572 



NATURE 



{_Aprii 14, 1 88 1 



suggested that the noise was due to the indirect action of the earth- 

 quake in causing a secondary local disturbance. — Mr. P. Geddes 

 read his first communication on the classification of .statistics. 

 After pointing out the utter confusion that exists in many of the 

 national classifications of the present time, the author critici-ed 

 the arrangements suggested by Deloche and Mouat, which « ere 

 equally unsatisfactory, because of their unscientific and artificial 

 methods. Any classification, to be natural, must be based upon 

 some broad principle common to all kinds of communities or 

 societies. A fundamental meaning must therefore be attached 

 to the word society — a definition given to it that will include 

 societies of all kinds of organisms. Such a definition must 

 obviously take account of the vital functions of organisms in 

 relation to the matter and energy of the universe. We have 

 thus matter and energy on the one hand, organisms on the other. 

 Mr. Geddes, confining himself meanwhile to the first of these 

 two great divisions, proceeded to classify the sources of energy, 

 adopting the classification given by Prof. Tait in his Thermo- 

 dynamics, and showing how naturally such things as food, fuel, 

 machines, &c., fell into their places in such an arrangement. 

 He then considered the classification of sources of matter u,ed 

 for other than energy-properties, taking for this purpose the 

 well-known three-fold division into minerals, vegetables, and 

 animals. The development tf ultimate products through their suc- 

 cessive phases of raw uaterial, manufacture, exportation, trade, 

 &c., and the classificati.ui of all products under the three chief 

 headings of potential, me »iate, and ultimate, completed the one 

 aspect of the statistical method in so far as it related to the 

 matter and energy of the universe. It still remained however to 

 take account of the loss, or more properly the degradation (^r 

 dissipation, suffered. The classification must indicate not only 

 the kind of loss, e.g. whether in raw material, in manufacture, 

 in trade, in ultimate product, or in remedial effort, but also tlie 

 .agency that was the direct cause of the loss, whether physical, 

 a> earthquake, flood, storm, &c. ; or biological, as insects, fungi, 

 &c. ; or social, as crime, war, or folly. — Mr. T. Muir communi- 

 cated three mathematical notes : on Prof Cayley's theorem 

 regarding a bordered skew determinant ; on the law of exten ibie 

 minors in determinants ; and on a problem of arrangement. — 

 Mr. J. Y. Buchanan read a short paper on the oxidation of 

 ferrous salts. — Prof. Tait made a brief communication on some 

 space loci. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, April 4. — M. Wurtz in the chair. — 

 M. de Quatrefages presented an example of the Edwards Medal. 

 — The following papers were read : — On micrometric measure- 

 ments during the transit of Venus of 8 December, 1874, by M. 

 Puiseux. These measurements (393 in number and in five 

 categories) at St. Paul and Pekin fairly agree, though the condi- 

 tions were unfavourable, and give for the parallax 9"'0S. — On 

 the same subject, by M. Mouchez. He considers the method is 

 t-> be strongly recommended for 18S2. — Note on the methods of 

 Wronski, by M. Villarceau. — On photographic photometry and 

 its application to study of the comparative radiating powers of 

 the sun and of stars, by M. Janssen. A shutter with triangular 

 aperture is made to pass with uniform motion of known rate 

 before a sensitised plate ; this gives (with light) a series of shades 

 on the plate, decreasing from the base side to the apex side. To 

 compare the sensibility of two plates, differently prepared, or 

 the photogenic intensity of two sources (using two like plates) 

