August 28, 19 19] 



NATURE 



519 



apjiaratus for measuring the tensile strength and 

 re-.istance to shock of metal test-pieces of very small 

 dimensions. — E. Esclangon : The mechanical trans- 

 formation of sidereal time into mean time. Calcula- 

 tions of simple gears show that with four wheels 

 having 119, 330, 317, and 314 teeth the conversion 

 can be made with the loss of only one second in eight 

 years; with wheels having 188, 465, 563, and 227 

 teeth the error can be reduced to one second in 

 .249 years.— P. Roubertie and A. Nemirovsky : Some 

 new fluorescent screens for use in radioscopy. As a 

 substitute for platinocyanides in radioscopic screens, 

 cadmium tungstate has given good results. This 

 material forms screens which are stable in air, 

 and unaffected by prolonged exposure to X-rays. 

 i — R. Levaillant and' L. J. Simon : The action of chloro- 

 ; sulphonic acid on methyl sulphate. The preparation 

 i of methyl chlorosulphonate. — G. Mignonac : The syn- 

 ! thesis of ketimines. by the catalytic method. A mix- 

 ture of ammonia and the vapour of a ketone passed 

 over thoria at 300°-4oo° gives a ketimine of the 

 type R.C(NH).R'. The method fails with fatty 

 ketones, condensation products of the ketimines 

 being produced. The preparation and properties of 

 methylphenyl-, ethylphenyl-, cydohexyl-, and diphenyl- 

 ketimines are described. — L. Daniel and M. Tlioulet : 

 Shell deposits in the neighbourhood of Erquy ((\')tes- 

 du-Nord). — H. Coupin : The absorption of mineral 

 salts by the root-tip. The root-tip can absorb mineral 

 salts in solution, and these are freely utilised by the 

 growing plant. — P. Vayssiere : Some methods for the 

 destruction of crickets and their application. Trials 

 were made of flame projectors, poison gas, and 

 arsenical pastes, and all of these can be used with 

 success under certain conditions. Spravs of chloro- 

 picrin (50 i>er cent.) can be used where a flame is 

 inadvisable, and arsenical pastes in places where there 

 are no animals at pasture. Special organisations 

 under direct State control will be necessary if these 

 measures are to be carried out effectively. — H. Violle : 

 The peroxydases in milk. The peroxydase reaction 

 cannot be used to judge the quality of a milk ; normal 

 milk from a healthy cow may contain very little 

 peroxydase, whilst milk from a diseased udder may 

 contain i>eroxydase in quantity.— W. Kopaczevski and 

 A. Vahram : The suppression of anaphylactic shock. 

 The injection of solutions of sodium oleate, sodium 

 taurocholate, sodium glycocholate, or of saponin five 

 minutes before the second injection of serum com- 

 pletely suppresses the anaphylactic shock in guinea- 

 pigs. — J. Amar: The elastic force of diseased lungs. — 

 V. Galippe : New researches on the presence of living 

 organisms in the cells of the male genital glands 

 (microbiosis, norma! or accidental parasitism). 



August II. — M. LA)n Guignard in the chair. — 

 A. Lacroix : A scapolite from the Madagascar 

 pegmatites, constituting a precious stone. — G. 

 Bigourdan : The observatory of the Mazarin College. 

 — M. Portevin : Certain defective fractures of test 

 pieces taken across the steel bar. — ^A. Cornu-Thinard : 

 Tests of flexure by shock on notched bars. — .A. 

 Schaumasse : Observations of the periodic Kopff comet 

 made with the bent equatorial at Nice Observatory. 

 Positions for August 4, 6, and 7 are given, together 

 with positions of the comparison stars. On August 4 

 the comet was of the loth magnitude, the nebulosity 

 being about 3', showing a diffuse central condensa- 

 tion. — J. Gnillaume : Observation of the periodic 

 Kopff comet (rgiqa) made with the bent equatorial 

 at Lvons Observatory. Position given for August 7. 

