586 



NATURE 



[December 30, 1920 



Societies and Academies. 



Paris. 

 Academy ol Sciences, Decemlx:r 6. — M. Henri 

 Dcslamlrcs in tlie chair.— G. Lemoine : The mutual 

 reaction of oxalic and iodic acids : the influence of 

 heat and dilution. Oxalic acid in aqueous solution 

 is slowly oxidised by iodic acid to carbon dioxide, 

 iodine being set free. The reaction is a slow one and 

 well suited for the study of its velocity. Diagrams 

 of the effects of dilution and temperature are given. — 

 P. Termier and W. Kilian : The overlapping fragment 

 at Mont Jovet (Tarentaise) : the glistening schists to 

 the north of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. This fragment is 

 shown to have come neither from the north-west nor 

 from the west ; its probable origin is from the east or 

 the south-east, and appears to have been carried from 

 the Briangon layer. — k. de Gramont : Table of lines of 

 high sensibility of the elements, arranged for analy- 

 tical \\ork. .\ table of wave-lengths for use in the 

 spectroscopical detection of the elements in analytical 

 work. The most prominent and the most persistent 

 lines are given, both for eye observation and for 

 photography with uviol and -with quartz prisms. — M. 

 Laubeuf : The application of the Pitot tube to the 

 measurement of the velocity of ships. M. Mesnager 

 has recently commented on a note on this subject by 

 the late M. Yves Delage. .\ note on the same sub- 

 ject was communicated to the Academy so far back 

 as iQoi by MM. Raverot and Belly, and the apparatus 

 there described has been tested on three French ships. 

 It was found to be impossible to correct on theoretical 

 grounds for the numerous sources of error, and the 

 instrument had to be calibrated bv running over 

 measured distances and drawing a curve giving the 

 relations between the readings of the instrument and 

 the actual velocities. — G. Dumas and J. Chuard ; The 

 homologies of Poincare. — P. Humbert : Laplace's 

 equation in hypertoroidal co-ordinates. — .\. Egnell : 

 Congruences of right lines the mean surface of which 

 is a given surface. — B. de Fontviolant : Calculation of 

 the strengths of bridges. — J. Guillaume : Observations 

 of the .sun made at the Lyons Observatory during the 

 third quarter of 1920. The observations made on 

 eighty-q^e d.iys during the quarter are classified in 

 three tables, showing the number of spots, the dis- 

 tribution of the spots in latitude, and the distribution 

 of the faculae in latitude. — A. Danjon : \ relation 

 between the light of the eclipsed moon and solar 

 activity. The luminosity of the eclipsed moon is 

 known to vary. .Adopting' a scale of 5° of brightness, 

 this has been plotted against the date of the eclipse. 

 The resulting curve rises from one solar minimum to 

 the next, with a sudden fall at each minimum. The 

 passage through a maximum of solar activity is 

 marked by no peculiaritv. — P. Menard : .\ reversible 

 mercury manometer with damped oscillations. — .\. 

 Krard : The interference method for the determina- 

 tion of auartz standards of length. \ description of 

 the mcKlified Michelson method employed, in which 

 any silvering of the surfaces of the standard is 

 avoided, and a table showing the refractive indices 

 of two standards for wave-lengths between 435-8/4(11 

 and 6438 /i/a. — G. Ribaud : Wide continuous absorp- 

 tion bands of light.— L. de Broglie : The absorption of 

 the Rontgen rays by matter. — F. Brocq : .\ general 

 method of continuous electrical integration. — .\. 

 Damiens : The subiodide of tellurium, Telj. Con- 

 tribution to the studv of the system iodine-tellurium. 

