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NATURE 



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DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Feiiruarv 8. 



RovAL Society, at 4.30.— The Spectrum of Comet Brooks (igiif", : Sir 

 Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S.— A Chemically-active Modification of 

 Nitrogen produced by the Electric Discharge. III.: Hon. R.J. Strutt, 

 F.R.S. —The Atomic Weight of Radium : R. VVhytlawGr.ty and Sir VV. 

 Ramsav,JK.C.B., F.R.S. — The Emission of Electricity from Carbon at 

 High Temperatures : Dr. J. A. Marker, F.R.S., and Dr. G. VV. C. Kaye. 

 — The So-called Thermoid EflTect and the Question of Superheating ot a 

 Platinum-silver Resistance used -in Continuous-flow iCalorimetry : Prof. 

 H. T. Barnes, F.R.S. — An Optical Determination of the Variation of 

 Stress in a Thin Rectangular Plate subjected to Shear : Prof. E. G. Coker. 

 — Spectroscopic Observation.s. Lithium and Ca'sium : Dr.rP. V. Hevan. 

 — A Metrical Analysis of Chromosome Complexes, showing Correlation 

 between Evolutionary Development and Chromatin Thread-widths 

 throughout the Animal Kingdom : Capt. C. F. U. Meek. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Phenomena of Splashes : Prof. A. M. 

 Worthington, C.B., P\R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— High Voltage Tests and 

 Energy Losses in Insulating Materials : E. H. Rayner. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The North-East Frontier of India : 

 Sir Thomas H. Holdich, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. 



CoNCRETF, Institute, at 8.— Discussion on Prof. B. Pite's paper : The 

 /Esthetic Treatment of Concrete. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.3o.~On Exceptions to a Generalisation of 

 a Theorem of -Jacobi's: A. C. Dixon.— On some Properties of Groups 

 whose orders are Primes : Prof. W. Burnside.— Some results concerning 

 Diophantine approximations: G. H. Hardy and J. E. Littlewood. 



FRIDAY, February 9. 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— Very High Temperatures : Dr. J. A. Marker, 



F.R.S. 

 Physical Society, at 8.— Annual General Meeting. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 5.— .Anniversary Meeting. 

 Royal Geographical bociETY, at 5.30. — Desert of North Africa : Captain 



H. G. Lyons, F.R.S. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Steam-turbines : Some Practical 



Applications of Theory : Captain H. Riall Sankey, R.E. 

 Physical Society, at 8.— Annual General Meeting. — Presidential Address : 



Prof. A. Schuster, F.R.S. 

 Malacological Society, at 8.— Annual Meeting. Presidential Address : 



On the Lower Tertiary Mollusca of the Fayum province of Egypt : 



R. Bullen Newton. 

 Association of Chemical Technologists (at Battersea Polytechnic), 



at 8.— The Structure of Metals: Dr. J. C. Humfrey. 



MONDAY, February 12. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— The Meat Industry. The Sheep and its 



Products ; Loudon M. Douglas. 

 Royal Gk.ographical Society, at 8.30.— Explorations in Papua: Hon. 



Miles .S. Smith. 



TUESDAY, February 13. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— The Study of Genetics: Prof. \V. Bateson, 



F.R.S. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 5.— Desert of North Africa : Captain 



H. G. Lyons, F.R.S. 

 Society of Dyers and Colourists, at 8. — New Apparatus for ;the 



Control of Water Purification and like purposes : Hon. K. C. Parsons.— 



Water Tieatment by means of the Permutit Process : Dr. L. H. Harrison. 



H«, at t.—Furti 

 .rand: D. C. I- 



^ hill' III area in ( 



(he 

 C. 



H'KnXF.S/ 

 -'iCIETV of a.. ■ ■' -: 

 < 'KOORArilK 



W Bronze Aj; 



'Jffl'i 

 IV, at 4.30. 



. of arqiiir'"'' 

 I. <.. r.r.jwii. -Fur; 

 of the Moth Acidii. 

 Castration and 0%.i 

 Cau3M»i and Preveniion .jf .Mi:.' 

 'I'he Stomatograph : W. L. l! 

 during the Respiration of Oxyge 



.. I liomas. 

 i '■••tinj. — Di»tribuli 

 -■. Crawford. 



•■• ifii: Ionian 

 and Oiti. 

 , .... in.r Ci.^ss.hrtedir,,' 

 W. B. Alexander.— <> 

 Sh,:ri,: F. H. A. .\i 



is: Dr. T L. lAr.^ 

 tion of the Blo</ 

 kmatter and J. A. <> 



Royal Geographical Society, at 5.^.^.— Desert of Noith Africa: Capi.i. 



H. G. Lyons, F.R.S. 

 Institution of Mi.sing and Metallurgy, at 5. 



FRIDAY, Fkh 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— 'Ihe Road. .it and Future: Sir 



John H. A.Macdonald, K.C.B., F.R..S. 

 Institution of Mechanical ENCiNREits, at 8.— Annual General Meeting. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Works for the Prevention of 



Coast-erosion : W. T. Douglass. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Paracelsus 473 



A Carboniferous Flora. By Prof. A. C. Seward, 



F.R.S 474 



Early Egyptians and Ancient Civilisation. By 



H. R. Hall 475 



Nature-Books. By A. E. Crawley 476 



Food and Dietetics. Hy Prof. J. S. Macdonald . . 476 

 The Constants of Nature. By Dr. J. A. Harker, 



F.R.S 477 



Practical and Theoretical Physics 478 



Our Book bhelf 479 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Microscope Stands. — Conrad Beck ; J. W. Ogilvy 480 

 The Mnemic Theory of Heredity. ^ — Dr. J. Beard; 



Prof. Arthur Dendy, F.R.S 482 



The "Isothermal Layer." — Dr. John W. Evans . 483 



Are Eyes Ever Autophanons? — E. M.Anderson . 4S4 

 Chalk and Ice. (With Diagram.)— YL. M. Deeley ; 



D. Deeley 484 



Glazed Frost.— E. R. Marie 484 



The Thawing of Frozen Water Pipes. — C. E. 



Stromeyer . . dSa 



The Names of Fossil Tlants. — Prof. T. D. A 



Cockerell 



The People of South Central Congoland. {Illus- 

 trated.) By Sir H. H.Johnston, G.C.M.G., K.CB. 485 

 The Effect of Grass on Fruit Trees. By E. J. R. 486 



The Birds of Homer 4S7 



Sir John Dalrymple-Hay, Bart., G.C.B., F.R.S. . 487 



Dr. A. H. Keane. By Dr. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. . 488 



Notes 488 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Doubling of Martian "Canals" 494 



Reported Fall of an Aerolite 494 



A Bright Meteor 404 



Ephemeris for Schaumasse's Comet, 191 M 494 



Observations of Comets 494 



Distances of Spiral Nebulae 494 



Observations at the Moscow Observatory 494 



Internal and Cloud Velocities of Groups of Stars in 



Relation to Spectral Type 494 



Silk-culture in the Phillipines. (Illu.-t rated.) Bv 



W. F. K .495 



The Recent Frost 495 



Skulls and Physiognomy 40s 



The Second Mendeleeff Congress of Pure and 



Applied Chemistry and Physics 41^ 



Relation between Height and Length of the Waves 

 Finally Produced at Sea by Winds of any Given 



Speed. By Dr. Vaughan Cornish 497 



Quantitative Studies in Epidemiology, By Alfred J. 



Lotka 497 



National Systems of Education 498 



University and Educational Intelligence 500 



Societies and Academies 502 



Books Received 505 



Diary of Societies 506 



