238 



MATURE 



[July 9, 1903 



the gas when the current was kept passing for l«ftg periods. 

 The measurements were all made upon phot<^lPaphs taken 

 with a Rowland concave grating of lo feet focus and 14,438 

 lines to the inch ; the first three order* of spectra were em- 

 plo3ed, and nearly all the chief liin'es were measured in two 

 orders ; the probable error of "thfe measurements is less than 

 003 Angstrom unit. Each gas gives bright-line spectra, 

 krypton and xenon having two and neon one ; the second 

 spectra of krypton and xenon are produced bv placing a 

 Leyden jar and a spark gap in the circuit with the vacuum 

 tube. 



• Physical Society, June 26. — Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Dr. Waller gave a 

 demonstration of the effect of light on green leaves. The 

 origin of these researches was the result of the consider- 

 ation of the retinal effects after light stimulation, and the 

 wish to have a sensitive surface naturally spread out for 

 examination. The efTect of light is to produce a current 

 (of an E.M.F. of the order of 001 volt), at first from the 

 illuminated to the dark parts in the leaf, and later (or as 

 an after-effect) from dark to illuminated. These currents 

 are apparently an index of two opposite processes in the 

 leaf, i.e. dissimilation and assimilation, and give very close 

 analogies to the analogous processes in animal tissues (e.^. 

 nerves). Dr. Waller also demonstrated the " blaze " 

 currents in animal and vegetable tissues. These are seen 

 when a strong exciting current (such as an induction-shock 

 of sufficient voltage) is led through a pair of non-polarisable 

 electrodes, and these are then connected with a galvano- 

 meter. An electrical response (of greater energy than the 

 exciting current) is given in a direction commonly homo- 

 drome to the latter, i.e. in the reverse direction to the 

 ordinary polarisation counter-currents. This " blaze " 

 response is the algebraic sum of post-anodic and post- 

 kathodic currents ; the resultant is commonly homodrome, 

 but an antidrome blaze, distinguished from polarisation by 

 its much greater order of magnitude, is also seen. Dr. 

 Waller also showed two methods for the quantitative 

 estimation of chloroform vapour in air. The first was by 

 receiving the mixed gases into a flask of known capacity', 

 absorbing the chloroform by means of olive oil, and reading 

 the reduction of pressure by a manometer. The second was 

 by the simple weighing of a light flask, first filled with 

 air, then filled with mixed air and chloroform vapour. — 

 Dr. N. H. Alcock exhibited a method of determining the 

 temperature-limits of nerve activity in warm-blooded and 

 cold-blooded animals. The higher limit was obtained by 

 immersing the isolated nerve in 105 per cent. NaCl solution. 

 It lies between 40° C. and 42° C. in the frog, 48° and 49° 

 in the mammal, and is at 53° in the bird, corresponding 

 closely to the coagulating point of the tissue proteids. The 

 lower limits were obtained by cooling the nerve-chamber 

 as a whole, and taking the temperature of the nerve with 

 a compensated thermo-junction. The limits were — 3°-5 C. 

 for the frog, -|-3°-8 C. for the mammal, -|-6°-8 C. for the 

 bird, giving a range of nerve-action of 45° C. to 46° C. for 

 all animals. The method, therefore, permits of an hitherto 

 impossible analysis of actually living nerve-substance. 



Zoological Society, June 16. — Dr. F. Du C>*ne Godman, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Dr. H. Woodward, 

 F.R.S., made a communication from Miss Dorothy M. A. 

 Bate which contained a description of the remains of an 

 extinct species of Genet from a Pleistocene cave-deposit in 

 Cyprus, and which it was proposed to name Genetta 

 plesictoides, sp. n. — Mr. G. A. Boulen^er, F.R.S., de- 

 scribed a new species of Gobiid fish from British New 

 Guinea under the name of Khiacichlhys novae- guineae. — 

 Mr. G. A. Boulenger also described the following five new 

 species of reptiles from British New Guinea : — Lygosoma 

 milnense, L. granulatum, L. pulchrum, L. pratti, and 

 Toxica calamus stanleyantis.. — A second instalment of a 

 paper, by Mr. Cyril Crossland, on the Polychaeta of 

 Zanzibar and British East Africa, contained descriptions 

 of three new species of Marphysa, viz. M. macintoshi, M. 

 simplex, and M. furcellata, and a new key to the known 

 species of that genus. It also contained remarks on Lysidice 

 collafis and its variations, and on the two species Diopatra 

 neapolitana and Onuphis holobranchiata, which had hither- 

 to rtot been met with in East Africa. — A communication 

 on the parasites collected by the " Skeat Expedition " to 



NO. 1758, VOL. 68] 



Lower Siam and the Malay Peninsula in the year 1900 wa- 

 read by the secretary on behalf of Mr. Arthur E. Shipley. 

