A'A TURE 



\Feb. %, 



doubtecUy human origin of the single bulbs of percussion on the 

 flints, nor as to their actually forming integral parts of the beds 

 in or on which they were found, nor as to the geological anti- 

 quity of the beds themselves. — The President read a communi- 

 cation from Mr. F. F. Tuckett, on the .".ubject of a supposed 

 diminution in the size of heads during the last half century.— A 

 paper by Mr. W. D. Gooch was read, on the Stone age in South 

 Africa. The paper was illustrated by a larije number of speci- 

 mens collected by the author. 



Royal Asiatic Society, January 24. — Sir H. C. Rawlinson, 

 K.C.B., president, in the chair. — The following gentlemen 

 were elected as Resident Members :— Colonel S. C. Law, E. 

 H. Man, J. W. McCrindle ; and Thomas T. Fergusson, Rev. 

 Mr. Cain, Atinaram S. G. Jayakar of Maskat as Non-Resident. 

 — A paper w-as read by Mr. Simpson, !■ .R.G.S., on the identi- 

 fication of Kagara-hara with reference to the travels of 

 Hiouen-Tsang. Nagara-hara, he stated, was the name of 

 the chief city of the lel.alabad Valley, as also of the Pro- 

 vince, the extent of which, according to Hiouen-Tsang, was 

 probably from Gundamack to the Khyber Pass. It was visited 

 by Hiouen-Tsang and Fah-Hian, who describe some of the 

 buildings in it, at" the same time referring to its distance from 

 Hidda (now Hada), and thus confirming the suggested identifi- 

 cation. Mr. Simpson staled that when in the Jelalabad Valley 

 Avith General Sir Samuel Erowne's column in 1879, he made 

 many explorations into the JJuddhist remains there, discoveringf, 

 inter alia, an isolated rock covered with ruins of Buddhist 

 masonry, beari ig the local name of Bala-Hissar (i.e. "the 

 Citadel "), the whole ground about it being strewed with stones 

 and fragments of topes. Around it may also be seen a series 

 of ridges, most likely the remains of the ancient defences of the 

 town. Hiouen-Tsang slates that it was four miles in circumfer- 

 ence, and that it was six miles from Hidda, both of which mea- 

 sures agree exactly with those made by Mr. Simpson. JI. 

 Vivien de St. Martin, who very nearly worked out a correct 

 map of this district in his " Memoire sur la carte de I'Asie 

 Centrale," was, Mr. Simpson states, misled by the map published 

 in the " Ariana Autiqua." 



Statistical Society, January l8.— Mr. James Heywood, 

 F.R.S., in the chair. — The following papers w^ere read: — On 

 the method of statistical analysis, by Wynnard Hooper.— On 

 the growth of the human body, by J. Towne Danson. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, January 24. — M. Wurtz in the 

 <;],air. — M. Berthelot presented a supplement to his recent work, 

 containing various new measurements by himself and others. — 

 The following papers were read : — On the periodic development 

 of any function ' of the radii vectores of two planets, by M. 

 Tisserand.— On the theory of heat, by M. Resal.— On a new 

 disease caused by the saliva of a child that had died of hydro- 

 phobia, by MM. Pasteur, Chamberland, and Roux. Rabbits 

 inoculated with the dilute saliva died within thirty-six hours ; 

 symptoms, loss of appetite, paralysis, asphyxia, congestion of 

 trachea, with hcemorrhage, swellings in groin, axilla, &c. 

 Other rabbits inoculated with saliva or blood from the first soon 

 died also. The disease is attributed to a small organism (found 

 in the blood) ; it is of rod shape, constricted at the middle and 

 surrounded by mucous matter. It is like the microbe of chicken 

 cholera, but has no effect on fowls. By artificial cultivation it 

 is changed in form somewhat. Guinea-pigs, though so like 

 rabbits," seem hardly affected by inoculation. Dogs that were 

 inoculated died in a few days, but without symptoms of 

 rabies. The disease seems distinct from rabies, but the 

 authors do not at this stage affirm its absolute indepen- 

 dence. — Experiments proving that thiotetrapyridine and iso- 

 dipyridine have not the poisonous power of nicotine, whence 

 they are derived, by M. Vulpian. — The mechanical contact of 

 gneiss and limestone in the Bernese Oberland, observed by M. 

 Baltzer, by M. Studer. M. Baltzer was requested by the Swiss 

 Geological Commission to study the superposition of gneiss 

 oii the Jurassic system in the region named. This -he did in 

 1874-76, and his observations are given in the work now pre- 

 sented. — M. Heer was elected Correspondent in Botany in place 

 of the late M. Schimper. — Elements and ephemerides of comet 

 / 1880 (Pechiile), by M. Bigourdan.— Presentation of a photo- 

 graph of the nebula of Orion, by Prof. Draper. The exposure was 

 for fifty-one minutes. — On the divisions or certain homogeneous 

 functions of the third order with two variables, by M. Pepin.-— 

 On the distinction of integrals of linear differential equations in 



sub-groups, by M. Casorati. — On the separation of the roots ot 

 equations, the first member of which is decomposable into real 

 factors and satisfies a linear equation of the second order, by M. 

