396 



NATURE 



[January 19, 191 1 



Lanfry : A new thiophene compound, C,jH,Sj, and some 

 of its derivatives. The new compound was isolated from 

 the products of the reaction of sulphur and naphthalent 

 vapour when passed through an iron tube at a red heat. 

 Its composition is probably either phenothiophen'e or 

 phenodithiophene. An account is given of the behaviour 

 of the new compound on oxidation. — A. Wahl : The 

 condensation of acetic ester with its higher homologues. 

 Contrary to the views held up to the present, the con- 

 densation of acetic ester with its homologues by means 

 of sodium is possible in certain cases. Details are given 

 of the preparation of butyrylacetic ester by this reaction. 

 — Jean Dybo«vski : A new source of natural indiarubber. 

 A method of utilising Jeloutong, resulting from the 

 coagulation of the latex of Dyera costulata. — L. 

 Blaring^hem : The rules of Naudin and the laws of 

 Mendel relating to hybrids. The examples described are 

 not in accord with Mendel's laws, but fully agree with 

 the rules given by Naudin in 1861. — Jules Laurent : The 

 physical conditions for the i-esistance of the vine to 

 mildew. — Ren6 Maire and Adrien Tison : Researches on 

 some Cladochytriaceae. — P. Chause and L. Pissot : The 

 process of caseification in human tuberculosis. — Ch. 

 Janet : The existence of a chordotonal organ and of a 

 pulsatile antennary vesicule in the bee, and on the 

 morphology of the head of this species. — Alfred Ang^ot : 

 The value of the magnetic elements at the Val-Joyeux 

 Observatory on January i, 191 1. — Alfred Angrot : The 

 earthquake of January 3-4, 191 1. The earthquake, the 

 epicentre of which appeared to be in Central Asia, was 

 recorded on the seismograph of the Pare Saint-Maur 

 Observatory, and was the most violent hitherto recorded, 

 the amplitude being outside the range of the recorder for 

 about six minutes. The vibrations of the ground were 

 sufficient to disturb the magnetographs. — Louis Fabry : 

 The earthquake of January 3, 191 1. Details of the 

 records of the seismograph at the Observatory of 

 Marseilles. — Henri Bourgret : Remarks on the preceding 

 communication. 



Calcutta. 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, December 7, 1910. — 

 P. C. Ray and Jitendra Nath Rakshit : Methylamine. 

 nitrite. When mercuric nitrite solution is treated with 

 dilute ammonia, a precipitate of dimercurammonium 

 nitrite is formed, and ammonium nitrite remains in solu- 

 tion (Trans., 1902, Ixxxi., 644). Recently a solution of 

 mercuric nitrite was similarly treated with dilute methyl- 

 amine. The precipitate which was thus obtained proved 

 on analysis to be dimercurammonium nitrite, pure and 

 simple. The fijtrate, amounting to about 25 c.c, was 

 distilled in a vacuum at temperatures gradually raised 

 from 45° to 50°. — Hem Chandra Das-Gupta : The occur- 

 rence of Maestrichtien fossils at Kacch Station (in British 

 Baluchistan). 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY. January 19. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The Action of B. lactis eerogenes on G\\ico^e 

 and Mann'tol. Part II. : G. S. Walpole — The Pharmarological Action 

 of South African Boxwood (Goniotitti Katnassi) : Dr. W. E. Dixon. — 

 Autoagglutination of Red Blood Cells in Trypanosomiasis : Dr. W. 

 Yorke. — The Transformation of Proteids into Fats during the Ripening 

 of Cheese (Preliminary Communication): M- Nierenstein. — The Action 

 of X-rays on the Developing Chick: J. F. Gaskell.— (i) Experiments 

 to ascertain if Antelope may act as a Reservoir of the Virus of Sleeping 

 Sickness {Trypanosoma gatnbicnse)\ (2) Experiments to ascertain if the 

 Domestic Fowl of Uganda may act as a Reservoir ot the Virus of 

 .Sleeping Sickness (^Trypanosoma gavthiense): Colonel Sir D. Bruce, 

 F.R.S., and others. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Recent Progress in Astronomy: F. W. 

 Dvson, F.R.S. , Astronomer Royal. 



I-iNNEAN Society, at 8. 



RovAL Geographical Society, at 5. — Research Meeting. Neolithic 

 Villages in Thessaly : Mes;rs. Wace and Thompson. 

 FRIDAY, January 20. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Chemical and Physical Change at Low 

 Temperatures: Sir James Dewar, F.R.S. 



Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Modem Electrical 

 Dock-equipment, with Special Reference to Electrically-operated Coal- 

 hoists : W. Dixon and G. H. Baxter. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Design and Construction 

 of Reinforced-concrete Arches : G. F. Walton. 



TUESDAY, January 24. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Heredity : Prof. F. W. Mott, F.R.S. 



Roval Anthropological Institute, at 8. 15. — Anniversary Meeting. 



