Page 176

NA TURE
L 72m;e 29, 1871
                            PARPIS
  Academie des Sciences, June i9.-M. Claude Bernard in
the chair. M. Claude Bernard read a letter from Mr. Alexander
Herschel, noticing the death of his father on behalf of himself and
of his eldest brother now in India. The lamented SirJohn Herschel
was the senior foreign associate member of the Institute. The
foreign associate members are only five in number; it is con-
sidered the highest honour the Academy can offer to a foreigner.
Tlthe President noticed also the [death of the celebrated General
Probert, who was an academician of long standing, and had de-
voted his whole life to the study of projectiles. His memoirs
are numerous in the Contptes Renducs, but more numerous at the
War Office.  He was of opinion that the Prussian steel gun
should be adopted by the French artillery, but his Imperial
Majesty being a great artillerist, his opinion was totally disre-
garded. The vacancies to be filled amongst members and asso-
ciates are now six. They have never been so numerous. There
wvere twelve correspondents to elect before the investment of
Paris took place. M. Dumas presented a memoir on the reci-
procal action of magnetism and electricity circulating in a vacuum.
The memoir was written by M. De La Rive, a foreign associate
member of the Academy, and describes experiments tried with
an apparatus analogous to the magnificent instruments exhibited
by Mr. De LaRive at the "ChampdelNars" universal exhibition.-
M. Elie de Beaumont, the other perpetual secretary, has directed
public attention to the extraordinary cold experienced on the i8th
May and 3rd June I87I, and asked for observations relating to it.
Every information must be directed to him, and will be men-
tioned in the Colnzptcs Rendus. Several other communications are
duly acknowledged, and will be printed. Some of them relate
to other severe depressions of temperature witnessed late in the
season in former years ; hoar frost was observed as late as in
July 1802, which appears to have been one of the worst years
ever known for low temperature in the summer.-M. Gremand
de Lany, the senior member of the Scientific Staff of the
Parisian papers, has published an interesting book on the
Academy of Sciences during the siege of Paris, giving a fair idea
of the amount of work executed by members resident in Paris
during that eventful period of its annals. The Academy has to
appoint a committee for reporting upon the memoirs sent to com-
pete for the great prize of mathematics proposed by the govern-
ment. The subject proposed belongs to the theory of elliptical
functions.  No qualification of nationality is required.  The
names of the competitors are kept sealed and opened only if suc-
cessful. MM. Bertrand, Hermite, Serret, Leonville, and Bonner
were appointed.-A most interesting discussion took place on a
paper relating to the treatment of typhus during the Mexican
campaign, showing that typhus is unquestionably contagious, as
well as many other diseases of the same kind. The cold and
moisture is not so much to be feared as stagnant hospital air, and
treatment under canvas even in cold weather is perhaps the
best that can be imagined.-M. Campion, the first assistant to
M. Payen, presented a memoir on the manner of blasting rocks
with dynamite. That paper is a kind of i-sume'of I. Campion's
experiments during the first investment of Paris. He was closely
engaged in dangerous operations, practised for protecting the
town. According to every probability, he will be appointed a
member to fill the chair of his professor. --Five or six other
papers were read, too long to report.
                            VIENNA
   I. R. Geological Institution, May 2.-Dr. Giimbel, of
Munich, gave an account of his investigations of the different
forms of Dactylopora, found chiefly in the Triassic limestones of
the Alps. Notwithstanding some differences in the structure,
he recognised in them a strong resemblance to living and tertiary
Dactylopora. Great and constant varieties in the forms led him
to distinguish a large number of different species.-Mr. F.
Pick, who had visited the Isle of Milo in the month of March,
made a report of the numerous earthquakes which had been
observed there since the beginning of the year. From the middle
of January up to the month of March they continued incessantly,
and during the time between the last days of February till the
3rd March more than twenty shocks were felt daily, not seldom
two or three in one hour. The St. George volcano on Santorin
was seen on March 20 in continuous, but feeble activity.-M. v.
Lill discovered the rare Ullmannite (Nickel-Antimon-Pyrites)
at a new locality in Carinthia, the Rinkenberg, near Bleiburg,
where it is imbedded in slaty schists and crystalline dolomite.-
Another mineralogical discovery of interest communicated by
T. Niedzwiedski is the occurrence of Trinkerite at Gams, near
Hieflau, in Styria. This fossil resin, which contains more than
4 per cent. of sulphur, was first described a few months ago by Dr.
Tschermak, of Carpano, in Istria, where it was found in a coal of
Eocene age. At Gams it is imbedded in a dark coloured rock,
which belongs to the Gasau (Upper Cretaceous) formation.-Prof.
