UNE 23, 1 9 10] 



NATURE 



51. 



n;th: (I) Phacoliie from near Belfast. Two types were 

 ibed. In the first the crystals were large (about 

 :. mm. across) and much striated, and in the second 

 were small (about 1-2 mm. across), but with plane 

 : in both instances the crystals were twinned about 

 trigonal axis, the individuals interpenetrating one 

 er, and the forms present were r(ioii), t(3i42)» 

 0112;, 5(0221). The measurements accord closely with 

 e data given for chabazite. (2) The crystalline form of 

 trogen sulphide. Crystals of this rare substance have 

 cently been prepared by Mr. F. P. Burt, University 

 ollege, London, by sublimation. The constants obtained 

 ere a : 6 : c = o-8879 : 108480 : 18=90° 23', and the observed 

 >rms were (100), (010), (001), (no), (ioi), (on), (loi), 

 10), (in), (121), the last four being new. The crystals 

 ere invariably characterised by polysynthetic twinning 

 X)ut (ioi). A biaxial interference figure with strong posi- 

 ve double refraction was visible through (ioi). — Dr. G. T. 

 rior and Dr. G. F. H. Smith : A new arsenate and 

 hosphate of lime and strontia from the Indian manganese 

 eposits. Chemical analysis showed that the mineral 

 pproximates to the arsenic analogue of apatite. The 

 rystals were not well formed, but the physical characters, 

 3 far as they could be determined, accord with those of 

 patite. The name fermorite, after Dr. L. L. Fermor, of 

 ae Geological Survey of India, who has made an 

 xhaustive study of the manganese deposits, is proposed for 

 his analogue. The presence of strontium, which has not 

 et been detected in apatite, is of interest. — L. J. Sp«nc*r : 

 1 (fifth) list of new mineral names. 

 Royal Meteorological Society, June i^. — Mr. H. 

 iellish, president, in the chair. — J. I. CraigT : England, 

 ibyssinia, the South .Atlantic ; a meteorological triangle. 

 The idea that there may be an organic connection between 

 he annual or seasonal total of rainfall in western Europe 

 ind the amount of the Nile f^ood is no new one, for in 

 882 Prof. Balfour Stewart gave reasons for claiming such 

 I connection between the flood of the Nile and the flow 

 n the 7"hames. More recently Colonel H. E. Rawson has 

 ndicated a connection between the weather in South Africa 

 Uld that in Africa north of the equator, and in particular 

 he Nile flood. Dr. G. T. Walker has found a connection 

 Jetween the monsoon rainfall in India and pressure six 

 Tionths previously in Argentina, and Sir Norman 

 Dr. W. J. S. Lockyer have proved the existence 

 n inverse barometric relationship between India 

 ..... Argentina. Dr. W. N. Shaw has also directed 

 'attention to certain correspondences between the velocity 

 if the wind at St. Helena and the intensity of rain- 

 n the south of England, and j>ointed out that in 

 -ready current of the south-east trade wind we may 

 : to find evidence of the throbbing of the aerial pulse 

 quent on the greater or smaller supply of solar radia- 

 .„., that reaches the earth and is transformed into kinetic 

 energy. Within the last few years an organised meteor- 

 ological service has been started in Egypt, and the results 

 obtained therefrom have enabled Mr. Craig to carry out 

 this investigation more closely. He finds that there is a 

 distinct tendency for the south-east trade wind of the 

 South .Atlantic to divide into two branches, the first con- 

 tinuing the general northward movement, and the second 

 turning to the right and moving across into the interior 

 of Africa. He concludes that the moisture for the Nile 

 flood comes from the South Atlantic, and that an increase 

 in the velocity of the current will show itself in a propor- 

 tional increase of the flood. There are too many gaps in 

 the velocity records for the summer months to allow of 

 a statistical test being applied, but it is not improbable that 

 an intensification of the Transafrican current is connected 

 ■with a similar intensification of the south-east trade wind 

 of the .Atlantic, which, as Dr. Shaw has shown, is not 

 improbablv connected with an increase of rainfall in the 

 south of England. 



Dublin. 

 Royal Irish Academy. June i^.— Dr. F. A. Tar'eton, 

 president, in the chair. — Miss M. C. Knowlee and R. .A. 

 Phillips : Leucojtim aestiviim, the summer snow-flake. 

