54« 



NATURE 



[June 30, 1910 



the sun and the solar constant. A description of a new 

 method of determining the constant in Stefan's law. — 

 J. Comas Sola: A resumi of physical observations made 

 on Halley's comet. — E. Vessiot : The integration of com- 

 plete systems. — M. Hadamard : Some properties of 

 Green's function. — Paul Renard : A method of causing 

 an aeronef to pursue a rectilinear path with a minimum 

 e.xpenditure of total work. — B. Szilard : An action at a 

 distance on the coherer produced by metallic contacts. 

 Instead of putting one extremity of the coherer to earth, 

 as usual, it is connected with one pole of an alternating 

 current, the other pole being earthed. In this way the 

 sensibility of the coherer is greatly increased, and some 

 applications of the modified coherer are described. — F. 

 Croze : The prolongation of the band spectra of carbon 

 gases in the extreme red and infra-red. For carbon 

 monoxide photographs in the infra-red show several bands 

 resembling the bands already known in their structure, and 

 occupying very closely the place predicted according to the 

 known law of distribution. The results with cyanogen 

 were similar. — Ch. Fabry and H. Buisson : Some elec- 

 trical and spectroscopic properties of the arc between 

 metals. — G. Sagrnac : An interferometer with superposed 

 inverse light rays giving in polarised white light a narrow 

 central fringe and narrow coloured fringes with white 

 interspaces. — Louis Dunoyer : A method of measuring a 

 magnetic field in magnitude, direction, and sense. — L. 

 Houllevig:ue : The formation of kathodic deposits. The 

 walls upon which the metallic deposit forms are those 

 possessing a positive charge, allowing the electrical 

 neutralisation of the kathode granules. — A. Perot : Some 

 peculiarities of the mercury arc in a vacuum. A study 

 of the distribution of the fall of potential in the arc, 

 together with the demonstration of the existence of an 

 extra pressure at the anode. — E. Baud and L. Gay : The 

 temperature of crystallisation of binary mixtures. On the 

 basis of certain assumptions, the lowering of the freezing 

 point is shown to be proportional to the logarithm of the 

 molecular concentration and to the absolute temperature 

 of crystallisation. For very dilute solutions this is equi- 

 valent to Raoult's formula. Experimental proofs of the 

 logarithmic formula are given. — Daniel Berthelot and 

 Henry Gaudechon : The photochemical synthesis of 

 carbohydrates at the expense of the elements of carbon 

 dioxide and water vapour in the absence of chlorophyll. 

 The photochemical synthesis of quaternary compounds. 

 Various gaseous mixtures were exposed to the action of 

 the rays from a mercury vapour lamp. Carbon dioxide 

 was obtained at the ordinary temperature from a mixture 

 of oxygen and carbon monoxide. Carbon dioxide and 

 hydrogen gave a little CO and formaldehyde ; no trace of 

 acid was formed in this reaction. Formamide was pro- 

 duced in the same way from ammonia and carbon mon- 

 oxide. — G. Austenweil and G. Cochin : Some relations 

 between molecular constitution and smell. — E. Ldg:er : 

 Crj'stallised aloinose and its identity with d-arabinose. — 

 H. Arsandaux : A new contribution to the study of the 

 laterites. — Raoul Combes : The best illumination for the 

 development of plants. — ^V. Pachon and Em. Perrot : 

 The cardio-vascular action of green coffee compared with 

 that of corresponding doses of caffeine. The action noted 

 is due to some other agent than caffeine. — A. Magrnan : 

 The influence of the alimentary rdgime on the intestine in 

 birds. — G. Seliber : The coloration of the pigment in two 

 fungi. — A. £tard and A. Vila : The analysis of proto- 

 plasmic materials. A discussion of the various group re- 

 agents which may be used for the separation of the sub- 

 stances present in the liquids resulting from the hydrolysis 

 of protoplasmic materials. — M. Noel : The infiltrations on 

 the massif of Zaghouan (Tunis). 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, June 30. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30. — A New Method for the Quantitative Estima- 

 tion of Hydrocyanic Acid in Vegetable and Animal Tissues : Dr. A. D. 

