NATURE 



[January 5, 1922 



its strength at about 600° C. The highest expansions 

 were shown by magnesia and chromite bricks, and 

 hence these are suitable only for furnaces in continuous 

 work. — A, Charriou : The Hnie carried down by ferric 

 hydroxide precipitates. To reduce the amount of lime 

 adsorbed by precipitated ferric hydroxide to a mini- 

 mum the calcium chloride solution should be very 

 dilute and the ammonia added only just sufficient to 

 precipitate the iron. — M. Grandmougin : The halogen 

 derivatives of indigo. — J. B. Senderens and J. Aboulenc : 

 The catalytic hydrogenation of the polyphenols in the 

 wet way. Hydroquinone, resorcinol, pyrocatechol, 

 pyrogallol, and phloroglucinol can be reduced in the 

 presence of nickel by hydrogen under pressure (30 to 

 50 atmospheres) at temperatures between 115° C. and 

 145° C. At higher temperatures secondary reactions 

 take place; thus resorcinol at 120° C. gives resorcite 

 (i : 3-cyc/ohexanediol), but at 180'' C, some cydo- 

 hexanol is produced. ^M. Lespieau : Derivatives of 

 erythritol-acetylene, 



CH,(OH).CH(OH)-C=C-CH(OH)-CH,(OH). 

 — R. Fosse : The synthesis of a nitrogenous principle 

 of plants, hydrocyanic acid, by the oxidation of am- 

 monia and carbohydrates, glycerol, or formaldehyde. 

 Potassium (or calcium) permanganate, in presence of 

 silver nitrate, with ammonia and various organic 

 bodies, gives cyanides as one of the oxidation products. 

 — C. Jacob and M. Removille : A fall of meteorites iii 

 Cochin China.— P. Viennot : The southern edge of the 

 north Pyrenean Flysch, between the valleys of Aspe 

 and Saison. — J. Yung : The Hercynian tectonic of the 

 Vosges.— P. Corbin : New observations on the eastern 

 border of the mountains of Lans. — Mile. J. Pfender : 

 The presence of pebbles not of local origin at Alon 

 (Var).— E. de Martonne : Erosion platforms of the 

 metalliferous mountains of Banat.— Mile. Yvonne 

 Boisse de Black : Researches on the Mindelian 

 alluvium in the high valley of Cere and on the plateau 

 of Lacapelle-Barrez (Cantal).— P. Loisel and R. 

 Castelnau : The radio-activity of the waters from 

 Mont-Dore. Determinations of the radio-activity of 

 the water from twelve hot springs are given ; the 

 gases from eighty springs have also been examined. 

 The gases contain a higher proportion of radium 

 emanation than the waters, and this proportion varies 

 with the spring and with the date of collection. —A. 

 Boutaric : The nocturnal radiation at Mont Blanc— 

 G. Arnaud : The affinities of the Erysiphee and the 

 Paradiopsidae.— L. Blaringhem : Heredity and phvsio- 

 logical characters in the hybrids of barley. — G. Andre : 

 The transformations undergone by oranges on keep- 

 ing. The ripening of oranges by keeping is due to 

 a reduction of acidity, the loss of sugars being rela- 

 tively small. These changes cannot be whollv due to 

 oxidation, since they are produced in a "vacuum. 

 Diastatic action Is suggested as possible.— P. 

 Dangeard: The evolution of the aleurone grains in 

 castor-oil seed during germination.— M. Bridel and 

 Mile. Marie Braecke : The presence of saccharose and 

 aucubine In the seeds of Melampyrum arvense. Full 

 details are given of the method of extracting sac- 

 charose and the glucoslde aucubine from the seeds. 

 Rhinanthine, extracted by Ludwig from the seeds of 

 Rhinanthus Crista-Galli, was also stated by Ludwig 

 and Miiller to be present in the seeds of Melampyrum 

 arvense. The Identity of rhinanthine with aucubine 

 has not yet been proved. — H. Hdrissey : The bio- 

 chemical synthesis of a-methyl-d-mannoside. By the 

 action of the ferment present in germinated lucerne 

 seeds upon d-mannose in dilute methyl alcohol solu- 

 tion, a-methyl-d-mannoslde Is formed. Details of 

 method of Isolation and proofs of Identitv are given. 

