442 



NATURE 



[JUME 3, 1920 



phagocytosis, (e) Origin of sponges. Archaeocytes 

 may have been differentiated into external excretory 

 cells and internal reproductive cells ; the former en- 

 gulfed cercids, but only to pass them on to the latter. 

 By abbreviation of this process the excretory cells may 

 have become self-perforating porocytes, which were 

 then adapted to supply water to flagellate cells in the 

 centre of a Protospongia-like colony, thus converting it 

 into an elementary Olynthus. 



Royal Meteorological Society, May 19. — Mr. R. H. 

 Hooker, president, in the chair. — Dr. Griffith Taylor : 

 Agricultural climatology of Australia. The author, 

 after indicating briefly the diversity of climates in 

 Australia, pointed out the extreme importance of the 

 rainfall, more so than in most other countries, as the 

 controlling factor in the settlement of the country; 

 also that the season at which rain falls and the 

 certainty of its occurrence (its " reliability ") were as 

 important as the total amount. The greater propor- 

 tion of the wheat-lands lay in regions receiving less 

 than 20 in. of rain per annum, while the crop can 

 be grown with as little as 7 in. if it falls at the right 

 time. Sugar-cane is confined to the eastern coast, 

 where the rainfall exceeds 40 in. and the temperature 

 68° F. The hay crop is also important, and in dry 

 seasons when the grain fails includes a large bulk of 

 cereals. Ninety per cent, of the sheep are in the 

 south-eastern third of the continent; a rainfall of 

 at least 10 in. and a temperature below 77° are required 

 for them. Cattle are reared more in the north-east. 

 The great variability of the rainfall frequency results 

 in serious droughts and consequent failure of the 

 cereal crops and reduction of flocks and herds ; but it 

 is hoped that these recurrent losses will become less 

 serious in time with the progress of irrigation, though 

 Dr. Taylor is not sanguine that irrigation will open 

 up to settlement the enormous areas that seem to be 

 anticipated by some writers. — J. E. Clark and H. B. 

 Adames : Report on the phenological observations for 

 the year 1919. The dominant factors in 1919 were 

 the excessive wetness until April and drought in May 

 and early June, lasting or reappearing until October 

 or later. The abnormally warm December of 1918 was 

 followed by four months universally cold, closing with 

 heavv snow in the last week of April. Then hot summer 

 weather in May and early June preceded a detrimental 

 six weeks or more of abnormal cold. Cold recurred 

 after August, culminating in a November deficiency 

 beyond most records. In consequence, summer- 

 growing garden crops (such as celery and cauliflower) 

 were poor and most field crops short, though fairly 

 good, especially potatoes. Of tree-fruits only plums 

 and apples crooped heavily, the latter ripening and 

 colouring to a degree rarely known, and excelled only 

 by the wonderful autumn tints — both, no doubt, due 

 to the drv and sunny autumn. As to the tables, the 

 four earliest flowers were nine days late, but the 

 effect of May was to make the last four decidedly 

 early. The early migrants were late, especially the 

 nightingale. The 1919 isophenes were seven days 

 further south than in 19 18. The number of observers 

 has been further reduced from war effects, barely 

 exceeding 100, but 1920 prospects are such that at 

 least a 100 per cent, increase is probable. The areas 

 worst represented are Wales. . th'^ south-west of 

 Ireland, and the north-west of Scotland. Observers 

 from these parts will be most welcome. 

 Manchester. 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, April 20. — Sir 

 Henrv A. Miers, president, in the chair. — W. J. Perry : 

 The origin of warlike States. In previous papers the 

 author has put forward the theory that, speaking 

 generally, warlike States are those with an hereditary 



NO. 2640, VOL. 105] 



military aristocracy. In an examination of the ruling 

 groups of the chief historical peoples, Teutonic,Turko- 

 Tartar, Semitic, the facts suggest their beginning as 

 small . groups claiming divine descent. These groups 

 seem to be of "matriarchal" origin, and the chief 

 religious feature was the cult of the Great Mother. 

 Just after the new groups of rulers had been formed, 

 the institutions became patrilineal, and the Great 

 Mother was replaced by gods. Study of the practice 

 of heraldry verifies the author's theory. This law of 

 "dynastic continuity," if true, leads to the conclusion 

 that all ruling classes in the world are derived from 

 one original group ; and this result harmonises with 

 Prof. Elliot Smith's claim that all civilisation origi- 

 nated in the /Egypto-Sumerian region. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, May 10. — M. Henri Deslandres 

 in the chair.^C. Guichard : Networks and congruences 

 conjugated with respect to a linear complex. — Prof. 

 W. H. Perkin was elected a correspondant {or the 

 section of chemistry in succession to M. Ciamician, 

 elected foreign associate. — P. Boutroux : A family of 

 multiform functions defined by differential equations 

 of the first order. — M. Janet : Systems of equations 

 of derived partials. — G. Cerf : The analysis of anti- 

 symmetrical tensors and the symbolic forms of dif- 

 ferentials. — C. Camichel : Application of the principle 

 of images to water-vessels. ^ — Th. De Donder and 

 H. Vanderlinden : New fundamental equations in 

 generalised co-ordinates. — J. Carvallo : A new universal 

 method of measuring and compensating instrumental 

 astigmatism. — A. Kling and A. 'Lassieur : The separa- 

 tion of tin and antimony. The estimation of tin by 

 cupferron. The antimony is separated as sulphide in 

 hydrofluoric acid solution, boric acid added to the 

 filtrate to convert the hydrofluoric acid into fluoboric 

 acid, and the tin precipitated by cupferron. — F. 

 Bourion and Ch. Courtois : A method of modified en- 

 richment in the analysis of commercial chlorobenzenes. 

 Some refinements on a method described in an earlier 

 communication. — G. Tanret : Pelletierine and rnethyl- 

 pelletierine. Hess and Eichel were unable to isolate 

 the optically active alkaloid pelletierine, and could 

 only obtain the inactive, isomer isopelletierine ; hence 

 thev propose that the name wopelletierine should be 

 dropped. In the present paper experimental confirma- 

 tion of the work of Ch. Tanret on the optically active 

 alkaloid is given. — A. Mailhe : A new preparation of 

 amines by catalvsis. The hydrazines obtained from 

 acetaldehvde, isobutyraldehyde, and from valeraldehvxie 

 heated with hydrogen in presence of nickel give mix- 

 tures of orimarv, secondary, and tertiary amines.— 

 A. Gu6bhard : The planet Mars and " igneous sedi- 

 mentation."— R. Sou^ges: The embryogeny of the 

 Solanaceae. Development of the embryo in Nicotiana. 

 Nine diagrams are given showing the principal steps 

 in the development of the embryo. The statement of 

 Hanstein, that the embryo o'f Nicotiana develops 

 according to laws comparable with those observed in 

 Capsella, is shown to be inexact— A. Chevalier : 

 Researches on the Amvgdalaceae and the apple-trees 

 of the cooler parts of Indo-China and of the south 

 of China.— A." Piedallu, P. Malvezin, and L. Grand- 

 champ : The treatment of the blue casse of wines. 

 Oxvgen gas in verv minute bubbles, produced by 

 forcing the gas under pressure through the walls of 

 a porous porcelain filter, can rapidly coqvert the 

 ferrous salts into ferric salts. The wines clarif\' 

 readilv, and are reduced to a normal state.— L.Bertin : 

 Remarks on the buccal and feeding apparatus in some 

 Coleoptera.— P. Courmont and A. Rochaix : The action 

 of the microbial flora of sewage effluents purified by 

 the activated-sludge method on carbohydrates. 