 Laguerre. — On the development of elliptic integrals of the first 

 and second species in entire recurrent series, byM. Farkas. — On 

 the choice of unit of force in absolute electric measurements, by 

 M. Lippmann. The electric standards and chief theoretical 

 formulae being independent of choice of the unit of force, the 

 choice is not of very great importance, and a change of it is 

 always easy. The dyne presents no essential advantage in some 

 cases. For unification of measurement in electricity and the 

 rest of physics electricians might take for fundamental units the 

 second, metre, and gramme. — Laws of liberation of electricity 

 by pressure in tourmaline, by MM. Jacques and Curie. The 

 two ends of a tourmaline liberate equal quantities of contrary 

 electricity. The quantity liberated by a certain increase of 

 pressure is of contrary sign and equal to that produced by equal 

 diminution of pressure. It is proportional to variation of 

 pressure, and independent of the length of the tourmaline. For 

 a given variation of pressure per unit of surface it is proportional 

 to the surface. — On baryta used to obtain arsenic, with arsenious 

 acid and sul|jhides of arsenic, by M. Brame. — Action of dry 

 carbonic acid on quick lime, by JI. Raoult. When CO; is sent 

 into (say) 100 gr. quick lime in a glass vessel which has been 

 heated to the point at which the glass begins to soften, the lime. 

 absorbs the gas very powerfully, and becomes incandescent, 

 remaining so about fifteen minutes. A bibasic carbonate is pro- 

 duced. It is practically impossible to produce neutral carbonate 

 of lime by direct synthesis. Lime that has once been heated 

 over 1 100" acts on dry carbonic acid at a much slower rate than 

 before. — On the losses of nitrous compounds in manufacture of 

 sulphuric acid, and a means of attenuating them, by MM. Lasne 

 and Btnker. The means referred to are a direct injection of 

 sulphurous acid. — On the resistance to flexure of tempered glass, 

 by i\L de la Battle. This is proved from experiments to be consi- 

 derably superior to thr.t of ordinary glass. — On cholestene 

 (cholesterilene), by M. Walitzky. — On the preparation of cro- 

 tonic aldehyde, by Mr. Newbury. — On the Mus pilorides, or 

 musk-rat of the Antilles, considered as a type of a new sub-genus 

 in the genus Hespcromys, by M. -Trouessart. — Formation of 

 the blastoderm in Araneides, by M. Sabatier. — Resection of two 

 metres of the small intestine, followed by cure, by M. Koeberle. 

 — The \i ild vines of California, by M. de Savignon. There are 

 five varieties of these, though all have hitherto been usually 

 comprised under the name Vilis Californica. — On Thcligonitm 

 cytiocrambe, L., by M. Guilland. 



CONTENTS Page 



PSEHISTORIC Ei'ROPE. By Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S. ... 309 



The Biology of Plants 3«o 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Dust and Fogs. — John Aitken' 311 



Professors E.\ner and Young.— Prof. C. A. YovNG 3'^ 



The Flyin?-Fish.— Francis P. Pascoe .^ 312 



Mr, S. Butler's " Uncnnscicus Memory." — S. Butler .... 312 



GeologicalClimates.— Prof. Samuel Haughton, F.R.S 313 



On the Spectrum of Carbon.— R 313 



ACaseof Fascination.— J. T. Browkell 314 



Birds Laying in January.— John H. Willmore 314 



Vibration of Telegraph Wires during Frost.— T. Mellard Reade 31^ 



" Mock Sun."— J. E. H. Peyton \Uiih lUustratimi) .... 314 

 On so.me Recent Charts and Maps of Curves of Equal Mag- 



NETlc Variation or Declination 314 



The Zoological Station at Naples 315 



Charles Frederic Kuhlmann ' ■ • 316 



The Scientific Societies of Dublin 316 



John Duncan 3^7 



Cassell's Natural History {With Illustrations) 317 



Notes 3»o 



Our Astrono.mical Column : — 



The Observatory of Har\-ard College. U.S 3" 



Ceraski's Variable Star T Cephei 322 



Swift's Comet 1880 e 3^' 



Baron Dembowski 322 



Meteorological Notes 3" 



Geographical Notes 323 



Deep-Sea Exploration, II. By J. Gwynn Jeffreys, LLD.. F.R.S. 324 

 G\s and Electricity as He.iting Agents, I. By C. W1L1.IA.M 



Siemens, D.C L., LL.D., F.R.S 326 



The Recent Severe Weather . . . . • 329 



The Aurora of January 31. By Rev. Osmond Fisher: John 



Harmer ; R. W, Taylor : £. H. ; G. H. Prevost 330 



University and Educational Intblligench 329 



Societies and Academies ^^o 



