;6o 



NA TURE 



[February 8, 1900 



temperature correspondiag to various velocities is also calcu- 

 lated, and lead to the conclusion that tlie temperatures of 

 meteors, even taking into account the low pressure of 

 the medium traversed, are amply explained by the law 

 of propagation of discontinuities.— On the decomposition of 

 a luminous motion into simple elements, by M. Ch. Fabry. — 

 On the constitution of white light, by M. Gouy. — ^Polarised 

 light emitted by a Geissler tube submitted to the action of a 

 magnetic field, by M. R. Dongier. The intensity of the red 

 ray of hydrogen is distinctly reduced in a magnetic field ; 

 amilar effects, but less marked, are observed with tubes con- 

 taining chlorine, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide 



-and argon, the spectrum of the latter undergoing curious modi- 

 fications in the magnetic field. — Time of establishing the electric 

 spark, by MM. H. Abraham and J. Lemoine. The duration 

 <m' the Kerr effect in' carbon bisulphide is divided into three 

 parts, the duration of the establishment of the luminous intensity 

 of the spark, the time of discharge, and the time during 

 which the carbon bisulphide preserves its doubly re- 

 fracting power after the electric field has disappeared. 

 Each of these phenomena, taken singly, has a dura- 

 tion of less than 1/100,000,000 of a second. — On the detection 

 of silver in presence of mercury amido-chloride, by M. F. 

 Leteur. From a mixture of silver and mercurous chloride it is 

 not possible to extract the whole of the silver salt with aqueous 

 ammonia, since when the silver chloride is small in proportion to 

 the calomel, nearly the whole of it is retained by the mercury 

 amido-chloride formed, even after repeated digestions with 

 ammonia. — Action of copper upon acetylene ; formation of a 

 condensed hydrocarbon, cuprene, by MM. Paul Sabatier and 

 T. B. Senderens. Acetylene, passed over copper heated to 

 200° undergoes a complicated transformation, giving a liquid 

 hydrocarbon and a mixture of ethylene, propylene, butylene, 

 ethane, and hydrogen. At the same time the copper becomes 

 coated with a solid deposit, of the composition {C^jYi^Vi, 

 to which the name of cuprene is given. — Acidimetry 

 of the polybasic organic acids, by M. A. Astruc. — 

 On isopyromucic acid, by M. L. J. Simon. The 



author has succeeded in obtaining good yields of the iso- 

 pyromucic acid discovered by Limpricht, the existence of which 



iias been denied by Oliveri and Peratoner, by the dry distilla- 

 tion of a mixture of mucic acid (350 gr. ) and potassium bisul- 



.^phate {550 gr. ). The exact constitution of the acid is not yet 

 worked out. — Genesis of terpene compounds in lavender, by M. 



'Eugene Charabot.— On a new method for the extraction of india- 



. rubber contained in the bark of divers plants, especially of 



..Landolphia, by MM. A. Arnaud and A. Verneuil. The bark, 

 finely powdered and ground up with warm water, gives up the 

 nhole of its india-rubber, no chemical reagent being necessary. 

 — Defence of the organism against the injurious effects of gland- 

 ,ular secretions, by MM. Charrin and Levaditi. — The intestinal 

 reabsorption of sugars, by M, E. Hedon. — The peripheric 

 organs of the sense of space, by M. E. de Cyon. — Photogram- 

 metric focimetry in microscopy, by M. V. Legros. —On the 

 endomorphic transformations of santoxin andesite, under the 

 influence of calcareous enclosures, by M. A. Lacroix. — On the 

 non-existence of the hexagonal system, by M. Fred. Wallerant. 

 The author concludes from the discussion of the crystallography 

 of nepheline, potassium sulphate and arragonite, that the hexa- 

 gonal system has no real existence in nature, and has only a 

 theoretical importance.— The geology of Southern Australia, by 

 M. Jules Gamier. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Yv.^ViVKYCi %. 

 I RovAL Society, at 4.30. — The Spectrum of o-Aquite : Sir N. Lockyer, 

 K.C.B.. F.R.S., and A. Fowler, (i) On the Production of Artificial 

 Colour-blindness by Moonlight : (2) On the Relation of Artificial Colour- 

 -blindness to Successive Contrast : G. J.Eurch.— On Electrical Eflfects 

 due to Evaporation of Sodium in Air and other Gases : W. C. 

 Henderson. — On Electric Touch and the Molecular Changes produced 

 in Matter by Electric Waves : Prof. J. C. Bose. 

 -RovAL Institution, at 3. — Modern Astronomy : Prof. H. H. Turner, 

 F.R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30. — Victor Meyer Memorial Lecture: Prof. 

 , T.E.Thorpe, F.RS. 



Society of ARTs(Imperial Institute), at4.30. — The Projects of Railway 

 Communication with India: J. M. Maclean. 



"Mathematical Sociei % . ai 8. — A Formula in the Theory of the Theta- 

 Functions : Prof. A. C. Dixon. — Some Elementary Distributions of 

 Stress in Three Dimensions : J. H. Michell. 



ilrjsTiTijTiON OF Electrical Engineers, at 8. — The Standardisation of 

 Electrical Engineering Plant : R. P. Sellon. 



