436 



NATURE 



[March i, 1900 



exciting currents of different potentials, by M. Stephane Leduc, 

 —The quotient of fatigue, j^r' by Mdlle. J. Joteyko.— New 



method for measuring the acuteness of hearing for the intensity 

 of sound, by MM. Ed. Toulouse and N. Vaschide. The 

 sounds are produced by drops of water falling upon a metallic 

 plate, the variations in intensity being obtained by varying the 

 height through which the drops fall.— On the normal asymmetry 

 of the binary organs in man, by M. P. Godin.— On the com- 

 position and feeding value of the mammalia, birds and reptiles, 

 by M. Balland. — The barometric oscillations of February 13-19, 

 1900, by M. Joseph Jaubert. The oscillations were remarkable 

 -on account of their amplitude and short period, four maxima 

 and minima being noted in six days, with an average amplitude 

 of over 10 mm. 



Cape Town. 

 South African Philosophical Society, January 31.— 

 Mr.L. Peringuey, President, in the Chair.— Mr. Chas.F.Juritz read 

 a paper, entitled " The Soils of the South- Western Districts of 

 the Cape Colony." The low percentage of phosphates in some 

 samples of oat-hay analysed by the author ten years ago, led 

 him to urge the Government to allow investigations into the 

 chemical nature of the colonial soils to be carried out. The 

 ■work has progressed to a very considerable extent, but the area 

 from St. Helena Bay to Mossel Bay having been also geologic- 

 ally surveyed, Mr. Jurite confined his present paper to it. Most 

 of the soils analysed were from the Malmesbury and Bokkeveld 

 Beds. In portions of the Malmesbury district the underlying 

 .limestone greatly aids the fertility of the soil and renders its 

 'Wheat "rust-resistent." The lime dimishes in amount from 

 D'Urbanville to Hopefield. The Caledon soils are poor, but 

 ithose of Bredasdorp are much better. The soils on the Enon 

 Beds of Swellendam and Mossel Bay are good all-round soils. 

 ■Of the two* hundred and twelve soils examined, only fifteen con- 

 tain a satisfactory amount of phosphates, forty-five a normal 

 amount of lime, and fifty-seven of potash. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March i. 

 OYAi. Society, at 4.30.— An Experimental Inquiry into Scurvy: F. G. 

 Jackson and Prof. Vaughan Harley.— The Velocity of the Ions produced 

 in Gases by Rontgen Rays : Prof. J. Zeleny.— Mathematical Contribu- 

 tions to the Theory of Evolution. VIII. On the Correlation of Characters 

 not Quantitatively Measurable: Prof. K. Pearson, F.R.S. 



XiNNEAN Society, at 8.— On Botanic Nomenclature: C. B. Clarke, 

 KR.S.-On some Foraminifera of Tithonian Age from the Limestone of 

 Nesseldorf : F. Chapman. 



-Chemical Society, at 8.— Pilocarpine and the Alkaloids of Jaborandi 

 Leaves: Dr. H. A. D. Jowett.- Isomeric Partially Racemic Salts con- 

 taining Pentavalent Nitrogen, Parts I.-VII.: Prof. F. S. Kipping, 

 £ ■ jTi f,"' Synthesis of Indene: Prof. F. S. Kipping, F.R.S., and 

 Harold Hall.— (.1) Potassium Nitrito-hydroximidosulphates and the Non- 

 existence of Dihydroxylamine Derivatives : (2) Identification and Con- 

 1^'d 'i°" ° 'f''^™y's " Sulphazotised Salts of Potassium " : Dr. E. Divers, 

 .t.K.S., and Dr. T. Haga.— Some Acids obtained from a-Dibromo- 

 camphor : A. Lapworth and E. M. Chapman. 



RoMTGEN Society, at 8. — Measurements of the Absorbability of Rontgen 

 Rays: J. H Gardiner.— Skiagrams of Two Cases of Renal Calculus 

 before and after Removal : Dr. Hugh Walsham. 



