384 



NATURE 



[August i8, 1898 



forming an exception to the other chemical elements. I venture 

 to suggest that these elements, helium, argon, and krypton in 

 this scheme naturally fall into their places as they stand on 

 the neutral line. Helium, with an atomic weight of 4, fits into 

 the neutral position between hydrogen and lithium. Argon, 

 with an atomic weight of about 40, as naturally falls into the 

 neutral position between chlorine and potassium. While krypton, 

 with an atomic weight of about 80, will find a place between 

 bromine and rubidium. 



See how well the analogous elements follow one another in 

 order : C, Ti, and Zr ; N and V ; Gl, Ca, Sr, and Ba ; Li, K, 

 Rb, and Cs ; CI, Br, and I ; S, Se, and Te ; Mg, Zn, Cd, and 

 Hg ; P, As, Sb, and Bi ; Al, Ga, In, and Tl. The symmetry 

 of these series shows that we are on the right track. It also 

 shows how many missing elements are waiting for discovery, and 

 it would not now be impossible to emulate the brilliant feat of 

 Mendeleef in the celebrated cases of Eka-silicon and Eka- 

 aluminium. Along the neutral line alone are places for many 

 more bodies, which will probably increase in density and atomic 

 weight until we come to inert bodies in the solid form. 



Three groups are seen under one another, each consisting of 

 closely allied elements which Prof. Mendeleef has relegated to 

 his eighth family. They congregate round the atomic weight 

 57, manganese, iron, nickel and cobalt ; round the atomic 

 weight 103, ruthenium, rhodium and palladium ; while lower 

 down round atomic weight 195 are congregated osmium, iridium 

 and platinum. These groups are interperiodic because their 

 atomic weights exclude them from the small periods into 

 which the other elements fall ; and because their chemical 

 relations with some members of the neighbouring groups show 

 that they are interperiodic in the sense of being formed in 

 transition stages. 



[Note, June 22. — Since the above was written, Prof. Ramsay 

 and Mr. Travers have discovered two other inert gases accom- 

 panying argon in the atmosphere. These are called Neon and 

 Metargon. From data supplied me by Prof. Ramsay, it is 

 probable that neon has an atomic weight of about 22, which would 

 bring it into the neutral position between fluorine and sodium'. 

 Metargon is said to have an atomic weight of about 40 ; if so, 

 it shares the third neutral position with argon. I have marked 

 Ihe positions of these new elements on the diagram.] 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, August 8, 1898. — M. Wolf in the 

 <;hair. — On the theory of the zenithal telescope, by M. Hatt. 

 An exposition in reply to some objections raised by M, Versch- 

 -affel. — Some points in the normal and pathological physiology 

 of the heart, revealed by radioscopic examination, by M. Ch. 

 Bouchard. This paper treats of the movements of the heart 

 -during respiration, both in the normal state and in the presence 

 of diseases of the respiratory organs. — The double embryo of 

 'Diplosoinides and tachygenesis, by MM. Edmond Perrier and 

 Antoine Pizon. — The number and symmetry of the libero- 

 ligneous bundles of the petiole as a measure of the gradation of 

 vegetable species, by M. Ad. Chatin. The monocotyledons 

 are dealt with in this article. — Experiments on the production 

 of Alpine characters in plants by the alternation of extreme 

 temperatures, by M. Gaston Bonnier. Comparative experiments 

 were made with a number of plants cultivated under three 

 different sets of conditions, the first being maintained at a con- 

 stant low temperature (4° to 9° C), the second subjected to the 

 •normal variations in temperature in the neighbourhood of 

 Paris, and the third maintained at a very low tempera- 

 ture during the night and exposed to the sun in the day. 

 Under the last-named conditions the plants exhibited the 

 stunted growth, the short internodes, the small thick leaves, 

 and the speedy efflorescence characteristic of Alpine species. — 

 On the preparation of cultures of Koch's bacillus, most favourable 

 for the study of the phenomena of agglutination in the blood-serum 

 of tuberculous subjects, by MM. S. Arloing and Paul Courmont. 

 — On the infinitely small deformation of an elastic ellipsoid, by 

 MM. E. and F. Cosserat. — On simple kathode rays, by M. E. 

