November io, 192 i] 



NATURE 



357 



Ui.t .; -ulphur gradually forms in the liquid, the 

 suspension becomes practically opaque to the shorter 

 wave-lengths first and the longer wave-lengths later, 

 and afterwards regains its transparency partially, 

 the shorter wave-lengths re-appeanng first and later 

 the longer wave-lengths. A theoretical explanation is 

 offered. — E. F. Burton and Miss E. Bishop : The law 

 of distribution of particles in colloidal solution. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, October 24. — M. Gieorges 

 Lemoine in the chair. — P. Painleve : Classical 

 mechanics and the theory of relativity. A vigorous 

 criticism of the Einstein theory, and especially of the 

 assumptions contained in the is' equation. — E. Picard : 

 Some remarks on the theory of relativity. — A. 

 Haller and Mme. P. Ramart : The reduction products 

 of dimethylcampholamide. This amide, reduced with 

 sodium and absolute alcohol, instead of furnishing the 

 alcohol with more or less of the corresponding amine, 

 gives only small quantities of the base, together with 

 a substance not identified. The latter, when dis- 

 tilled, gives water and the nitrile of dimethylcam- 

 pholic acid. — A. Lebeuf : Observation of the partial 

 eclipse of the moon of October 16, 1921, made at the 

 Besan^on Observatory.^L. Fabry : Observation of the 

 eclipse of the moon of October 16, 192 1, made at 

 Marseilles. — G. Julia : The permutability of rational 

 substitutions. — T, Varapoulos : Increasing functions. — 

 P. Fatou : A group of algebraic substitutions. — 

 J. Andrade : Spiral cylinders and the hypothesis called 

 des lechniciens. A discussion of the theon- of the 

 balance spring of the chronometer.^ — M. Riabo'uchinski : 

 The equations of motion of a fluid referred to mobile 

 axes.— D. Eydoux : The necessity of the existence of 

 a vortex vector in the movements of liquids, when 

 there is a variation of energy along the trajectories of 

 the various particles. — E. Belot : Contribution to the 

 study of the formation of double stars, multiple stars, 

 clusters, and planetary nebulae. — A. Danjon : Photo- 

 metric study of the eclipse of the moon of October 

 16-17, 1921. Two hundred and twentv-three observa- 

 tions were made at Strasbourg under good- conditions, 

 the object being to determine the curve of brightness 

 (e) of the moon at the interior of the umbra, and of 

 the penumbra as a function of the distance to the 

 axis of the core. Sufficient results are given to fix 

 the form of the curve : the theoretical values of 

 log e in the penumbra are in good agreement with 

 the observed values. — J. Gnillaume and H. Grouiller : 

 Observations during the eclipse of the moon of 

 October i6, 192 1, made at the Lyons Observatory. — 

 M. Holweck : Critical potentials relative to the K and 

 L, discontinuities of the absorption of aluminium. 

 Xew determination of Planck's constant, h. The 

 values obtained are 1560 volts for the critical potential 

 K. 64 volts for L,, and for /i, 655 x 10-". — P. Pascal : 

 Magnetochemical research on constitution in mineral 

 chemistrv-. The sulphur acids. The method of mag- 

 netic analysis has been used with success in the studv 

 of the constitution of organic compounds, and has 

 now been employed in the examination of sulphur 

 compounds. From the examination of sulphones, sul- 

 phonates, sulphates, hydroxylamine sulphonates, sul- 

 phites, and thiosulphates, some conclusions are drawn, 

 the most important of which is that the magnetic 

 properties of the sulphites are inconsistent with the 

 unsymmetrical sulphonic constitution. — M. Travers : A 

 new method for the estimation of silica. The silica is 

 converted into potassium fluosilicate, and this titrated 

 with standard alkali. The method has the advantage 

 over the one in common use that neither the presence 

 of alumina nor fluorides interfere. — M. Grandmongin : 



NO. 2715. VOL. 108] 



