144 



NA TURE 



[December 9, 1897 



duced by treating the vine from five to eight days after the first 

 appearance of the spots. — On the rational construction of mills 

 with metallic rollers, by M. J- Schweitzer. — On the analysis of 

 silicates, by M. A. Leclere. The conditions are prescribed 

 under which silicates may be safely opened up in a platinum 

 crucible by means of lead oxide, the chief points being the purity 

 of the oxide, and the complete exclusion of reducing gases by the 

 use of a muffle. — On some peculiar circumstances which appear 

 to have accompanied the fall of a meteorite on April 9, 1 891, at 

 Indarck in Transcaucasia, by M. Stanislas Meunier. — On the 

 contamination of the springs of Sauve (Gard), by M. E. A. 

 Martel. The contamination of the water supply of Sauve by 

 sewage was proved directly by means of fluorescin. The frequent 

 epidemics which have decimated this town are thus explained. — 

 On two radiographs of the thorax, by M. F. Garrigou. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, December 9. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30. — On the Densities of Carbonic Oxide, Car- 

 bonic 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 IJ. 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. — A General Type of Vortex Motion; R. 

 Hargreaves. — Note on a Property of Pfaffians : H. F. Baker. 

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



FRIDA K, December 10. 

 .'Physical Society, at 5. — An Exhibition of an Apparatus for Self- 

 acting Temperature Compensation of a Standard Cell : Albert Campbell. 

 -—On Lord Kelvin's Absolute Method of Graduating Thermometers : 

 Rose Innes. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. — Occultation of Ceres by the Moon 

 on 1897 November 13, observed at the Hamburg Observatory : G. 

 Riimker. — A Determination of the Latitude Variation and of the Con- 

 stant of Aberration from Observations made at the Royal Observatory, 

 Cape of Good Hope, 1892-94 : W. H. Finlay. — The Binary Star k 5014 : 

 R. T. A. Innes. — Mean Areas and Heliographic Latitudes of Sun-spots 

 in the Year 1895 deduced from Photographs taken at the Royal Ob- 

 serv.>tory, Greenwich, at Dehra Dfln (India) and in Mauritius. 

 jMalacological Society, at 8. — A Description of a Supposed New 

 Species of Motiodonta {Austrocochle/i) from Tablas Island : G. B. 

 Sower by. — On a New Species of ^/w/Z^/V/row^/j from the Malay Archi- 

 pelago (Alor Island) : Hugh Fulton. — On a New Species and Probable 

 New Sub-Genus of Endodonta from Ceylon, collected by O. Collett : 

 Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Godwin-Austen, F.R.S. — Notes on a Second Col- 

 lection of Marine Shells from the Andaman Islands, with Descriptions of 

 New Forms : J. Cosmo Melvill and E. R. Sykes. — On a Small Collection 

 of Marine Shells from New Zealand and Macquarie Island, with Descrip- 

 tions of New Species : E. A. Smith. 



SATURDAY, December ii. 

 £ssEX Field Club (at Chingford), at 6.30. — Notes on the Conference of 

 Delegates of Corresponding Societies of the British Association at 

 Toronto: Prof Meldola, F.R.S.— Two Essex Minerals: T. S. Dymond 

 and F. W. Maryon. 



SUNDAY, December 12; 

 ''Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — Colour : Dr. C. W. Kimmins. 



MONDAY, December 13. 

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

 Jmperial Institute, at 8.30. — Canada's Metals: Prof. W. C. Roberts- 

 Austen, C.B., F.R.S. 



TUESDAY, December 14. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On the Lepidosircn paradoxa from the 

 Amazon : Dr. E. A. Goeldi. — On a Small Collection of Lepidoptera made 

 by Mr. F. Gillett in Somaliland : Dr. A. G. Butler. — On the Mammals 

 obtained by Mr. A. Whyte in N. Nyasaland, and presented to the 

 British Museum by Sir H. H. Johnston, K.C.B. ; being a Fifth Contri- 

 bution to the Mammalogy of Nyasaland : Oldfield Thomas — On a New 

 Genus and Species oi Acaridea: Rev. O. Pickard Cambridge, F.R.S. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Great Land-Slides on the 



Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia : Robt. B. Stanton. 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5.30 



Royal Photographic Society (Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi), 

 at 8. — Colour Photography : Prof Gabriel Lippmann. 

 IVhDi^ESDAY, December 15. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — The Purification of Sewage by Bacteria : Dr. 



Samuel Rideal. 

 Geological Society, at 8. — On the Pyromerides of Boulay Bay, Jersey : 

 John Parkinson. — The Exploration of the Ty Newydd Cave, B'fynnon 

 Beuno, North Wales : Rev. G C. H. Pollen. 

 Royal Meteorological Society, at 7.30. — Daily Values of Non-Instru- 

 ment.1l Meteorological Phenomena in London, 1763- 1896 : R. C. Moss- 

 man. — The Rainfall of Seathwaite, Borrowdale, Cumberland : William 

 Marriott. 



\0 '467. VOL. 57] 



Chemical Society (Extra Meeting), at 8.30. — Kekul6 Memorial Lecture : 



Prof F. R. Japp, F.R.S. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 8. — A New Form of Photomicro- 



graphic Camera and Condensing System : E. B. Stringer. 