MiNERALOGiCAL SOCIETY, at 5. 30. — On Kaolin: F. H. Butler. — On 

 Si-hwartzembergite : Dr. G. F. H. Smith and Dr. G. T. Prior. — An 



Improved Form of Total Refractometer : A. Hutcbinsoo. — A Case 



Electrostatic Separation : T. Crook. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Sand-movements at Newcastle 



P^ntrance, N.S.W. : C. W. King.— Fremantle Harbour- works, Western 



Australia: C. S. R. Palmer.— The Bar Harbours of New South WaK- 



G. H. Halligan. 



WEDNESDA K, January 25. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Motor Transport in Great Britain ana 



the Colonies : H. M. Wyatt. 

 Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, at %.— Adjourned discus- 



S!Oh: Notes on Chilian Mills in Russia: H. C. Bayldon. — Notes on 



Placer Mining, with Special Reference to Hydraulic Sluicing : N. A. 



Loggin. 

 Geological Society, at 8.— 1 he Skomer Volcanic Series (Pembrokeshire) : 



H. H. Thomas. — Some African Evidence for the Planetismal Hypothesis : 



E. H. L. Schwarz. 

 British Astronomical Association, at 5. 



THURSDAY, January 26. 



Royal Society, at ^.-^o.— Probable Papers : Memoir on the Theory of 

 the Partitions of Numbers. Part V. Pariitions in Two-dimensionals 

 Space: Major P. A. MacMahon, F.R.S. — '1 he Origin of Magnetic 

 Storms: Dr. A. Schuster, F.R.S. — On the Fourier Constants of a 

 Function: Dr. W. H. Young, F.R.S. — On the Energy and Distribution 

 of Scattered Rontgen Radiation : J. A. Crowther. — On some new Facts 

 connected with the Motion of Oscillating Water: Mrs. H. Ayrlon. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Recent Progress in Astronomy : F. W. 

 Dyson, F.R.S., Astronomer Royal. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Long Distance Trans- 

 mission of Electrical Energy : W. T. Taylor. — Extra High Pressure 

 Transmission Lines : R. Borlase Matthews and C. T. Wilkinson. 

 FRIDAY, January 27. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Radioactivity as a Kinetic Theory of a 

 Fourth State of Matter: Hrof. W. H. Bragg, F.R.S. 



Physical Society, at 5 (at Univeisity College). — A Demonstration of 

 Phase Difference between the Primary and Secondary Currents of a 

 Transformer by means of a Simple Apparatus : Prof. F. T. Trouton, 

 F.R.S. — A Note on the Experimental Measurement of the High Fre- 

 quency Resistance of Wires : Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S.— (i) The 

 Measurement of Energy Losses in Condensers traversed by High 

 Frequency Oscillations ; (2) Some Resonance Curves taken with Impact 

 and Spark Discharges : Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S., and G. B. Dyke. — 

 Council Meeting at 4.30 p.m. 



SATURDAY. January 28. 

 Essex Field Club, at 6 (at Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford^ 

 — Exhibition of Coloured Phot' graphs of Alpine Flowering Plants: 

 Somerville Hastings. — Note on the Occurrence of Stony Beds under- 

 lying Harwich Harbour : Percy 1 hompson. — On a Pre-historic Interment 

 found near Walton-on-Naze: Hazzledine Warren. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Radio-Therapy. By Dr. A. C. Jordan 363 



Deduction and Denudation. By J. W. G 364 



Technical Organic Analysis, By F. M. P 365 1 



Tasmanian Skulls 366 



Philosophy 367 



American Textbooks of Mathematics. By 



T. J. I'a B 368 



Books on Nature-Sludy 369; 



Our Book Shelf 37° 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Inheritance of Acquired Characters. — Sir W. T. 



Thiselton-Dyer, K.C.M.G., F.R.S 37i 



Palaeolithic Shaft-straighteners. {Illustrated.) — Prof. 



W, J. Sollas, F.R.S 37i 



The Turkestan Earthquake of January 3-4. — Rev. 



Walter Sidgreaves; F. Edward Norris . . 372 

 The Markings of Mars. — Prof. A. M. Worthing- 



ton, C.B., F.R.S 37^ 



Fireball of January 9. — W. F. Denning . . . . 37- 

 The Admission of Women to the Paris Academy 



of Sciences 3' 



The Solar Physics Observatory 3: 



Solway Birds. {Illuslrated.) 3^ 



Notes . . ... 3' 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Nova Lacerta? 3^41 



The Orbits of Several Spectroscopic Binaries .... 384 



The Discovery of Kepler's Laws 3^ 



Bright Bolides 3^ 



The Astrographic Catalogue, Catania Zones . .3^ 



Conferences ot Mathematical Teachers and of 



Public School Science Masters. By G. F. D. . 3^, 



Geology of the British Isles. By G. A. J. C. . . 38t 

 Russian Magnetic Observations. By Dr. C. Chree, 



F.R.S 38' 



The Michael Sars North Atlantic Deep-sea Ex- 

 pedition, 1910. By Dr. Johan Hjort 3^' 



University and Educational Intelligence 39. 



Societies and Academies 39 



Diary of Societies 39' 



NO. 2151, VOL. 85] 



