June 24, 1922] 



NATURE 



831 



Dublin. 



Royal Dublin Society, May 23. — Dr. F. E. Hackett 

 in the chair.— H. A. Lafferty, and G. H. Pethybridge : 

 On a Phytophthora parasitic on apples which has 

 both amphigynous and paragynous antheridia ; 

 and on alUed species which show the same 

 phenomenon. The Phytophthora in question -is 

 P. Syringes (Klebahn) and not P. Cactornm (Schroet), 

 which has several times been found causing decay of 

 apples both in Europe and America. In addition 

 to these two species P. Fagi also produces two kinds 

 of antheridia. The grouping of the twenty-two 

 species of Phytophthora is discussed and the elimina- 

 tion of the recently erected genus Nozemia proposed. 

 The economic significance of this form of apple rot 

 is small. — A. G. G. Leonard and Miss A. M. Richardson : 

 The occurrence of helium and argon in the boiling 

 well at St. Edmundsbury, Lucan, Co. DubUn. The 

 gas from the well consists almost completely of 

 " nitrogen " with small quantities of carbon dioxide. 

 The removal of nitrogen and carbon dioxide leaves 

 a small amount of residual gas consisting of argon 

 and helium. The percentages of argon and helium 

 are 0-95 and 0-074 respectively. — H. H. Poole : 

 Some further notes on the distribution of activity 

 in radium therapy. Tables are given showing the 

 approximate distribution of activity for different 

 arrangements of emanation needles, and the skin 

 activities with tubular applicators of various diameters 

 and thicknesses. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, May 29. — M. Albin Haller in 

 the chair. — The president announced the death of 

 M. Ernest Solvay, at the age of 84 years. — L. 

 Maquenne and E. Demoussy : Plant growth in media 

 poor in oxygen. Seeds of radish, pea, wheat, and 

 rape germinated in sterile sand and wholly sub- 

 merged in running water gave seedlings possessing 

 an assimilation capacity comparable with a normal 

 plant. If a small proportion of carbon dioxide is 

 added, the weight of the dry-plant material is higher 

 than, or at least equal to, the weight of the original 

 seed. The leaves of certain species of plants (sorrel, 

 Aucuba) can retain their vitality in the absence of 

 air for a long period. — M. Riquier : The singular 

 integral figures of partial systems of the first order 

 to which the method of integration of Jacobi applies. 

 — E. Mathias, C. A. Crommelin, and H. Kamerlingh 

 Onnes : The heat of vaporisation and the difference 

 m'-m of the specific heats in the saturated state for 

 argon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. — M. Henri 

 Lebesgue was elected a member of the Section of 

 Geometry in the place of the late C. Jordan. — F. H. 

 Murray : Drawing arcs of circles of large radius. — J. 

 W. Lindeberg : The law of Gauss. — P. J. Myrberg : 

 Automorph functions of several independent variables. 

 — M. Ferrier : The deviations of light rays passing in 

 the neighbourhood of a star. A theoretical study 

 of the deviations caused by the atmosphere of a star. 

 This is superposed on the Einstein effect, and in 

 certain cases might mask the latter. The cases of 

 the Earth and Moon are worked out in detail. — J. 

 Guillaume : Observations of the Skjellerup comet, 

 made with the coudS equatorial of the Observatory 

 of Lyons. Positions are given for six consecutive 

 days. May 19-24, together with the positions of the 

 comparison stars. The comet is vaguely circular, of 

 about 0-5' diameter and without marked condensa- 

 tion. — Mile. O. Jasse : Observations of the comet 

 1922b (Skjellerup), made at the Observatory of 

 Marseilles (Eichens equatorial, 26 cm. aperture). One 

 position is given, for May 24. — A. Danjon : A new 

 interference method for measuring the apparent 



NO. 2747, VOL. 109] 



diameter of stars. The Jamin system of thick 

 plates is utiUsed. If the star has no appreciable 

 apparent diameter it disappears completely when 

 passing over the centre of a dark band, but if there 

 is an appreciable disc the extinction will be in- 

 complete. A formula is given for the maximum and 

 minimum brightness, and the determination of the 

 diameter is reduced to the photometric measurement 

 of the maximum and minimum brightness when the 

 star is observed through the interferometer. Experi- 

 ments have been carried out on an artificial star, 

 but the successful application of the method will 

 depend on the influence of the movements of the 

 atmosphere. — Gustave Guillaumin : The plane lines 

 of slipping of pulverent, coherent, or plastic bodies. 

 — Jean Lecarme : Experiments relating to the course 

 of a pendulum and a chronometer, carried out at 

 Chamonix and at the Mont Blanc Observatory, 

 between August i and September 10, 1921. The 

 chronometers were checked by the wireless signals 

 from the Eiffel Tower and showed an unexplained loss 

 of 30 seconds per day. The values of g at Paris, 

 Chamonix, and the summit of Mont Blanc were 

 determined by the pendulum and compared with the 

 calculated figures. — S. Zaremba : The relativist 

 conception of space. — Louis G. Stokvis : The circular 

 diagrams of unbalanced triphase systems and the 

 definition of their degree of lack of balance. — H. 

 Weiss and P. Henry : The influence of the time 

 factor on the interpenetration of solids by chemical 

 reaction. Experiments were made on two pairs of 

 metals — silver-antimony and copper-antimony. The 

 depth of interpenetration was determined for varying 

 times and temperatures, and the results given graphic- 

 ally. — Joseph Blondeau : Study of some dialkyl benzyl 

 cyanides and the corresponding alcohols, amides, 

 amines, and acids. — R. Locquin and Sung Wouseng : 

 The action of acetylene on the sodium derivatives of 

 ketones and the preparation of the dialkylethinyl- 

 carbinols. The sodium derivative of the ketone was 

 prepared by the action of sodium amide on the ketone 

 in ether or benzene. This is then allowed to react with 

 purified acetylene with continual agitation and the 

 product decomposed with ice- water. Starting with the 

 ketone R . CO . R' the alcohol R . R' . C(OH) . C=CH 

 is obtained. The generaUty of the method is 

 shown by its application to four ketones. — L. 

 Blaringhem : Sex heredity in Lychnis vespertina. — A. 

 Lecaillon : The fecundity of hybrids obtained by 

 crossing the male Dafila acuta with the female Anas 

 hoschas. These hybrids form an exception to the 

 general rule and are fertile. — W. R. Thompson : 

 Mathematical study of the action of insect-destroying 

 parasites. Duration of the parasitic cycle and the 

 increase of the proportion of parasite hosts. — Emile F. 

 Terroine and Ren6 Wurmser : The energy yield in 

 the growth of A spergillus Niger. This mould growmg 

 in a glucose medium, after certain corrections are 

 made, accounts for 66-70 per cent, of the energy of 

 the glucose. It is pointed out that FmgerUng, 

 Kohler, and Reinhardt have obtained values of the 

 same order in the case of the growth of the pig.— 

 MM. Georges Bourguignon and Conduch6 : Experi- 

 ments on the introduction of the iodine ion by 

 electrolysis in man, and its elimination by the urine. 

 Sydney. 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, March 29. — 

 Mr. G. A. Waterhouse, president, in the chair. — G. A. 

 Waterhouse (Annual Address) : (I.) The need for 

 a zoological survey of AustraUa. The fauna of 

 AustraUa is a national asset, although probably 

 the finest collections of the Australian fauna will be 

 found in museums outside Australia. Systematic 

 zoological survey has not been attempted. Im- 



