300 



NATURE 



[May 5, 1910 



(a mixture of benzene and carbon tetrachloride) is placed 

 in the magnetic field the strength of which is to be 

 measured. The boundary meniscus of the two fluids is 

 displaced in the field and is brought back to the original 

 position fixed by a cross-wire in a microscope by the com- 

 pression of an air bulb. The pressure required to do this 

 is measured on a separate differential manometer. A field 

 of 2800 units gave a reading in the manometer of 65 mm. 

 — P. Vaillant : A law of Stefan relating to evaporation. 

 — H. Ollivier : The spontaneous re-magnetisation of iron. 

 — P. Pascal : The measurement of the magnetic suscepti- 

 bilities of solid bodies. The solid is placed in a thin glass 

 tube in the magnetic field suspended from the arm of a 

 sensitive balance. By replacing the solid by water a 

 formula is derived giving the magnetic susceptibility in- 

 dependent of the nature and dimensions of the apparatus. 

 — M. Pariselle : The ethyl ether of allylcarbinol. This 

 substance has been obtained by the interaction of allyl- 

 magnesium bromide and monochlor-methyl-ethyl ether. 

 The products obtained by the addition of bromine and 

 hypochlorous acid have been studied. — Mile. Pauline 

 Lucas : The action of organomagnesium derivatives on the 

 trialkylacetophenones. — Marcel Delepine : The essence 

 from Crithmum maritimum. — J. Bertheaume : The 

 chlorplatinates and periodides of dimethylamine and tri- 

 methylamine : their use for the separation of these bases. 

 Determinations of the solubilities of the chlorplatinates of 

 these two bases showed that the differences were too slight 

 to be used as a basis of separation. The method of separa- 

 tion proposed by Weiss, based on the differences of solu- 

 bility of the periodides, proved to be equally unsatisfactory. 

 — H. Ag:ulhon : The influence of the reaction of the 

 medium on the formation of melanines by diastatic oxida- 

 tion. — J. Chevalier : Variation in the amount of sparteine 

 in the plant according to the period of its vegetation. — 

 L6on Marret : The presence of Alpine plants at low alti- 

 tudes in the central Valais. — J. Beauverie : The Ambrosia 

 of Tomicus dispar. — H. Colin and J. de Rufz : The 

 absorption of barium by plants. The barium absorbed by 

 plants was found to be localised in the roots. — Gabriel 

 Vallet : The sterilisation of large quantities of water by 

 means of the ultra-violet rays. A water polluted with coli 

 bacilli was exposed to ultra-violet light produced by the 

 expenditure of 0-4 kilowatt-hour in a quartz mercury 

 vapour lamp. The water was passed at the rate of 10 cubic 

 metres per hour, and the conditions for complete sterilisa- 

 tion are laid down. — E. Sauvagre : The abdominal part of 

 the great sympathetic in Saurians. — A. Ricco : The erup- 

 tion of Etna of March 28, 19 10. — L. Joleaud : The evolu- 

 tion of Quaternary hydrography in the Constantine region, 

 Algeria. — Albert Nodon : Researches on the ionisation of 

 the hot spring of the thermal waters of Hammam-Salahin, 

 near Biskra. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, May 5. 

 Royal Society, at 4.-?o. — The Development of Trypanosomes in Tsetse 



Flies: Col. Sir D. Bruce, C.B., F.R.S., Captains A. E. Hamerton and 



H. R. Bateman. R.A.M.C, and Captain F. P. Mackie, I. M.S.— On 



the Weight of Precipitate obtainable in Precipitin Interactions : Dr. H. G. 



Chapman. — The Absorption of Gases by Charcoal : Miss I. F. Homfray. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Blackfeet Indians in North America: Walter 



McClintock. 

 RoNTGF.N Society, at 8.15. — Quantitative Measurements of the Conversion 



of Kathode Rays into Rontgen Rays by Antikathodes of Different 



Metals : J. H. Gardiner. 

 Institution of Elfxtrical Engineers, at 8. — A Telephone Relay : 



S. G. Brown. 

 LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Eight Months' Entomological Collecting in the 



Seychelles Islands : Hugh Scott. — The Anatomy of Tipiila maxima : 



J. M. Brown. 



FR/DAV, May 6. 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Auto-inoculation : Sir Almroth E. Wright, 



F.R.S. 

 Geologists' Association, at 8. — The History of the Study of Fossils : 



Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S. 