Camera Club, at 8.15. — Steam Turbines, Land and Marine: A. A. 

 Campbell Swinton. 



y^V?//?^}', February 9. 



Royal Insiitittion, at q. — Symbiosis and. Symbiotic Fermeiitation.: 

 Prof. J. Reynolds Green. 



UovAL Astronomic Ai Socin'.ats. — Anniversary Meeting. 



Physical SocikTV, at 5.— Annual General Meeting.-^Address by the 

 President, Prof. O. J. Lodge, F.R.S. 



Institutionof Civil Engineers, at 8. — Underground Sources of Water.- 

 Supply : D. E. Lloyd-Davies. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — Annual Genejal Meeting.— Als^o, Lec- 

 ture on the Pearly Nautilus ; Dr. Arthur Willey. 

 MONDA V, February 12. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — The- Nature and Yield of Metalliferous De- 

 posits : Bennett H. Brough. 



Camera Club, at 8.15.— Mountaineering in Switzeiland and Scotland: 

 Prof Norman Collie. 



TUBS DA r, February 13. 



RoyalInstitution ai^. — Structure and Classification of Fishes : Prof. 

 E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at %.— Papers to be further liis- 

 cussed: Moving Loads on Railway Underbridges : W. B. Farr. — Note 



on the Floor System of Girder Bridges: C. F. Findlay. Paper to be 



read, time permitting : Corrosion of Marine Boilers: John Dewrance. 



Royal Photographic Society, at 8. — Annual General Meeting. 



Anthropological Institute, ai 8. .30. 



WEDNESDAY, February 14. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — The Diffraction Process of Colour Photography : 

 Prof. R. W. Wood. 



Esspx FibLd rLUR(at Bi.shopsgate Institute), at 7. — Some New Sections 

 in. and Contributions to, the Fauna of the River Drift of the Ui hall 

 Estate, Ilford : -J. P. Johnson and G White.— The Stalk-eyed Crustacea, 

 their Families and Genera ; with especial reference to the Essex 

 Species : Edward Lovett. 



THURSDAY, February 15. 



Royal Society, at 4. 30. — Probable Papers : The Genesis and Develop- 

 ment of the Wall and Connecting Threads in the Plant Cell. Pre- 

 liminary Communication : W. Gardiner, F.R.S —Total Eclipse of the 

 Sun, January 22. i8q8. Observa'ions at Viziadrug : Sir N. Lockyer, 

 F.R.S.,CaptainChisholm Batten, and Prof. A. Pedler, F.R.S.— Photo- 

 graphs of Sound Waves : Prof. R. W. Wood. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Modern Astronomy : Prof. H. H. Turnei, 



■ F.R.S. 



LtNNEAN Society, at 8. — Photography of British Plants : J. C. Phenston. 

 —A New Land Planarian from the Pyrenees : Dr. R. F. Scharff. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — (i) Ammoniurn Amidosulphite ; (2) Products 

 of Heating Ammonium Sulphites, Thiosulphates, and Trithionate : 

 Edward Divers and Masataka Ogawa. — Note on the Refraction and 

 Magnetic Rotation of Hexamethylene : Dr. S. Young, F R S., and 

 Emily C. Fortey. — The Combination of Sulphur Dioxide and Oxygen : 

 Edward J. Russell and Norman Smith. — Note on the Estimation of 

 Gases containing Sulphur : E. J. Russell.- (i) Apiin and Apigenin. 

 II. Note on Vitexin; (2) The Yellow Colourine Principles of various 

 Tannin Matters, VII. : A. G. Perkin. 



FRIDAY, February 16. 



Royal Institution, at q. — Life in Indo-China: H. Warington Smyth. 



Epidemiologicai Society, -at 8.30 —Insanitary Property and Work- 

 men's Dwellings in Liverpool : Dr. E. W. Hope. 



' ' CONTENTS. PAGE 



Faraday and Schbnbein. By Prof. R. Meldola, 



F.R.S. . 337 



The Animals of Britain and their Origin. By 



F. E. B . 341 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Rocques: " Le Cidre."— A. J. B 342 



" Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases " ..... 342 



Cragin : " Our Insect Friends and Foes ; how to 

 Collect, Preserve and Study them " . . . . . . 



Letters to the Editor :- 



The Effects of Lightning upon Electric Lamps. 

 (///M5/ra/^</.)— Sydney Webb; SirG. G. Stokes, 

 Bart., F.R.S. . 

 The Mathematical Tripos.— Prof. G. H. Bryan, 



F.R.S. ... . . • 



Floating Stones.— Prof. A. W. Brightmore . . . 



Engineering at Cambridge . 346 



The Natural History of the Shores of Barents Sea. 



(Illustrated.) .ByJ. W. G 348 



International Committee of Weights and Measures 350 



No»es 350 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Comet Giacobini {1900 a) 355 



Second New Algol Variable in Cygnus 355 



The Computation of Occultations 355 



Light Curve of Ceraski's First Algol Variable . . . -355 



Reduction of Star Photographs 355 



Technical Instruction in relation to Industrial 



Progress 356 



University and Educational Intelligence 357 



Societies and Academies. (Illustrated.) .... 357 

 Diary of ^societies 360 



342 



343 



346 

 346 



NO. 1580, VOL. 61] 



