i8o 



NATURE 



[May 2, 1918 



ferine. Luciferine can be synthesised by the action of I 

 cpluciferase upon taurine. j 



April 15.— M. L. Guignard in the chair. -G. Hum- j 

 bert : The representations of an . integer by certain | 

 indefinite quadratic forms.— C. Richet, P. Brodin, and ' 

 Fr. Saint-Girons : The density of the blood after great 

 haemorrhage. With loss of blood there is a progres- I 

 sive lowering of the density, and the determination of ; 

 the density of the blood gives a better measure of the 

 loss through a wound than any other method avail- ; 

 able. — G. A. Boulenger : Considerations on the affini- 

 ties and geographical dispersion of the Lacertida;.— | 

 G. Julia : Rational substitutions.— R. Gamier : The ! 

 irregular singularities of linear equations. — M. Valiron : , 

 The maximum of the modulus of entire functions. — 

 M. de Puiligny : Some new remarks on the approxi- ! 

 mate quadrature of the circle. — E. Hernandez-Pacheco : 

 The Cambrian of the Sierra de Cordoba, Spain. — 

 L, Gentil, M. Lugeon, and L. Joleaud : The age of the 

 pre-Riffian layers and the crushing of the South Riffian 

 Strait, Morocco. — H. Perrotin : The nocturnal cooling 

 of the lower layers of the atmosphere. — J. Legendre : | 

 The biology of the Madagascan perch. — ^M. Heitz- 

 Boyer ; An attempt at the mechanical reduction of j 

 fractures. j 



BOOKS RECEIVED. ! 



Memoirs of the Geological Survey. Special Reports | 

 on the Mineral Resources of Great Britain. Vol. iii., ! 

 Gypsum and Anhydrite, by -Dr. R. L. Sherlock and j 

 B. Smith; and Celestine and Strontianite, by Dr. 

 R. L. Sherlock. Second edition. Pp. iv + 64. (Lon- 

 don : H.M.S.O.) 2^, net. 



Story Lives of Great Scientists. By F. W. Row- 

 botham. Pp. 266. (London : Wells' Gardner and 

 Co., Ltd.) 3^. 6d. 



A Flora of Epsom and its Neighbourhood. By the 

 Rev. T. N. Hart Smith-Pearse. Pp. 107. (Epsom : 

 L. W. Andrews and Son.) 3s, 6d. net. 



The Manufacture of Intermediate Products for 

 Dyes. By Dr. J. C. Cain. Pp. xi+263. (London : 

 Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 105. net. 



A Check List of North American Amphibians and 

 Reptiles. By L. Skejneger and T. Barbour. Pp. 125. 

 (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press.) 

 105. 6d. net. 



British Museum (Natural History). Report on 

 Cetacea Stranded on the British Coasts during 1917. 

 By Dr. S. F. Harmer. Pp. 5 to 21. (London: 

 British Museum (Natural History).) 2s. 6d. 



British Museum (Natural History). British Antarc- ' 

 tic {Terra Nova) Expedition, 1910. Natural History 

 Report. Zoology. Vol. iv.. No. 2, Cephalodiscus. 

 By Dr. W. G. Ridewood. Pp. 11-82. (London: 

 British Museum (Natural History).) 125. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. I 



THURSDAY. May 2. i 



Royal Society, at 4.— Election of Fellows.— At 4.^0.— Nerve-End Cells 



in the Dental Pulp : Dr. J. H. Mummery.— The Nature of Growths in 



Colloidal Silica Solutions : H. Onslow. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The Freedom of the Seas: Gerard 



Fiennes. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 5.— A New Fresh-water Shrimp dOaridina) from 



Fiji: G. M. Thomson.— (i) .5^««^^//V(?.9 scottii, sp. nov., a European 



Petrifaction with Foliage ; (2) A Survey of the Biological Aspect of the 



Constitution of Coal : Dr. Marie Slopes. 



FRIDAY, May 3. 

 Royal Institution, at 5.30.- The Spinning Top in Harness: Sir G. 



Greenhill. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at t.— Discussion : Emplby- 



mentof Women in Munition Factories. Opener, Miss O. E. Monkhouse. 



SATURDAY, May 4. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Modern Investigation of the Sun's Surface: 



Prof^H.F. Newall. 



