148 



NATURE 



[December 6, 19C0 



New South Wales. 



Royal Society, September 5. — The President, Prof. Liver- 

 sidge, F.R.S., in the chair. — The language, weapons and 

 manufactures of the aborigines of Port Stephens, New South 

 Wales, with two plates, by W. J. Enright. — The past droughts 

 and recent flood at Lake George, by H. C. Russell, C.M.G., 

 F. R.S. It was shown that at the end of 1874 Lake George 

 was at its maximum depth during the past seventy years, the 

 depth then being 24 ft. ; from that date the water gradually de- 

 creased, rising sometimes during heavy rains, and on February 

 25, 1877, the water was only 10 ft. 9 in. deep. At this time 

 the author put up an automatic gauge, which recorded every 

 change until it became too low for the machine to work, and 

 exact measures were then carried on by hand. Meantime the 

 level varied with the seasons, until in 1890, a very wet year, the 

 lake was 12 ft. 11 in. deep; and after this the lake level fell 

 faster than ever recorded before, and on March 28, 1900, the 

 depth was only o ft. loin. , a fall of 12 ft. i in. in six years. 

 During 1895 the evaporation was most rapid, the hot and windy 

 weather carried the water away, not only by evaporation but 

 also as spray into the forest, and the total loss of water in that 

 year was 5 ft. 4 in. — Note on an obsidian " bomb," by R. T. 

 Baker. The specimen described in this note is not quite per- 

 fect—a portion having been broken ofif when it was discovered. 

 It has a form quite unusual to those previously recorded from 

 Eastern Australia, but resembles those from Western Australia 

 and the interior of the continent. It is not unlike one found in 

 Tasmania in 1897. It is sub-globose in shape, the surface be- 

 ing much indented with air pores and globulites ; it has a very 

 <lark green or almost black, glassy appearance, and measures 

 i in. in diameter, and f in. in 'thickness, and has a specific 

 rgravity of 2*456 at 15° C. ' It was found at O'Connell, near 

 Eathurst, by Messrs. A. Walkes and Lester, some feet below 

 Mhe surface, whilst sinking for gold. 



GOTTINGEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences. — The Nachrichten (physico- 

 ■ -mathematical section), part 2 for 1900, contains the following 

 •memoirs communicated to the Society : — 



April 9. — W. Voigt : On the present state of our knowledge 

 •of the elasticity of crystals (report for the Paris International 

 • -Congress of Physics). 



February 3. — E. Landau : The function 9 {it) in the theory of 

 numbers, and its relation to Goldbach's theorem. 



May 19. — H. Winkler : On the segmentation of unfertilised 

 ova under the influence of sperm-extractives. — G. Mittag-LefHer : 

 •On the generalisation of Taylor's theorem. 



June 30. — E. Ehlers : Magellanic annelids, collected by the 



..Swedish .Expedition to the Straits of Magellan. — J, Orth : 



Researches at the Gottingen Pathological Institute ( Report vii. ). 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



, • 7'//i//f.S'Z?^K. December 6. 



•R >VAL Society, at 4.30.— The Histology of the Cell Wall, with Special 

 Reference to the Mode of Connection of Cells. Part I. The Distribution 

 and Character of "Connecting Threads" in the Tissues oi Pinus sylvestris 

 and 'Other Allied Species: W. Gardiner, F.R.S.. and A. W. Hill.— On 

 the " Blaze Currents" of the Frog's Eye-ball : Dr. Waller, F.R.S.— On a 

 Bacterial Disease of the 'Ywcxiv^ {^Bi assica napus) : Prof. M. G. Potter. — 

 The Micro-organism of Distemper in the Dog, and the Production of a 

 Distemper Vaccine : Dr. S. M. Copeman. — On the Tempering of Iron 

 Hardened by Overstrain : ,J. Muir. 

 ^Chemical Society, at 8.-;-Ballot for the Election of Fellows. — Santalenic 

 Acid : A. C. Chapman. — Ammonium Bromide and the Atomic Weight of 

 Nitrogen : A. Scott, F. R.S. — Interaction between Urethanes and Primary 

 Benzenoid Amines: Dr. A. E. Dixon. — The Decomposition of Chlorates. 

 Part III. Calcium Chlorate and Silver Chlorate : W. H. Sodeau. — 

 Nitride of Iron : Gilbert J. Fowler. — The Heat of Formation and Con- 

 stitution of Iron Nitride : Gilbert J. Fowler and Philip J. Hartog. — Re- 

 lationships of Oxalaceiic Acid: H. J. H. Fenton, F.R.S., and H. O. 



. Jones. 



VRoNTGEN Society, at 8. — Exhibition and Description of a Stereoscopic 



I Fluoroscope and a New Rotary Mercury Break : ]. Mackenzie Davidson. 



■Linnean Society, at 8.— On some New Foraminifera from Funafuti : C. 



