February 4, 19 15] 



NATURE 



^n 



two thousand, a much larger number than has 

 hitherto been found in any similar area. — R. Lloyd 

 Praeger : Summary on terrestrial distribution (Clare 

 Island Survey). The work of the Clare Island 

 Survey now closing has occupied just six years, 

 the first three being devoted to field-work and 

 the last four to publication, there being an* overlap 

 of one 3'ear in the two sections. More than one 

 hundred workers took part, and without exception 

 the authors of the sixty-eight reports in which the 

 results are embodied themselves visited the area. 

 Besides papers on almost every^ group of the plant and 

 animal kingdoms, the report includes contributions on 

 the history and archaeology of the area, on Gaelic 

 names of animals, plants, places, and human 

 families, climatology, and geolog}". The total number 

 of sf)ecies of animals obtained is about 5100, and of 

 plants about 3200, total more than 8300. Of these 

 no fewer than 1825 are additions to the fauna or flora 

 of Ireland. More than 400 are new records for the 

 British Isles, and more than 120 are new to science. 

 Two new families and fifteen new genera are 

 described. 



January 25. — Dr. F. \. Tarleton, in the chair. — H. 

 Ryan and Miss P. O'Neill : Studies in the diflavone 

 group. — I., Diflavone. With the view of extending 

 our knowledge of the relations between constitution 

 and colour in the oxygen dyes, the authors have pre- 

 pared a substance which has, as its formula, two 

 flavone rings in a condensed form. It was obtained 

 from diacetoresorcinol in two ways : — (i) Diacetore- 

 sorcinol dimethyl ether was condensed with benzalde- 

 hyde to dihydroxydichalkone dimethyl ether which 

 reacted with aluminium chloride to give dihydroxy- 

 dichalkone and the tetrabromide of the diacetate of 

 dihydroxydichalkone on treatment with alcoholic 

 potash yielded diflavone. (2) Dibenzoylacetoresorcinol 

 dimethyl ether was formed by condensation of benzoic 

 ester with diacetoresorcinol dimethyl ether, and was 

 converted by hydriodic acid into benzoylacetomethoxy- 

 flavone, and finally into diflavone. The latter formed 



H,C 



C«H, 



CO CO 



Diflavone 



pale yellow crystals, which gave a beautiful blue 

 fluorescence with concentrated sulphuric acid. — H. 

 Ryan and Rev. J. Dunlea : In endeavouring to syn- 

 thesise dicinnamoylmethane the authors condensed 

 benzaldehyde with mono- and di-methylacetj'lacetone 

 by means of gaseous hydrochloric acid. The product 

 in both cases was identical, being a chlorinated body 

 which, on treatment with pyridine, yielded a sub- 

 stituted pyrone of the formula : — 



O 



C6H5.HC 

 CH,.HC 



CO 



CH.C.H, 



C:CH.CfiH, 



The substance did not form an oxime, but added on 

 hydroxylamine apparently at the unsaturated linkage 

 It formed a dibromo-derivative. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, January 23. — M. Ed. Perrier in 

 the chair.— G. Bigourdan : Description of a new in- 

 strument for the differential comparison of great 

 angular distances in the sky. A movable platform 



NO. 2362, VOL. 94] 



carrying two telescopes is fixed to an equatorial 

 mounting in such a manner that the axis about which 

 the platform can move coincides with position usually 

 occupied by the optical axis of the equatorial. The 

 two telescopes can turn round axes normal to the 

 platform, and are furnished with ocular micrometers. 

 The use of the instrument, which forms a sort of 

 angular comparator, is described. It will prove 

 specially suitable for the direct determination of re- 

 I fraction, the measurement of the annual aberration 

 j constant, and correcting the fundamental star cata- 

 j logues by comparison of large differences of right 

 ! ascension, independently of clocks and of variation of 

 j instrumental constants. — Andr^ Blonde! : The useful 

 effect of projectors. Additional remarks. — E. Delonne : 

 New treatment of nerves wounded by projectiles. The 

 ; general principles underlying nerve operations are 

 ; stated, together with full details of the methods em- 

 j ployed. — J. Bosler : The red region of the spectrum of 

 I stars of the Wolf-Rayet type. Photographs of the red 

 i end of the spectrum of fifteen stars of this type, 

 ! utilising plates sensitised by means of dicyanine. 

 Comparison of the spectra confirms the view that 

 j stars of the Wolf-Rayet type represent waning Novae 

 j of past ages. New- stars appear generally in dense 

 I star clusters, and the Wolf-Rayet stars also have the 

 I same peculiarit)*. — F. Devoto : Observations of Dela- 

 1 van's comet (19 13/) made at the Paris Observaton.'. 

 j Observations and positions of comparison stars are 

 1 given for December 24, 28 (two), 29, January 8, 11, 

 I 18. — S. StoUow : Ouadruply periodic functions.. — Paul 

 i Mansion : Demonstration of the law of large numbers. 

 — Stanislas Meunier : A remarkable consequence of 

 volcanic theon.-. — Emile Belot : Orogenic theory aris- 

 ing from the physical theory of the fermat'on of 

 oceans and primitive continents. — Edmond Gain and 

 A. Jnngelson : Maize seeds resulting from the growth 

 of free embr}-os. The embryos were extracted from 

 the seeds, carefully cleaned from all reserves of 

 albumen, and sown in natural soil. The plants ob- 

 tained produced seed of normal type. — H. Janielle and 

 H. Perrier de la Bathie : A slightly known Cucurbi- 

 taceae of Madagascar. — MM. Rivie'r and Dapoax : A 

 new method for th:? rapid production of radiographs 

 on ferrotype plates.— P. Carnot and B. Weill-Halli : 

 Culture in sand tubes for the rapid diagnosis of 

 typhoid fever, and searchipg for germ-carriers. — Henri 

 Conpin : The organic nutrition of a marine bacterium. 

 A. Trillat : Study on the aqueous microbial dusts of 

 inhabited places. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



University of Melbourne. Medical School Jubilee. 

 Pp. 108. (Melbourne : Ford and Son.) 



The Observer's Handbook for 1915. Pp. 76. 

 (Toronto : Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.) 



.\nuario del Observatorio de Madrid. Para "1915- 

 Pp. 703. (Madrid : Bailly-Bailliere.) 



Memoirs of the Geological Sur\-ey. England and 

 Wales. The Geology of the South Wales Coalfield. 

 Part xi. The Country around Haverfordwest. Pp. 

 viii4-262. (London: H.M.S.O. ; E. Stanford, Ltd.) 

 35. 6d. 



Memoirs of the Geological Survey. Scotland. The 

 Geology of the Countr\' round Beauly and Inverness, 

 including a Part of the Black Isle. Pp. vi+ 108. 

 (London : H.M.S.O. ; E. Stanford, Ltd.) 2s. 



Genetic Studies on a Ca\y Species Cross. By Prof. 

 J. A. Detlefsen. Pp. 134+10 plates. (Washington: 

 Carnegie Institution.) 



A Pilgrim's Scrip. By R. Campbell Thompson^ 

 Pp. xii + 345. (London : j. Lane.) 125. 6d. net. 



