Ja'nuary 2o, 1898] 



NA TURE 



287 



world. He then read a letter drawing attention to what was 

 proposed to be done in founding a " Sylvester- Memorial " medal, 

 to be awarded triennially by the Royal Society. — Mr. Love, 

 F. R.S., communicated a paper, by Mr. B. Hopkinson, on dis- 

 continuous fluid motion ; and Mr. S. H. Burbury, F. R.S., gave 

 a sketch of his paper on the general theory of stationary motion 

 in a system of molecules. — The following papers were briefly 

 communicated from the chair : — Note on a property of Pfaffians, 

 Mr. H. F. Baker ; on the intersections of two conies of a given 

 type, and on the intersections of two cubics, Mr. H. M. Taylor ; 

 on the continuous group defined by any given group of finite 

 order, Prof W. Burnside, F. R.S. ; on those transformations of 

 coordinates which lead to new solutions of Laplace's equation, 

 Prof. Forsyth, F.R.S.— Mr. G. B. Mathews, F.R.S., exhibited 

 copies of a figure connected with Prof. F. ]\Ioriey's paper (on 

 the Poncelet polygons of a Lima9on, November 11, 1897). 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, December 20, 1897. — The Hon. Lord 

 McLaren in the chair. — Dr. C. G. Knott read an obituary 

 notice of the Rev. John Wilson. — Dr. Noel Paton communicated 

 the result of a series of investigations on the life-history of salmon 

 in fresh water. The work was carried on in the Research 

 Laboratory of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, for 

 the Scottish Fishery Board, and the results will be embodied in 

 a report to that Society. The following are the names of those 

 responsible for the diff"erent parts of the investigation : Drs. 



F. D. Boyd, J. C. Dunlop, A. L. Gillespie, E. D. W. Greig, 



G. L. Gulland, Mr. S. C. Mahalanobis, Miss M. J. Newbigin, 

 and Dr. Noel Paton. The objects of inquiry were : To deter- 

 mine whether salmon feed in fresh water ; to investigate the 

 factors causing the migrations of the salmon from sea to river, 

 and river to sea ; to study the cause of the migrations, and to 

 investigate the chemical changes of the salmon in fresh water. 

 With regard to the first question — Do salmon feed in fresh water? 

 — it is shown that, in fish which have been in fresh water, 

 changes occur in the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal, 

 the cells undergoing degeneration, and desquamation. The 

 digestive activity is feeble ; there is a greater number of micro- 

 organisms found in the stomach and intestines, and the pro- 

 portion of putrefactive organisms is greater. This last may be 

 accounted for by the absence of acid connected with the low 

 digestive power. As to the second and third points of inquiry — 

 the cause and course of migration — the changes in the weight 

 and condition of salmon, from the estuaries and upper reaches, 

 have been studied during the season. There is evidence that 

 migration is not caused by the nisus generations but by the 

 state of nutrition. The chemical changes which take place in 

 salmon are interesting. There is a disappearance of solids from 

 the muscles, which is far more than sufficient to yield the solids 

 required by the growing ovaries and testes, and the disappear- 

 ance of fat from the muscles is more than sufficient to yield the 

 fat of the ovaries. The muscles do not undergo fatty degenera- 

 tion, but fat is stored between the fibres and in the fibres, and 

 afterwards discharged or used up. The fats are the most im- 

 portant source of the energy of muscular work. The " curd " is 

 due to an excess of soluble proteids. which diminish in the 

 muscles as the season advances. The proteid lost from the 

 muscle is far more than sufficient to yield the proteid of the ovary 

 and testis. The phosphorus stored in the muscles is just suffi- 

 cient to yield the phosphorus of the growing ovary, but the iron 

 stored in the muscle is not sufficient to yield the iron of the 

 ovaries. Changes in the food value of the fish, and the nature 

 of the pigments in the flesh and ovary are also subjects of inves- 

 tigation. — A note on the passage of water and other substances 

 through india-rubber films, by Dr. R. A. Lundie, was communi- 

 cated by Prof. Tait. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, January 10. — M. A. Chatin 

 delivered the presidential address, in which, after some remarks 

 on botanical classification, he gave brief accounts of the work of 

 members and associates lost by death during the past year, MM. 

 D'Abbadie, Des Cloizeaux, and Schiitzenberger. The prizes for 

 the year 1897 were awarded as follows : — Francoeur Prize, for 

 Geometry, to M. G. Robin ; the Poncelet Prize, to M, R. 

