4o8 



NATURE 



[August 27, 1903 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, July 20.— The Rev. Prof. Flint in the 

 chair.— An obituary notice of Prof. Cremona, by Prof. 

 Elaserna, was communicated by Prof. Chrystal.— Mr. 

 James Russell read a paper on the molecular condition of 

 iron, demagnetised by various methods, in which a large 

 number of experiments on the mutual effects of superposed 

 magnetisations were described and discussed in the light 

 of the molecular theory which had suggested them. 

 According to the author's view, when iron has been de- 

 magnetised by a series of reversals diminishing by very 

 small steps, the molecules in any small region, instead of 

 being left in a condition in which as many point one w^ay 

 as another, are left with a preponderance pointing 

 uniformly round the equatorial belt at right angles to the 

 direction in which the magnetising forces had been 

 applied. It is obvious that if a new magnetic force be 

 applied codirectional with, or perpendicular to, the direction 

 of the original set of forces, there will be no induction 

 at right angles to the new force. But if the new force be 

 applied in any other direction, there will be a component 

 of induction perpendicular to this direction. The consider- 

 ,atlon of the theory in various combinations led to results 

 ■which were tested by experiment. In all cases the theory 

 -stood the test of experiment satisfactorily.— Dr. D. Eraser 

 Harris read a paper on affectability and functional inertia 

 .as the two fundamental properties of protoplasm. These 

 were regarded as the two physiologically opposite functional 

 capabilities, the degree of the relative intensities of which 

 determined the particular manifestation at the moment. As 

 examples of manifestation of functional inertia were 

 mentioned insusceptibility, automatism, heredity, rhythmic- 

 ality of action, the manner in which functional exhaustion 

 was warded off and the state of fatigue substituted, &c. 

 Functional inertia not only accounted for vestigial organs, 

 but also for vestigial metabolism, as, e.g. the formation of 

 uric acid in the mammal, an avian or reptilian metabolic 

 relic— Dr. Noel Paton communicated a paper on. October 

 salmon in the sea, in which some new points in the life- 

 history of these fish were brought to light. In late runs 

 of salmon male fish markedly preponderated. In the series 

 studied, ovaries in all stages of development were found, 

 SD that ripeness of ovary was not the determining factor 

 of migration from sea to river. One fish which had been 

 obtained was of peculiar interest. In its strong mandible 

 and large teeth it resembled a male, but when the viscera 

 •were exposed ovaries were found. The ovaries were flabby 

 and soft, and had a yellowish opaque appearance, with 

 ipale opaque patches on many of the eggs. — In a note on 

 resistance change accompanying transverse magnetisation 

 in nickel wire. Prof. C. G. Knott and Mr. P. Ross de- 

 scribed an experiment which seemed to show that in nickel 

 wire in strong fields (in moderate fields in which the effect 

 of longitudinal magnetisation is easily observed there is 

 no measurable effect) there is very slight effect until a 

 field of nearly 2000 units is reached, when the resistance 

 begins rapidly to decrease, and goes on decreasing linearly 

 with increase of current to fields of 5000. When the coil 

 (s wound with a pitch of i in 20, the component of the field 

 along the wire gives rise to an increase of resistance which 

 in the lower fields may counterbalance the slight decrease 

 4ue to the transverse field. In the higher fields, however, 

 this longitudinal effect is of comparatively small account. 

 ^-Mr. J. H. Maclagan Wedderburn communicated a paper 

 .on the application of quaternions in the theory of differential 

 .equations. — In a note on a method of bringing together the 

 two spectra produced by the ordinary spectrophotometer, 

 Mr. J. R. Mlino described a neat application of the well- 

 knowa heliometric device of the divided lens. By using a 

 divided lens in the eye-piece, he was able not only to bring 

 the two spectra edge to edge without intervening dark 

 space, but was able to shift the spectra sideways relatively 

 to one another so as to compare directly the luminosities 

 of strips belonging to different parts of the spectrum. — A 

 paper by Dr. Thomas Muir on the theory of axisymmetric 

 determinants in the historical order of development up to 

 1841 was also communicated. 



