522 



NATURE 



[December i6, 1920 



ROMH. 



Reale Accademia dei Llncel — (Coniniuiiic;itii>iis re- 

 ceived during; the vacation.) — G. Fano : Surfaces of 

 the 4th order with infinite discontinuous groups of 

 biriational transformations, ii. — C. Crema : Deposits 

 of bauxite in tlie Apennines, Istria, and Dalmatia 

 (with illustration of section).- — C. Artom : Biology 

 and systematics of the genus Artemia, ii. — M. Uenna : 

 Nutrition of Anofhcles claviger. The male feeds only 

 on sweet juices, but the female also requires to suck 

 blood before it can lay its eggs. The processes of 

 •digestion of the two kinds ot food are not only 

 different, but they take place in different organs in 

 the female. 



(Vol. xxix. (2), i., ii.)— S. Pincherle ; Iterated func- 

 tion of a rational integral one, ii. — G. Fnbini : Pro- 

 jective differential geometry. — E. Artini : Cassiterite 

 and titanite of Baveno. The former mineral was 

 represented by a small crystal 5 mm. long and 4 mm. 

 broad, being a multiple twin crystal found by G. 

 Codara in the granite mines, and a few fragments 

 discovered on a later visit. Of titanite the author 

 possesses three small purplish crystals. Both minerals 

 are new to the granite of Baveno. — C. de Stefani : 

 Siliceous fossil sgpnges of western Liguria. These 

 were found mainly in crystalline schists, but also in 

 Triassic limestone,' between Genoa and Savona. The 

 majority are Hexactinellidae dichyoninae, and the struc- 

 tun^ was well preserved both in microscopic sections and 

 in specimens treated with acid. — G. Marietta ; Abelian 

 varieties. — P. Nalll : A functional equation.— M. 

 Pascal : Resultant pressure on an aeroplane wing, ii. 

 A continuation of the previous hvdrodynamical 

 problem of two-dimensional stream-line motion in an 

 incompressible fluid. The present paper proceeds to 

 calculate the lift. — L. P. Eisenhart (of Princeton Uni- 

 versity) : Congruences of spheres of Ribaucour which 

 admit of a finite deformation. — R. Serini : Theory of 

 the circular plate electric condenser. — E. Adinolfi : 

 Centres of absorption of coloured solutions. The author 

 describes a method in which the absorption spectra are 

 observed in solutions of variable density, using a cylin- 

 drical receiver which acts as a lens. — R. tiusa and 

 L. Vecchiotti ; Nitro-derivatives and nitrohydrazones, 

 ii.— M. de Angelis : Crvstalline form of nitrodibromo- 

 acetanilide.— M. Uortani : The Permo-Carboniferous 

 and Permian formations in the Caracorum chain. — 

 V. Novarese : The Cambrian of Iglesias.— G. de A. 

 d'Ossat : Chalk and American vines. The effect of 

 chalk in giving rise to chlorosis in vines already forms 

 the subject of abundant literature. The pres'ent ex- 

 periments appear to negative the empirical results 

 previously obtained, while they suggest that methods 

 adequate for the requirements of practical viticulture 

 may be comparatively easv to carry out in working. — 

 V. Bambacioni : Fibrillar "structures of Nemec. The 

 protoplasmic cords present in the cells of the radical 

 apices in most plants do not present the complex 

 structure described by Nemec, but in Aspidium 

 aculeatum structures are observed comparable with 

 his fibrillae. — C. Artom : Biology and systematics of 

 the genus Artemia, iii.— C. Jucci : Differentiation 

 of caste in the society of terrrjites, i. The neotenics. — 

 E. Artini : Presence of chrysobervl in (he dolomite of 

 Campolonpo (Canton Ticino). — G. Marietta : Abelian 

 varieties, ii. — P. Nalli : A functional equation. — E. 

 Adinolii : Influence of dissociation on permanganate. 

