144 



NATURE 



[June ii, 1903 



and J. FiKueras. Four silicides have been 

 isolated, corresponding to the compositions SiCr,, SiCr,, 

 SijCrj and Si^Cr. Details of the preparation and properties 

 of SijCr^ are given. — The electrolytic reduction of un- 

 satura'ted acids, by M. C. Marie. By the use of mercury 

 as a kathode, the unsaturated acids may be reduced to the 

 corresponding saturated acids. — On dibromo-acetylene, 

 CBr CBr, by M. P. Lemoult. — On Pyronema confluens, 

 by M. P. H. Dang:eard. — On the botanical characters of 

 the mycelium of the truffle, by M. Louis Matruchot. — The 

 morphological characters of Pleurocecidia, by M. C. 

 Houard. — On some fossil algae in ancient strata, by M. B. 

 Renault. As the result of a microscopical examination of 

 boghead cannels the conclusion is drawn that these were 

 formed by the accumulation of gelatinous algae at the 

 bottoms of lakes, each layer of coal being recognisable by 

 the genus of algae producing it. — On the present state of 

 the volcano of Mont Pel6e, by M. Giraud. — On the geology 

 of the neighbourhood of Cinglais (Calvados), by M. A. 

 Bigrot. — On the graphical characters of fatigue in volun- 

 tary movements in man, by MM. A. Imbert and 

 J. Gek.gnibre. — The degradation of carbohydrates in the 

 animal organism, by MM. A. Bach and F. Battelli. The 

 theory is put forward that two alternating actions are at 

 work, both produced by enzymes. The carbohydrates are 

 first hydrolysed, with production of carbon dioxide, and 

 then acted upon by an oxidising enzyme, with evolution 

 of water. According to this view the carbon dioxide is 

 never formed by direct oxidation, but by hydrolysis. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY. June ii. 



Royal Society, at 4. — Election of Fellows.— At 4.30.— The Bending of 

 Eletric Waves round a Conducting Obstacle; Amended Result : H. M. 

 Macdonald, F.R S. — On the Propagation of Tremors over the Surface 

 of an Elastic Solid: Prof. H. Lamb, F.R.S.— The Diffusion of Salts 

 in Aqueous Solutions : J. C. Graham. — On the Structure of Gold Leaf, and 

 the Absorption Spectrum of Gold : Prof. J. W. Mallet, F.R.S.— On 

 Reptilian Remains from the Trias of Elgin : G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S.— 

 A Method for the Investigation of Fossils by Serial Sections : Prof. W. J. 

 SoUas, F.R.S. — An Account of the Devonian Fish, Palaeospondylns 

 Gunni, Traquair : Prof. W. J. Sollas, F.R.S., and Miss L B. J. Sollas.— 

 The Measurements of Tissue Fluid in Man ; Preliminary Note : Dr. 

 G. Oliver. — Observations on the Physiology of the Cerebral Cortex of 

 the Anthropoid Apes : Dr. A. S. F. Grunbaum and Prof. C. S. 

 Sherrington, F.R.S. 



Mathematical Society, at 3.30. — Quaternions: Major P. A. MacMahon. 

 — Automorphic Functions and the General Theory of Algebraic Curves : 

 Mr. H. W. Richmond — Jacobi's Construction for Quadric Surfaces : 

 Prof. G. B. Mathews. — Addition to the Papers on Four Known Simple 

 Groups of Order 25920 : Prof. L. E. Dickson. 

 FRIDAY, June 12 



Physical Society, at 5. — Some Experiments on Shadows in an Astigmatic 

 Beam of Light : Prof. S. P. Thompson. — The Positive lonisation produced 

 by Hot Platinum in Air at Low Pressures : O. W. Richardson — On a 

 Method of Determining the Viscosity of Pitch-like Solids : Prof. F. T. 

 Trouton and E. S Andrews. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. — Eclipse of the Moon, 1903 April n : 

 F. W. Henkel. — Note on the Use of Peirce's Criterion for the Rejection 

 of Doubtful Observations: S. A. Saunder.— On a Probable Relationship 

 between the Solar Prominences and Corona : W. J. S. Lockyer. — Note 

 on the Present Condition of the Lunar Theory : E. Nevill. — On the 

 Relation between the Light Changes and Orbital Elements of a Close 

 Binary System ; with Special Reference to _RR Centauri : A. W. Roberts. 

