KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



rAuGusT, 1905. 



prepared for me, some years since, by Messrs. Hopkin 

 and Williams, and that the solutions were made in 

 small flasks of hard, Bohemian glass. Such solutions 

 were formerly twice analysed for me by a skilled 

 chemist, who reported that not the least trace of either 

 sulphur or phosphorus could be detected. Sir \\'iHiam 

 Ramsay has, however, been kind enough to analyse 

 another specimen of the solution for me after it had 

 l>een in the flask for five days* and his report is that 

 the "liquid contained an excessively minute trace of 

 sulphur, probably as sulphate; but no phosphoric acid 

 could be detected by the molybdate of ammonium 

 test." 



Looking, therefore, to the fact that the nitrifying 

 Bacteria would have at their disposal the "few mineral 

 salts" referred to by Fischer, we may safely assumt 

 that the micro-organisms growing in this solution of 

 ammonium tartrate, contaminated only by an "exces- 

 sively minute trace of sulphur," have, in reality, been 

 building up the simplest known variety of protoplasm. 



Fl». I Ix 37SI. 



But how much the process would be aided by a little 

 phosphorus may easily be shown by the addition of 

 three grains of sodium phosphate to the solution. An 

 inoculated ainmonium tartrate solution with this addi- 

 tion will become turbid more quickly, and will soon 

 yield a far larger amount of micro-organisms. 



This subject seems to me one chiefly of biological 

 and chemical interest, and to be of altogether less im- 

 portance on its botanical side. Looking to the nature 

 of the primary inoculating material, it was only to be 

 expected that several different kinds of common Bac- 

 teria would be found growing in the .solutions, and this 

 has proved to be the ca.sc. Dr. Gordon Holmes, the 

 Director of the " Research Fund " at the National 

 Hospital, kindly made a gelatine plate-culture from a 

 second fluid, the first having been inoculated with a 

 drop of a turbid hay infusion, and he reports that there 

 were at least seven different kinds of Bacteria found 

 — Cocci, Diplococci. Bacilli, and a kind of Streptothrix; 

 while a miroscopical examination of some of the sedi- 



* The Solution was one which had been inoculated with three 

 drops from a first solution, and, having been in the dark incubator, 

 it showed no trace of opalescence. 



ment from the same flask showed, in addition to 

 abundance of Bacteria, a large number of Fungus 

 spores, togetlier with a peculiar spiral and twisted 

 mycelium, such as may be seen in Fig. i. 



It certainly is very remarkable that these common 

 micro-organisms, previouslv c.irrying on their life pro- 

 cesses in organic infusions, should be able so rapidly 

 to adapt themselves to an entirely different metabolism. 

 It is much to be desired that some skilled chemists 

 should take the matter up, and endeavour to throw 

 some light upon the steps by which this marvellously 

 simple synthesis of living matter is brought about. 



StoLr MsLp.— No. 6. 



Leo, Cancer. 



This map may be of special interest this month, since it 

 shows the region in which the Sun will be at the time of 

 the eclipse on August 30. The Sun's K.A. (on the 

 Ecliptic) will then be X. h. 32 m., so that it will be close 

 to p Leonis, and within about 7° of Regulus. Mercury 

 at that time will be within 4^^ of the Sun, S. of 48 Leonis. 

 \'enus will also be within the map, on the borders of 

 Gemini and Cancer. Dec. 19° 57' 40". 



In the upper left-hand corner are some of the principal 

 stars of the Great Bear, while to the right lay the 

 "Twins," Castor and Pollux, and lower down is Pro- 

 cyon. 



Among the more specially interesting objects included 

 are — 



o Geminoriim (Castor) VII. h. 28 m. + 32° 5'. A com- 

 plicated system. A double star, magnitudes 2-0 and 2-8, 

 distant ^"-y. One of these stars is also found to be a 

 spectroscopic binary with a large dark companion, while 

 a smaller and more distant star shares in the proper 

 motion. 



a Canis Miiwris (Procyon), VII. h. 34 m. 4-5" 28'. Mag- 

 nitude 0'5. Has a faint but massive companion star, 

 which was one of the first " dark " stars discovered (in 

 1840). 



f Cancri, VIII. h. 6 m. -t- 17° 59'. This is another 

 complication of several stars. Two stars of 5 and 5"7 

 magnitudes revolve around one another in 60 years at a 

 distance of less than i". A third star, of 5-5 magnitude, 

 revolves around these in an opposite direction, and accom- 

 panying this is a dark companion. 



e Hydra:, VIII. h. 42 m. + 6° 50'. A triple star. Two, 

 of magnitudes 4 and 6, are only o"m3 apart, and present 

 a yellow colour. The third star, of 7th magnitude and 

 distant 3"'47, is blue. 



a Leonis [Regulus), X. h. 3 m. -f 12'' 25'. Magnitude 



'■3- 



y Leonis {Algeiba), X. h. 14 m. -f- 20" 19'. A double 

 star, magnitudes 2 and 4, distant 3"-8. Yellow colour. 



f Ursa Majoris, XL h. 13 m. -f 32" 6'. A double 

 star of 4th and 5th magnitude, distant 2"-3. 



Leonis, XL h. 19 m. -f 1 1" 5'. A double star, yellow 

 and blue, distant 2"- 17. 



1830 Groombridge (mag. 6-4), XL h. 46 m. -f 51'' 30', 

 has the greatest proper motion of any star, amounting to 

 3"-98 in K.A. and -f 5"8 in decln. 



In the centre of Cancer is the large cluster, not nebu- 

 lous, known as Pra;sepe, " the Manger" (I'tolemy), or, 

 according to some authorities, the " Beehive." Visible 

 to the naked eye as a small cloud. Forty-five stars have 

 been definitely located. 



