278 



NATURE 



[December 6, 191 7 



Shap, Windermere, and Sedbergh. From their field 

 relations and petrographic characters the intrusions 

 are found to belong to one or the other of two well- 

 marked groups, a division which is regarded as con- 

 noting also an age-classification. The rocks of the 

 earlier set, characterised by the presence of large ortho- 

 clase-felspars of the granitic type, are intimately asso- 

 ciated with the granite, to the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of which they are practically confined. The rocks 

 range from quartz-felsites to lamprophyres. Of con- 

 siderable interest in this group is a series of hybrid 

 intrusions, consisting essentially of rocks of a more 

 or less basic magma enclosing xenocrysts of a more 

 acid (but allied) magma obtained by settlement under 

 intratelluric conditions. 



Royal Microscopical Society, November 21. — Mr. E. 

 Heron-Allen, president, in the chair.^E. Heron-Allen 

 and A. Earland : Variation in the arenaceous rhizopod, 

 Thurammitia papUlata, Brady. The paper was based 

 on a study of many thousands of specimens dredged 

 by the Scottish Fisheries cruiser Goldseeker in the 

 North Sea and North Atlantic. The authors regard 

 all hitherto recorded species of Thurammina and 

 Thuraminopsis as varieties of the original type, T. 

 papillata, Brady, and as having no biological signifi- 

 cance. For taxonomic reasons most of the specific 

 names are retained with varietal values, and certain 

 new varietal names are proposed for forms not pre- 

 viously separated or recorded. The life-history of the 

 genus is for the first time worked out. The paper was 

 illustrated by a number of lantern-slides prepared from 

 direct photographs. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, November 12. — M. Camille 

 Jordan in the chair. — E. L. Bouvier ; The classification 

 of the Parapotamonea, fresh-water crabs of the family 

 of Potamonidae. — Y, Delage : The utilisation of the 

 bathyrheometer for anemometry in cold regions. The 

 instrument, figured and described, has the advantages 

 of giving continuous records of the direction and in- 

 tensity of the wind, and of working in any climate 

 at any altitude.^ — M. Frechet : Prolongable functions. 

 • — V. Cremieu : New experimental researches on gravi- 

 tation. In an earlier note the question as to whether 

 the Newtonian attraction between two bodies is modi- 

 fied by the relative motion of these bodies was examined 

 experimentally, with negative results. A second series 

 of experiments is now described, in which the results 

 are also negative. The arrangement was such that 

 an alteration of i per cent, in the gravitational attrac- 

 tion between the two bodies could have been de- 

 tected.— M. Guilleminot : Quantitative determinations in 

 X-radiotherapy. Choice of the best radiation.— P. de 

 Sousa : The eruption of the Algarve coast (Portugal). — 

 M. Fauchere : Sericiculture at Madagascar. Races of 

 Sericaria mori introduced into Madagascar from 

 Europe, after a period of about two years, give six 

 generations a year instead of one. Contrary to the 

 views usually held, the cocoons produced are not found 

 to be inferior, either in quantity or quality, to the 

 cocoons produced by the original strain. Some pre- 

 cautions found useful in preventing the spread of 

 disease among the silkworms are described. — N. A. 

 Barbieri : The laminar optic nerve and ganglionic optic 

 nerve. — E. Rabaud : The paralysing instinct of stinging 

 Hymenoptera. — A. Lecaillon : The special characters 

 presented by accidental bivoltins (silkworrns) at 

 different stages of their development. Races of silk- 

 worms producing one generation per annum (univoltin) 

 give occasionally accidental bivoltins. In 1917 377 of 

 the latter type were produced by the author, and the 

 results of tiie comparison of these with the normal 

 type are given. 



NO. 2510, VOL. 100] 



November 19.— M. Paul Painlev^ in the chair. — G. 

