430 



NATURE 



[January 26, 191 1 



MelAOOrne. 

 Royal Society of Victoria; December 28, 1910. — Prof. E. W. 

 Skeats in the chair. — Bertha Rees : The structure of the 

 seed coats of hard seeds, and their longevity. The paper 

 deals mainly with the investigation into the nature of the 

 impermeable layer of hard seeds. The cuticularised layer 

 may consist either of culticle alone or may extend to a 

 varying depth in the wall of the superficial paUsade cells. 

 The cuticle is usually deposited on a basis of hemicellulose, 

 but in Acacia melanoxylon the basis is pectose. — Janet W. 

 Raff : Protozoa parasitic in the large intestine of 

 Australian frogs, part i. Hyla aiirea, H. ewingii, H. 

 peronii, Limnodynastes dorsalis, and L. tasmaniensis were 

 examined. The forms found most commonly were Nycto- 

 theus cordiformis, Opalina intestinalis, two new species of 

 Opalina, Copromonas subtilis. Trichomonas hatrachorufn, 

 and Trichomastix batrachorum. — ^J. T. Jutson : The 

 structure and general geology of the Warrandyte gold- 

 field and adjacent country. — J. T. Jutson : A contribution 

 to the physiography of the Yarra River and Dandenong 

 Creek basins, Victoria. The Yarra Flats area and its 

 extension south through Croydon and Port Phillip Bay is 

 a Senkungsfeld. The Nillumbik peneplain was uplifted so 

 gradually that the Yarra kept its old course to Temple- 

 stowe, and is antecedent to the present topography. — 

 A. C. Stone : The aborigines of Lake Boga, Victoria. 

 The paper consists principally of vocabularies and folk- 

 lore. — F. Chapman : Some supf>osed pyritised sponges 

 from Queensland. Two melon-shaped masses are com- 

 pared externally with Lithistid sponges. They are prob- 

 ably of Desert Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous age). — 

 F. Chapman : A revision of the species of Limopsis in 

 the Tertiary beds of southern Australia. Five species are 

 recognised (L. morningtonensis , Pritchard ; L. tnaccoyi, 

 n.sp. — L. belcheri, M'Coy non Adams and Reeve; L. 

 multiradiata, Tate; L. beaumariensis, n.sp. = ? L. forskali, 

 Tate non Adams ; and L. insolita, G. Sow). The latter 

 also occurs in the Santa Cruz beds of Patagonia. — K. A. 

 Mickle : The flotation of minerals. The metallurgical 

 method of separation by flotation is due to an adherent 

 gas film on the granules of ore. An account of a large 

 series of experiments is given. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, January 26. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Memoir on the Theory of the Partitions of 

 Numbers. Part V. — Partitions in Two-dimensionals Space : Major 

 P. A. MacMahon, F.R.S.— (i) The Origin of Magnetic Storms; (2) On 

 the Periodicity of Sun-spots : Dr. A. Schuster, F.R.S. — Atmospheric 

 Electricity over the Ocean : Dr. G. C. Simpson and C. S. Wright. — On 

 the Founer Constants of a Function: Dr. W. H. Youn^, 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. Ayrton. 



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: Prof. W. H. Bragg, F.R.S. 



Physical Society, at 5 (at University 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 Photographs of Alpine Flowering Plants : 

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

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

 found near Walton-on-Naze: Haziledine Warren. 

 MONDAY, January 30. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — Recent Explorations in Dutch 

 New Guinea : Dr. H. A. Lorentz. 



Institute of Actuaries, at 5.— On Staff Pension Funds : The Progress 

 of the Accumulation of the Funds ; The Identity of a Valuation with the 

 Future Progress of a Fund ; The Manner of Dealing with Funds which 

 are Insolvent ; and Sundry Observations : H. W. Manly. 

 TUESDAY, January 31. 



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



Royal Society op Arts, at 4.30. — The Tin Resources of the Empire: 



^. Douglas Osborne. 

 Illuminating Engineering Society, at 8. — Dicussion on Library Light- 

 ing opened by J. Duff Brown and S. L. Jast. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Further discussion: Sand 

 movements at Newcastle Entrance, N.S.W. : C. W. King. — Fremaptle 

 Harbour-works, Western Australia : C. S. R. Palmer.— The Bar Harbours 

 of New .South Wales : G. H. Halligan. 