 Goldstein. — On the superposition of two stereoscopic couples, 

 by MM. T. Marie and H. Ribaut. — On monopyrocatechin 

 glyoxal, by M. Ch. Moureu. The compound of the formula 

 C8H8O4, recently described by M. Julius Hesse, and obtained 

 by him from a derivative of monopyrocatechin glyoxal, is shown 

 to be identical with the orthohydroxyphenoxy-acetic acid pro- 

 duced by hydrolysis of ethane-dipyrocatechin (dipyrocatechin 



NO. 1503, VOL. 58] 



glyoxal). This result confirms the author in his supposition 

 that monopyrocatechin glyoxal is an intermediate product in 

 the hydrolysis of dipyrocatechin glyoxal. — Action of oxygen upon 

 yeast, by M. Jean Effront. On exposure of yeast to air, absorption 

 of oxygen takes place, accompanied by a considerable rise of 

 temperature. This is due to the presence of an oxidising 

 enzyme which will be subsequently described. — Study of the 

 phosphoric acid dissolved by the water of the soil, by M. Th. 

 Schlcesing fils. As has been already pointed out, the percentage 

 of phosphoric acid held in solution by the water of the soil depends 

 only on the nature of the latter, and is independent of the abso- 

 lute amount of water present. On this fact is based a simple 

 and expeditious method of determining the dissolved phosphoric 

 acid in soils. The sample is agitated for ten hours with a large 

 volume of water and the phosphoric acid estimated in an aliquot 

 part of the clarified liquid. The result thus obtained, combined 

 with a determination of the moisture in the soil, gives the in- 

 formation required. — On the mechanism of immunisation 

 against the globulicidal action of snake serum, by MM. L. 

 Camus and E. Gley. — Transmission of toxines from the fretus to 

 the mother, by M. A. Charrin. Experiments were made upon 

 rabbits. — Influence of carbonic acid on the form and structure 

 of plants, by M. Em. C. T^odoresco. Plants were grown in 

 air deprived of carbonic acid, and in air to which a definite 

 amount of the gas had been added. Certain morphological 

 differences were observed. — "Jaundice," a bacteriological 

 disease of the beetroot, by MM. Prillieux and Delacroix. The 

 bacterial nature of the disease has been demonstrated, and con- 

 firmed by inoculation experiments. — Apparatus for taking radio- 

 graphs of the thoracic cage during inspiration and expiration : 

 results obtained, by M. Guilleminot. The construction of the 

 apparatus was suggested by the experiments of M. Bouchard, 

 whose observations are confirmed. — A luminous meteor, ob- 

 served at Bourgd'Ault (Somme), by M. C. Roze. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Correspondence of Huygens. By Dr. J. L. E. 



Dreyer 361 



Dante's Ten Heavens. By N. Perini 362 



Colenso's Maori Dictionary 364 



The Spiders of Hungary. By R. I. Pocock .... 365 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Carus -Wilson : "Electrodynamics: The Direct Cur- 

 rent Motor."— D. K. M 366 



Munro : " A Trip to Venus " 366 



Hett : "A Dictionary of Bird Notes, &c."—R. L. . 366 

 Briggsand Stewart : " Chemical Analysis, Qualitative 



and Quantitative " 366 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Potential Matter. — A Holiday Dream. — Prof. Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S 367 



Live Frog taken out of a Snake. — Rose Haig 



Thomas; H. Ling Roth 367 



Dogmatism on the Moon and the Weather.— 



A. B. M 368 



Rules for Compositors and Readers. — Montagu 



Browne 368 



"Artificial Food." By Dr. Sidney Williamson . . 368 

 The Toxicity of Eel-Serum, and Further Studies 



on Immunity. By Mrs. Percy Frankland .... 369 

 The Recent Perseid Meteoric Shower. By W. F. 



Denning 371 



Notes 371 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Wolf's Comet 375 



Fall of a Meteorite in Bosnia 375 



The New Observatory at Heidelberg 376 



An Astronomer's Reminiscences 376 



The Forthcoming International Congress of 



Zoology 376 



A Yorkshire Moor. I. illustrated.) By Prof. L. C. 



Miall, F.R.S 377 



Indian Coals at the Imperial Institute. By Bennett 



H. Brough 380 



The International Aeronautical Conference. By 



A. Lawrence Rotch 380 



University and Educationallntelligence 382 



Societies and Academies. {Illustrated) 383 



