;o8 



NATURE 



{July 29, 1880 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Entomological Society, July 7. — J. W. Dunning, M.A., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. Jenner ^yeir, on behalf of 

 Mr. J. W. Douglas, exhibited a female specimen of iVochia 

 c-iiigrtim.—Hr. McLachlan exhibited a piece of sugar-cane from 

 Queensland much eaten by some undetermined lepidopterous 

 larvae, of which specimens were sho\Mi. Mr. W. L. Distant 

 was able to state that this was a quite distinct larva from that 

 infesting sugar-canes in Madras, of which he had lately received 

 specimens. — Miss Ormerod exhibited specimens of various sugar- 

 cane borers from British Guiana, and read notes thereon. — Mr. 

 Distant exliibited a specimen of the larva of Hepialus vivaccns, 

 the so-called vegetable caterpillar of New Zealand. The spores 

 of Cordiceps robertsii, falling on this caterpillar, become para- 

 sitic, destroying it, and growing therefrom in the form whicli 

 has caused many erroneous statements to be made. — Mr. Bii- 

 lups exhibited a larva of Plusia c/irysilis and some specimens 

 of an ichneumon {Paxylloina sp.) that was parasitic thereon. — 

 Mr. Phipson exhibited a remarl;able variety of Pyramds cardui. 

 — A note was read from Mr. Sidney Churchill of Teheran on 

 Argas persicas. — Mr. Roland Trimen communicated notes on the 

 pairing of a butterfly with a moth, and on a supposed female of 

 Doryhis helvoliis, Linn. — Messrs. Godman and Salvin communi- 

 cated a paper entitled "A list of Diurnal Lepidoptera collected 

 in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Columbia, and the 

 vicinity." 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, May 13. — On the theor}' 

 of Volta's fundamental experiment, by Prof. Exner. 



June 3. — On a method of indicating tire variations of vohime 

 of the heart, by Prof. Knoll. — The variation of molecular weight 

 and molecular refractive power (second part), by Dr. Janovsky. 

 — On preliminary determination of the orbit of the planet (17S) 

 Belisana, by Herr Riiling. 



June 10. — Preliminary communication on the spermogonia of 

 ^cidiomycetes, by Prof. Rothoy. — On electrical ring- figures and 

 their change of form by the magnet, by Prof. Reitlinger and Dr. 

 Wachter. — On the magnetisability of iron at high temperatures, 

 by Prof. Wassmuth. — On the development of gases from metals, 

 by Prof. Suess. — On the path of the comets 1S43 I and iSSoi?, 

 by Herr Weiss. — On so-called chemical repulsion, by Dr. 

 Lecher. 



June 17. — Contributions to an investigation of the phylogeny 

 of plant-species, by Prof. v. Ettingshausen.— Optical notices, by 

 Prof. v. Lang. — On the localisation of functions in the periphery 

 of the human brain, by Prof. Exner. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, July 19.— M. Edm. Eecquerel in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — Researches on the 

 organic alkalies, by M. Berthelot. This relates to ethylarnine 

 and trimethylamine, their heat of combustion, &c. — Modifications 

 of respiratory movements by muscular exercise, by M. Marey. 

 The respiratory curves obtained from young soldiers with a (so- 

 called) piuumograph show that after a gymnastic course they 

 breathe about twice as much air as before; the number of 

 respirations is reduced from twenty to twelve per minute, but 

 their amplitude is more than quadrupled. At the outset the 

 respiration is considerably modified by running (600 m. in about 

 four minutes), but after from four or five months' exercise this 

 running has no perceptible effect. — On strengthening the im- 

 munity of Algerian sheep against splenic fever by preventive 

 inoculations ; influence of inoculation of the mother on the 

 receptivity of the fffitus, by M. Chauveau. Direct contact of the 

 animal organism with the bacteridian elements is not necessary 

 to its ulterior sterilisation. Preventive inoculations act on the 

 humours proper, which are rendered sterile and sterilising, either 

 by removal of substances necessary to bacteridian proliferation, 

 or rather by addition of matters adverse to this proliferation. — 

 On the construction of the dam of Gileppe, Belgium, by M. de 

 Lesseps.— Ephemerides of comet b iSSo (Schaberle), by M. 

 Eigourdan. — Reply to a remark of Mr. Sylvester's concerning the 

 lessons on the theory of numbers of Dirichlet, by M. Dedekind. — 

 On the cause of the fugitive spectra observed by M. Trouvelot on 

 the solar limb, by M. Tacchini. He has often observed such spectra 

 (attributed by 1\L Trouvelot to solar disturbances) on passage of 

 swallows and other birds across the sun. In simultaneous ob- 



servations on three days, by Prof. Ricco, at Palermo (w here birds 

 are very rare), no such spectra were recorded ; and M. Tacchini 

 finds, as one might expect, that they become less frequent as the 

 sun rises in the sky. — On atmospheric electricity, by M. Jlascart. 

