I20 



NATURE 



[June 3, 1897 



distillation of one hundred grams of the barium salt.— Solubility 

 of ecgonine, by M. CEchsner de Coninck. The solubility of 

 ecgonine is given for twenty-five organic solvents.— Compara- 

 tive study of the changes in the respiratory quotients of fruits 

 during ripening, by M. C. Gerber.— On the denaturation of 

 alcohol, by M. Ernest Barillot. It is shown that the method 

 of Dr. Lang employed in Switzerland for the denaturation of 

 alcohol is of little use, since a simple treatment with a bisulphite, 

 followed by a fractional distillation, is sufficient to recover 

 70 per cent, of the alcohol in a pure state.— On the em- 

 bryonic shell of the Lamellibranchs, by M. Felix Bernard.— 

 Disease of the branches of the mulberry in Turkey, by MM. 

 Prillieux and Delacroix. The disease is caused by the attack of 

 a parasite, Sclerotinia libertimta.—T\\& subterranean hydro- 

 graphy of the Devoluy, by M. E. A. Martel.— Trophic troubles 

 following the section of the posterior medullary roots, by M. 

 J. P. Morat. —Influence of the stretching weight upon the heat 

 disengaged by muscle during contraction, by Mile. M, Pom- 

 pilian.— On the antiquity of tatooing as a mode of treatment, 

 by M. Fouquet. — Medico-legal appreciation of traumatic lesions 

 and determination of individual identity by the X-rays, by M. 

 Foveau de Courmelles.— On the three French balloon ascents 

 :and the third international experiment, by MM. Hermite and 

 Besan9on. — On the formation of acetic acid in a gas battery, by 

 M. Gaudet.— On a means of stopping a leak from the outside 

 •of a ship, by M. Burgal. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDA V, June 3. 



-IRoVAL Society, at 4.— Election of Fellows. At 4.30.— The Sensitiveness 



of the Retina to Light and Colour : Captain Abney, F.R.S.— On the 

 Mechanism by which the First Sound of the Heart is produced : Sir R. 



8uain, F.R.S. — Mathematical Contributions to the Theory of Evolution, 

 n the Relative Variation and Correlation in Civilised and Uncivilised 

 Races : Miss Alice Lee and Prof. K. Pearson, F.R.S. — An Investigation 

 on the Variability of the Human Skeleton, with especial reference to the 

 Naquada Race, discovered by Prof. Flinders Petrie in his Explorations in 

 Egypt : E. Warren. — On the Brains of Two Sub-Fossil Malagasy Lemur- 

 oids : C. I. Forsyth Major. — (i) On the Dielectric Constants of certain 

 Frozen Electrolytes, at and above the Temperature of Liquid Air ; (2) On 

 the Dielectric Constants of Pure Ice, Glycerine, Nitrobenzol, and Ethylene 

 Dibromide, at and above the Temperature of Liquid Air : Prof. Fleming, 

 F.R.S., and Prof. Dewar, F.R.S. — Preliminary Communication on the 

 Nature of the Contagium of Rinderpest : A. Edington. 



XiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Observations on Termites : Dr. G. D. Haviland. 

 — On the Genus Ramulina : Prof. T. Rupert Jones, F.R.S., and F. 

 Chapman. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— On the Thermo-chemistry of Carbohydrate 

 Hydrolysis ; On the Thermal Phenomena attending the Change in 

 Rotatory Power of Fre.shly-prepared Solution of certain Carbohydrates, 

 with some Remarks on the Cause of Multirotation : Horace J. Brown, 

 F.R.S., and Spencer Pickering, F.R.S. — Optical Inversion of Camphor; 

 Derivatives of Camphoric Acid. Part II. Optically Inactive Derivatives ; 

 Racemism and Pseudo-racemism : Dr. F. S. Kipping and W. J. Pope. — 

 On some New Gold Salts of the Solanaceous Alkaloids : Dr. H. A. D. 

 Jowett. 



FRIDA V, June 4. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Signalling through Space without Wires : W. 

 H. Preece, C.B., F.R.S. 



Geologists' Association, at 8. — The Origin of the High-Level Gravel 

 with Triassic Debris adjoining the Valley of the Upper Thalmes : H. J. 

 Osborne White. 



SATURDAY, June 5. 



Geologists' Association — Excursion to Cheltenham and Stroud. Leave 

 Paddington at 10.32 a.m. 



TUESDAY, June 8. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Heart and its Work : Dr. E. H. Starling. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8.30. — Newly-discovered Stone Imple- 

 ments from Somallland, and from the Lost Flint Mines of Egypt : H. W. 

 Seton-Karr. — Anthropology in Brittany: Dr. Topinard. — Physical Anthro- 

 pology of the Isle of Man : A. W. Moore and Dr. John Beddoe, F.R.S. 



Probable Papers : The Walloongurra Ceremony : R. H. Mathews. — 



Prehistoric Diamond Fields : W. H. Penning. — The Capping Ceremony 

 in Korea : Dr. E. B. Landis. 



Royal Photographic Society, at 8.— Photographic Surveys : C. J. 

 Fowler. 



WEDNESDAY, June 9. 



Geological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, June 10. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— Models of the Regular Convex and Star 

 Solids : W. W. Taylor.— The Calculus of Equivalent Statements (Sixth 

 Paper): H. MacColl. 