 — Recent Observations of Mars and Jupiter : W. F. Denning. — The 

 Spectra of Sun-spots in the Region 'B-D : Rev. A. L. Cortie. — Experi- 

 ments as to the Actuality of the "Canals" observed on Mars : J. E. 

 Evans and E. W. Maunder. — Promised Pa/>ers : Positions of 170 Stars 

 around Nova Geminorum, and a Discussion concerning the Difference 

 between two Exposures on the same Plate : F. A. Bellamy. — Examina- 

 tion of Mr. Whittaker's " Undulatory Explanation of Gravity" from the 

 Physical Standpoint : G. Johnstone Stoney. — Observations of the 

 Satellite of Neptune from Photographs taken with the 2Sinch Re- 

 fractor : Royal Observatory, Greenwich. — Mean Areas and Heliographic 

 Latitudes of Sun-spots in the Year 1902, deduced fiom Photographs 

 taken at the Royal Observatory, at Dehra Dun (India), and in Mauritius : 

 Royal Observatory, Greenwich. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — A List of Species of Mollusca from South 

 Africa, forming an Appendix to G. B. Sowerby's " Marine Shells of South 

 Africa": E. A. Smith. —On a New Genus, Planorbia, Moore, from the 

 Albert Edward and Albert Nyanzas : J. E. S. Moore. — Notes on Some 

 Jurassic Shells from Borneo, including a New Species of Trigonia : 

 R. BuUen Newton. — Description o{ M-arginella lateritia, n.sp., from the 

 Andaman Islands: J. C. MelviU and E. R. Sykes.— New Mollusca from 

 New Zealand: Rev. W. H. Webster. 



MONDAY, June 15. 



Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— Annual Meeting.— Address by Prof. 

 W. M. Flinders Petrie. 



'TUESDAY, June 16. 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On an Extinct Species of Genet (Genetta 

 plesictoides) ^rom the Pleistocene of Cyprus : Miss Dorothy M. A. Bate. 

 — Description of a New Fish of the Gobiid Genus Rhiacichthys from 

 British New Guinea: G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S. — Descriptions of New 



NO. 1754, VOL. 68] 



Reptiles from British New Guinea: G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S.— The 

 Marine Fauna of Zanzibar and British East Africa, from Collections 

 made by Mr. Cyril Crossland in the Years 1901 and 1902 — Polychaeta, 

 Part II. : Cyril Crossland. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 9. — "James Forrest" Lecture, 

 Some Unsolved Problems in Engineering : W. H. Maw. 

 WEDNESDA Y, June 17. 



Royal Microscopical Society, at 8.— On the Theory of Optical Images, 

 with Special Reference to the Microscope: Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S. — On 

 a Method of making Visible Ultra-microscopic Particles in Glass, and 

 the Application of the Method to Bacteria : Dr. H. Siedentopf. — On the 

 Lag in Microscopic Vision : E. M. Nelson. 



Chemical Society, at 5.— (i) The Estimation of Arsenic in Fuel; (2) 

 The Electrolytic Estimation of Minute Quantities of Arsenic, more 

 Especially in Brewing Materials :T. E. Thorpe. — Crystallised Ammonium 

 Sulphate and the Position of Ammonium in the Alkali Series: A. E. H. 

 Tutton. — Action of Hydrogen on Sodium : A. Holt, jun. — (1) The Action 

 of Halogens on Compounds containing the Carbonyl Group ; (2) Reac- 

 tions involving the Addition of Hydrogen Cyanide to Carbon Com- 

 pounds : A. Lapworth. — The Acetoacetic Ester Synthesis: A. C. O. 

 Hann and A.' Lapworth. — Rimu Resin : T. H. Easterfield and B. C. 

 Aston. — Not§ on the Karaka Fruit : T. H. Easterfield and B. C. Aston. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 10 a.m. — Inaugural Address of the 

 Engineering Conference : John Clarke Hawkshaw. 