 His observations at the ;.College of France are made with a 

 Tliomson quadrant electrometer, the deflections of the needle 

 being transmitted to a pencil. The two pairs of quadrants are 

 kept at equal potentials of contrary sign by two poles of a battery 

 wliich communicates with the ground ; the needle is connected 

 with a vessel letting flow a continuous stream of water into the 

 outer air. Generally the potential of the air, always positive, is 

 found much higher and more uniform by night than by ^day. 

 From 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. it varies little, falls at daybreak, reaches 

 a minimum about 3 p.m., then rises rapidly to a maximum about 

 9 p.m. (It is commonly thought there are two maxima, morning 

 ond evening ; and two minima, one in the day, the other at 

 night. M. Mascart considers insulation has been too much 

 neglected.) — On the alternative currents and the electromotive 

 force of the electric arc, by M. Joubert. When the current 

 intensity is nil there is no difference of potential between the 

 carbons, but the difference quickly reaches 40 to 50 volts, which 

 is preserved nearly constant till the cuiTcnt is again very weak. 

 The final fall is very sudden. The difference of potential 

 remains the same during the period of the current, though the 

 mean intensity of this be largely varied. — On a new air-thermo- 

 meter, by M. Witz. This is a sort of Leslie's thermometer, 

 with one air-globe kept at constant temperature by means 

 of a thermal regulator of special form. — On [some fluorised 

 combinations of uranium with the alkaline metals, by M. 

 Ditte. — On the [atomic J weight and the principal properties 

 of glucium, by MM. Nilson and Pettersson. The attmic 

 weight is I3'65 if the earth is equal to GLO3. — On some com- 

 binations belonging to the group of creatines and creatinines, 

 by M. Duvillier. — Action of chloride of ethyl on ethylamines, 

 by MM. Duvillier and Buisine. — Action of electrolysis on ben- 

 zine, by M. Renard. A new body named isobenzoglycol, 

 Cgllg(OH), is obtained. — On a peculiar alteration of butcher- 

 meat, by M. Poincare. He has found cylindrical pointed 

 elements, with cuticles crossed by lines which seem outlines of 

 cells, and granulated. He thinks they may be phases or meta- 

 morphoses of tcenioides, causing tsenia in some caters of raw 

 meat. — On the production of charbon by pasturages, by M. 

 Poincare. The disease was traced in one case to the grass of a 

 meadow being constantly wet with a liquid of marshy look ; in 

 this were found numerous bacteridia like those in the blood, and 

 injection of it into a guinea pig produced charbon. — Observa- 

 tions on the origin of fibrilire in the bundles of connective 

 tissue, by M. Laulanie. — On the Ecliinida of the tertiary strata 

 of Belgium, by M. Cotteau. 



CONTENTS Pagb 



Chemical Dynamics. By M. M. Pattison Muir 28s 



A Japanese Romance. By H. N. MosELEV, F.R.S 2SS 



Our Book Shelf: — 



" Loch Etive and the Sons of Uisnach" 289 



Patterson's *' Birds, Fishes, and Cetacea commonly frequenting 



Belfast Lough " 289 



Pratt's " Key to the Universe " 290 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Recent Gas Explosion,— Prof. Herbert McLeod . . . . 2go 



TheFreshwater Medusa.— Dr. Geo. J. AlLMAN, F.R.S 250 



Stoim Effects.- J. Rand Capron 290 



The Inevitable Test for Aurora.— J. Rand Capron 291 



Experiment with Glass Tubes.— J. T. Bottomley {IVith Illiislra- 



Hon) =31 



On the Colours of Double Stars.— C. S. Peirce 29" 



Coffee-Disease in New Granada,— Dr. A. Ernst 292 



Toughened Glass.— T. B. Sprague ; J. C. J 292 



Large Hailstones.— George Paterson 292 



Paul Broca. By H. F. C. ten Kate 292 



The Woolwich Guns =93 



Living on Water 294 



Waterfowl. By. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S. (JF/M i»«/ra//OT") . . 29s 



Notes =9S 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Faye's Comet 30i 



The Observatory, Chicago 3oi 



Physical Notes 3°' 



Geoorafhical Notes • • • • * 303 



New Scheme for Directing Balloons. By W. de Fonvielle . 303 

 Experiments with the Wire Telephone, chiefly on Strongly 



Magnetic Metals. By Prof. G. Chrystal (/F/M Z)/<ifn!w«) . 303 



International Meteorology 3°7 



University AND Educational Intelligence 307 



Scientific Serials 3°? 



SociBTiBS and Academies 300 