NO. 1765, VOL 68] 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 17. — M, Albeit Gaudry in 

 the chair. — .Spectroscopic observations of the Borrelly comet 

 (1903 c), bv M. H. Deslandres. The spectrum obtained 

 with an exposure of two hours is nearly identical with that 

 of. the comet 1893 b (Rordame). The bands due to hydro- 

 carbons and cyanogen are clearly made out, and from the 

 nature of the cyanogen bands it is concluded that the 

 illumination of this gas on the comet is due to electrical 

 phenomena. — On the aerodynamical phenomena produced 

 by the cannon used in dispersing hailstorms, by M. J. 

 Violle. — Examples of the mechanical analysis of soils,- 

 by M. Th. Schloesing:, sen. Examples are given 

 of the mechanical analysis of soils by the method de- 

 scribed in a previous paper. It is shown that the amount 

 of clay does not interfere, and that analyses of the same 

 earth, repeated under different conditions, give concordant 

 results. — On the relation of the work of S. Lie to that of 

 Liouville, by M. N. Saltykow. — On entire functions of 

 zero order, by M. Edm. Maillet. — On the integrals of 

 Fourier-Cauchy, by M. Carl StSrmer. — A diagram giving 

 the properties of nickel-steels, by M. L6on Guillet. The 

 diagram is constructed with percentages of carbon as 

 abscissae, and percentages of nickel as ordinates. The 

 diagram is divided into four areas, and allows of the deduc- 

 tion of the structure and mechanical properties of the steel 

 from its composition. — On unsymmetrical tetramethyl-di- 

 amino-diphenylene-phenyl-methane and related dye-stuffs, 

 by MM. A. Guyot and M. Granderye. — A fixing liquid 

 isotonic with sea-water, by M. M. C. Dekhuyzen. The 

 solution is made up of a 2-5 per cent, solution of potassium 

 bichromate in sea-water, 250.0. of normal nitric acid, and 

 54c. c. of a 2 per cent, solution of osmic acid. — On the 

 presence of lactic acid in the muscles of the invertebrates 

 and the lower vertebrates, by M. Jean Gautrelet. — On the 

 presence of microsporidia of the genus Thelohania in 

 insects, by M. Edmond Hesse. — On the post-embryonic 

 development of Ixodes, by M. A. Bonnet. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Alcoholic Fermentation. By Dr. Arthur Croft Hill 385 



An Indian Flora. By Prof. Percy Groom 386 



The Study of Fermentation . . . ^87 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



M'Aulay : " Five Figure Logarithmic and other 

 Tables ; Dietrichkeit : " Siebenstellige Logarithmen 



und Antilogarithmen " .... 388 



Jouzier : " Economic rurale " 388 



"A Naturalist's Calendar, kept at Swafifham Bulbeck, 

 Cambridgeshire, by Leonard Blomefield (formerly 



Jenyns)."— R. L 389 



Fisher and Patterson : "Elements of Physics, Experi- 

 mental and Descriptive " 389 



Letters to the Editor :— 



An Earthquake Shock at Kimberley. — ^J. R. Sutton . 389 

 Sunspots and Phenology. (IVM Diagram.)— Alex. 



B. MacDowall 389 



Retarded Motion of the Great Red Spot on Tupiter. — 



W. F. Denning 390 



Two Spots on Saturn. — W. F. Denning 390 



The Southport Meeting of the British Association . 390 



The Older Civilisation of Greece. (IllvstrafeJ.\ . . 391 



The Marquis of Salisbury . 392 



Prof. Luigi Cremona 393 



Notes . . 394 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Astronomical Occurrences in September 357 



New Table for Ex-Meridian Observations of Altitude 397 



Return of Brooks's Comet 398 



Ephemeris for Comet 1903 c 398 



o Coronee a Spectroscopic Binary 398 



The Allegheny Observatory 398 



The Relations between Scientific Research and 

 Chemical Industry. By Prof. Raphael Meldola, 



F.R.S .... 398 



Irrigation Works ... 404 



Forestry in the United States 406 



The Vienna Academy of Sciences 407 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . 407 



Societies and Academies 408 