Royal Meteorological Society, at 4.30.— The Meteorological Aspects 

 of the StO'm of February 26-27, 1903: Dr. W, N. Shaw, F.R.S.— The 

 Dines- Baxendell Anemograph and the Dial-pattern Non-oscillating Pres- 

 sure-plate Anemometer : Joseph Baxendell. 



THURSDAY, June 18. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable papers : (i) Surface Flow in Crystal- 

 line Solids under Mechanical Disturbance : {■z) The Effects of Heat and 

 of Solvents on Thin Films of Metal : G. Beilby.— The Magnetic Expan- 

 sion of some of the Less Magnetic Metals (with an Appendix by G. A. 

 Schott) : Dr. P. E. Shaw.— On the Discharge of Electricity from Hot 

 Platinum : Dr. H. A. Wilson.— The Bionomics oiConvoluta Roscoffensis, 

 with Special Reference to its Green Cells : Dr. F. W. Gamble and F. 

 Keeble. — New Investigations into the Reduction Phenomena of Animals 

 and Plants : Preliminary Communication : Prof. J. B. Farmer, F.R.S.. 

 and J. E. S. Moore. — The Action of Choline, Neurine, Muscarine and 

 Betaine upon Isolated Nerve (and upon the Excised Heart): Dr. A. D. 

 Waller, F.R.S., and S. C. M. Sowton. — The Physiological Action of 

 Betain Extracted from Raw Beet Sugar : Dr. A. D. Waller, F.R.S., and 

 Dr. R. H. Aders Plimmer.— On the Physiological Action of the Poison of 

 the Hydrophidae ; Part II. Action on the Circulatory, Respiratory and 

 Nervous Systems : Dr. L. Rogers. — A Paper on the Spectra of Neon, 

 Krypton and Xenon : E. C. C. Baly. — A Study of the Interaction of 

 Mercury and Nitric Acid : Prof. P. Chandra Ray. — And other Papers. 



Linnean Society, at 8.— Descriptions of New Chinese Plants: S. T. 



Dunn. — On the Life-history of a New Indian Species of Monophlebus : 



E. P. Stebbing — On the Anatomy of Leaves 'of. British Grasses: L. 



Lewton-Brain. — Scottish Freshwater Plankton. 



FRJUA y, June 19. 



RovAL Institution, at 9.— Radium : Prof. Pierre Curie (in French). 



PAGE 

 . 121 



CONTENTS. 



Differential Equations . . 



The Magnitude of the Proteinic Molecule. By F, 



Escombe 123 



Physiological Reports 123 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Le Conte : " An Elementary Treatise on the Mechanics 

 of Machinery, with Special Reference to the 



Mechanics of the Steam Engine " 124 



Bradbury: " Elementary Chemistry." — ^J. B. C. . . 125 



Hudson: " Hampshire Days." — R. L 125 



Kirchner and Michaelis : " Worterbuch der philoso- 



phischen Grundbegriffe." — G. S. B 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Psychophysical Interaction. — Sir Oliver Lodge, 



F.R.S.; Prof. J. H. Muirhead 



Seismometry and Geite.— Prof. John Milne, F.R.S. 

 The Vitality of the Typhoid Bacillus. By Dr. 



Allan Macfadyen . 



Note on the Probable Occasional Instability of All 



Matter. By Sir Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S 



Photographs of Snow Crystals. {Illustrated.) . . . 

 Dr. A. A. Common, F.R.S. By Dr. William J. S. 



Lockyer 132 



Prof. C. A. Bjerknes. By Prof. G. H. Bryan, 



S IV, 



125 



126 

 127 



127 



128 

 129 



F.R. 



33 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The South Polar Cap of Mars 



The Harvard Photographs of the Entire Sky . . 



The Royal Observatory, Greenwich 



Theory of Cyclones and Anti-Cyclones .... 



Atmospheric Variations 1^9 



A Camera for Naturalists 140 



Entomology at the Cape 140 



University and Educational Intelligence 140 



Societies and Academies 141 



Diary of Societies 142 



138 

 138 

 138 

 139 



