44 
NATURE 
| May 14, 1885 
animals before reached Europe. Scarce four months had elapsed 
when there arrived a second consignment, still more extensive 
than the first, and the result of collections made during a voyage 
from Montevideo to Cape Horn, around the islands of the Pata- 
gonian archipelago (a course which the obliging commander of 
the corvette, Capt. Palumbo, had followed at my especial 
desire). 
This collection, too, contained most interesting specimens, 
among which are especially worthy of mention a vast number of 
tubes filled with the produce of deep-sea fishing (pelagic pro- 
ducts). In the same way there have come to hand two other 
consignments from the Peruvian coast, from the Galapagos Isles, 
from the coast of Panama; and also some most interesting 
animals found in small pools and rivers in Peru. Among these, 
of special importance are two complete series of embryonic 
forms—first, of a Peruvian ray, and secondly of a toad, which 
Lieut. Chierchia, at my desire, and to aid my studies in the 
history of the origin of vertebrate animals, reared with great 
care, and kept in an excellent state of preservation. In this he 
was assisted by Dionigi Franzese, who had been trained in the 
Zoological Station, and had embarked as a sailor on board the 
Vettor Pisant. The Vettor Pisani continued its course from 
Peru across the ocean towards the Philippine Islands and 
China, and we may look for a new shipment of specimens. In 
this we have a striking confirmation of my opinion that zoology 
might receive material aid in its work from naval officers trained 
for the purpose, rather than from the employment of young 
naturalists. The example thus presented has been followed by 
other individuals, and already three more naval cfficers, Lieuts. 
Cercone, Orsini, and Colombo, have been trained in the same 
way at the Zoological Station. It is a matter for regret that the 
first-mentioned has made but one voyage, a short one towards 
the West Indies, in which violent gales were encountered. The 
result of his researches may be seen at the ‘* Station.” Lieut. 
Orsini is in the colony of Assab, at the mouth of the Red Sea, 
and has despatched thence a valuable and well-preserved collec- 
tion. Lieut. Colombo is the only one of the three whose 
studies have been of a more extensive and continuous 
nature, and for them opportunitp has on several occasions 
been given him by the Minister of Marine. On board 
the vessel attached to the Hydrographical Survey, com- 
manded by Capt. Magnaghi (equally well known as a man of 
science and an officer), he has made excellent collections in the 
Mediterranean itself, and has now returned once more to the 
“Stazione” to further prosecute his studies there. 
From the very first it has been my intention to invite the 
naval services of other nations to join us in this line of research, 
and accordingly, in the autumn of 1882, I proposed to the 
German Minister of Marine that he should send a naval officer 
or surgeon to Naples to receive a training such as I have indi- 
catel. The head of the Admiralty then, Herr Von Stosch, 
accepted my proposal, and sent a naval surgeon, Dr. Sander, 
for four months to Naples. In the autumn of the following year 
Dr. Sander embarked on board the frigate Prinz Adalber? for 
Eastern Asia. We still await its arrival, and hope for valuable 
results from the expedition. 
A preliminary conversation which I had last summer at St. 
Petersburg with the head of the staff of the Russian Marine Admiral 
Tchichatchoff, leaves room for hope that Russia too will consent 
to join us in the matter, and that so in the course of a few years 
we may look for a still further and wider development of this 
connection between the ‘‘Stazione Zoologica” and the various 
marine war services of the world. From such a connection great 
advantages would accrue, not only to science in general, but 
also to the naturalists of those several countries, which in their 
turn would be the richer for the collections made by their 
respective navies. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
CAMBRIDGE.—There will be an examination in certain 
branches of natural science for minor scholarships at Downing 
College, on Tuesday, June 2 next, and following days. Persons 
who have not entered at any college in the University are eligible 
to the minor scholarships, which will be of the value of from 40/. 
to 70/. per annum, and tenable until their holders are of standing 
to compete for a Foundation Scholarship. Further information 
will be given by Dr. Perkins or the Rev. J. C. Saunders, tutors 
of the College. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Annalen der Physik und Chimie, No. 3, March, 1885.—Prof. 