MONO A Y, May 6. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8.— Practical Dualism: Miss E. E. Constance 



Jon:! 



Socikty of F;ngin-eek.s, at 5.30.- Modern Shipbuilding and Economy in: 

 Material : J. W. Isherwood. 



Socikty of Chemical Industry, at 7.30.— The Interaction of Aluminium 

 and (a) the Alcohols, {b) the Higher Fatty Acids, (i) Phenol, Cresol, and 

 Naphthol : Dr. R. Seligman and P. Williams.— The Principles and Appli- 

 cations of Hot-Wlre Anemometry : J, S. G. Thomas. 

 TUESDAY, May 7. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Craniolo^ists : Prof. A. Keith. 



Zoological Society, at 5.30.— The Arenaceous P'oraminifera of the Genus 

 Thurammina : E. Heron-Allen. — Comparison between the Lower Jaws of 

 the Cynodont Reptiles Gomphognathus and Cynognathus : Dr. Branislav 

 Petronievics. — A New Genus of Extinct Muscardine Rodent from the 

 Balearic Islands : Miss Dorothea M. A. Bate. 



Faraday Society, at 5.30. — Discussion : The Co-ordination of Scientific 

 Publication. Opener, Sir Robert Hadfield, Bart. 



Rontgen Society, at 7.45. 



WEDNESDAY, May 8. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The Rubber Planting Industry: Prof, 

 John B. Farmer. 



British Association Geophysical Committee (Royal Astronomical 

 Society), at 5. — Discussion: The Movements of the Earth's Pole. 

 Opener, Sir F. W. Dyson. 



THURSDAY, May 9.' 



RovAL Society, at 4.30. — Frobable Papers: Contribution to the Theory 

 of Attraction when the Force v.Tries as any Power of the Distance ; 

 Major P. A. MacMahon and H. B. C. Darling.— Electromagnetic 

 Integrals : Sir George Greenhill.— Intensity Relations in the Spertnim 

 of Helium : Dr. T. K. Merton and Prof. J. W. Nicholson.- The Out- 

 line of a Theory of Magnetic Storms : Dr. S. Chapm.an. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Folk Lore of Bells: Sir J. G. Frazer. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30. — The Freedom of the Sea : Sir F. T; 

 Piggott. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6. — Discussion: A British 

 Electrical Proving House. Opener, C. Turnbull. 



Optical Society (Imperial College of Science and Technology), at 7.— 



Note on Spherical Aberration : T. V. Baker and Major L. N. G. Filon. 



FRIDAY, May 10. 



Royal Institution, at 5.30.- Human Nutrition : Prof. F. Gowland 

 Hopkins. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Physical Society, at 5.— The Times of Sudden Commencement of Mag- 

 netic Storms: S. Chapman.— The Entropy of a Metal : H. S. Allen.— 

 Tracing Rays through an Optical System : T. Smith. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Our Heritage of Science . 161 



Refrigeration and Related Subjects. By A. G. G. 



Leonard . .162 



The Nervous Impulse. By W. B. Hardy, F.R.S. 163 



Our Bookshelf 164 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Pope Innocent VIII. and Witchcraft.— Rev. A. L. 



Cortie, S.J. ; Dr. E. Withington .... 164 

 The Centenaries of Gerhardt and Wurtz. By Sir 



T. E. Thorpe, C.B., F R.S 165 



Ice and Flower Exploration in High Asia. {Illus- 

 trated.) By Lt.-Col. L. A. Waddell 167 



The Sun and the Weather. By W, W. B 168 



Anti-vivisectionists and Protective Medicine in 



the Army •. ... 169 



Notes 170 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Minor Planets .... I74 



The Cepheid Variable SU Cassiopeioe I74 



New Double Stars . . I74 



Joiu-nal uf the Chaldean Society 174 



Recent Work in Mineralogy and Petrology. ]5y 



G. A. J. C 174 



The Bird Cult of Easter Island 175 



Scientific Activities of the Smithsonian Institution 176 



Physical Welfare and Public Libraries I77 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 178 



Societies and Academies I79 



Books Received 180 



Oiaryof Societies ... .180 



Editorial and Publishing Offices: 



MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., 



ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



Advertisements and business letters to 

 Publishers. 



addressed to the 



NO. 2531, VOL. lOl] 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : Phusis, London. 

 Teleph&ne Number: G'errard 8830. 