• Chapman. — On British Thrifts : G. Claridge Druce. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Continuation of Dis- 

 cussion on Mr. Langdon's paper. 



FRIDAY, December 7. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Dock Gates : F. K. Peach. 

 Oeologists' Association, at 8.— '1 he Zones of the White Chalk of the 

 Knglish Coast. II. Dorsetshire: Dr. A. W. Rowe. 



MONDA V, December 10. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — Expedition to the Barotse 



Country and through Africa to the Nile : Major St. Hill Gibbons. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Electric Oscillations and Electric Waves : Prof. 



J. A. Fleming, F.R S. . 



7'6''.£'5'Z>^ K, December IX. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Signalling on the Waterloo 

 and City Railway ; and Note on the Signalling of Outlying Siding Con- 

 nections : A. W. Szlumper. — Signalling on the Liverpool Overhead Rail- 

 way : S. B. Cottrell. 



WEDNESDAY, December 12. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — The Treatment of London Sewage : Prof Frank 

 Clowes. 



THURSDAY, December 13. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable papers : On the Spectrum of the More 

 Volatile Gases of Atmospheric Air, which are not Condensed at the Tem- 

 perature of Liquid Hydrogen. Preliminary Notice : Prof Livciiig, 

 F.R.S., and Prof. Dewar, F.R.S. — Additional Notes on Boulders and 

 other Rock Specimens from the Newlands Diamond Mines, Griqualand 

 West : Prof. Bonney, F.R.S. — The Distribution of Vertebrate Animals 

 in India, Ceylon and Burma: Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S. — Elastic 

 Solids at Rest or in Moiion in a Liquid : Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — The Syzjg* tic Theory of Orthogonal 

 Bivariants : Prof. Elliott, F.R.S. — On Discriminants and Envelopes of 

 Surfaces: R. W. Hudson. — Note on the Inflexions of Curves with 

 Double Points : H. W. Richmond. — -On some Properties of Groups of 

 . Odd Order, ii. : Prof. Burnside, F.R.S. 



Institution OF Electrical EhGiNEEFf, at 8. — Possible continuatif^n 



of Discussion on Mr. Langdon's paper. Time permitting: Rapid 



Variations in the Current through the Direct Current Arc : W. Duddell. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30. — Rammelsberg Memorial Lecture : Prof. 

 H. A. Miers, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, December 14. 



Physical Society CRoyal College of Science), at 5. — (i) Electric Inertia ; 

 (2) The Eftect of Inertia on Electric Currents in a Rotating sphere : 

 Prof. A. Schuster, F.R.S. — Exhibition and Description of a Quartz- 

 Thread Gravity- Balance : Prof. R. Threlfall, F.R.S.— On the Theory of 

 Magnetic Disturbances by Earth Currents : Prof. A. W. Riicker, F.R.S. 

 Notes on ihe Practical Application of the Theory of Magnetic Disturb- 

 ances by Earth Currents: Dr. R. T. Glazebrook. P'.R.S.— The New 

 Physical Laboratories of the Royal College of Science : Prof. A VV. 

 Riicker, F.R.S. — Exhibition of a Set of Half-Seconds Pendulums: W. 

 Watson. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 



Malacological Society, at 8. 



Institution OF Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Power-Gas and Large 

 Gas-Engines for Central Stations : H. A. Humphrey. 

 SATURDAY, December 15. 



Essex Field Club (Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford), at 6.30. 

 — Notes on the Mollusc Paludestrina jenkensi. Smith, in Essex and else- 

 where : A. S. Kennard and B. B. . Woodward. — Aquatic Autocrats and 

 Fairies (Lecture) : Fred. Enock. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Recent Sporting Experiences of Mr. Selous. 



By R. L 125 



The Comparative Histology of Vertebrates. By 



E. A. S. 126 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Ormerod : *' Flies Injurious to Stock " 127 



Letters to the Editor:— 



The Value of Magnetic Observatories. — Captain 



EttrickW. Creak, R.N., F.R.S 127 



Huxley's Ancestry — Havelock Ellis . ...... 127 



Quartz-Calcite Symmetrical Doublet. — ^J. W. Gifford 127 

 On Solar Changes of Temperature and Variations 

 in Rainfall in the Region surrounding the Indian 

 Ocean. II. {With Diagrams.) By Sir Norman 



Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S., and Dr. W.J. S. Lockyer 128 



The Bradford Municipal Technical College .... 133 



The Alliance between Science and Industry .... 135 



Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society .... 135 



Notes • . . 138 



Our Astronomical Column :^ — 



Perturbations of Eros Produced by Mars 141 



Catalogue of One Hundred New Double Stars . . . 141 



Oscillographs. {Illustrated.) \ ... . . . . . . . . 142 



University and Educationallntelligence 145 



Scientific Serials , •. . 146 



Societies and Academies 146 



Diary of Societies . 148 



NO. 1623, VOL. 63] 



