ii6 



NA TURE 



\Dec. II, 1873 



by Prof. Story-Maskelyne and Dr. W. Flight, wa; read by llie 

 former, treatiiig of the composition of caledonite and lanarkite. — • 

 Mr. John Williams then exhibited some fine specimens of crys- 

 tallised phosphorous acid and metallic phosphites, and gave a 

 short account of their reactions. — Prof. Church made a com- 

 munication to the society on the composition of the mineral 

 autunite. — Prof. Lawrence Smith of the Umted States, whilst 

 describing a modification of the Bunsen gas burner employed by 

 him for hea'ing the crucible in determina ions of the alkalis in 

 silicious minerals, gave a short sketch of the process he had de- 

 vised for that purpose. — In the course of the evening a gas 

 burner by Mr. Fletcher of Warrington was also exhibited. 



Royal Microscopical Society, Dec. 3.— Chas. Brooke, 

 F.R. S., president, in tlie chair. — The list of donations to the 

 society included a valuable binocular microscope with apparatus 

 complete, from Mr. Charles Woodward, for which the special 

 thanks of the meeting were returned. — A paper in continuance 

 of the one read at the November meeting, was read by the secre- 

 tary. — On some further researches into the life history of the 

 Monads, by Rev. W. H. Dallinger and Dr. Drysdale, in which 

 the complete process of fission was described in all its stages, 

 and also the conjunction of two or more bodies, the whole course 

 of internal division, ol final rupture of the containing envelope 

 and escape of minute free organisms. — Mr. Charles Stewart ex- 

 liibited a section of Ficus elaslicn showing cystoliihs, described 

 the method of preparation and mounting, and stated it to be his 

 belief that they were rather deposits of a gum-like substance, 

 than actual concreiions. 



Society of Biblical Archaeology, Dec.2. — Dr.Birch,F.S. A., 

 president. The following papers were read : — Future Punish- 

 ment of the Wicked, a Doctrine of the Assyrian Religion, by H. 

 Fox Talbot, F.R.S. — N^tes f om Borneo, illustrative of Passaj;es 

 in Genesis, by A M. Cameron. In this paper the author cited a 

 Dyak radition, that at an archaic gmeral inundation, the ances- 

 tors of the Chinese, Malay, an.i Dyak had to swim for their 

 lives ; and (possibly foisted on his tradition) the Dyak preserved 

 his weapons, and the Chinaman his books. A second tradition 

 stated that an ance>tral Dyak made a ladder to ^o up to t^eaven ; 

 unhappily one night a worm ate into the fool of the ladder and 

 brought all down. Mr. Cameron further stated that one of the 

 two Dyak names for the .Supreme Being is Yaouah : the author 

 refers to the similar som^ ing Jehovah and Yahveh of the Bible. 

 Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, June 17. — The presi- 

 dent, Dr Ruschffnberger, in the chair. — Laws of Sex in 

 yuglans nigra. — Mr. Thomas Mechan said he had at various 

 times ducing the past few years called the attention of the 

 Academy to specimens of numerous plants which illustrated 

 the principle that sex in plants was the result ol grades 

 of vitality ; or, as it had been suggested, viabil ty ; and 

 that this power of life was a mere matter of nutrition ; the 

 highest grades of vitality only producing the female sex. 

 He now exhibited specimens of the c •mmnn black wal- 

 nut, Juglans nigra, which furnished excellent ilius rations 

 of wha>- had been said on other occasions. Exacnining 

 the tree at the flowering season, it wou d be plainly 

 seen, by even a superficial observer, that there were 

 grades of growing buds. The largest buds made the most 

 vigorous shoots. These seemed to be wholly devoted to the 

 incieise of the woe dy system of the tree. Lover down the 

 strong la>t year shoots, were buds not quite so lari.e. I'hese 

 made shoois less vigorous than the other class, and bore the 

 female flowers on their ap ces. Below the^^e were numerous 

 small weak buds, which either did not push into ^rowth at all, 

 or when they did bore simply the male catkins. He was fully 

 satisfied that there is not so great expenditure of vital force on 

 the production of male flowers as there is in female flowers. 

 Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, Nov. 24. — M. de Quatrefages, 

 president, in the chair. — The following j apcrs were read : — 

 On the development of polyps and their corals, by M. II. de 

 Lacaze-Duthiers. The author described some re-ults obtained 

 by him in a cruise on board the Nat vol, off the North African 

 coast of the Mediterranean during the summer. — Remarks on 

 the South American fauna, with anatomical details of some of 

 its most characteristic types, by M. P. Gervais. — Observations on 

 the expansion of water below 4°, in relation to M. Piarron de 

 Mondesir's note, by M. F. Hement. The author suggests that 

 the phenomenon in question is due to a re-arrangement of the 



molecules of the water just as a box of pins when shaken up 

 will occupy more room than they did when arranged in regular 

 layers. — A long extract from a letter by M. A. Poey was read 

 relating to his observations of the relation between so'ar spots 

 and terrestrial hurricanes. The author stated that during the 

 last 125 years there have been 12 maximum periods of hurricanes 

 and 10 of these correspond to sun-spot maxima and 11 periods 

 of hurricane minima, of which 5 correspond to sun-spot minima. 

