October 6, 192 1] 



NATURE 



199 



and compared very favourably with aluminium alloys 

 in tensile properties (allowance being made for the 

 much lower sf)ecific gravity), but they were not so 

 ductile in compression. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, September 19. — M. Georges 

 Lemoine in the chair. — The President announced the 

 death of Alfred Grandidier, member of the section of 

 Geography and Navigation. — J. Kampe de Feriet : 

 Some properties of hypergeometrical functions of 

 higher order with two variables. — MM. Barbillion and 

 M. Dugit : A simple apparatus for obtaining the de- 

 viation of the edge of an aeroplane due to the effect 

 of the wind. — M. d'Azumbuja : A method for the 

 svnchronisation of clock mechanism and of pendulums 

 emploved in astronomy. The clockwork mechanism 

 generally used in observatories for controlling the 

 motion of telescopes or mirrors do not possess the 

 accuracy of astronomical clocks, and when used for 

 long photographic exposures frequent rectifications by 

 the observer are necessar\\ In the apparatus pro- 

 posed bv the author, which has been set up at Meudon, 

 a weight-driven motor is controlled electrically by a 

 pendulum. A diagram of the arrangement is given ; 

 it has been in use at Meudon for more than a year, and 

 has proved satisfactory.- — A. Kozlowski : The origin of 

 the oleoleucites.in the liverworts carrying leaves. The 

 examination of living specimens of Lophocolea 

 heterophylla, L. bidentata, Lepidozia reptans, and 

 Mastygobryum trilobatum leads to the conclusion that 

 Pfeffer's hypothesis on the formation of oleoleucites 

 by the agglomeration of droplets is justified, in spite 

 of the contrary opinions of Wakker, Raciborski, and 

 Garjeanne. — M. Romieu : Morphology of the sperma- 

 tozoid of Chaetopterus. — M. Bridel : the action of 

 emulsin from almonds on lactose in 85 per cent, ethvl 

 alcohol. The reaction is a complex one : galactose 

 and /3-ethvlgalactoside were isolated, the former in 

 crystalline form. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, August 3.^Mr. 

 E. C. Andrews, president, in the chair. — R. H. 

 Cambage : Acacia seedlings. A seed of Acacia meJan- 

 "xylon from Jenolan Caves had germinated after 

 having been immersed in sea-water for four vears 

 and one month. The rapid germination of .4. 

 Os-waldi, which grows in the dry interior, is noted. 

 This character may have been developed through the 

 habit of germination after thunderstorms, when the 

 young plant has to establish itself before the, succeed- 

 ing drv weather overtakes it.^G. D. Osborne: A 

 preliminary examination of the late Palaeozoic folding 

 in the Hunter River District, New South Wales. Bv 

 the aid of a diagram, giving the elemental feature's 

 of thediastrophism, it is shown that the earth's seg- 

 ment in the district has undergone a crustal shorten- 

 ing of 746 miles, the original width of 7796 miles 

 now being compressed into 70-50 miles. The depth of 

 the earth block involved has been calculated, and the 

 effects of the strike faulting, in relation to the deter- 

 mination of the vertical bulging resultant upon the 

 thrusting, are discussed.— A. R. Penfold : Note on the 

 position of the double linkage in piperitone. On 



'Xidation with neutral potassium permanganate solu- 

 tion diosphenol in monoclinic needles of melting 

 point 82° C. was obtained. This bodv possesses a 



veil structure of which the double linkage is in the 

 I position. Piperitone must therefore be A-i-men- 

 ^one-y— Dr. L. A. Cotton: Earth movements at 

 burnnjuck, as recorded bv horizontal pendulum ob- 

 servations. Horizontal pendulums were installed to 

 measure the movement of the rocks under the load of 

 NO. 2710, VOL. 108] 



water impounded by the Burrinjuck Dam, and the 

 relation between the movements of the pendulums and 

 the temperature changes registered by a thermometer 

 placed within the concrete dam, at a distance of 80 ft. 

 from the surface, were investigated. The rock move- 

 ments are seasonal in character, with a lag of several 

 months, corresponding closely to the temperature lag. 