WEDNESDAY, February i. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 8. — Examinations and their Bearing on 

 National Efficiency : P. J. Hartog. 



Society of Public Analy.sts, at 8. — President's Annual Address. — Note 

 on the Detection and Estimation of Small Quantities of Antimony : Dr. 

 P. Schidrowitz and H. A. Gold.sbrough. — The Analytical and Micro- 

 .scopical Examination of Compound Liquorice Powder : G. E. Scott- 

 Smith and John Evans. — Commercial Analysis and Arithmetic : C. A. 

 Seyler. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, February 2. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable Papers : (i) Experiments to investigate 

 the Infectivity of Glossina palpalis Fed on Sleeping Sickness Patients 

 under Treatment ; (2) Experiments to Ascertain if Trypanosoma gam- 

 biense during its Development within Glossina palfralis is infective : Col. 

 Sir D. Bruce, F.R.S., and others. — Further Experimental Researches on 

 the Etiology of Endemic Goitre : Captain R. McCarrison. — On the 

 Leaves of Calamites {Calamocladus Section) : H. H. Thomas. — Com- 

 plement Deviation in Mouse Carcinoma : Dr. J. O. W. Barratt. 



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

 Dyson.JF.R.S., Astronomer Royal. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. 



Rontgen Society, at 8.15. — The Work of Action of an Induction Coil: 

 Prof. Salomonson. 



FRIDAY, February 3. 



Royal Institution, at 9 — Grouse Disease : A. E. Shipley, F.R.S. 

 Geologists' Association, at 7.30. — Annual General Meeting. — President's 



Address : Flint and Chart : W. Hill. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Rivers and Estuaries : W. H. 



Hunter, M.Inst.C.E. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Scientific Men of America. By E. W. M. . 397 

 The Fabric of Pharmacy. By Prof. Henry G. 



Greenish 39^ 



The Chicago Text-book of Botany. By J. B. F. . 399 



Practical Zoology. By A. D 400 



lonisation of Gases by Collision 400 



Two Photographic Annuals 401 



Geology and Landscape. By G. A. J. C 402 



Fossil Remains of Man. By Prof. G. Elliot Smith, 



F.R.S 402 



Our Book Shelf 403 



Letters to the Editor:— 



The Inheritance of Acquired Characters. — Prof. 



John W.Judd.C.B., F.R.S 405 



The Transference of Names in Zoology. — Dr. W. T, 



Caiman . . 406 



Sex Relationship.— Hertha Ayrton; Dr. R. J. 



Ewart 406 



The Origin of Man.— Dr. Cecil H. Desch .... 40 



Popular Ornithology. (Illustrated.) 4°? 



The Sea-Otter. {Illustrated.) By D. W. T 408 



The Minneapolis Meeting of the American Asso- 

 ciation 410 



Science and Pottery 4" 



An Institute of Human Palaeontology. By A. C. H. 412 



Notes 412 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Meteors in February 4^7 



Nova Lacertse ' 4^7 



A New Variable or Nova (134. 1910 Piscium) . . . . 4'8 

 Mass-ratios of the Components of Kriiger 60 and 



Castor 418 



Double Stars 4^8 



The United States Naval Observatory 418 



Star Colours 4^8 



The Imperial Department of Agriculture in the 



West Indies. By Sir Daniel Morris, K. CM. G. . 418 

 The Panama Canal in 1910. {With Diagram.) By 



Dr. Vaughan Cornish .... 420 



Applied Geology in the United States. By J. W. G. 420 

 On the Sensibility of the Eye to Variations of 

 Wave-length in the Yellow Region of the 



Spectrum. By Lord Rayleigh, O.M., F.R.S, . . 421 

 The Progressive Disclosure of the Entire Atmos- 

 phere of the Sun. {Ilhistrated.) By Dr. H. 



Deslandres 422 



University and Educational Intelligence 426 



Societies and Academies 427 



Diary of Societies fT* . . 43° 



NO. 2152, VOL. 85] 



