New-York tribune., 1886-11-10
SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSIONS.
PAPERS BEFORE THE NATIONAL ACADEMY.
THE soLAR-LUNAR sPsCrKUM-DIsCOvERIEs IN A
MAINE ~HrLL HEAP.
"

THE sOLAR-LUNAR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN A
MAINE SHrLL HEAP.
rBY rELRGRAPH THE TRIBUSE.l
BOsrON, Nov. 9.-Tnc fall session OF the
National Academy OF Sciences began to-day the fn-
tute of Technology. tn. president DIR. Othmel Charles
IN the cnar The ist paper WAS by Professor s.
p Langley. on The solar-Lunar Spectrum" Referring
his Mount whitney five years ago. he
recalled the great extsnson tue Invisible spectrum
OF ths then as s,overe and subsequently extended
by "A. wellkDowB expert Eents with the bolometer
and rock-salt. pfisns. AT previous meetings " the
Academy he has given researches into the una spec
which the existence of heat tar below
rays the solsr ,ectrum. Their absence
appeared to rai,o ton that the suns atmos-
pbcre assorted them Bv the Of ingenious
automatic apparatus. no ne has been able 10
elminao tho serfu heat rays so completely as
de al infinitely feeber previously dis
covered I'm the lunar spectrum and finds that the sun
raaes from this portion OF the spectrum two or three
times as muca heat the moon To rendsr this visible
TO tho eye di gram form requires scale 1000 times
as large red for the visible portion OF the
spectrum; the heating effect OF these rays being ap
rrYximaicly only onehundred thousandth that OF
tbr visible ones. Tho diagram OF the specrum extended
TO temporsturc below and the heat to be exam
ined between lie and l7o lie concludes that his pre-
vious theory ard that the rays rom 20
absorbed the atmosphere of earth. max
ing as Professor Newcomb remarked, Immense alb
sorptiOn ban covering that range Lampblck is found
be almost transparent 10 these low rays glass
70 light coroary from these observations
the temper of tue moon when illuminated
Is about thai of melt ice
Sir Lyon Playfar and Professor Alfred Russell wal
lacr OF England were invited partciI the pro-
ceeiines at this stase.
Professor T. storry Hunt read paper on Basis for
Chemistry" giving survey Of mis- laDors and thoss
OF Graham and Dovire. He the distinction be-
flla ,n mai
iins thai not only solution, but milling. solinnc'ton
vsporization condensation are chemical processes
The law OF volumes, usually called Gay Lussacs Ia~.
is universal extending not only t. gases aud vapors but
to all solids. Tue specific gravities of all these
vary directly as their equivalent weight Water is
lroduced coBdsn 1923 volumes of steam
at loOo centgrsde and tie normal pressure. and It's
equivalent weight VITA the conceded value OF
2e244 rhe metric and the very elevated
sImvalent weights of solids Was explained aud the
relations Of all these TO chemical classification The
whole conception of chemical chance was further dis
cussod briefly. and 1t Announced that the subject
would bo fully presented "a volume bearing the Sane
title the paper.
This pat~r WAS discussed by Professors Chan er.
Langley Glbbs and Sir Lyon Piayiar. Much Interest
these researches Dut final Judgment
reserved until the publication OF Professor Hdnrs
furLhconiug treatise. After lupch at tue
Brunswick tho p,esdrnt auDouUcec that tue courtesy
o tue st bot0ph club had neen extended t. muu'trs
o tile Academy huriug the session Professor dw"rd
y. Cope then read paper on LeDnrI" heverslon IA
Human Deutiliph He regards trltuDercuar moiars as
revrrson TO lemurine type, AMI indicative Of Lower
OF humanity ami binds the prevalence OF such
prev hing characteristic of Tho Esqumos, more
than nf other recalling the opniun OF BOYD
Dawkhs that tue welurs oI Europe were Es'in-
the ,revaemee OF tuis form OF deutOn among |
Iissns cOrrouortss Huxley's opinion tht tuey were
derived mixture Of lndo- europeans WITH EgyP
tlaus.
Professor Copo's next paper on Tie Colune' Auris
OF toe Tailed Batraohia presented ditcut question
OF tue anatomy b"nes of in cert reptiles.
much interest to biologists, and having |
important bearings Oh the evolutionary theory.
lrOies-or edward ;. Morse read paper on Change |
IN Mya since the foceDe, sho ing recent cnanges IN
clans quahsugs In times IL excavatug snrn
thirteen feei deep the differences IN snapr o. tue DTer
tue upper lis is marked that the workmsn
called attention to it. The lower smells are rou.d r.
Ceirrazlnk ngurr5 obtained IRON numerous 1~asure-
lie finds the shells DrcoDe longer as temperature
the cuate decreases. whuihsf IL secular N
graz hca changes. He also hpds decrease IN sz with
ia, this th-o,y and 1t seems pr"aoie
that i'll measurements criterion of teu
poratUre
discussing this paper Professor Putnam stated that
the Damariscoita shell heap being watched by an
tho interest OF tue Peaooly Museun In order
u mplelt nts or other materials
Professor A s. Packard read paper on the cave |
Fauns OF North America WIN remarks on ,he anaou
origin OF blind forms. There sro l72 spenies OF
blind auimals known. comrtsne cray hsh, myrlapods,
h- optic oDes OF the BRAN as we'll "a he optic
entirely waning many forms, having Dern
Ion, broause dsuse Kiuf of desue'uoe" apparently
quite the reverse OF nuJcuous-" such are the sad
results Of fo in total darkness. These animals arr
from bl~achiDp Of the skin Some species have
small eyes have not hese species have
probably been solved Sithn the last 1000 to 10000
years.
Among those present at the meeting we're Cleveland
AbDe Henry l. Abbot, George w. Hiil Apheus hyatt.
JUsrIn Lowering, II. A. Newton, Edwari T. PckerIng,
Raphael PdmPeily, Henry A Rowland, Samuel II. |
scnader Francis A. Walker. Charles A. Young A. 4.
Packard. Henry Il. Hill aud B. A. 10 uld.