226 



NATURE 



[February i6, 1922 



of the osculating circles with one famih- of lines of 

 curvature belong to a linear complex. ^ — E. Belot : The 

 periodicity and the movement of the sun-spots in lati- 

 tude explained by the pulsation of the nucleus. Assum- 

 ing that the dense nucleus of the sun (barosphere) has 

 a pulsation with a period of eleven years, the conse- 

 quences are worked out and give an explanation of \ 

 the currents from north to south in the perisphere, 

 observed, but not explained, by Oppolzer ; the move- 

 ment of the spots towards the equator (Sporer) ; and 

 the displacement of the latitude of the maximum 

 number of spots, which, according to Faye, should be 

 in latitude 37° 38', and is, in fact, about 17°. — 

 H. Chaumay : The measurement of insulation resist- 

 ance by the method of accumulation. — M. Dufour : 

 The relation between aberration and astigmatism for 

 a point situated on the axis of a centred optical 

 system. — J. Rey : Range obtained by a beacon light of 

 great power fitted with metallic reflectors. This light 

 is installed on the Island of Galiton, north-west of 

 Bizerta, and is 165 metres above sea-level. The cal- 

 culated range was 30 miles. It can be frequently 

 seen from Tabarka, 33 miles away, and in clear 

 weather at Ras-Enhelah (41 miles). — H. Weiss and 

 P. Henry : The influence of temperature on the velocity 

 of interpenetration of solids. The alloy studied was 

 silver containing 14 ]x>r cent, of antimony ; the results 

 are given in a series of curves. — E. Darmois : Two 

 new molybdo-malates of ammonium. Gernez has 

 shown that the rotatory power of malic acid under- 

 goes considerable variation when increasing quantities 

 of ammonium molybdate are added to the solution. 

 From a study of the rotation of solutions of malic acid 

 and ammonium molvbdate two definite compounds, 

 MoO,-2C,H,P,-2NH; and MoO,-2C^H„0,-4NH3, 

 were indicated, the first being the more stable. The 

 isolation of these two compounds is described.- — MM. 

 Seyewetz and Vignat : The action of sodium sulphite 

 on nitrobenzene. Nitrobenzene is reduced by a boiling 

 10 per cent, solution of sodium sulphite. "The main 

 product of the reaction is /)-amidophenol sulphonic 

 acid. — C. Jacob : The structure of North Annam to 

 the south of Thanh Hoa. — F. Blanchet and E. Chagny : 

 New observations on the dislocation of the Montagne 

 de la Bastille, near Grenoble. — C. Corroy : Some 

 Neocomian fishes of the Haute-Marne and the Meuse. 

 — L. Joleaud : The area of dispersion of Dvrosaurus, a 

 fossil crocodile from North-West Africa.— A. Boutaric : 

 Observations carried out on Mont Blanc. Details of 

 polarimetric and actinometric observations made 

 hourly, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., at the Vallot 

 Observatorv between July 31 and August 7, 1921. — L. 

 Gentil : The climatology 'of Morocco. In the absence 

 of extended meteorological observations the study of 

 the vegetation furnishes a valuable guide to climatic 

 conditions. The rainfall chart in eastern Morocco of 

 M. Augustin Bernard cannot be accepted without 

 reserve. — P. Schereschewsky and P. Wehrle : The 

 signification of cirrus clouds in the prediction of 

 weather. Cirrus clouds have often been considered 

 as indicating the approach of rain ; the authors show 

 that the cloud system must be studied as a whole. 

 Cirrus clouds are always indications of the proximity 

 of a cloud system, but it does not necessarily follow 

 that the system will pass over the observing' station. 

