592 



NA TURE 



[OCTOHER 15, 1896 



on an experimeiU of M. Biilielaiid, bj' M. II. I'oincarc. A 

 mathematical study of the defiection of the kathode rays by 

 means of a magnet. — On the infections caused by the bacilli of 

 the Proteus group, and on the agglutinating properties of the 

 serum in these cases, by MM. Lannelongue and Achard. — The 

 truflles of Cireece : Terfczia GoDindii, by M. Ad. Chatin. 

 Three specific types have been found in Greece : Terfezia 

 Cla:Yiyi, Tfrfczia Geiiiiaih'i, and Terfezia /eoiiis. — Correction 

 to a preceding note on ihe homogeneity of argon and helium, 

 by Profs. \V. Ramsay and J. N. Collie. (See Nature, 

 October 8, p. 546.)— The cave of La Mouthed by M. E. 

 Riviere. This note, the fifth on this subject, deals with the 

 drawings on the sides of the cave. There seems to be no 

 doubt of the great antiquity of these drawings, many being 

 covered up with stalagmitic deposits. — On algebraic systems, and 

 their relations with certain systems of partial difi'erential equa- 

 tions, by M. H. E. Delassus. — On the region within which a 

 summation of Taylor's series is possible, by M. E. Borel. — Anti- 

 staphyloccic serotherapy, by M. Capman. With the filtered 

 toxines from staphyloccus cultures, dogs were successfully 

 rendered immune ; the serum from these "dogs, taken about 

 three weeks after the injection, amply protected the rabbit and 

 the guinea-pig against a to.\ic injection. The curious fact was 

 e.stablished, that shortly after injection in the dog there was a 

 temporary increase in toxicity, the serum taken two days after 

 the commencement of the fever being five times the toxic 

 strength of the toxine inoculated. — On beans, by M. Balland. 

 A study of the physical and chemical properties of beans of 

 various origins. Analyses are given showing the composition 

 of the whole bean, the skin, and the cotyledons with the germ. — 

 Neuro-psychosis, by M. Boukteiefif. 



New South Wai.es. 

 Linnean Society, August 26. — P. N. Trebeck in the chair. 

 — On the Australian Bcmhidiides referable to the genus Tachys 

 (fam. Carabidic], with the description of a new allied genus, by 

 Thomas G. Sloane. — Descriptions of two new species of 

 Prostaiithera, from New South Wales, by R. T. Baker. — 

 Eucalypts and Loranths in their relations of host and parasite, 

 and as food-plants, by J. J. Fletcher. The object of this paper 

 was mainly to evoke discussion on a subject which is not devoid 

 of interest. The propositions brought forward may be sum- 

 marised as follows : — Even a cursory investigation of the 

 relations subsisting between some of the most characteristic 

 forms of Australian vegetation — e.g. Proteads, Acacias, and 

 Eucalypts — and the animals (more particularly insects) to which 

 they serve as food-plants, shows a state of affairs in harmony 

 with Mr. Wollaston's axiom " that the most peculiar insects of 

 a region are usually to be found either dependent on or inhabit- 

 ing the same area as its most peculiar plants " ( Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 (3), i. 1862-64, p. 136). Among the plants mentioned, the 

 Eucalypts, in point of both variety and number of the species 

 dependent upon them, stand conspicuously first ; being preyed 

 upon by a goodly assemblage of forms, including phytophagous 

 mammals, insects of almost every order — phytophagous, xylo- 

 phagous, juice-feeding and gall-making, not to speak of 

 anthophilous forms — as well as Phytoptids. Nor is it merely 

 individual plants that suffer ; for there are not wanting recorded 

 instances in which species have been locally threatened with 

 xtinction by reason of the depredations of phalangers, coleop- 

 tera, lepidopterous larva;, phasmids, &c. Eucalypts have now 

 become extensively acclimatised in other parts of the world, 

 where, by way of contrast to the state of things sketched above, 

 it is interesting to know that on the whole the attitude of insects 

 towards them is one not of indifference merely, but in some 

 cases even of positive antiiMthy. In cases like that of the 

 Laurel- and Euphorbia-infesting animals referred to by Mr. 

 Wollaston, and the Eucalyptus-infesting animals of Australia, 

 <he opinion was expressed that the adaptation of the animals to 

 their food-plants — which contain more or less abundant stores 

 of chemical substances ordinarily distasteful to animals — was one 

 requiring a long period of time for its acquirement, and for the 

 development of hereditary tastes ; perliaps also the stimulus of 

 stern necessity. As to whether, as has been supposed, the 

 association of Loranths and Eucalypts is to be looked upon as 

 a case of mimicry, it was pointed out that the association is at 

 most — over and above any gain accruing from jmrasitism — but 

 of partial and local benefit to the former ; that in times |iast it 

 was profitable ; but that now, on the whole, it is a possible 

 case of true mimicry in the later stages of becoming bankrupt 

 and played out. 



