December 4, 1919] 



NATURE 



?>^7 



Manchkster. 



Literary and Philosophical Society, November 4. — 

 Prof. F. E. Weiss in tlie cliair.— Prof. W. H. Lang: 

 One of the simplest land-plants, Hornea Lignieri. The 

 further results obtained by Dr. R. Kidston and Prof. 

 \V. II. Lang in the study of the silicified Old Red 

 Sandstone plants at Rhynie were described Two 

 species of Rhynia are now distinguished, R. Gwynne- 

 Vaughani and R. major. The latter is the larger in 

 all its parts, and differs in some details of anatomy. 

 These plants are rootless and leafless, and consist 

 of a subterranean rhizome with rhizoids, dichotomously 

 branched cylindrical aerial stems, and large terminal 

 sporangia. .Another equally simple plant, associated 

 with these in the family Rhyniaceae, has been dis- 

 covered and investigated. This, Hornea Lignieri, con- 

 sisted of rhizomes, branched stems, and terminal 

 sporangia, without roots or leaves. The rhizomes 

 were lobed parenchymatous structures, suggesting 

 comparison with the protocorm of certain species o'f 

 Lycopodium. The stems branched dichotomously, and 

 had a simple central cylinder, cortex, and epidermis. 

 No stomata have yet been discovered in this plant, as 

 thev have in Rhynia, but its organisation suggests a 

 similar land-habit. The sporangia are remarkable in 

 the presence of a columella-like central region, making 

 the spore cavity dome-shaped. These simple vascular 

 Cryptogams suggest comparisons with Brvophvta and 

 Algae. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, November 10.— M. L^on 

 Guignard in the chair. — M. Hamy : A case of diffrac- 

 tion of images of circular stars. — H. Douvilld : The 

 geology of Mont Blanc. —.A. Blondel : A solution of 

 heterochromatic photometry permitting of a physical 

 measurement of the luminous intensity. The instru- 

 ment proposed is based on the inversion of a spectro- 

 graph, the slit being replaced by a thermocouple. — 

 L, Cuenot : The coaptation of the anterior femurs and 

 of the head in the Phasmida. — E. Bompiani : Surfaces 

 of translation and minimum surfaces in curved space. 

 — B. Baillaud : Return of the Finlay comet; re-found 

 by M. Schaumasse; compared by M. Fayet with the 

 recent Sasaki comet. The comet discovered on 

 October 25 by Sasaki is considered by M. Favet, 

 director of the Nice Observatory, as identical with'the 

 periodic Finlay comet recently found by Schaumasse. 

 — .\. Vironnet : Time and temperature of formation 

 of a star. The author concludes that the sun originally 

 could not have had a temperature more than three 

 times its present temperature, or a radius more than 

 double the present one. Even in this case the time 

 of formation would have to be less than a million 

 years. The physical conditions have never been greatly 

 different from the existing ones. — M. Girousse : The 

 calculation of the current thrown into the ground 

 by the rails of electric tramways. — H. Colin and Mile. 

 A. Chaudin : The diastatic inversion of saccharose : 

 influence of the products of the reaction on the velocity 

 of hydrolysis. In all the ca.ses studied the velocity of 

 hydrolysis is a linear function of the fluidity of the 

 solutions. The reduced velocity of hydrolysis of sugar 

 by sucrase caused by the presence of laevulose or glucose 

 must be attributed to the purely ph\'sical effect of 

 increased viscosity.- — L. Chelle : The detection of hydro- 

 cyanic acid in a case of poisoning. Its posl-niortcm 

 transformation into thiocvanic acid. It is well recog- 

 nised that hydrocyanic acid apparently disappears from 

 the body at a certain period after death. It is now 

 shown that this acid is not destroyed or transformed 

 in an irreversible manner, but takes up sulphur and 

 is converted into thiocyanic acid. The latter resists 

 the action of putrefaction, and can be extracted from 

 the tissues and reconverted bv oxidation into hvdro- 

 NO. 2614, VOL. 104] 



cyanic acid. — R. Levaillant ;.nd L. J. Simon: The 

 action of methyl alcohol on sulphurvl chloride and on 

 methyl chlorosulphonate. — J. Barthoux : Relation of 

 volcanic eruptions and marine transgressions in Egvpt. 

 —A. Briquet . The age of the old littoral lines of 'the 

 Bas-Champs of Picardy. — G. Mouret : The prolonga- 

 tion to the north-west of the zone of crushed rocks 

 recognised between Asprieres (Aveyron) and Fromental 

 (Haute-Vienne). — Ph. (ilangeaud :' The plateau of 

 Millevaches, its cycles of erosion, its ancient glaciers 

 and peat-bogs.— J. de Lapparent : The conglomerates 

 of the valley of la Bruche and the character of the 

 breccias of sedimentary origin. — P. Garrigou-Lagrange : 

 The kinematography of atmospheric movements and 

 weather prediction. ~C. E. Brazier : Relations of wind 

 with gradient in the lower layers of the atmosphere. — 

 \. Goris and Ch. Vigchniac : Characters and composi- 

 tion of primeverose. The new sugar was isolated 

 from two glucosides extracted from Primula officinalis. 

 Its physical and chemical properties are given. 

 Glucose and xylose are the products of hvdrolvsis, 

 and primeverose is the first known biose of this com- 

 position. — G. Tanret : The mielUe of the poplar. 

 Melezitose has been isolated from the sugary deposit 

 (miellie) found in waim seasons on the upper faces 

 of the leaves of certain species. — J. Amar : Mechanism 

 of the cough in respiratory diseases. — J. Nageotte : 

 The formation of conjunctive fibres in a non-living 

 medium at the expense of dead protoplasm. — MM. 

 G. Bertrand, Brocq-Rousseu, and Dassonville : Destruc- 

 tion of Sitotroga ceralella by chloropicrin. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death. 

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South : The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 

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Identification of the Economic Woods of the United 

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The Theory and Practice of Working Plans (Forest 

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Spiritual Pluralism and Recent Philosophy. By 

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The Principles of Electrical Engineering and their 

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Asbestos and the Asbestos Industry : The World's 

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Meteorology for .Ml : Being Some Weather 

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Psychology and the Day's Work : A Study in the 



