652 



NATURE 



[February 12, 1920 



Institution of Electrical Engineers (at Institution of Civil F2ngineers), 

 at 6.— Major K. Edgcumbe : The Protection of Alternating-current 

 Distribution Systems without the Use of Special Conductors. 



Oil and Coi.'>uk Chemists' Association (at 2 Furnival Street), at 7.-^ 

 Dr. R. S. Morrell : Colloid Cheniistrv of Paints and Varnishes, 



Optical Society, at 7.30 —J. W. French ; The Surface Layer of an 

 Optica! Polishing Too!.— Mrs. C. H. Griffiths : Aberrati in Effects in Star 

 Imaees.— R. W. Cheshire and W. Shackleton : The Testing of Heliograph 

 Mirrors. 



Institution of Automobile ENfiiNKHRS (Graduate Section) (at 28 

 Victoria >treet), at 8. — F. R. Cowell : Steering Gears. 



RovAL Society of Medicine (Neurology Section), at 8. 30. — Dr. Rows: 

 Anxiety States. 



Society of Antiquaries, at 8. 30. 



FRIDAY^ February 13. 

 l^oYAL Astronomical Society, at 5. 

 Physical S^cietv, at 5. — Prof. C. H. Lees: Presidential Address. — Sir 



Arthur S liuster : Atmospheric Refraction during Total Solar Eclipses. — 



To be followtd by the Annual General ^!eeting. 

 Royal Coll' ge of Surgeons, at 5 — Prof. W, G. Spencer : The Historical 



Reintionship between Experiments on Animals and the Development of 



Surgery (Hunterian Ltcture). 

 Mai.acological Society ok London (at the Linnean Society), at 6. 

 Junior Institution of Engineers (at 39 Victoria Street), at 7.30. — 



F. E. Hcnman : Gas Manufacture. 

 Royal Institution of Great Rpitain, at g. — Prof. W. M. Bayliss : 



The Volume of the Blood and its Significance. 



SATURDAY, Febkuarv 14. 

 KovAL Institution of Great Britain, at 3,— Sir F. W. Dyson : 

 The Astronomical Evidence bearing on Einstein's Theory of Gravitation. 

 III. Deflection of Light in the Sun's Gravitational Field. 



MONDAY, February 16. 

 KovAL College ofSukheons, at 5.— Prof.W, G. Spencer:The Historical 



t^elaiionship between Experiments on Animals and the Development of 



Surgery (Hunterian Lecture). 

 Institution of Electrical ENGiNEKRs(Informal Meeting)(at Chartered 



Institute of Patent Agents), at 7. — A. B. Eason : Automatic Telephony 



for Private Branch Exchanges. 

 Aristotelian Socety (at 74 Grosvenor Street, \V. i), at 8.— A. F. 



Shard : Impulse, Emotion, and Instinct. 

 Royal Institute of T.ritish Architects, at 8.— P. Waterhouse: 



Education of the Architect. 

 R()Yal Society of Arts, at S. — C. F. Cross : Recent Research in the 



Cellulose Industry (Cantor Lecture). 

 Surveyors' Institution, at 8. — (iapt. W. H. Tapp : Survey on the 



Western Front. 

 Royal Geographical Society (at .^2olian Hall), at 8.3a. — H.E. the 



Spanish Ambassador : Tlie Spanish Zones in Morocco. 

 Medical Society of London, at g. — Dr. H R. Spencer: Tumours 



romplirating Pregnancy, Labour, and the Puerperium (Lettsomian 



Lecture). 



TUESDAY, FKn^uARV ,7- 

 Royal Institution ofGreat Britain, at 3. — Prof. E. Wilson: Magnetic 



Su-ceptibility 

 Royal Statistical *^ocikty, at 5.15. — Prof. E. H. Starling: Food Con- 



ditinns in Germany during the War. 

 Insi rruT'oN of Petroleim Technologists (at Roxal Society of Arts), 



at 5.30. — Dr. W. R Ormandy : Recent Patents on Mixed Kueis. 

 Royal Photographic Society op Gkeat Britain (Technical Meeting, 



at 7. — N. E. luboshez : Fancy Lighting in Portraiture. 

 Rr»vAL Anthkov"i.oc;icai. Insti tutr, at 8.15. — ] . Reid Moir : The 



Occurrence of Flint Implements of Msn in the Glacial Chalkv Boulder 



Clay of Suffolk. 



WEDNESDAY, Febhuarv 18. 

 Royal United Service Institution, at 3.— Lt.-Col. A. H. W. Haywood : 



The Canipiign in the Cameroons. 

 RovAL So iKTY OF Arts, at 4.30.— S. Pfcston : English Canals and 



Inland Waterways. 

 Royal Coli.egk of Surgeons, at 5.— Prof. W. G. Spencer : The Historical 



Relationship between Experiments on AntmaU and the Development of 



Surgery (Hunterian Leciure). 

 Royal Meteorological Socikty. at 5. — Capt. C. T- P. Cave: The 



Status of a Meteorological Office and ils R-lation to the Sta'e and to the 



Public. — VV. H. nines : Atmospheric and Terrestrial Radiation. — 



D. Brunt : Internal Friction in the Atin .sphere. 

 Royal Society of Mfdicinj- (History of Medicine Section), at 5.— 



Dr. «. C. Buist : The Salernitan Verses and their Engli h Versions. 

