June 28. 1900] 



NATURE 



215 



temperatures from about the boiling point to within a few de- 

 grees of the critical point with an error generally not exceeding 

 I per cent. If, however, the critical density is calculated from 

 the mean densities at low temperatures, the error may be 

 considerable ; in the case of normal decane it is between 5 and 

 6 per cent. The law does not, as a rule, hold good at all for 

 substances the molecules of which differ in complexity in the 

 gaseous and liquid states. Mr. Rose-Innes said that in his paper 

 the author had used the generalisations of Van der Waals, 

 although the author himself had shown that they were not 

 strictly true. Prof. Young said that the generalisations held in 

 some cases, although they did not in others. In all cases they 

 were approximately true, and it was therefore advisable to use 

 them, and study the results as far as possible. — The Society then 

 adjourned until next October. 



Chemical Society, June 7.— Trof. Thorpe, President, in 

 the chair. — The following papers were read. — Condensation of 

 ethyl acetylenedicarboxylate with bases and /3-ketonic esters, by 

 S. Ruhemann and H. E. Stapleton. Ethyl acetylenedicar- 

 boxylate reacts with benzamidine to form a substance of the 



CPh:N. /N:CPh 



probable constitution, I ^C : Q,( \ , which the 



NII.CO^ ^CO.NH 



authors term glyoxaline red. — Condensation of phenols with 

 ethyl phenylpropiolate, by S. Ruhemann and F. Beddow, 

 Sodium phenoxide reacts with ethyl phenylpropiolate, yielding 

 a substance of the constitution CgHg.CiOCeHs) : CH.COgEt ; 

 this ester is easily hydrolysed, and the acid readily loses carbon 

 dioxide, giving phenoxystyrene, CHg : C(OC6H5).C6H6. — The 

 constitution of pilocarpine, by H. A. D. Jowett. Isopilocarpine 

 yields on oxidation a lactonic acid of the constitution 

 CH(CH3)2.CH.CH.CO.H 



I I ; 



o-co 



the alkaloid also contains the groups :NH and rNCHj.— The 

 nitrogen chlorides derivable from metachloroacetanilide and 

 their transformations, by F. D. Chattaway, K. J. P. Orton 

 and W. H. Hurtley.— The persulphuric acids, by T. M. Lowry 

 and J. H. West. A quantitative study of the equilibrium 

 established between sulphuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and 

 " persulphuric acid " on mixing the former two substances, 

 affords evidence indicating the existence of the acids H.JO2.4SO3 

 and H.jOj.aSOj in a mixture of sulphuric acid and hydrogen 

 peroxide. — On diphenyl- and dialphyl ethylenediamines, their 

 nitro-derivates, nitrates and mercurichlorides, by W. S. Mills. — 

 Derivatives of cyanocamphor and homocamphoric acid, by 

 A. Lapworth. The halogen derivatives of cyanocamphor are 

 reduced to cyanocamphor and homocamphoramic acid, 

 C8H,4'C02H).CIIo CONH2, by strong aqueous alkalis. 

 o-Bromo-homocamphoricacid,C8Hi4(C02H).CHBr.C02H,made 

 by heating homocamphoric dichloride with bromine, can be con- 



/ CH.CO2H 



verted into homocamphoric acid, C8Hi4<f I , — 



\co.o 



The ultra-violet absorption spectra of some closed chain carbon 

 compounds. II. Dimethylpyrazine, hexamethylene and tetra- 

 hydrobenzene, by W. N. Hartley and J. J. Dobbie.— A study 

 of the absorption spectra of ^-oxycarbanil and its alkyl deriva- 

 tives in relation to tautomerism, by W. N. Hartley, J. J. 

 Dobbie and P. G. Paliatseas.— Action of formaldehyde on 

 amines of the naphthalene series (II.), by G. T. Morgan. The 

 action of formaldehyde on etliyl-3-naphthylamine in cold acetic 

 acid solution results in the formation of 2 : 2-diethyldiamino- 

 I : l-dinaphthylmethane. — The bromination of benzeneazo- 

 phenol(II.), by J. T. Hewitt and W. G. Aston.— Condensa- 

 tion of ethyl crotonate with ethyl oxalate, by A. Lapworth. 

 Ethyl 7-oxalocrotonate, CO2Et.CO.CH2.CH : CH.COaEt, is 

 formed by the action of sodium ethoxide on a mixture of ethyl 

 crotonate and ethyl oxalate ; it is converted into o-pyrone-a'- 



CH.CH : C.CO2H 

 carboxylic acid, || | , by hydrochloric acid.— 



CH.CO.O 

 Researches in silicon compounds. VI. On silicodiphenyldiimide 

 and silicotriphenylguanidine, by J. E. Reynolds. On heating 

 silicophenylamide, Si(NIiCfiH3)4, the diimide, SiCNCeHs)^, and 

 silicotriphenylguanidine, Si(NC6ll5)(NHC6H5)2, are obtained.— 

 Note on Bach's hydrogen tetroxide, by H. E. Armstrong. 



