September 30, 1920] 



NATURE 



167 



— C. R«veaB : The thermodynamical properties of 

 fluids in the n'eifjhbourhood of the critical state. — 

 MM. OrtkhoU and TlBeneaa : The hydrobenzoin trans- 

 position. The influence of the paramethoxy-substitu- 

 tion on the dehydration of the triarylglycols. — G. Zell : 

 The ascendinj; movements of the earth's crust and the 

 recurrences of subterranean erosion. — E. Aubel : Tfie 

 influence of the nature of the carbon compounds 

 present on the utilisation of nitrogen bv Bacillus 

 chtilis. 



September 6. — M. Lten Guignard in the chair. — 

 A. Lacroix : The regular grouping of two different 

 minerals constituting certain ores of iron and 

 titanium.- .\I. Laubeul : A small submarine for 

 Dceanographic work. Details of design and equip- 

 > nt of a small submarine, i8-8 metres in length and 

 : 50 tons displacement, for use in oceanography. It 

 >uld sustain the pressure of water at depths of 

 to 100 metres, and, it is estimated, would now 

 • i>t 600,000 francs to build, although in 1907, when 

 ill" plans were first drawn up, it could have been 

 ■lilt for less than a third of that sum. The work 

 i^'gested for this submarine includes collecting 

 , .amples from the ocean-floor, water at various depths, 

 plankton, and observations on temperature and trans- 

 parency of water and the direction and velocitv of 

 the currents.- P. Humbert : Hypercylindrical func- 

 tions. — C. Nordmann : Observations of the new star 

 in Cygnus, made at the Paris Observaton,- with a 

 heterochrome photometer. In this apparatus the ratio 

 of the intensities of the star studied and a known star 

 is compared in various regions of the spectrum by 

 equalising by means of Nicol prisms the brightness of 

 the star under examination and that of an artificial 

 star observed simultaneously through a coloured 

 screen. It was found that the magnitude of the new 

 star changed from 3-43 on .August 27 to 4-01 on 

 August 20. The brightness of the new star is, there- 

 fore, rapidly decreasing. On the first date the star 

 had .in cffccfive temp<Tature of 6100° C, which on the 

 lat<r date had increased to 7800°. Attention is directed 

 to the fact that the increase of effective temperature is 

 ncrompanij'd by a diminution in the brightness, con- 

 trary to what would have been expected. — H. Gronlller : 

 First observations of Denning's nova made at the 

 I-vons Observatory. Measurements of the magnitude 

 of the star on August 23, 24, 25, 26. and 27. The 

 brii,'htness passed through a maximum on .\ugust 24 

 and then rapidly decreased. — J. Gulllaame : Observa- 

 tions of ih«' sun made at the Lvons Observatory 

 durinc the first quarter of ic)2o. Observations were 

 possible on sixty-eight days, and the results are sum- 

 maris<'d id three tables showing the number of sun- 

 sr>ots, their distribution in latitude, .ind the distribu- 

 tion of the fnrul.-E in latitude.- J. Roach: Inversions 

 of temperature in the lower atmospheric layers in the 

 Antarctic. 



Waskivcton, D.C. 

 National Acaitemy ol Sciences (Proceedings, vol. vi., 

 No. 3, March). .S. Flexncr : Encephalitis and polio- 

 myelitis. \ short sketch of the present state of know- 

 1edg«- relative to these two diseases. .\. F. Kovarik : 

 A statistical method for studying th*- radiations from 

 ra<lio-active substances and llv- X-rays, and its 

 application to some X-ray problems. \ continuation 

 of the work of Kovarik and McK«'«'han. The author 

 finds 7 X 10" y-ravs from radium B and C per second 

 per gram of sodium inste.id of 3x10" fornH-d by 

 Law son and Hess. — I,. B. Loeb : Th«' natur*' of the 

 heat prcKluction in a »yslem of platinum black, 

 alcohol, and air. Of the two theories that the heat 

 Is due (1) to the adsorption of alcohol and (2) to the 

 ^i<lati(l^ of the alcohol at the platinum surfar<>, the 

 Iter is substantiated. II. Noguchi : Lefiiospira 



NO. 2657, VOT,. 106] 



icteroides and yellow fever. .A special organism, 

 Leptospira icteroides, has been detected in certain 

 cases of yellow fever. Guinea-pigs have been inocu- 

 lated with it by Stegomyias, but until further studies 

 have been made its standing as the inciting agent ol 

 yellow fever cannot be regarded as certain. — .S. Hecht : 