The identity of the dibromoanthraquinone which 



served for the synthesis of alizarine. Graebe and 

 Liebermann, in their historical synthesis of alizarine, 

 made use of a dibromoanthraquinone, the exact con- 

 stitution of which has not up to now been fixed. The 

 four homonuclear dibromoanthraquinones, the i : 2, 

 1:3, 1:4, and 2 : 3 isomers were prepared, and the 

 last (2 : 3) found to be identical with the Graebe and 

 Liebermann material. — Ch. Maugin : The possible 

 utilisation of the diffraction diagrams of the X-rays 

 for the complete determination of the structure of 

 quartz. — A. Nodon : Experimental researches on the 

 relations between terrestrial electrical phenomena, the 

 state of the atmosphere, and solar foci. — Mile. 

 Marcelle Gueraud : The re-establishment of the genus 

 Chlorocrepis in the tribe of the Chicoraceae com- 

 positae. Hieraciutn static efoliiini was placed by 

 Grisebach in a new species Chlorocrepis. Schultz re- 

 garded it as belonging to the genus Tolpis, and Villars 

 placed it in the genus Hieracium, and this has been 

 generally accepted. From the characters of the in- 

 ternal structure the author agrees with Grisebach, and 

 is of the opinion that the genus Chlorocrepis should 

 be reinstated. — R. Soueges : The embr\ogeny of the 

 Boragacae. The first steps of the development of the 

 embrvo in Myosotis hispida. — G. Kuhnholtz-Lordat : 

 The genetic phytogeography of the dunes of the Gulf 

 of Lvons. — M. Stoquer : The influence of the tem- 

 perature on the absorbent properties of soils. — J. L. 

 Lichtenstein : The biology of Habrocytiis cionicida. — 

 F. Angel : The development of Molge Waltlii and its 

 habitat in French Gumea.— E. Fanre-Fremiet : The 

 laws of growth of the tissues constituting the foetal 

 lung of the sheep. — E. F. Terroine and H. Barth6Wmy : 

 The existence of biometrical relations between the red 

 frog, Rana ftisca. and its eggs at the period of laying. 

 — L. L^ger and S. Stankovitch : The coccidiosis of the 

 voung of the carp. — L. Blum : A new group of 

 diuretics ; interstitial diuretics. Diuresis by the dis- 

 placement of ions. — ^T. Jonnesco : The treatment of 

 facial neuralgia bv the resection of the cervico-thoracic 

 sympathetic nerx'e. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, September 7. — 

 Mr. E. C. Andrews, president, in the chair. — G. H. 

 Halligan : The ocean currents around Australia. The 

 South Australian current, sweeping the whole of the 

 southern shore of Australia from Cape Leeuwin to 

 Tasmania, the East Australian current, flowing south- 

 wards, the Arafura Sea current, and the currents of 

 the north-west and west coasts are described and 

 traced. Immediate and systematic investigation of 

 the ocean currents around Australia is advocated in 

 the interests of both commerce and the safety of the 

 mercantile marine. — J. H. Maiden : Records of Aus- 

 tralian botanists. Brief sketches were given of the 

 following : — William Anderson, surgeon of Capt. 

 Cook's third voyage from 1776 to 1770; F. M. Bailey, 

 who for forty years (1875-1915) held botanical ap- 

 pointments in Queensland : E. Betche, who was con- 

 nected with the Sydney Botanic Gardens from 1881 

 to 1916; H. H. Bradley, famous for his horticultural 

 work : and W. R. Guilfoyle, who successfully re- 

 modelled the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. 



Books Received. 



A First Book in Algebra. By Dr. F. Durell and 

 E. E. .Arnold. Pp. v-)-339 + xi:. (New York and 

 Chicago: C. E. Merrill Co.) 



A Second Book in Algebra. By Dr. F. Durell and 

 E. E. Arnold. Pp. v-(-3-^o+xliii. (New York and 

 Chicago: C. E. Merrill Co.) 



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