708 
THEORY OF NITRIFICATION. 
force of its fall causing a protrusion on the left side, which 
appeared at first sight to be another broken rib, On exami¬ 
nation Mr. Bovett found an iron skewer, about four inches 
in length, to be imbedded in the animal’s abdomen. Three 
inches and a half of the pointed part of the skewer, having 
been forced out of the pupv’s side, were sawn off, but the 
remaining portion, having a head in the form of a ring, was 
obliged to be left in for a second operation. The animal is 
now progressing favorably. We hear that the cause of this 
mishap was that the dog had stolen some meat which had 
been left on a skewer for the cat, and had thus swallowed 
the skewer as well as the flesh. 
PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE‘CATTLE 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE ACT,’ AUSTRALIA. 
A proclamation, dated Angust2d, in accordance with the 
Act for preventing the propagation of contagious or infectious 
disorders in cattle in the colony, has been issued, prohibiting 
the introduction of any horned cattle from Victoria for the 
following three months. The penalty contingent is seizure 
of the cattle, and a fine, not exceeding £50 nor less than £10. 
A NEW ELEMENT. 
The discovery of a new element, to which the name of 
dianium has been given, has recently been announced by the 
celebrated German chemist Kobell, making, with caesium, 
rubidium, and thallium, the fourth simple body added by 
modern research within a comparatively short space of time. 
THEORY OF NITRIFICATION. 
MiLLONhas observed that nitre is always produced with 
regularity provided a humus product, an ammoniacal salt, 
and a mixture of earthy carbonates, are present, the solid 
mass being constantly moistened and exposed to the air. 
The action of the alkaline humate is to absorb oxygen, and 
this oxidation is transferred to the ammonia, which thereby 
becomes converted into nitric acid. 
