Oct. I, 1 8 74 J 



NA TURE 



453 



Prof. Cunningham contributed a short paper On kvo Species of 

 CrustiUfii, one belonging to the remarkable fresh-water genus, 

 the Alv>i sfiin/>t's, and tlie other Ijelonging to an apparently un- 

 described species of the genus I\iiittviiii, which are remarkable 

 for being found as tenants of the shells of living bivalve molluscs. 

 The two specimens were foimd in the Singula Archipelago. 



A paper, contributed by Mr. T. Lister, On the Spring Mi- 

 grating Birds of North England, was read by Prof. Cunning- 

 ham. 



Mr. E. R. Lankester brought the subject of English Motnen- 

 clatnre in Systematic Biology before the department, and said it 

 would be a considerable gain to science if tliere could be intro- 

 duced a series of terms distinctly English in their etymology, 

 which would be accepted as authoritative and used throughout 

 the country. The only question was wliether it was possible, by 

 any action on the part of scientific men, to introduce such a series 

 of terms. He suggested the appointment of a committee of men 

 whose names would be received as authoritative throughout the 

 countiy, to draw up a list of terms which should be used for the 

 groups of the animal and vegetable kingdom. 



A discussion followed, in which Prof. Tliiselton Dyer, Mr. 

 Bentham, Mr. A. W. Bennett, Prof. Cunningham, Miss Becker, 

 Prof. Dickson, and Dr. Sclater took part, the generally expressed 

 opinion being unfavourable to the change proposed. 



A paper was read by Mr. H. Airy On a peculiar form of 

 Leafarrangemint. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Jnstns Lidig's Annalcn Jer Chemie, Band 172, Heft 3. — 

 This part contains the following papers : — Communications from 

 the chemical laboratory of Greifswald. — S6. On metatoluidine, 

 by F. Lorenz. Tlie author describes the preparation of this 

 substance. Paratuluidine is first treated with acetic anhydride, 

 and para-acettoluide thus obtained, which, by treatment witla 

 nitric acid, yields metanitropara-acettoluide. By heating with 

 alcoholic potash this latter substance is converted into metanitro- 

 paratoluidine ; this last body is acted on by nitious acid, and 

 the diazo-compound treated with alcohol leaves metanitrotoluol, 

 which, by reduction with tin and hydrochloric acid, gives meta- 

 toluidine. Several of the salts of this base are described, like- 

 w'ise the conjugate sulpho-acids, dibrominated substitution de- 

 rivatives, &c. — 87. Note on the quantitative determination of 

 paratoluidine in presence of orthotoluidine, by the same author. 

 ■ — 88. On mctabromorthosulphotoluic acid, by Dr. E. Weck- 

 warth. The preparation of tliis aciil, which possesses the for- 



rcH, 



is described. The potassium, sodium, 



mulaC„Hj|03v 



1 (n / 



1 barium, strontium, copper, and lead salts have been analysed, 

 ' and the chloiine, amido, and nitro substitution derivatives exa- 

 mined. — 89. On orthoamidoparasulphotoluic acid, by Dr. M. 

 I Hayduck. The barium and lead salts are first described ; the 

 I brominated acid and its potassium, barium, and lead salts are 

 . next treated of. The amido acid distilled with potassic hydrate 

 gives off ammonia, and aniline and a potassium salt of anthra- 



I (" 



I nilic acid, C„ll3 ■{ NH, is obtained. With hydrochloric acid 



( COOK 



and potassic chlorate the amido acid yields trichlororthotolu- 



I CH3 



I quinone, C„ ^ O.. , from which the con-esponding hydroqui- 



(ci; 



none has been obtained. By the action of bromine on the amido 

 acid a dibrominated acid is obtained, of which the barium salt 

 has been analysed. Diazo-orthoamidoparasulphotoluic acid, 



( CH3 

 CcIIj \ N \.^ obtained by the action of nitrous acid on the 



amido acid, is next treated of. This body acted on by water 

 gives orthocresolparasulphonic acid. The nitro-diazo acid is 

 finally described.— go. On a new nitro-toluidine, by Dr. O. 

 Cunerth. — On paramido-orthosulphotoluic acid, by Dr. F. 