E. Suess on the Tertiary land fauna of middle Italy. The study
of the rich collections of fossil mammalia in the museums in Pisa
and Florence enabled the author to parallelise the different
faunae of the Upper Tertiary beds of middle Italy, which had been
distinguished quite correctly by Falconer, Lartet, &c., with those
of Austria. The first mammalian fauna of the Vienna Basin, the
fauna of Eibiswald, with Amphicyon intermediaries, Hyotherium
Somnmeringi, Pakeomerix, Crocodilus, Trionyx, &c., is repre-
sented in Italy by the fauna of the lignites of Monte Bamboli.
The second fauna of the Vienna Basin, the fauna of Eppelsheim
with Mastodon Zongirostris, Hi,6potherium gracile, &c., is not
yet known in Italy. The fauna of the Arno Valley, on the con-
trary, which is represented in a marvellous richness in the
museum of Florence, seems to be wanting in the Vienna Basin.
This third fauna is characterised by Eleplhas mneridionalis,
.Machairodus, Bos eltruscus, Hippopotarnns major, &c. ; traces of
it M. Suess thinks he has recognised in some fossils from the
caverns of the Karst (Istria). The fourth fauna, with Elephas
Pi-imigenius which is to be found everywhere in our loess, has
been discovered also in some localities of Tuscany in the so-
called Pauchina, a clay similar to the loess.-M. Schwackhofer
exhibited a series of rocks rich in phosphoric acid, which occur in
the Silurian, as well as in the Cretaceous beds of Eastern Gallicia,
the discovery of which he hopes will be of great use for agri-
cultural purposes.
                  BOOKS RECEIVED
 ENGLISH.-The Homing or Carrier Pigeon: W. B. Tegetmeier (Rout-
 ledge).
 AINIERICAN.-The Mouthly Reports of the Department of Agriculture for
 i868-69: The Annual Report of the Commission of Agriculture. A868; The
 Annual Report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1862: Government
 Printing Office, Washington.-The Elements of Physics: Prof. Hinrichs.
 FOREIGN.-Die Pflanzenstoffe, &c.: Drs. A. and Th. Husemann (Schluss).
-(Through Williams and Norgate) -Discussion der wihrend der totale Son-
nenfinsterniss am August I866 angectellten Beobachtungen und der diraus
folgenden Ergebnisse: Prof. E. Weiss.-Elektrodynamische Mass-bestim-
mungen: W. Weber.-Physisch: Zusammenkdrnfte der Planeten: C. von
Littrow.
                          DIARY
                      MOADAY, JULY 3.
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, at 7.
ROYAL INSTITUTION, at 2.-General Monthly Meeting.
                      FRIDAY, JULY 7.
GEOLOGISTS' AssocIATION, at 8.-On the Upper Limits of the Devonian
System: J. R. Pattison.
CONTENTS
PAGE
RAMBLES ROUND LONDON.
WEINHOLD'S EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS.
OUR BOOK SHELF. (Withl IIluStration) . . . . . .
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:-
   The Eclipse Photographs.-D. WINSTANLEY.
   The Solar Parallax.-Prof. S. NEWCOMB.
   Halo in the Zenith.-R. M. BARRINGTON.
   What is Yellow Rain ?-J. JEREMIAH. . . . . . . . .
   Black Rain.-E. LEE, F.L.S.
   A New View of Darwinism.-HENRY H. HOWORTHI.
   Ocean Currents.-J. K. LAUGHTON
   Alpine Floras.-J. J. MURPHY, F G.S.  .
   A Suggestion.-Lieut. S. P. OLIVER, R.A.
HYDROUS SILICATES INJECTING THE PORES OF FOSSILS. By Principal
DAWSON, F.R. S.
NEW THEORY OF SUN-SPOTS. By J. BIRMINGHAM .
PROFESSOR TYNDALL ON THEORIES OF DISEASES . . .  -.
THE CHESTNUT TREE OF MOUNT ETNA. (With Illustration.)
SCIENCE IN PLAIN ENGLISH. II. By W. RUSHTON  . . . . .
NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ... . . .
SCIENCE IN AMERICA  . . .  . . .  . . . .  . . .  .   .
MR. BENTHAM'S ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS TO THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(Continued).
ASTRONOMY.-On the Great Sun-Spot of June, I343. By Prof. D.
KIRKWOOD
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. . . .  . . .  . . .  . . .  . .   .
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . *
BOOKS RECEIVED. . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIARYA.RY...................
I76
157
i58
159
160
160
161
161
162
162
162
162
x6i
I63
164
i66
i66
167
170
170
172
I72
173
173
176
176