94 



NA TURE 



[May 28, 1896 



Geological Society, May 13.— Dr. Henry Hicks, F.R.S., 

 rresidciU, in the chair. — .\n accoinit of a head or gateway 

 driven into the Eastern Uuundary-faidl of the -South .Stafford- 

 shire coal field, by William Farnworth. The author described 

 certain peculiarities observed during the driving of a head 

 towarils the fault sejiarating the Coal-Measures and Permian 

 roclis, from a pit situated four miles east of Walsall, at the 

 .southern extremity of the Cannock Chase coal field. — On the 

 geographical evolution of Jamaica, by Dr. J. W. Spencer. The 

 object of the paper was to set forth the physical and geological 

 characteristics of Jamaica which bear upon the problem of its 

 late high elevation and former connection with the continent, 

 and to trace across the neighliouring seas and islands to the main- 

 land the evidences of the former linking of Jamaica to North 

 and .South America. The first part of the paper treated of the 

 grow th of tlie island. The second part of the paper treated of 

 the continental connections of Jamaica. The author gave details 

 of tlie submerged |)lateaus and drowned valleys which are 

 analogous to those still existing above sea-level. They indicate 

 that the former altitude of the West Indian plateau, and some 

 portions of the adjoining continent, reached two and a half 

 miles. But the floors of the Mexican Gulf and Honduras and 

 the Caribbean Sea formed low plains draining into the Pacific 

 Ocean, for at that time the eastern region was high, while the 

 Mexican area was generally low. — Dundry Hill: its upper 

 portion, or the beds marked as Inferior Oolite (G 5) in the maps 

 of the Geological Survey, by S. S. Buckman and E. Wilson. 

 The authors gave an account of previous geological work relating 

 to Dundry Hill, especially that which refers to the correlation of 

 its strata. Then they described the different exposures on the 

 hill, together with the results of various excavations carried out 

 by quarrymen under their superintendence for the purpose of the 

 present communication. Besides demonstrating the sequence of 

 the strata of Dundry Hill, the authors were able to show a 

 number of results of sjiecial interest. 



Zoological Society, May 19.— Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., 

 F.K..S., Pre.sident, in the chair. — Mr. Sclater exhibited a 

 daguerreotype portrait of what was believed to be the first 

 gorilla that was ever brought alive to Europe. It was living in 

 Wombwell's menagerie in 1855. This portrait had been lent 

 to Mr. C. Bartlett by Mr. Fairgrieve, formerly associated with 

 Mr. Wombwell, who had sent with it an account of the animal 

 and its habits. — A communication was read from Mr. G. E. H. 

 Barrett-Hamilton, on a variation in the pattern of the teeth of a 

 specimen of the common field-vole (Mtcrolus agfcstis). — A 

 second communication from Mr. Barrett- Hamilton contained 

 remarks on the existence in Europe of two geographical races 

 or sub-sjiecies of the common field-vole. Mr. Barrett- 

 Hamilton considered the field-voles of England, Belgium, 

 and the North of France, and possibly of a large part of the 

 continent, as distinct from the Scandinavian animals, which 

 would remain the typical Microttis agrcslis, while the British 

 and western continental form should be called Microltis agrestis 

 nc^lfctKS, Jenyns. This view agreed with that of De Selys- 

 Longchamps in 1847. — Mr. F. E. Beddard, F.R.S., read the 

 third of his contributions to the anatomy of Picarian birds. 

 The jjresent ])aper related to the variations in pterylosis and in 

 anatomy of the Akedinida, of which he had examined specimens. 

 Although this family was so uniform in external structure, it 

 presented considerable differences when the pterylosis and 

 anatomy were examined. — Mr. de Winton described a new 

 rodent of the genus Lophuromys from British East Africa, which 

 he named /.. aiisorgci. 



Royal Meteorological Society, May 20. — Mr. E. Mawley, 

 President, in the chair. — Mr. R. H. Curtis read a paper on the 

 exposure of anemometers, in which he gave the results of a 

 comparison of the records from the three anemometers at 

 Holyhead, viz. the Robinson, the bridled, and the pressure- 

 tube anemometers. It was clearly shown that the force of the 

 wind is greatly affected by surrounding objects. The author is 

 of opinion that for anemometrical records to be trustworthy and 

 of value, not only must the instrument be exposed in an open 

 place, free from local obstructions, but it is also absolutely 

 essential that the stand which carries it shall offer practically no 

 resistance to the wind, and that the instrument should not be 

 ])laced (m the roof of a house. The paper was illustrated by a 

 number of lantern slides. — An interesting collection of photo- 

 graphs of clouds, sent to the Society by Mr. H. C. Russell, 

 F.R.S., of the Sydney Observatory, was also exhibited. 



Camhrii)(;i;. 



