52^ 



NA TURE 



[Afarc/i 31, 1887 



M. F. A. Forel. It is suggested that the series of sHght vibra- 

 tions almost invariably following the first great shocks may tend 

 to cause the escape of fire-damp in mines, and that the precau- 

 tions against this danger should consequently be redoubled in 

 mining districts within the range of the general disturbance. — On 

 a possible cause of the earthquakes of 1755, 1S84, and 1887, by 

 M. A. Blavier. An attempt is made to associate these occur- 

 rences with an abnormal accumulation of ice in the Polar « aters, 

 causing a deflection of the Rennel branch of the Gulf Stream, 

 attended by great climatic changes and a slight disturbance of 

 e(|uilibrium in the submarine bed, ibllowed by a possible local 

 fracture along the line of least resistance. The in-rush of cold 

 oceanic waters would appear to be indicated by the disappear- 

 ance of the sardines from the West Coast of Europe in the years 

 in question. — On the employment of gas as a constant source in 

 experiments on radiation, by M. Edouard Branly. In this com- 

 munication a comparative study is made of the moderator lamp 

 and gas jet, as two sources of mean temperature in these experi- 

 menis. — On the tartrate of antimony, by M. Guntz. A process 

 is described for preparing in the pure state the acid tartrate of 

 antimony, which Peligot obtains by alcoholic precipitation of a 

 concentrated solution of the oxide of antimony in tartaric acid. — 

 On the presence and quantitative analysis of alumina in wine and 

 the grape, by M. L. L'Hote. The results are given of experi- 

 ments made to determine the presence in appreciable quantities 

 of antimony in Burgundy, Roussillon.and some otlier red wines. — 

 Note on some new syntheses in the fatty series by means of the 

 chloride of aluminium, by M, Alphonse Combes. — On the 

 microbe of yellow fever and its attenuation, second note, by 

 MM. Domingos Freire, Paul Gibier, and C. Rebourgeon. In 

 continuation of tlieir studies on this microbe, discovered by them 

 in 18S4, the authors describe a process by means of which the 

 virus may be attenuated and converted into a prophylactic 

 vaccine. — Calorimetric ^tudies on sick children, by M. P. 

 Langlois. The experiments here described show that in chronic 

 disorders with hypothermy there is a diminution of caloric, which 

 increases in maladies with hyperthermy. — On certain character- 

 istics of the pulse in morphiomaniacs, by Messrs. B. Ball and 

 O. Jennings. The observations here illu-trated by sygmographic 

 tracings serve both to detect the practice in patients secretly 

 addicted to the taking of morphia and to remove the craving for 

 intermittent doses. — Mineralogical study of the Fort Duncan 

 meteoric iron recently presented to the Paris Natural History 

 Museum, by M. Stanislas Meunier. The analysis of this speci- 

 men, found in 1882 near Fort Duncan, Maverick County, Texas, 

 shows a remarkable resemblance to the mass which fell at 

 Braunau, Bohemia, on July 14, 1847. It yielded: iron, 92'02 ; 

 nickel, with traces of cobalt, 6'io; residuum, l'8o ; density 

 7-699. 



Stockholm 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, February 9. — The following 

 papers were accepted for insertion in the Proceedings of the 

 Academy : — On the so-called anomalous dispersion, by the late 

 Colonel C. E. af Klercker. On benzol and toluol monosul- 

 combinations, by Dr. Mats WeibuU. — The Lettersted Prize for 

 18S7 for the best original scientific work was awarded to Prof. 

 F. A. Smitt for his "Critical Index of the Salmonidit in the 

 National Museum," whilst the amount of the same legacy for 

 special scientific work was awarded to Prof. A. G. Nalhorst for 

 his researches on the Tertiary flora of Japan. — The Secretary 

 announced that the Proceedings of the Academy for 1SS6 were 

 completed, and that the first part {*' Aurores boreales ") of .Series 

 II. of the work " Observations faites au Cap Thordsen, Spitz- 

 berg, par I'Expedition Suedoise," published at the expense of the 

 Academy, was issued. — The following two papers were also 

 presented by Prof. Berlin : — On six isomeric acids of toluol 

 disulphone, by Dr. P. Klason. On the substitution of the amido 

 group in aromatic combinations for hydrothion as well as oxy- 

 sulphuryl by means of diazo combinations, by the same. — Prof. 