 Human retinal adaptation. .A binocular reaction is 

 involved ; in all essentials the mechanism underlying 

 the initial phase of retinal sensitivity in dim light is 

 the same as involved in the initial process of photo- 

 reception in Mya and Ciona. — L. Page : .A kinematical 

 interpretation of electromagnetism. The equations of 

 electrodynamics are shown to be simple kinematical 

 relations between the moving elements which con- 

 stitute lines of force. — .A. .A. Mlchel»on : The laws of 

 elastico-viscous flow, ii. .A criticism of the formula 

 which combines the laws of I^rmor and Maxwell ; an 

 elaboration with many data of a previous paper of 

 the same title. — H. Shipley : .A note on a simple device 

 for increasing the photographic power of large tele- 

 scopes. .A short-focus lens is placed in the converging 

 beam at an appropriate distance in front of the photo- 

 graphic plate, giving high speed and reducing the 

 scale on the photograph. — L. R. Sullivan : .Anthropo- 

 metry of the Siouan tribes. Of interest (1) because 

 accurately describing and defining the Siouan type and 

 showing its relationship to American Indian tribes, 

 already described, and (2) because of the intermixture 

 of two widely separated races represented bv this 

 series of individuals.— F. M. Guyer and E. .A. Smith : 

 Transmission of eye-defects induc<>d in rabbits by 

 means of lens-sensitised fowl-serum. The defects have 

 been transmitted to the sixth generation.- -H. G. 

 Barbour and J. B. Hermann : The mechanism of fever 

 reduction bv drugs. .Antipyritic drugs increase the 

 blood-content of d<'Xtrose. In fevered animals this is 

 accompanied by dilution of the blood, with resulting 

 fall in temperature. E. H. Hall: Inferences from 

 the hypothesis of dual electric conduction : The 

 Thomson effect. .A tabulation of a great variety of 

 data correlated with theory under either of two hypo- 

 theses of electron equilibrium in metals un<-qually 

 heated.— r. L. E. Moore and H. B. Phillips: Note on 

 geometrical products. Development of a series of 

 geometrical products, independent of the dimensions 

 of space, intermediate between the progressive and the 

 inner product. 



Books Received. 



The Manufacture of Sugar from the Cane and 

 Beet. By T. H. P. Heriot. (Monographs on Indus- 

 trial Chemistry.) Pp. x-(-426. (London : Longmans, 

 Green, and Co.) 244. net. 



Children's Dreams. By Dr. C. VV. Kimmins. 

 Pp. 126. (London : Longmans, Gre<'n, and Co.) 54. 

 net. 



Margarine. Bv \V. Clavton. (Monographs on 

 Industri.ll Chemistry.) Pp. xi-n87. (London: 

 Longmans, Green, and Co.) 14s. net. 



Weeds of Farm I^nd. By Dr. VV. E. Brenchley. 

 Pp. x-t-239. (London : Longmans, Green, and Co.) 

 I2J. 6d. net. 



Geologic des Meeresbodens. Band ii.. Boden- 

 beschaffenheit. Nutzbare Materialien am Meensboden. 

 Bv Prof. K. .\ndr6e. Pp. xx-t-6«c)+7 Tafeln. 

 (r-<'ip7.ig : Gebriider Borntrargrr.) q2 marks. 



Insect Adventures. By J. H. Fabre. Pp. xii+308. 

 (London : Hoddcr and Stoiighton, Ltd.) 8j. f>d. net. 



The Psychology of Dreams. By \V. S. Walsh. 

 Pp. xi + 361. (London : Kegan Paiil and Co., Ltd.) 

 12.^. 6d. net. 



Among the Iboa of Nigeria. By G. T. Bn«den. 



