438 
Notes . 
[July. 
formation of a portion of the insoluble albumenoids of the 
gluten into a soluble state, and ultimately into peptones. The 
starch is only modified by baking. The agent in panary fer- 
mentation is a badterium which is normally developed in the 
paste ; yeast merely accelerates the process. 
MM. Van Tieghem and Gaston Bonnier (Societe Botanique 
de France) show that grains of rye retain their power of germi- 
nation even after desiccation at 176° F. — a temperature higher 
than that at which albumen is coagulated. 
M. Pauchon (“ Comptes Rendus ”) demonstrates that the 
upper limit of audibility may vary, for one and the same ear, 
with the intensity of the sound. Using a powerful syren, he 
found that with a pressure of steam varying from 0^5 to 1*5 at- 
mospheres the limit ranged from 48,000 to 60,000 single vibra- 
tions ; with a pressure of 2 \ atmospheres the limit was not 
reached at 72,000 vibrations — the acutest sound which the syren 
was able to produce. 
The French Government, in acknowledgment of the merits 
of Professor Pasteur, have increased his pension from £450 
to £1000 yearly, and extended it to his wife should she outlive 
him. 
MM. Frankel and Geppert have studied the influence of re- 
duced atmospheric pressure upon animal life. They find that at 
pressures corresponding to an altitude of 3800 to 4900 metres 
the proportion of oxygen in the blood is not diminished. At 
atmosphere, corresponding to an altitude of 8800 metres, the 
arterial oxygen is reduced by one-half. The formation of car- 
bonic oxide is reduced, but not in a corresponding proportion. 
The decomposition of albumenoids in the body, and conse- 
quently the excretion of nitrogen, are increased. The loss of 
blood from the mucous membranes is not due to diredt mecha- 
nical adtion. 
It is not generally known that the botanist A. M. Duchesne, 
as far back as 1766, upheld Evolutionary ideas, and even con- 
structed a genealogical tree of the strawberry. He writes : — 
“ L’ordre genealogique est le seul que la nature indique, le seul 
qui satisfasse pleinement l’esprit ; tout autre est arbitaire et vide 
d’idees.” 
Mr. J. Amory Jeffries, writing in £< Science,” contends that 
Madagascar should be regarded as the remains of a fading 
zoological region, rather than a part of the Ethiopian. 
Mr. J. Le Conte (“ Science ”) shows that in very cold climates 
the sap of all perennial plants must be frozen in all parts during 
the winter months. Such congelation does not necessarily in- 
volve the death of the plant. 