SATURDAY, May 7. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— The World of Plants before the Appearance 



of Flowers: Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, May 9. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— The Land of the Incas : Sir 



Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30. — Annual Address. Halley's Comet : Dr. 



A. C. D. Crommelin. 



TUESDAY, May ic. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— The Mechanism of the Human Voice : Prof. 



F. W. Mott, F.R.S. 



WEDNESDAY, May ti. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8. — The Restoration and Discoveries at the 



Guildhall, London : S. Perks. 

 Geological Society, at 8. — Dedolomitizjtion in the Marble oT " 



Shepstone, Natal: Dr. F. H. Hatch and R. H. Rastall.— Reci: 



Folds in the Highland Schists : E. B. Bailey. 



THURSDAY, May 12. 



Royal Society, at ^.yo.— Probable Papers : The Influence of Bacteria 

 Endotoxins on Phagocytosis (Preliminary Report) : Leonard S. Dudgco . 

 P. N. Panton. and H. A. F.Wilson. — The Origin of Osmotic Effect- 

 III. The Function of Hormones in Stimulating Knzsmic Change in rel.. 

 tion to Narcosis aftid the Phenomena of Degenerative and Regenerativ 

 Change in Living Structures: Prof. H. E. Armstrong, F.R S., an 

 E. Frankland Armstrong. — On the Direction of Motion of an Electro; 

 ejected from an Atom by Ultra-violet Light : Dr. R. D. Kleeman. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Blackfeet Indians in North America: Walter 

 McClintock. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Street Lighting by 

 Modern Electric Lamps : H. T. Harrison. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. 



FRIDAY, May 13. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Radio-activity as a Kinetic Theory of a Fourth 

 State of Matter : Prof. W. H. Bragg, F.R.S. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — Mollusca of the Porcupine Expedition, 

 Part IV. : E. A. Sykes —The Genus Cremnobates, Swainson : C. Hedley 

 and H. Suter.— Notes on Polyplacophora, chiefly Australasian, Part II. : 

 T. Iredale.— Notes on and additions to the Terrestrial Molluscan Fauna 

 of Southern Abyssinia : H. B. Preston. 



SATURDAY, May 14. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The World of Plants before the Appearance 

 of Flowers : Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Crystallographic Researches 271 



Soil Management and Plant Growth. By E. J. R. 272 



Mechanics of Heredity 273 



American Geology. By G, A. J. C . . . 274 



Electric Waves in Theory and Practice 274 



Our Book Shelf i— 



Hewitt: "The Liverpool Geological Society. A 



Retrospect of Fifty Years' Existence and Work" . 275 

 Hampson : " Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenre 



of the British Museum," Vol. ix 275 



Brown : ' ' Report on the Poultry Industry in Belgium " 276 

 Brown : •' Halley's Comet : its History, with that of 

 other noted Comets, and other Astronomical 



Phenomena, Superstitions, &c." 276 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Orientation of Crystals of Ice in a Flux of Heat. 



—Prof. H. T. Barnes 276 



Zeeman Effect of the Yellow Mercury Line A. 5770. 



{With Diagram.)— Vxol.Yi.'^s.g&oks. . ... 276 

 The Fertilising Influence of Sunlight.— J. Walter 



Leather 277 



Observations of Halley's Comet.— C. Leach .... 277 



Anomalous Reading of Hygrometer. — ^J. A 278 



The London to Manchester Flight, By Prof. G. H. 



Bryan, F.R.S 278 



The Fight against Sleeping Sickness, By E. A. M, 279 

 Development of University (and other) Education 



in India 281 



The Nutritive Value of Black Bread 282 



Commander Peary's Expedition to the North Pole 283 



Notes. {Illustrated.) 286 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Halley's Comet . 290 



The Velocity of the Solar System in Space 291 



Star Colours 291 



The Formation of Saturn's Ring System 291 



The Water Problem. By T. M. L 291 



Recent Additions to Ideas regarding the Interna^ 

 Structure of the Earth. By Sir Thomas H. 



Holland, K.C. I.E., F.R.S 292 



The Hula, or Folk-drama of Hawaii. {Illustrated.) . 293 



Pigmentation and Cancer. By E. F. B 294 



Chest Development in Boys in New South Wales 295 



The Administration of Anaesthetics 295 



Metric Measures 296 



Fungal Studies 296 



University and Educational Intelligence 297 



Societies and Academies 298 



Diary of Societies 3^° 



NO. 2 114, VOL. 83] 



