240 



NATURE 



[November 22, 1917 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, November 5.— M. Camille Jor- 

 dan in the chair. — ^H. Douville : The lower Eocene of 

 Aquitaine and its fauna of Nummulites. — E. L. 

 Bouvier : The classification of the Eupotamonea, fresh- 

 water crabs of the family of Potamonidae.— G. 

 Lemoine : Free agricultural education. An account of 

 the institutions giving free agricultural teaching in 

 France, most of which are due to private initiative. — 

 W. de Tannenberg : A functional equation and spherical 

 uTiicursal curves. — E. Camichel, D. Eydoux, and M. 

 Uariel : The strokes of an hydraulic ram : calculation 

 of the pressures at any point in the pipe.— A. 

 Veronnet : The absorption of water on the moon and 

 planets. If the constitution of the moon is analogous 

 with that of the earth, it is both possible and probable 

 that the rocks of the moon's crust have absorbed all 

 the water by slow diffusion. — P. Mercanton : The mag- 

 netic state of the Greenland basalts. Under certain 

 conditions, the magnetometric examination of a speci- 

 men of lava containing magnetite, the geographical 

 orientation of the specimen having been carefully de- 

 termined, may indicate the direction of the terrestrial 

 field at the time of cooling of the lava. But the cases 

 in which the theoretical conditions are perfectly ful- 

 filled are rare, and much discrimination is required. 

 Some basalts from Disco (West Greenland), like cer- 

 tain diabases from Isfjord, in Spitsbergen, possess a 

 magnetisation in the sense opposed to the magnetic 

 field existing to-day. — P. Mahler : The amount of 

 nitrogen in oxidised coals. Samples of Decazeville 

 coal, from the Combes outcrop, show varying states 

 of oxidation, the calorific values ranging between 8000 

 and 5200 calories. Analyses of eight specimens are 

 given ; the nitrogen content is not much altered bv 

 the oxidation.— E. Maury : The present conditions and 

 remote origin of the Triassic lignites of the Maritime 

 Alps.— J. Deprat : The presence of the Permian at 

 Hongay, and the structure of the edge of the Rhsetian 

 of the Tonkin coasf in the bays of Along and Fai-tsi- 

 long. — M. Mirande : The metachromatine and the chon- 

 driome of Chara. — L. Roule : The habitat of the tunny- 

 fish {Orcynus thynnus) and its coast disolacements in 

 the western French Mediterranean.^ — F. Mesnil and M. 

 Caullery : A new t3'pe of evolutive dimorphism in a 

 polychetal Annelid, Spio martinensis. — M. Marage : 

 The form of intralaryngeal vibrating air. — J. Wolff 

 and B. Geslin : The diastatic degradation of inulin in 

 chicorv root. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Organic Evolution. By Prof. R. S. Lull. Pp. 

 xviii + 729. (New York: The Macmillan Co.; Lon- 

 don : Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 3 dollars. 



Volcanic Studies in Many Lands, being Reproduc- 

 tions of Photographs taken' by the Author, Dr. Tem- 

 pest Anderson, the Text by Prof. T. G. Bonnev. 

 Second series. Pp. xv + 88. (London: J. Murrav.) 

 15s. net. 



On the Eves of the World. By R. Farrer. In 

 two vols. Vol. i., pp. xii + 311 + illustrations and map. 

 Vol. ii., pp. viii + 328 + illustrations and map. (Lon- 

 don : E. Arnold.) 305. net. 



The Conduction of the Nervous Impulse. By Dr. 

 K. Lucas. Revised by E. D. Adrian. Pp. xi-fio2. 

 (London : Longmans and Co.) 55. net. 



Lloyd's Diagram for Calculations. By H. G. Lloyd. 

 (London : E. and F. N. Spon, Ltd.) 25. 6d. 



The Yearbook of the Universities of the Empire, 

 1916 and iqi7. Pp. xiii + 412. (London: H. Jenkins, 

 Ltd.) 75. 6d. net. 



Origenes y Tendencias de la Eugenia Moderna. By 

 J. Bonilla. Pp. 96, (Liverpool : Daily Post.) 35. 6d. 



Cotton and other Vegetable Fibres : Their Produc- 

 tion and Utilisation. By Dr. E. Goulding. Pp. x + 

 231. (London : J. Murray.) 65. net. 



The Anatomy of Woody Plants. By E. C. Jeffrey. 

 Pp. x + 478. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 

 London : Cambridge University Press.) 4 dollars net. 



The Cambridge University Calendar for the Year 

 1917-18. Pp. xxvi+1065. (Cambridge: At the Uni- 

 versity Press.) 85. net. 



Originality : A Popular Study of the Creative Mind. 

 By T. Sharnol. Pp. xvi + 304. (London: T. Werner 

 Laurie, Ltd.) 155. net. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, November 22. 

 RoYAi, Society, at 4. — Special General Meeting to receive the Annual 

 Report of the Council. — At 4.^0. — Bactericidal Properties conferred on 

 the Blood by Intravenous Injections of Diamino-acridine-sulphate : C. H. 

 Browning and R. Sulbransen. — The Pelmatoporinae, an Essay on the 

 Evolution of a Group of Cretaceous Polyzoa. : W. D. Lang. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6. — Gas-firing Boilers : T. M. 

 Hunter. 



FRIDAY, November 23. 

 Physical Society, at ■;. — Some Problems of Stability of Atoms and Mole- 

 cules : Prof. J. W. Nicholson. — Uses of Certain Methods of Classification 

 in Optics : T. H. Blakesley. 



MONDAY, November 26. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30. — The Geography of the Italian 



Front : Dr. Filippo De Filippi. 

 Royal Society "f Arts, at 4.30. — Land Settlement within the Empire: 

 Sir John McCall. 



WEDNESDAY, November a8. 

 Royal Society ok Arts, at 4.30. — Aerial Transport after the War: 

 G. Holt Thomas. 



FRIDAY, November 30. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 6. — "Thomas Hawksley" 

 Lecture ; Heat Engines : Captain H. Riall Sankey. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Class-books on Elementary Chemistry. ByC. A. K. 221 



American Gunnery 221 



Isaac Barrow. By G. B. M 222 



Our Bookshelf 223 



Letters to the Editor:— 



On the Theory of Magneto-ionisation. — Prof. 

 Augusto Righi, For.Mem.R.S. ; The Writer 



of the Note . ...... 224 



The Introduction of the Word " Magneton."— Dr. 



George F. Stradling 224 



An Optical Phenomenon.— J. W. Giltay . 225 



The Nickel Industry. By Prof. H. C. H. Carpenter 225 



Studies in Infant and Child Mortality. By R. T. H. 226 



Baron Dairoku Kikuchi. By Dr. C. G. Knott ... 227 



Notes 228 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Orbits of Comets . . 232 



The Iron Arc as a Source of Standard Wave-lengths . 232 



Cape Observatory Report 232 



The Classification of the Brittle-stars. By F. A. B. 233 



Atmospheric Pollution. By J. B. C 233 



Meteorological Persistence. By W. W. B .234 



The Shortage of the Supply of Non-phosphoric 

 Iron Ore. {With Diagrams.) By Prof. W. G. 



Fearnsides 234 



University and Educational. Intelligence .... 238 



Societies and Academies 239 



Books Received 240 



Diary of Societies 240 



Editonal and Publishing Offices : 



MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., 



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



Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : Phusis, London. 

 Telephone Number : Gerrard 8830. 



NO. 2508, VOL. 100] 



