436 



NATURE 



[July 20, 19 16 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, June 26.— M. Camille Jordan in 

 the chair. — G. Bigourdan : The propagation of sound 

 to a great distance. It is established that tlie cannon- 

 ade at the front has been heard at a distance of 250 

 Icilometres. — A. Gautier : The historical origin of the 

 sugar-cane and cane-sugar. Cane-sugar was used in 

 •China in a.d. 749, and introduced into Japan a century 

 later. It did not reach Europe until after the 

 Crusades, and was grown in Spanish America in 1566. 

 — L. Landouzy : Predispositions, innate or acquired, to 

 tubercular infection. — Dr. Ramon y Cajal was elected 

 a correspondant for the section of anatomy and 

 zoology in the place of the late Jean Perez, and Prof. 

 Morat a correspondant for the section of medicine and 

 surgery in the place of the late M. Zambaco. — R. 

 Birkeland : Some important formulae and their applica- 

 tions. — N. Lusin : Research in primitive functions. — 

 C. Benedicks : The determination of thermoelectric 

 power by means of the differential galvanometer. The 

 exact determination of the difference of temperature 

 "between two given points of a good conductor requires 

 the use of two thermo-couples. If these are joined 

 separately to the two circuits of a differential galvano- 

 meter, the difference of temperature can be obtained 

 with greater precision than by following the usual 

 method. — P. Choflat : Volcanic phenomena on the 

 Portuguese coast north of the Tagus.— S. Stefanescu : 

 The origin of the lozenge-shaped figures of the dental 

 plates of elephants (Loxodon). — Ch. J. Gravier : Incuba- 

 tion in Actinia equina at the island of San Thom6 

 •(Gulf of Guinea). 



July 3. — M. Camille Jordan in the chair. — J. 

 Bergonie : Powerful electro-vibrators working with 

 small current, continuous or alternating. A resonance 

 electro-vibrator. In a previous paper the author 

 described an electro-vibrator for detecting and extract- 

 ing fragments of projectiles, using from 550 to 950 

 watts, but, on account of the high self-induction, re- 

 quiring 60 amperes at 200 to 220 volts. By com- 

 pensating the self-induction with a capacity the power 

 required can be much reduced. Thus in such a reson- 

 ance electro-vibrator recently constructed, working on 

 an alternating current of no volts, 42 periods, 7-5 

 amperes were taken, and its electromagnetic action is 

 the same as that of an apparatus without a capacity, 

 with a current of more than 100 amperes. — Dr. 

 Boulenger was elected a correspondant for the section 

 of anatomy and zoology, in the place of Prof. Waldeyer. 

 — R. Gamier : Study of the general integral of equation 

 (VI.) of Painlev^ in the neighbourhood of its transcen- 

 dental singularities. — E. Gadeceau : The submerged 

 forests of Belle-Ile-en-Mer. — A. Nodon : Observations on 

 the terrestrial electromagnetic disturbances. — A. 

 Lameere : A new phase of Dicyema. — Ch. DWre and 

 G. Vegezzi : Acid haemochromogen. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Laboratory Manual in General Microbiology. Pp. 

 xvi + 418. (New York : J. Wiley and Sons, Inc. ; Lon- 

 don : Chapman and Hall, Ltd.) 105. 6d. net. 



Arithmetic for Engineers, including Simple 

 Algebra, Mensuration, Logarithms, Graphs, and the 

 Slide Rule. By C. B. Clapham. Pp. xi + 436. (Lon- 

 don : Chapman and Hall, Ltd.) 5s. 6d. net. 



The World and its Discovery. By H. B. Wetherill. 

 Four parts. (London : At the Clarendon Press.) is. 

 each. 



Contents and Index of the Memoirs of the Geo- 

 logical Survey of ladia. Vols, xxi.-xxxv., 1884-1911. 

 By G. de P. Cotter. Pp. iv+119. (Calcutta: Super- 

 intendent Government Printing.) 



NO. 2438, VOL. 97] 



The Statesman's Year Book. . Fifty-third Annual 

 Publication. Edited by Dr. J. Scott Keltic, assisted 

 by Dr. M. Epstein. Pp. xliv+ 1560 + plates iv. (Lon- 

 don: Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) los. 6d. net. 



Shakespeare's England : An Account of the Life 

 and Manners of his Age. Vol. i., pp. xxiv + 546. 

 Vol, ii., pp. X + 610. (London : At the Clarendon 

 Press.) Two vols., 255. net. 



Tales from a Boy's Fancy. By A, Shawmeker. 

 Pp. 320. (Kansas City : Burton Publishing Com- 

 pany.) I dollar 50 cents. 



A Manual of Mendelism. By Prof, J. Wilson. Pp. 

 152. (London : A. and C. Black, Ltd.) 2s. 6d. net. 



The Dreams of Orlow. By A. M. Irvine, with an 

 introduction by J. A. Hill. Pp. 256. (London : G. 

 Allen and Unwin, Ltd.) 5s. net. 



A Course in Mathematical Analysis. Functions of 

 a Complex Variable, being part i, of vol. ii. By 

 Prof. E. Goursat. Translated by Prof. E. R. 

 Hedrick and O. Dunkel. Pp. x + 259. (Boston and 

 London : Ginn and Co.) 115. 6d. 



A Text-book of Physics and Chemistry for Nurses. 

 By Profs. A. R. Bliss and A. H. Olive. Pp. xiv + 239, 

 (Philadelphia and London : J. B, Lippincott Com- 

 pany.) 6s. net. 



A Modern Job : an Essay on the Problem of Evil. 

 By E. Giran. Translated by F. Rothwell, Pp. 92, 

 (London : Open Court Publishing Company.) 2s. 6d, 

 net. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Future of Education ......... 417 



Theory of Calculation. By Prof. C, V. Boys, JF.R.S. 418 



"Spotted Fever" 419 



A Monograph on Ticks 420 



Our Bookshelf 420 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Gravitation and Temperature. — ^J. L 421 



The Great Aurora of June 17, 1915.— H. A. Hunt 421 

 The Utilisation of Waste Heat for Agriculture. — C. 



Turnbull ... 422 



Scientific Horticulture. By F. K. 422 



The Organisation of British Chemical Industries 423 

 Prince Boris Galitzine, For.Mem.R.S, By Sir 



Napier Shaw, F.R.S 424 



Notes 424 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Origin of Group G of the Solar Spectrum .... 428 



Variable Stellar Spectra 428 



A Large Meteor 428 



The Extraordinary Meteoric .Shower of June 28 . . 428 



National Interest in Mineral Resources. By H. L. 428 

 The Smoke Nuisance in the United States. By 



J. B. C. . 429 



Man as a Machine. By C. G. D 430 



The Gravels of East Anglia , 431 



The Organisation of Industrial Scientific Research. 



II. By Dr. C. E. Kenneth Mees 43' 



University and Educational Intelligence 434 



Societies and Academies 435 



Books Received 43^ 



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