l62 



NATURE 



[December i, 1910 



madrepores of coral reefs. The forms which succumb in 

 the struggle are those which are large and globular; the 

 arborescent forms have more resisting power. — E. 

 Roubaud : The evolution and history of Roubandia 

 rufescens, a parasite of the social African wasps, genera 

 Icaria and Belonogaster.— P. Fabre-Domergfuo and 

 R. Lesrendre : The search for Bacterium coli in sea 

 water by the methods employed for fresh water. All the 

 usual tests for coli in fresh water are retarded in their 

 action by the presence of common salt. Certain modifica- 

 tions of technique necessitated by .this fact are suggested. 

 The question has arisen in connection with the control of 

 oyster beds. — J. Couyat and P. H. Fritel : The presence 

 of plant impressions in the Nubian grit in the neighbour- 

 hood of Assouan. 



Cape Town. 

 Roval Society of South Africa, October iq. — Mr. S. S. 

 Hough, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — A. G. Howard : 

 An investigation into the land and sea breezes conditions 

 at Port Elizabeth. A second contribution to the meteor- 

 ology of .South Africa.— E. T. Littlewood : Graphical 

 representation of some of the simpler analytic functions of 

 a complex variable. The modulus of the function corre- 

 sponding to each point of the (horizontal) xy plane was 

 represented by the length of a vertical line erected at that 

 point, the upper extremities of these lines forming a 

 (" modular ") surface, while the argument was represented 

 by a family of curves (" stream lines ") drawn in the xy 

 plane. Certain general results were established and 

 methods given. In the models, the surface was suggested 

 by a wire framework, which usually illustrated contour 

 lines and vertical sections, while the stream lines, drawn 

 on the horizontal base of the model, were visible through 

 the framework. The simpler algebraic, circular, ex- 

 ponential, and logarithmic functions were thus treated. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, December i. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Spermatogonesis 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. — Osmo'.ic Growths : Dr. Deane Butcher. 



FRIDAY, December 2. 



Geologists' Association, at 8.— The Geology of Natal : Dr. F. H. 



Hatch. 

 Institution of Civii, Engineers, at 8. — The Scherzer Rolling-lift 



Bridge over the River Tawe, at Swansea : J. H. Morris. 



MONDAY, December 5. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — The Geograph'cal Aspects of 

 the Problem of Empire Cotton Growing: J. Howard Reed. 



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

 Aristotelian Society, at 8. — A Defect in the Current Logical Formu- 

 lation of the Basis of Induction : Bernard Bosanquet. 



Victoria Institute, at 4.30. — The Theory of Jurisprudence : Judge 

 G. H. Smith. 



Society of Chemical Industry, at 8. — The Analytical Constants of 

 Shellac, Lac-resin and Lac-wax : Puian Singh. — Theory of Dyeing : 

 Resolution after Treatment with Acids, &c. : W. P. Dreaper and A. 

 Wilson. — Some Indian Oils and Fats : A. Kesava Menon. 



TUESDAY, December 6. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at %.— Further discussion: Portland 

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



WEDNESDAY, December 7. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 8. — The Panama Canal in 1910 : Dr. 

 Vaughan Cornish. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8. — On Fischer's Modification of 

 Volhard's Method for the Estimation of Manganese, and its Comparison 

 with other well known Methods : E. Cahen and H. F. V. Little.— Note 

 on the Composition of British Wines : E. Russell and T. R. Hodgson. — 

 A New Volumetric Process for the Estimatinn of Tungsten: Dr. E. 

 Knecht and E. Hibbert. — A New Volumetric Process for the Estimation 

 of Molybdenum : Dr. E. Knecht and F. W. Atack.— The Degree of 

 Accuracy with which the Proteins of Milk can be Estimated by the 

 Aldehyde Method : H. D. Richmond. — Note on Gorgonzola Cheese : 

 E. Hinks. — Tests for Cocaine and certain Cocaine Substitutes : Dr. E. H. 

 Hankin. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, December 8. 