THURSDAY, December 16. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30. 

 Linnean Society, at 8. — On the Affinities of the Madreporarian Genus 



Alveopora : H. M Bernard. — On West Indian Characeae collected by T. 



B. Blow : H. and J. Groves. 

 Chemical Society, at 8. — Stereo-Chemistry of Unsaturated Compounds. 



Part I. Esterification of Substituted Acrylic Acids : Dr. J. J. Sudborough 



and Lorenzo Lloyd. — Formation and Hydrolysis of Esters : Dr. J. J. 



Sudborough and M. E. Feilmann. — A New Method of Determining 



Freezing Points of very Dilute Solutions : Dr. M. Wilderraan. 

 FRIDA Y, December 17. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers (Chemical Society's Room.s), at 



8. — Accumulator Traction on Rails and Ordinary Roads : L. Epstein. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Elastic Properties of Steel 



Wire : Archer D. Keigwin. — The Elasticity of Portland Cement : W. L. 



Brown. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — By Roadside and River : H. M. Briggs (Stock). — Catalogue of 

 the Books in the Library of the Indian Museum, Supplement 2 (Calcutta). — 

 Memoirs of the Geological Survey, Scotland : The Geology of Cowal : W. 

 Gunn, C. T. Clough, and J. B. Hill (Edinburgh, Neill).— Stirpiculture : 

 Dr. M. L. Holbrook (Fowler). — Studies in Psychical Research : F. Pod- 

 more (Paul). — Student's Guide to Submarine Cable Testing : H. K. C. 

 P'isher and J. C. H. Darby {Electrician. Company). — The Book of the 

 Dead : Dr. E. A. W. Budge, 3 Vols. (Paul).— The Rod in India : H. S. 

 Thomas, 3rd edition (Thacker). — Wild Life in Southern Seas: L. Becke(Un- 

 win). — Famous Problems of Elementary Geometry : Profs. Beman and Smith 

 (Boston, Ginn). — A Text-Book of Special Pathological Anatomy ; Prof E. 

 Ziegler, translated and edited by Drs. D. MacAlister and H. W. Cattell, 

 Sections ix.-xv. (Macmillan). — The Lepidoptera of the British Islands : C. 

 G. Barrett, Vol. 4 (Reeve). — Philip's Revolving Planisphere and Perpetual 

 Calendar (Philip). — Le Vig^taux et les Milieux Cosmiques . J. Costantin 

 (Paris, Alcan). 



Pamphlets. — Radiography in Marine Zoology: Dr. R. N. Wolfenden 

 (Rebman). — Untersuchung uber die Bahn des Cometen 1822 IV. : Dr. A. 

 Stichtenoth (Leipzig, fcngelmann). 



Serials.— Contemporary Review, December (Isbister).— Bulletin of the 

 American Mathematical Society, November (New York, Macmillan).— 

 Knowledge, December (Holborn).— National Review, December (Arnold). — 

 Proceedings of the Liverpool Geological Society, SessionrThirty-eight (Liver- 

 pool). — Geological Magazine, December (Dulau). — Fortnightly Review, 

 December (Chapman).— An Illustrated Manual of British Birds : H. 

 Saunders, 2nd edition, Part 2 (Gurney). — Physical Review, October 

 (Macmillan).— Archives of the Roentgen Ray, November (Rebman).— Zeit- 

 schrift fur Physikalische Chemie, xxiv. Band, 3 Heft (Leipzig, Engelmann). 

 L'Anthropologie, Tome viii. No. 5 (Paris, Masson).— Gazzetta Chimica 

 Italiana, 1897, fasc. v. (Roma). — Revue de I'Universit^ de Bruxelles 

 December (Bruxelles). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Some Unrecognised Laws of Nature. By O. J. L. 121 



Philosophy of Knowledge. By H. W. B 125 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Biisgen : " Bau und Leben unserer Waldbaume." — 



Prof. William Somerville 126 



Simmons : " Physiography for Advanced Students" . 126 



Townsend : " Chemistry for Photographers". . . . 126 



Calvert : " My Fourth Tour in Western Austraha " . 126 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



Astronomical Constants and the Paris Conference. — 



Dr. Fr. Porro 127 



The Treatment of Stamp Battery Slimes from Gold 



Ores.— W. A. Caldecott ... 129 



Abnormal Colours of Flowers.— Hector Colwell . 129 



Fire-fly Light.— Dr. Carlo del Lungo 130 



An English Beaver Park. By C. J. Cornish ... 130 

 Scientific Investigations of the Local Government 



Board 131 



The Arctic Work of Mr. R. E. Peary 132 



Notes 133 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Meteors (Geminids) 13^ 



o Ceti (Mira) 136 



The Companion of Sirius 136 



A Liberal Gift to Astronomy I37 



Coral Boring at Funafuti. By Prof. T. G. Bonney, 



F.R.S 137 



The Vitality of Refrigerated Seeds. By Horace T. 



Brown, F.R.S., and F. Escombe 138 



The Law of Condensation of Steam 139 



University and Educational Intelligence 140 



Societies and Academies 141 



Diary of Societies ^44 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 144 



