Dec. 14, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



611 



importance. If an air bubble be placed in ether vapour 

 for a few seconds, the vapour diffuses into the bubble in 

 sufficient quantity to cause it to explode with a consider- 

 able burst of flame when taken out and applied to a light. 

 The magnetic qualities of gases are conveniently studied 

 when these are enclosed in bubbles. Although outside 

 the domain of bubbles proper, one or two illustrations 

 may be given of the beautiful geometrical forms produced 

 by Plateau on wire frames after immersion in soap solu- 

 tion. A cubical frame shows an arrangement of one 

 rectangular film in the middle joined to the corners by 

 twelve trapezoidal films. A triangular prism gives a 

 set of nine plane films, and a helix of wire gives a very 

 pretty screw-shaped film. A frame consisting of three 

 rings fixed to a centre forms a circular trough of soap 

 films, round which bubbles may be rolled as the ball on 

 a roulette table. The greater part of these experiments 

 have been devised by Mr. C. V. Boys, F.R.S., of South 

 Kensington Science Schools, and are described in a recent 

 number of the Philosophical Magazine, where also he 

 gives the ingredients of the solution used in forming the 

 bubbles. Some are from other authors, and others have 

 been devised specially for this evening. In conclusion, 

 it may be asked ad bono — what is the good of it all ? 

 The seeker after knowledge asks no further result or 

 reward than the pleasure of attaining definite knowledge. 

 As the artist loves beauty, and will create beautiful forms 

 for the mere love of his art, so the philosopher finds his 

 keen pleasure in acquiring and setting in order new 

 forms of knowledge. There is a keen delight in a new 

 successful original experiment that belongs to few other 

 enjoyments — in seeing for the first time that Nature has 

 at length truly answered the question so often put in so 

 many varied and' doubtless imperfect forms before ; a 

 delight enhanced by the feeling that, having asked aright, 

 we have been answered truly, for — 



Nature never did betray 



The heart that loced her. 



ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, AMSTERDAM. 

 At the meeting of the section of Physical Sciences on 

 Saturday, 24th November, 1888, M. Hugo de Vries read 

 a paper " On the Pangenesis of Darwin," urging that 

 Darwin's doctrine presents a great many more data for 

 the explanation of various phenomena on the domain of 

 heredity than the doctrine of Weisman. The author 

 especially demonstrated that the hypothesis of the trans- 

 port of gemmules may be rejected without endangering 

 the validity of the arguments in that hypothesis, which 

 would connect the separate properties of any organism 

 with some definite species of particles of living matter. 

 He also pointed out that the theory expounded subse- 

 quently to Darwin, according to which the nucleus of the 

 germ-cell must be the seat of heredity, is in accordance 

 with the import of the last-mentioned hypothesis. 



M. Martin demonstrated that the lower jaw found in 

 the year 1823 when digging the canal called Zuid 

 Willemsvaart, in the Kaberg, near Maestricht, and 

 hitherto regarded as the remains of a so-called fossil or 

 diluvial human being, was not found in the geological 

 formation which harbours such remains, but in another 

 of more recent date, so that the importance of this jaw — 

 traced back by the author after a long and painful search 

 in the anatomical cabinet of the Leyden University — can 

 no longer be maintained. 



M. Martin further stated that he discovered recently 



in a parcel of fossils collected by the mining engineer, 

 J. A. Hooze, in Martapoera, some characteristic fossils 

 from the chalk formation, and especially rudists ; so that 

 it is positively ascertained that in the South-Eastern 

 parts ol Borneo there exists a chalk formation, as was 

 formerly supposed by Geinitz. 



Victoria Institute. — At a meeting held on December 

 3rd, a lecture was delivered by the Rev. H. G. Tomkins 

 on Biblical Ethnology, illustrated by means of a lantern 

 with transparent photographs, which had been taken from 

 the monuments themselves, and many of them from 

 those discovered not more than a year ago at Bubastis 

 and elsewhere. The photographs brought out the 

 ethnographic distinctions between Egyptians, Assyrians, 

 Israelites, Syrians, &c, with great clearness. The ac- 

 curacy of the Egyptian sculptors may be attested by 

 che fact that, although there are more figures of Rameses 

 II. than of any other monarch, yet there is never any 

 difficulty in deciding as to whom they are intended to 

 represent. It is startling also to see on those ancient 

 monuments, drawings and sculptures of Hebrew faces, 

 of which we may find exact counterparts in the streets 

 of London to-day. 



Cambridge Antiquarian Society. — At the meeting on 

 Monday, the 19th of November, Professor A. Macalister, 

 M.D., F.R.S. (President) in the chair, the President 

 exhibited and described a fragment of an Egyptian 

 Stele belonging to Mr. Dodgson, of Ashton-under-Lyne. 

 Professor J. H. Middleton made some remarks upon an 

 altar-cloth from Lyng church, near Norwich, lent by 

 the Rector, the Rev. C. Jex-Blake. Mr. Gadow made a 

 few remarks upon an early Christian inscription found 

 at Mertola, in Portugal, which had been kindly presented 

 to the Society by Mr. T. M. Warden, an official of the 

 Minade Sao Domingos, South Portugal. 



Sheffield Microscopical Society. — The first of a 

 series of " students' nights " in connection with this 

 society was commenced on November 23rd, when Mr. 

 W. Jenkinson explained the construction of the micro- 

 scope, giving a lull description and the uses of the 

 various parts. Mr. G. A. Grierson gave a practical 

 demonstration in botanical section cutting and mounting. 



Edinburgh Association of Science and Arts. — The 

 meeting was held on November 19th, Mr. J. M. Turn- 

 bull, President, in the chair. A paper on " The Prin- 

 ciples of Ventilation " was read by Mr. A. D. Mackenzie. 

 The lecturer first referred to the ventilation of buildings 

 as not receiving the importance it deserved ; it was too 

 often an after-thought, considered only when the build- 

 ing was nearing completion, and therefore almost impos- 

 sible to be effectually carried out. Dealing next with 

 the proportions of the different gases necessary to sup- 

 port life, the lecturer said ventilation consisted largely 

 of a process of dilution, a mixing more or less of the 

 good air with the bad, and the reason of such a large 

 supply of air being required was that they could not get 

 the foul air away without more or less pollution of the 

 new air. About 3,000 feet per hour of fresh air was 

 estimated to be required for each individual, and that 

 quantity was so large that it was almost impossible to 



