yune 1 8, 1874] 



NATURE 



135 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



jfKSliis Lidig's Aiiiialcn tier Chciiiic unci Phanitacii: Band 

 171, Heft 2 und 3. — These parts contain the following 

 papers : — On aldehyde deiivatives of naptbylamine, by Dr. G. 

 I'apasogli. Napthylamine sulpliite gives willi benzaldeliyde 

 napthylamine-benzoyl bisulphite, Cj.iH.iN.SHoOj.CjHuO. This 

 substance is decomposed on heating into sulphur dioxide, water, 

 and » resinous substance of the foimula CjyHj^N. — Action of 

 amides on phenol, by Dr. J. Guareschi. The author has tried 

 the action of benzamide and acetamide, also the action of benza- 

 mide on cresol, on methyl salicylate, and on ethyl salicylate. — 

 The same author contributes a paper on the various cymenes. 

 Seventeen of these bodies are described and tabulated with 

 bibliographical references. Franz Meilly contributes a long 

 p.nper on aconUic acid, to which substance the author assigns the 

 CH . 

 II >o 



constitutional formula C — CO'^ . — The following are commu- 

 I 



CIIXCJI 

 nications from the laboialory of applied chemistry ol Ililger's 

 University : — On Bavarian eclogile by Dr. Gerichten. — On a 

 method of analysing crystalline minerals, by the same. — On a 

 titaniferous iron of abnormal composition, by the same. — On 

 abnormal constituents of urine after taking asparagus, by A. 

 Hilger. — The solubility of tellurium and selenium in sulphuric 

 acid, by the same. — On the quantitative determination of iodine 

 in urine, by the same. — "Synthesis of Phenylbutylene " is the 

 itle of a lengthy paper by 13. Aronheim. The author has also 

 accomplished the synthesis of napthalene. — Under the heading, 

 " Researches from' the Chemical Laboratory of Kasan, commu- 

 nicated by Alexander Saytzeff," we have the following papers : — 

 On an isomeric pyrotartaric acid, by A. Tupoleff. The acid is 

 ethyl-malonic acid. — On the ether of monobrombutyric acid, by 

 the same. — On some sulphur derivatives of the primary butylic 

 alcohols, by N. Grabowsky and Alexander Saytzeff. — On the 

 reduction of succinyl chloride, by A. Saytzeff. The chief pro- 



CH„COH 

 duct of the reduction is succinic aldehyde j which, by 



CH.,COH 

 the action of caustic bases, yields a new oxybutyric ;icid 

 CH2CH.PH 



I . — Contributions towards the determination of the 



CH2COOH 



structural formula; of the allyl compounds of acrylic acid, by E. 

 Linneniann. — Contributions to the history of the orcins. — IV. 

 On the iodo-derivaiives of the orcins, by John Stenhouse. This 

 paper has already appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society. — Researches on the allyl group. — XIII. On a-dibrom- 

 propionic acid, by O. Philippi and B. ToUens. — XIV. On a- 

 monobromacrylic acid and conversion of a-dibrompropionic acid 

 into the 3 acid, by the same authors. — XV. On /8-monobroma- 

 crylic acid from /3-dibromproprionic acid, by R. Wagner and B. 

 Tollens. — XVI. Bye-products of the preparation of /3-mono- 

 broniacrylic acid, by the same. — F. Mohr contributes a lengthy 

 paper on tlie theory of dissociation or thermolysis. Among 

 other views the author opposes in severe terms that of Horst- 

 mann, who has introduced the idea of entropy into the theory of 

 dissociation. — The concluding paper is by J. J. vanRenesse, On 

 octylic and capiylic acids. 



Bulletin de I' Acmlciuie F.cyaU des Sciences, d-'c, de Eelgique, 

 ser. 2, t. xxxvii., No 4. — Mr. A. Gilkinet gives the first of a 

 promised series of papers on the morphology uf the Pyrenomy- 

 cetes. This instalment of twenty-three pages with two plates 

 is occupied with Sordaria fimicola (Cesati andDe Notaris), which 

 he identifies with Sphacria equina (Fuckel). His observations 

 confirm those made by M. Woronin on Sonlaria fimiseda, show- 

 ing that these fungi are sexual. The development and structure 

 of the male and female organs are minutely given. — Dr. F. 

 Putzeys contributes a paper On the centres of vaso-motor nerves. 

