374 



NATURE 



\Scpt. 3, 1874 



bird is described, named Tringa ftilocnemis. — In the Mammoth 

 Cave Mr. A. S. Packard met with a new Japyx, to which he has 

 given the specific name " suliti-yianciis." 



Aslroiwinisclie Nachrkhten, No. 2,003. — This number contains 

 a paper by W. A. Rogers, of Harvard, On the orbit of the 

 minor planet Felicitas {109). The elements and perturbations are 

 given. Tacchini gives a number of observations of Coggia's 

 comet, made with the meridian circle at Palermo. Schmidt 

 also gives a list of observations of the position of the same comet 

 for almost every night from May 3 to July 15. Schulhof gives 

 several sets of elliptic elements for Coggia's comet, and it appears 

 that it may be the same body as was seen in 1734, and so having 

 a period of I37'i years ; or it may have a period of 12184 '3 years, 

 as shown by another set of elements. The author also adds an 

 ephemeris from Aug. 31 to Oct. 6. D' Arrest also gives observa- 

 tions on this comet.— Dr. Zenker contributes a note On the light 

 of the comet being polarised in a plane passing through the 

 sun and comet, showing the presence of reflected sunlight.^ 

 Konkoly adds a note On the spectrum of the comet. 



No. 2,004 contains a catalogue by Engelmann of the positions 

 of fixed stars. — Pogson gives his observations on Biela's comet, 

 made in November and December 1S72. At Madras, on Nov. 

 2, at I7h. 31m. I '35. Madras mean time, its R.A. was I4h. 7m. 

 l2-66s., and P.D. 124° 45' 2ri"; and on Dec. 3, at I7h. 13m. 

 11-35. its R.A. was Hh. 21m. SJ'iis., and P.D. 124° 4' 37-5' 

 — Prof. Watscn gives the elements and an ephemeris of Aethra 

 (132). — Winnecke and lirulms contribute notes on the positions 

 of Borrelly's comet, and Dr. Holetschek has calculated the fol- 

 lowing element and ephemeris : — • 



T =Aug. 26.7199 Berlin time. 



Zeitschri/t der Oesterreichischen Gesdhchaft Jiir Mdeorologie, 

 Aug. I. — The first article in this number is a statement by Capt. 

 HofTmeycr, director of the Royal Meteorological Institute at 

 Copenhagen, of his plan, already noticed in Nature, vol. x. 

 p. 146, by Mr. R. 11. Scott, for publishing daily weather charts for 

 Europe and part of the Atlantic. It is here illustrated by a 

 specimen chart. Next follows an examination by M. Raulin of 

 the distribution of rain in Turkey in Europe and neighbouring 

 parts. Observations were made at Pirano and Trieste between 

 1787 and 1S07, and since 1841 ; in Corfu since 1845 ; at Ragusa 

 since 1851 ; and at other stations, of which five are outside the 

 peninsula, in later years. All the stations are near the margin 

 of this large region, so that the weather of the interior is not 

 yet well known. M. Raulin divides the year into two periods, a 

 cold one from October to March, and a warm one from April to 

 September. The practical significance of this division is that the 

 rainfall of the warm period satisfies the immediate wants of vege- 

 tation, while that of the cold season goes mainly to the supply of 

 wells and rivers. The rainfall at Fiume is very large, also at 

 Ragusa, fanina, and Corfu, but very small at Athens and 

 Smyrna. France has been divided into districts, each having ils 

 peculiar distribution of rain through the year, and the same 

 method is adopted here. The first district, like the plain of 

 Northern Europe, has more rain in summer than in winter, and 

 includes Austria, Carinthia, Styria, Hungary, Southern Russia, 

 and the Lower Danube, to Bucharest. Laihach belongs to the 

 second district, having a rainfall steadily increasing from winter 

 to autumn. To the third, with a very dry winter and summer 

 and very wet .autumn, belong St. Magd.alena, Trieste, and 

 Semlin. To the fourth, with a dry summer and rainy autumn, 

 Dalmatia, Albania, Athens, Pera, and Scutari. Among the 

 "Kleinere Mitthedungen" we have an interesting account of the 

 climate of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, from a report of the 

 United States Government Survey Expedition ; a notice of Ilerr 

 Mohn's results derived from observations at Novaya Zemlya and 

 Spitzbergen, made by Tobiesen, who died while wintering at the 

 former place ; and of Mr. Draper's paper, in which he shows 

 the fe.ars of a supposed change of climate in the Eastern States 

 of North America to be groundless. •, 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, Aug. 24. — M. Bertrand in the chair. 

