JUNE 9, 1898] 



NA TURE 



127 



rises and sets (see p. iii). Of the Katcina ceremonials 

 the most elaborate is that termed Powimu. Extensive 

 preparations are made before the dance, the old paint left 

 from previous occasions being scraped off the masks, which 

 are then carefully redecorated and ornamented with clus- 

 ters of feathers. The dancers also decorate themselves, 

 using iron oxide for painting their legs, knees and waists 

 a pale red. On the occasion Mr. Fewkes describes, 

 preliminary ceremonies took place at Walpi for a week 

 before the first ceremonial day of the Powdmu, in which 

 masked men from the neighbouring villages of Tewa and 

 Hano took patt. We have not space here to enter into 

 any detailed account of the elaborate ceremonials per- 

 formed on this and the succeeding days, including songs, 

 a kind of primitive drama, dances, ceremonial smoking, 

 flagellations, sprinkling of liquids, casting of meal and 

 pollen into liquids, the making of small dolls or images, 

 &c. Mr. Fesvkes has not attempted to e.xplain the 

 theoretical significance of the ceremonies, but has con- 

 tented himself with accurately describing them as they 

 were performed. We may note, however, that in his 

 subsequent paper on the snake-dance he throws out the 

 suggestion that these Katcina ceremonies are to be 

 traced to a totemic origin. 



Mr. Fewkes' paper contributed to the sixteenth 

 annual report is entitled " Tusayan Snake Cere- 

 monies," and is based on a comparative study of the 

 snake-dance, which is now known to be performed at 

 five Tusayan villages. At Walpi it is celebrated in its 

 most elaborate form, and lasts for twenty days, though 

 only on nine days do ceremonies actually take place. 

 Sixteen days before the snake-dance occurs it isformally 

 announced at sunrise, the chiefs of the village having 

 been engaged in ceremonial smoking during the previous 

 night. For the next seven days no ceremonies are per- 

 formed, but on the eighth day the assembly takes place, 

 and for nine days secret ceremonies continue, which 

 close at sunset on the ninth day with a dance, in which 

 snakes are carried in the mouths of the dancers ; the 

 four following days are days of purification. Mr. Fewkes 

 admits that the meaning of the snake-dance is obscure, 

 but inclines to the belief that the elaborate ritual is per- 

 formed for two main objects — the making of rain and 

 the growth of corn. He does not consider that the dance 

 is in any way connected with actual snake-worship. 



We have said enough to indicate the great interest of 

 these papers, not only to the student of Indian ritual, 

 but to anthropologists generally. If we may make one 

 criticism, it is that in places they would, perhaps, have 

 gained a little by compression. 



ON 



A NEW CONSTITUENT OF ATMO- 

 SPHERIC AIR} 



'T^HIS preliminary note is intended to give a very 

 -*■ brief account of experiments which have been 

 carried out during the past year to ascertain whether, 

 in addition to nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, there are 

 any gases in air which have escaped observation owing 

 to their being present in very minute quantity. In col- 

 laboration with Miss Emily .^ston we have found that 

 the nitride of magnesium, resulting from the absorption 

 of nitrogen from atmospheric air, on treatment with 

 water yields only a trace of gas ; that gas is hydrogen, 

 and arises from a small quantity of metallic magnesium 

 unconverted into nitride. That the ammonia produced 

 on treatment with water is pure has already been proved 

 by the fact that Lord Rayleigh found that the nitrogen 

 produced from it had the normal density. The magnesia, 

 resulting from the nitride, yields only a trace of soluble 

 matter to water, and that consists wholly of hydroxide 



Paper to be read before the Royal Society on June 9 by Prof. William 



and carbonate. So far, then, the results have been 

 negative. 



Recently, however, owing to the kindness of Dr. 

 Hampson, we have been furnished with about 750 cubic 

 centimetres of liquid air, and, on allowing all but 10 

 cubic centimetres to evaporate away slowly, and collect- 

 ing the gas from that small residue in a gas-holder, we 

 obtairied, after removal of oxygen with metallic copper 

 and nitrogen with a mixture of pure lime and magnesium 

 dust, followed by exposure to electric sparks in presence 

 of oxygen and caustic soda, 26*2 cubic centimetres of a 

 gas, showing the argon spectrum feebly, and, in addition, 

 a spectrum which has, we believe, not been seen before. 



We have not yet succeeded in disentangling the new 

 spectrum completely from the argon spectrum, but it is 

 characterised by two very brilliant lines, one almost 

 identical in position with D3, and almost rivalling it in 

 brilliancy. Measurements made with a grating of 14,438 

 lines to the inch, kindly placed at our disposal by Mr. 

 E. C. C. Baly, gave the following numbers, all four lines 

 being in the field at once : — 



Di 5895'o 



D2 5889-0 



D3 5875'9 



D4 5866 65 -r 1 7 to correct to vacuum. 



There is also a green line, comparable with the green 

 helium line in intensity, of wave-length 5566-3, and a 

 somewhat weaker green, the wave-length of which is 

 5557-3- 



In order to determine as far as possible which lines 

 belong to the argon spectrum, and which to the new gas, 

 both spectra were examined at the same time with the 

 grating, the first order being employed. The lines which 

 were absent, or very feeble, in argon, have been ascribed 

 to the new gas. Owing to their feeble intensity, the 

 measurements of the wave-lengths which follow must 

 not be credited with the same degree of accuracy as the 

 three already given, but the first three digits may be 

 taken as substantially correct : — 



Violet 4317 Blue 4834 



4387 M 4909 



4461 Green 5557*3 



4671 „ 5566-3 



Blue 4736 Yellow 5829 



4807 „ 58665 



,, 4830 Orange 601 1 



Mr. Baly has kindly undertaken to make a study of 

 the spectrum, which will be published when complete. 

 The figures already given, however, suflfice to characterise 

 the gas as a new one. 



The approximate density of the gas was determined 

 by weighing it in a bulb of 32-321 cubic centimetres 

 capacity, under a pressure of 521-85 millimetres, and at 

 a temperature of 15 '95°. The weight of this quantity 

 was 0-04213 gram. This implies a density of 22-47, that 

 of oxygen being taken as 16. A second determination, 

 after sparking for four hours with oxygen in presence of 

 soda, was made in the same bulb ; the pressure was 

 523-7 millimetres, and the temperature was 16-45°. The 

 weight was 0-04228 gram, which implies the density 

 22-51. 



The wave-length of sound was determined in the gas 

 by the method described in the " Argon " paper. The 

 data are : — 



Wave length in air 



gas ... 



Calculating by the formula 



A\ir X density air : A.Vs ^ density g 

 {34-33)-x 14-479 : (30)- X 22-47 



34-17 34-30 34-57 

 29-87 30-13 



7air : Yuas 



I 408 : I -666, 



NO. 1493, VOL. 58] 



it is seen that, like argon and helium, the new gas is 

 monatomic and therefore an element. 



