1 68 



NATURE 



[September 29, 192 1 



Flora of the Presidency of Madras. By J. S. 

 Gamble. Part 4 : Rubiaceae to Ebenaceae. Pp. 579- 

 768. (London : Adlard and Son and West Newman, 

 Ltd.) 10s. net. 



Entropy as a Tangible Conception : An Elementary 

 Treatise on the Physical Aspects of Heat, Entropy, 

 and Thermal Inertia, for Designers, Students, and 

 Engineers, and particularly for Users of Steam and 

 Steam Charts. By Eng. Lieut. -Comdr. S. G. 

 Wheeler. Pp. 76. (London : Crosby Lockwood and 

 Son.) 8s. 6d. net. 



Mikromethodik : Quantitative Bestimmung der 

 Harn- und Blutbestaudteile in kleinen Mengen, fiir 

 klinische und experimen telle Zwecke. By Dr. L. 

 Pincussen. Pp. 116. (Leipzig: G. Thieme.) 28 

 marks. 



Department of Applied Statistics (Computing Sec- 

 tion), University of London, University College. 

 Tracts for Computers, No. 5 : Table of the Co- 

 efficients of Everett's Central-Difference Interpolation 

 Formula. By A. J. Thompson. Pp. xvi-l-20. 

 (London : Cambridge University Press.) 3s. gd. net. 

 Nia Cintaga Pano kaj la Vivo. Serio de tridek 

 doktrinoj pri dieto subtenitaj de kelkaj el la plej 

 famaj homoj. Kompilita kaj Tradukita de W. W. 

 Trainer. Dua Eldono. Pp. 71. (Glasgow : Eraser, 

 Asher and Co., Ltd. ; Author : 329 Langside Road, 

 Glasgow.) S.250. 



The Stages of Human Life. By J. Lionel Tayler. 

 Pp. xiv+377. (London : J. Murray.) 185. net. 



The Heart of Nature ; or. The Quest for Natural 

 Beauty. By Sir Francis Younghusband. Pp. xxviii+ 

 235. (London : J. Murray.) 12s. net. 



Columns : A Treatise on the Strength and Design 

 of Compression Members. Bv Dr. E. H. Salmon. 

 (Oxford Technical Publications.) Pp. xvi+279. 

 (London : H. Frowde and Hodder and Stoughton.) 

 31s. 6d. net. 



•An Introduction to Phvsics for Technical Students. 

 By P. J. Haler and A. H.' Stuart. Pp. 240. (London : 

 Library Press, Ltd.) 4s. 6d. net. 



Ministry of Munitions and Department of Scientific 

 and Industrial Research. Technical Records of Ex- 

 plosives, 1915-18, No. 3 : Sulphuric Acid Concentra- 

 tion. Pp. vi+91. (London : H.M. Stationery Office.) 

 I2S. net. 



The Wit of the Wild. By Ernest IngersoU. Pp. v+ 

 212. (London : G. Routledge and Sons, Ltd.) 65. 

 net. 



The Care of the Adolescent Girl : A Book for 

 Teachers, Parents, and Guardians. By Dr. Phyllis 

 Blanchard. Pp. xxi+201. (London : Kegan Paul and 

 Co., Ltd.) ys. 6d. net. 



Taboo and Genetics : A Study of the Biological, 

 Sociological, and Psvchological Foundation of the 

 Family. By Dr. M. 'M. Knight, Dr. Iva L. Peters, 

 and Dr. Phyllis Blanchard. Pp. xv+255. (London : 

 Kegan Paul and Co., Ltd. ; New York : Moffat, Yard 

 and Co.) 105. 6d. net. 



Seven Ages of Childhood. By Ella L. Cabot. Pp. 

 xxxiv+321. (London : Kegan Paul and Co., Ltd.) 

 12s. 6d. net. 



Diary of Societies. 



MOXDAY, OcTOBEE 3. 

 Society of Exgixeebs (at Geological Society), at 5.30. — G. 0. Case: 

 The Winning of Tidal Lands in British Guiana, 



WEDNESDAY, October 5. 

 RoTAi MiCBOSCOPiCAL SociETr (in the Mortimer Halls, Mortimer 

 Street, W.l), at 7.30.— Conversazione. 



KXTOMOLOGXCAL SOCIETT OF LoNDON, at S. 



Chemical iNDtSTnr Cltb (at 2 Whitehall Court).— Sir William J. 

 I'ope : Impressions of Canadian Tour. 



THURSDAY, October 6. 



