600 



NA rURE 



\AprU 2 1 , I i 



in a state of vapour and of positive or negative tension. — On the 

 term " latex " in botany, by M. A. Trecul. In reply to some recent 

 objections made to his comprehensive use of this term, the author 

 here justifies its application both to the contents of the latici- 

 ferous vessels and to the product of the secreting ducts. The 

 numerous facts brought together in this communication tend 

 clearly to establish the fundamental resemblance between the 

 physical and physiological properties of the contents of the 

 laticiferous vessels properly so called, and of the secreting tubes, 

 so that these two classes of vessels are properly grouped together 

 under the common designation of vessels of the latex. — On some 

 essays made at sea with Capt. Fleuriais' new coUimating gyro- 

 scope, by M. de Jonquieres. The results are given of the 

 observations made with this instrument by Lieut. Baule, of the 

 steamer La Gascognc, during a recent trip from Bordeaux to 

 Brazil. Although this was the first application of the apparatus, 

 the observer was able by its means to record the rolling of the 

 vessel with considerable accuracy. — On earthquakes, by M. 

 Oppermann. The author substantially accepts the general view 

 of seismologists, that these disturbances are mainly due to the 

 pressure exercised on the upper crust by the aqueous vapour 

 formed at great depths below the surface by filtration through 

 fissures or porous rocks. — On the winter egg of Phylloxera, by 

 M. P. de Lafitte. The author replies to some misleading state- 

 ments recently made by M. Donnadieu, and calculated to affect 

 the issue of the experiments which are now being carried on 

 throughout the wine-growing districts of France. — On a com- 

 plementary experiment relative to waterspouts, by M. Ch. 

 Weyher. The experiments hitherto described had reference 

 only to the artificial formation of the " buissoii" that is, 

 of the two inverted cones superimposed at their summits. 

 Here a further process is described, by means of which the 

 author has succeeded in producing the complete waterspout, with 

 its tube of vapour attached on the one hand to the centre of the 

 buisson and on the other to the centre of the revolving drum 

 placed 3 metres above the surface of the water. To effect this 

 all that is needed is to project a jet of vapour to the neighbour- 

 hood of the axis of the vortex, or, better still, simply to heat 

 the water in the large reservoir sufficiently to cause some 

 vapour to rise. — A study of the alkaline vanadates (continued), 

 by M. A. Ditte. Here are treated the vanadates of soda : 

 VOsNaO ; 2V05NaO ; 3V05,2NaO ; sVOjNaO ; V05,2NaO ; 

 VOs.sNaO ; and VOsNaO. — On the upheaval of the south-west 

 coasts of Finland, by M. Venukoff. The topographic surveys 

 recently carried out in Finland show once more that the shores 

 of the Baltic are continually rising. .Since the surveys of iSlo- 

 15 several islands have become peninsulas, while many shallows 

 have become islands or beaches. On the south-west coast and 

 in the neighbouring Aland Archipelago many places are pointed 

 out by the inhabitants which a few years ago were under water, 

 but which are now grazing-grounds, market-gardens, or corn- 

 fields. The local authorities are now taking steps, by means of 

 which the progress of this geological phenomenon may in future 

 be determined with absolute certainty and accuracy. — The sudden 

 death was announced of M. Thollon in the midst of his labours 

 connected with the construction of a great solar chart, on 

 which the distinction between the telluric and solar rays would 

 have been indicated. M. Thollon's name will always be 

 remembered in connexion with spectroscopic studies, which 

 have been greatly advanced by his improved spectroscope and 

 by the device suggested by him for distinguishing rays of solar 

 origin from those due to the terrestrial atmosphere. 



Berlin 

 Physical Society, April l. — Prof, von Helmholtz in the 

 chair. — Dr. Fernet spoke on the comparison of barometers, and 

 drew attention to a number of sources of error which must be 

 avoided when reading off a barometer. The speaker has carried 

 out a series of comparisons with corrected standard barometers, 

 aneroid barometers, and the standard barometers of different 

 stations. He finds that, the standard barometers of Berlin and 

 Paris correspond exactly within the limits of errors of observa- 

 tion ; aneroids do not yield anything like the same exactness 

 that may be obtained with syphon-barometers. — Dr. Pernet also 

 brought a new form of standard mercurial thermometer before 

 the Society, and explained its construction. It consists essentially 

 of the usual bulb and fine tube, which is widened out above and 

 below into two receptacles each of which is capable of holding 

 a mass of mercury corresponding to a column representing 50°. 

