33© 



NATURE 



\Aug. 20, 1874 



ratory movements and of the arterial pulsations, of examining 

 the retina in the living eye and the larynx of a living man almost 

 as readily as if these parts were exposed in a dissection, I cannot 

 but conclude that this nineteenth century has already been dis- 

 tinguished as a very notable one for biology, and especially for 

 physiology. 



Considering that so much time is required' for making a single 

 careful observation, it is very fortunate that so large an array of 

 inquirers and so much talent are employed upon the subjects in 

 which we are interested, and tliat once a year we have this 

 admirable opportunity of listening to the results of inquiries 

 instituted by tlie most eminent men in all parts of the world, 

 and of hearing different views advocated with tlie greatest 

 earnestness and yet with perfect good humour, and a rigorous 

 determination to rest satisfied with nothing but the truth. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Prociedings of I he Berwickshire Naturalis/s' Clitb. — This is the 

 first part of a new volume of the always welcome proceedings of 

 this almost venerable club, wliicli, although nominally a "Natural- 

 ists' Club," concerns itself not only vvitli all departments of 

 natural history, but also with subjects of antiquarian, archaeo- 

 logical, and general historical nature. This part of the Proceed- 

 ings especially contains a very large proportion of pipers on the 

 antiquities and history of the district worked by the club. As 

 usual, the annual address of tlie president. Dr. Cliarles Stuart, 

 consists of a summary of the proceedings of the club during tlie 

 previous year, and as the proceedings take place mostly in the 

 open air, in spring and summer, the president's address is almost 

 always bracing and interesting, and full of inforaiation ; it is so 

 in the present case. One of the longest papers is by Dr. George 

 Johnston, having a description of a visit to Holy Island in May 

 1854, and contains a great deal of interest on tlie history, natural 

 history, and curiosities of tliat historical islet ; appended is a list 

 of the plants and animals which were seen during the visit. Mr. 

 James Hardy has a large number of papers in this part ; of his 

 more strictly scientific Cf)ntributions are the " History of some 

 Bass Plants," " Arrival, Depanure, and Local i\Iigration of Birds 

 near Old Cambus, 1^73," "On Insects of East Berwickshire," 

 " Contributions to the Entornology of Cheviot Hills, No. IV." 

 Under the head of " Hawick and its Neighbourhood" we have 

 the ge'ilogy of the Hawick district by Prof. James Elliott, and 

 its preliistoric antiquities by Dr. Bryden. Mr. Jolin Anderson 

 gives a list of Lepidoptera taken at various places in the south- 

 east of Scotland in 1873, and Mr. A. Kelly the Habitats of 

 some Berwickshire Birds. There are three contributions on Poa 

 SuiieticahyMr. A. Brotherton, Mr. A. Kelly, and Mr. J. Hardy. 

 Mr. Brotherton also contributes "Zoological Notes, 1S73," and 

 a "List of Tweedside Plants, mostly of recent introduction." 

 Sir Walter Elliot has an interesting obituary of the late Dr. T. C. 

 Jerdon, who wrote so largely on Indian natural history. We 

 have not space to refer to the interesting historical and antiquarian 

 papers. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



CiJTTINGEN 



Royal Society of Sciences, March 7. — M. Wieseler read 

 a paper On the Surname " Asphaleios " as applied to Poseidon. 

 — Dr. Drude presented a note On the Systematic Position of 

 Schizocodoii, a genus created by Siebold, to which some plants 

 found in the highlands of Japan are referred. The author 

 regards Schizocodon as an anomalous Primulacea, allied to SoU 

 danella, and clearing up the relationship between the Primulacea; 

 and the Poleniionace.x. — Dr. Carl Fromme made a communication 

 On the magnetisation-function of a ball of soft iron, i.e. the mag- 

 netic moujent obtained in a ball of unit volume by unit magnetising 

 force. — M. Ntildeke communicated a note On the Greek Names 

 of Susiana. — M. Bjerkesm gave a generalisation of the problem 

 of motions produced in a still inelastic duid by the motion of an 

 ellipsoid. 



Paius 



Academy of Sciences, Aug. 10.— M. Bertrand in the chair. 

 The following papers were read :— On a new memoir by M. 

 Helmholtz, by M. Bertrand. — Studies on the fossil grain found 

 in a silicified state in the coal formation of Saint Etienne, by M. 

 Ad. Brongniart. — Note on the isthmus of Gabes and the eastern 

 extremity of the Saliaran depression, by M. Edin. Fuchs. The 



author speaks in unfavourable terms of the scheme for establish- 

 ing a central sea in Algeria. — Fifth note on the conductivity of 

 ligneous bodies, by M. Th. du Moncel. — Researches on explosive 

 bodies ; explosion of powder ; by MM. Noble and F. A. Abel. 

 Second memoir. — Actual state of the invasion of Phylloxera in 

 the Charente provinces : extract from a letter from M. J. Girard 

 to the perpetual secretary. — On the employment of flax waste 

 against Phylloxera : a letter from M. La Perre de Roo to M. 