 Institution OF Electrical Engineers (Wireless Section) (at Institution 



uf Civil Engineers), at 6.— Major C. E. Prince: Wireless Telephony on 



Aeroplanes. 

 Royal Aeronautical Society (at Royal Society of Arts), at 8. — Major 



P Bishop : Aircraft Design ;n relation to Standardisation. 

 Royal Microscopical Soci -TV, at 8.— Mrs. A^nes Arber: Studies on 



the Hiniicleate Phase in the Plant cell — R. Beer and Mrs. Agnes Arber : 



Mullinuclea'e Cells: An Historical Study (i87Q-i9ig).— C. Akehurst : 



Exhinition of Prof. Silverman's Illuminator for Opaque Objects. 



THURSDAY, February 19. 



Royal Institution of Great Britain, at 3.— A. H. Smith: Illustra- 

 tions of Ancient Greek and Ivoman Life in the Hritish Museum. 



Uoval Society, at a,.-yi.~ Probable Papers : Pnif. B. M.>ore and T. A. 

 Webster: Studie^: of Photo-^ynthe^i-i in Fresh-water Algx. — Prof.W. M. 

 Bayli'^s: The Properties of Colloidal Systems. IV. Reversible Gelation 

 in Living Protoplasm.— Rrv. F. J. Wyeth : The Development of the 

 Audito-y Apparatus in Sphenodon punctatus. 



Lin->kan Society, at 5. 



Institution of Mimng and Metallurgy (at Geological Society), 

 at 5. 30. —T B. Stevens and C. E. Blackett : The Use of Haloid Cyanides 

 for the Purpose of Gold Extraction. 



Chemical Society, at S.— S. B. Schryver and C. C. Wood : A New 

 Method for the Estimation of Methyl Alcohol.— C. S. Gibson and W. (. 

 Pope : ^^-'Dichlorethyl Sulphide. - W. K. Slater and H. Ste- hen : Some 

 Derivatives of Fisetol.—M. F. barker : Calorific Value and Constitution. 

 Part L— J. B. Firth : Surface 1 cnsion of Alcohol-Water Mixtures. 



FRIDAY, February 20. 



Geological Society of London, at 3.— (Anniversary Meeting.) 

 Royal CoLLEtiE of Surgeons, at 5.— Prof. G. Elliot Smith: The 



Evolution of the Cerebellum (Arris and Gale Lecture). 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Annual General Meeting), 



at 6.— E. M. Bergstro 11 : Recsnt Advances in the Utilisation of Water 



Power (Resumed Discussion). 

 Concrete Institute (at 296 Vauxhali Bridee Road), at 6.— H. K. 



Dyson : Some Points in Reinforced Concrete Design. 

 Institution of Elfctricai. Engineers (Students' Meeting) (at Faraday 



House), at 7. — A. Serner and Others : Discussion on State Ownership zk 



Private iLnterprise. 

 Royal Institution of Great Britain, at 9.— Dr. E. J. Russell : 



British Crop Production. 



SATURDAY, February 21. 

 Royal Institution of Great Britain, at 3.— Sir J. J. Thomson; 



Positive Rays. 

 Physiological Society (at Lister Institute), at 4. 



j contents. page 



I Asset and Obligation 621 



I Industrial Chemistry 622 



' The Origin of Plant-life on Land. By F. O. B. . . 624 



Normal and Morbid Psychology . . ... 624 

 Aspects of Modern Science. By Prof. F. Soddy, 



F.R.S 625 



Our Bookshelf .... 626 



i Letters to the Editor: — 



i Euclid, Newton, and Einstein. (With Diigram.) — 



W. G 627 



Thermionic Valves on Aircraft. —Prof. R. Whid- 



\ dingt >n ...... . 630 



1 Popular Science.— "Victorian " 630 



' Mirage Effeds. — Spencer Pickering, F.R.S. ; 



i L. N. Norris-Rogers ; Harry HiUman . . 630 

 The Theory of Relativity. By Dr. A. C. D. 



j Crommelin 631 



I The Flight from Cairo to the Cape. By Sir H. H. 

 ' Johnston, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., and Piof. J. W. 



Gregory, F.R.S ... .632 



! The Development of Spitsbergen. (Illtistiated.) 



By G. W. T 635 



The League of Universities . . . • 637 



Notes ... 637 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Large Fireball on Febru.iry 4 642 



Relative Masses of Binary .Stars ■ • . . . 643 



Long-period Variables . . 643 



j Australian Signposts. {Illustrated.) By Sidney H. 



Ray 643 



Human Metabolism. By M. G. . 644 



Isostatic Compensation in the Earth's Crust . . . 645 



Defensive Science in Gas Warfare 646 



Visual Tests for Motor-drivers . 646 



Inertness ol Industrial Explosives 647 



Flow of Water through a Pipe 647 



Applications of Ampliflying Electric Valves . . . . 647 



The Future of Tr. pical Australia 648 



Plant-lice in the Tropics 648 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 648 



Societies and Academies 649 



Books Received 651 



Diary of Societies 651 



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NO. 2624, VOL. 104] 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : Phusis, Londok 

 Telephone Number : GERR.^RD 8830. 