 By means of this arrangement the instrument is easily graduated, 

 and admits of any desired adjustment of the zero and gradua- 



tion ; also by vary.ng the amount of mercury with which it is 

 filled the same exactness in reading which is possible between 0° 

 and 50 can be obtained even up to 2oo\ — Dr. Kotter spoke on 

 the mean rate of flow of a fluid from a small aperture. This 

 rate, as is well known, depends not only upon pressure, weight, 

 &c., but upon a certain constant which is called the coefficient 

 of efflux, and which has been determined to be o'62. The 

 speaker gave an account, in their historical order, of a number 

 of researches which have been made with a view to determining 

 this coefficient mathematically, and then proceeded to explain 



his own methods of calculation, which lead to the value 



2 -f ir 

 established by Kirchhoff and Rayleigh. — Dr. Konig exhibited a 

 direct-vision spectroscope constructed by Wernicke, which is 

 contained in a glass tube instead of a wooden one, and thus 

 admits of the internal arrangement of the instrument being 

 seen. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED 



Journal of the College of Science. Imperial University, Japan, vol. J. 

 Part I (Tokio).— Monthly Weather Report of the Meteorological Office, 

 October 18S6.— Beibliiiter zu den Ann. der Physik und Chemie, 1887, No. 3 

 (Barth, Leipzig). — Journal of the Society of lelegraph-Engineers and 

 Electricians, No. 65, vol. xvi. (Spon). — Journal of Anatomy and Physio- 

 lo^. April (Williams and Norgate).— Mind-Cure on a Material Basis ; S. E. 

 Titcomb (Triibner). — Annalen der k. k. Universitats-Sternwartein Wien, iv. 

 Band, Jahrgang 1884 (Williams and Norgate). — Quarterly Journal of Micro- 

 scopical Science, March (Churchill).— The Auk. April (Nev.- York)^- 

 Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, December 1886 and April 1887 

 (Williams and Norgate). — Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, 

 vol.xix. No. I. i8S7_(Ne\v York).— Annalen der Physik und Chemie. 1887, 

 No. 5 (Barth, Leipzig.) 



CONTENTS PAGE 



Goebel's Outlines of the Classification of Plants . 577 



Mineral Physiology and Physiography 578 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Mrs. Caddy: "Through the Fields with Linnreus " 579 

 Angstrom : " Sur une nouvelle Methode de faire des 



Mesures absolues de la Chaleur rayonnante " ■ . 580 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Vitality and its Definition. — F. Howard Collins . 5S0 



Oldhamia.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S 581 



Disappearance of Bishop's Ring in Colorado. — G. H. 



Stone 5S1 



Iridescent Clouds. — G. H. Stone 581 



A Claim of Priority.— Prof. H. S. Hele Shaw . . 581 



The Vitality of Mummy Seeds. — George Murray . 582 



Solar Halos.— R. T. Omond. {Illustyated) ... 582 

 On the Character of the Beds of Chert in the Carbon- 

 iferous Limestone of Yorkshire. — George J. 



Hinde 582 



The Zirconia Oxy-hydrogen Light. — Lewis Wright 583 

 The Production of Newton's Rings by Plane Soap- 

 Films.— H. G. Madan. {Illustrated) 583 



Barnard's Second Comet. — ^John I. Plummer . . 583 



Sunspots. — Dr. M. A. Veeder 584 



Ozone.— Dr. A. Tucker Wise 5S4 



Electrical Discharges in the Doldrums. — David 



Wilson-Barker 584 



Green Light at Sunrise and Sunset. — Prof. A. Ricco 5S4 



A Sparrow chasing Pigeons. — ^J. Jenner Weir . . 584 



A Question for Chemists. — Wm. West 584 



The Pans Astronomical Congress 5S4 



Homeric Astronomy, I. By A. M. Gierke .... 585 

 Rainband Observations at the Ben Nevis Observa- 

 tory. By A. Rankin 588 



Do Scorpions Commit Suicide ? 590 



The Mythical Zoology of the Far East 591 



Notes 592 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The U.S. Naval Observatory 595 



Researches on the Sun's Diameter 595 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1887 



April 24-30 595 



Geographical Notes 596 



Valency and Residual Affinity, II. By Prof. H. E. 



Armstrong, F.R.S 596 



University and Educational Intelligence 598 



Societies and Academies 598 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 600 



