304 



KATUKR 



rnECEMBER 28. IQII 



brcn K) far dc«crlbed.~E. M. Hersbursh : 1 h" rnilwin 

 trantition curve. The mathpmntii.'il and dynamicnl condi- 

 tiont to be •atiified by the transition curve by which transi- 

 tion U to be made from one strniijht track to anothT 

 were discussed in a new way, and a comparatively simple 

 method dfdurrd for practical si'iting off of the curve. — 

 A. C. OiimmlnK and Alex. 0«mm«ll : The prcpnration 

 and properties of basic cop{)er nitratp, and the hydrates of 

 cupper nitrate. Only one basic nitrate was found, namely, 

 C'u(NO,),,3Cu(OH),. Copper oxide with 100 per cent, 

 nitric acid yields copper nitrate trihydrate, nitrogen 

 peroxide, and oxygen. Copper oxide docs not interact with 

 nitric anhydride. The conditions for the formation of 

 copper nitrate trinydratc and hexahydrate, and their range 

 of stability, were studied. — .A. C. Cummin^ and E. W. 

 Hamilton Amith : The reduction of ferric salts (1) by 

 sulphurous arid and (a) by zinc dust. Ferric salts are 

 most quickly reduced by sulphurous acid if the acidity is 

 kept as low as possible, but if the reaction of the mixture 

 I* alkaline no reduction takes place. Various zinc alloys 

 were compared with zinc for the reduction of iron, but 

 offered no advantages. A rapid method for reduction with 

 zinc dust was described. — A. C. Cummingr : Note on a 

 perforated silica plate for excludinf^ flame gases from a 

 crucible during ignition. The hole was made of the appro- 

 priate size to hold the crucible. With this device calcium 

 carbonate was quickly reduced to oxide with a good 

 Bunsen burner. 



Melbour.ne. 



Royal Society of Victoria, November 9 — Tfof. E. \V. 

 Skeats in the chair. — Frederick Steward : The effect of 

 certain chemical substances on the vitality of the buds of 

 potato tubers, and their disinfective action on the potato 

 blight (Phylophthora infestans). Steeping for three to six 

 hours in 5 per cent, or 10 per cent, sulphuric acid retards 

 growth. Treatment for twenty hours in 10 per cent, solu- 

 tion kills the buds. -Steeping for ten days in various dis- 

 infectants in very dilute solutions, or even in pure water, 

 prevented germination of the fungus. — F. Chapman : 

 New or little known Victorian fossils in the National 

 Museum. Part xlv. — On some Silurian trilobites. Ampyx 

 parvulus, Forbes, var. jikaensis, var. nov., ,1. yarraensis, 

 lllaenus jutsont, Encrinurus (Cromus) spryi, and lioma- 

 lonotus vomer, are described as new. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Traits de Gtelogie. II. Les P^riodes Gdologrques. By 

 Prof. E. Haug. Fascicule 3. Pp. iv 4-1397-2024. 

 (Paris: A. Colin.) 11 francs. 



Lehrbuch der Biologic fiir Hochschulen. By M. Nuss- 

 baum, G. Karsten, and M. Weber. Pp. xi-h529. 

 (Leipzig: W. Engelmann.) 12 marks. 



The Year-book of the Learned and Scientific Societies 

 of Great Britain and Ireland. Twenty-eighth annual 

 issue. Pp. vii-l-374. (London : C. Griffin and Co.. Ltd.) 

 7s. 6d. 



The Gentle Art. Some Sketches and Studies. Bv H. 

 Lamond. Pp. xi-l-303. (London : J. Murray.) 65. net. 



The Age and Growth of Salmon and Trout in Norwav 

 as shown by their Scales. By K. Dahl. Translated bv 

 J. Baillie. Edited by J. A. Hutton and H. T. Sheringhani. 

 Pp. ix-f 141 + plates. (London: Salmon and Trout A-^'^orin- 

 tion.) 55. 



Die Fauna Sudwest-Australiens. Edited bv IVof. W . 



Michaelson and Dr. R. Hartmeyer. Band iii.', Lieferung 



iiB. Pp. 395-467+ plate. (Jena: G. Fischer.) 4.S0 

 marks. 



A Treatise on Plane Trigonometrv. Bv Prof. E. W. 

 Hobson, F.R.S. Third edition. Pp. xv+sSv (Cam- 

 bridge : University Press.) i2J. net. 



Philips' Nature Calendar, 1912. 

 Philip and Son, Ltd.) 6d. net. 



NO. 2200, VOL. 88] 



i at^ach<-n und i ' > 



tion neb«t Anieitun. , . i; .1. li,: 



Edited by Prof, V. liu.cli and D 



(Homburg : Lucas Grafe & Sillen 



Penrose's Pictorial Annual. 1 

 1911-13. Edited by W. Gamble. 

 (IxJndon : A. W. Penrose nnd Co., 



ill 'if*f*)n . 



Pp. xii -I- 234 + platen 

 I.id.i 



Pp. 14. (London : G. 



CONTENTS. j'Awh 



The Synthetic Colouring Matters. By Prof. Arthur 



O. Qreen 



Constructive Biology 



The Sensibility of the Alimentary Canal. hj 



W. D. H. 

 A New Primer of Psychology. By W. B 

 Number and Quantity. By G. B. M. . . 

 Applications of Photography in Science and Technics 27 5 

 Agriculture and Soils of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex 



ByJ. P 



Our Book Shelf 



Letters to the Editor : - 



The Thames Valley. — Right Hon. Sir Herbert 



Maxwell, Bart., F.R.S 



The Inheritance of Mental Chariclers.— Dr. Charles 



Walker 



Theory of Complex Cartesian Coordinates. — Pro' 



G. B. Mathews, F.R.S 



Science and Literary Form. — J. L 27 



The Weather of igii.—Dr Wilhelm Krebs . . 27 

 Nature of Light emitted by Fireflies.— P. Alex. 



McDermott ... 



What Shore-whaling is Doing for Science. (/////. 



IraleJ.) By Roy C. Andrews -^ 



The Improvement of Indian Wheat. By E. F. A. . 2b: 



My Tropic Isle. {Illustrated.) . . 2S 



Malaria in India. By Sir Ronald Ross, K.C.B . 



F.R.S 



The Longevity of Animals 2> 



Notes ... z^: 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Schaumasse's Comet, 191 1// ..... '^'■^ 



Brooks's Comet, 1911c 



Observations of Mars - 



The Total Solar Eclip.-e of April 17, 191 2 



Planetary Atmospheres 2w; 



International Solar Research. By Charles P. Butler 29: 

 The Origin of Mammals. ByJ. H. A. ... 29 



Vertical Currents in the Atmosphere. By E 



Gold 



Beach-la-mar, the Jargon of the Western Pacifi;. 



By Sidney H. Ray . 29- 



The Fracture of Flint by Nature and by Man . . 295 

 The Medical Work of the Local Government Board. 



By Prof. R. T. Hewlett 296 



The Hedley Gold Field, British Columbia. By 



J. W. G 29 



Beit Memorial Fellowships for Medical Research 29: 

 Technical Institute Problems. By Prof. John 



Perry, F.R.S 29- 



Momentum in Evolution. By Prof. Arthur Denny, 



F.R.S 3-: 



University and Educational Intelligence . 3c- 



Societies and Academies 303 



Books Received . . 304 



