June 25, 1896] 



NA TURE 



185 



the end of the tube over which the cap fits, the whole is made 

 perfectly air-tight so that good vacua can be obtained. P'or 

 taking photographs of bones, &c., none of the other tubes that 

 the author had constructed or purchased approached anywhere 

 near the present one in respect of intensity and sharpness of 

 definition. 



I.v \^z Journal of Physiology, Dr. Lazarus Barlow has pointed 

 out that before the laws of osmosis, deduced from the final 

 osmotic pres.sure, freezing point, &c., can be applied to the 

 explanation of biological problems, it is necessary to determine 

 whether the initial rates of osmosis of substances bear constant 

 ratios to their final osmotic pressures, and whether the presence 

 of proteid substances in the solutions affects the initial rate of 

 osmosis. The author has found that the initial rates of osmosis 

 cannot be determined from observations of the freezing points 

 of solutions, and that proteid substances, even when present 

 only in minute quantities, markedly diminish the rate of osmosis. 

 In a subsequent paper. Dr. Barlow applies these conclusions to 

 the consideration of lymph-formation, and describes observations 

 I of the specific gravity of the blood, of voluntary muscle, and of 



lymph, which have an important bearing on the question. In 

 his conclusion the author summarises the evidence in favour of' 

 the occurrence of osmosis and increased filtration as the effective 

 factors in causing the increased outflow of lymph that is seen 

 after the injection of a crystalloid into the blood, as well as the 

 evidence against the view that osmosis and increased filtration 

 alone account for the observed phenomena. 



A VALUABLE little pamphlet on " Coal Mining," full of in- 

 formation on many questions of practical importance in the 

 working and use of coal, has been received from Mr. W. 

 Galloway. The pamphlet is an excerpt from the " Handbook of 

 the Cardiff Exhibition," and may be obtained from the office of 

 the IVesleni Mail, Cardiff". 



DiiKiNC the spring and summer, Ilerr P. .Sintenis has been 

 carrying out a botanical exploration of the mountains of the 

 Peloponnesus. After visiting Volo in Thessaly, he proposes to 

 investigate the almost unknown flora of the south-western portion 

 of the Pindu Chain. 



At the time of his death Mr. Seebohni had almost completed 

 an exhaustive monograph on the " P'amily of Thrushes " We 

 learn that Dr. Bowdler Sharpe has undertaken to finish the work, 

 and that it will shortly be published by Messrs. Henry Sotheran 

 and Co. It will be illustrated with nearly 150 coloured plates, 

 and the edition will be limited to 250 copies. 



A SHORT account of the proceedings of the Sixth International 

 Geographical Congress, held in London last July, appeared in these 

 columns at the close of the Congress. The official Report, contain- 

 ing the addre.sses delivered and papers read before the Congress, 

 together with a brief historical statement, has now been published. 

 When it is remembered that the papers are in several languages, 

 and th.at authors are often procrastinators in the matter of read- 

 ing anil returning proofs, the appearance of the Report within a 

 year of the Congress is commendable. Most of the papers are 

 of international interest, and all of them are of geographical 

 value. The two Secretaries of the Congress, and Dr. Mill, who 

 has done the editorial work in connection with the Report, are 

 to be congratulated upon having brought their difficult tasks to a 

 satisfactory conclusion. 



The second edition of the valuable "Statistical Atlas of 

 India" has been published by the Government of India, and is 

 obtainable from Mr. Edward Stanford. The Atlas originally 



I appeared in 18S6, but since then another census of India has 



NO. T39I, VOL. 54] 



been taken, and new information has been obtained, so that a 

 revision of the maps was necessary. The maps and diagrams in 

 the Atlas give a good general idea of the character, inhabitants, 

 and resources of India, and illustrate the commercial, financial, 

 and educational condition of the country. Explanatory chapters 

 are contributed by persons having special knowledge of the sub- 

 jects of them ; thus. Sir E. C. Buck writes on physical configura- 

 tion, irrigation, famine, revenue and rent systems ; Dr. W. 

