December 29, 1923] 



NA TURE 



959 



epithelium of the mantle and their influence on the 

 quality of the pearls in molluscs. — L. Fage and R. 

 Legendre : The nuptial dances of some species of 

 Nereis. — Boris Ephrussi : The action of a high tem- 

 perature on the mitosis of segmentation of the eggs 

 of the sea urchin. — Nicola Alberto Barbieri : Presence 

 of the retina and absence of the optic nerves 

 in anencephalic monsters.— R. Bazin : Certain co- 

 incidences of malignant neoplasms and their delay in 

 appearance. — E. Lesne, L. de Gennes, and Ch. O. 

 Guillaumin : Study of phosphating in cases of rickets 

 and its variations under the influence of ultraviolet 

 rays. — E. Wollman and J. A. Graves : Alexic haemo- 

 lysis and proteolysis. 



Cape Town. 



Royal Society of South Africa, October 17. — Dr. A. 

 Ogg, president, in the chair. — K. H. Barnard : An 

 example of adaptation in a South African isopod 

 Crustacean. One of the most interesting inhabitants 

 of the empty tubes of the reef-building polychaet 

 worm, Sabellaria capensis, is an isopod Crustacean, 

 allied to Eisothistos. This animal has evolved an 

 elongate worm-hke shape in strong contrast to the 

 other members of the Isopoda. The " tail-fan " 

 on the other hand is greatly enlarged, and when fully 

 expanded fits the mouth of the worm-tube exactly. — 

 S. H. Haughton and A. W. Rogers : The volcanic rocks 

 south of Zuurberg. In the divisions of Steytlerville, 

 Uitenhage, and Alexandria, the rocks extend through 

 an area about 100 miles in length from east to west 

 along the northern boundary fault of the Cretaceous 

 beds and are continued southwards round the western 

 end of the Cretaceous area, following it again towards 

 the east on its southern side for 23 miles. The folded 

 belt of rocks belonging to the Cape system and lower 

 part of the Karroo system forms an incomplete 

 " frame " defined by faults on the north, west, and 

 partly on the south, within which there is a sunken 

 area. This area consists of Cretaceous rocks lying 

 unconformably upon an uneven surface of marls, 

 sandstones, sandy tuffs, breccias, and basalts. This 

 latter post-Ecca, pre-Cretaceous formation forms a 

 syncline of post-Uitenhage date, and is unaffected by 

 the inten.sc folding and cleavage of the surrounding 

 region. It can probably be correlated with part of 

 the Stormberg series. — A. V. Duthie : Studies in the 

 morphology of Selaginella pnmila. Part III. The 

 embryo. The megaspores of Selaginella pumila, 

 which are shed towards the end of the year, lie 

 dormant on the soil during the summer months and 

 germinate after the early winter rains. Intra-sporal 

 embryos can endure prolonged drying without losing 

 their vitality. The embryo has a prominent foot 

 with large haustorial cells which project into the 

 non-septate storage cavity of the megaspore. The 

 cotyledons do not develop simultaneously, nor are 

 they strictly opposite each other. The first dichotomy 

 of the axis, which takes place at the level ol the coty- 

 ledons, gives rise to two branches, one of which grows 

 erect ; the other develops into a very short horizontal 

 rhizome with branches alternately right and left. 

 The number of cones found on adult plants varied 

 from I to 160. The sporophytcs are greatly modified 

 by conditions of environment. S. pumila possesses 

 a number of characters which are very suggestive 

 of the tree-like Lycopods of the Palaeozoic. Its 

 closest relative is the Australian species, S. Preissiana. 

 — J. R. Sutton : On the genesis of diamond. The 

 various known forms of diamond arc attributable to 

 growth only. Crystallisation was not necessarily at a 

 nigh temperature, and may have been preceded by a 

 condition of plasticity in the carbon. Diamond was 

 deposited from a carbon solvent within cavities, 



NO. 2826, vol-, r 12] 



the contour of which determined its final form and 

 habit, in a solid or solidifying matrix. — J. S. v. d. 

