NATURE 



380 



DiscodriMa (Branchiobdella), (4) Naidea, (5) Echytraeida (6) 

 ■ribTficida (7) Lumbriculida, (8) Phreorzet.da, (9) Cnodr.l.da, 

 Uo) Lumbricida. M. V. Fric showed to the members a spec- 

 men of the body of a chimpanzee, four years old, which ^^as 

 ra-eoared by the injection of Wicker>henn's conservmg fluid. He 

 pynlained all methods hitherto known and used to preserve the 

 bodies of animals, and he declared the method of Wickersheim 

 to be the best of them. 



In chemistry some interesting papers were read and an 

 animated discussion took place on educational and scientific 



ques^ions^ ^^^ second general meeting took place. Prof. 



Albert, of the Innsbruck University, delivering an address On 

 Theory and Practice in University Education. ' ^,. 1, j 



Duiing the session of the Congress a journal was published 

 containing the abstracts of the papers read before the Congress. 

 The addresses of M. Krejci and Dr. Albert, however, were 

 printed in extenso, and of the former afterwards also a German 

 translation appeared in print. 



\_August 19, 1080 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Archives des Sciences Physiques el Naturelles, yO.'j 15, No. 

 7 —Note on the equilibrium of solids of great dimension^, by 

 M. Cellerier.-Geological description of the Canton of Geneva, 

 by M. Favre.-Phytography, &c. (M de Candol e), by M. 

 Micheli —A differential thermometer for demonstration, by M . 

 Dufour.'— On the casting of the beak of birds of the Mormonides 

 family, by M. Bureau. 



Reale Istituto I.ombardo di Scienze e Leltere _ Rendiconti,^o\ 

 xiii. Fasc. xiii. Tune 17.— On some trigonometric series, by Prof. 

 Beltrami —Morphological studies on the human body, by Prof. 

 De Giovanni.-On the part taken by the pneumogastric in death 

 bv hanging, by Prof. Tamassia.— Iconography of the L.iplanders, 

 bv Prof. Mantegazza.- On reflex arthropathia of urethritis, by 

 Prof. Scarenzio.— On a geological congress held at Rome, by 

 Prof. Taramelli. , ,. , . , ^. 



Fasc xiv July l —Ossiferous breccia and neolithic station in 

 Corsica, by Dr. Major.— On the present geographical distribu- 

 tion of Nyctinonu.s ccstonii, Gavi., by Dr Beltoni -On a 

 shower of falling stars observed at Milan on June 22 iSSo, by 

 S. Fomioni and Prof. Schiaparelli.-On univocal pl.-uie trans- 

 formations and particularly on involutory, by Prof . tertmi.- 

 Notes on the fishes, and in particular on the male eels, observed 

 at the Berlin Exhibition, by Prof. Pavesi. 



SOCIETIES ANV ACADEMIES 

 Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, August g.-M. Wurtz in tbe chair.- 

 The following papers were read :-Summary report of a zoo- 

 logical exploration in the Bay of Biscay in the Government ship 

 Le TravaiUeur, by M. A. Milne-Edwards -Experiments tending 

 to prove that fowls vaccinated for cholera are refractory for 

 chlion, by M. Pasteur. -Results of observations of so^ar spots 

 andfacute during the first two quarters of iSSo, by P. racdini 

 The numbers indicate rapid increase of solar activity. 1 he days 

 without spots form five groups separated by a mean interval o 

 twenty-nine days, showing that in one hemisphere («dnch s tha 

 visible in the end of last December) the spots were formed with 

 d fficulty.-On a class of linear differential equations of the second 

 order by M. Brioschi.-Experiments on the discharge in rarefied 

 gSe by M. Righi. Inter alia, the glass seems to become 

 S ous^ at the point where it acts as positive electrode. 

 During discharge the negative electrode is probably much more 

 heated than th? positive. The cause of mechanical ^ction of 

 the negative electrode is the same as in the radiometer.-On 

 some properties of flames, by M. Meyreneuf. The gas which 

 feeds a flame is subject to two opposing influences, one creating 

 a draught outwards, the other (expansion through combus- 

 tion) tending to drive the gas back. By dimimshing the 

 rate of outflow without modifying the combustion, one may regu- 

 late these movements so as to get vibrations of the nature ot 

 sound. Better sonorous effects are had by making a flame im- 

 pinge on a round rod or on another flame. -Indices of refraction 

 of aqueous solutions of acetic acid and of hyposulphite of soda, 

 by M. Damien.-On an improvement of the Bunsen battery by 

 M. Azapis, by M. Ducretet. For acidulated water is substituted 



a 15 per cent, solution of cyanide of potassium, caustic potash, 

 marine salt, or ordinary sal ammoniac. The zincs need not be 

 amalgamated. They are less consumed than in the Bunsen ; the 

 intensity of the current is no less, and its constancy is remark- 

 able. — On the spectra of ytterbium and erbium, by M. Thalen. 

