196 



NA TURE 



\yan. 8, 1874 



qiiiniais acidulated so that the quantity of uncombined base bears 

 to the acid the same ratio as in the foregoing mixture between 

 the uncombined quinia and the quantity .1, and a solution of 

 brucia is prepared so as to preserve the ratio of the uncombined 

 biucia to « — v. Then the ratios in these of I\ to .f , and of l\. 

 to s-i arc the same as in the case of equilibrium, the rotation 

 caused by these fluids being rj and r„. Let them be mixed in 

 the proportions in : n, and the rotation caused by the mixture is 

 w?-] + nr.^ ^^^ whatever be the ratio of /« : a, there being no 



rupture of equilibrium, it is evident that if the ratios b^ : s^ and 

 Ik-, : s^ have the values proper for equilibrium, the latter will be 

 preserved, however the ratio /'j : b^ may vary. Hence, in mathe- 



matical language, U = F 





By a fourth series of ex- 



periments a mixture of solution of quinia and brucia was made, 

 in which these bases have to each other the same ratio as the 

 uncombined bases in the second series of experiments. A second 

 mixture is made of the same solutions in which the bases have 

 the same ratio as the combined bases in the second series of ex- 

 periments. Sufficient acid is added to the latter mixture to con- 

 vert the bases into salts. Here the ratios by : A, and s^ : s^ have 

 the values for equilibrium. If these now be added to each other 

 in the proportion of m : «, the rotation caused by the mixture 



?-j 1-2 being the rotation caused by each of the added fluids sepa- 

 rately, it is in'erred as before that U = j ( -^ , — ' ), but if i/ sa- 

 tisfy both these conditions it is easily shown mathematically that 

 U = / 1 J -J- -^ I, hence it is evident that the required equation 



!■: -1 — —2 _ constant. The author showed the 



of equilibrium is 



bearing of the law upon the theory that chemical combination is 

 not statical Ij't dynamical, observing that this theory is quite in 

 accordance \. .th the results obtained by him. (This valuable 

 memoir will appear in full in the Transactions of the Royal Irish 

 Academy. ) 



riiiL.\DELriii-\ 



Academy of NaturalSciences, Aug. 19, 1S73. — Dr. Rusch^n- 

 berger, president, in the chair. " The Composition of Tiaut- 

 winite. " Theautlior gavea few additional details concerning this 

 new mineral, which was described in the Proceedings of the 

 Academy for January i. 



Sept. 9. — Mr. Gentry communicated a notice of a great swarm 

 of ephemerids which passed through the town of Lewisburg, 

 on the Susquehanna River, on the afternoon of August 22. The 

 swarm was estimated to be about a mile in length by nearly a 

 half mile in width, and was so dense as even to obscure passers- 

 by on the opposite side of the street. 



Sept. 15. — The following papers were presented for publica- 

 tion : — "On a new American species of Glyptocephalus, " by 

 Theo. Gill; "Description of fifty-two species of Unionid;e," 

 by Isaac Lea. The last-named paper was, on report of the 

 committee, ordered to be published in the Journal of the Aca- 

 demy, 



Boston, U.S. 



Society of Natural History, Nov. 5, 1873. — Mr. F. W. 

 Putnam read a paper on J\Iyxi>u\ a low genus of fishes, known 

 to tisliermtn as ha^s^ giving an account of its anatomy, which 

 was illustrated by a series of specimens exhibited. The several 

 species described by various authors must be reduced to one, 

 having a wide geographical distribution, being found on both 

 sides of the Northern Atlai.tic, and also on the southern coast of 

 South America. Mr. Putnam showed that the variations in the 

 number of lingual teeth, wliich are from eight to eleven in each 

 row in specimens from the North Atlantic and from the Straits 

 of Magellan, could not be considered as of specific importance. 

 The different varieties of this species lie c(>nsidered as follows : — 

 Var. sepUnlrioimlis, the short and thick form, from the North 

 Atlantic, var. liiiwsa, the long and slender variety, also from, the 

 North Atlantic ; while tlie southern variety may be called 

 aiisirnlh, the name under which Jennyns described it as a true 

 species. — Dr. Tliomas Dwight read a pajier on the "Structure 

 and Action of Striated Muscular Fibre." His studies had been 

 made on the muscles of the legs of the small water beetle 



Gyriniis. Their covering is quite transparent, and after the 

 leg has been cut oiT and put into a drop of water under a 

 covering glass, the contractions can often be observed tor over 

 an hour. He found that the fibre, at rest, consisted of narrow 

 granular transverse stripes, with broad light-coloured bands 

 between them. Close to the black stripe there was a glaring 

 white reflection, but midway beiween two stripes the fibre was 

 gray. When the fibre contracted tie i lack bands came nearer 

 together, and their granular strucmre became more ob.icure ; the 

 gray band disappeared, so that there was merely an alttrnation 

 of black and white stripes. The ends of the white stripes 

 bulged out during contraction. As the wave of contraction 

 moved along, it was easy to see that there was no interchange of 

 position between the black and the light substances, and no 

 homogeneous transition stage, as is maintained by Merkel. 