Royal Society, at ^.-yi.— Probable Papers: Colour-biindness and the 

 Trichromatic "Theory. Part II. Incomplete Red or Green Blindness: 

 Sir W. de W. Abney, K.C.B., F.R.S.— On the Sensibility of the Eye to 

 Variations of Wave-length in the Yellow Region of the Spectrum : Lord 

 Rayleigh, O. M., F.K.S. — (i) Trypanosome Diseases of Domestic Animals 

 in Uganda. IV. Trypayiosmna uni/oriiie, sp. nov. ; (2) Trj'panosome 

 Diseases of Domestic Animals in Uganda. V. Trypanosoma nanuiii. 

 (Laveran): Colonel Sir D. Bruce, C.B., F.R.S., and others.— Some 

 Enumerative Studie-i'on Malarial Fever: Major R. Ross, C.B., F R.S., 

 and D. Thomson.— On Haemoglobin Metabolism in Malarial Fever ; 

 G. C. E. Simpson.— A Case of Sleeping Sickness studied by precise 

 Enumerative Methods. Further Observations: Major R. Ross, C.B., 



F. tt.S., and D. Thomson. — Enumerative Studies on Trypanosotita 

 gatiibiense and Trypanosoma 7-lwdienst' in Rats, Guinea-pigs, and 

 Rabbits ; Periodic Variations disclosed : Dr. H. B. Fantham and J. G. 

 Thomson. — The Life History of Tfypanosoma gatnbiense and Trypano- 

 soma rhodiensc as seen in Rats and Guinea-pips : Dr. H. B. Fantham. — 

 Experiments on the Treatment of Animals infected with Trypanosomes, 

 by means of Atoxyl, Vaccines, Cold, X-rays, and Leucocytic Extract; 

 Enumerative Methods employed: Major R. Ross, C.B., F.R.S., and 



J. G.Thomson. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — (1) Properties of Logarithmico- 

 exponential Functions ; (2) Some Results concerning the Increase of 

 Functions defined by an Algebraic Differential Equation of the First 

 Degree: G. H. Hardy.— Optical Geometry of Motion: A. A. Robb. — 

 (r) Note on the Pcllian Equation ; (2) A Property of the Number 7 : 

 T. C. Lewis.— On the Arithmetical Theory of Binary Cubic Forms : 



G. B. Mathews. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— The Magnetic Properties 

 of Iron and its Alloys in Intense Fields: Sir R. Hadfield, F.R.S., and 

 Prof B. Hopkinson, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, December 9. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Illuminating Engineering Society, at 8.— Recent Prog>-ess in Electri 

 Lighting : Prof E. W. Marchant. 



NO. 2144, VOL. 85] 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



History in British Place-names. By Rev. John 



Griffith 131 



The Chemistry of the Alkaloids. By J. B, C. . . 131 



Practical Gardening 132 



A Treatise on British Nudibranchiate Mollusca. 



By F. W. G 133 



Wild Flowers . 134 



Shallow-water Starfishes 134 



Experimental Electricity and Magnetism 135 



Our Book Shelf 136 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Marine Microthermograms and the Influence of Ice- 

 bergs on the Temperature of the Sea. ( With 



Dia^-ams.)— 'Prof. H. T. Barnes 137 



Dun Coat Colour in the Horse.— J. B. Robertson . 138 



Lower Cretaceous Angiosperms. — Dr. M. C. Stopes 139 



The Cocos-Keeling Atoll.— Dr. F. Wood-Jones . 139 

 Conflicting Dates of International Congresses. — Dr. 



F. A. Bather I39 



The Megalospheric Form of Ammodiscus iucertiis. — 



F. Chapman ... 139 



The Photography of Nebulae. [Illustrated.) By 



Dr. William J. S. Lockyer 14° 



Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society .... 143 



Enteric Fever Carriers MS 



Notes . 146 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Recent Fireballs 15° 



Saturn's Rings 15° 



Cerulli's Comet (l9io«) identified with Faye's Short- 

 period Comet 15° 



A System of Standard Wave-lengths IS^ 



The Radial Velocity of Sitius . _ • • ■ IS' 



"Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes, 1911." ... 151 



Magnitude of Nova Sagittarii, No. 2 15^ 



Agricultural Research in Japan 151 



Stockholm to Spitsbergen : the Geologists' Pil- 

 grimage. {Illustrated.) By G. W. Lamplugh. 



F.R.S 152 



A Fourth Recalescence in Steel. (Illustrated.) . . 157 



Reports on Imperial Foodstuffs I57 



University and Educational Intelligence 158 



Societies and Academies '55 



Diary of Societies ^^^ 