 Ediund advanced a strictly mathematical demonstration showing 

 the correctness of his theory regarding unipolar induction. — 

 Prof. Gylden presented the fdlovving papers : — Untersuch- 

 ungen iiber einen speciellen Fall des Problems der drei 

 Korper, founded on studies at the Stockholm Observatory, by 

 Dr. P. Harzer, of St. Petersburg. On the absolute con'ectness 

 of terms of expression employed by Prof. Gylden in order to 

 solve the problems of three bodies, by himself, which paper 

 will shortly appear in the Acta Mathematica. — Prof. Smitt 

 announced the appearance of a new edition of the illustrated 

 work " Skandinaviens Fiskar" ("The Fishes of Scandinavia"), in 

 which are [a number of original drawings by Herr W. von 



Wright, belonging to the Academy, which have never been pub- 

 lished before. He also ])resented the first report of the Ornitho- 

 logical Committee appointed by the Academy. — Prof. Mittag- 

 Leffler presented the following papers : — On convergents to 

 definite integrals, by Herr C. B. S. Cavallin. On a treatise by 

 Ascoli relating to the integration of the differential equation 

 D'u = o for a given Riemann surface, by Dr. G. Enestrom. 

 Integration der differential Gleichung D'-ii = o in einen belie- 

 bigen Riemannischen Flache, by Prof. Giulio Ascoli, of Milan. 

 — The Secretary presented the following papers for insertion in 

 the Proceedings : — On the influence of chlorium on a-acetic 

 naphthalid, by Prof. Cleve. On naphthalid acids, by Dr. A. G. 

 Ekstrand. On a- and ^-naphthamidoxim, by the same. On 

 the resin acids in galipot, by Dr. A. Westerberg. On 

 pteropods in the Zoological Museum of the Upsala University, 

 collected by Capt. G. von Scheele, classified by Dr. H. Munthe. 

 Notes on Permian fossils from Spitzbergen, by Prof B. Lund- 

 gren. Einfluss derNeutralsalze auf die Keattionsgeschwindikeit 

 tier Verseifung von Actylacetat, by Dr. .S. Arrhenius. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED 



Lig.-iments, tlielr N.iture and Morphologj' : J. B. Sutton (H. K. Lewis.) 

 — School I-Iygiene : Dr. A. Newsholme (Sonnenschein). — Atlantic 

 Weather Charts, part i, frjm Auo;iist i to November 7, 1882 (Stationery 

 Office).— Electrical and Anatjmical Demonstrali ns: Dr. H. Tibtiits, 

 (Churchill).— Memoirs of the Literature College, Imperial University of 

 Japan, No. i ; The Language, Mythology, and Geological Nomenclature of 

 Japan, viewed in the light of Aino Studies : B. H. Chamberlain and J. 

 Batchelor (Tokyo), — Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Verelnes, Zweite 

 Halfte (Max Cohen, Bonn). — Colonial and Indian Exhibition; Reports on 

 the Colonial Sections: Edited by H. T. Wood (Clowes).— Monthly 

 Results of Observations made at the Stations of the Royal Meteor.)! ^gica! 

 Society for the Quarter ending September 30, 1886 (Stanford). — Instantaneous 

 Photography for Amateurs (Seers, Bath). — General Guide to the British 

 Museum. Natural History. — Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological 

 Society. January 1887 (Stanford). — Studies from the Biological Laboratory, 

 Johns Hopkins University, vol. iii. No. 9. 



CONTENTS PAGE 



A University for London 505 



A Junior Course of Practical Zoology 506 



Embryogeny of the Anthropoid Apes 509 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Heilprin : "The Geographical and Geological Distri- 

 bution of Animals" 510 



McAlpine : " Life- Histories of Plants" 510 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Vitality, and its Definition. — Prof. John W. Judd, 



F.R.S 511 



"The Gecko moves its Upper Jaw." — Edward B. 



Poulton. [Illustrated) 511 



Weight and Mass.— P. G. T 512 



iVn Error in Maxwell's " Electricity and Magnetism." 



Prof. A. Seydler 512 



Tabasheer. — Thomas Rowney 512 



.\ Method of Illustrating Combinations of Colours. — 



H. G. Madan. (Illustrated) 513 



Ice-Period on the Altai Range. — A. Bialoveski . . 513 



.\ Claim of Priority. — V. Ventosa 513 



Oktibc-hite or Awaruite ? — Dr. James Hector, 



C.M.G., F.R.S 513 



Aerial Vortices and Revolving Spheres. [Illtis- 



tra/cd) 514 



On Oldhamia. (Illustrated) 515 



On the Distribution of Temperature in the Ant- 

 arctic Ocean. By J. Y. Buchanan 516 



To Find the Day of the Week for any Given Date. 



By Lewis Carroll 517 



Notes 517 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



April 3-9 520 



Geographical Notes 520 



Biological Notes : — 



Injurious Fungi in California 521 



Fertilisation ot Cassia ntarUaitdica 5-' 



Variations in the Nerve-Supply of the Lumbricales 



Muscles in the Hand and Foot 521 



On Certain Modern Developments of Graham's 

 Ideas concerning the Constitution of Matter, I. 



By Prof. T. E. Thorpe, F.R.S 522 



Scientific Serials 524 



Societies and Academies 524 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 52S 



