130 



NATURE 



[November 24, 1910 



gibsoni. — C. F. Laseron : Palaeontology of the Lower 

 Shoalhaven River. 



August 3. — Prof. David, F.R.S., president, in the 

 chair. — A. Duckworth : White Australia. — Dr. J. Burton 

 Cleland and T. Harvey Johnston : The hsematozoa of 

 Australian batrachians. No. i. In this paper the authors 

 give a list of frogs which were searched for the presence 

 of haematozoa. In ten species, represented by thirty-four 

 specimens examined, the results were negative, while in 

 three species, represented by seven specimens, blood para- 

 sites were detected. A haemogregarine, Haemogregarina 

 (Lankesterella) hylae, infesting Hyla caerulea is described 

 as new, and a trypanosome from Lytnnodynastes tasniani- 

 ensis and L. ornatus? is regarded as being similar to, 

 though probably not identical with, Trypatiosoma rota- 

 toriutn. — E. C. Andrevtfs : An excursion to the Yosemite, 

 or studies in the formation of Alpine cirques, steps, and 

 valley treads. In a previous report (corrosion by gravity 

 streams) the writer gave a general account of stream 

 corrosion. In the present paper a more detailed account 

 is given of the origin of the cirque, and the " steps " and 

 " treads " of Alpine Valley. A special application of the 

 principle put forward is made to the case of the Yosemite 

 and associated valleys in California. — T. Harvey Johnston 

 and Dr. J. Burton Cleland : A note on the occurrence 

 of pentastomes in Australian cattle. In a short note the 

 authors deal with the finding of larval pentastomes 

 (Linguatula serrata) in the mesenteric glands of a number 

 of cows in the Illawarra district. The hosts were all 

 affected with endemic haematuria, and the discovery of 

 these parasites suggests that they may perhaps play a 

 r61e of much economic importance. — H. G. A. Harding^e : 

 The condition of the atmosphere during the recent 

 proximity of Halley's comet. Analyses were made of the 

 atmosphere collected at an elevated locality in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Hornsby about a week previous to the sup- 

 posed date of contact (May 19) until a week following 

 that event. There were no appreciable differences noted 

 in the composition of the air during the whole of this 

 time, neither did spectroscopic examination reveal any 

 peculiarities. 



Calcutta. 



Asiatic Society of Bengal, November 2. — Panchanan 

 Neogi and Birendra Bhusan Adhicary : Reactions in 

 presence of nickel, (a) Inability of nitrogen and hydrogen 

 to combine in presence of iron and nickel, (b) Reduc- 

 tion of the oxides of nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorus in 

 presence of nickel. Johnson showed that nitrogen and 

 hydrogen combine directly to form ammonia in presence of 

 heated spongy platinum. This was contradicted by 

 Wright, who showed that the ammonia obtained by John- 

 son was due to the reduction of traces of nitric oxide 

 contained in nitrogen. Ramsay and Young showed that 

 traces of ammonia are formed by the direct combination 

 of nitrogen and hydrogen in presence of red-hot iron 

 filings. The authors show, however, that the two gases 

 dc not combine at all, provided the nitrogen is rendered 

 absolutely free from nitric oxide and iron from carbon. 

 It has also been shown that ammonia is not formed by 

 passing the mixed gases over heated nickel. It is further 

 shown that nitric oxide, sulphur dioxide, and phosphorus 

 pentoxide are reduced to the corresponding hydrides by 

 means of hydrogen in presence of reduced nickel. The 

 mechanism of the reactions has also been studied. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



T//l/RSDAy, November 24. ^ 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — On the Sequence of Chemical Forms in Stellar 

 Spectra: Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S.— The Influence of 

 Viscosity on the Stability of the Flow of Fluids : A. Mallock, F.R.S. — 

 On Atmospheric Oscillations: Prof. Horace Lamb, F.R.S.— A Theory 

 of the Chemical Action of the Electric Discharge in Electrolytic Gas and 

 other Gases : Rev. P. J. Kirkby. — An Electrostatic Voltmeter for Photo- 

 graphic Recording of the Atmospheric Potential : G. W. Walker. — 

 Optical Dispersion, an Analysis of its Actual Dependence upon Physical 

 Conditions : Dr. T. H. Havelock.— The Spectrum of Halley's Comet : 

 C. P. Butler. — A Geometrical Proof of the Theorem of a Double Six of 

 Straight Lines : Dr. H. F. Baker, F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Street Lighting by 

 Modern Electric Lamps : H. T. Harrison. 



FRIDAY, November 25. 



