ii6 



NATURE 



\ymie II, 1874 



action of phosphorus pentachloride and of bromine on this latter 

 substance. Tlie cymene obtained from absinthol and citronellol 

 yields terephthalic and acetic acids on oxidation. — Ontheper- 

 bromates. Preliminary notice, by M. M. Pattison Muir. The 

 author has undertaken the preparation of a number of these salts. 

 — On two coals from Cape Breton, their colies and ashes, with 

 some comparative analyses, by Henry How. The remainder of 

 the journal is devoted to abstracts from British and foreign 

 journals. 



The Gco^raphital Magazine, June. — This number opens with 

 a valuable article by Mr. C. R. Mai"kham, on the Railways of 

 Peru. — The longest and most important paper, from a scientific 

 point of view, is by Mr. H. P. Malet on Bone Caves, in which 

 the author's conclusions differ in several points from those gene- 

 rally accepted. — Other articles are on Singapore, and on the 

 British colonial wool trade, by Mr. W. Kobinson. — In con- 

 nection with the American Geographical Society, letters are given 

 from Capt. Buddington, and three other officer.- of the Polaris 

 expedition, in which all but Buddington agree in stating that 

 had Hall lived the ship would have pushed much further nortli, 

 and that there would be no difficulty in some future properly 

 equipped expedition doing so. 



The Geological Magazine, June. — The original papers in this 

 number are the following : — I'escription of Cycloptychitis, a coal 

 measure fish, by Dr. R. H. Traquair, with a plate ; Physical 

 changes preceding dei)osition of cretaceous strata, by C. E. de 

 Ranee, F. G.S. ; On r<'//«««o/o;'<;, anew tabulated coral, by Prof. 

 H. A. Nicholson, F.R.S.E., with a woodcut ; Glaciation of West 

 Somerset, by W. C. Lucy, F.G. S. ; On the South of England 

 ice-sheet, by James Croll, of the Geological .Survey of Scotland ; 

 On rolypoia titberciilata in Scotland, liy Prof. J. Voiuig, M.D., 

 and Mr. John Young, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow; Landslips 

 and Sinkings in Cheshire, by J. M. 



ycnnial of the Society of Telegraphic Engineers, No 5. — The 

 princip.il original papers in this part are the following : — On a 

 method of testing short lengths of highly insulated wire in sub- 

 marine cables, by Prof. Fleeming Jenkin, F.R.S. ; On the me- 

 chanical testing of telegraph wires, by R. S. CuUey ; On the 

 strength of cylindrical wrought-iron telegraph poles, by F. C. 

 Webb ; On the percentage of averages, by W. H. Preeece ; On 

 lightning piotectors, by John Fletcher ; On equations connected 

 with telegraph wire, by 11. Mallock; Tables to facilitate the 

 calculation of strains of overhead line wires, by Robert Sabine. 



Transactions of the Clasgo-o Society of Field Naturalists. 

 Part II. Session 1S73-74. — This .Society was established in 

 1871, and seems to be in a prosperous condition so far as mem- 

 bers are concerned, and, to judge from tlie brief reports of the 

 meetings, is doing good worlc. The Society meets all the year 

 over, specimens being exhibited and papers read at all the meet- 

 ings ; the papers contain the results of observation as well as 

 occasionally of speculation, and show that the members can ob- 

 serve and think to good purpose. In summer the Society in.ikes 

 excursions to various pl.aces in Scotland, an account of the results 

 of these excursions being read at the meetings. The paper of 

 greatest novelty in this publication is Contributions to a know- 

 ledge of the Scotch C3mipida;, by Mr. P. Cameron. 



Aslronomische Nachrichtcn, Nos. 1,989, 1,990. — In these 

 numbers is contained a long paper by J. G. Galle on a method 

 of calculating the paths of bright meteors, and he gives the 

 orbits of the meteors of Jidy 11 and 19, 1873. The elements of 

 Planet (127) are given by Henry Ren.an. The elements of 

 Coggia's comet are given by A. C. Duncr as follows : — 

 T = 1S74, Jidy 20'i670 Berlin time 

 CO =: 150^ 3' 16' 

 ft = 123° I' 55" 

 i = 72° 52' 53" 



log. q — 9 '86894 

 The ephemeris for this comet is added, going up to Aug. 1 1. 



Rcale Istituto Lombardo di Scienzc e Lettere. Rendiconti : t. vii. 

 Fasc. V. — In this number M. Ccloria has a note On the extremes 

 of temperature observed in Milan since the year 1763. It appears 

 rom his table that the minimum temperatures of the several 

 years occurred 63 times in January, 27 in December, 19 in 

 February, once in M.irch (17S5), and once in November (1S66). 