 Jenssen. The nitro-acid, C-H|.(N0„)S03H . 2iH50, and several 

 of its salts are described, also the cb.loride and amide. The 

 amido acid is then treated of, likewise its salts and substitution 

 derivatives. — On some decompositions of pyroraceniic acid, by 

 Dr. C. Bottinger. This lengtliy memoir is divided into three 



sections : the first treats of the decomposition of the acid in 

 acid solutions, the second of its decomposition in alkaline solu- 

 tions, and the third of its decomposition per se. Among other 

 things tlie author descrilies in great detail the preparation and 

 properties of uvic acid and its salts.— On acenapthene and 

 naphthalic acid, by Arno Behr and W. A. Van Dorp. The 

 authors have examined several of the salts of the acid, its methylic 

 ether and anhydride. The constitution of the two bodies is also 

 discussed. — Researches on the volume constitution of solid 

 bodies, by Dr. H. Schroder. — K. Ilelbing contributes a paper on 

 an examination of some benzene liquors, and one entitled " Re- 

 search on a new earth resin." This resin is found in large 

 masses in a stone quarry at T^nzenau, between Tiilz and Heil- 

 brunn. Nineteen per csnt. of the resin is soluble in ether, and 

 nine per cent, in ether and hot alcohol. The msoluble portion 

 contains iron pyrites and a hydrocarbon of the formula C^jH^j. 

 The ethereal extract contains a substance of the formula CjuHgoOj, 

 melting at 192°. The hot alcoholic extract gave a substance of 

 the composition C^^HenOg. — On cymene, by F. Fitiica. The 

 author establishes the identity of the cymenes from camphor, 

 ptycholisol, and thymol, and furnishes evidence that the propyl 

 contained in tlie cymenes is normal propyl. The isomeric oxy- 

 and thio-cymenes are also treated of. — The constitution of 

 benzene, by A. Ladenburg. — On derivatives of phloretin, by 

 Hugo Schiff. The author treats of the preparation of phloretin, 

 of phloretic acid, and phloroglucin, likewise of phloroglucide and 

 of triphloretide. The present part contains the index for 

 vols. 169, 170, and 171, 



Zeitschrift der (Esterreichischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteorologie, 

 Aug. 15. — Dr. H. Wild contributes to this number some 

 suggestions for the consideration of the Permanent Com- 

 mittee of the International Congress on the question ol 

 the establishment of an International Meteorological Insti- 

 tution. Before the Congress at Vienna he was altogether 

 in favour of the scheme, but now feels persuaded that 

 one institution could hardly exercise the large functions pro- 

 posed witli advantage. The difficulty of directing from one 

 spot a number of stations scattered over the globe would be 

 great, the conditions of these stations would not be familiar, the 

 construction of isobaric charts, &c., could only be undertaken with 

 exact data and co-operation of the central national offices, and tlie 

 modification of instruments, cS:c., would not be a proper task to 

 be attempted at any one place, with its narrow range of climatic 

 conditions. The failure of one of the centr.al offices would 

 cripple the results produced liy the Institution, and, besides, the 

 energetic working of these offices would be endangered if they 

 were to delegate some of their present [iroblems to the Institu- 

 tion. The national offices which now occupy themselves with 

 general meteorology might bestow too much attention to local 

 matters. These objections would be avoided if each central 

 office were to attend specially to some branch of the meteorology 

 of the globe mutually agreed upon ; fur instance, one to tlie 

 preparation of ssmoptic charts, another to rainfall, and so forth. 

 The results of the various lines of research could then be inter- 

 changed, and the failure of one office would not damage the 

 work of the others. The establishment and maintenance at 

 common expense of international stations proper in uncultivated 

 countries, and the publication of their observations. Dr. Wild 

 holds would lie best undertaken by the countries to which these 

 stand in the nearest relation. There would remain, then, for the 

 Institution the work of interchanging the results and keeping up 

 the relations of central offices, the arrangement of occasional 

 Congresses, questions concerning instruments, and the like. — 

 Among the KUinere Mittheiliingen we observe an abstract of the 

 important report of Mr. Blanford to the Government of Bengal 

 for the year 187^. 



Pog^cndorff'' s Annalen der Physik und Chemit, No. 5, 1874. — 

 In 1 868 Prof, von Rath published some observations on a form 

 of silica to which he gave the name Tridymite. It always crys- 

 tallises in twin hexagonal prisms, and has a low specific gravity. 

 His further observations show lines of division between the 

 elements forming the twins, and in these lines the third crystal 

 in tridymite is developed. There is a similar persistence of the 

 division plane between crystals of humite, and analogous triple 

 crystals in anorthite, and an interlacing of crystals in leucite ; 

 and he concludes that while two crystals cannot be united to 

 each other in many crystal groups, yet they can be united to a 

 third crystal. Fine specimens, three millimetres long, reaching 

 him from the trachytes of Pachuca in Mexico, he has made full 

 measurements. The crystals, however, aie generally of small 