 the points of equal shade on the platen are noted. (The photo- 

 graphic intensity does not increase as rapidly as the luminous 

 intensity.) For the sun he finds the time of action (with gelatine 

 brrjmide of silver plates) must be reduced to TrrBirj sec. to give 

 the most rapid variation in the opacity. The sides of the slit 

 are curved (for a special reason). A series of circular images of 

 stars are obtained by putting the plate a little out of focus.— On 

 alcoholate of chloral, by M. Berthelot. — On lightning flashes 

 without thunder, by M. d'Abbadie. He observed such quite near, 

 in a fog, when in Ethiopia.— On the combinations of phtalic anhy- 

 dride with hydrocarbons of the benzene series, by MM. Friedel and 

 Crafts. — Note on chalcomenite, a new mineral species (selenite of 

 copper), by MM. des Cloizeaux and Damour. This is from near 

 Mendoza in the Argentine Republic. — Researches on changes of 

 state near the crhical point of temperature, by MM. Cailletet 

 and Hautefeuille. By colouring carbonic acid the liquid is 

 rendered always visible. It is found that Andrews's undulatory 

 stris dissolve blue oil of galbanum, so that they are produced 

 by streaks of liquefied carbonic acid. Neither in disappearance 

 of a meniscus through compression, nor in change of state at the 



critical temperature does matter pass by insensible degrees from 

 the liquid to the gaseous state. — Magnetic anomaly of meteoric 

 iron of Santa Catharina, by Prof. Lawrence Smith. Small 

 fragments are very feebly affected by a magnet till they have 

 been flattened on a steel surface with a steel hammer, or heated 

 red hot. — Attenuation of effects of virulent inoculations by use 

 of small quantities of virus, by M. Chauveau. — M. Jordan was 

 elected Member in Geometry in room of the late M. Chasles. — 

 On the winter egg of phylloxera, by M. Lichtenstein. — Re- 

 searches on the causes which enable the vine to resist phylloxera 

 in sandy soils, by M. Saint-Andre. Weak capillary capacity of 

 a soil seems to be the direct or indirect cause of the resistance of 

 vines. — On the bismuthine produced by coal-mines on fire, by 

 M. Mayenfon. — On functions proceeding from Gauss's equation, 

 by M. Halphen. — On a new application and some important 

 properties of Fuchsian functions, by M. Poincare. — On the rela- 

 tions between solar spots and magnetic variations, by M. Wolf. 

 Tables for 18S0 are given. The solar curve is also shown to be 

 quickly rising again ; a maximum may be expected in 18S2 to 18S3. 

 The increase of magnetic declination for 1879-80 is l''l8 by 

 formula, o''99 by 'observation. — On the viscosity of gases, by 

 Mr. Crookes. — Luminous intensity of radiations emitted by 

 incandescent platinum, by M. Violle. From observations 

 ranging from 775° to 1775° he constructs a formula. — On the ' 

 change of volume accompanying the galvanic deposit of a metal, 

 by M. Bouty. It is always possible in electrolysis of the same 

 salt to diminish the intensity of current below a certain limit such 

 that the compression produced by the deposit is then changed 

 into attraction (the metal dilating instead of contracting in 

 solidifying). — On the voltaic conductivity of heated gases, by 

 M. Blondlot. He describes an experiment made by way of 

 putting the conductivity of gases beyond doubt, and in which all 

 parts of the apparatus are constantly open to inspection. — On 

 the internal discltarges of electric condensers, by M. Villari. 

 The laws of the phenomenon are enunciated. — On magical 

 mirrors, by M. Laurent. A common silvered mirror of any 

 thickness may be rendered magical by means of heat ; e.g. 

 applying the end of a heated brass tube to it. The section of 

 the tube is imaged. — On hydrosulphite of soda, by M. Schutzen- 

 berger. — On some new processes of desulphuration of alkaline 

 solutions, by M. Scheurer-Kestner. — On application of the crys- 

 tals of lead chambers, by M. SuUiot. For disinfection of rooms 

 he places in them porous vessels containing nitrous sulphuric 

 acid, and to attenuate the irritating action of the vapours the 

 vessel is placed in another containing ethylic alcohol. In another 

 case odorous gases are drawn through a column of coke moist- 

 ened with nitrous sulphuric acid. — On secondary and tertiary 

 amylamines from the active amylic alcohol of fermentation, by 

 Mr. Plimpton. — Action of perchloride of phosphorus on isobu- 

 tylic aldehyde, by M. CEconomides. — Preparation of isobutylic 

 acetal, by the same. — On the products of distillation of colo- 

 phony, by M. Ren.ard. — Artificial reproduction of diabases, 

 dolerites, and meteorites of ophitic structure, by MM. Fouque 

 and Levy. — On the Devonian formation of Diou (AUier) and 

 Gilly (Saone-et-Loire), by M. Jullien. 



CONTENTS Pagb 



The New Museum OF NaturalIHistorv 549 



Text-Book op Mechanics 552 



Conscious Matter. By George J. Romanes, F.R.S 553 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Study of the Physical Nature of the Sun. — Prof. PlAZZi S.MYTH . 534 



Winter Gnats (Trichocera). — Rev A. E. Eaton 554 



Australian Plants in India.— Dr. G. Bidie 555 



The Tide Predicter. — Edward Roberts 555 



"The Oldest Picture in the World."— Prof. Alfred Newto.n, 



F.R.S 555 



Probably New Variable Star. — John Birmingham 555 



Concealed Bridging Convolutions in a Humao Brain.— William 



Carter 556 



Sound of the Aurora. — M. L. RousE 556 



Periodic Oscillations of Barometric Pressure. By the late Dr 



J. Allan Broun, F.R.S 556 



The Etna Observatory {IVith llhtstratioti) 559 



Mode of Masking or Cutting off Sharply the Light prom 

 Revolving Apparatus on any Desired Compass-bearing by 



Means OF a Keciprocating Screen. By Thomas Stevenson . 560 



Chrorophyll. By Sydney H. Vines 561 



Notes 563 



Geographical Notes 565 



Chemical Notes 566 



On a Method of Measuring Contact Electricity. By Prof. Sir 



William Thomson, M.A., F.R.S. (iKM/Z/xs/^-^^wn) 567 



The Naval Architects 568 



Dunes and Moving Sands 569 



University AND Educational Inthllighncr 569 



Societies and Academies 569 