 — On thulium, by M. Clcve. — Researches on the heats of "com- 

 bustion of some substances of the fat-series, by M. Louguinine. 

 —Secondary reaction between sulphuretted hydrogen and hypo- 

 sulphite of soda, by M. Bel amy.— On the acid obtained by M. 

 Boutroux in the fermentation of glucose, by M. Maumene. — On 

 a new proce-s for producing malleable nickel of different degrees 

 of hardness, by M. Gamier. This consists in incorporating phos- 

 phorus with the nickel (to take up oxygen) ; e.g., adding to the 

 bath of nickel a phosphide of nickel containing about 6 

 per cent, phosphorus. Very thin sheets of the material can be 

 produced. — On propvlnervine, by Mr. Morley. — Influence of 

 light on transpiration 'of plants, by M. Comes. Plants transpire 

 nfore in light than in darkness, and more the intenser the light. 

 The more intense the colour of the organ, the greater the trans- 

 piration. The luminous rays absorbed alone favour the trans- 

 piration. — On the source of muscular work and on supposed 

 respiratoiy combustions, by M. Sanson. The liberation of 

 energy is due greatly, if not wholly, to phenomena of dissocia- 

 tiontimilnr to those in fermentations ; in presence of anatomical 

 elements (blood-corpuscles specially) the immediate principles 

 of the plasma are dissociated, give carbonic acid and doubtless 

 other compounds which borrow oxygen from the hremoglobin 

 for their formation, and yield their energy to the muscular 1 

 element.^, which then manifest it by doing work in contracting, 

 or to the blood for maintenance of animal heat.— On the use of 

 nitrite of ethyl for rendering contaminated places healthy, by 

 M. Peyrusson. It acts like ozone, but more powerfully. — Com- 

 plement of the biological evolution of pucerons of galls of 

 poplar (Pemfhi!;us bursarius, Lin.), by M. Lichtenstein.— On 

 the affinities of the genns Polygordius with annelides of the 

 family of Opheliidiv, by M. Giard.— Discovery of new mammalia 

 in the phosphate of lime deposits of Quercy (Upper Eocene), 

 by M Filhol.— On the structure and functions of the embryonal 

 suspensor in some leguminous plants, by M. Guignard.— On 

 defonning pilosism in some plants, by M. Heckel.— On a new 

 instrument for pointing guns, by M. Arnoux. 



CONTENTS 



Colours in Akt . • • ■■ 



A Visit to Etna. By G. F. Rodwell 



^"''petlfr^en"^" Methods .-rnd Tlieories for the Solution of Probl 

 of Geometrical Construction, applied Id 410 Problems, 



" Text-book of Elementary Plane Geometry 



Tilden's " Practical Chemistry " 



''^'^rRot™o™Po'la'ri™trorSpectroscope of Great Dispersion. -Prof. 



DL^hl^mln^SIf.STj'^ne tV-PVof. E. R.i L.nkbsth. 



I. A. B. Oliver ; F. T. Mott : B. W. S 



Height ot the Aurora -John I Plum.mee 



Fire Ball.-Rev. S. J. Perky, F R S 



Atmospheric Phenomenon.— B. W. b 



Intellect in Brutes.— Dr. Henrv MacCormac 



" On"a Mode of Explaining the'TransveJse Vibrations of Light "— 

 The Expression " Radiant Matter. "-S. Tolver Preston . . 



Earthquake in Smyrna.— Hyde Clarke 



New Biological Term.— D. Sharp 



^^'^^^ J:"a^dr.h';™gha%?ario^rd°°-^C. J- Wooow^Rn 

 Thunderstorms. II. By Prof. Tait 



^:^^;^outA?^;atus,III::(™/^-^«^,-„;„- •3- 



°?,rw.?Lr.::rR-ELtF-R^s"rd"wri:M=L^-R\"iKV^ 



Diagram) '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'■■■ 



U fI^dePo.rtXles.' By Prof. Alexander Agassiz . . . . . • 



Notes ■ 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



The August Meteors . • • • ■ '.'.'.'.'.. 



Cape Observations of Comet 1880 U) 



Physical Notes , . . . . 



Geooraphical Notes .. . • • ■ • ■• j^ y -j.^ kjellman 



The Alg.<! OF THE Siberian Polar bEA. y 



On THE Compressibility OP GLASS. By J^Y-BUCHA.^^^^^^ _ 



The Congress of Bohemian i-hysiciaiv!, h^^ 



Scientific Serials ' 



Societies and Acade.mies 



360 

 360 



370 



380 



