January i8, 191 2] 



NATURE 



403 



at a distance of about 30 cm. it appears red to one eye 

 and green to the otlier, but when both eyes are used it 

 appears greyish-white. The synthesis of red and green to 

 form white is thus performed by the observer. — Edmond 

 Bauer : The theory of radiation. — L. D^combe : The 

 heat of Siemens, and the conception of capacity. — A. 

 Lafay : The phenomenon of Magnus. — J. Deivalez : 

 Representation of equipotential Hnes in electrolysis. Claim 

 to priority against A. Brochet. — O. Boudouard : Elec- 

 trical resistance of special steels. Measurements were made 

 of the resistances of nickel, manganese, chromium, and 

 tungsten steels, containing the metals mentioned and 

 carbon, in very varying proportions. — P. M6likoft : 

 Method for separating phospho-molybdates from silico- 

 molybdates. The molybdate test for phosphoric acid 

 possesses the defect that silicic acid is also precipitated, 

 and it is often desirable to have a means of distinguishing 

 between the compounds. This is found in ammonium per- 

 molybdate solution (equal volumes of 30 per cent. H2O2 

 and of an 8 per cent, solution of ammonium molybdate in 

 nitric acid), which will dissolve the phospho-molybdate, but 

 not the silico-molybdate. — Oechsner do Coninck : Mole- 

 cular weight of lime ; atomic weight of calcium. Deter- 

 minations of these constants by the ignition of calcium 

 formate to the oxide, and by precipitation of the oxalate 

 and its subsequent ignition also to the oxide. The mean 

 value found was Ca = 40-02. — A. Raynaud : Solubility of 

 the oxide UO^ in various acids. The anhydrous oxide dis- 

 solves very sparingly in hydrochloric, hydrobromic, 

 sulphuric, and acetic acids, but is easily soluble in nitric 

 acid and in nitro-hydrochloric acids, with production of 

 uranyl salt. — E. Boismenu : Hypochlorous amides. An 

 attempt was made to combine hypochlorous acid with 

 amides to form hypochlorites of the amides, but instead 

 of these mono- and di-chloro-derivatives were formed. Of 

 these, mono- and di-chloroacetamide, dichloropropionamide, 

 and dichloroformamide are described. — A. Gascard : Three 

 normal saturated hydrocarbons : triacontane, tetratria- 

 contane, and hexatriacontane. Triacontane, C30HJ2, was 

 obtained as follows : — the palmitate of pentadecyl alcohol 

 was obtained by the action of iodine on silver palmitate ; 

 this was then hydrolysed, and the alcohol converted into 

 pentadecyl iodide, and this by the action of sodium into 

 triacontane. The other hydrocarbons were made similarly. 

 — Marcel Guerbet : Action of caustic potash on primary 

 alcohols ; preparation of the corresponding acids. The 

 ' oxidation of primary alcohols by caustic potash always 

 yields the corresponding acid, even in the case of complex 

 alcohols, and the yield is generally good. — Henri Coupin : 

 Localisation of the pigments in the integument of haricot 

 beans. — M. Guilliermond : The origin of the Icucoplasts, 

 and on the cytologicai processes in the elaboration of 

 ^starch in the potato. — M. Delassus : Influence of the 

 partial suppression of the reserves of the seed on the 

 development of the plant. — G. Andrd : Removal by water 

 of the soluble substances contained in the potato. — Em. 

 Bourquelot and A. Fichtenhoix : Application of the bio- 

 chemical method to Kalmia latifolia, and isolation of a 

 glucoside. — L. Ravaz and G. Verse : Mode of infection 

 of the leaves of the vine by Plasmopara viticola. — Maurice 

 Arthus : The specific nature of antitoxic sera. Sera for 

 use against various snake-poisons. Poisons of Lachesis 

 lanceolatiis, Crotalus terrificus, and C. adatnanteus. The 

 action of these antitoxic sera is, with rare exceptions, 

 quite specific. — Raphael Dubois : The vacuolides of the 

 colour-producing organ (of Murex). — H. Dominicii G. 

 Petit, and A. Jaboin : Persistent radio-activity of the 

 organism under the influence of radium in an insoluble 

 form. In the case of a horse injected with i milligram 

 of radium sulphate, the blood was still radio-active a year 

 later. — M. Cluxet : Instantaneous radiography of the 

 diaphragm in tabetics. — M. Claude and A. Baudouin : 

 The effects of certain extracts of hypophysis. — Gabriel 

 Bertrand and M. and Mme. Rosenblatt : Activation of 

 sucrase by various acids. — Jacques Parisot : Transforma- 

 tion of blood pigment into bile pigment under the influence 

 of adrenaline.— L. Launoy and C. Levaditi : Researches 

 on the therapeutic action of mercury in experimental 

 syphilis of the rabbit. Some of the complex thio- 

 derivatives of mercury are very active against the spiro- 

 chaete pallida, but not against the spirillum nf 1. l:i|)sing 



NO. 2203, VOL. 88] 



fever. — Ch. Nicolie and E. Conseil : Experimental pro- 

 duction of measles in monkeys. — Henri Violle : The gall 

 bladder as a point of inoculation. — MM. Radais and 

 Sartory : The toxicity of Amanita phalloides. The 

 toxicity of this fungus does not disappear after exposure 

 to a temperature above 100°, and the dried fungus is still 

 active after several years' keeping. — A. Rochaix and G. 