 Lingen : On the action of some fluorescent antiseptics 

 in the dark. (PreUminary note.) 



Brussels. 



Royal Academy of Belgium, January 6. — M. Aug. 

 Lameere in the chair. — El. and Em. Marchal : The 

 " Homothallism " of some Ascomycetes. In cultures 

 of single spores the following Ascomycetes produce 

 normally fertile perithecia : Hypocopra fimicola, 

 H. macrospora, Sordaria tetraspora, Philocopra setosa, 

 P. curvicolla, Sporormia intermedia, Choetomium 

 elatum. Hence these species should be considered 

 as " homothallic." — V. Van Straelen and M. E. 

 Denaeyer : The fossil eggs of the Upper Cretacean 

 of Rognac in Provence. These fossils have been 

 submitted to a palaeontological and mineralogical 

 study. It is not possible to determine with precision 

 the origin of the eggs, but they present more analogies 

 with birds' eggs than with those of reptiles. — 

 P. Bruylants and J. Gevaert : Contribution to the 

 study of the reaction between organo-magnesium 

 compounds and nitriles. Vinyl-acetic nitrile. Vinyl- 

 acetonitrile with ethylmagnesium bromide gives 

 dipropenyl, two isomers of crotonitrile, and two 

 polymers of the latter. — P. Bruylants : The action 

 of organo-magnesium compounds on glutaric nitrile. 



February 3. — M. Ch. J. de la Vall6e-Poussin in the 

 chair. — Clement Servais : A group of three tetrahedra. 

 — C. de la Vallee-Poussin : The movement of a heavy 

 homogeneous solid of revolution fixed by a point on 

 its axis. — Th. de Donder : The physical interpretation 

 of general relativity. — Lucien Godeaux : Cyclic in- 

 volutions of fourth order belonging to a surface of 

 genus one. 



March 3. — M. Ch. J. de la Vallee-Poussin in the 

 chair. — -Th. de Donder : The physical interpretation 

 of general relativity. — Marcel Winants : Intersecants 

 and tangentials. — Victor Van Straelen : The systematic 

 position of some decapod Crustacea of the Cretacean 

 epoch. 



April 7. — M. Ch. J. de la Vall6e-Poussin in the chair. 

 — Th. de Donder : Remarks on the Einstein gravific. — 

 P. Stroobant : (i) The National Astronomical Com- 

 mittee. An account of the work carried out during 

 the years 1921 and 1922. (2) National Committee 

 of Geodesy and Geophysics. An account of the 

 work done in 1921 and 1922. — Jean Morelle : The 

 cytoplasmic constituents in the pancreas and their 

 rdle in secretion. — Laure Willem : Researches on the 

 aerial respiration of the Amphibia. 



May 8. — M. L6on Fredericq in the chair. — G. 

 Cesaro : The equiorientation and similitude of the 

 ellipse of inertia and Steiner's ellipse in the triangle. 

 The Steiner ellipsoids and ellipsoid of inertia of the 

 tetrahedron. — P. Fourmarier : The presence of oolitic 

 pebbles in the Tertiary gravels of Cokaifagne (Sart- 

 lez-Spa). — H. Philippot : The comparison of time by 

 wireless telegraphy in 1922. A detailed study of the 

 results obtaineu over one year at the Observatories 

 of Algiers, Edinburgh, Greenwich, and Uccle on the 

 observations of the time signals sent daily from Paris 

 by wireless telegraphy. 



June 2. — M. Ch. J. de la Vall6e-Poussin in the chair. 

 — P. Fourmarier : The supposed glacial phenomena 

 of the Baraque Michel. The author concludes that 

 it is improbable that the plateau of the Baraque 

 Michel has been covered by a glacier. — Laure Willem : 

 Aerial respiration in the AmpTiibia (2). 



July 7. — M. Ch. J. de la Vall6e-Poussin in the chair. 

 — jean Massart : Researches on the lower organisms. 

 (Vlll.) Kt'llcxcs in Polyporus. — CI. Servais: I lie 



