72 



NATURE 



[May 21, 1896 



sternum of difierent shape from thatof other members of the genus, 

 the raesosternum being more protuberant. It will probably be 

 referred to Probothrium. — Mr. Chas. S. Welles exhibited speci- 

 mens of the larva of Harrisimemna trisignata. When full- 

 grown they bore into wood preparatory to changing into 

 chrysalids. — A paper was read entitled "The breeding habits of 

 Periplaneta orientalist' by C. Few Seiss. Three females de- 

 posited twenty-five egg-cases. Each of these contains sixteen 

 eggs, so that a new generation of 400 cockroaches was repre- 

 sented by the deposit. The first of these egg-cases were dropped 

 May 5 and May 14, 1895, ^"'' were hatched November 9. In 

 most cases the deposits were dropped with no attempt at con- 

 cealment, although in a few instances they were placed in little 

 trenches made by the insect, and then covered up. The deve- 

 lopment of the capsules was described. The young, probably, 

 receive no maternal care or protection. — Mr. Lancaster Thomas 

 exhibited an imjjroved form of insect net-frame made from a 

 continuous piece of rounded aluminium wire. — Mr. Westcott 

 suggested linoleum as a substitute for cork in the arrangement 

 of insects. — Dr. Henry Skinner called attention to a fungus, 

 Polyportis lieluliiius, which might be used for the same purpose 

 with advantage.— Mr. William J. Fox stated that about ninety 

 species of Hymenoptera, six of which were perhaps new toscience, 

 w«re included in the collections of insects brought by Dr. A. 

 Donaldson Smith from Western Somaliland, Africa. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



THURSDA Y, May 21 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.-011 the Changes produced in Magnetised Iron 

 and Steels by cooling to the Temperature of Liquid .\ir : Prof. J. Dewar, 

 F.R.S., and Dr. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S.— Note on the Larva and of the 

 Post-Larval Development of Leucosolenia variabilis, H. Sp., with remarks 

 on the Development of other Asconidae : E. A. Minchin. — Helium and 

 Argon. Part \\\. Experiments which have yielded Negative Results : 

 Prof. Ramsay, F.R..S., and Dr. Collie.— On the Amount of Argon and 

 Helium contained in the Gas from the Bath Springs ; Lord Rayleigh, 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Art of Working Metals in Japan: W. 

 Gowland. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— The Diphenylbenzenes. I. Metadiphenylben- 

 zene : F. D. Chattaway and R. C. T. Evans.— Derivatives of Camphoric 

 Acid : Dr. F. S. Kippmg. — Some Substances exhibiting Rotatory Power, 

 both in the Liquid and Crystalline states : W. J. Pope. 



FRIDA y. May 22. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Hysteresis : Prof. J. A. Ewing. F.R.S. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— On Dielectrics : R. Appleyard.— The Field of an 



Elliptical Current : J. Viriamu Jones.— An Instrument for Measuring 



Frequency : A. Campbell. 



SA TURDA V, May 23. 

 Geologists' Association (Paddington, at n.45).— E. 



) Chippen- 



ham, Calne, Kellaways, and Corsh: 

 VoRKSHiKE Naturalists' Union, at Hellifield.— Four Days' Excursion for 

 the investigation of Bowland. 



LiNNEAN S< 



MONO A y, May 25. 

 , at 3. — Anniversary Meeting. 



TUESDA }', May 26. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— The Building and Sculpture of 'Western 



Europe : Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S. 

 Royal Photographic Society, at 8.— Apparatus for Photography on 



Small Plates (smaller than Quarter Plates). 



WEDNESDA K, Mav 27. 



Geological Society, at 8.— On the Pliocene Deposits of Holland, and 

 their relation to the English and Belgian Crags, with a Suggestion for the 

 Establishment of a New Zone—" Amstelien "—and some Remarks on the 

 Geographical Conditions of the Pliocene Epoch in Northern Europe : F. 

 ■W.-Harmer.— The Lingula-FLags and Igneous Rocks of the Neighbour- 

 hood of Dolgelly : Philip Lake and S. H. Reynolds.— The Kildare Inlier : 

 C. J. Gardiner and S. H. Reynolds. 



British Astronomical Association, at s. 



THURSDA y. May 28. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Lake Dwellings ; Dr. Robert Munro. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— The Utilisation of W.-iter- 

 Power, especially with a Small Fall, with some Examples of Plants for 

 the Generation of Electrical Energy : Alph. Steiger. 

 Chemical Society, at 8.— Lothar Meyer Memorial Lecture : Prof. P. 

 Phillips Bedson. 