 Waller, F.R.S. — On the Stnicture, Development, and Morphological 

 Interpretation of the Pineal Organs and Adjacent Parts of the Brain in 

 the Tuatara {Sphenoiion />tinctatus): Prof. A. Dendy, F.R.S. — On the 

 Scattering of Homogeneous ^-Rays, and the Number of Electrons 

 contained in the Atom : J. A. Crowther. — On the Spontaneous Crystalli- 

 sation and the Melting and Freezing Point Curves of Mixtures of Two 

 .Substances which form Mixed Crystals a^d possess a Minimum or 

 Eutectic Freezing Point. Mixtures of A/obelizer^ aillj OeiAlanilinft : 



NO. 2122, VOL. 83] I Cy (^ *^ - ^" ^ 



Miss F. Isaac. — On the Determination of the Chief Correlations between 

 Collaterals in the Case of a Simple Mendelian Population Mating at 

 Random : E. C. Snow.— The Propagation of Sound in a Fog : C. J^ T. 

 Sewell.— A Determination of the Ratio of Mass to Weight for a Radio- 

 active Substance : L. Southerns. — The Relative Atomic Weights of 

 Nitrogen and Sulphur: F. P. Lurt and F. L. Usher. — The Relation of 

 Light Perception to Colour Perception : Dr. F. W. Edridge-Green. — 

 The Anatomy and Morphology of the Leaves and Inflorescences of 

 IVehvitschia jitirahilis : Miss M. G. Sykes. — And other papers. 



FRIDAY, July I. 

 Geologists' Association, at 8. — The Geology of West Yorkshire, with 

 Special Reference to the District to be Visited during the Long Ex- 

 cursion : Prof. P. F. Kendall. 



FRIDAY, July 8. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— A Thermo-electric Balance for the Absolute 

 Measurement of Radiation : Prof. H. L. Callendar, F.R.S.— The Con 

 vection of Heat from a Body cooled by a Stream of Fluid : Dr. Alexander 

 Russell.— On Hysteresis Loops and Lissajous' Figures, and on the 

 Energy wasted in a Hysteresis Loop: Prof. S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. — 

 The Energy Relations of certain Detectors used in Wireless Telegraphy 

 Dr. W. H. Eccles. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Treatise on Ants. By The Right Hon. Lord 



Avebury, F.R.S S^S 



Practical Methods for the Biochemical Laboratory. 



By Prof. Benjamin Moore 516 



The Light from the Sky 5^7 



The Philosophy of Mathematics. By G. B. M. . 518 

 The Protozoa : An Impressionist Sketch. By C 



Clifford Dobell 5^9 



Bee-keeping in America. By F. W. L. Sladen . . 519 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Auerbach : " Ektropismus oder die physikalische 



Theorie des Lebens " 5^0 



Ewell : "A Text-book of Physical Chemistry, Theory 



and Practice " 520 



" Vortriige and Aufsatze uber Entwickelungsmechanik 



der Organismen " S^o 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Descent of a Sphere in a Viscous Liquid.— 



A. B. Basset, F.R.S 521 



Popular Biological Misconceptions.— C. C 521 



Anomalous Reading of Hygrometer. — Rev. J. 



Rowland 521 



Pwdre Ser.— Agnes Fry ; Rowland A. Earp . . 521 

 The Fresh-water Lochs of Scotland. {Illustrated.) 



Bw Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S 522 



Tift White Man's Rule. {Ilhistrated.) By W. T. P. 523 

 Geological Nature-study. {Illustrated.) By Prof. 



Grenville A. J. Cole 525 



The Medium of Celestial Space. By H. C. P. . . 526 



Notes 529 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Meteorite at Bombay 533 



Halley's Comet 534 



Observations of Winnecke's Comet (1909a?) .... 534 

 Colour of Comet 1910a during its Perihelion Passage 534 

 The International Botanic Congress at Brussels. 



By A. B. R 534 



An English Philosophical Congress. By William 



Brown 53^ 



The Motion of the Moon 53^ 



The Training of Engineers in France. By Prof. 



J. Wertheimer 53^ 



Refrigeration. By Francis Hyndman 539 



Universities and Technical Training. By Prof, A. 



Senier 539 



Recent Developments in Telegraphy and Tele- O 



phony. By Sir John Gavey, C.B 542 / 



University and Educational Intelligence 544 



Societies and Academies 545 



Diary of Societies 54^ 