NO. 1407, VOL 54] 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



LO.NDON. 

 TUBS DA r, OcToiiF.K 20. 

 RovAL Photographic Gocietv, at 8.— H.ilf-tone direct from Nature ; 

 Win. G.in.ble. 



WEDNESDAY, Oct..iieh 21. 

 Entomological Society, at 8.— New Hymeuoptera from tfie Mesill.i 

 Valley, New Mexico : T. D. A. Cockerell.— A Monograph of British 

 Braconida;, Part vii, : Rev. T. A. Marshall. 

 RovAL MiCROSCOl'iCAL SociETV, at 8. — Photo-inicrographic Camera de- 

 signed chiefly to facilitate the Study of Opaque Objects : J. Butterworth. 

 On the Occurrence of Endocysts in the Genus Thal.-issiosira : T. Comber. 

 — On the Measurement of the Apertures of Objectives : E. M. Nelson. 



BOOKS AND SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books.— .4 Sketch of Ihe Natural History of Australia : F. G. Afl.alo 

 (Macmillan).— The Elements of Electro-chemistry; Prof M. Le Blanc, 

 iranslated by W, R. Whitney (Macmillan) —Notes of the Night, &c, : Dr. 

 C. C. Abbott (Warne).— The Romance of the Sea : V. Whymper (S.P.C.K.). 

 Peasblossom : C. Pridh.im(J. Heywood).— An Esyptian Re.-iding- Book for 

 Beginners : Dr. E. A. W. Budge (K. Paul).— ElemenLiry Geology : Prof. 

 G. S. Boulger (Collins).— University College. Bristol, Calendar 189=.; 

 (Bristol, Arrowsinith). — Die Principien der \\';irmelehre ; Dr. E. Mach 

 (Leipzig, Barth).- Examples in Electrical Engineering : S. Joyce (Long- 

 mans). — Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel (new issue) 

 Asia, Vol. 2, Southern and Western Asia: A. H. Keane (Stanford). — A 

 Text-Book of Bacteriology : Prof. E. M. Crookshank, 4th edition (Lewis).— 

 Diagrams of Terrestrial and Astronomical Objects and Phenomena : R. A. 

 Gregory (Chapman). 



SliRlALS. — Internationales Archiv fiir Ethnographic, Band ix., Heft 4 

 (Leiden. Brill).— Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist, October (Bem- 

 rose).— Essev Institute Historical Collections, Vol. xxxii. (Salem, Mass.). 

 — Strand Magazine. October (Newnes). — Journal of the Royal Sta- 

 tistical Society, September (Stanford). — Lloyd's Natural History — Birds, 

 Parts 5 and 6 : Dr. R. B. Sharpe (Lloyd).— American Journal of Science, 

 October (New Haven). — Science Progress. October (Scientific Press). — 

 Engineering Magazine, October (Tucker). — Zeitschrift fiir Wissenschaftliche 

 Zoologie, Ixii. Band, i Heft (Leipzig, Engelmann). — Annals of Scottish 

 Natural History, October (Edinburgh, Douglas).— Papers and Proceedings 

 of the Royal Society of Tasmania for 1894-95 (Hobart). — Journal of 

 Physical Chemistry, No. i (Ithaca, N.V. ; London, Gay). — American. 

 Journal of Mathematics, \q\. xviii. No. 4 (Baltimore). — Mind, October 

 (Williams). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Bertillon System of Identification. By Francis 



Gallon, F.R.S. 569 



Science and Theology. By T. G. B 570 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Green: "A Manual of Botany " 570 



Gardner: ''Wool Dyeing" 571 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Osmotic Pressure. — W. C. D. Whetham 571 



Responsibility in Science. — Dr. C. Chree 572 



The Climate of Bremen in relation to Sun-spots. 



{IVi//i Diagram.]— A. B. M 572 



An Antidote to Snake-Bites : "Scorpion-Oil." — W. 



Larden 573 



Chameleonic Notes. — E.L.J. Ridsdale 573 



Visual .\id in the Oral Teaching of Deaf-Mutes. — A. 



Farrar, Jun ... . 573 



A Remarkable Lightning Flash. — Benjamin Davies 573 



Distribution of Galeodes. — F. Gleadow 574 



The Recent Earthquakes in Iceland. By Dr. J. 



Stefansson 574 



The German Association 575 



Notes 576 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Astronomical Society of Wales 579 



The Elements of Comet 1885 III 579 



The Leander McCormick Observatory 579 



The Solar Rotation 579 



The Huxley Lecture - Recent Advances in Science, 

 and their bearing on Medicme and Surgery. I. 



By Prof. Michael Foster, Sec. R.S 580 



Chemistry at the British Association 583 



Geology at the British Association 5S5 



Geography at the British Association 587 



Science in the Magazines 589 



University and Educational Intelligence 590 



Scientific Serials 591 



Societies and Academies 591 



Diary of Societies 592 



Books and Serials Received 592 



