March 29, 191 7] 



NATURE 



99 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, February 5.— Dr. Home, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Prof, A. A. Lawson : The 

 gametophytes of the Psilotaceae. This paper was a 

 continuation of previous work, filling in a number of 

 details, especially with regard to the sexual organs. 

 The most important fact was the establishment of the 

 structure of the protruding neck of the Archegonium, 

 differing from that of other Pteridophytes in being 

 evanescent. After fertilisation it falls away, leaving 

 the basal tier of cells, which are persistent and were 

 at first held to represent the whole neck. Important 

 researches in the embryology will form the subject of 

 a later paper. — J. McLean Thompson : The anatomy 

 and affinity of Stromatopteris nionilijormis, Mett. 

 This curiously specialised fern is from the arid com- 

 mons of New Caledonia. It shows many signs of 

 reduction, and is specialised for a xerophytic existence. 

 The construction of the stem indicated a Gleicheni- 

 acean affinity, and the form and construction of the 

 spore-producing members confirmed this relationship. 

 But the special form and peculiar appendages seemed 

 to confer an individuality on the plant which could not 

 be overlooked, and the opinion was expressed that 

 Stromatopteris was a distinct and monotypic genus 

 closely allied to Gleichcnia. — Prof, and Mrs. A. D. 

 Ross : Preliminary- note on the peculiarities of the 

 tides round Western Australia. Among the peculiari- 

 ties mentioned was the frequent occurrence of daily 

 tides instead of half-daily ; a sufficient explanation was 

 given in terms of the moon's declination. The whole 

 subject demanded a careful investigation, which the 

 authors were now entering on. 



February 19. — Sir E. A. Schafer, vice-president, in 

 the chair. — Dr. J. Home and Dr. B. N. Peach : The 

 bone cave in the valley of the Allt nan Uamh (Burn 

 of the Caves), near Inchnadamff, Assynl, Sutherland- 

 shire ; with notes on the bones by E. T, Newton. The 

 bone-cave, which is situated on the north side of the 

 valley, was evidently initiated at a certain stage in 

 the iiistor}- of the Glacial period, after the deposition 

 \ of some ground moraine in the valley. It yielded a 

 1 series of deposits, some of which are of exceptional 

 interest. The oldest date back to a late stage in the 

 ; glaciation of the region, and point to a partial erosion 

 of the drift during a recession of the ice. Two of the 

 six layers in the cave, viz. the third and fifth in 

 descending order, have furnished the remains of a 

 northern lynx, the Arctic lemming, the northern vole, 

 the brown bear, reindeer, red deer, and other mam- 

 mals, with the bones of a number of birds, those of 

 ptarmigan occurring in profusion. The lynx, lem- 

 ming, and northern vole give a boreal aspect to the 

 fauna. In the south of England these mammals are 

 regarded as Pleistocene forms. Between the third and 

 fifth layers occurs a layer of compact grev clav, with 

 quartzite stones, which have been transoorted from the 

 high ground to the east (Breabag). This material is 

 regarded as of morainic origin, produced during a 

 re-advance of the local glaciers. In the upper mammali- 

 ferous deposit, which is a genuine cave earth, or terra 

 rossa, there is evidence, at various levels, of human 

 occupation in the form of layers of charcoal and split 

 and burned bones. No artifacts were recorded. Over- 

 lying the cave earth there is a lenticular bed of shell 

 marl, composed of the remains of land shells. — A. M. 

