July 7, 192 1] 



NATURE 



607 



J. Andrade : Rolling resistance and optical mirror 

 method. — J. Le Roux : The law of gravitation and its 

 consequences. A criticism of the theory of relativity. 

 — A. Foch : The phenomena of resonance in aspiration 

 turbines. An indication of the danger of resonance 

 phenomena and of the modifications necessary to avoid 

 them. — M. Rateau : Remarks on the preceding com- 

 munication. — R. Jarry-Desloges : Contribution to the 

 study of the bright Martian areas. The observations 

 of G. Fournier at S^tif show that on April 25, 1920, 

 when the w^hite f>olar cap was at a minimum, the 

 eccentricity was sufficient to leave the pole free from 

 white, but in general the eccentricity is less marked. 

 — J. Popesco : The value of the surface tension of mer- 

 cury in various gases. In a vacuum the surface ten- 

 sion of mercury is constant, and the value found, 

 444 mgr. per mm., agrees with the earlier figure of 

 M. Stockle. In air, ammonia, and sulphur dioxide the 

 surface tension falls rapidly during the first ten 

 minutes, then more slowly, finally after twenty-four 

 hours reaching a figure lower than in a vacuum. The 

 phenomenon is reversible, since on removing the gas 

 the surface tension recovers its original vacuum figure. 

 The change in the surface tension is probably not due 

 to a chemical action of t'he gas on the mercury. — P. 

 Lambert : The use of polarised light for the examina- 

 tion of old pictures. By the use of polarised light 

 the surface reflections can be suppressed, the colours 

 become brighter and details clearer. The method 

 gives an indication whether a picture can be im- 

 proved by modifying its varnish. — M. and Mme. E. 

 Henriot : The double refraction of compressed glass. 

 It is usually admitted, on the basis of Wertheim's 

 experiments, that the dispersion of the double refrac- 

 tion of compressed glass is negligible. The authors' 

 experiments show that there is dispersion in crown 

 glass, and agree with the values calculated by Have- 

 lock's Jaw. — L. Decombe : The enunciation of the 

 principle of equivalence in thermodynamics. — G. 

 Dejardin : The production of the argon spectra by slow 

 electrons. — P. Loisel : Rapid method of measuring 

 natural leakage of an electroscope in view of the 

 estimation of radium emanation. — E. Darmois : The 

 molybdomalates of ammonium and sodium. The 

 rotatory power is at a maximum when molybdic 

 anhydride, malic acid, and ammonia are present in the 

 molecular proportions 2 : 1:2. Sodium salts give the 

 same ratio. — i>. Meunier and P. Caste : The action of 

 sodium carbonate on solutions of chrome alum. — A. 

 Portevin and P. Chevenard : The retarded solution and 

 premature precipitation of iron carbide in steels, and 

 the influence of the initial state on these phenomena. — 

 Mile. J. Apolit : The dehydration of phenyldimethyl 

 butanol and diphenyldimethyl propanol.— M. Pariselle : 

 The composition of French essence of turpentine ; 

 a-pinene bromide, a- and ^-Pinene have been isolated 

 from 15 litres of French turpentine by loner fractional 

 distillation under reduced pressure ; the physical con- 

 stants have been redetermined, and the action of 

 bromine on the hydrocarbons studied. Even when no 

 hydrobromic acid is evolved, the action of bromine 

 on pinene always gives a complex mixture of sub- 

 stitution and addition products, the hydrobromic acid 

 produced being absorbed by the pinene. — A. Brochet 

 and R. Cornubert : The tetrahydronaphthols. — G. 

 Tanret : The influence of ammonium molybdate on the 

 rotatory power of mannite. A complex compound has 

 been isolated by crystallisation of mannite and am- 

 monium molybdate, and this possesses rotatory power. 