R. W. Bunsen, on capillary absorption of gas. Shows a direct 
dependence between the capillary pressures and the volumes of 
gas absorbed. This discovery, doubtless, has important rela- 
tions in physiological processes. Prof. G. Quincke, electric 
researches (No. 10), on the measurement of magnetic forces by 
hydrostatic pressure. The author adopts the formula 
é = R H;/8 TT, 
where H, is the intensity of the magnetic field, and Q, a ‘‘di- 
magnetisation constant” analogous to the dielectric constant in 
the analogous formula for the pressure in the electric field. Ob- 
servations have been made on many magnetic liquids to ascer- 
tain the numerical values of this constant.—O. Lummer, on the 
theory and form of some newly-observed interference curves. 
These relate to certain phenomena of thick plates. —C. Christian 
sen, researches on the optical properties of finely-divided bodies. 
—W. Moller, on Wild’s photometer.—E. and L. Natanson, on 
the dissociation of the vapour of hyponitrous acid.—M. Thiesen, 
researches on the equation of state ; a discussion of the laws of 
gaseous pressure.—Prof. L. Pfaundler, on the action of strongly- 
compressed carbonic acid on glass under the influence of light. 
W. Voigt, reply to Prof. Wiillner’s remarks respecting Jamin’s 
observations on metallic reflection. 
Fournal of the Russian Chemical and Physical Society, vol. xvi. 
fasc. 9.—On the oxidation of acetones (second memoir), by G. 
Wagner. The behaviour of ketones to chromic acid mixture are 
described, and the general laws of their oxidation are deduced. 
—On the action of the iodides of allyl and zine on epi- 
chloridrine, by M. Lopatkin. — On isopropyl allyl dimethyl 
carbinol, by M. Kononovitch.—On the relation between dia- 
magnetism and the temperature of fusion of bodies, by P. 
Bachmetieff. The absolute heat of fusion being represented by 
the equation W = (¢ + 273) cs + ds, where c is the specific heat, 
éthe latent heat of fusion, and s the specific weight of the body ; 
then, the series (¢ + 273) s being taken according to the figures 
of Regnault and M. Carnelley—it appears to be in reverse order 
to Faraday’s diamagnetic series, the bodies appearing in the 
following series which culminates with Bi and Sb:—K, Na, 
P, Br, S, Mg, Ca, I, Al, In, Sn, Bi, Sb, Za, Cd, Pb, Ag, Cu, 
Pd, An, Ur, W, Pt, Ir, Os.—On the atmospheres of planets, 
the temperature of the sun in cosmic space, and the earth’s atmo- 
sphere, by E. Rogovsky.—On some new demonstrations of the 
conditions for a minimum of deviation of a prism, by N. 
Poltschikoff.—A note in answer to M. Stankevitch, by the same. 
—Studies in cosmical physics: III. the heating of meteorites 
when falling on to the earth, by Th. Schwedoff.—Answering to an 
objection made at the British Association of 1882 by Sir William 
Thomson to his cosmic theory of hail, the author discusses the 
heat which a meteoric stone may receive when piercing our 
atmosphere. He shows by several examples, by our experience 
of meteorites, and by M. Daubrée’s testimony, that they never 
have been brought to fusion. The meteorite must be compared 
toa fire syringe (Briguet pnewmatique), which condensates the air 
and raises its temperature, remaining nearly cold itself when its 
conducting power is feeble. The vés viva of the m2teorite is 
spent in piercing the layers of air—that is, in bringing them into 
motion (like a bullet which would spend its force in piercing 
1000 sheets of paper before reaching the target), and to admit 
that its v7s wZva be transformed into heat, would be to forget the 
force spent in piercing the air.—Index to the sixteenth volume. 
Bulletin de la Société des Naturalistes de Moscou, 1884, No. 2° 
—Materials for the flora of Central Asia, by Prof. N. Sorokine. 
After having twice visited several parts of Russian Turkistan 
and the delta of the Amu-daria, M. Sorokine returned with a 
rich collection of phenogams, which proved this part of the 
Central Asian flora to be very rich, original, and interesting. 
The department of Gasteromycetes alone offered the greatest 
interest, on account of its containing forms peculiar to Algeria, 
Egypt, Cuba, and so on. There are even several indices which 
would seem to indicate that the Aral-Caspian region has been a 
centre of dispersion of several forms, whose sporz were trans- 
ported by winds across the Red Sea to Africa, and thence to Spain 
and France. The whole work of the author could not be pub- 
lished at once, on account of its numerous plates. The descrip- 
tion of the Chytridiaceze has appeared in the Archives botaniques 
du Nord de la France, the remainder will appear in the Moscow 
Bulletin, which contains now the descriptions, with five plates, 