Physical Society, at 5.— The Electric Stress at which lonisation begins 

 in Air : Dr. A. Russell. — The After -glow produced in Gases by Electric 

 Discharge : Prof, the Hon. R. J. Strutt, F.R.S.— Exhibition of a Surface- 



NO. 2143, VOL. 85] 



brightness Photometer : J. S. Dow.— The Approximate Solution of variou"; 



Boundary Problems by Surface Integration combined with Freehand 



Graphs : L. F. Richardson. 



MONDAY, November 28. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Industrial Pyrometry : C. R. Darling. 

 Institute of Actuaries, at 5.— Inaugural Address by the President : 



G. H. Ryan. 



TUESDAY, November 29. 

 Royal Anthropological Institute, at 8.15.— Certain Physical Charac- 

 ters of the Negroes of the Congo Free State and Nigeria : Dr. A. Keith. 



— The Search for the Original Home of the Maori : A. W. Newman. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On a Possible Cause of Pneumo-enteritis 



in the Red Grouse iLagopus scoticns) : Dr. H. B. Fantham and H. 



Hammond Smith.— On the Alimentary Tract of certain Birds, and on 



the Mesenteric Relations of the Intestinal Loops: F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. 



— On the Specimens of Spotted Hyaenas in the British Museum (Natural 



History): Prof. A. Cabrera.— The Development of Solaster endeca 



Forbes : Dr. J. F. Gemmili. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The Progress and Prospects of Mining 



in Western Australia : A. Montgomery. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at i.—Furtlur discussion: Portland 



Cement, and the Question of its Aeration : H. K. G. Bamber. 

 WEDNESDAY, November 30. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Argentina from a British Point of View : 



Campbell P. Ogilvie. 

 British Astronomical Association, at 5. 



THURSDAY, December i. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Spermatogenesis in Stenobothrus : Capt. 



C. F. U. Meek. — Reports on the International Botanical Congress at 



Brussels, 1910 : Dr. Otto Stapf and others. 

 Rontgen Society, at 8.15. — Osmotic Growths : Dr. Deane Butcher. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Higher Aspects of Electricity. By E. E. F. ... 99 



Technical Dictionaries. By T. H. B 99 



Physical Chemistry in its Geological Applications. 



By A. H IOC 



The Making of Gardens . loi 



Pharmaceutical Practice loi 



A Fisherman's Tales. By L. W, B 102 



Our Book Shelf 102 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Jodrell Laboratory at Kew.— Sir W. T. 



Thiselton-Dyer, K.C.M.G., F.R.S 103 



Eel-Iarvse [Leptocephalus brevirostris) from the Central 



North Atlantic, (////^//-ai'^i/.)— Dr. Johan Hjort 104 



Are Mules Fertile ?— Prof. J. C. Ewart, F.R.S. . 106 



The Origin of Dun Horses. — Prof. James Wilson . 106 

 The Cocos-Keeling Atoll.— Dr. F. Wood-Jones ; 



The Reviewer ; Madge W. Drummond . 106 

 The Flight of Birds against the Wind.— Dr. W, 



Ainslie Hollis 107 



The Accurate MacGillivray, Ornithologist. {Illus- 

 trated.) 107 



The Maoris of New Zealand. {Illustrated.) .... 109 



The Attitude of Diplodocus no 



The Protection of Nature. By A. E. Crawley . . no 

 Agriculture in the Dry Regions of the British 



Empire. By Dr. E. J. Russell in 



The Cavendish Laboratory. By S. J. D, S 112 



Mr. W. R. Fisher 113 



Notes 114 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Total Eclipse of the Moon, November 16 ... 118 



Cerulli's Comet, i9iO£ 119 



Selenium Photometry of Stars 119 



The Secular Acceleration of the Moon's Mean Motion 119 

 Photographic Magnitudes of Seventy-one Pleiades 



Stars 119 



Elements and Numbers of Recently Discovered Minor 



Planets I19 



A New Theory of the Descent of Man. (Illus- 

 trated.) By Richard N. Wegner 119 



Mineral Production of India. By Prof. H. Louis . 121 



Science and Engineering 122 



Zoology in the Indian Empire. By R. L. . . . 122 

 The Arrival of Man in Britain. By Prof. W. Boyd 



Dawkins, F.R.S 122 



The Duke of the Abruzzi's Expedition to the 



Karakoram Himalayas 124 



Ahren's Biliquid Prism. {With Diagram.) .... 124 

 The Reform of Mathematical and Science Teach- 

 ing in Germany 125 



University and Educational Intelligence 125 



Societies and Academies 126 



Diary of Societies 13° 



