11^ 



NATURE 



[August 5, 1920 



Societies and Academies. 



Sydney. 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, June 2.— -Mr. 

 Jamt-s N angle, president, in the chair.— H. G. Smith 

 and A. R. Penfold : The manufacture of thymol, 

 menthone, and menthol from eucalyptus oils. Work 

 was undertaken in order to determine the molecular 

 structure of piperitone, the peppermint ketone of 

 eucalyptus oils. Piperitone is a menthenone with the 

 carbonyl group in the 3 position. When oxidised with 

 ferric chloride in the ordinary way 25 per cent, of 

 thymol was produced. By reducing piperitone with 

 hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst an 

 almost quantitative vield of menthone was obtained, 

 which on further reduction with sodium in aqueous 

 ether produced menthol. The abundance of piperitone 

 obtainable from Eucalyptus dives makes this ketone 

 probably the best source for the manufacture of 

 thvmol' and menthone.— R. H. Cambage : A new 

 species of Queensland ironbark. This new eucalyptus 

 comes frortT about 120 miles westerly from Cairns, in 

 tropical Queensland, and furnishes a good, redtimber. 

 It was found growing on granite formation in open 

 forest country, and resembles E. crehra in bark and 

 timber, but differs in the shape of buds and fruits, 

 which latter are hemispherical with exserted vaWes. 



Books Received. 



The Physical Chemistry of the Metals. By Prof. 

 R. Schenck. Translated and annotated by R. S. 

 Dean. Pp. yiii-|-239.' (New York: J. Wiley and 

 Sons, Inc. ; London : Chapman and Hall, Ltd.) 

 225. 6d, net. 



A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of 

 Great Britain. By Sidney and Beatrice Webb. Pp. 

 xviii+364. (London : Longmans, Green, and Co.) 

 125. 6d. net. 



Governors and the Governing of Prime Movers. 

 By Prof. W. Trinks. Pp. xviii-l-236. (London : Con- 

 stable and Co., Ltd.) 22s. 6d. net. 



The World Crisis : A Suggested Remedy. By Sir 

 G. Paish. Pp. 30. (London : Benn Bros., Ltd.) 6d. 



A Manual of the Timbers of the World : Their 

 Characteristics and Uses. By A. L. Howard. Pp. 

 xvi4-446. (London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 30s. 

 net. 



Dead Towns and Living Men : Being Pages from 

 an Antiquary's Notebook. By C. L. Woollev. Pp. 

 viii + 259. (London: Oxford University Press.) 

 125. 6d. net. 



Le Rythme Universel. Comme base d'une 

 Nouvelle Conception de I'Univers. By Prof. -Dr. C 

 Mereschkovskv. Pp. 48. (Geneve et Lvon : Georg & 

 Co.) 



Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Historical 

 Record, i898f-i920. Pp. viii-l-103 + plates. (Liver- 

 pool : LTniversity Press.) 



General Botany for Universities and Colleges. By 

 Prof. H. D. Densmore. Pp. .xii+459. (Boston and 

 London : Ginn and Co.) X2s. 6d. net. 



Internal-Combustion Engines : Their Principles 

 and Application to Automobile, Aircraft, and Marine 

 Purposes. By Lt.-Comdr. W. L. Lind. Pp. v-l-225. 

 (Boston and London : Ginn and Co.) 105. net. 



Types and Breeds of Farm Animals. By Prof. 

 C. S. Plumb. Revised edition. Pp. viii-l-82o. 

 (Boston and London : Ginn and Co.) 165. 6d. net. 



Geodesy : Including Astronomical Observations, 

 Gravity Measurements, and Method of Least Squares. 

 Bv Prof. G. L. Hosmer. Pp. xi + 368. (New York: 



NO. 2649, VOL. 105] 



J. Wiley and Sons, Inc.; London: Chapman and 

 Hall, Ltd.) 185. 6d. net. 



