172 



NATURE 



[Dec. 18, 1879 



sandstone range, and a country rich in metals, — iron-ore, cobalt, 

 nickel, copper, and gold occur, as well as plumbago. 



Zoological Society, December 2. — Prof. Newton, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — A letter was read from Mr. E. L. 

 Layard, F.Z.3., advocating the desirability of a fixed scale of 

 culour for use among natural its, in describing the plumage and 

 pelage of birds and other animals. — A letter was read from Mr. 

 R. B. White, C.M.Z.S., of Medellin, U.S., of Colombia, S.A., 

 on a mode of protecting plantations from the ravages of an ant 

 (Atta aphakia).— A communication was read from Dr. G. E. 

 Dobson, C.M.Z.S., containing notes on some species of chiroptera, 

 from Zanzibar, with descriptions of new and rare species. — A 

 communication was read from Prince Ladislas Lubomirski, 

 containing the description of a collection of shells made in High 

 Peru, by Messrs. Jelski and Stolzman. — Mr. G. French Angas, 

 C.M.Z.S., read a paper in which he gave the descriptions 

 of two new species of helix (Eurycratira) from south-east 

 Betsileo, Madaga-car. — Mr. Arthur G. Butler, F.Z.S., read a 

 paper on some Arachnida of Madagascar and the Mascarene 

 Islands, in which an account was given of a collection of spiders 

 recently received by the British Museum from Reunion and 

 Mauritius, through Mr. H. H. Slater.— Lieut.-Col. H. H. 

 Godwin-Austen, F.Z.S., and Mr. G. Nevill, C.M.Z.S., gave 

 descriptions of two collections of land shells obtained at Perak 

 and in the Nicobar Islands by Surgeon-Major E. Towusend and 

 Dr. F. Stolizka. — A communication was read from Dr. A. 

 Giinther, F. R. S., containing a notice of a collection of mammals 

 and reptiles recently received from Cyprus by Lord Ldford. — 

 Dr. F. Day, F.Z.S., read a paper upon the fishes of Weston- 

 super-Mare, a locality he had lately visited in order to inquire 

 into some species described by Yarrell and Couch as found on 

 this coast. Mr. Day also gave some account of the results of 

 Lord Ducie's tram ling investigations in Ballinskelley Bay, on the 

 Coast of Ireland, and described a specimen of the long flounder 

 received from Mr. M. Dunn of Mevagissy, in Cornwall. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, November 18. — Mr. W. 

 H. Barlow, F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — The paper 

 read was on tunnel outlets from storage reservoirs, by Mr. C. 

 J. Wood, M.Inst.C.E. 



December 2. — Mr. Bateman, F.R.S., president, in the chair. 

 — The paper read was on "The Passenger Steamers of the 

 Thames, the Mersey, and the Clyde," by Mr. W. Carson, 

 M.Inst.C.E. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, December 8. — M. Daubree in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — On the satellites of 

 Mars, by M. Tisserand. By a different analysis from that of 

 Prof. Adams, he concludes that, if Mars be homogeneous, or if 

 the law of densities in it be the same as in the earth (a certain 

 flattening being supposed), the orbits of the two satellites, 

 Phobos and Deimos, will always coincide with the planet's 

 equator, or at least wdl diverge from it very little. —Re- 

 marks on saccharoses, by M. Berthelot. He calls atten- 

 tion to the resemblance of the new substance, saccharine, 

 in general reactions and crystalline form, to trehalose. 1 — Re- 

 lation between the heat of solution and the heat of dilution in 

 complex solvents, by M. Berthelot. The difference between the 

 two heats of solution is equal to that between the two heats of 

 dilution, observable when there is added to the concentrated 

 liquor before and after having dissolved in it the third substance, 

 the water necessary to bring it to the state of dilute liquor. — On 

 the protochloride of copper, by M. Berthelot. This relates to 

 heat of solution and heat of formation. — Reply to the two ques- 

 tions about chlorophyll in M. Chevreul's last note, by M. Trecul. 

 Crystals of chlorophyll dissolve without residue in alcohol and 

 ether. Each grain, in plants, composed of protoplasm and the 

 chlorophyll it has secreted, should be considered a particular 

 living organ. — Agronomic map of Seine-et-Marne, by M.Delesse. 

 This shows the comparative fertility of the land, and its features, 

 physical, chemical, geological, &c. — Experiments with diver- 

 gent ajutages, divided into several parts by plates, by M. De 

 Caligny. — On a function of direction in the flight of in seel . by 

 M. Jous-et de Bellesme. Birds can, but insects in general can- 

 not, alter at will the angle at which the wing is vibrated (the 

 muscles of insects are not inserted in the wing, but in the piece 

 of thorax which supports them). Direction of flight is deter- 

 mined in insects by altering the relative position of the centre of 



1 In last week's " Paris," on this subject, the phrase "or saccharine, rot 

 yet sugar " should read "or saccharose, yet not sugar." 



gravity and the axis of sustention, the former being most com- 

 monly displaced, and in some cases by movements of the abdo- 

 men, in others, of the elytra, in others, of the balancers.— Ex- 

 periment relative to transport of phylloxera by the wind, by M. 

