May io, 19 i/] 



NATURE 



219 



has been genaraliv regarded as a consequence of pro- 

 longed cannonades, although the scientific evidence is 

 not conclusive on the point. From a theoretical point 

 of view this effect may be regarded as probable, as 

 ionisation of the air is produced in several ways during 

 the discharge of artiller>-, and this might provoke pre- 

 cipitation in the case of air charged with moisture. 

 Experimental work on the degree of ionisation of the 

 air and the intensity and sign of the electric field is 

 suggested. G. Lemoine : Observations on the preced- 

 ing communication. If the frequent and prolonged 

 discharge of artillery has any influence on rainfall this 

 can only be the case for srnall falls; heavy and pro- 

 longed Vain can onlv be explained by the action of 

 large atmospheric currents.— M. Tisserand : Agricul- 

 tural teaching in France. Improvements of which it 

 appears susceptible. Comparisons with results ob- 

 tained in Belgium, Denmark, and Germany show that 

 much increased yields of agricultural produce and 

 animals might be expected as a result of improved 

 agricultural education. France has always applied 

 without delay the resu'ts of scientific research to the 

 culture of the vine and with great practic.il success, 

 and the proposals put fprward should lead to similar 

 improvements in other fields of agriculture. — M. 

 Qu^nu was elected a member of the section of medi- 

 cine and surgerv in the pl?ce of the late Ch. Bouchard. 

 — G. Julia : The reduction of non -quadratic indeter- 

 minate conjugated forms.— W. H. Young : The differ- 

 entiation of functions with limited variation.- — E. 

 Kogbetliantz : The summation of ultra- spherical series. 

 — P. Pascal : The neutral and acid sulphates of sodium. 

 Studies of the equilibrium of the ternary system 

 H,SO, — Na.SO, — H,0 between, wide limits of tem- 

 perature ( — 45° C. to +210° C), the results being 

 shown on a diagram in trilinear proiection. — Ed. 

 Chauvenet : The zirconyl radical, ZrO. Conductivity. 

 cr\-oscopic, and thermochemical exoeriments are cited 

 proving the existence of this radical in zirconium com- 

 pounds. — J. Bonganlt : Isomerisation in the ethylenic 

 acids bv migration of the double bond. a5-Phenvl- 

 crotonir acid, C»H-.CH,.CH = CH.CO,H. The action 

 of boiling alkalies on these acids is usually 

 represented as producing a transformation of 

 the fiy into the a^ ac'ds. In reality ihe reaction is a 

 reversible one, but . the point of equilibrium in the 

 majoritv of cases is verv near the total transformation 

 into aB acids. Some experimental proofs of the exist- 

 ence of this equilibrium are given. — F. Grandjean : An 

 attempt at orientation of the salts of cholesterol and 

 anisotropic liquid oleates on crystals. — P. Lesage : The 

 germination of seeds in saline solutions. — H. Coupin : 

 The influence of calcium salts on the absorbent root 

 hairs. Calcium as carbonate, chloride, and nitrate 

 may prevent the proper development of the root hairs 

 of a plant. Calcium sulphate appears to be v.'ithout 

 effect. — A. Gnilliermond : Contribution to the study of 

 the fixation of the cvtoplasm. — J. Amar : The price of 

 movement in invalids and persons who have recently 

 lost the right arm. The use of a limb or a portion of 

 a mutilated limb bv mutilated soldiers produces a 

 fatigue in excess of that produced bv the same move- 

 ments in normal persons. — H. Bordier and G. Roy : 

 The colloidal state of camphor in water in presence of 

 camphorated oil. Biological ard therapeutical con5»e- 

 quences. Camphor in solution in water is in the 

 colloidal state, and this accounts for the discrepancies 

 between the solubilitv coefTicients for camphor in water 

 given by different authors.- M. Fonzes-Diacon : The 

 white turbiditv in wines (casse). The modern treat- 

 ment of wine bv sulphurous solutions of ammonium 

 phosphate predisposes the -wine to the white casse. 