 King, on the geology of India ; and Mr. J. Eliot, on the rain- 

 fall and climate. Mr. George Watt deals with crops and 

 economic minerals ; Mr. B. Ribbenlrop with forests ; Mr. J. E. 

 O'Conor with prices, foreign trade, finance and taxation ; and 

 Veterinary-Lieutenant H. T. Pease with horses and live-stock. 

 The Atlas is an excellent piece of work, which conveys by 

 concise text and clear illustration, an abundance of information 

 concerning our great Indian Empire. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Vervet Monkey {Cercopithecus lalandii, i ) 

 from South Africa, presented by Mr. Vernon E. Barratt ; a 

 Black-eared Marmoset (Hapale peiu'cillata) from South-east 

 Brazil, presented by Mr. S. Osborn ; two Golden Eagles (Aqtiila 

 ihrysaitus), two Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregriiius) from the 

 Isle of Mull, presented by the Maclaine of Lochbuie ; two 

 Wood Owls (Syrnium aliico), a Short-eared Owl (Asio_ 

 hracliyo/tis), British, presented by Mr. A. Farquahar Wilson ; a 

 Ring-necked Parrakeet (Paheornis torquatus) from India, pre- 

 sented by Miss Smith ; a Black-headed Conure {Comtriis 

 naiiday) from Paraguay, presenteil by Mrs. Baird ; two Peafowls 

 [Pavo cristaliis, albino) from the Transvaal, presented by Mr. 

 F. A. Noyce ; a Mona Monkey {Cerco/-i/lieciis iiiona), two West- 

 African Love-Birds {Agapornis pnllaria) from West Africa, a 

 Crab-eating Raccoon (Procvon caiiirivonis) from South America, 

 deposited ; an Australian Fruit Bat (Pteropns poliocephalus) from 

 Australia, purchased ; a Burrhel Wild Sheep (Ovis hurrhel), a 

 Thar (Capra jeinlaica), born in the Garden^-. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Return of Comet Brooks (1S89 V.). — A telegram from 

 Kiel announces that Brooks's periodic comet was observed by 

 Javelle at Nice on June 20. At r4h. I7'4m. mean time it was 

 in R.A. 22h. 25m. 30s., Decl. 18' 33' 59" S. The comet is 

 now in the southern part of Aquarius, and rises about midnight. 

 It is interesting to note that the observed place of the comet 

 shows a very close agreement with Dr. Bauschinger's search 

 ephemeris printed in Nature (vol. liv. p. 84). 



Visinii.iTY OK Solar Prominences. — Prof. Hale has 

 brought together some facts which emphasise the importance of 

 the work which may be done by observers of solar prominences 

 at the time of a total solar eclipse without going to view the 

 ^c\\\>iS.\^ieM [Astrophys. Joiif., May). It is pointed out that in 

 1870 Tacchini concluded that the dimensions of prominences 

 spectroscopically observed in full sunshine, and measured in Ha 

 light, were considerably smaller than those measured tele- 

 .scopically during an eclipse. In 1883 the same observer dis- 

 covered the "white prominences," and found that these were 

 not visible in the spectro.scope immediately after the eclipse. 

 Similar results were obtaineil in 18S6, and it was further ascer- 

 tained that the spectrum of a h iiite prominence consisted prin- 

 cipally of the H and K lines, the hydrogen lines being 

 extremely feeble. 



The results obtained during the eclipse of 1893 furnish 

 valuable data as to the relative efficiency of the different methods 

 of registering the forms of the prominences, as the spectro- 

 heliograph at Chicago was employed on that occasion, and a 

 complete set of eye observations was secured by Fenyi at Kalocsa. 

 A comparison is drawn between these non-eclipse observations 

 and the forms of the prominences as photograjihed nearly at the 

 same time by Prof. Schaeberle, in Chili, and by Mr. Fowler 

 with the pri.smatic camera in .V ca. It turnis out that one of 