 — A. Demolon : The sulphur-oxidising power of soils. 

 NO. 2723, VOL. 109] 



— L. Mercier : The larva of Limnophora aesluum, a 

 marine Diptera.— A. Michel : The interpretation of 

 the profound histological differentiation of the dorsal 

 elytra and cirrus of the Aphroditian Annelids.- J. L. 

 Lichtenstein : The determination of egg deposition in 

 Habrocytus cionicida. — L. Roule : The periodic 

 changes of habitat of the common tunny fish (Orcynus 

 thynnus) and their connection with the changes of 

 medium. The migrations of the tunny fish are deter- 

 mined by the temperature and salinity. — L. Leger and 

 E. Hesse : MIcrosporldia with spherical spores. — L. 

 Ravaz and G. Verge : The germination of the spores 

 of vine mildew. Lime solutions are carbonated too 

 rapidly on exposure to air to exert any toxic action 

 on the mildew spores. Copper-lime mixtures resist 

 the action of rain and dew and preserve their toxic 

 power. — R. Legroux and J. Jimenez: The factor of 

 growth in cultures of Leishmania Dorjovani.^G. 

 Bourguignon and A. Radovici : Chronaxy of the sensi- 

 tive rachldlan nerves of the upper limb In man. — E. 

 Nicolas apd P. Rinjard : The vaccination of cattle 

 against bovine plague. 



Washington, D.C. 



National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings, vol. 6, 

 No. II (November, 1920). — .\. Weinstein : Homologous 

 genes and linear linkage in Drosophila virilis. A long 

 and detailed study with numerous bibliographic refer- 

 ences, not lending Itself to recapitulation. — F. C. 

 Hoyt : The intensities of X-rays of the L-serles, HL 

 Critical potentials of the platinum and tungsten lines, 

 A continuation of an earlier work to the classification 

 of some lines that were doubtful. — E. B. Stouffer .• 

 Semi-variants of a general system of linear homo- 

 geneous differential equations.- — A. G. Webster : Some 

 new methods in interior ballistics. A risume of ex- 

 tended experiments on the principal problem of in- 

 terior ballistics, namely, to determine the position and 

 velocity of the shot, and the mean temperature and 

 pressure of the gases In the gun. Graphical and 

 analytical methods are used.^C. B. Bridges : The 

 mutant crossvelnless in Drosophila melano gaster . 

 — J. A. Detlefsen : Is crossing over a function of dis- 

 tance? The author differs from the conclusion of 

 many students of genetics, and believes that linkage 

 is not a function of distance, that the distance 

 between the two genes may remain fairly constant, 

 and that the crossing over depends upon hereditary 

 factors. — E. E. Babc'ock and J. L. Collins : Inter- 

 specific hybrids In Crepis. The behaviour of the 

 seven-chromosome Crepis hybrid leads to the belief 

 that there Is not such a direct relationship between 

 the two parent species as has been suggested. — C. G. 

 Abbot : New observations on the variability of the 

 sun. A discussion of an extended set of observations 

 from July, 1919, to March, 1920, revealing a wide 

 fluctuation in the sun's radiation. — L. P. Eisenhart : 

 The permanent gravitational field in the Einstein 

 theory. — G. A. Linhart : A. simplified method for the 

 statistical Interpretation of experimental data. — C. B. 

 Lipman and G. A. Linhart : A critical study of fer- 

 tiliser experiments. From a statistical study of fer- 

 tiliser experiments the authors conclude that no fer- 

 tiliser experiment as ordinarily conducted is possessed 

 of sufficient practical value to justify the large amount 

 of monev, time, and energy involved. 



No. 12 (December, 1920).— H. Shapley : Preliminary 

 report on pterergates in Pogomyrmex Caliiornicus. — 

 J. F. McClendon : Hydrogen-ion concentration of the 

 contents of the small intestine. Criticism of the 

 general erroneous Impression that the intestinal con- 

 tents are alkaline.— F. P. Underbill and M. Ringer : 

 Blood concentration changes in influenza. Both 



