312 



NA TURE 



Jan. 



■■/' 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, January 17. — M. Gosselin, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Obituary notices of M. Paul Bert on the 

 occasion of his obsequies at Auxerre, by M. Janssen in the 

 name of the Academy of Sciences, and by M. A. Chauveau on 

 behalf of the Biological Society. — ^Observations of the minor 

 planets made with the large meridian instrument of the Paris Obser- 

 vatory during the third quarter of the year 18S6, communicated 

 by M. Mouchez. Comparative observations are here tabulaterl 

 for Electra, Aletheia, Olympia, Juno, Pallas, Ceres, and several 

 other minor planets. Those for the three last mentioned are 

 referred to the ephemerides of the "Nautical Almanac," all 

 the others to those of the " Berliner J.ahrbiich." The observa- 

 tions were taken by MM. F. Boquet, O. Callandreau, and P. 

 Puiseux. — .Study of the horizontal flexion of the telescope of 

 the Bischoffsheim meridian-circle of the Paris Observatory, 

 by MM. Loewy, Leveau, and Henri Kenan. — On the solar 

 statistics of the year 1886, by M. R. Wolf. — Letter ad- 

 dressed to the Academy by M. Em. Barbier, thanking it 

 for the Francceur Prize recently awarded to him, and sub- 

 mitting a means by which he has succeeded in converting an 

 ordinary watch into a repeater. A process is also explained by 

 which a person both deaf and blind may tell the time by this 

 repeater. — On the accelerations of the points of an invariable 

 system in motion, by M. Ph. Gilbert. Two cases are consi- 

 dered : (i) that of a solid revolving round a fixed point, O; 

 (2) that of a free solid body. — On the laws determining 

 the absorption of light in crystals, and on a new method 

 enabling the observer ' to distinguish in a crystal certain 

 absorption-bands belonging to different bodies, by M. Henri 

 Becquerel. His researches in this branch of physics have led the 

 author to several important conclusions here specified on the 

 absorption of light in crystals. He finds generally that in different 

 crystals the characters of the phenomena of absorption differ 

 considerably from those that one might expect to observe, regard 

 being had to the optical properties of the ciystal. — Heat of 

 formation of some alcoholates of soda, by M. de Forcrand. 

 Having already detennined the heat of formation of the methyl- 

 ate and ethylate of soda, the author passes here to the study of 

 the alcoholates of soda formed by the propylic, isobutylic, and 

 amylic alcohols. — On some combinations of the bioxide of tin, 

 by M. A. Ditte. Sulphuric acid is known to readily dissolve the 

 hydrates of the bioxide of tin derived from various source , 

 yielding a liquor soluble in water and alcohol. Here the author 

 studies the products of this reaction, which have not yet .attracted 

 the attention of chemists. — Action of some metalloids on the 

 nitrates of silver and copper in solution, by M. J. B. Senderens. 

 The author deals here with powdered selenium, tellurium, 

 sulphur, arsenic, phosphorus, and broniium. — Note on the com- 

 position of the grain of starch, by ,M. Em. Bourquelot. From 

 his researches the author concludes that the grain of starcli 

 is formed neither of one nor of two chemical species 

 (granulose and amylose) as has been hitherto supposed, 

 but of a larger numbei of hydrates of carbon. — On the 

 plastidogene body, or pretended heart of the Echinoderms, 

 by M. Edmond Perrier. — On some new parasites of the 

 Daphnidse, by M. R. Moniez. — On some Crxistacefe, parasites 

 of the Phallusije, by M. Paul Gourret.— On the removal of 

 Lamarck's Herbarium to the Museum of Natunal Hi.story, by 

 M. Ed. Bureau. After remaining for some fifty years in the 

 University of Rostock, this famous historical collection, contain- 

 ing over 10,000 specimens in good condition, has just been pur- 

 chased and transferred to the Paris Natural History Museum. 

 The tickets, descriptions, and other accompanying documents 

 are all in the handwriting of the illustrious naturalist.— On the 

 genus Pksiadapis, a fossil mammal of the Lower Eocene from 

 the neighbourhood of Rheims, by M. Lemoine. Various 

 remains are described by means of which the author determines 

 two sub-genera of the genus Plesiadapis (Gervais), presenting 

 lemurian characters with a marsupial facies. — Note on giovan- 

 nite, a new cosmic rock, by M. Stanislas Meunier. — On the 

 deterioration of vaccine, by M. P. Pourquier. An experiment 

 is described showing the deterioration of this virus, with sugges- 

 tions on a means of preventing its attenuation. — Note on the 

 copper detected in wines from vineyards treated with the 

 sulphate of copper against mildew, by M. A. Andouard. An 

 analysis of several samples shows that the quantity of copper 

 detected in such wines is infinitesimal, and in noway injurious to 

 health. ' • 



Stockholm 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, January 12.— Prof. S. Loven 

 gave an account of the researches effected at the zoological 

 station of the Academy at Christineberg, in the province 

 of Bohus, during last summer. — Prof. Rubenson gave 

 an account of a po-thumous memoir by the late Col. -Lieut. 