 A curve of the melting points of mixtures of iodine 

 and tellurium is given. The only definite compound 

 appears to be TeL ; no substance Tel, exists, the 

 mixture having that composition being a mixture of the 

 tetraiodide and a solid solution of tellurium and tetra- 



NO. 2670, VOL. 106] 



iodide. Both thermal and metallographic analyses 

 lead to the same conclusion. — M. Barlot : .\ compIe.\ 

 combination of thallium and hydrofluoric acid. The 

 double fluoride H/PlFj has been isolated. The 

 thallium can be precipitated by the usual reagents, 

 but the solution gives no precipitate with the usual 

 reagents, such as calcium salts, and does not attack 

 glass, although strongly acid to indicators. — M. 

 Gelogo : The reduction of permanganate by arscnious 

 acid. — G. Mignonac : The catalytic hydrogenation of 

 hydrobenzamide. Method for the preparation of 

 benzylamine. From a study of the reduction of 

 hydrobenzamide in alcoholic solution by hydrogen in 

 presence of nickel, it would appear that the addition 

 product described by O. Fischer is not formed ; the 

 products are benzylamine, benzalbenzylamine, and 

 ammonia. — P. Robin : The oxidation of arisaldoxim : 

 the peroxide of arisaldoxim. — S.. Maiihe and F. de 

 Godon : The preparation of the methyl deriv- 

 atives of the xylidines and naphthylamines by 

 catalysis. — L. Bertrand : The mode of formation of 

 the Pyrenean strata. — F. Gomez-Llucea : The geology 

 of Cabrera, Gonejera, and other neighbouring islands. 

 — P. T. de Chardin : The succession of the mam- 

 malian fauna in the lower European Eocene.— H. 

 Joly and N. Lanx : The fauna of the lower layers of 

 the .Aalenian of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. — 

 .\. Boutaric : The variation of nocturnal radiation 

 during clear nights. The intensity of the nocturnal 

 radiation during clear nights passes through a maxi- 

 mum shortly after sunset, and then decreases slowly 

 and regularly until dawn. — H. Courtonne : The opposed 

 action of soluble chlorides and sulphates on starchy 

 materials. .\ saturated solution of magnesium 

 chloride rapidly and completely converts, in the cold, 

 starchy matter into soluble starch. Magnesium sul- 

 phate exerts a contrary action and prevents the forma- 

 tion of soluble starch in solutions heated in closed 

 vessels to 115° C. — W. Kopaczewslii : The mechanism 

 of the Bordet-Wassermann reaction. — .\. Lumiire and 

 H. Couturier : The shock produced by the introduction 

 of insoluble substances into the circulation. The 

 injection of barium sulphate suspended in an artificial 

 isotonic serum into the carotid of a dog caused the 

 typical symptoms of anaphylactic shock. — .A. Bach and 

 B. Sbarsky : The estimation of the degradation pro- 

 ducts of proteid materials in blood serum. The reduc- 

 ing ferment of milk may be utilised for the detection 

 and estimation of small quantities of degr.ndation 

 pt-oducts of proteids. — MM.' Desgrez, Guillemard, and 

 Saves : The purification of air contaminated with 

 certain toxic gases. .'\ solution containing sodium 

 sulphide and soap when used in the form of a fine 

 spray has been found to be capable of removing 

 chloropicrin, chlorine, phosgene, methyl chloro. 

 formates, acrolein, bromoacetone, cvanogen chloride, 

 and benzyl iodide, bromide, and chloride. Various 

 mixtures were tried, but none proved to be capable 

 of such general application ,is the above.- — M. Kohn- 

 Abrest : General method for the detection and esti- 

 mation of arsenic. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, November 3. — 



Mr. James Nangle, president, in the chair. — J. H. 

 Maiden : A new .\ngophora. .A. mallee-like species 

 recorded so far from Northbridge on the north, and 

 from Kogarah on the south, of Port Jackson. 

 It has been passed over as a petiolate- and 

 more lanceolate-leaved form of A cordifolia, 

 DC, but it is smaller in all its parts, less hispid, 

 the inflorescence less corymbose, and with the 

 differences between the juvenile and mature leaves 

 more accentuated. — J. H. Maiden : Three new species 



