422 Scientific Intelligence. 
6. On the Action of Phosphoric chloride on Ethyl acetondicar- 
bonate—In the hope of elucidating the constitution of certain 
unsaturated acids of the fatty series, Burron and von PecHMaNN 
have examined the product of the action of phosphoric chloride 
upon ethyl acetondicarbonate, as well as the two other bodies, 
acid in character, which are produced from this by the loss of 
hydrogen chloride. The first product of the above reaction is 
probably CO,C,H,.CH,.CCl,.CH,.CO,C,H,; and this loses H@l 
spontaneously and becomes CO Halk CH.CCI. CH, .CO,H, which be- 
cause of its formation and analogies the authors call. p- chlorglut- 
aconic acid. By the further loss of HCl, a new dibasic acid is 
formed having the formula C,H,O,, to which they give the name 
glutinic acid, and for which the constitutional formula CO,H. 
C=C.CH, .CO,H appears most probable. The former acid is 
obtained in white crystals fusing at 129° and easily soluble in 
water. The latter acid crystallizes in white needles and fuses 
with decomposition at 145°-146°. It is easily soluble in water, 
alcohol and ether, insoluble in chloroform and in benzene.— Ber. 
Berl. Chem. Ges., xx, 145, February, 1887. G. F. B. 
7. On the behavior of Iron and Steel under the operation of 
feeble magnetic forces—Lord RayYLeren discusses in this paper 
the question whether iron responds proportionally to feeble mag- 
netic forces. This guestion is of practical interest in the working 
of telephonic instruments. The experiments of Ewing apparently 
prove that the hypothesis of Maxwell that when the molecular 
magnets of Weber are rotated they undergo first an elastic and 
then a partially non-elastic deflection, does not represent the 
actual phenomenon. They suffer instead a “kind of frictional 
retardation which must be overcome by the magnetizing force 
before deflection begins at all.” The experiments of Rayleigh 
prove “that in any condition of force and magnetization, the sus- 
ceptibility to small periodic changes of force is a definite and not 
very small quantity, independent of the magnitude of the small 
change. That the value of the susceptibility to small changes of 
force, is approximately independent of the initial condition as 
regards force and magnetization, until the region of saturation is 
approached.” 
In the course of his investigation the author experimented upon 
the construction of a sensitive galvanometer with a field strength- 
ened by iron. The system of needles was astatic. The electro- 
magnet was of horseshoe form, with a core of hard Swedish iron 
wire 3°3®" in diameter. The electro- magnet was held so as to 
embrace the upper needle system. The experiments showed that 
a galvanometer of high sensitiveness could be thus constructed. 
The tendency to residual magnetism would, however, be trouble- 
some.— Phil. Mag., March, 1887, pp. 225-245. Jes 
8. Movements of the Wings of Birds, represented according to 
three dimensional space.—M. Marry, in a very interesting article 
illustrated by figures, represents the results obtained by imstanta- 
neous photographs of the flight of birds taken successively as if 