 ■ It is unchanged by water, but immediatelv decomposed 

 by dilute alkalis into ammonium molvbdate and 

 mannite, with loss of the rotatory power. — H. de Pom- 

 mereau : The reduction of ethyl naphthoate and a case 

 of reduction of an alcohol to hydrocarbon by 

 NO. 2697, VOL. 107] 



sodium and absolute alcohol. Ethyl naphthoate is- 

 reduced by sodium and ethyl alcohol, not to the corre- 

 sponding alcohol, but to a dihydromethylnaphthalene. 

 a-Naphthyl alcohol is reduced under the same condi- 

 tions to the same hydrocarbon.— J. F. Durand : The 

 decomposition of metallic alcoholates and phenates by 

 heat. Sodium methylate on heating splits up nearly 

 quantitatively into hydrogen, sodium acetylide, sodium- 

 carbonate, and carbon. Potassium methvlate be- 

 haves similarly, and there is evidence that at one 

 stage potassium vapour is present. Sodium ethylate 

 and phenate follow a difi'erent reaction. — M. Francois : 

 The stereoscopic photography of crystals. — J. Bourcart 

 and R. Abrard ; Some crystalline rocks of Albania. — 

 L. Lutaud : Tectonic observations in the pre-Riflfian 

 zone of northern Rharb, Morocco. — L. Cayeux : The 

 magnetic iron minerals of the Longwy-Briey basin. — 

 S. Stefanescn : The correlation of the alveolar cavities, 

 movements, and structure of the last molars of 

 mastodons and elephants. — A. Boutaric : Actinometric 

 and polarimetric measurements at high altitudes. The 

 intensity of the solar radiation received at the surface 

 of the soil, for equal thicknesses of atmosphere, 

 varies in the same sense as the polarisations. — P. 

 Lesage : Experimental cultures of Fegatella conica and 

 some other Muscinese. — Mme. E. Bloch : Modifications 

 of roots and stems by mechanical action. — L. Lapicque : 

 The nutritive exchanges of animals as a function of 

 their body weight. — A. Thooris : Contribution to the 

 biological study of divers. A physiological study of 

 two men capable of remaining under water several 

 minutes. — A. Polack : The effects of chromatism of 

 the eye in complex colour vision. — L. Roule : A new 

 deep-sea fish, Scomhrolabrax heterolepis. caught near 

 Madeira. A detailed account of a new fish caught at 

 a depth of between 800 and 900 metres. — H. Herissey : 

 The synthetic action of a-methyl-(i-mannosidase.— E. 

 Kayser^ The influence of the nitrogenous material' 

 elaborated bv the Azobacter on the alcohol ferment. — 

 C. LevaditI, A. Marie, and S. Nicolau : The virulence 

 for man of the spirochzeta of the spontaneous spirillosis 

 of the rabbit. This organism is not pathogenic for 

 man. 



Melbourne. 



Royal Society of Victoria, April 14. — Prof. A. J. 

 Ewart, president, in the chair.— F. Chapman : The age- 

 of the ironstone beds of the Mornine^ton Peninsula. 

 The author collates the previous evidence, based on 

 the fossils, as to the ageof the widespread ironstone 

 beds, and bv the recent discoverv of certain restricted' 

 fossils, shows the beds at Landslip Point and Baxter 

 to belong to the Janjukian stage, intermediate between- 

 the older. Balcombian. and the younger, Kalimnan. 

 The fossiliferous ironstone from Baxter is a meta- 

 somatised polyzoal limestone, the calcareous portion- 

 being entirely replaced by limonite. 

 Cape Town. 



Royal Society of South Africa, May 18. — Dr.. 

 T. D. F. Gilchrist, president, in the chair. — 

 Sir T. Muir : Note on the product of any 

 determinant and its bordered derivative.— P. A. 

 van der BijI : Some South African stereums. South- 

 African fung:i of the genus Stereum were described. — 

 P. A. van der Bijl : A fungus, Gibbeliila Haygarthii, 

 sp.n., on a spider of the family Lycosidae. A fungus be- 

 longing to the genus Gibbelula, Cavara, found on a 

 spider, belongs to a species hitherto undescribed, and the- 

 name G. Haygarthii is suggested. — W. A. Norton : Cir- 

 cumcision regiments as a native chronology. The 

 Bechuana circumcision regiments show that a mili- 

 tary organisation of native tribes based on the succes 

 sive circumcision companies of the youth was very^ 

 widespread in South Africa. In the case of the- 



