;28 



NATURE 



[March 31, 1898 



cause of these differences. — Prof. Kamerliiigh Onnes communi- 

 cated on behalf of Mr. N. Kasterin, of Moscow, experiments 

 on, and a theory of, the propagation of sound through a non- 

 homogeneous medium. The solution given has been rendered 

 general by means of spherical functions for a medium consist- 

 ing of equal spheres in a state of rest and arranged parallelopi- 

 pedically. Applications were made to the case when the 

 dimensions of the spheres are small in comparison with the 

 wave-length. Perfect analogy with the dispersion and absorp- 

 tion of light was found ; the index of refraction, the dispersion 

 curve, the absorption coefficient and the absorption bands in the 

 acoustic spectrum were determined. The experiments were 

 made with balls, arranged in tubes of quadratic cross section. 

 Complete correspondence between observation and theory was 

 found. The solution was also found for a medium, composed 

 of gaseous spheres. Experiments, relative to this case, were 

 made by placing a series of resonators in a Kundt's tube. Phase 

 retardation on waves passing through impediments was pre- 

 viously observed by Kasterin in the case of capillary waves. — 

 Prof. W. H. Julius presented a paper on a simple extension of the 

 Gauss- Poggendorffian method of reflector reading, by which it 

 becomes possible directly to read not only tg 2a, but also ig 40, 

 /£■ 6a, tg 80, tg a . . . ad lib. This effect is produced by 

 repeated reflections of the incident rays between the reflector 

 and the slightly silvered back of a small glass plate, placed in 

 front of it. A photograph of the field of vision in the telescope 

 •was added, in which the four images of the scale are seen 

 simultaneously, the readings of which yield the various multiples 

 of 20. 



Cunnington. — On the Grouping of some Divisions of Jurassic Time : S. 



S. Buckman. 

 RovAL AstronomicalSocietv, at 8. 

 Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, April 7. 



Mathematical Society, at 8. — An Essay towards the Generating 

 Functions of Temariants : Prof. Forsyth, F.R.S.— On Systems of Forces 

 in Space of « Dimensions : W. H. Young. — Note on the Definition of a 

 Continuum of n Dimensions : A. E. H. Love, F.R S. — On the Zeroes 

 of the Bessel Functions: H. M. Macdonald. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — On the Brain of the Edentata, including 

 Chlamydoph rus : Dr. Elliott Smith. — Preliminary Account of some 

 New Zealand Actiniaria : H. Farquhar. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March 31. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. —Total Eclipse of the Sun, January 1898 : Pre- 

 liminary Report on the Observations at S.ahdol : W. H. M. Christie, 

 C.B., F.R.S. (Astronomer Royal). — Preliminary Account of the Ob- 

 servations at Viziadrug : Sir J. Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S. — 

 Polariscopic Results at Sahdol : Prof. H. H. Turner, F.R.S. — Note on 

 Photographs obtained at Ghoglee : Dr. R. Copeland (Astronomer Royal 

 for Scotland). — Observations at Pulgaon : Captain E. H. Hills, R.E., 

 and H. F. Newall. 



Society OF Arts (Indian Section), at 4.30. — The Earthquake in .\ssam : 

 Henry Luttman-Johnson. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Recent Researches in Magnetism and Dia- 

 magnetism: Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 3. — Annual General Meeting. 



Camera Club, at 8.15. — Prof. Joly's System of Colour Photography: 

 Captain Abney, C.B., F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, April i. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Liquid Air as an Analytic Agent : Prof. 



Dewar, F.R.S. 

 Geologists' Association, at 8. — Addres.ses on the Excursion Programme 



for 1898 : H. W. Monckton, Prof. J. F. Blake, and W. Whitaker, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, April 4. 



:Society of Chemical Industry, at 8. — The Bacterial Treatment of 



Sewage containing Manufacturing Refuse : W. J. Dibdin, 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30. — The Star-Worshippers in the East ; S. M. 

 Zwemer. 



TUESDA Y, April 5. 



; Society of Arts, at 8. — The British Empire, its Resources and its 

 Future : John Lowles. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On the Species of Corals of the Genus 

 Millcpora : Prof. Sydney J. Hickson, F.R.S. — On the Perforate Corals 

 <;ollected by the Author in the South Pacific : J. Stanley G.irdiner. — On 

 the Geographical Races of the Banting, Bos sondaicus : R. Lydekker, 

 F.R.S. 



■^Mineralogical Society, at 8. — On Sphaerostilbite : G. T. Prior.-^On the 

 ■Occurrence of Monasite and Niobates and Tantalates of the Rare 

 Earths in Swaziland : G. T. Prior. — On Sennaite, a New Titanate of 

 •Iron, Lead, and Manganese from Brazil : Dr. E. Hussak and G. T. 