Philosophical Society, April 27. — Prof. J. J. Thomson, 

 President, in llie chair. — On photographing the whole length of 

 a spectrum at once, by Prof. Liveing. Prof. Liveing exhibited 

 photographs of a variety of spectra in which the whole length 

 of the spectrum between the wave-lengths 550 and 214 was 

 depicted on a celluloid film at one operation. A concave 

 grating of \o\ feet radius was used, with the slit in the centre 

 of curvature, and the slide which held the sensitive film formed 

 part of a cylinder with a radius of 5I feet, so that, when the 

 axis of this cylinder was midway between the slit and grating, 

 every part of the spectrum was perfectly focused on the film. — ■ 

 On dio.xymaleic acid and its derivatives, by Mr. Fenton. This 

 paper contains a brief summary of the author's recent work 

 upon oxidation productsof tartaric acid. — (rt)On the atomic weight 

 of oxygen ; (/;) on the combining volumes of carbon monoxide 

 and oxygen, by Mr. A. Scott. Mr. Scott gave a short account 

 of the present state of our knowledge as to the atomic weight 

 of oxygen, and said that it might be regarded as conclusively 

 proved that if H = i, 0= I5'87 to I5"8S. Morley determined 

 the densities of hydrogen and of oxygen, the ratios by volume 

 in which the gases combine (by a somewhat indirect method), 

 and finally combined known weights of hydrogen and weighed 

 the water produced. Thomsen made similar determinations, bitt 

 with far less pretension to the highest accuracy attainable. The 

 results were : 



Morley. Tliomsen. 



Weight of a litre of oxy- \ 



gen at o°C. and 760mm. > ... I '42900 ... i '42906 



at sea-level, lat. 45°. ) 

 Ditto for hydrogen ... '089873 ... '089947 



Ratio of densities ... I5'9002 ... I5'8878 



Ratio of combining volumes ... i :2'C)0269 ... I : 2'00237 

 Atomic weight of oxygen ... 1 5 '879 ... 1 5 '869 



The ratios by volume in which the gases combine agree well 

 with that published by the author directly three years ago, 

 viz. I : 2'00245 at about 15° C, and I : 2 '00285 at 0° C. 

 Mr. Scott also described some preliminary experiments made to 

 determine the ratio by volume in which carbon monoxide and 

 oxygen unite to form carbon dioxide and to determine at the 

 same time the volume of the latter gas in terms of the others. 

 Experiments so far showed that the ratio was very nearly 2 : I 

 for the combining gases, but that satisfactory determinations of 

 the volume of carbon dioxide produced had not been olHained 

 as yet. — On the active principles of Indian hemp, by Messrs. 

 Wood and Easterfield. The authors have examined a sample of 

 charas, the exuded resin of Indian hemp, with a view to 

 isolating the physiologically active constituent. They find that 

 charas contains a compound CjgHjjOo, B. P. 265°-27o° C. at 

 15 mm. pressure (31 per cent.), to which they attribute the physio- 

 logical action of the hemp plant. This active compound, which 

 the authors name Cannabinol^ is a red semi-solid substance at 

 ordinary temperature, but is quite liquid at 60° C. ; it yields a 

 monacetyl and monobenzoyl derivative, and can be nitrated. The 

 same compound has been isolated by the authors from the usual 

 medicinal preparations of Cannabis iiidiia. — Note on the 

 pharmacological action of hemp resin, by Mr. Marshall. The 

 pharmacologically active compound of charas is the compound, 

 cannabinol. In doses of o'l g. to o'l5 g. it produces decided 

 intoxication characterised by fits of uncontrollable laughter, 

 slurring speech, and ataxic gait, a complete loss of time relation, 

 and a sense of extreme happiness : sensation is diminished some- 

 what, and the pulse-rate rises : as a rule, there are no hallucina- 

 tions. The acute symptoms last about three hours Smaller 

 doses (o'05 g. ) produce similar effects, but to less marked degree. 

 Animals appear to be less susceptible to its influence than man, 

 and herbivorous animals than carnivorous. 

 Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, May 18. — M. A. Cornu in the 

 chair. — Second note on the theory of gases, by M. J. Bertrand. 

 A critical analysis of Maxwell's second demonstration of the 

 formula giving the distribution of the velocities between the 

 molecules of a gas. — On the ri>Ie of the ring of iron in dynamo- 

 electric machines, by M. A. Potier. Remarks on a note by M. 

 Marcel Deprez. The experiment quoted by M. Deprez is only 

 in apparent contradiction to the ordinary rule, the principles 

 involved having been already utilised in the construction of 

 dynamos. — Emission of new radiati(ms by metallic uranium, by 

 M. Henri Becquerel. Metallic uranium gives off invisible rays 

 possessing properties similar to the salts of that metal previously 



NO. 1387, VOL. 54J 