 Williams : The adsorption of sulphur dioxide by char- 

 coal at — io°C. The aim of the research was to find 

 out how the heat evolved on the adsorption of a vapour 

 varied with the amount adsorbed. Measurements were 

 taken of the amount adsorbed, the pressure, and the 

 isothermal heat of adsorption. at constant volume. The 

 adsorption isotherm was a typical adsorption curve, 

 similar to that found by Trouton for the adsorption 

 NO. 2474, VOL. 99] 



of water vapour. The heat of adsorption cur\e passed 

 through a minimum and a maximum and, finally, ran 

 parallel to the adsorption axis. A tentative explana- 

 tion was offered. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, February 12. — M. A. d'.^rsonval 

 in the chair. — G. Lippmann : Some decisions taken by 

 the Governments of Great Britain and the United 

 States. .-Vn account of the Government measures for 

 utilising scientific methods for increasing the national 

 security and prosperity. An account is given of the 

 constitution of the Imperial Trust and Advisory* 

 Council, the scope of its \vork, and the funds at its 

 disposal. In the United States the National Research 

 Council, nominated by the Washington Academy of 

 Sciences, is working on the same lines. — G. A. 

 Bonlenger : The nuptial tubercles simulating teeth in 

 an African fish of the genus Barbus. — M. Balland : 

 Soya as a French foodstuff. The soya bean contains 

 40 f)er cent, of nitrogenous material and 20 per cent, 

 of fat, as against 20 per cent, of nitrogenous material 

 and 2 per cent, of fat in French haricots. Soya has 

 already been^ successfully employed as a foodstuff in 

 France, and analyses of this and other foreign 

 leguminous foodstuffs are given. — M. Mesnager : A 

 simple solution of Mathieu's problem A. — .\. Ledonx : 

 New method for the determination of the refractive 

 index of liquid substances. — MM. Massol and Faucon : 

 Absorption of the ultra-viclet radiations by some chlorine 

 derivatives of ethane, ethylene, and acetylene. No 

 absorption bands were given by hexachloroethane and 

 tetrachloroethane. With tetrachloroethylene in i mm. 

 layer all radiations starting with A = 271 are absorbed. 

 Acetylene in acetone or acetone-alcohol solution shows 

 a considerable absorption, but no bands. — J. Bouganlt : 

 Mixed anhydrides derived from benzoylacrylic acid 

 Some new examples of a reaction previously described, 

 together with a discussion of the mechanism of the 

 reaction. — V. Commont : The tufas of the valley of the 

 Somme : Neolithic and prehistoric tufas, and tufa of 

 the historic period. The tufas of the Somme valley 

 were formed at various times in the Neolithic, proto- 

 historic, and Gallic periods. The peat and tufa were 

 formed simultaneously. The marine shells found are the 

 dihris of Gallo-Roman cooking. — M. Rosso : Geological 

 observations on the Tadla synclinal (western Morocco). 

 — L. Daniel : The influence of grafting upon the 

 adaptation products of the cactus. A morphological 

 examination alone is insufficient for drawing definite 

 conclusions as to the integral consenation of the 

 characters peculiar to the grafted plants, since micro- 

 chemical analysis of their tissues may reveal changes 

 which, without it, would escaf>e the notice of even a 

 practised observer. 



February 19. — M. A d'Arsonval in the chair. — ^The 

 president announced the death of M. Bazin. — 

 G. Bigourdan : Some observatories of the northern part 

 of France in the seventeenth century. Details are 

 given of work done at Blois and Caen. — M. Fouraier : 

 A problem in the design of the hull of a ship. — 

 C. Camlchel : The calculation of large extra pressures 

 in water-mains furnished with an air reser\oir. — Ch. J. 

 Gravier ; The association of a siliceous s{X)nge, of a 

 sea-anemone, and an annelid in the depths of the 

 Atlantic. 



Petrogr.ad. 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, Physico-Mathematical 

 Section, November 16. — .\. A. Bilopolsklj : Researches 

 on the spectrum of the variable 7 Bootis.— V. Chlopin : 

 Boron and its occurrence in Russia. — E. Eremina : 

 Fluorspar in Russia. — I. Ginsbnrg : Mica, its proper- 

 tics, uses, and occurrence in Russia. — G. Ju. 

 Verescagin : Report on the work carried out at Lake 

 Baikal in the summer of 1916. — N. F. Kasienko and 



