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34 



NATURE 



[November 3, 1910 



principle, by means of wiiich a volume of 20 c.c. can be 

 continuously maintained at a temperature 70° below that 

 of the room, with an expenditure of 100 c.c. of carbon 

 bisulphide and 70 c.c. of acetone per hour. — Jean Villey : 

 The measurement of very small displacements by means i 

 of the electrometer. A condenser formed of two parallel i 

 plates and charged to a suitable potential is applied to 1 

 measure extremely small displacements of one of the ; 

 plates. Using an electrometer giving a motion of 150 cm. \ 

 per volt on a scale 350 cm. distant, with a condenser I 

 formed of circular plates 65 cm. radius and 158 /t apart, ; 

 a displacement of the spot of 150 cm. on the scale is i 

 obtained when the condenser plate, charged to 17b volts, j 

 is moved 0001 mm., or a magnification of 1,500,000. The 

 sensibility exceeds that of the interference methods. — J. 

 Carvallo : The electrical purification of liquid sulphur 

 dioxide and its elt-ctrical conductivity. Liquid sulphur 

 dioxide, already fairly pure, is further purified by the 

 prolonged passage of a current at a high potential. The 

 limiting values obtained for the conductivity do not follow 

 Ohm's law, but laws which recall those governing the 

 conductivity of gases. — Paul Nicolardot and Georges 

 Chertier : The nitrous esters of cellulose. In an attempt 

 to find the cause of the differences in the percentage of 

 nitric nitrogen in guncotton when determined by the 

 Schloesing and Crum methods respectively, the author was 

 led to examine the action of the nitrogen peroxides on 

 cotton in presence of glacial acetic acid. The nitro- 

 products thus obtained appear to contain nitrites, and do 

 not yield their true percentage of nitrogen by the Crum 

 method. — MM. Magrnan and Perrilliat : An acephalous 

 human monster.— Mme. V. Hcnri-Cernovodeanu, MM. 

 Victor Henri, and V. Baroni : The action of the ultra- 

 violet rays upon the tubercle bacillus and upon tuberculin. 

 After a short exposure to the ultra-violet rays the tubercle 

 bacilli are attenuated ; after a more prolonged exposure 

 they are destroyed. Tuberculin, after a very long ex- 

 posure (five hours), gives no reaction with tuberculous 

 guinea-pigs. — A. Fernbach and A. Lanzenbergr : The 

 action of nitrates in alcoholic fermentation. Nitrates are 

 not prejudicial to the fermentation. — E. Roubaud : The 

 influence of the physiological reactions of Glossina in the 

 salivary development, and the virulence of the pathogenic 

 trypanosomes. — Paul Marchal : Contribution to the bio- 

 logical study of Chermes.- — M. Fabre-Domergue : The 

 storage of oysters in filtered water. After remaining for 

 eight days in filtered water oysters do not diminish in 

 weight, and do not appear to be depreciated in any way. — 

 Carl StSrmer : The situation of the zone of maximum 

 frequency of the aurora borealis according to the cor- 

 puscular theory. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, November 3. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The Origin of the Hydrochloric Acid in the 

 Gastric Tubules : Miss M. P. Fitzgerald. — (i) Trypano'-ome Diseases 

 of Domestic Animals in Uganda. II. Trypanosoma Brucei. (Plimmer 

 and Bradlord) ; (2) Trypanosome Diseases of Domestic Animals in 

 Uganda. HI. Tiyjtanosomaviz'a.r {Zie.ms.nT\): Colonel .Sir D. Hruce, 

 C.B., F.R.S., and others. — Further Results of the Kxperimental 

 Treatment of Trypanosomiasis ; being a Progress Report to a Com- 

 mittee of the Royal Society: H. G. Plimmer, F.R.S., Capt. W. B. 

 Fry, and Lieut. H. S. Ranken. — On the Peculiar Morpho'ogy of a 

 Trypanosome from a case of Sleeping Sickness and the possibility of 

 its being a new Species : Dr. J. W. Stephens and Dr. H. B. Fantham. — 

 Note upon the Examination of the Tissues of the Central Nervous 

 System, with Negative Results, of a case of Human Trypanosomiasis, 

 which apparently had been cured for years by Atoxyl Injections : Dr. 

 F. W. Mott, F.RS. — On a remarkable Pharetronid Sponge fiom Christ- 

 mas Island : R. Kirkpatrick. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Biscayan Plankton, Part XIII. The Siphono- 

 phora : H. B. Bigelow. — Plankton Fishing in Hebridean Seas : Prof. 

 W. A. Herdman, F.R.S. 



ROntgen Society, at 8.15. — Presidential Address : Dr. G. H. Rodman. 



AtONDA y, November 7. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8. — Self as Subject and Self as Person : S. 



Alexander. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — A Sixth Journey in Persia: 



Ancient Parthia, Nishapur, and Turshiz: Major Molesworth Sykes, 



C.M.G. 

 Society of Engineers, at 7.30. — Public Slaughter Houses : S. M. 



Dodington. 



TUESDAY, November 8. 

