36o 



NA TURE 



\_Feb. lo, 1887 



rapidly towards the extremity, while a himinous horizontal band 

 passing through the centre of the snn stretched across the firma- 

 ment, showing three parhelia — two very bright on the small, one 

 faintly illumined on the large, circle. — Combinations of the 

 glycerinates of soda with the monatomic alcohols, by M. de 

 Forcrand. This paper deals with the glycerinates of methylic, 

 ethylic, propylic, isohutylic, and amylic soda. — On the compara- 

 tive actions of solar heat and light, by M. E. Duclaux. It is 

 shown that all the effects of combustion produced by heat may 

 also be produced by light ; but the reverse does not hold, there 

 being a large number of reactions, which light alone seems 

 capable of determining. All these reactions are resumed in the 

 dispLacement of the pi imitive molecule, which becomes decom- 

 posed in a few simpler elements, such as the formic, acetic, and 

 ■butyric acids, the methylic and ethylic alcohols, &c. — On the 

 properties of inosite, by .M. Maquenne. Continuing his study 

 of this substance, the author shows that in its transformation it 

 may give rise to several well-defined aromatic compounds. Its 

 other properties, he considers, may now be anticipated theoretic- 

 ally. — On a combination of paratoluidine and chloride of copper, 

 by M. E. Pomey. — On the composition of the grains of II'lciis 

 sorgho, and their application to the agricultural industry in the 

 south of France, by M. Bordas. The analysis of this grain 

 shows a mean of 42 per cent, of starch, 100 kilogrammes yielding 

 26 litres of good alcohol at 33° above proof. — On the jugal and 

 pterygoid stems in the vertebrates, by M. A. Lavocat. — On the 

 heterogamy of Ascaris dartyliiris, by M. Mace. — Reply to M. 

 Balbiani on the subject of Lciicophrys patida, by M. E. Slaupas. 

 The attthor shows that he has in no way exaggerated the novelty 

 and interest of his observations on the various reproductive pro- 

 cesses of this organism, as asserted by M. Balbiani. — On diurnal 

 and nocturnal physiological variations of the cerebral pulse, by 

 MM. Rummo and Ferrannini. The authors' observations estab- 

 lish a complete cycle or periodicity in these variations, from which 

 they hope to deduce the biological theory of normal sleep. — On 

 the secreting ducts and aquiferous apparatus of Cal'phythitn, by 

 M. J. Vesque. — On certain phenomena of linear corrosion in 

 the limestone formations of Couzon, Rhone Valley, by M. 

 Ferdinand Gonnard. — On the epoch when the submerged valleys 

 of the Gulf of Gen a were formed, by M. A. Issel. All these 

 riverain valleys along the coast of Liguria appear to have been 

 submerged towards the close of the Messinian and during the 

 Astian epoch. 