 Faucon. — On the direct visibility of the photospheric netw ork 

 of the sun, by Dom Lamey. On November 16, observing the 

 sun with a 6-inch equatorial at Grignon (Cote d'Or), he saw 

 quite well that two spots on the left side were surrounded by 

 a reticulated region. With a weak magnifying power the crateri- 

 form aspect was manifest.— On series relative to the theory of 

 numbers, by M. Lipschitz. — Coloured rings produced at the 

 surface of mercury, by M. Guebhard. Having carefully cleared 

 off the grey pellicle which forms on the surface of mercury, 

 breathe on the clear metal. Beautiful ring systems are formed 

 in light by the layer of condensed vapour. They contract r.s 

 evaporation diminishes the thickness. Better results are had 

 by dropping a volatile oil on the surface, and the best with col- 

 lodion. Diluted with ether, the latter gives pellicles which can 

 be detached, after having regulated their thickness and colours, a* 

 will, and transferred to paper. — Reply to M. Trecul and M. 

 Chevreul regarding crystallised chlorophyll, by M. Gautier. — 

 Influence of phosphorus on the urinary secretion, by M. 

 Cazeneuve. Experiments on the dog and the cat show that 

 phosphorus, given in toxic doses, causes increase of urea, 

 phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, the total nitrogen, and iron. 

 The author disagrees with the view of certain physiologists who 

 regard the liver as the principal organ formative of urea. — On 

 alcoholic fermentation (re ly to M. Berthelot), by M. Cochin. — 

 On the inferior Pyrenomycetes of New Caledonia, by M. Crie. 

 — Note on the general circulation of the atmosphere on the sur- 

 face of the globe, by M. Brault. The fourth and last of the 

 author's series of maps of winds is now published ; it relates to 

 the Pacific. M. Brault points out that the problem of atmo- 

 spheric circulation falls into two parts ; finding what the circula- 

 tion would be if all the earth were covered with water (it 

 would be in a system of zones oscillating from south to north, 

 and vice versd), and finding in the actual circulation what is due 

 to the presence of continents and unequal distribution of land 

 and sea. The former question is best studied in the southern 

 hemisphere. — On a glazed frost observed at Angers on December 

 4, 1879, by M. Decharme. It commenced about 8a.m., after a 

 night of strong east wind, and lasted till 4 P.M. 



CONTENTS Page 



Boston and Harvard 149 



Plante's "Researches in Electricity." By Prof. Silvanus P. 



Thompson 150 



Natural History of the Ancients 151 



Our Look Shelf :- 



" Bulletin des Sciences Mathemattques et Astrcnomiques" . . . 152 



Bird's "Lecture Notes on Physics" i$z 



Wilson's "Diagrams of Zoology" 153 



Letters to the e-ditok : — 



The Exploration of Socotra.— P. L. Sclatbr, F.R.S 153 



Monkeys inthe West Indies.— P. L. Sclater, F.R.S 153 



Is Mount Unzen a Volcano?— H. B. GurPY 153 



Astron -mical Subject-Index.— J. L. E. Dreyer 154 



Distinguishing Lights for Lighthouses.— Prof. Silvanus P. 



Thompson 154 



The First "Sin."— J 154 



The " Encyclopaedia Britannica"— The Nile.— Albert J. Mott . 155 



Lunar Rings.— Dr. George Berwick: (With Diagram) . ... 15s 



Stag's Horns.-G. W. H 155 



On a New Copying Process. By R. H. Ridout 153 



The Animal Heat of Fishes 156 



New Modes of showing differbnt Characteristics over small 

 Arcs in Azimuth from the same Lighthouse Apparatus. By 



Thomas Stevenson, C E 156 



A Feat in Triangblation 157 



A New Standard of Light J 58 



Flow of Viscous Materials— A Model Glacier. By J. T. 



Bottomley • • ■ • ■ • '5.) 



The Scottish Zoological Station. ByT. Jefpery Parker (IVtt/i 



Illustrations) '59 



The Fossil Lovers "J 1 



Notes l6 = 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



The Comet of 1652 "4 



Meteors on October 19 l5 4 



Geological Notes : — - 



Upper Devonian Rocks of the North of France 1C.4 



Tertiary Quaruites of the Ardennes 164 



Pyrenees Marble J °5 



Petrography in Spain J ^5 



Geographical Notes • • • • ■ • • ■ x ' ■ '°J 



Sun-Spots and Rainfall of Paris. By C. Meuwum, F.B.S. . . 166 



Scientific Serials ,• • • 1 ^ 



Societies and Academies (With Diagrams) 109 