FRIDAY, June II. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Diamonds : W. Crookes, F.R.S. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 



Physical Society, at 5.— The Effect of Sea-water on Induction Tele- 

 graphy : C. S. Whitehead.— A New Definition of Focal Length, and an 

 Instrument for its Determination : Thomas H. Blakesley. — On the De. 



composition of Silver Salts under Pressure : Dr. J. E. Myers and Dr. F 



Braun. — On a New Way of determining Hysteresis in Straight Strips 



Dr. Fleming, F.R.S. 

 Malacological Society, at 8. 



SA TURDA Y, June 12. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 4. 

 London Geological Field Class.— Excursion-^Coulsdon to Merstham. 



Lower Chalk. Leave Cannon Street, 2,17 ; arrive Coulsdon, 2.59. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED 



Books.— The Induction Coil .in Practical Work : Lewis Wright (Mac- 

 millan). — Report on the Working and Results of the Woburn Experimental 

 Fruit Farm since its Establishment : the Duke of Bedford and S. U. Picker- 

 ing (Eyre). — An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry : B. A. W. Rus.sell 

 (Cambridge University Press). — Hypnotism and its Application to Practical 

 Medicine : Dr. O. G. Wetterstrand, translated by Dr. H. G. Petersen 

 (Putnam). — Abel's Theorem and the Allied Theory, including the Theory 

 of the Theta Functions : H. F. Baker (Cambridge University Press). — A 

 Manual of Botany : Prof. J. R. Green, Vol. i, new edition (Churchill).— 

 Illustrative Cloud Forms : Captain C. D. Sigsbee (Washington).— Among 

 British Birds in their Nesting Haunts : O. A. J. Lee, Part 4 (Edinburgh, 

 Douglas). — Lessons in Elementary Practical Physics. Vol. 3, Part 



Practical Acoustics : C. L. Barnes (Macmillan). — Einfuhrung in der Theorie 

 der Analytischen Functionen einer Complexen Veranderlichen : Prof. H 

 Burkhardt (Leipzig, Veit). — Africa, Antropologia della Stirpe Camitica : G. 

 Sergi (Torino, F. Bocca). — Twelve Charts of the Tidal Streams near the 

 Channel Islands and neighbouring French Coast : F. H. Collins (Potter). — 

 Cours Supirieur de Manipulations de Physique : Prof A. Witz, deux edition 

 (Paris, Gauthier-Villars). — Guide to the Genera and Classification of the 

 North American Orthoptera found North of Mexico : S. H. Scudder (Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., Wheeler).— Telepathy and the Sublimal Self: Dr. R. O. 

 Mason (K. Paul). — Electric Movement in Air and Water, with Theoretical 

 Inferences : Lord Armstrong (Smith, Elder). — The Outlines of Physics : 

 Prof. E. L. Nichols (Macmillan). — Formation de la Nation Francaise : Prof. 

 G. de MortiUet (Paris, Alcan). 



Pamphlets — Langenanderung und Magnetisirung von Eisen und Stahl : 

 G. Klingenberg (Berlin, Simion). — Ueber den Gebrauch der von Prof. E. 

 V. Federow, herausgegeben StereographLschen Netze (Leipzig, Engel- 

 mann). — Homogene Structuren : Barlow (Leipzig, Engelmann). 



Serials. — Botanische Jahrbucher, &c., Vierundzwanzigster Band, i Heft 

 (Leipzig, Engelmann). — Proceedings of the Royal Society,Edinburgh, Session 

 1896-97, Vol. xxi. No. 4, pp. 249-312 (Edinburgh). — Humanitarian, June 

 (Hutchinson). — Natural Science, June (Page). — Chambers's Journal, June 

 (Chambers).— Contemporary Review, June (Isbister). — National Review, 

 June (Arnold). — Century Magazine, June (Macmillan). — Astrophysical 

 Journal, May (Chicago).— Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. xviii. 

 Nos. 2, 3, 4 (Leiden). — Scribner's Magazine, June (S. Low). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Rock-Weathering 97 



Mechanism and Biology 98 



The Examination of the Blood in Disease .... 100 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Bailey : " The Forcing- Book : a Manual of the Cultiva- 

 tion of Vegetables in Glasshouses " lOI 



Stewart :" The Birds of Our Country " loi 



Curzon : " The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus " loi 



" The Journal of the Essex Technical Laboratories " . loi 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



Effect of Change in Temperature on Phosphorescent 



Substances. {With Diagram.) — Ralph Cusack . 102 



Sinistral Screws. — W. F. Sinclair 102 



Luminous Phenomena observed on Mountains. — 



Arthur P. Jenkin 102 



The Designation of Wave-Clouds.— A. H. S. Lucas 102 

 The Bakerian Lecture.— On the Mechanical Equiva- 

 lent of Heat. By Prof. Osborne Reynolds, F.R.S., 



and W. H. Moorby 102 



The International Geological Congress in Russia. 



By H. B. W 104 



The New Laboratories at Guy's Hospital 105 



Notes 106 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



The Rotation Period of Jupiter's Satellite III. ... 109 



Automatic Photography of the Corona 109 



The Gegenschein or Zodiacal Counterglow 109 



Periodic Variations of Rainfall in India. By J. E. . no 



The Institution of Civil Engineers 115 



The Population of Russia n? 



University and Educational Intelligence 117 



Societies and Academies nS 



Diary of Societies 120 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 120 



NO. 1440, VOL. 56] 



