274 



NA TURE 



[Feb. 5, 1874 



material having been collected by Drs. von Fritsch and Rein. 

 The ne^\' types are not very numerous, but the remarkably wide 

 distribution of spider-species is confirmed ; and good illustration 

 afforded of the influence of climate and other local conditions in 

 modifying type forms. Dr. Rein describes some plants found 

 in the neighbourhood of Mogador, and also furnishes a sketch 

 of the vegetation of the Bermudas. A new species of perforating 

 cirripede, Kochlorine Jiamala N., is described by Dr. Knoll; 

 M. Scheidel contributes a note on lake dwellings and their inha- 

 bitants ; and there are interesting accounts of journeys ,to Iceland, 

 and to the Puglia Petrosa, in Italy. 



We have received the first Annual Report of the " Haileybury 

 Natural Science Society. " It contains preliminary lists of the 

 fauna and flora of the place, together with observations on the 

 meteorology of tlie locality, and a humorous description of an 

 experimental dinner at which the principal dish consisted of 

 esculent snails which had been specially fed and fattened for the 

 purpose by certain members of the Society. It need scarcely be 

 added, that the repast amply rewarded the members for their 

 generous devotion to llie cause of Science. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include three Mauge's Dasyures (Dasyurus maiigj-i) 

 from Australia, presented by Mr. J. Shaw ; two Vulturine 

 Guinea Fowl {Niimida vidtiirina) from East Africa, presented 

 by Dr. J. Kirk; a Chilian Sea- Eagle {Gcranoactus agiiia) from 

 Bahia, presented by Mr. J. Judge ; an Indian Leopard 

 (Felis pardus) presented by Mr. G. D. Elphinstone ; two Orang 

 Outangs (Simla satyrus) from Borneo, and a Ungko Gibbon 

 (Hylobates varie^atiis ) from Sumatra, deposited ; two Wanderoo 

 Monkeys [Alacaais silcmis) from the Malabar Coast ; a Brown 

 Monkey (ALicaais brunncus) and two Adjutants (Leptoptihis 

 argala) from India, two Pheasant-tailed Pigeons {Macropygia 

 fhasianella) from N. S. Wales, and two Jambu Fruit Pigeons 

 (Ptilonopin jambtC) from the Indian Archipelago, purchased. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



American yoiirnal of Science and Arts, December 1873. — In a 

 paper on the magnetic permeability (that is "conductivity,"' 

 according to Faraday), and the maximum of magnetism of iron, 

 steel, and nickel, by Mr. Henry Rowland, C.E. , the results 

 are expressed, and the reasoning is carried out in the language of 

 Faraday's lines of magnetic force. The quantity introduced, in 

 mathematical theories of induced magnetisation, depending on 

 the magnetic prcperties of the substance, is in these treated as a 

 constant ; but it was shown, in twelve cases of iron and two of 

 nickel, to vary between wide limits. The author finds that the 

 magnetisation of good iron can never exceed 175,000 times the 

 unit magnetic fieid (on the metre, gramme, second, system), 

 nor can nickel exceed 63,000 times ; and from these data, and 

 with aid uf a formula of Prof. Maxwell's for tension of lines of 

 force, it is inferred that tlie greatest weight which can be sus- 

 tained by an electro-magnet with an infinite current, is, for iron, 

 354 lbs. per sqtiare inch of section, and for nickel 46 lbs. The 

 results of experiment closely agreed with this. — Prof. Henry 

 Draper communicates a note on diffraction-spectrum photo- 

 graphy, accompanied with a photograph printed by the Albert- 

 type process. (See Nati'RE, vol. ix. p. 223.) — We note 

 several geological papers, one of them, by Prof. Fontaine, de- 

 scribing a remarkal)le deposit of bituminous matter, termed 

 Grahamite, in Ritchie County, West Virginia, chemically re- 

 »embling the mineral Albertite of New Brunswick, but differing 

 considerably from this in its geological relations. — The age of the 

 Lignitic formation of the Rocky Mountain region is lar from 

 decided, owing to the contrary evidence afforded by fossil plants 

 and animals ; and the editors propose to cite the arguments from 

 various sources, in order, if possible, to bring about agreement. 