SATURDAY, May 30. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Moral and Religious Literature of .\iicient 



Europe : Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



NO. 1386, VOL. 54] 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



BnoK-s.— The Evolution of Bird-Song :C. A. \Vilchell(r,l.ick).— Meteoro- 

 logical Results of the Observations taken at the B.ingalore, &c,. Observa- 

 tories, i8g!.94: J. Cook (Bangalore).— Earth Knowledge: W.J. H.arrison 

 anil H. k. W.ikefield, Part 2 (Blackie).— The Flora of the Alps: A. W. 

 Bennett. 2 Vols. (Nimmo).— Attaque des Places : Lieut .-Colonel E. Henne- 

 bert (P.aris, Gauthier-Villars).— La Spectroscopic: Prof. J. LefSvre (P.tos, 

 Gauthier-Villars). — Grundriss der Entwicklungsgeschichte des Menschen 

 und der Siingethiere : Dr. O. Schultze, Erste Halfte (Leipzig, Engelmann). 

 — Southall's Organic Materia Medica : J. Barclay, 5th edition (Churchill).— 

 Schlich's Manual of Forestry. Vol. v. Forest Utilization : Prof. Fisher 

 (Bradbury).— Water Supply : Prof. W. P. Mason (Chapman).— A Dictionary 

 of the Names of Minerals : Prof. A. H. Chester (Chapman).— Leerboeic 

 der Organische Chemie : Dr. A. F. Holleman (Groningen, Wolters).— The 

 Elements of Physics: E. L. Nichols and W. S. Franklin. Vol. i. Mechanics 

 .ind Heat (Macmillan).— Memoirs of Frederick A. P. Barn.-ird : J. Fulton 

 (Macmillan).— Nature's Byepaths : Dr. J. E. Taylor. 6th edition (W. H. 

 Allen).— The Aquarium : Dr. J. E. Taylor, 6th edition (W, H. Allen).— 

 Mathematical Papers read at the International Mathematical Congress held 

 in connection with the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 (New 

 York, Macmillan). — Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel, new 

 issue. Asia, Vol. i : A. H. Keane (Stanford).— Gehirn und Sccle : Dr. P. 

 P'lechsig (Leipzig, Veit). 



Pamphlets.— Remarkable Eclipses: W. T. Lynn (Stanford).- The Old 

 Light and the New : W. Ackroyd (Chapman). — Nineteenth Report of the 

 State Entomologist on the Noxious and Beneficial Insects of the State of 

 Illinois (Springfield, 111.). 



Serials. — Engineering Magazine, May (Tucker). — Science Progress, 

 May (Scientific Press). — Strand Magazine, May (Newnes). — .\merican 

 Naturalist, May (Philadelphia).— Bulletin of the American Mathematical 

 Society, .April (New York, Macmillan) — Journal of the Chemical Society, 

 May (Gurney).— Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, .\pril 

 (Williams).— Astrophysical Journal, .May (Chicago).— Royal Natural 

 History, Part 31 (Warne). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Sociology. By Carveth Read 49 



Cocoa Connotations . . 50 



The Chemistry of Engineering 51 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Watson: "Elementary Practical Physics"; Newlh : 



" Elementary Practical Chemistry." — C. H. D. . . . 51 

 Jago : " A Text-Book of the Science and Art of Bread- 



-M.aking" 51 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Koch's Gelatine Process for the Examination of 

 Drinking Water. — Frank Scudder; Prof. Percy 



F. Frankland, F.R.S ... 52 



On the .\ction of Rbntgen Rays and Ultra-violet Light 

 on Electric Sparks. ( tVilh Diagram.) — Dr. A. Sella 



and Dr. Q. Majorana 53 



Kontgen Ray Phenomena. — ^J. 'William Gifford . . . 53 



Alpengliihen. — W. Larden 53 



The Positions of Retinal Images. — Edward T. 



Dixon 54 



Colour Variations in Ducks and Pigeons. — W. T. Van 



Dyck 54 



Dependence of the Colour of Solutions on the Nature of 



the Solvent. — F. G. Donnan 55 



Hatching Lizartls' Eggs. — Mrs. H. A. Ross .... 55 

 The Diffusion of Metals. (lUns/raled.) By Prof. W. C. 



Roberts-Austen, C.B., F.R.S 55 



Books on Birds 58 



Notes 60 



Our Astronomical Column: — ■ 



The Sj'stcm of Castor 63 



Efficiency of Photographic Telescopes 63 



Solar Photography at Meudon 64 



University (Observatories in America 64 



International Catalogue of Science 64 



The French Universities 64 



National Academy of Sciences — 'Washington Meet- 

 ing. By Dr. Wm. H. Hale 65 



The Manufacture of Artificial Silk 66 



A Theory of the X-Rays. By Prof. Albert A. 



Michelson 66 



University and Educational Intelligence 67 



Scientific Serials 68 



Societies and Academies 69 



Diary of Societies 72 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 72 



