera, by M. Leveau, which was 

 followed by the " Results of a search into the characteristics of 

 the elementary and quartic systems," by M. H. G. Zcuthen, 

 liresented by M. Chasles. The President then presented a note 

 of M. A. Lallemand, on the " Polarisation and Fluorescence 

 of the Atmosphere." The author attributes the blue colour 

 of the atmosphere to " hypochromatic fluorescence," .which 

 he explains as fluorescence accompanied by cliange of refrau- 

 gibility due to the partial absorption of the ultra-violet rays. 

 The next paper was by M. E. DuviUier on ''A new method 

 of preparing Chro-mic A;id." The author mixes into a cream 



100 parts of baric chromate, and 100 parts of water, then adds 

 140 parts of nitric acid of 40' Reaumur, boils for 10 minutes, 

 filters, and allows the b.aric nitrite to crystallise out, after which 

 the liquid is concentrated to about the bulk of the acid employed, 

 which removes the last traces of baric nitrate, and the chromic 

 .acid crystallises after the expulsion of the excess of nitric 

 acid by repeated evaporations. — -MM. P. Champion and II. 

 Pellet followed with a paper of great interest, on "The Vibra- 

 tory Movements produced by Explosive Compounds." The 

 authors, starting from an observation by Mr. Abel, that whilst 

 a small quantity of fulminating mercury exploded in gun-cotton 

 caused its instant violent explosion, the raucli more violent ex- 

 plosive iodide of nitrogen produced no effect, proceeded to 

 investigate these two bodies with a chromatic scale of sensitive 

 flames, arranged as recommended Ijy Messrs. Tyndall and .Schaff- 

 gotsch, when they found that the fulminate produced effects 

 corresponding to the notes, la, do, mi, fa, sol. The ioilide of 

 nitrogen, however, produced no effect. When the explosives 

 were brought as clo;e as 3'50 metres to the flames, the iodide of 

 nitrogen affected the upper notes, while the same weight of 

 fulminate acted on the whole gamut. The weights used were in 

 each else '03 grm., and it was not till the iodide of nitrogen had 

 been increased to 1 grm. that it producetl effects equal to the 

 fulminate. — M. Dachartre then presented a note by M. J. Duval- 

 Jouve, "On the diaphragms and fibro-vascular nes of the leaves 

 and stalks of certain Monocotyledons ;" which was followed by a 

 continuation of M. Stan. Meunier's paper, " Observations on the 

 Vein Action in Meteorites ; " after which M. F. Garrigou read 

 a paper on " The alluvial gravels of the plains of the Garonne at 

 the village of Portet, near Toulouse." — A note of M. Bonvier, 

 presented by M. Bouley, came next, claiming priority of dis- 

 covery for M. G. B. Pelletan of the "Method of removal of 

 liquids from the closed cavities of tlie body by means of aspira- 

 tion," described by M. J. Guerin. — M. Hartsen sent a note 

 relative to an alkaloid extracted from Isopyrum. — -M. Dumas 

 presented an analysis of the documents sent to the Phylloxera 

 Commission by two of its delegates, MM. Duclaux and Maxime 

 Cornu ; and a note from M. J. Capello, of Lisbon, on the aspect 

 of the sun about the gth of August closed the meeting. 



An 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



English. — Element.iry Geology: J. C- Ward (Triibner and Co.). 

 Elementary Treatise on Geometrical Optics : W. S. Aldis (Deigiiton and 

 Bell). —Elementary Treatise on Natural Philosophy: Deschaiiel. Part 4 

 (Blackieand Sons). 



American. — Papers relating to the Transit of Venus in iS;^, prepared 

 under the direction of the Commission authorised by Congress. Part i. 



FORBIGN. — Eerste Vervolg Catalogus der Bibliotheek en Catalogus der 

 Maleische, Javaansche en Kawi handschriften van het iJataviaasch Genoot- 

 schap van Kunsten en Wetcnschappen (Braining, B.itavia). — Tidschrift von 

 Indische Taal- Land- en Volkenkunde : Stortenbeken en Michielsen, Deel 

 xviii., Zesde Serie, Deel i., Aftevering 3 en 4 ; Deel x.v., Zenende Serie, 

 Deel i., AUevering 3. — { Through Williams and Norgate.) — Der Wirbelstnrmc, 

 Tornados u. Wetters.iiilen in der AtmosphSre : Dr.T. Reye.— Pathologiiche 

 Histologic der Laftwege u. der Lunge : Dr. A. Thierfelder. 



CONTENTS Pack 



HOUZEAU OH THE FACULTIES OP MaN AND ANIMALS. By AlI-'UED 



R. Wallace, F.Z.S 469 



Ganot's Nator.vl PHlLOSOrHV {IVitk lUttstrations). By Jas. 



Stuakt 471 



Oua Book Shelf 472 



Lhtthrs to THtt Editor:— 



Oceanic Circulation.— Dr. William B. Carpenter, '.F.R.S. . 473 



Consciousness and Volition.— .\LFREQ W. Bennett, F.L.S. . . 473 



Phosphorescence in Fish ^.\RTHUR Nicols _. . 473 



On a Measuring Apparatus for Direct Vision Spectroscopes.^ 



Henry R. Procter, F.C.S. • 473 



Cat's Toes.— R. Lvdekker . . ; 474 



New Instruivient for the Phoduction of Ozone 474 



The French Association for the Adv.ancement of Scienxe. 



By Dr. J. H. Gladstone, F.R.S 474 



The Spirit of Scientific Controversv. By Prof. W. C. William- 

 son, F.R.S 475 



Distribution of Heat in the Spectrum 476 



Scottish Boulders 477 



On the Fertilisation of a few Commo.v Papilionaceous 



¥i.o\wK&!i (IVithlllicsti-atioin). By T. H. Farrer 47S 



Notes 481 



Siebold's New Researches in Parthenogenesis. By E. R. 



Lankester 483 



On Instinct. By D. A. Spalding 485 



On the Tree-Ferns of the Coal Measures, and their Affini- 

 ties with Existing Forms. By W. Carruthers, F.R.S. . . 486 



Scientific Serials 487 



Societies and Academies 487 



Books Received 488 



