April 22, 1922 



NA TURE 



535 



JCinstein. — M. Frontad : Logoids of slipping of soil. — 

 j;. Fichot : The sense of rotation of cotidal lines 

 round amphidromic points. — M. Siegbahn : The 

 'agree of exactitude of Bragg's law for the X-rays, 

 xact measurements have shown that calcite gives 

 small deviation from Bragg's theory, the differences 

 although small being systematic. M. Dauvillier has 

 recently suggested that the deviation was due to 

 the complexity of the Ka^ line used in the measure- 

 ments ; but the result is the same for the line a.^, 

 which according to M. DauvilUer is simple. — E. 

 Gleditsch and B. Samdahl : The atomic weight of 

 chlorine in an ancient mineral, Balme apatite. — 

 J . Durand : The thennal treatment of some cast 

 irons. Heating to 900° C. and slow cooling increased 

 the proportion of graphite and diminished the 

 resistance to breaking. Tempering in oil from 900° C. 

 and repeating to 650° C. increased the breaking 

 load.— M. Charriou : The separation of ferric oxide 

 and alumina from lime by the nitrate method. — 

 H. Gault and T. Salomon : The a-alkyl levulinic 

 acids. — E. Decarriere : The role of gaseous impurities 

 in the catalytic oxidation of ammonia. Extremely 

 minute proportions of hydrogen phosphide (0-2 

 parts per million) poison the platinum catalyst in 

 this oxidation, but the simultaneous presence of 

 acetylene and hydrogen sulphide, especially the 

 latter, partially neutrahses the poisonous action of 

 the phosphorus compound. — E. Grandmougin : The 

 acyl and alkyl leucoindigos. — C. Jacob : Eruptive 

 rocks of the intermediate series in North Annam 

 and in Tonkin. — P. Corbin : Some sections on the 

 eastern edge of the Vercors-massif. — L. Guillaume : 

 Tcrtiaty and existing Turritella : evolution and 

 migrations. — P. Lesage : The determination of the 

 Kcrminative faculty other than by the actual germina- 

 tion of the seeds. A. N5mec and F. Duchon have 

 recently described a method based on the evolution of 

 oxygen by the action of hydrogen peroxide on the 

 diastase of the seed as the only method available 

 ; ir testing the vitality of the seed other than actual 

 ■ rmination tests. The author directs attention to 

 method described by him in 191 1 and 191 7 based 

 1)11 the colour imparted to dilute solutions of potash 

 by the seeds. This gives a definite result in four 

 hours. — J. Bouget and A. D. de Virville : The influence 

 of the meteorology of the year 1921 on the reddening 

 and fall of leaves. — R. Poisson : Histogenesis of the 

 flight muscles in Ranatra, Nepa {N . cimicoides and 

 N. maciilatus) . — G. Bourguignon : Modification of 

 the chronaxy of the skeleton muscles and their 

 nerves by the repercussion of the lesion of the 

 neurones with which they are functionally associated. 

 — A. Lumiere and H. Couturier: Traumatic shock. 

 — C. Levaditi and S. Nicolau : The embr>'onic leaflets 

 in relation with the affinities of the vaccine virus. — 

 E. Fembach and G. Rullier : The action of an 

 artificial gastric juice on tubercular pulmonary 

 granulations of the guinea-pig. 



Academy of Sciences, March 20. — M. Emile Bertin 

 in the chair. — A. Haller and Mme. Ramart-Lucas : 

 New distinctive characters of the three propanol-a- 

 camphocarbonolides melting at 141°, 117°-! 18°, and 

 89°-9o° C. respectively. — G. Mittag-Leffler : Cauchy's 

 theorem on the integral of a function between im- 

 aginary hmits. — C. Sauvageau and G. Denig^s : Re- 

 marks on the efflorescences of Rhodymenia palmata. 