 Illijminating Engineering Society, at 8. — Recent Advances in, and 



the Present Status of Gas Lighting : F. W. Goodenough. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The London County Council 



Holborn to Strand Improvement, and Tramway Subway: G. W. 



Humphreys. 



NO. 2140, VOL. 85] 



WEDNESDAY, November 9. 

 Geological Society, at 8.— I he' Rhaetic and Contiguous Deposits of 

 West, Mid, and Part of East Somerset : L. Richardson. — Jurassic Plants 

 from the Marske Quarry: Rev. G. J. Lane. 



THURSDAY, Nonember 10. 



Royal Society, at ^.ya.— Probable Papers: The Tidal Observations of 

 the British Ant.irctic Expedition, 1907 : Sir George Darwin, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S. —Conduction of Heat through Rarefied Gases: F. Soddy, F.R.S. . 

 and A. J. Berry. — 'I he Chemical Physics involved in the Precipitation of 

 Free Carbon from the Alloys of the Iron Carbon System : W. H. Hatfield. 

 — On the Determination of the Tension of a recently-formed Water surface : 

 N. Bohr. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — Annual General Meeting. — The 

 Relation of Mathematics to Experimental Science (Presidential Address) : 

 Sir W. D. Niven. — Properties of Logarithmico-exponential Functions: 

 G. H. Hardy. — The Double Six of Lines : G. T. Bennett. — On Semi- 

 integrals and Oscillating Successions of Functions : Dr. W. H Young. — 

 On the Existence of a Differeniial Coefficient : Dr. W. H. Young and 

 Mrs. Young. — The Analytical Extension of Kiemann's Zeta-function : 

 F. Tavani. — The Geometrical Representaiion of non-real Points in space 

 of Two and Three Dimensions: T. W. Chaundy. — The Extension of 

 Tauber's Theorem : J. E. Littlewood. — A Note on the Property of being 

 a Differential Coefficient : Dr. W. H. Young. — The Stability of Rotating 

 Shafts : F. B. Pidduck. — A Class of Orthogonal Surfaces : J. E. 

 Campbell. — On Non-integral Orders of Summability of Series and 

 Integrals: J. W. Chapman. — Optical Geometry of Motion : A. A. Robb. 

 — Lineo-linear Transformations, specially in Two Variables : Dr. A. R. 

 For.syth. — On the Conditions that a Trigonometrical Series should have 

 the Fourier Form : Dr. W. H. Young. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Presentation of Scholar- 

 ships and Premiums. — Inaugural Address of the President : S. Z. de 

 Ferranti. 



FRIDAY, November ii. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — On the names used by Bolten and 

 Da Costa for genera of Venerdise : A. J. Jukes-Browne, F.R.S. — On 

 New Melaniida: from Coram and Kei Islands, Malay Archipelago : 

 H. B. Preston.— On the Anatomy of the British Species of the Genu> 

 Psammobia : H. H. Bloomer. — Note on Tritcn tesselatits: Major A. J. 

 Peile. 



Physical Society, at 8. — On the supposed Propagation of Equatorial 

 Magnetic Disturbances with Velocities of the Order of 100 miles per 

 second : Dr. Chree, F.R.S.— On Cusped Waves of Light and the Theory 

 of the Rainbow: Prof. W. B. Morton.— Exhibition of a Brightnes> 

 Photometer : J. S. Dow. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Theoretical Mechanics. By W. H. M i 



Cannizzaro's Course of Chemical Philosophy. By T. 2 



Pruning of Fruit Trees 2 



Unconscious Memory 3 



The Mammals of Europe. By R. L 3 



The Science of Pathology 4 



Our Book Shelf 5 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Hehum and Geological Time.— Hon. R. J. Strutt, 



F.R.S 6 



Pwdre Ser.— Edward E. Free 6 



On Hydrogen in Iron.— John Parry 6 



Research Defence Society.— Stephen Paget .... 6 

 British Mammals. — Major G. E. H. Barrett- 

 Hamilton . . . 6 



The Oceanographical Museum at Monaco. {Illus- 

 trated.) By J. Y. Buchanan, F.R.S -7 



Environment versus Heredity. {With Diagrams.) By 



Dr. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S " 



Present Condition of American Bison and Seal 



Herds. {Illustrated. By R. L .12 



The Future of Agricultural Research in Great 



Britain I3 



Rats and Plague. By G. F. Petrie IS 



Prof. D. P. Penhallow. By E. W. M 16 



Notes 16 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Fireball of October 23 21 



The Motion of Molecules in the Tail of Halley's Comet 21 



The Dark Band surrounding the Polar Caps of Mars . 22 



The Spectrum of Nova Sagittarii No. 2 22 



A New Variable Star or a Nova, 97 1910 Cygni ... 22 



New Variable Stars in Harvard Map, No. 52 ... . 22 



Anthropology at the British Association 22 



Agriculture at the British Association 24 



Physiology at the British Association 26 



A Suggested Research Fund for Tropical Diseases 28 

 Modern Scientific Research. By Sir William A. 



Tilden, F.R.S 29 



University and Educational Intelligence 32 



Societies and Academies 33 



Diary of Societies 34 n 



J 



