48 



NA TURE 



[November 9, 1899 



under examination, and measurements were made of the distance 

 to which the exciter had to be removed to produce no effect 

 upon the receiver. Distilled water or spring water possesses a 

 much greater absorptive power for the rays than oil or air, and 

 the effect of sea water was so great that any thickness over 

 20 cm. was sufficient to completely absorb the radiations, its 

 power of arresting the rays being greater, in fact, than the same 

 thickness of cement. — On Wehnelt's electrolytic interrupter, 

 by M. E. Rothe. The author describes a curious phenomenon 

 produced by varying the resistance of the circuit. For any 

 given interrupter with a fixed potential difference, there 

 appears to be a limiting resistance, such that for all lower 

 resistances a condition of rapidly varying current strength only 

 is possible. For all higher resistances there may be either 

 the same state of affairs, or a steady current, accord- 

 ing to the manner in which the current is established. — 

 On the atomic weight of boron, by M. Henri Gautier. 

 Analyses of boron chloride and bromide lead to values for the 

 atomic weight of boron of II 'oi and ii -02 respectively, single 

 determinations varying between 10-98 and iro4. The chloride 

 and bromide were prepared from the halogen and boron, the 

 latter being prepared by Moissan's method. The author con- 

 siders that his products were free from dissolved hydrobromic or 

 hydrochloric acids, and that the lower figures obtained by Abra- 

 hall (iO"84) by the analysis of boron bromide, were due to traces 

 of hydrobromic acid dissolved in the halogen compound. — On the 

 ■mixed oxyhydrides of fatty and aromatic acids, by H. A. Behal. 

 The existence of the mixed anhydrides discovered by Gerhardt 

 itias been called in question by Rousset, but comparative experi- 

 -ments carried out by the author upon a mixture of benzoic 

 anhydride and acetic anhydride and the mixed acetobenzoic 

 : anhydride prepared by Gerhardt's method show that the mixed 

 .anhydride really exists, although always containing a little 

 benzoic anhydride as an impurity. — Naphthopurpurin, an ox- 

 idation product of naphthazarin, byM. Georges F. Joubert. The 

 analogy between the behaviour of alizarin and naphthazarin 

 is further shown by the ready oxidation of the latter by sulphuric 

 acid and manganese peroxide to naphthopurpurin, or tri-oxy- 

 •naphthoquinone. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDA V, November 9. 

 'Mathematical Society, at 8. — Certain Correspondences between 

 Spaces of « Dimensions: Dr. E. O Lovett. — On the Form of Lines of 

 Force near a Point of Equilibrium ; The Reduction of Conies and 

 Quadrics to their Principal Axes by the Weierstrassian Method of re- 

 ducing Quadratic Forms ; and on the Reduction of a Linear Substitu- 

 tion to a Canonical Form ; with some Applications to Linear Differential 

 Equations and Quadratic Forms : T. J. L Bromwich. — On Ampere's 

 Equation Rr-)-2Sj-|-T/-|-U(ri;-S2)=V : Prof A. C. Dixon.— The Ab- 

 stract Group isomorphic with the Symmetric Group on i Letters : Dr. L. 



E. Dickson. — The Fundamental Solutions of the Indeterminate Relation 

 , A^^fy: Major MacMahon, R.A.. F.R.S.— Note on Clebsch's Second 



Method for the Integration of a Pfaffian Equation : J. Brill. 



FRIDA y, November 10. 

 cRovAL Astronomical Society, at %.— Papers received: Observations of 

 Mars. 1898-99 : Rev. T. E. R. Phillips.— Observations of Jupiter and his 

 Satellites at Mr. Crossley's Observatory, Bermer>ide, Halifax, T898-99 : 

 J. Gledhill. — Observations of Nebulae made at the Chamberlin Observ- 

 atory, Denver: H. A. Howe. — (i)On the Probable Proper Motion of the 

 Annular Nebula in Lyra ; (2) The Exterior Nebulosities of the Pleiades ; 



.(3) Diameters of Ceres and Vesta : Prof. E. E. Barnard. Papers 



promised: Theory of the Figure of the Earth carried to the Second 

 •Order of Small Quantities : Prof. G. H. Darwin. — Distribution of Stars 

 Photographed at Oxford for the Astrographic Catalogue : F. A. Bellamy. 

 Variation of Personal Equation with Stellar Magnitude : Prof. H. H. 

 Turner. — Photographic Magnitudes : a Comparison of the Greenwich 

 Astrographic Plates with the Magnitudes of the Bonn Durchmusterung : 



F. W. Dyson and H. P. HoUis. — Ephemeris for Physical Observations of 

 Jupiter, 1899-1900: A. C. D. Crommelin. 



Physical Society (Central Technical College, Exhibition Road, South 

 Kensington), at 5. — Contact Electricity : F. S. Spiers. — On the Heat of 

 Formation of Alloys : J. B. Tayler. 



JMalacological Society, at 8.— Additions to the List of Marine Shells 

 of South Africa published in 1897, with Descriptions of Seventeen New 

 Species : G. B. Sowerby. — Remarks on a Collection of Helicoid Hand- 

 Shells from Japan and the Loo-Choo Islands : G. K. Gude. — Meta- 

 stracon, a New Slug-like Genus of Dart-bearing Helicidae : Henry A. 