 It is necessary for the meteorologist to be able to 

 determine the position of the cloud system in relation 

 to the observing station, its direction cf motion, and its 

 velocity of displacement, before utilir-ing cirrus clouds 

 as a means of weather prediction. — Mile. C. Veil ; The 

 relation between the chlorine index and the nitrogen 

 content of plant-soil. The chlorine index is given bv 

 the amount of active chlorine absorbed by the soil 

 from a solution of sodium hyoochlorite. It is shown 

 NO. 2729, VOL. 109] 



that there is a relation between this figure and the 

 amount of nitrogen in the soil. — P. Dangeard : The 

 origin of the vacuoles at the expense of the aleurone 

 grains during the germination of the Graminaceae.— 

 W. Kopaczewski : Surface tension and narcosis. As 

 a general rule narcotics and anaesthetics lower the sur- 

 face tension of the blood-serum, and there is a 

 parallelism between the amount of lowering and the 

 narcotic power. There are exceptions, morphine being 

 the most notable. — R. Jeannel : The variation of the 

 copulating organs in the Coleoptera. — L. Leger and 

 E. Hesse : Microsporidia resembling bacteria in form, 

 and an attempt at a systematic classification of the 

 group. — Mme. Anna Drzewina and G. Bohn : The 

 phenomena of auto-destruction and auto-agglutination 

 in the Convoluta. — M. Aron : The morphological 

 signification of the endocrinian glandular tissue of the 

 testicle in the crested triton. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, December 7, 192 1. 

 — Mr. E. C. Andrews, president, in the chair. — C. A. 

 Sussmilch : The geology of the Gloucester district. 

 The 'strata of the Gloucester district (N.S.W.) belong 

 to the Devonian Carboniferous and Permo-Car- 

 boniferous periods. During the Devonian period a 

 thick series of shales, radiolarian cherts, and tuffs 

 was laid down on a sea-floor. Submarine volcanic 

 activity and important crustal movements took place 

 during and at the close of this period. At the be- 

 ginning of the Carboniferous period (Burindi stage) 

 the region was under relatively shallow water. Long- 

 continued slow subsidences allowed of the depositing 

 of a very thick series of shales, limestones, con- 

 glomerates, and tuffs, aggregating 12,000 ft. in thick- 

 ness. Later an uplift took place, and during the 

 Kutting stage which followed volcanic activity was 

 the most striking feature. The land flora (Rhseopteris, 

 etc.) at this time consisted largely of ferns. Towards 

 the close of the Permo-Carboniferous period a subsi- 

 dence began which led to the formation of a large 

 shallow lake. At intervals conditions became stable, 

 the lake became a swamp covered by dense vegeta- 

 tion (the Glossopteris flora), and during these periods 

 coal-seams were formed. There are at least eight coal- 

 seams in the Gloucester district, the largest of which 

 is 32 ft. thick. At the close of the Permo-Car- 

 boniferous period the region was subjected to intense 

 folding forces, forming big mountain ranges. Since 

 then there have been a succession of uplifts, the 

 last of which took place at the end of the Tertiary 

 period, and produced a tableland 2000 ft. in altitude.— 

 O. U. Vonwiller The conduction of electricity in 

 molybdenite.— G. J. Burrows and E. E. Turner : The 

 preparation of certain ferrioxalates. — J. H. Maiden •. 

 An additional blue-leaf stringybark. A blue-leaf 

 stringybark already described is E. laevopinea, R. T. 

 Baker ; the new species is more closely allied to E. 

 Blaxlandi, Maiden and Cambage, and E. capitellata, 

 Sm. It is a large tree, with sessile heads of small 

 compressed spheroid fruits, which is confined, ap- 

 parently, to Nev/ South Wales.— W. L. Waterhouse : 

 The production in Australia of the aecidial stage of 

 Puccinia graminis, Pers. Inoculations on barberry 

 shoots with rust on wheat grown at Glen Innes, 

 N.S.W. , gave numerous infections from which aecidio- 

 spores were used to reinfect wheat. — A. R. Penfold : 

 The essential oil obtained of fhe leaves of Doryphora 

 sassafras, Endlicher. The yield of oil from leaves of 

 the New South Wales sassafras tree was about i per 

 cent., and it possessed the fragrance characteristic 

 of sassafras oils. The principal constituents identified 

 are safrol, camphor, pinene, sesquiterpenes, eugenol, 

 and alcoholic bodies. 



