120 



NATURE 



[December 2, 1897 



A. Gu^rhard. Five illustrations from photographs accompany 

 this paper, by which it is shown that substances whose tempera- 

 ture differs but slightly from that of the atmosphere may be made 

 to produce effects upon a sensitised plate. These results show 

 that the phenomena described by some authors as photographs 

 of human effluvia are simply due to the temperature of the hand. 

 — Influence of temperature upon the rotatory power of liquids, 

 by M. Ph. A. Guye and Mdlle. E. Aston. Primary amyl alcohol 

 appears to offer an exception to the rules formulated in previous 

 papers for the relation between rotatory power and temperature, 

 inasmuch as in the neighbourhood of the boiling point the specific 

 rotation undergoes a sudden increase. An explanation of this 

 was sought in the observations of Ramsay and Shields, which 

 showed that liquid amyl alcohol is composed of complex mole- 

 cules, breaking up into single molecules on vaporisation. To 

 confirm this, observations were made of the rotation of amyl 

 alcohol in water and in benzene solutions, cryoscopic determina- 

 tions showing that the alcohol was not associated in water, but 

 polymerised in benzene. The results were exactly in accordance 

 with the above hypothesis. — On the rotatory power of poly- 

 merised bodies, compared with their monomers, by M. Berthe- 

 lot. Remarks on the preceding paper. — On chlorocyanamide, by 

 M. Paul Lemoult. A thermochemical paper. — Contribution to 

 the study of nitrification in soils, by M. Th. Schloesing, jun. — 

 Influence of oxygen and other substances upon the formation of 

 chlorophyll, by M. W. Palladine. By placing etiolated leaves 

 containing practically no carbohydrates on the surface of certain 

 solutions and exposing to light, it was found that saccharose, 

 rafifinose, glucose, fructose, maltose, glycerine, galactose, lactose 

 and dextrine distinctly favour the production of chlorophyll ; 

 inuline and tyrosine are without sensible action ; whilst other 

 substances, such as mannite, dulcite, urea, alcohol, retard or 

 even prevent completely the formation of the colouring matter. 

 -—On certain improvements to the Bourdon anemometer, by M. 

 R. Mailhat. — An apparatus to determine in a precise manner, by 

 means of the X-Rays, the position of projectiles in the cranium, 

 by MM. Remy and Contremoulins. The skull is photographed 

 successively by two Crookes' tubes placed in different positions, 

 and the trace thus obtained projected on to the head by cranial 

 compasses. — Remarks by M. Marey on this apparatus. In 

 eleven preliminary experiments on the dead subject, the exact 

 position of bullets, and even of splinters of bone, was deter- 

 mined with perfect accuracy. Two cases on the living subject 

 were also carried out with complete success. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, December 2. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — On the Anatomy of Caudina coriacea : Prof 



Arthur Dendy. — On some Desmids from the United States : W. West 



and G. S. West. Exhibitions : Specimens of Galls of Cecidoniya : Prof. 



J. B. Farmer. — An Egg of Echidna : Martin Woodward. 

 Chemical Society, at 8. — Ballot for the Election of Fellows. — On Collie's 



Space- Formula for Benzene : Dr. F. E. Matthews. 

 Camera Club, at 8. 15. — Photomicrography : Dr. Spitta. 



FRIDAY, December 3. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Permanent Way : its Construc- 

 tion and Relaying : Grote Stirling. 



GeoLOGiSTs' Association, at 8.^Notes on the Geology of the Stort Valley 

 (Herts and Essex) with Special Reference to the Plateau Gravels : Rev. 

 Dr. A. Irving. 



MONDAY, December 6. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Gutta-Percha : Dr. Eugene F. A. Obach. 



Imperial Institute, 318.30. — The Mineral Resources of British Columbia 

 and the Yukon : A. J. McMillan. 



Society of Chemical Industry, at 8. — The Sulman-Teed Process of 

 Gold Extraction : H. L. Sulman and Dr. F. L. Teed. 



Victoria Institute, at 4.30. — Paper by Rev. H. Lansdell. 



TUESDAY, December 7. 

 Anthropological Institute, at 8.30. 

 Rontgen Society, at 8.30 — Adjustable X-Ray-Tubes : A. A. Campbell 



Swinton. 

 Royal Victoria Hall, at 8.30. — Klondike : Dr. T. K. Rose. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Paper to be further discussed : 



On the Law of Condensation of Steam : Hugh L. Callendar, F.R.S., and 



John T. Nicolson. 



WEDNESDAY, December 8. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — The Mining and Metallurgical Industries of 

 Sweden as shown at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1897 : Bennett H. 

 Brough. 