Berlin 

 Meteorological Society, December 7, 1886. — Prof, von 

 Bezold in the chair. — Dr. Hellmann stated that he had examined 

 the observations of the County Fire Insurance .Society in Schles- 

 wig-Holstein for the years 1S74-83 for the purpose of investigating 

 the question of lightning flashes in this province, and communi- 

 cated the results of that investigation. As is the case in every 

 other locality in which investigations of this description had been 

 carried out, it was shnwn that generally over the whole province 

 of .Schleswig-Holstein there is an increase in the amount of 

 damage wrought by lightning for the decade in question. On a 

 comparison, however, of the different districts, it was found that 

 the territory to the south of the Eider had experienced an abate- 

 ment of damage by lightning, while to the north of the Eider, 

 along the North Sea, and especially in the marshes, there had 

 been a consideral>le increase. A computation of damage from 

 lightning for one year demonstrated a very decided maximum in 

 August in the continental, southern, and south-eastern districts, 

 whereas in the north and west a summer maximum of less 

 intensity and two still weaker maxima in May and October 

 became apparent. In respect of a daily period it appeared that 

 in the case of the first group of districts a maximum appeared 

 in the hours from noon to 3 in the afternoon, while in the 

 remaining part of the province the maximum was attained from 

 midnight to 3 in the morning. This night maximum was 

 specially characteristic of winter. The frequency of thunder- 

 storms had no relation to the danger from lightning. The 

 number of destructive lightnings depended in large part on 

 the way in which the houses were roofed. The number 

 was considerably greater in the case of soft than of hard 

 roofs. In the case of churches the danger from lightning was 39 

 times, in the case of windmdls 52 times, as great as in the case 

 of houses having hard roofs. In regard to the cause of the 

 different degrees of danger from lightning in the different dis- 

 tricts, investigation indicated two points as determinative : first, 

 the way in which the ground was built upon, and second, the 

 geological nature of the ground. Whilst in the west, which was 



very liable to destructive strokes of lightning, the f;irmsteads 

 were detached and scattered over the whole land ; in the east 

 and south they were grouped together into villages, and the 

 danger from lightning was always considerably less for larger 

 collections of houses than for scattered houses forming the only 

 prominent objects throughout wide spaces. In point of fact, the 

 danger from lightning was everywhere considerably less for towns 

 than for rural districts. With reference to the geological bearings 

 of the question, the danger from lightning was least for calcareous 

 sand and greatest for clay. Dr. Hellmann had likewise discussed 

 the statistics of lightning for B.aden and Hesse Darmstadt, 

 with the result that he found during the period investigated a 

 considerable increase of damage by lightning for the southern 

 part of Baden, and a decrease for the north of Baden and for 

 Darmstadt. Besides a confirmation of the results arrived at 

 for Schleswig-Holstein there appeared in the Baden- D.armstadt 

 region a decided prepondera'ice of danger from lightning in the 

 Rhine plain as contrasted with a very low degree of danger in 

 the mountains. 



Nol 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 



th America : J. Ball (Kegan Paul and Co.).— 



if Fish and Fislieries, Report. 1884 : (Washington). 

 — Berichte von dem Erzbischoflich-Haynaldschen Observatorium zn Kalocsa 

 in Ungarn: C. Braun (Miinster).-The Steam-Engine : G. C. V. Holmes 

 (Longmans). — The Esclepiad, No. 13, vol- iv. (Longmans).— Quarterly 

 luunial of Microsctjpical Science, January (Churchill). — Brain, January 

 (Macmillan and Co.).— Journal of the Statistical Society, December (Stan- 

 ford). 



CONTENTS PAGE 



The Hibtory of Howietoun 337 



Harmony and Counterpoint 339 



Pearls and Pearling Life 339 



Our Book bhelf : — 



Webb: " The Definitions of Euclid " 340 



Hoist : " Narrative of an Expedition to Greenland ". 340 



Wood: " The Handy Natural History " 341 



Benthain : " Hand-book of the British Flora" . . . 341 



" The Zoological Record" 341 



Letters to ttie Editor : — 



Lightning Flashes. — Prof. John Le Conte ; An- 



toine d'Abbadie 342 



Dr. Modigliani's Exploration of Nias. — Prof. Henry 



H. Giglioli 342 



Lepidosircn paradoxa. — Prof. Henry H. Giglioli . 343 



The Coal-Dust Theory. — W. Galloway 343 



Abnormality in the Urostyle of the Common Frog. — 



Prof. C. Lloyd Morgan. (Illustrated) .... 344 

 The Cauibridge Cholera Fungus. — Edgar Crook- 

 shank 344 



Low Barometric Readings. — Henry F. Blanford . 344 



Magnetic Theory. — ^James C. McConnel .... 344 



" Phantasms of the Living." — Edmund Gurney . 34, 



University College, Bristol. — Albert Fry 345 



A Rule for escaping a Danger. — Frank Morley . 343 

 Abnormal Cats' Paws. — E. W. Claypole ; Dr. 



H. A. Hagen 345 



The Cross as a Sun Symbol. — Dr. Charles R. Dryer 345 

 Clausius's Formula. — Prof. William Ramsay and 



Dr. Sydney Yoving 346 



Notes on Certain Traits of Infant Nav.ajos. — R. W. 



Shufeldt 346 



Longlost Reefs. By Capt. W. J. L. Wharton, 



F, R. S. ( With a Map) 347 



The Crocus 348 



Notes . ... 1 349 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet Brooks (1 8S7 /') 352 



Comet Barnard (18871:) 352 



The Rousdon Observatory 353 



Minor Planet No. 264 353 



Astronomical Poenomena for the Week 1887 



February 13-19 353 



Geographical Notes 353 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers .... 355 



The Scottish Meteorological Society 355 



Report on the Botanical Garden, Saharunpur . . 356 



Scientific Serials 356 



Societies and Academies 357 



Books and Pamphlets Received 360 