 Dumas. — Vines attacked by Phylloxera treated by sand : extract 

 from a letter from M. L. Faucon to M. Dumas. — Note on 

 Coggia's comet, by MM. Wolf and Rayet. The authors made 

 two determinations of the wave-length of the central and 

 most brilliant band in the spectrum. The results are — ^July 

 1st, 5161 ; Jiily 6th, S'^S- — Observations of Coggia's comet 

 (III. 1S74) made with the Secretan-Eichens equatoreal, by 

 M. Baillaud. — Observations of Barrelly's comet (IV. 1S74) 

 made with the Secretan-Eichens equatoreal, by M. Wolf. — On 

 the application of gilding on glass to the construction of the 

 camera lucida, by M. G. Govi. — Stratification of the electric 

 light, by M. B.daud. — On decolorising charcoals and their 

 artificial production, by M. Melsens. — On the constitution of 

 clays (second note), by M. Th. Schlcesiiig. — Estimation of 

 tannin, by MM. A. Muntz and Ramspacher. The authors 

 allow the tanning solution to pass through a piece of hide, 

 and estimate the amount of matter removed by loss. — Note 

 relating to the action of muscarine (toxic principle of Agarieiis 

 inmeariiis) on the pancreatic, biliary, and urinary secretions, by 

 M. J. L. Prevoit. — On an arrangement of apparatus permitting 

 the recovery of the iodine which is disengaged during the manu- 

 facture of "superphosphate of lime," by M. P. Thibault. — On 

 the etherification of glycol, by M. Lorin. — On a solid polymeride 

 of the essence of terebenthene, tetraterebenthene, by M. J. 

 Ribau. This substance is obtained by the action of antimonious 

 chloride upon terebenthene. — On the albumens of the white of 

 egg, d propos of a reclamation of M. Arm. Gautier, by M, A. 

 Bechamp. — Analysis of different pieces of beef sold in the Paris 

 market in 1S73, by M. Ch. Mene. — On the Annelids of the 

 Gulf of Marseilles, by M. A. F. Marion.— On the Echini from 

 the environs of Marseilles, by M. V. Gauthier. — On the dre5sing 

 of wounds with phenic a;id (according to Dr. Leister's process), 

 and on the development of vibrios in the wounds, by M. 

 Demarquay. — On the scales of the lateral line in different percoid 

 fish, by M. L. Vaillaiit. — On the influence of forests on the 

 quantity of rain which a country receives, by MM. L. Fautrat 

 and A. Sartiaux. — On the age and position of the white statuary 

 marbles of the Pyrenees and Alps, by M. H. Coquand. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



British.— British Wild Flowers. Part I. : Sowerby and Jollnson (Van 

 Voorst). — Reclamation and Protection of Agricultural Laud : David Steven- 

 son (Black), — Proceedings of tlie Manchester Literary and Pfillosopfiical 

 Society, vols. viii. ix. x. — Memoirs of the Manchester Literary and Philoso- 

 phical Society, vol, iv., 3rd scries. — How I found Livingstone in Central 

 Africa : H, M, Stanley, Cheap Edition (Low).— Twelfth Annual Report of 

 the Birmingham Free Libraries Committees,— On the Modern Hypothesis of 

 Atomic Matter and Luminiferous Ether : H. Deacon — Proceedings of the 

 Bristol Naturalists' Society, 1873.— Divine Revelation ; or, Pseudo-Science : 

 R. G. Suckling Browne (Longmans). —Tyer's Block Telegraph and Electric 

 Locking Signals, 5th edit. (Tycr & Co.).— The Human Eye: W, Whalley(J, 

 and A, Churchill).— Physiology of the Circulation : Or, Bell Pettigrew (Mac- 

 millan & Co.).— Researches in the Life History of the Monads : W. H. Dal- 

 linger and J. Drysdale, M. D, — Journal of the Iro» and Steel Institute, vol, i. 

 (Newcastle"). — Treasury of Natural History. New Edition (Longmans.) 



CONTENTS Pack 



Scientific Worthies, IV.— John Tvndall. By Prof. Helmholtz 



{IVll/i SIcel KiigraTitif) 299 



Gkove's '* Correlation of Physical Forces," By Prof, J, Clerk- 

 Maxwell, F,R.S 302 



First Forms of Vegetation 304 



Letters to the Editor : — 



BrightMelcors.— Prof, P. G.Tait, F.R.S.E 305 



Mr, Herbert Spencer and Physical Axioms, — Prof, F. Guthrie, 



LLB 30s 



Organisation of the French Meteorological Service .... 306 



Notes 306 



The British Association for the Advancement of Science . . 308 



Inaugural Address by the President 309 



Section A. — Opening Address by the President 319 



Section C. do. do do. 324 



Section D. do. do. do. 327 



Scientific Serials 330 



Societies and Academies 330 



Books Received 330 