 They give in this number the conclusions of M. Lesquereux 



from fossil plants. He refers the Lignitic beds to the Upper and 

 Lower Eocene ; and he gives a number of facts showing the dis- 

 connection of American Eocene flora from that of tlie Cretaceous, 

 indicating truly separate formations. — Mr. Comstock describes 

 the geoli'gy of Western Wyoming. — Mr. Verrill communicates the 

 results ot a recent dredging expedition on the coast of New 

 England. It was ascertained that the body of cold bottom 

 water approaches so nearly to the Coast of Maine as to manifest 

 itself distinctly within twelve or fifieen miles of Cape Elizabeth, 

 both by its highly Arctic fauna, and its icy temperature, even in 

 summer. — In a letter from Cordoba, dated Sept. S, 1873, Dr. 

 Gould describes a remarkable swarm of locusts then occurring. 



Asironomisckc N'achrichten, No. 1970, Jan. 14, contains 

 the following papers : — On the determination of longitude by 

 star-occultation and the telegraphically determined longitude be- 

 tween Madras, .Singapore, and Batavia, by Dr. Oudemans. The 

 author mentions his observations in 1859 as giving a longitude 

 for Batavia of 7h. 7m. 12 '5 s., also others in later years giving 

 rather a less i-esult. In 1870-71, however, the telegraphic com- 

 munication with .Singapore was used, giving a mean result of 

 iim.*40 S95 s. longitude from that place. The same author gives 

 a note on Kaiser's original proof of Foucault's pendulum re- 

 searches. The proof is given by Prof. Oudemans, by which the 

 plane of motion of the pendulum moves in azimuth in isec, 

 15". sin ^. It is too long to give in full here, but appears 

 simple and good. Prof. Oudemans has also two other papers 

 on position observation made during the eclipse of Dec. 1871 at 

 Java, and on the Spheroidal form of the earth, which consist 

 chiefly of equations and tables whiclr we have not space to intro- 

 duce. — Dr. Holetschek gives ephemerides of a number of the 

 minor planets. 



Der Naturforschcr, December 1873. — This number contains 

 notes from the Bothkamp Observatory. In one of them M. 

 Vogel gives observations of the spectra of several fixed stars, 

 comparing the results obtained by Huggins and Miller. An- 

 other treats of periodic changes in the atmosphere of Jupiter, 

 The observation that the occurrence of certain coloured stripes 

 in Jupiter, and of bright egg-shaped spots in his equato- 

 rial zone coincided with the maximum epoch of sunspots, appears 

 to be confirmed by a number of fresh data collected by the 

 writer. Dr. Lohse. A third note describes observations of Venus 

 in 1871-73, by M. Vogel, who thinks it probable that the planet 

 is surrounded with an atmosphere in which floats a thick and 

 dense layer of condensation products, so that little insight is 

 afforded to the planet's surface, and the observation of spots 

 helps but little to ascertaining the time of rotation or the position 

 of the axis of rotation. — In physics, we have a note on the 

 curious fact which M. Budde has recently studied, viz , that 

 chlorine, when acted on by very refrangible rays of light, under- 

 goes expansion and heating. .Some experiments, made by M. 

 Hirn, on the optical properties of flame, tend to show that flame 

 is not perfectly transparent to light (as Arago and M. Offret 

 have affirmed), but that particles in the glowing state are ; the 

 weakening of light in its transmission tlirough flames is due to 

 the various refractions it undereoes, and consequent dispersion. 

 The author is led to some speculations on the sun's temperature, 

 and he puts the case thus : If the glowing parts of the photo- 

 sphere are intransparent, the temperature must (according to 

 maihematical calculation), be nearly six million degrees ; if they 

 are transparent, it must be considerably less ; and the lower, the 

 greater the transparency. The problem is one for experimental 

 physics, the question being. Are all solid or liquid bodies trans- 

 parent and diathermanous when brought to a very high tempera- 

 ture ? M. Hirn, we have seen, inclines to reply in the affirma- 

 tive. We find accounts of Prof. Guthrie's discovery of a new 

 relation between heat and electricity, and M. Herwig's experi- 

 ments on pulverisation of electrodes in the voltaic arch.— Che- 

 mistry is represented by papers on the laivs governing water of 

 crystallisation, and the reduction ot carbonic acid by phosphate 

 of iron. — The action of camphor on jilant life has been recently 

 studied by M. Vogel at Munich, in a series of experiments 

 which confirm an almost forgotten observation by Barton in the 

 last century, that camphor has a stimulant effect on plants analo- 

 gous to that of spirituous liquors or opium, in certain quantity, 

 on the human system. There are also botanical notes on the 

 influence of CO, on verdant growth of plants (M. Buhm), and 

 on the geographical distribution of the Cupuliferas (M. Oersted) ; 

 and, in technology, M. Riche discusses the physical properties of 

 certain alloys. 