 Humbert : The development of irrational quadratics in 

 continued fractions ot Stephen Smith. — P. Appell : The 

 experiments of M. Carriere on the movement in air ot 

 light spherical balls turning round an axis perpendicular 

 to the plane of trajectory. — M. Farlow was elected a 

 correspondant for the section of botany, in succession 

 to the late Julius Wiesner. — \V. H. Young : The series 

 of polynomials of Legendre. — P. Humbert : The reduc- 

 tion of the equation of the critical Jacobians. — H. 

 liuilleminot : A new fluorometric apparatus for the esti- 

 mation of the X-rays. The method proposed is photo- 

 metric; one-half ot a screen is illuminated by a small 

 barium platinocyanide screen receiving the X-rays, 

 the other half of the screen is lit by a standard electric 

 lamp, suitably screened with coloured glasses. — Mile. 

 E. Peytral : The pyrogenous decomposition of methyl 

 alcohol at high temperatures. The quantitative study 

 of the products of decomposition of methyl alcohol at 

 1150° C. in contact with platinum shows that formalde- 

 hyde and hydrogen are the primary products, the 

 aldehyde then giving carbon monoxide and hydrogen. — 

 P. Russo : The Djebel Tekzim (Djebilet, western 

 Morocco).— (The late) Mile. S. Coemme : A new method 

 of reproducing the valves of Ammonites.— C. Nicolesco : 

 The application of collodion prints to the reproduction 

 of the valves of Ammonites. — E. Patte : Rocks with 

 cup-shaped and pediform cavities in Greek Macedonia. 

 ■ — H. Arctowslii : Magnetic storms, faculae, and sun- 

 spots. — R. Soueges : Embryogeny of the Alismaceae. 

 Development of the proembryon in Sagittaria sagittae- 

 foUa. — M. Mirande : A new cyanogenetic plant, Iso- 

 pyrum fumarioides. — C. Matignon and Mile. G. 

 Marchal : The utilisation of the grape marc as fueL 

 The dried marc has a calorific value of 4700 calories 

 per gram. The phosphorus and potash can be re- 

 covered from the ash, and the fresh marc is more 

 readily air-dried than peat. — L. Roule : The relations 

 between the parentage of the salmon {Salnio salar) 

 and the European trout {Salmo trutta, Salmo fario).- — 

 J. Amar : The absolute resistance of the muscles after 

 atrophy or lesion of the nerves. — W. Kopaczewski : Re- 

 searches on the serum of Muraena helena. Molecular 

 equilibrium and toxic power of the serum.- — Em. 

 Bourquelot and M. Bridel : An attempt at the bio- 

 chemical svnthesis of the glucosides of the polyvalent 

 alcohols.— The ^-diglucoside of glycol.— N. Fiessinger 

 and R. Clogne : A new ferment of the leucocytes of 

 blood and pus : lipoidase. — Em. Thiercelin and C. 

 Cepede : Vaccinotherapy and pathological states pro- 

 duced by enterococci. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, October 3. — Dr. C. 

 Anderson : Azurite crystals from the Iodide Mine, 

 Mineral Hill, near Condobolin, N.S. Wales. Fine 

 crystals of azurite (basic oxide of copper) are found in 

 the Iodide Mine, near Condobolin, accompanied by 

 cerussite, cerargyrite, malachite, and cuprite. A total 

 of twenty-one forms, of which one is new, were iden- 

 tified on the crystals, and new elements have been 

 calculated for the mineral. — A. A. Hamilton : Notes on 

 topographical, ecological, and taxonomic ocean shore- 

 line vegetation of the Port Jackson District. It is 

 shown that the factor most injurious to plant-life in 

 this region is the on-shore wind, which compresses 



i the shrubs into a stunted horizontal growth and sets 

 up an unstable condition for the beach and dune plants 

 by eroding and transporting the loose sand. The latter 

 adopt various devices to secure a foothold in the mobile 

 soil, trailing, deep tan-rooting, forming a carpet, or 



: framing a network of underground stems. Two in- 

 digenous grasses, Spinifex hirsuttis and Festuca lit- 



I toralis, play an important part in the building and 



I upkeep of the exposed dune embankment, the Fescue 



