454 



NATURE 



[December i, 192 i 



of the European cave-men of the Neanderthal race, 

 but with an erect skeleton. — A. W. Hill : A visit to 

 the Cameroons and Nigeria. The settlement of Vic- 

 toria and the Botanic Garden there were described. 

 Connected with this garden are the experimental plots 

 of tea and cinchona at Buea, at an altitude of 3300- 

 3600 ft. on the Cameroon Mountain. The Bauchi 

 Plateau, Northern Provinces, was visited, and arrange- 

 ments were made for collecting specimens of the local 

 flora. More than 600 specimens, comprising a large 

 proportion of new species, have been sent to Kew. 

 The flora of the plateau shows aflfinities with the flora 

 of Abyssinia and Nyasaland. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, November 14. — M. Georges 

 Lemoine in the chair. — P. Painlevd : Gravitation in the 

 mechanics of Newton and in the mechanics of Einstein. 

 — M. Bamy : A particular case of diffraction of the 

 images of the circular stars and the determination of 

 their diameters. — L. Fabry : New formulae for the cal- 

 culation of the line of search of a minor planet.— MM. 

 Gonnessiat and Renaux : An asteroid with an orbit re- 

 sembling that of a comet. This planet (1920 HZ) 

 was discovered by M. Baade at the Babelsberg Ob- 

 servatory, and he noted its comet-like orbit. Between 

 December i, 1920, and March 2, 192 1, eight positions 

 of this star were obtained with the photographic 

 equatorial of Algiers Observator}% from which the pro- 

 visional elements have been calculated. The orbit 

 reaches to the distance of Saturn, but the image is 

 clearly that of a planet, and not a comet. Additional 

 observations are desirable before the end of the year, 

 as it will not return for thirteen years. — B. Deirmend- 

 jian : A new demonstration of a theorem of M. Picard, 

 and some generalisations of this theorem. — J. Kampe 

 de Feriet : The general integral of the systems of par- 

 tial differential equations of hypergeometric functions 

 of higher order.— A. Levy : Recurrent series and the 

 homogeneous forms depending on them. — R. Gosse : 

 Two new types of partial differential equations of the 

 second order and of the first class. — J. Chazy : The 

 arbitrary functions appearing in the ds"^ of theJEinstein 

 gravitation. — R. Guillery : Testing machines giving the 

 elastic limit and the modulus of elasticity of metals. — 

 K. Ogura : The theorv of gravitation in space of two 

 dimensions.— J. Chappuis and Hubert-Desprez : Re- 

 searches on stray currents. The strav currents in the 

 soil (of Paris) are produced by insulation defects of the 

 tramway networks (550 volts, continuous current), and 

 cause considerable damage to water and gas mains. 

 Two methods have been worked out for identifying the 

 leaky circuit, one based on the telephone, the other 

 on the lamp with three electrodes. The latter proved 

 to be the better method.— L. Bouchet : The variation 

 with time of the pressures created in insulating fluids 

 by a constant electrostatic field. The change with 

 time may be interpreted in several ways, the most 

 probable being the assumption that there is a change 

 in the conductivity of the liquid. The effects observed 

 with alternating currents were applied to calculate the 

 specific inductive capacities of the six hydrocarbons 

 used in the experiments. — P. Lemay and L. Jaloustre : 

 The. oxidising properties of certain radio-active 

 elements. The experiments were made with the 

 bromides of mesothorium, radiothorium, thorium-X, 

 and radium. If solutions of these salts, enclosed in 

 bulbs, are placed in the oxidisable solutions, there is 

 no action, but when intimately mixed, oxidation 

 phenomena were observed with hydroauinone, tinc- 

 ture of guaiacum, ferrous salts, and acid solu- 

 tions of iodides.— P. Glangeaud : The _ Plomb du 

 Cantal, a large independent volcano, covering nearly a 



NO. 2718, VOL. 108] 



third of the Cantal massif. This region has hitherto 

 been considered as representing a sector of the great 

 Cantalian volcano with a single crater. The author's 

 observations lead to the conclusion that the Plomb du 

 Cantal is an independent volcano, the principal erup- 

 tive centre of which was asymmetric with respect to 

 its lava streams. — P. Loisel : The radio-activity of the 

 springs of the region of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne. The 

 eight springs examined all proved to be radio-active, 

 but in different degrees. In four of them, all coming 

 from granite, the radio-activity was permanent. The 

 variations are discussed from the point of view of a 

 double origin of the water from the spring. — Ed. Le 

 Danois : The variations of the Atlantic waters off the 

 French coasts. — J. Erilisson : New biological studie- 

 on the rust of mallow, Puccinia Malvacearum. — .1 

 Ripert : The biology of the belladonna alkaloids. — P. 

 Freundler, and Miles. Y. Menager and Y. Laurent : 

 Iodine in the Laminaria. There is a loss of iodine, 

 which may amount to 50 per cent, of the amount 

 originally present, when the algae are dried. The per- 

 centage of iodine is almost independent of the place of 

 growth, but varies with the time of year. — A. N^mec 

 and F. DuclH^ : The possibility of determining the 

 value of seeds by the biochemical method. An attempt 

 to find a relation between the different enzymes pre- 

 sent in the seed and the power of germination. The 

 hydrolysing diastases can persist after the seed has 

 lost its germinating power. But catalase behaves 

 differentlv, and the activity of the catalase may ser\^e 

 to evaluate in a few minutes the agricultural value 

 of the seeds.— G. Hinard and R. Fillon : The chemical 

 composition of the starfish. Dried starfish contain 

 about 50 per cent, of calcium carbonate, 35 per cent, 

 of albumenoids, and 7 per cent, of fat. and serve well 

 for manure. The fat has been extracted, and some of 

 its chemical and physical constants are given.— R. 

 Bayeux : The subcutaneous absorption of oxygen in 

 mountain climbing or ascent by aeroplane.— A. 

 Tournay : The influence of the sympathetic nerve on 

 the sensibility : the effects of the resection of the sym- 

 pathetic on the residual sensibility of a member the 

 nerves of which have been almost cornpletely severed. — 

 A. Labb6 : Heterogeneous impregnation. — P. de Beau- 

 champ : Biogeographical researches on the tidal zone 

 at the island of Yeu.— R. Poisson : Brachypterism and 

 apterism in the genus Gerris.— M. Aynaud : Contagious 

 oustulous stomatitis in sheep and goats. — G. B. de 

 Toni : Material for the reconstruction of the manu- 

 script A of Leonardo da V^nci in the librar\- of the 



Institute. 



Brussels. 



Royal Academy of Belgium, November 5. — M. G. 

 Ces^ro in the chair.— C. Servais : The geometry of the 



tetrahedron. L. Godeaux : A rational involution with 



three points of coincidence belonging to an algebraic 

 surface of the third species. 



Books Received. 



Wages and the Cost of Living. Bv Dr. C. V. 

 Drysdale. Pp. 51. (London : Malthusian League.) 



The Malthusian Doctrine and its Modern Aspects. 

 By Dr. C. V. Drysdale. Pp. 68. (London : Mal- 

 thusian League.) ^ , , j 



Problems made Easv for Preparatory- Schools ana 

 the Lower Forms in Public Schools. By R. Tootell 

 Pp. 75. (Winchester: Warren and Son, Ltd.) 3^- 



net. 



Alternating Currents. By G. C. Lamb. Part i. 

 Pp. viii + 73. Part 2. Pp. vih + 127. (Cambridge. 