THURSDAY, December 9. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The following Papers will probably be read : — 



On the Densities of Carbonic Oxide, Carbonic Anhydride, and Nitrous 



Oxide : Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S. — On the Application of Harmonic 



Analysis to the Dynamical Theory of the Tides. Part II. On the General 



Integration of Laplace's Dynamical Equations : S. S. Hough. — A Note 

 on some Further Determinations of the Dielectric Constants of Organic 

 Bodies and Electrolytes at Very Low Temperatures : Prof. Dewar, 

 F.R S., and Prof. Fleming, F.R.S.— On Methods of making Magnets 

 independent of Changes of Temperature, and some Experiments upon 

 Negative Temperature Co-efficients in Magnets : J. R. Ashworth. — The 

 Electric Conductivity of Nitric Acid : V. H. Veley, F.R.S., and J. J. 

 Manley. — On the Calculation of the Co-efficient of Mutual Induction of a 

 Circle and a Coaxial Helix, and of the Electromagnetic Force between a 

 Helix and a Coaxial Circular Cylindrical Sheet : Prof. J. V. Jones. 

 F.R.S. — On the Refractivities of Air, Nitrogen, Argon, Hydrogen, and 

 Helium : Prof. W. Ramsay, F.R.S., and M. W. Travers. 



Mathematical Society, at 8. — The Construction of the Straight Line 

 joining Two Given Points: Prof. W. Burnside, F.R.S. — A Theorem con- 

 cerning the Special Systems of Point Groups on a Particular Type of Base 

 Curve: Miss F. Hardcastle. — X General Type of 'Vortex Motion; R. 

 Hargreaves. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Annual General Meeting. 



FRIDA Y, December 10. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 

 Malacological Society, at 8. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Manuel d'Analyse Chimique : Dr. E. Fleurent (Paris, Carr^). — 

 Psychologic als Erfahrungswissenschaft: H. Cornelius (Leipzig, Teubner). — 

 Handbuch der Photographic : Prof. H. W. Vogel. iii. Theil. Die Photo- 

 graphische Praxis, Abtg. i (Berlin, Schmidt). — The Dawn of Civilization : 

 Egypt and Chaldaea : G. Maspero, translated by M. L. McClure, 3rd edi- 

 tion (S.P.C.K.).— A Handbook to the Geology of Cambridgeshire : F. R. 

 C. Reed (Cambridge University Press). — Petrology for Students : A. 

 Harker, 2nd edition (Cambridge University Press). — The Journals of Walter 

 White, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society (Chapman). — Modern 

 Architecture : H. H. Statham (Chapman). — Annuario de Estado do Rio 

 Grande do Sul, 1898 : G. A. de .A.zambuja (Porto Alegre). 



Pamphlets. — Aims and Methods of Education : Prof. P. Smith : Birm- 

 ingham, Cornish). — Rousdon Observatory, Devon, Meteorological Observa- 

 tions, 1896 (Rousdon). — Some North American Coniferx ; E. S. Bastin 

 and H. Trimble (Philadelphia). 



Serials. — Rousdon Observatory, Variable Star Notes, No. 2 (Rousdon) 

 — Proceedings.and Transactions of the Queensland Branch of the Royal 

 Geographical Society of Australasia, Session 1896-97 (Brisbane). — English 

 Illustrated Magazine, Christmas (198 Strand). — Longman's Magazine, 

 December (Longmans). — Memoirs of the Peabody Museum, Harvard Uni- 

 versity. Vol. I, Nos. 1-3 (Cambridge, Mass.). — Natural Science, December 

 (Dent). — Humanitarian, December (Hutchinson). — Zeitschrift fiir Wissen- 

 schaftliche Zoologie, Ixiii. Band, 2 Heft (Leipzig, Kngelmann). — Good 

 Words, December and Christmas (Isbister). — Sunday Magazine, December 

 and Christmas (Isbister). — National Geographic Magazine, November 

 (Washington). — "Terrestrial Magnetism, September (Cincinnati). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Tea 97 



Wild-Fowling. By R. L 98 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Weed : " Life Histories of American Insects." — 



L. C. M 99 



Walsh : " The Rontgen Rays in Medical Work " . . 99 



Rabagliati : "Air, Food, and Exercises" 99 



Hallowell : " Elementary Drawing " 100 



Bley : *' Botanisches Bilderbuch fiir Jung und Alt " . 100 

 Letters to the Editor:— 



The Volcanic Condition of Stromboli. — E. O. Hovey 100 

 The Colours of Flowers Blooming out of Season. — -E. 



Hughes-Gibb 100 



A Rose-Coloured Rainbow. —M. S. Zachary . . . 100 



Critical Temperature of Water. — S. Geoghegan . loi 



Spectrum of a Meteor. By Prof. E. C. Pickering . loi 



Geology and Sanitary Science loi 



Notes loi 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Variable Star o Ceti (Mira) 105 



The Coming Total Solar Eclipse 105 



Systematic Observations of Occultations 105 



The Variables S Cephei and T Ursse Majoris .... 105 



Some Systems of Meteors 105 



Comet Perrine (October 16) 105 



The Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society. 



{With Portraits.) 106 



Useful Insect Products 114 



The Rainfall of South Africa 114 



University and Educational Intelligence 115 



Scientific Serials 116 



Societies and Academies 116 



Diary of Societies 120 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 120 



NO. 1466, VOL. 57] 