 Liouville, for his work on mathematics and mechanics. In 

 Mechanics, the Extraordinary Prize of six thousand francs, 

 between MM, Gossot, Liouville, Decante, and Cheron ; the 

 Montyon Prize between MM. Bourguin, Pavie, and Picache ; 

 and an encouragement from the funds of the Plumey Prize to 



NO. 1473. VOL. 57] 



MM. Brille and Girard. The Fourneyron Prize, on the 

 theory of the motion of Vjicycles, was not awarded. In 

 Astronomy, the Lalande Prize to M. Perrine for his dis- 

 coveries of comets ; the Damoiseau Prize to M. Hermann 

 Struve ; and the Valz Prize to M. Louis Fabry. In 

 Physics, the La Caze Prize to M. Ph. Lenard for his re- 

 searches on the kathode ray. In Statistics, a Montyon Prize is 

 divided between M. Gustave Bienayme and MM. Vincent and 

 Burot ; a very honourable mention being accorded to M. 

 lycpage and an honourable mention to M. Baudran. In 

 Chemistry, the La Caze Prize to M. Sabatier for his researches 

 on the sulphides of the alkalis and alkaline earths, of boron 

 and of silicon, on the thermochemistry of the hydrated metallic 

 chlorides, on metaphosphoric and nitrosodisulphonic acids, and 

 on the action of the oxides of nitrogen upon metals ; the 

 Jecker Prize to M. Haller for his researches in organic 

 chemistry, especially on the derivatives of camphor. In 

 Mineralogy and Geology, the Grand Prize for the Physical 

 Sciences to M. Joseph Vallot for his researches on the meteor- 

 ology and geology of the High Alps and Pyrenees ; the Bordin 

 Prize to M. G. Pruvot for his works on the depth and fauna 

 of the Gulf of Lyons, and the Delesse Prize to M. QEhlert for 

 his paleontological work. In Botany, the Desmazieres Prize to 

 M. Jacob Eriksson for his researches on the mode of life and 

 propagation of the numerous forms of blight which attack 

 cultivated graminaceous plants ; the Montagne Prize to M. 

 Bourquelot for his work on the physiology of fungi, and the 

 Thore Prize between M. Louis Bordas and M. Sappin-Trouffy. 

 In Anatomy and Zoology, the Savigny and the Da Gama Machado 

 Prizes are not awarded, but honourable mention is accorded to 

 the work of Mdme. la Comtesse de Linden. In Medicine and 

 Surgery, Montyon Prizes are awarded to M. Gaucher for his 

 memoirs on the pathogeny of nephritis and on the diseases of 

 the skin ; to M. Zambaco for his work on leprosy in Con- 

 stantinople ; to MM. Remy and Contremoulins for their Atlas 

 of Radiophotography ; and to MM. Marie and Ribout for their 

 radiographic work. Mentions are accorded to M. Fabre- 

 Domergue, MM. Bosc and Vedel, and a third mention to 

 M. Lapique ; the Barbier Prize is given to M. de Rochebrune 

 for his treatise on African toxicology, and a mention to M. 

 Lucet for his memoire on Aspergillus fumigatits in domestic 

 animals and in incubating eggs ; the Breant Prize to MM. Burot 

 and Legrand for their works on marine epidemics and on mor- 

 tality in the Colonial army ; the Godard Prize to MM. Beau- 

 regard and Boulart for their researches on the genito-urinary 

 organs of the Cetacea ; the Parkin Prize to Dr. Augustus 

 Waller for his studies relating to the action of carbonic 

 acid and other gases upon the negative variation of excited 

 nerves ; the Bellion Prize between M. Auguste Pettit for his 

 researches on the suprarenal capsules, and M. Peron for his 

 anatomical and experimental researches on the tuberculosis of 

 the pleura ; the Mege Prize to M. Ph. Tissie ; the Lallemand 

 Prize between M. Henri Meunier for his study of the part 

 played by the nervous system in infection of the pulmonary 

 apparatus and M. Gustave Durante for his work on secondary 

 degenerations of the nervous system. Honourable mentions are 

 accorded to M. Voisin, MM. Onuf and Collins, and to M. A. 

 Mercier. The Baron Lairey Prize is awarded to M. Auffret 

 for his monographs on the help to be given to the wounded 

 and shipwrecked in maritime war. In Physiology, the Montyon 

 Prize for experimental physiology is given to M, Delzenne for 

 his works on the coagulation of the blood, the La Caze Prize 

 to M. Rontgen for the discovery of a new and powerful instru- 

 ment of physiological and therapeutical research ; the Pourat 

 Prize to M. Kaufmann ; the Martin Damourette Prize to M. L. 

 Guinard for his memoirs on the physiological effects of some of 

 the opium alkaloids, and on the causes of certain accidents in anaes- 

 thesia, and the Philipeaux Prize to MM. Courtade and Guyon. 

 In Physical Geography, the Gay Prize is accorded to M. 

 Charles Flahault for his memoir on the study of the French 

 Mediterranean region from the point of view of the geographical 

 distribution of plants. Of the General Prizes, the Montyon 

 Prize (unhealthy trades) is not awarded this year, but mentions 

 are accorded to MM. Masure, Arnaud, and Magitot. The 

 Cuvier Prize is given to Prof. Marsh for his geological work in 

 the United Stales ; the Tremont Prize to M. Fremont ; the 

 Gegner Prize to M. Paul Serret ; the Petit D'Ormoy Prizes to 

 the late M. Tisserand (Mathematical Sciences) ; and M. Gosselot 

 (Natural Sciences; ; the Tchiatcheff Prize to M. Obrutschew ; 

 the Gaston Plante Prize to M. Andre Blondel ; the Cahours 