 The author stated that the area in which the collection wa~ 

 gathered had been hitherto unsearched by students of para 

 sites, and referred to the high proportion of new forni> 

 that had been obtained. Among these were a new species 

 of Tetrarhynchus, found in an Echinoderm, and an un- 

 determinable species of Tetrarhynchus found in a sea-snake.. 

 The occurrence of these forms in such hosts was practically 

 new to science. There were also described eight new species 

 of Acanthocephala. — A communication from Messrs. Lcuis 

 Murbach and Cresswell Shearer dealt with a collection 

 of Medus;e from the coast of British Columbia and Alaska, 

 made in 1900. Specimens of fourteen species — of which five 

 were new — were contained in the collection, and these were 

 remarked upon or described. — Mr. F. E. Beddardy 

 F".R.S., read a paper upon the modifications of the Syrinx 

 in the Accipitres. The syringes of a number of genera 

 were described in detail, and it was pointed out that the 

 group could be divided into two families according to the 

 form of this organ. 



Chemical Society, June 17.— Prof. W. A. 'lilden, F.R.S., 



in the chair. — The Longstaff medal was presented to Prof. 

 W. J. Pope in recognition of his researches on the stereo- 

 chemistry of compounds of elements other than carbon. — 

 The following papers were read : — The estimation of arsenic 

 in fuel, by Prof. T. E. Thorpe, P'.R.S. A known quantity 

 of the finely-powdered fuel is burnt in a stream of oxygen,, 

 the issuing gas is passed through a suitable absorption 

 apparatus, and the absorption liquid, as well as the ash 

 of the fuel, are tested for arsenic. — The electrolytic estim- 

 ation of minute quantities of arsenic, more especially ia 

 brewing materials, by Prof. T. E. Thorpe, F.R.S. A 

 special electrolytic arrangement is adopted whereby the 

 electrolysis of dilute sulphuric acid is brought about in 

 presence of the arsenical liquid, and the formation of 

 arseniuretted hydrogen is detected in the usual way. 

 — Crystallised ammonium sulphate and the position of 

 ammonium in the alkali series, by Dr. A. E. H. Tutton. 

 The molecular constants of crystals of ammonium sulphate 

 indicate that the substitution of two ammonium groups for 

 the two atoms of potassium in potassium sulphate produces 

 approximately the same change as the substitution of two 

 atoms of rubidium ; on the other hand, the specific con- 

 stants show that the ammonium radicle exerts a certain 

 influence peculiar to itself in the series of alkali sulphates. 

 — The action of hydrogen on sodium, by Mr. A. Holt. — 

 The action of halogens on compounds containing the 

 carbonyl group, by Dr. Lapworth. It is shown that the 

 bromination of these compounds takes place more rapidly 

 in presence of acids and alkalis. — Reactions involving the 

 addition of hydrogen cyanide to carbon compounds, by Dr. 

 Lapworth. — The acetoacetic ester synthesis, by Messrs. 

 Hann and Lapworth. — Rimu resin, by Prof. Easterfleld 

 and Mr. Aston. This resin consists principally of rimuic 

 acid C,gH2oO,T — Note on the karaka fruit, by Messrs. 

 Easterfleld and Aston. This material, which in the raw 

 state is bitter and poisonous, contains the glucosides karakin 

 and corynocarpin. When an aqueous extract of the fruit is 

 distilled, a distillate containing hydrocyanic acid is obtained. 

 — The slow oxidation of methane at low temperatures, by 

 Messrs. Bone and Wheeler. — The alkylation of sugars, by 

 Prof. Purdie and Mr. Irvine. — Trimethyl-a-methylglucoside 

 and trimethylglucose, by Messrs. Purdie and Bridgrett. — 

 Note on the corrosion of an Egyptian image, by Mr. H. 

 Bassett, jun. An examination has been made of a green 

 coating covering a bronze image, probably dating from the 

 period 200-100 b.c, recently found in the delta of the Nile. 

 The principal constituents are cupric chloride and oxide, 

 lead oxide, stannic oxide, water, silica, and small quantities uf 

 nickel and iron oxides. — The oxidation of pinene with chromyl 

 chloride, by Prof. Henderson, Messrs. Gray and Smith. 

 — Some physical and chemical properties of strong nitric 

 acid, by Messrs. Veley and Manley. It is shown that the 

 density, contraction, refractive index, and electrical con- 

 ductivity vary regularly until the concentration of the acid 

 reaches 92 per cent., but from this point to 100 per cent, 

 the variation is exceptional. These facts are in harmony 

 with Hartley's view that acid of 96 per cent, strength con- 

 tains a definite compound of the formula 3H2N20g,H3NO,. 

 — Notes on ozone, bv Mr. Ing^lis. The molecular state of 