 The presence of a xylane in these algae. The pentosane 

 extracted by the method of Mme. Swartz from R. 

 palmata gives xylose on hydrolysis and hence is a 

 xylane. This is the first case of the extraction of 

 this substance from an alga. — J. Drach : The deter- 

 mination of the differential equations of the second 

 order integrable by quadrature. — G. Julia : The trans- 



NO. 2738, VOL. 109] 



formation of rational substitutions into linear sub- 

 stitutions. — M. Stoilow : The definite integral and 

 the measurement of ensembles. — J. Ubach : Observa- 

 tions of the partial eclipse of the sun of October 21, 

 1 92 1, made at Buenos Ay res (Argentine Republic). — 

 F. Michaud : A micromanometer with sensibility 

 capable of regulation. — A. Guillemet : A new objec- 

 tive shutter for taking aerial photographs with ap- 

 paratus with long focus. — V. Henri : The absorption 

 spectrum of benzine vapour and the fundamental 

 magnitudes of the benzine molecule. The absorption 

 spectrum of benzine vapour has been measured at 

 pressures between o-oi and 65 mm. The ultra-violet 

 spectrum can be represented very exactly by a formula 

 derived from Bohr's theor>^ and consists of four series 

 of superposed bands. The results show that the 

 molecule of benzine is a very symmetrical structure, 

 the movements of which obey the simple laws deduced 

 for diatomic molecules. — F. W. Klingstedt : The ultra- 

 violet absorption of phenol in different solvents. The 

 absorption spectrum of phenol in solution depends on 

 the nature of the solvent. Comparing with the 

 spectrum of the vapour, one type of solvent (carbon 

 tetrachloride and ether) produces only a displace- 

 ment and enlargement of the bands. The second 

 group of solvents (methyl and ethyl alcohol, and 

 water) change the absorption spectrum completely. 

 The spectrum of pure hquid and solid phenol is 

 intermediate between the two preceding types.— C. 

 Cheveneau : An optical method for the determination 

 of the reciprocal solubihty of slightly miscible Hquids. 

 The method is based on the use of a hollow prism 

 divided into several compartments. The differences 

 of the refractive indices of the two Hquids are taken 

 directly, independently of the temperature. The case 

 of aniUne and water is given and the results compared 

 with the gravimetric method. — G. Guilbert : The 

 observation of clouds and the prediction of weather. 

 — H. Joly : The existence of phenomena of horizontal 

 displacements of large amplitude at the eastern ex- 

 tremity of the Iberian chain, near Montalban (prov- 

 ince of T^ruel, Spain). — H. Coupin : Determination 

 of the optimum of humidity of the external medium 

 in the Oscillaria. — A. de Puymaly : The reproduction 

 of Vaucheria by amoeboid zoospores. — G. Tanret : 

 The chemical composition of ergot of Diss [Ampelo- 

 desmos tenax) and the ergot of oats. Since the closing 

 of the Russian frontiers ergot of rye has become 

 extremely scarce, and the possibility of obtaining ergot 

 from other Graminacea^ is of immediate interest. Of 

 the two plants mentioned, oats only would appear 

 to contain sufficient of the active principle to be of 

 practical service. From one kilogram of Algerian 

 oats 1-8 gram of crude and o-8 gram of pure cr>'stal- 

 lised ergotinine was isolated.— C. J. Gravier : The 

 relations between the Crustacean and the sponge in 

 the sponges carrying Cirripedes. 



Official Publications Received. 



Spolla Zeylanica. Edited by Dr. J. Pearson. Vol. 12, Part 43. 

 Pp. 221. (Colombo: Colombo Museum.) . „. .. i. . t ^1 



Department of Statistics, India. Acricultural Statistics of India, 

 1919-20 Vol. 1 : Area, Classification of Area, Area under IrriRation, 

 Area under Crops, Live-Stock, Land Revenue Assessment, and Harv-est 

 Prices In British India. (Thirty-sixth Issue.) Pp. ix + 380+9 charts. 

 (Calcutta : Government Printing Office.) 2.8 rupees. 



Imperial Department of Airrlculture for the West Indies. Report on 

 the Agricultural Department, St. Vincent, for the Year 1920. Pp. 

 iv + 32 (Barbados: Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the 



^Unlon*^ofsoS Africa. Fisheries and Marine Biological Survey. 

 Report No. 1 for the Year 1920. By Dr J. D F. Gilchrist. I'p. 

 V +11 1 +9 plates *■ 4 charts. (Cape Town : Cape ^'mes ^^t«> ,. „„, 

 Report on the Progress and Condition of the United St^es Nations 

 Museum for the Year ending June 30, 1921. Pp. 219. (Washington . 



'^'Si^rorSScut^'-^ubllc Document No. 24 Fo^y^ourth 

 Annu^ Report of the Connecticut Apricultural E^^ri"}«°* |**"°? = 

 Being the Annual Report for the Year ended October 31, 1920. Pp. 

 xvi-l-377. (New Haven.) 



