October 27, 1923] 



NA TURE 



639 



the higher fatty acids. Ordinary starch, suspended 

 in a mixture of pyridine and toluene, heated with 

 lauryl chloride, gives a dilaurate of starch. Details 

 of its properties and analysis are given. — Adrien 

 Guebhard : The Japanese earthquake. — ^E. Rothe : 

 Earthquakes in France in 1920-21. A table giving 

 locality, time, degree, and epicentral region of nine 

 earthquakes in 1920 and six in 192 1. The greatest 

 seismic activity was in tlie region of the Pyrenees. — 

 E. G. Mariolopoulos : The formation of local Mediter- 

 ranean depressions and the Norwegian theory of the 

 " polar front." The local Mediterranean depressions 

 appear to be formed in accordance with the Norwegian 

 theory of the " polar front." — A. Guilliermond and 

 G. Mangenot : Cytological observations on the mode 

 of formation of essential oils. Tlie method adopted 

 is based on the selcctixe stainini; ]Knver of indophenol 

 blue. The sections are made by liand or in the freez- 

 ing microtome, stained, and observed in water. The 

 results of the observations do not confirm the view 

 that there is a relation between tannoids and essential 

 oils. — M. Prianichnikov : The assimilation of ammonia 

 by the higher plants. The experiments cited lead 

 to the conclusion that the plant, whetlier green or 

 etiolated, absorbs ammonia energetically from am- 

 monium salts. Nitrates must be reduced to ammonia 

 In toK^ absorption by the root. If in agriculture, the 

 (U xclopment of the plant is roughly proportional to 

 the rate of nitrification, the causes are of a secondary 

 n.iturc ; anything which prevents nitrification, such 

 as acid reaction or insufficient aeration, also prevents 

 the development of the higher plants, so that the 

 nitrification is an important criterion of the condition 

 of the soil. — V. Lubimenko : The specific action of 

 light rays of various colours in photosynthesis. 



Washington, D.C. 



National Academy of Sciences (Proc. Vol. 9, No. 9, 



" ' nber). — J. Stieglitz : (i) A theory of colour 



tion. By reduction, every dye becomes colour- 



,. ..liming the " leuco-dye " ; by oxidation of the 



lati' I, the colour is restored. Indophenol owes its 



combination within the molecule of a 



'xidising atom with a strong negative 



Colour intciv-^ity is increased by 



:'h- with a ba.se. 'I'hc reduc- 



. iiliciently from Ditni-Alorvac 



\ ibrations which absorb a portion 



omplementarv colours appearing 



, , , V 



'lii je-'h;. ;i.n ; uiurgaiuc compounds. 



;>i. i(hii I 1 by a loosely held electron in 



in odd number of valence electrons 



1 >v intra-atomic or inter-atomic oxida- 



.,..,.;,.i.. ,,.. K.. i,,..i. 4,,,, inttcr, in the 



.(■ in (I). — G. 



..■ 'list ril)iition of 



' liter 20, ]). ')oo). — 



■hiti' magnitudes of 



i I ihi- ^wsteiuatic errors in 



Ih' !ii( MM absolute mayjni- 



mdrjiciidi'ii I it' 



ih 



second. — G. A. Miller : Groups of order 2"* in which 

 the number of the sub-group of at least one order is 

 of the form i +4A.— L. Thompson : The motion of a 

 falling chronograph projectile. With this instrument, 

 neither the projectile being timed nor the projectile 

 of the chronograph which carries the photographic 

 surface for taking the record, strikes a material object 

 during the experiment. Corrections are made for the 

 influence on the early motion of the chronograph 

 projectile of the magnet from which it is released and 

 also for air resistance. The instrument measures with 

 an error not greater than i /2,000,000th sec. 



Cape Town. 



Royal Society of South Africa, August 15. — Dr. A. 

 Ogg, president, in the chair. — M. Rindl : Preliminary 

 note on the active principles of the yellow tulip 

 ( Homeria pallida). The alcohol extract, after removal 

 of the solvent, was separated into a water soluble 

 portion and into a resin. The former yielded crude 

 alkaloid equivalent to 0-017 per cent, calculated on 

 the weight of the plant material. Only 23 per cent, 

 of this is water soluble, and the stems and leaves 

 seem to owe their toxic properties mainly, if not 

 entirely, to this water soluble alkaloid. The alkaloid 

 exerts a digitalis-like action on the circulation, and 

 in large doses is a cardiac poison. Its action is not 

 cumulative. The aqueous solution appears to contain 

 two other alkaloids differing in their behaviour 

 towards organic solvents, as well as an organic base. 

 A primary amine and a very small amount of a 

 glucoside were detected. Extracts from the corms 

 and sheaths contain active substances of the natUx-e 

 of a cardiac tonic. They are very poisonous, and 

 administered to animals in successive small doses, 

 they send the heart into fibrillation and cause sudden 

 death. 



Sydnkv. 



Royal Society of New South Wales, September 5. — 

 Mr. R. H. Cambage, president, in the chair.— E. H. 

 Booth : Atmos]-)heric dust and atmospheric ionisation. 

 A persistent nueleus wliiek i^ presumed to be the 

 Lange\ in large "ion reipiins for condensation a 

 supersaturation 1-075, corresponding to a diameter 

 of 1-25 X IO-* cm., taking the density as unity. This 

 is not found in filtered air, nor does it grow in tilti led 

 air. It may be produced in filtered air if the an is 

 bubbled through water, althoui^h the condensation 

 can be in no way dependent oa electrification effects. 

 A " foreign " nucleus is essential ; electrification 

 merely enables it to be recognised by mobility tests. 



nl Iv. Grant: The gonnii iilal \- 'hie ; 



■Hi i,il oils (exclusive < a 1 a-- - '■ ;i; 



---.\. R. Penfold 



of Australian e 

 and tlicir pun- 

 some essential 

 When tested 

 stitiu'uls, as wi 

 were fonml 

 6 to 20, Is 

 |)i i-'.e-..->ill!' 



I iie-,1 11 ueait: 

 111 lM>l,ite, 



tor 



ail a, nninber 



1-.0 lur 

 Pt. I. 



laxcs. C. E. Seashui 

 sion of emotion in 1 a 



con ' '' ' ' 



d( ' 



siu^H' v\ a , I I \ ! I II ■ 



timbre. All these t < 



analysed ; e ■;,. 1 he \ a .1 ,: : . ,1 i • 

 jiiteh and intriisii \- piil ,a 1 p ai 



NO. 2817, VOL. I 12 I 



-prcs- 

 in be 



: uic wave 

 corded and 



^\•nchronnus 



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 prej).!! ,e 1' .a ai - ja 



pipcritoiir b\ ( ici 

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 ani]i. wa~. iaii|i|ii\- 



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 lui I ii m o 



, 11 h 



I 'icununai 

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