 Pilsbry. 



MONDAY, November 13. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— Opening Address : The 

 President.— Travels in Bokhara : Willy Rickmer Rickmers 



TUESDAY, November 14. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The Waterloo and City Rail- 

 way : H. H. Dalrymple-Hay.— The Electrical Equipment of the 

 Waterloo and City Railway : B. M . Jenkin. 



Mineralogical Society, at 8. — Florencite, a New Hydrated Phosphate 

 of Aluminium and Cerium Earths from Brazil : Dr. Hussak and Mr. 

 Prior.— On a New Mineral from Cornwall ; Mr. Hutchinson.— Mineral- 

 ogical Notes: Prof Miers. — On Various Sulpharsenites of Lead from the 

 Bmnenthal : Mr. Solly ; with Analyses by Mr. Jackson, — Crystallised 

 Stannite from Bolivia: Mr. Prior and Mr. Spencer. — On the Constitution 

 of the Mineral Arsenates and Phosphates. Part IV. Beudantite : Mr. 

 Hartley. — Petrographical Notes on .some Rock Specimens from the Little 

 Island of Trinidad, South Atlantic : Mr. Prior. 



WEDNESDAY, November 15. 

 Society op Arts, at 8.— Opening Address: Sir John Wolfe Barry, 



K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 Royal Meteorological Society, at 7.30.— The Diurnal Variation of 



the Barometer in the British Isles : Richard H. Curtis. — Note on Earth 



Temperature Observations : G. J. Symons. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 7.30. — Exhibition of Foraminifera : 



A. Earland. 

 Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, November 16. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable Papers: Note on the E.M.F. of the 

 Organ Shock, and on the Electrical Resistance of the Organ in Mai- 

 apterurus electricus : Prof F. Gotch and G. J. Burch. — On the Form- 

 ation of the Pelvic Plexus, with especial reference to the Nervus Collector 

 in the genus Mustelus : R. C. Punnett.— On the Least Potential Differ- 

 ence required to produce Discharge through various Gases : Hon. R. J. 

 Strutt. — On the Propagation of Earthquake Motion to Gre.-it Distances : 

 R. D. Oldham. — An Experimental Research on some Standards of 

 Light : J. E. Petavel. 



LiNNBAN Society, at 8.— The Comparative Anatomy of certain Species 

 of Encephalartos, a Genus of the Cycndaceac : W. C. Worsdell.— On a 

 Collection of Brachyura from Torres Straits : W. T. Caiman. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — The Chlorine Derivatives of Pyridine. Part 

 IV. Constitution of the Tetrachloropyridines : W. J. Sell and F. W. 

 Dootson. — Contributions to our Knowledge of the Aconite Alkaloids. 

 Part IV. On Japaconite and the Alkaloids of Japanese Aconite : Wynd- 

 ham R. Dunstan, F.R.S., and H. M. Read. — On the Determination of 

 Transition Temperatures : H. M. Dawson and P. Williams. 

 FRIDAY, November 17. 



Anatomical Society, at 4.— A Persistent Left Inferior Vena Cava : 

 Stanley Boyd.— Specimen of Sacculated Oesophagus : Miss Stoney. — 

 Child's Skull, showing Parietal Perforations: Prof. A. M. Paterson.— 

 Note on the Morphology of the Biceps Flexor Cruris : Prof B. C. 

 Windle, F.R.S. , and F. G. Parsons. — Lantern Demonstration of certain 

 Points in the Lymphatic System of the Appendix : C. B. Lockwood. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



NO. 1567, VOL. 61] 



The Geology of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. 



ByJ. E. M. 25 



The Philosophy of Atomic Theories 26 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Crew: "Elements of Physics." — Prof. Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S. ... • • 27 



Smith : " A Laboratory Outline of General Chemistry." 



—A. S 27 



Burt : " Ueber den Habitus der Coniferen" . ... 28 

 Kennedy : " Beasts : Thumb-nail Studies in Pets " . 28 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



Next Week's Leonid Shower.— Drs. G. Johnstone 

 Stoney, F.R.S., and A. M.W. Downing, F.R.S. 

 Undercurrents. — ■ Rear-Admiral Sir W. J. L. 



Wharton, K.C.B., F.R.S 



" Anlage " and " Rudiment."— Prof. J. Mark Baldwin 

 Interference Curves depending on Perspective. ( With 



Diagrams.) — A. Mallock 



The Indian Forest Service.— W. F. Sinclair .... 

 Peripatus in the Malay Peninsula. — Dr. R. Horst . . 

 A Wooden Ball of Unknown Origin.— Prof. H. Mohn 



Large Nicol Prisms.— C. D. Ahrens 



An English Station for Botanical Research in the 

 Tropics (Ceylon). {With Diagram.) By John C. 



Willis .32 



The Stockholm International Fisheries Conference. 



( With Map. ) 34 



Notes 37 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Holmes' Comet (1899^) 41 



Comet Giacobini (1899 £) 41 



The Coming Meteor Shower 41 



Long Focus Photographic Telescope 41 



Secular Perturbations of Venus 41 



Engineering Progress and Problems 41 



Anthropology at the British Association 42 



University and Educational Intelligence 45 



Scientific Serials 46 



Societies and Academies 46 



Diary of Societies 48 