 The following papers were read: — Ninth note on guano, by 

 M. E Chevreul. — Study of the fossil grain found in a silicified 

 state in the coal formation of Saint-Etienne. Second part : 

 Description of genera, by Ad. Brongniart. The author de- 

 scribes rolylophospcrmum, Codojiospcrmiim, Stephaiiospcimum, 

 and .-Ethcolcsta. — Note on the Central Sea of Algeria, by M. E. 

 Roudaire. This is a reply to objections raised by MM. Fuchs 

 and E. Cosson. — Researches on the effects of powder in fire- 

 arms, by M. E. Sarrau. — On the passivity of iron ; second note, 

 by M. A. Renard. — Memoir on vegetable protoplasm, by M. 

 Ganeau. — On some phenomena of localisation of mineral sub- 

 stances in the Articulata ; physiological consequences of these 

 facts, by M. E. Ileckel. The anthor has been feeding insects 

 with arsenic. The metallic powder was mixed with flour, and 

 after repeated small doses the insects (Mantis tdij^ioia, Blatta 

 occidi-ntalis^ and Ccrambyx /uros) were killed and various parts 

 of the intestinal tube examined. The Malpighian tubes only 

 gave decided indications of arsenic. — Various communications on 

 PhylUwcra vadatrix were received from MM. Ador, Boutin, 

 Rommier, Morlot, Barnier, and others.- -On a new formula for 

 obtaining by successive approximations the roots of an equation of 

 which all the roots are real, by M. Laguerre. — On the direct combi- 

 nation of ch romic acid with wool and silk ; applications to the colour- 

 ing and analysis of wines, by M. C. Jacquemin. M. C. Chevreul 

 made some iem.arks on the foregoing paper. — On the ureides of 

 pyruvic acid and its brominated derivatives, by M. E. Grimaux. 

 Pyruvic acid heated with urea gives a substance of the formula 

 Cj„Hi4Ng04. When excess of urea is employed the compound 

 CioNigN^O; is produced. With excess of acid another body is 

 obtained, of which the composition has not yet been established. 

 A nitro-body of the formula CioHmNgOji has been prepared 

 from these compounds, and likewise a ureide of tribrompyruvic 

 acid of the formula Ci(|H8Br„NgO|.. — Analyses of v.irious pieces 

 of calf flesh, mutton, and pork sold in the Paris market in 1873 

 and 1874, by M. Ch. Mene. — Anresthesia produced by the injec- 

 tion of chloral into the veins for the removal of a cancerous 

 tumour, by M. Ore. — Application of the graphical method to the 

 determination of the mechanism of rejection in rumination, by 

 M. J. A. Toussaint. — Note on the physiological action of apo- 

 morphine, by M. C. David. The author has experimented on 

 dogs, cats, pigeons, rabbits, and guinea-pigs. The influence of 

 various reagents on the alkaloid has also been studied. — Action 

 of the sulphydric acid of the sources of the Luchon on granitic 

 galleries, by M. F. Garrigou. — Observations of the Perseides 

 made at the Observatory of Toulouse on August S, 7, 8, and 9, 

 1S74, by M. Gruey. — Observations made at Paris of the shooting 

 stars of the month of August 1874; progress of the phemonenon 

 from 1S37 to 1874, by M. Chapelas. 



CONTENTS 



Pagb 



Fifth Report OF THE Science Commission, II 351 



The Aitlication of the I.aws of Selection to Agkicultuke. 



By Prof. Thomas Baldwin 352 



Darwin's " CoKAL Reefs" 353 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Long Peruvian Skull.— Prof. Daniel Wilson ' 355 



Pollen gr.iins in the Air. — Hubert Airy 355 



Chrysomela Banksii. — J. Traherne Moggridge 355 



The Aurora Borealis.— Henrv R. Procter 355 



Robert Eumond Grant, M.D., F.R S 355 



Conference for Maritime Meteorology 356 



Deep-sea Soundings in the Pacific Ocean 356 



Proceedings of the French Association. By W. de Fonvielle. 357 



The SiDEROsTAT {IVit/t/Uusiraiitjns) 358 



Notes 359 



The British Association 361 



On the Hypothesis that Animals are Automata, and its 



History. By Prof. Huxley, F.R.S 362 



The Caknivokous Habits OF Plants. By Dr. Hooker, Pres. R.S. 366 



British Association Reports 372 



Scientific Serials 373 



Socibties and Academies 374 