 Prior. — On a Cubic Modification of Silver Iodide from Broken Hill, 

 New South Wales : L. J. Spencer. — Crystallographic Notes on Laurion- 

 ite and Phosgenite : Herbert Smith. — On Peculiar Quartz-P.seudomorphs 

 found at the Owera Mine, Opitonui, North Island, New Zealand : Prof. 

 G. H. F. Ulrich. 



.Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Extraordinary Floods in 

 Southern India : their Causes and Destructive Effects on Railway 

 Works : E. W. Stoney. — The Electricity Supply of London : [A. H. 

 Preece. 



;R6ntgen Society, at 8. — The Influence Machine and its advantages for 

 Lighting X-Ray Tubes : James Wimshurst. 



WEDNESDA Y, April 6. 



(Geological Society, at 8.— On some Palaeolithic Implements from the 

 Plateau-Gravels, and their evidence concerning Eoiithic Man : W. 



BOOKS AND SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — A Treatise on Magnetism and Electricity : Prof. A. Gray, Vol. 



1 (Macmillan). — Comit6 Internationale des Poids et Mesures, Proces- 

 Verbaux des Stances de 1897 (P.iris, Gauthier-Villars). — Text- Book of 

 Physiology : edited by Prof. E . A. Schafer, Vol. i (Pentland).— Bergens 

 Museums Aarbog, 1897 (Bergen). — Die Wettervorher.sage : Prof. Dr. W. 

 J. van Bebber, Zweite Auflage (Stuttgart, Enke). — Die Fundamentalen 

 Physikalischen Eigenschaften der Krystale : Dr. W. Voigt (Leipzig, 

 Veit).— Die Energetik : Dr. G. Helm (Leipzig Veit).— Statesman's Year- 

 Book : edited by Dr. J. S. Keltie 1898 (Macmillan).— Hints on the 

 Management of Hawks, &c : J. E. Harting, 2nd edition (H. Cox).— What 

 is Science?: Duke of Argyll (Edinburgh, Douglas).— The Mammals, Rep- 

 tiles and Fishes of Essex : H. Laver (Chelmsford, Durrant). 



Serials —Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India, Vol. xxvii. Part 



2 (Calcutta). — Ditto, Palseontologia Indica, ser. xv. Vol. i. Part 4 ; Vol. 2, 

 Part I ; ser. xvi. Vol i. Parts 2 and 3 ( Calcutta).— Astrophysical Journal, 

 March (Chicago).— American Naturalist, February (Ginn).— Monthly 

 Weather Review, December (Washington).— Journalof the Anthropological 

 Institute, February (Paul).— Journal ot the Chemical Society, March 

 (Gurney).- Economic Journal, March (Macmillan).— Humanitarian, April 

 (Hutchinson) —Longman's Magazine, April (Longmans). — Science Ab- 

 stracts.SFebruary (Taylor).— Himmel und Erde, March (Berlin, P.-ietel) — 

 Chambers's Journal, April (Chambers), 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Caenogenesis, the Expression of Various Phylo- 



genetic Energies 505 



Radiation Visible and Invisible. By E. R 506 



Physico-chemical Research. By Dr. John Shields 508 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



" Archives of the Roentgen Ray " 509 



Henderson : *' Practical Electricity and Magnetism." — 



D. K. M 509 



Boyer : " La photographic et I'etude des nuages " . . 509 



" Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society" 510 



Bert: " First Year of Scientific Knowledge " . . . 510 



"Who's Who, 1898" 510 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Mechanism of Self-Fertilisation in the Banana. {lilus- 



trateci.)—Gopa.l R. Tambe 510 



Stereoscopic Projection of Lantern Slides. — Prof. 



G. H. Bryan, F.R.S 511 



The Aurora of March 15.— A, Geo. Smith .... 511 

 On Phosphorescent Sap in Superior Plants. — Dr. M. 



W. Beijerinck 511 



A Remarkable Case of Correlation. — S. N. C. . .511 

 Mrs. Bishop's Korea, (///ustraied.) By Dr. Hugh 



Robert Mill 512 



Astronomical Results from the Cape Observatory. 



" By W. E. P 513 



Notes 515 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in April 1898 519 



Favourable Apparition of Mercury 519 



Comet Perrine 5^9 



Two New Variable Stars of Short Period 519 



Variables and their Comparison Stars 519 



Concave Gratings for Stellar Photography 520 



A Catalogue of 636 Stars 520 



The Preparation of Marine Animals and Plants as 

 Transparent Lantern Slides. {Illustrated.) By 



Dr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. . 520 



Our Mineral Wealth. By Prof, W, Galloway , . 522 



Calcium Carbide and Acetylene 523 



University and Educational Intelligence 524 



Scientific Serials . 524 



Societies and Academies 525 



Diary of Societies 52S 



Books and Serials Received , 528 



NO. 1483, VOL. 57] 