Ceramic Society (Refractory Materials Section) (at Institution 

 of Mechanical Eng-ineers), at 10.30 a.m. — H. Dewey: Refractory 

 Materials of the London Basin.— J. H. Marlow : The Marlow 

 Gas-flred Tunnel Oven.— P. J. Woolf : A New Type of Tunnel 

 Kiln, Oil-fired, with many Novel Features. — Dr. A. Grangrer : 

 Aluminothermic Corundtim as Refractory Materials. — Prof. J. W. 

 Cobb and H. S. Houldsworth : The "Reversible Thermal Ex- 

 pansion of Silica.^ — Discussion on Gas-firing-. 



Royal Aeronaitical Society (at Royal Society of Arts), at 5.30. — J 

 Air-Commodore H. R. H. Brooke-Popham : Some Notes on "; 

 Aeroplanes in Tropical Countries. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — S. J. Lewis and F. M. Wood : A New 

 Adjustable Thermostat for all Temperatures between 0° and 

 lOO'o.— A. F. Dufton : The Separation of Miscible Liquids by 

 Distillation. Laljoratory Still-heads.— A. F. Dufton : The Separa- 

 tion of Miscible Liquids bv Distillation. A Continuous Labora- 

 tory Still.— P. K. Dutt. H. R. Whitehead, and A. Wormall : 

 The Action of Diazo-salts on Aromatic Sulphonamides. Part i. 

 —A. B. Manning : Neutral Salt Action on the Hydrolysis of 

 Kthyl Formate. — A. Shimomura and J. B. Cohen : Synthetic ^ 

 Optical Activity.— T. A.. Henry and H. Paget : Chenopodium Oil. 

 — C. K. Ingoldand E. A. Perren : Experiments on the Synthesis 

 of the Polvaeetio Acids of Methane. An Addendum to iParts I. 

 and III.— C. K. Ing-old and W. J. Powell: Experiments on the 

 Synthesis of the Polyacetic Acids of Methane. Part IV, The 

 Preparation of ,a-carboxymethanetriacetic Acid. — The Late H. R. 

 Le Sueur and C. C. Wood : The Mechanism of the Action of 

 Fused Alkalis. Part II. Action of Fused Potassium Hydroxide 

 on Phenylglyeerio Acid. 



FRIDAY. October 7. 



Ceramic Society (Refractory Materials Section) (at Institution of 

 Mechanical Ene-ineers). at 10 a.m.— General Meeting. 



West Londox MEDico-CHiRrnfticAL Society (at West London Hos- 

 pital), at 8.30.— Sir G. Lenthal Cheatle : A Study of Breast 

 Cancer in Relation to the Cancer Problem (Presidential Ad- 

 dress). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Explosion at the Nitrogen Fixation Works, 



Oppau ^37 



Applied Chemistry ... . . ..... . 138 



Institution and Behaviour in Fijian Society. By 



\A^. J. Perry •139 



Laboratory Designs. By Chas. E. Browne . . 140 

 The History of Anatomical Illustration. By Dr. 



Charles Singer 141 



Our Bookshelf 142 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Scientific Publication.— Dr. F. A. Bather, F.R.S. ; 

 J. A. H. ..... 144 



Is Bisexualitv in Animals a Function of Motion ? — Dr. 



J. H. Ort'on MS 



The Separation of 'Mercury into Isotopes. — Prof. 



\A7illiam D. Harkins and R. S. Mulliken ... 146 

 Relation of the Hydrogen-ion Concentration of the 



Soil to Plant DistVibution — Norman M. Comber 146 

 The " Proletarisation of Science "in Russia. — Dr. 



H. Lyster Jameson I47 



Bees and Scarlet-runner Beans.— H. B. Heywood . 147 

 The Norman Lockyer Observatory. {Illustrated.) 



By Prof. H. H. Turner, F.R.S 148 



The Oxford Expedition to Spitsbergen, 1921 : 

 Ornithological Observations. {Illustrated.) By 



The Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain 151 



The Present Position of the Theory of Descent, 

 in Relation to the Early History of Plants. By 



Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S. I53 



The Shackleton-Rowett Oceanographit and Ant- 

 arctic Expedition. By Dr. Hugh Robert Mill . 159 



Obituary: — ^ ,,, . r 



Dr Walter George Ridewood. By C. W^. A. . 160 



Notes" . 160 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Conjunction of Venus and Mars 164 



Observations of Star Colours 164 



The Motion of the Perihelion of Mercury 164 



Geography at the British Association 165 



An Automatic Recorder of Smoke Pollution ... 166 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . . 166 



Calendar of Scientific Pioneers 167 



Societies and Academies .... 167 



Books Received . . '2, 



Diary of Societies ... ^^° 



(Index.; 



NO. 2709, VOL. 108] 