Prospecting for Oil and Gas. By L. S. Panyity. 

 Pp. xvii4-249. (New York; J. Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 

 London : Chapman and Hall, Ltd.) i8s, net. 



London County Council. Education Act, 1918. 

 Draft Scheme of the Local Education Authority. 

 Pp. 112. (London: L.C.C. Education Offices.) 



Free Will and Destiny. By St. G. Lane-Fox Pitt. 

 Pp. xix+ioo. (London : Constable and Co., Ltd.) 5s. 



The Victoria History of the Counties of England. 

 A History of the County of Surrey. Part i. Geology, 

 by G. W. Lamplugh ; Palaeontology, by R. Lydekker. 

 Pp- 34' 3-^- 6d. net. Part 2, Botany, edited by 

 W. H. Beeby. Pp. 35-70. 3s. 6d. net. Part 3, 

 Zoology. Pp. 71-226. I2S. 6d. net. Part 4, Early 

 Man, by G. Clinch. Pp. 227-54. 2s. 6d. net. 

 (London : Constable and Co., Ltd.) 



La R^publique Argentine : La Mise en Valeur 

 du Pays. By Dr. P. Denis. Pp. 303 + vii plates. 

 (Paris : A. Colin.) 14 francs. 



A Little Book about Snowdon. Bv H. V. Davis. 

 Pp. 30. (Crewe: The Author, "Noddfa," Wistaston.) 

 8d. 



Canada. Department of Mines. Mines Branch. 

 Graphite. By H. S. Spence. Pp. ix-l-202-l-plates. 

 (Ottawa.) 



Peetickav : An Essay towards the Abolition of 

 Spelling. By Dr. W. Perrett. Pp. 96. (Cambridge : 

 W. Heffer and Sons, Ltd.) 65. net. 



Atomic and Molecular Theory. Bv D. L. Ham- 

 mick. Pp. 82. (Winchester : P. and" G. Wells.) 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



University Grants 701 



Tanks and Scientific Warfare 702 



Physiology of Farm Animals . . 704 



Chemical Text-books. By C. S 705 



Our Bookshelf ... 707 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Relativity and Reality,— Prof. R. A. Sampson, 



F.R.S .708 



An Attempt to Detect the Fizeau Effect in an Electron 



Stream.— Prof. R. Whiddington 708 



Plant-life in Cheddar Caves.— Lough. Pendred . . 709 



The Diamagnetism of Hydrogen. — Dr. A. E. Oxley 709 

 Loss of Fragrance of Musk Plants.— Hon. Col. 



C.J. Bond, C.M.G 709 



Meteorological Conditions of an Ice-cap. — R. F. T. 



Granger 709 



The Research Department, Woolwich. I. {///us- 



trated.) By Sir Robert Robertson, K.B.E., F.R.S. 710 

 The Earliest Known Land Flora. II. By Prof. 



F. O. Bower, F.R.S 712 



Meteorological Influences of the Sun and the 



Atlantic. By Prof. J. W. Gregory, F.R.S. . . . 715 

 The Thermionic Valve, in Wireless Telegraphy 

 and Telephony. (Illustrated.) By Prof. J. A. 



Fleming, F.R.S , 716 



Obituary : — 



Prof. J. C. F. Guyon 721 



Notes » 721 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Hill Observatory, Sidmouth 726 



The Infra-red A^-c Spectra of Seven Elements . . . 726 



New Solar Radiation Station in Arizona 726 



Iron-depositing Bacteria. By Dr. David Ellis . . 727 



The Association of Technical Institutions .... 727 



The Asiatic Origin of Man. By W. B. Wright . , 728 



Long-range Forecasting in Java. By W. W. B. . 729 



Insects of Arctic Canada. By G. H. C. , . ... 730 



Earthquake Waves and the Elasticity of the Earth. 730 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 730 



Societies and Academies 732 



Books Received 73* 