 --Observations on the analogies which exist between the solar 

 spots and terrestrial cyclones, by M. Marie Davy. — Note on solar 

 and terrestrial cyclones, by M. H. de Parville. — On the 

 discharge of elect' ified conductors, by M. J. Moutier. — On the 

 variable state of electric currents, by M. P. Blaserna, an answer 

 to M. Cazin. — Application of the phosphates of ammonium and 

 barium tothepurificationofsaccharineproducts, by M. P. Lagrange. 

 — On the physiological and therapeutic action of hydrochlorate of 

 amylamine, by M. Dujardin-Beaumetz. During the meeting Dr. 

 A. W. Williamson and M. Zinin were elected Correspondents. 



December I. — M. de Quatrefages, president, in the chair. — On 

 solar and terrestrial whirlwinds, by M. Faye. The author 

 argued against Reye's ascending axes in the cases of these cy- 

 clones, and urged that both by theory and observation there is a 

 down-rush about the axis. — On the conclusion of the note, 

 General Morin made some remarks on the small eddies observed 

 in rivers as examples of the descending current in the centre of 

 similar vortexes. — On the directions of the vibrations in the rays 

 refracted in uniaxial crystals, by M. Abria. — Analytical and 

 experimental investigations of the interference of elliptical rays, by 

 M. CrouUebois. — On the return of carrier pigeons during the siege 

 of Paris, by M. W. de Fonvielle. — On the habits of the Phylloxera, 

 by M. Max. Cornu. — On a theorem of celestial mechanics, by M. 

 F. Siacci. — Note on magnetism, by M. A. Treve. — On the 

 difference of physiological action caused by induced currents 

 from colls formed of different metals, by M. Onimus. The 

 author stated that, with a coil made of a badly conduc ing 

 metal the con'rac'ion ol the muscles was greater and the effect 

 on tue cutaneous nerves smaller than when the coil is made of a 

 go-'d conductor. — Un the conjunctive elements of the spinal 

 marrow, by M. L. Ranvier. — On \.\\e An/kracot/icriiim, discovered 

 at Saint Menoux by M. Bertrand, by M. Gaudry. — On the secre- 

 tions of the flowers of Kiualyptus globulus, by M. Gimbert. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— Tlie Pearl o. the .-Vntilles ; Walter Goodman (H. S. King and 

 Co.).— The Internal Parasites of our Dome ticated Animals: Dr. Spencer 

 Cobbold(./^i<.-MOftice)— A Phrenologist among the Todas : Col. Marshall 

 (Longmans).- The "ilile and the Doctnnc of Evolution : W. Woods Smyth 

 (H. K.. Lewis).-The Threshold of the Unknown Region: Clements R, 

 Markham (Sampson Lew). — Easy Introduction to Chemistry : Arthur Rigg 

 (Rivingt nsi. — Ctiemisiianity : J. C. Sellars (Author). — The Romance of 

 Peasant Life : PVancis George Heath (Cassell). — Cholera, how to Avoid and 

 Treat it : Henry Blanc, M D. H. ^. King & Co.).— centrifugal Force and 

 Gravitation, Supplement B: John Harris (Triibner & Co.)— Rant's History 

 of Ethics Translated by T K. Kingsmill (Longmans). — Physical Geography 

 in its relation to the Prevailing Winds and Currents: J. K. Laughton (J. D. 

 Potter).— A Treatise on Medical Electricity: Ur. Althaus (Longm ns) — 

 Weather l-olk-Lore: Rev. C. Swainson (Blackwo .d -Ganot's Physics. 

 I ranslated by Atkinson. 6th edition (Longmans). — Waste Products and 

 Undeveloped Subst-inces ; P. L. Simmtnds Hardwicke) — Man and Apes: 

 St. George iVIivart (Hardwicke).— Body and Mind : Alex. Bain (H. S. King 

 & Co.). — ivletamorphoses of Insects ; Sir John Lubbjck (Macmillan & Co.). 



CONTENTS Page 



The Arctic Expedition 97 



Local SciE...TiFic Societies, III 97 



MAhSHALLS To AS OF South India. By E. B. Tylor, F.R.S. . . 99 



UUK Book ^helf lot 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Effects o' Temperature on Refle.\- Action —Prof M. Foster, F.R.S. 101 



Meyers E.xploration of New Guiuea.—A. R. Wallace, F.Z S. . 102 

 Deep-sea Soundings and Deep-sea thermometers. — R. H. ScoTT, 



F R. S. Director Met. Dept 102 



The Dutch Photographs of the Eclipse of 1871.— A. C. Ranvard, 



F.R.A.S 102 



The British Museum 103 



Moraines.— E Fkv 103 



The EievaUon of Mountains and the Internal Condition of the 



Earth — H. Hennessv 103 



Meteorologic Sections OF THE Atmosphere. By T. Stevenson . 103 



On the Physiological Action of Ozone 104 



Atmospheric Telegraphs, II. (With I llust'-aiions) 105 



The Common Frog, VI By St. George Mivart. F.R.S. (With 



Illustrations) . 107 



Eakth-Sculpture, III. By Prof. A Geikie, F.R.S no 



Extermination of Marine Mammalia 112 



Notes . 1,3 



Scientific Serials 115 



Societies AND Academies 115 



Books Received no 