NO. 24S0, VOL. 99] 



This defect may be reduced or prevented by citric acid, 

 although in ?ome cases the legal limit is too small, 

 and by oxalic acid or oxalates, toxic products the 

 use of which is forbidden by law. — A. Chantemesse, L. 

 Matruchot, and .\. Grimberg : A new micro-organism, 

 Mycobacillus synovialis, causing in man a disease 

 developing like articular rheumatism. 



Washington, D.C. 

 National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings No. 3, 

 vol. iii. (March). — I. Langmuir : The condensation 

 and evaporation of gas molecules. A discussion of 

 the evaporation versus the reflection theory, with con- 

 clusions favouring the former. — S. B. Nicholson : The 

 ninth satellite of Jupiter. Comparison of the orbits 

 of the eighth and ninth satellites. The mean period 

 of the ninth is 745 days, and its diameter is probably 

 about 'fifteen miles. — H. E. Jordan: Aortic cell clusters 

 in vertebrate embryos. The haemogenic activity ■ of 

 embryonic endothelium is a normal function at a 

 certain stage of embryonic development. — H. Jordan . 

 Rheotropism of Epinephelus striatus, Bloch. The lip 

 region is the most sensitive part of the body surface. 

 The end organs of tactile sensitivity serve also as 

 organs of rheotropic sensitivity. — J. Rosenbaum : ' 

 Studies of the genus Phytophthora. A search for de- 

 termining characters of diagnostic values in testing 

 the different species. — E. H. Hall : A possible func- 

 tion of the ions in the electric conductivity of metals. 

 A discussion of the number of ions necessary ta 

 maintain currents of great density, and of the tem- 

 perature relations of conductivity if due to ions. — 

 \V. Bowie : The gravimetric surv'ey of the United 

 States. A summary of the present position of the sub- 

 ject. — S. J. Barnett : The magnetisation of iron, 

 nickel, and cobalt by rotation, and the nature of the 

 magnetic molecule. A confirmation of the assumption 

 that only electrons are in orbital revolution in all the 

 substances investigated. — D. L. Webster and H. 

 Clark : The intensities of X-rays of the L series. A 

 discussion of the intensities in the case of platinum 

 as functions of the potentials producing them. — C. C 

 Little : The use of vasectomised male mice as indi- 

 cators. — F. H. Seares : Photographic magnitudes of 

 stars in the selected areas of Kapteyn. — N. C. Nelson : 

 Archaeology of mammoth cave and vicinity : A pre- 

 liminary report. Two isolated horizons of culture 

 have been found, one indicating an agricultural 

 people, the other a hunting people. — R. H. Chittenden 

 and F. P. UAderhill : The abnormal state is due to a 

 deficiency in some essential dietary- constituent or con- 

 stituents presumably belonging to hitherto unrecog- 

 nised but essential components of an adequate diet. 



F. N. Cole, Louise D. Commings, and H. S. 



White : The complete enumeration of triad systems in 

 fifteen elements. There are eighty t>pes. — E. L. 

 Nichols : New data on the phosphorescence of certain 

 sulphides. — A. C. Redfield : (i) The reactions of 

 the melanophores of the homed toad. (2) The 

 co-ordination of the melanophore reactions of the 

 I horned toad. — E. C. Jeffrey : Petrified coals and their 

 j bearing on the problem of the origin of coals. Coals 

 I containing "coal balls" are abnormal, but there is 

 ! no good evidence that " coal balls " are organised 

 I from material accumulated in situ. — C. Zeleny : The 

 i effect of degree of injury, level of cut and time within 

 the regenerative cycle upon the rate of regeneration. 

 '' — F. H. Seares : Preliminary note on the distribution 

 of stars with respect to the galactic plane. A com- 

 parison of Mount Wilson counts with Kapteyn 's, in 

 which good agreement is found ; as compared with 

 both, the results of Chapman and Melotte are not 

 homogeneous. 