 Colin : Staining of the tubercle bacillus. Non-specific 

 nature of the granulations of Much. — J. Repelin : Observa- 

 tions on the geology of the Sainte-Baume. — \'. Comment : 

 Geological age of Quaternary remains. — Julien Loisel : 

 Distribution of solar heat over France. — Henri Fournler 

 presented a memoir on flight, which was referred to the 

 Committee on Aeronautics. 



January 2. — M. Armand Gautier, the retiring president, 

 made his report to the academy, and was succeeded in the 

 chair by M. G. Lippmann. — A. Laveran and Nattan 

 Larrier : Trypanosoma rhodesiense (Stephens and 

 Fantham). Human sera, which are inactive against T. 

 gafnbiense, are active towards T. rhodesiense ; this latter 

 trypanosome is distinct from T. gambiense and from T. 

 brucei.— MM. Lambert, Ancel, and Bouin : A novel 

 means of defence of the organism. Skeptophylaxis. Ex- 

 tracts of certain organs, for instance, of corpus luteum, 

 thyroid, or brain, ground up with sand, mixed with ten 

 times their weights of normal saline, and centrifugalised, 

 are highly toxic when injected without filtration. If, how- 

 ever, 'a toxic dose is divided unequally, and the smaller 

 part injected first, followed by the larger within a few 

 minutes, these toxic effects are not produced. To this 

 very rapid protective action the name skeptophylaxis is 

 given. — Emile Borel : The shuffling of cards. Calculus of 

 probabilities ; an extension to the case in which the proba- 

 bilities of operations vary with the time. — H. Parenty : 

 A form of meter. Description, with diagram, of the 

 author's piezometric meter. — Andr^ L«aut« : The develop- 

 ment of a function in exponential series ; application to 

 the ioo,ooo-volt installation at the Turin Exhibition. — R. 

 Fric : The action of heat on nitrocellulose and nitrocellulose 

 powders. The alteration by heat of these substances is 

 indicated by the relative times of flow, through a narrow 

 tube, of equal quantities of their solutions in acetone. 

 The time of flow is decreased by subjecting the materials 

 to heat.— Louis Marmler : Action of ultra-violet rays on 

 sodium hyposulphite. A solution of sodium hyposulphite 

 containing 6 grams per litre, after five minutes' exposure, 

 produces sodium hydrosulphite with deposition of sulphur. 

 Longer exposure d'estroys the hydrosulphite, with forma- 

 tion of sulphite. With higher concentrations the hydro- 

 sulphite is not formed.— Z. Tchougraeff and Mile. D. 

 Fraenkel : Some complex compounds of platinous brornide 

 with organic sulphides. Bromo-platinous acid, HjPtBr,, 

 like chloroplatinous acid, unites with organic sulphides to 

 form crystalline derivatives, generally insoluble. These are 

 bromoplatinites of complex bases, and are easily trans- 

 formed by heat into isomers.— C L. Oatin : The structure 

 of the germ in Zingiberace.-c and Marantaceae.— Lucien 

 Daniel : Some abnormal methods of separation of grafts. 

 — F HouBsay and A. Magrnan : The wing-surface and 

 tail in birds.— A. Conte : .\ hvmenopterous parasite of the 

 hive moth.— Henri de* Gayete and Clement Vaney : 

 Some observations on cattle-fly from the point of view ot 

 stock-raising.-G. Raymond: Results of photoelectric 

 measurements made at .\ntibes durmg 191 1. 



BOOKS RECETVED. 



Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde. By C. K. 

 Schneider. Elfte Lieferung. Pp. 657-816. (Jena: (x. 

 Fi«cher.) s marks. . . . ^ , » 



Die heteroplastische und homooplastische Transplanta- 

 tion. By Dr. G. Schone. Pp. v+161. (Berhn : J. 

 SnrintJer.) 8 marks. , _ , 



^nnuaire pour Fan 1912. Publii par le Bureau des 

 Longitudes. Pp. vi + 692 + A.47 + B.34 + C.43- (?«>■'«: 

 Gauthier-Villars.) 1.50 francs net. ^ „ 



Elements of Agriculture. By the late Dr. W. Fream. 

 Eighth edition. Edited by Prof. J. R. Ainsworth-Dav.s. 

 Pp xiv-»-692. (London: J. Murray.) 5^- net. 



Soap-bubbles: their Colours and the Forces xxhich 