 This well-known garden plant is a native of .Asia Minor 

 and Europe. In these countries it grows in swamps and 

 wet, marshy meadows along river banks and on the shores 

 of large lakes. In England the plant has a wide range on 



NO. 2 12 I, VOL. 8,^] 



the southern rivers under exactly similar conditions. The 

 snow-flake has recently been found in Ireland, growing 

 spontaneously and abundantly with exclusively native 

 vegetation, along the banks of the Shannon, the Slaney, 

 tile Nore, and the Suir, and with surroundings and 

 associates in no way differing from those prevailing on the 

 Continent, where the plant has always been considered 

 native. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, June 13 — M. Emil'- licaid in t^-e 

 chair. — (i. Lippmann : A brake for the balance in the 

 form of a plumb-line. A silk fibre, stretched by a small 

 weight, is arranged so that it can be brought lightly in 

 contact with the beam of the balance. The oscillations 

 are thus rapidly reduced, and the weighings rendered more 

 rapid. — Armand Gautier : The action of hydrogen upon 

 carbon monoxide ; the formation of water and methane. 

 The action of water at a red heat on the same oxide. 

 .Applications to volcanic phenomena. Hydrogen and carbon 

 monoxide commence to react at 400° C, water and carbon 

 dioxide being formed. The production of water passes 

 through a maximum at about 1200° C. At higher tempera- 

 tures some methane is also produced. Carbon monoxide 

 and water at temperatures between 500° C. and 900° C. 

 give minute traces of formaldehyde. — Paul SatMttier and 

 .A. Maiihe : The formation of the thiols and their decom- 

 position : synthesis of the neutral alcoholic sulphides. 

 Starting with isoamyl alcohol, the yield of sulphide in the 

 presence of seven catalytic substances has been studied, the 

 best result (70 per cent.) being obtained with thoria. With 

 phenol, thoria again proved the best catah-tic agent, 

 although the yield even with this reagent was poor. For 

 the catalytic decomposition of the thiols cadmium sulphide 

 was used at temperatures between 300° C. and 380° C. 

 The principal reaction was the formation of the alkyl 

 sulphide and hydrogen sulphide, but some hydrocarbon, 

 C»Hn„, was formed by a secondary reaction. — Emile 

 Marchand : New observations concerning the effects of 

 the passage of the earth through the tail of Halley's 

 comet. A correction in the date mentioned in an earlier 

 communication (May 30), together with some remarks on 

 the appearance of the solar corona. ^ — MM. Cirera and 

 Pericas : .A resume of the observations on Halley's comet 

 made at the Observatory of Ebra, Spain. Observations of 

 the length of the tail showed a distinct diminution after 

 the passage of May 19. .A series of photographs taken on 

 thirteen days between May 5 and June 6 brought out the 

 changes in aspect and dimensions of the comet. — D. 

 Eginitis : Observations of Halley's comet. — J. Baiilaud 

 and A. Boinot : Changes in the nucleus of Halley's comet. 

 .A detailed account of the change of the nucleus from 

 elliptical to circular form, and the appearance of a 

 secondary nucleus. — L6on Autonne : The commutative 

 groups of hypercomplex quantities. — .A. Buhl : The trans- 

 formation of asymptotic series into series of convergent 

 Taylorian polynomials. — N. Saltykovw : The applications of 

 the theorem of S. Lie generalised.— Ren^ de Saussure : 

 Op[X>sed solid bodies. — ^J. Le Roux : Bending. — J. 

 Arnoult : The movement of a wire in space. — Rodolphe 

 Soreau : The thrust on the bearing surface of aeroplanes. 

 — Paul Mercanton : The stability of magnetisation of lake 

 pottery. The method of G. Folgheraiter for determining 

 the sense and magnitude of the magnetic inclination by 

 means of natural and artificial baked earths depends 

 essentially on the hypothesis that the magnetisation taken 

 by the clay in the course of its baking has not sensibly 

 varied in the course of ages. By means of a study of the 

 magnetic properties of the pieces from a single pot 

 (Neuchatel) the author comes to the conclusion that the 

 method of Folgheraiter is justified. — M. Barre : Some 

 double sulphates of thorium. — P. Rogrer-Jourdain : The 

 oxidation of aluminium amalgam. From a study of the 

 gases evolved from the product of the oxidation of 

 aluminium amalgam, it is shown that there is present a 

 mixture of aluminium carbonate and peroxide. — P. Mahler 

 and E. Charon : The examination of the liquids produced 

 by the action of air on coal at temperatures between 125° C. 

 and 200° C. The liquid obtained by passing air over 

 heated coal and cooling the issuing gas contained consider- 

 able quantities of acetic acid, together with traces of formic 

 acid, acetone, and methyl alcohol. — P. J. Tarbouriech : 