 When one part of the fibre is in contraction, the part from 

 which the wave is running is put upon the stretch ; the black 

 1 bands are divided into two rows of granules, and there is less 

 I distinction between the white and gray substances. 



P.\RIS 

 Academy of Sciences, Dec. 29, 1873. — M. de Quatrefages, 

 president, in the chair. — The following papers w ere read ; — On 

 the formation of equations of the condition which results from 

 the observations of the Transit of Venus on December 8, 1 874. 

 — A new answer to M. Pasteur, by M. Trecul. This was a 

 general review of M. Pasteur's views as to the origiu of yeast. 

 M. Pa>teur briefly replied. — A theoretical essay on tlie equi- 

 librium and elasticity of pulverulent masses and on the thrust ot 

 non-cohesive earth, by 1\I J. Boussinesq. — On the isomerism of 

 albumenoids, by M. Bechamp. The author gave many Cetails 

 with regard to various albumenoids ; he had discovered three m 

 cow's milk. M. Dumas conhrmed the latter result, which he 

 had himself attained by different means. — Action of water on 

 sheet lead, by H. Marais. — Note on hybernatmg Phylloxera and 

 on their agility and ar.ificial restoration, by M. Max. Cornu. — 

 Observations on a note of M. Menabrea relaiing to Lagrange's 

 series, by M. Gcnocchi. — Researches on arsenious hydride, by 

 M. Engel. The author has been repeating Wiedcrhold's re- 

 searchei on the supposed As„H ; he, however, did nut obtain 

 the substance in question. — Nore on tlie action of iodine on uric 

 acid, by M. F. Wurtz. The author found that when these 

 bodies were allowed to act in the presence of water, alloxan and 

 hydriodic acid w^ere formed, and probably also urea with other 

 bodies. — Synthesis of oxalyl urea (parabanic acid), by M. E. Gri- 

 maux. — On a new arrangement of the sulphate ot copper battery, 

 by JNI. Trouve. — Observations on the existence of certain relations 

 between the colouring and geographical di^t^ibution of birds, by M. 

 A. Milne-Edwards. — On fossil remains ol Batrachia, Lacertia, and 

 Ophi.iia found in the phosphate of lime deposits at Aveyron, by 

 M. Filhol. — On the development of the phragmostraciivi of tne 

 Cfp/talopoda and the zoological connection of tne Ammonilcsviith 

 the SpinilcT, by M. Munier-Chalmas. — On waterspouts and 

 cyclones, by M. E. Mouchez. — On the eflects of Indian hemp, 

 by M. A. Naquet. — During the meeting, elections were held for 

 the posts of Correspondent of the astronomical section, vacant 

 by the deaths of Encke and Admiral Smyth, to which Messrs, 

 Lockyer and Roche were elected. 



CONTENTS Page 



Vivisection 177 



The Relation of Mind and Body. By Douglas A. Spalding. . 178 



The Elements of Logarithms 179 



The Pedigree and Kelationship of Man 180 



UuR Book ^helf 181 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Largest Amphipod. Willenioesia (Deidamia).— R. V. Wills- "! 



MOES SUHM 182 



Physiological Effects of Ozone.— Dr. J. N. Hbarder, F.CS. . . 182 



Photogiaphiiig the Transit of Venus.— J. AlTKEN 183 



The New iMarine Animal.— Dr. E L. Moss 183 



The Potato Disease.— Rev. M. J. Berkeley, F.L S 183 



Specific Gravity of Sea-water.— R. Strachan 183 



Optical Phenomenon. — E. C. Buck . . 183 



On Tempekature Cycles. By Dr. W. Koppen '. . 184 



Lavoisier's Work in the Foundation of the Metric System. By 



H. W, Chisholm, Warden ot the Standards 185 



The Common Frog, VIll By St. George Mivart. F,R.S. (^^i/// 



Iliustr^itiofis) 186 



Bees Visiting Flowers By Francis Darwin 189 



Tjie French Museum of Physical and Mechanical Science . . 100 



l^OTES . xji 



On the Spectra of Comets. By Dr. Vogel 193 



Scientific Serials 194 



Societies and Academies 195 