 — D. Faucher : Contribution to the study of the 

 lacustrial levels and fluviatile levels of the lower 

 vallev of the Vardar.— F. R dn Cailiand : The 

 Baixo da Judia. — M. Marti : A measurement of the 

 NO. 2600, VOL. 103] 



velocity of sound-waves in sea-water. Direct-measure- 

 ments in Cherbourg harbour gave the velocity of 

 sound in sea-waler at 14-5° C. (density 1024) as 

 15035 metres per second, a figure notably higher than 

 those obtained by other experimenters. — H. .Abraham 

 and E. Bloch : The application of amplifiers" to the 

 mechanical recording of wireless telegraphy signals. 

 — G. Chavanne and L. J. Simon : The composition of 

 some Asiatic petrols. The method of critical solution 

 temperatures in aniline described in earlier com- 

 munications has been applied to various fractions of 

 petrol arising from Persian, Sumatran, and Borneo 

 petroleums. — P. Bonnet : The relations between the 

 Otoceras lavers of .^^"nenia and those of the Hima- 

 layas. The Armenian Otoceras-bearing strata have 

 been usually considered as being older than the Hima- 

 layan deposits. Fresh observations are given con- 

 troverting this view, and tending to prove that the 

 strata are of the same age. — I.. Gentil : The origin 

 and morphological characters of the rideaux in 

 chalk districts. — J. Rouch : The diurnal variation of 

 the wind velocity in the atmosphere. Tabulation of 

 the results of a series of experiments with balloons. — 

 G. Guilbert : The scientific prediction of the weather. 

 —L. Blaringhem : The heredity of the facies of 

 Capsella viguieri.—A. Guilliermond : The chondriome 

 and the ergastoplasmic formations of the embryonic 

 sac of the Liliaceae.— F. VlJs : Remarks on the 

 absorption spectra of the haemoglobins from Annelids. 

 The spectra of the haemoglobins of certain inverte- 

 brates and those of mammals present small, but dis- 

 tinct, differences.— I.. Vialleton : The epiphyses and 

 cartilage of conjugation of the Sauropsidae. 



Sydney. 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, May 28. — Mr. 



J. J. Fletcher, president, in the chair. — Dr. R. J. 

 Tillyard : A fossil insect wing belonging to the new 

 order Paramecoptera, ancestral to the Trichoptera 

 and Lepidoptera, from the Upper Coal Measures of 

 Newcastle, New South Wales. This wing, which is 

 perfect except for a small piece missing at the 

 apex and at verv small area of the base covered over 

 by rock, was discovered in February, 1919, by Mr. 

 John Mitchell at Belmont, N.S.W., and Is named 

 Belmontia mitchelli, n.g. et sp. It is clearlv related 

 to both the Mecoptera and Protomecoptera, but is 

 definitely of the type found in the most archaic 

 Lepidoptera and Trichoptera, though with a greater 

 number of branches to both the radial sector (seven) 

 and the media (five). The posterior arculus is 

 remarkablv well developed, and is shown to be a 

 true branch of M, which should be denoted by M5. 

 The wing can be easily restored, the only points in 

 doubt being the shape of the jugal lobe and the 

 position of vein 3.^. In discussing its affinities the 

 author compares 'it very fully with the forewing of 

 the genus Rhvacophila, and shows that the latter is 

 derivable from' it in ever\' single detail by reduction. 

 The same is true of the Micropter^'gidae within the 

 order Lepidoptera. Reasons are also given why the 

 Megaloptera and Planipennia may also, very prob- 

 ablv, be derived from this type of wing; but its rela- 

 tionships with the Diptera' are doubtful, and with 

 the Mecoptera they are definitely collateral, not 

 ancestral. The wing shows that at least two Holo- 

 metabolous orders were present in Upper Permian 

 times, the Mecoptera having been already discovered 

 in the same locality.— Prof. T. H. Johnston and 

 O. W. TIegs : Ppeudobonellia. a new Echiuroid genus 

 from the Great Barrier Reef. The outstanding features 

 of the animal are :— <i) The Bonellia-like form of the 

 bodv of the female ; (2) the presence of two uteri ; 

 (■]) nnmornu^ siimple anal glands opening directly into 