 Where are the nerve-centres which afiect the tonicity of blood- 

 vessels ? is the question he endeavours to solve. His experi- 

 ments made upon a frog are carefully detailed. He shows that 

 its spinal marrow posseses a reflex vaso-motor power throughout 

 its entire length, thus confirming the work of Schlesinger, Goltz, 

 Frtusberg, and Vulpian. Until lately the tonicity of blood- 

 vessels was believed to be under the control of the medulla 

 oblongata alone. — There is a short note by M. Edward Morren, 

 On the application of the mechanical theory of heat to the 

 growth of plants. M. Barthelemy, Professor of Physics at 



Toulouse, had recently said that he noticed last July a bamboo 

 in the Jardin des Plantes at Montpellier, which grew a centi- 

 metre an hour. Such growth, he remarked, must be coincident 

 with the fixture of carbon M. Morren by no means sees that 

 this follows. He says, " Carbon fixed in the green organs of 

 plants under the influence of the sun's rays, by the decomposition 

 of carbonic acid, is not immediately applied to the formation of 

 the tissues by which new organs are formed. The materials of 

 growth are furnished by organic material already elaborated, 

 and their application to the requirements of growth is accom- 

 panied by an expenditure of force requisite for their circulation 

 and transformations." Often when we can see plants growing 

 they are not fixing any carbon. Tubers, bulbs, buds, and seeds 

 when sprouting not only do not fix carbon, but lose some. 

 This is in consequence of their respiration, and it is the 

 heat furnished by this combustion which occasions the 

 motions by which they sprout. — There are four chemical 

 papers by M. Louis Henry : On the dry distillation of lactic 

 acid ; On propargyl ; On chloro-bromo-propionic acid ; On 

 glycerine derivatives. — There is also a note On systematic inter- 

 national meteorological observations. 



Zcitsehrifl der Osterreichischen Gesellsehnft fiir Me/eorologie. 

 — No. 8 of vol. ix. contains papers by Messrs. Wild, Hany, and 

 Jelinek on methods of reduction to sea-level of barometric read- 

 ings. — Dr. Ebermayer concludes his notice of Lorenz and Rothe's 

 new "Handbook of Climatology." The second volume is by 

 Dr. Lorenz alone. The "Provinces" into which he proposes to 

 divide Europe are Subarctic, Pontic, Baltic, North and South 

 Oceanic, and Mediterranean. The causes of modifications of 

 climate are discussed and grouped according to their relative im- 

 portance, and though the greater part is devoted to Europe, a 

 short sketch of characteristics of climate of Asia, Africa, 

 America, and Australia is given — The space devoted to short 

 articles is occupied with a notice of Bruhn's meteorological ob- 

 servations at Leipzic. 



Aslronoinisc/uA'ac/iricklen, Nos. 1,991, 1,992. — These numbers 

 contain a long paper by E. Schonfeld, giving the periods of 

 maximum and minimum of a number of variable stars, with a 

 short history of each. The elements of planet (136) are given as 

 follows : — ■ 



Epoch April 1S74, o'o Berlin time] 

 M = 225" 29' 2" , 



TT = 331° O' O" 



a = 185° 53' 4" 

 t =■ 11° 30' 4" 

 <p - 8° 23' 2" 

 p. = 1007" '86 

 Log. a = 0-36442. 



Afeniorie dclla Sociela degli Speetroscopisti ItalicDii, Mzxcii. — 

 Tills number contains a letter of Prof. B. Wolf, On the maxima 

 and minima of solar spots. He refers to the value n 'i 1 1 years for 

 the period, as given by him in 1S52, and now finds from further 

 data the period of minima to be II'II4 years, and that 01 

 maxima 1 1 '050 years. He claims to have proved the connection 

 between the above periods, and the magnetic and auroral disturb- 

 ances. A diagram accompanies this number of the chromo- 

 sphere, for Sept. 1S72, and J. Tacchini contributes a paper On 

 some spectroscopic considerations, in which he gives the method 

 he employs for viewing the prominences with a tangential slit, 

 accompanied by drawings. — To this number is an astronomical 

 appendix, containing a paper by Prof. Schiaparelli, On the 

 eleven-year period of the variation of terrestrial magnetism, con- 

 sidered in relation to the frequency ol solar spots, to which is 

 added a table showing at once the connection of the two pheno- 

 mena, from the year 1S36. 



Der A'alurforscher, April. This number consists of rhuinh 

 of papers read before Societies, &c., most of which we have al- 

 ready noticed. Students of the Prehistoric period will find a 

 long article from the Nttiheihtngen der Antitjuarischcn Gesell- 

 schajt in Ziirich, on art workmanship of the reindeer period in 

 Switzerland. 



Bullclin de la Socicti d' Acclintatation de Paris, May. — A very 

 practical paper on acclimatisation opens the May number, in 

 which M. J. M. Comely gives an account of his experi- 

 ments in inducing kangaroos, wombats, llamas, marmots, Angora 

 goats, and several new varieties of birds and plants to find a 

 congenial home in the soil and climate of France. The former 

 animals would seem to be fully acclimatised, and promise to be 

 a valuable acquisition. — Brazil now seems to enter into the com- 