Linnean Society, June;.— Prof. Sydney II. Vines, F.RS., 

 President, in the chair.— Mr. R. Morton Middleton exhibited a 



NO. 



1600. \'OL. 62] 



letter, dated "London, 13 June 1788," in the handwriting of 

 Sir J. E. Smith, addressed to Charles Louis L'Heritier, at Paris, 

 in which he mentioned a visit to Oxford with Sir Joseph Banks 

 and J. Dryander for the purpose of looking over the plants and 

 drawings of Sibthorp, who was then lecturing there ; and added 

 some critical remarks on several species of Sida which 

 L'Heritier had sent him for determination. Mr. Middleton 

 also exhibited an engraved portrait of Sir J. E. Smith from the 

 Gentleman^ s Magazine, 1828, which, with the letter, he 

 presented to the Society. — Mr. F. Enock, with the aid of the 

 lantern, exhibited several photomicrographs and photographs of 

 living insects, and gave an illustrated account of the life-history 

 and metamorphoses of a dragonfly (^Eschna cyaiiea). — Mr. 

 E. S. Goodrich read a paper, entitled "Notes on Syllis vivipara, 

 Krohn." This worm, which he found in a tank at the Naples 

 Laboratory, appeared to be identical with that described by 

 Krohn in 1869 {Arch. f. Natutg. xxxv. p. 197^ and in general 

 form resenibled Claparede's Syllis Aunandi (probably S. 

 prolifera, Krohn). The peculiar point of interest was its 

 method of reproduction, the embryos growing within the body- 

 cavity of the parent to an advanced stage (when they resemble 

 the adult except in their smaller size and fewer segments), and 

 escaping by the breaking off of the posterior portion of the 

 parent's body. — Dr. Otto Stapf read a paper on the two 

 Melastomaceoui genera Dicellandra, Hook, f., and Phaeoneuron, 

 Gilg. He showed that the differences between them are not in 

 the heterandry and homoeandry respectively, as was supposed, 

 but in much more important characters which concern all those 

 parts which affect the formation of the fruits and seeds. The 

 diagnoses of the two genera must therefore be revised, with the 

 result that Phaeoneuron and Dicellandra change their character 

 as monotypic genera. — A paper was read by Miss A. L. 

 Embleton giving a full account of the anatomy and histology of 

 Echitirus tinicinctus, received from Prof. K. Mitsukuri, of 

 Tokyo. 



Cambridge. 

 Philosophical Society, May 7.— Prof. Clifford AUbutt, 

 F.R.S., in the chair. — Exhibition of anomalous bones from pre- 

 dynastic Egyptian skeletons, by Prof. Macalister, F.R.S. — 

 Ammocoetes a Cephalaspid, by Dr. Gaskell, F.R.S. The 

 paper contained evidence that Ammocoetes was the living 

 representative of the ancient Cephalaspids. — Note on some 

 abnormalities of the limbs and tail of Dipnoan fishes, by H. H. 

 Brindley. Lepidosiren and Protopierus sometimes exhibit 

 partial bifidity of the limbs and tail. This condition of the 

 limbs of Protopierus has received some speculative attention, 

 and it has also been suggested that a branched limb of Lepi- 

 dosiren might have a respiratory function. Boulenger and 

 Howes have since shown that Protopierus may regenerate its 

 limb in a branched condition, and sections of branched limbs 

 of Lepidosiren show histological features clearly suggesting a 

 reproduced condition. Budgett and Kerr have noticed a con- 

 siderable tendency to injury and reproduction of limbs and tail 

 in both these fishes — and there can be no doubt that the repro- 

 duction is often bifid. A parallel is therefore afforded with the 

 bifidity sometimes seen in lizards' tails, which in all cases 

 examined are reproduced structures. In some of the latter 

 there is evidence that the extra tail is a new growth arising from 

 an injured place, and in others that the new growth is bifid from 

 its commencement. In the cases of Lepidosiren examined the 

 latter condition alone seems to hold. — On the standardisation of 

 anti-venomous serum, by W. Myers. It was shown that 

 Calmette's method was based on views which were no longer 

 tenable ; and, further, that a special mixture of snake venoms 

 is required. A more accurate measure of the antitoxin was to 

 test its neutralising power, using ten times the minimal lethal 

 dose of unheated Cobra poison, and mice of 15 grams weight 

 as test animals. With this method it was possible to estimate 

 the serum to within 15 per cent. 



Royal Meteorological Society, June 20.— Dr. C. Theo- 

 dore Williams, President, in the chair. — Mr. W. Marriott read a 

 paper on rainfall in the west and east of England in relation to 

 altitude above sea-level. This was a discussion of the mean 

 monthly and annual rainfall for the ten years 1881-90 at 309 

 stations which the author had grouped according to the altitude 

 of the stations above sea-level. The western stations were 

 considered to be those which drained to the west, and the 

 eastern stations those which drained to the east of the country. 

 The diagrams exhibited showed that there is a general increase 

 in the annual amount of rain as the altitude increases, and 