 Klercker on the so-called anomalous dispersion. — Determination 

 of some physical constants of germanium and titanium, by Profs. 

 Nilssou and Petterson. — On experiments on the electrical con- 

 ducting power of the air, by Prof. Edlund. — On bryological 

 researches in the province of Smaland, by Herr R. Toif. — 

 Annotations on the vegetation in the west of Herjeadalen, par- 

 ticularly as to the occurrence of the Hymenomycet;e within 

 different formations of the vegetation, by Dr. E. Henning — A 

 comparative research on the monosulphon-combinations of benzol 

 and toluol, by Dr. Weibull. — Construction of the curves of the 

 fourth order and second kind by means of rules and compasses, 

 by Prof. Bjorling. — On the pleochroism and light-absorption 

 in epidote from Sulzbachthal, by Herr W. Ramsay. — On the 

 amido-naphlhaline-oulphon acid, by Herr S. Forsling. — On the 

 sponges of ihe province of Bohus, by Dr. Fristedt. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS .CECEIVED 



Trav.iux et Mcmoires du Burca 

 tome V. (Cluthier-Villars, Paris).- 

 (Chiswick Press). — Folk-Lore Joui 

 from the Leyden Museum, vol. ix. 

 iv. No. I (New York).— Palajolilhic 

 B - • ■ 



1 International des Poids et Mesures, 

 -Lease and Release, by Sea Verdure 

 lal, vol. V. part i (E. .Stock).— Notes 

 No. I (Brill. Leyden).-The Auk, vol. 

 Man in North-Wesl Middlesex: J. A. 

 (Macmillan). — Zeitschrift fiir Wissenschaftliche Z ologie, 44 Band 

 I Heft (Engelmann, Leipzig) — Proceedings of the Biological Society of 

 Washinglon, vol. iii. (Washington).— Spolia Atlantica, 1885-86 (Dreyer, 

 Copenhagen). — Botanische Jahrbiicher fiir Syslematik, Pflanzengeschichte, 

 und Pflanzengeographie, Achter Band, ii. Heft (Engelmann, Leipzig).— Revue 

 d'Anthropologie, 1887, No. i. — Supplementary Catalogue to the Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne Public Libraries: W. J. Haggerston. — Report of the Superin- 

 tendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory for the Year ending June 30. 1886 

 (Washington).— Sulla Velocita del Suona nei Liquid! : Prof. T Martini 

 (Venezia).— Systematic Catalogue of Species of Vertebr.ata: E. D. Cope.— 

 The Phylogeny of the Camelida; : E. D. Cope.— Vertebrata of the Swift 

 Current Creek Region of the Cypress Hills : E. D. Cope.— Monthly 

 Weather Report, July and August 1886.— Economic Problem of the Unem- 

 ployed : W. Westgarth (MathiesonX 



CONTENTS PAGE 



Scientific Federation 2S9 



Supernormal Psychology. By Prof. C. Lloyd 



Morgan 290 



Elementary Results in Pure Mathematics .... 292 

 Commercial Organic Analysis. By Dr. C. R. Alder 



Wright 293 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Walker's " Practical Dynamo-Building for Ama- 

 teurs " 294 



Dawson's " Hand-book of Zoology " 295 



Nipher's " Theory of Magnetic Measurements " . . 295 



Marvin's " Coming Deluge of Russian Petroleum " . 295 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



The Cambridge Cholera Fungus.— Dr. E. Klein, 



F.R.S 295 



The Coal-Dust Theory. — W. Galloway 296 



Barnard's Comet at Perihelion. — Prof. A. Ricco . 296 



Magnetic Theory. — Rev. H. W. Watson .... 296 

 Sounding a Crater, Fusion-Points, Pyrometers, and 



Seismometers. — W. Worby Beaumont .... 296 



Folkestone Gault.— C. E. De Ranee 296 



Wolves, M.ares, and Foals. — George Maw .... 297 



The Sun's Heat. By Sir William Thomson, F.R.S. 297 



Protoplasm. By Prof. H. Marshall Ward .... 300 



On the Explosion of Meteorites 303 



Sir Joseph Whitworth 304 



Notes 305 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Three New Comets 307 



New V.ariables 307 



The Washington Observatory 3*^8 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



January 30 — February 5 308 



Geographical Notes 308 



The Eskimo. By Prof. A. H. Keane 309 



Scientific Serials 310 



Societies and Academies 310 



Books and Pamphlets Received 312 