 As in the previous paper mentioned above, researches 

 on absorption centres can advantageously be made 

 with solutions of concentration rendered variable by 

 diffusion. Permanganates of potash and of lime have 

 the same absorption spectra, and dissociation has no 

 influence on the absorption spectrum of the potash 

 compound. — V. Cuttica : Thermic analysis of the 



NO. 2668, VOL. 106] 



system of nitrate of thallio-nitrite of thallium. In 

 view of the thermic behaviour of fused mixtures of 

 TINO, and TINO,, the author excludes the formation 

 of complexes. The two salts form a continuous series 

 of mi.\ed crystals and the transformation to the solid 

 state is referable to Roozeboom's second type in the 

 classification of binary systems with polymorphic 

 transformations.— G. Ciigmano : Catalytic reduction of 

 o-nitroazoxybenzol.— C. Jucci ; Differentiation of 

 caste in the society of termites, ii. The neotenics. — 

 .M. Boldrini : Sexual differences of weight in the 

 human body and organs. A table showing the rela- 

 tions between the medians, the probabilities of trans- 

 variation, the relations between the arithmetical 

 means, and the intensities of transvariation for 

 numerous series of weights of male and female 

 individuals and organs. The table furnishes a sum- 

 mary of the observations of Frascani, Demoor, Bene- 

 dict, Bischoff, Bean, Boldrini, and others, the sub- 

 jects observed including new-born infants from Pisa, 

 Brussels scholars, white and black Americans, 

 Germans (both living and dead), Romans, and a few 

 French and others. 



Cape Town. 

 Royal Society of South Africa, October 20.' — Dr. 

 J. D. F. Gilchrist, president, in the chair. — Dr. 

 J. D. F. Gilchrist : Observations on living fish brought 

 by H.M.S. Challenger from tropical East Africa to 

 Cape waters. In January, 1919, H.M.S. Challenger 

 brought six species of fish from Dar-es-Salaam, Port 

 Amelia, Mnazi Bay, and Zanzibar, which were trans- 

 ferred to the tanks of the Government Marine Station 

 at Simon's Bay. They throve very well until April 25, 

 when they all died within a few days of each other. 

 At this date there was a sudden fall in the tempera- 

 ture of the water. The significance of this occurrence 

 in connection with the distribution of fish in South 

 Africa is discussed. Some observations were made 

 on the sleeping habits of Balistes aculeatus. — L. 

 Simons : Detection of induced (8-ray emission from 

 substances exposed to Rontgen ravs by a photographic 

 method. A narrow beam of Rontgen rays from a 

 Coolidge tube impinging on a film of red lead laid 

 down on paraffin wax gives a marked effect on a 

 photographic plate placed opposite up to a distance 

 in air of about 2 cm. from the red lead. If a photo- 

 graphic plate replaces the red lead, a similar, though 

 less intense, effect is shown on the opposite plate. 

 This excited radiation was almost stopped by the 

 thinnest mica and paraffin wax. ^-rays seem to be 

 more important than secondary X-rays in producing 

 a photographic impression. — J. R. Sutton : A con- 

 triljution to the study of the rainfall map of South 

 •Vfrica. The monthly and annual rainfalls for 567 

 stations in South and East Africa are given, and 

 the results shown graphically in thirteen maps. The 

 isohyets form a system which moves to and fro across 

 the equator, following the sun with a lag of a month 

 or more. Corresponding with the general movements 

 of the main isohyetal system are the winter rains of 

 the south-west, which advance inland as the summer 

 rains retreat and vice versa. The paper concludes 

 with a short bibliography of special studies of South 

 African rainfall. — ^J. R. Sutton : Some notes on 

 ancient ideas concerning the diamond. Various 

 prosaic "motives" for some of the legends and 

 stories about the diamond current in ancient times 

 are suggested. It is argued that Pliny, when he spoke 

 of adamas as a name given to a crystal of gold, was 

 probably referring to the outsid° appearance of the 

 crystallisation. — F. G. Cawston : Experimental infesta- 

 tion of fresh-water snails. Infestation of Limnaea 

 natalensis was caused by Fasciola from a sheep's 