 The maximum temperatures occurred 62 times \\\ July, ^t^ in 

 Au';ust, 13 in June, once in May (1786). It is further observed 

 that the minimum temperature in Milan is, on an average, — 9'''57 

 (oscillating between — 2°'S and -I7°'2) ; while the m.aximum 



temperature is, on an average, 34° '38 (oscillating between 3i°"5 

 and 37°'7)- The average mutability of temperature is thus 

 43° '9' The author also furnishes some data as to days of 

 frost at Milan iti 1838-73. The average number of these is 

 found to be about 58 ; there was a minimum of 17 in 1872, and 

 in the two years 184S and 1858 the number rose to 85. — Prof. 

 Mantegazza contributes a paper On the expression lI pain. He 

 groups all modes of painful expression in three categories ; viz. 

 expressions of reaction, expressions of paralysis, and mixed ex- 

 pressi ns of pain and of different sentiments. — Prof. Garvaglio 

 has a paper in vegetal pathology, treating of a parasitic fungus 

 M-hich produces a torm of blight in rice. — Prof. Sayno describes 

 some applications of the spiral of Archimedes to graphic calcula- 

 tion. — In the section of moral and political science. Prof Cossa 

 contributes a paper On political economy of people and states. 



Annali di Chimica applicata alia Medicina. Nos. 3 and 4, 

 March and April, 1874. — Under tire heading of "Pharmacy" we 

 notice in these numbers a paper by Carlo Pavesi on the com- 

 pound of chloral . hydrate with glycerine. — One by Giovanni 

 Ruspini on the metallurgy and applications of bismuth. — F. 

 Mayer contributes a note on the assay of alkaloids, and Leger 

 one on metatartrate of magnesia. — Bultot writes on an alteration 

 of bichloride of mercury. — Prof. G. Bizio contributes a paper 

 on protosulphide of phosphorus. — In hygiene there is a paper on 

 the disinfection of drains, by Prof. S. Zinno. — In toxicology C. 

 Meniere d'Angers contributes a paper on the toxical properties 

 of salnioja, the residue obtained in salting meat and fish for ex- 

 portation ; N. Zuntz on the nature of the compound of carbonic 

 oxide with h^cmoglobulin ; Huseman on antidotes for phenic 

 acid. — From the Journal de Pharmacologic two papers are trans- 

 lated, one on a case of arsenical poisoning, and one on the fre- 

 quency of phenol poisoning in England. — In physiology there 

 is a paper by Eiigel on metals and the human body ; and a 

 paper by G. Gallo on a new fact favouring heterogenesis. We 

 notice also an account of experiments on the production of bac- 

 teria in organic infusions, by E. R. Lankesteiy and a paper on 

 the physiological and therapeutic effects of the active principle of 

 ipecacuanha, by A. E. d'Orenellas. — In therapeutics .S. Cadet 

 has a paper on the efficacy of black sulphide of mercury in 

 cholera ; Dr. Gimbert on the application of luicalyftns glo- 

 bulus ; Prof. Binz on the action of bro.nide of potassium on 

 the animal organism ; L. Tassinari on the transfusion of blood ; 

 Prof, de Renzi on the use of sulphites in intermittent fever ; and 

 on the injection of water and saline solutions into the veins in 

 cholera, by Dr. Dujardin-Beaumetz. 



Gazetla Chi/niea Italiana. Fasciolo iii. contains but two 

 original communications, the first of which is by E. Paterno, On 

 the identity of cymene from camphor and from essence of tereben- 

 thene. The cymene was prepared from camphor by a modifica- 

 tion of Pott's i)rocess, enabling more than a kilog. of this sub- 

 stance to be acted on at once. 100 grm. of red phosphorus, 

 265 grm. of sulphur, and 780 grm. of camphor are well mixed in 

 a suitable vessel, and then heated over a gas burner till cymene 

 ceases to pass over. Analyses and descriptions of the calcium, 

 barium, lead, potassium, sodium salts of cymene-sulphonic acid, 

 from camphor cymene, as well as of the acid itself, are given. — 

 Cymene from essence of terebenthene was prepared by Riban's 

 method, and the same salts of the suipho-acid studied. — The 

 other paper is by Ugo Schiff on chromic peroxide and acid, being 

 observations and experiments relating to a paper by E. Hinlz 

 (under the direction of Prof. L. Meyer) on these substances. 

 The remainder of this part is occupied by abstracts from other 

 journals. 



Cosmos, ]\Iay. — The principal papers in this number of the 

 Italian geographical journal are an account of N. M. Prjewalsky's 

 exploration of eastern Mongolia, the present contribution relating 

 to his travels in the southern confines of Mongolia from Dala-Noor 

 to Ala-Shan ; On the gold-bearing regions between the Limpopo 

 and Zambesi, with a map ; and a continuation of the paper on 

 recent expeditions into New Guinea, 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 

 Geological Society, May 27.— -John Evans, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The following communications were read : 

 — On the last stage of the Glaci.al period in North Britain, by 

 T, F. Jamieson. In this paper the author arr.anged the Glacial 

 phenomena of Scotland under the three following heads : — (1) The. 