 The actual movement is from five to ten seconds of 

 arc, which is probably sufficient to cause considerable 

 strain in the rock-masses involved. 



Books Received. 



The Rift Valleys and Geology of East Africa : An 

 Account of the Origin and History of the Rift Valleys 

 of East Africa and their Relation to the Contemporary 

 Earth-Movements which Transformed the Geography 

 of the World. By Prof. J. W. Gregory. Pp. 479. 

 (London : Seeley, Service and Co., Ltd.) 325. net. 



Zoology for >iedical Students. By Prof. J. Graham 

 Kerr. Pp. x4-485. (London : Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd.) 25^. net. 



A Text-book of Oualitative Analvsis of Inorganic 

 Substances. By Dr. S. A. Kay. Pp. vii+80. 

 (London : Gurney and Jackson ; Edinburgh : Oliver 

 and Boyd.) 75. 6d. net. 



The international Forestr\- Bibliographv, including 

 Allied Subjects. By Dr. A. H. Unwin. Pp. 48. 

 (Critchmere, Haslemere : Forest Lover's Library.) 

 2s. 6d. net. 



Wightman's Secondary Schools Mathematical 

 Tables. Edited by F. Sandon. Pp. 96. (London : 

 Wightman and Co., Ltd.) 6d. 



The Depths of the Soul : Psycho-Analytical Studies. 

 Bv Dr. William Stekel. Authorised translation by 

 Dr. S. A. Tannenbaum. Pp. v+216. (London : 

 Kegan Paul and Co., Ltd.) 65. 6d. net. 



An Introduction to Biophysics. By Dr. D. Burns. 

 Pp. xiii+435. (London : J. and A. Churchill.) 21s. 

 net. 



Handbuch der Gesamten .Augenheilkunde. Begriin- 

 det von .A. Graefe und Th. Saemisch. Fortgefuhrt 

 von C. Hess. Herausgegeben von Th. Axenfeld und 

 .A. Elschnitr. Dritte. neubearbeitete auflage. Die 

 Brille als Optisches Instrument. Von Prof. Dr. M. 

 von Rohr. Dritte auflage. Pp. xiv-h254. (Berlin : 

 J. Springer.) In Germany, 66 marks; in England, 

 132 marks. 



The Chemistry of Colloids and some Technical 

 -Applications. By Dr. W. W. Taylor. Second edition. 

 Pp. viii + 332. (London : E. Arnold and Co.) los. 6d. 

 net. 



.An Introduction to Projective Geometry. Bv Prof. 

 L. N. G. Filon. Third edition. Pp. viii-H-253, 

 (London : E. .Arnold and Co.) 7s. 6d. 



Forensic Chemistry-. Bv .A. Lucas. Pp. viii-l-268. 

 (London : E. Arnold and Co.) 155. net. 



Organic Evolution : Outstanding Difficulties and 

 Possible Explanations. By Major Leonard Darwin. 

 Pp. viii-h47. (Cambridge ': At the University Press). 

 45. net. 



On some Antiquities in the Neighbourhood of 

 Dunecht House. .Aberdeenshire. By the Right Rev. 

 Dr. G. F. Browne. Pp. xiv+170 + 63 plates. 

 (Cambridge : .At the Universitv Press.) 635. net. 



A First Book of General Science : .An Introduction 

 to the Scientific Study of .Animal and Plant Life. Bv 

 -A. T. .Simmons and .A. J. V. Gale. (First Books of 

 Science series.) Pp. viii+145. (London : Macmillan 

 and Co., Ltd.) 2s. 6d. 



The Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Eleventh 

 Report to the Allovs Research Committee. On Some 

 .Alloys of .Aluminium (Light Allovs). Bv Dr. W. 