FRIDAY, March 2. 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— Malaria and Mosquitoes : Major Ronald 



Physical Society (University College), at 4.30. -The Relative Rates of 

 ^ttusion of Argon, Helium, and some other Gases : Dr. F. G. Donnan — 

 On the Distillation of Liquid Air and the Composition of the Gaseous 

 and Liquid Phases : E. C. C. Baly.-The Reversibility of Galvanic 

 Cells. l.S. Moore. -On the Damping of Galvanometer Needles: M. 

 bolomon. 



Geologists' Association, at 8.— Wind- 

 Isles; F. A. Bather. 



Pebbles in the British 



SATURDAY, March 3. 

 RaVAL Institution, at 3.— Polarised Light : Lord Rayleigh. 



MONDAY, March 5. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— In the Heart of Borneo: 



Charles Hose. 

 ^ciety. of Arts, at 8.— The Photography of Colour: E. Sanger 



Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— The Presence of Naphthalene in 



Coal Gas :R. W. Allen.— Notes on the Determination of the Iodine 



Value of Oils : Arthur Marshall. 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— Coins of the Ancients : Dr. Zimmerman. 



TUBS DA Y, March 6. 

 ftoYAL [ mstitution, at ^. —Structure and Classification of Fishes : Prof 



fi. Ray Lankester, E.R.S. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30.— Descriptions of New Reptiles and 



Katrachians from Borneo: G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S.— On the Brain of 



^^- 15.83. VOL. 61] 



the S\&ma.ng {Hylobates syndactylus) : F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. — On a 

 Collection of Mammals from Siam : J. Lewis Bonhote. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— /"rt/^r ^(? he further discussed : 

 Corrosion of Marine Boilers: John Dewrance. And, time per- 

 mitting. Papers to be read •with a view to discussion : A Short History 

 of the Engineering Works of the Suez Canal : Sir Charles Hartley, 

 K.C.M.G. 



Royal Photographic Society, at 8. — Some Beauty Spots of English 

 Scenery : John A. Hodges. 



WEDNESDAY, March 7. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Macombe's Country (South of the Zambesi) : 

 its Ancient Gold Fields and Industrial Resources : Dr. Carl Peters. 



Geological Society, at 8.— Notes on the Geology of Gilgit : Lieut.- 

 Gen. [C. A. McMahon, F.R.S.-(i) The Rocks of La Saline (Northern 

 Jersey) : (2) The Rocks of the South-eastern Coast of Jersey : John 

 Parkinson. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8. — The Determination of Carbon and 

 Sulphur in Steel : Bertram Blount. — Maize Oil : Rowland William.s. — 

 Note on the Assay of Creosote : A. D. Hall. — Note on the Influence of 

 Temperature and Concentration on the Saline Constituents of Boiler 

 Waters : Cecil H. Cribb. 



THURSDAY, March 8. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Bakerian Lecture : The Specific Heat of 

 Metals and the Relation of Specific Heat to Atomic Weight : Prof. 

 Tilden, F.R.S. 



Royal Institution, at 3. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— On the Use "of the Curve of Error as 

 an Auxiliary Curve in Statistics with Tables : W. F. Sheppard. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — On the Applications 

 of Electricity in Medical and Surgical Practice : Dr. H. Lewis Jones. 



Camera Club, at 8. — Steam Turbines, Land and Marine : A. A. Campbell 

 SwiHton. 



FRIDAY, March 9. 



Royal Institution, at q.— Bacteria and Sewage : Prof. Frank Clowes. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Distribution of Stress in 

 the Walls of a Thick .Cylinder : John Duncan, W. A. Wales, and G. J. 

 Day. 



SATURDAY,yiK-RZU 10. 



RotAL Institution, ai 3. — Polarised Light : Lord Rayleigh. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



James Dwight Dana. By Prof. John W. Judd, 



C.B., F.R.S 409 



Billiards Mathematically Treated. By S. H. 



Burbury, F.R.S 410 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Smyth : " A Rudimentary Treatise on Coal and Coal 



Mining." — Bennett H. Brough 411 



Guldberg and Waage : " Untersuchungen iiber die 



Chemischen Affinitaten." — A. S 412 



Parsons : " How to Know the Ferns." — W. H. L. . 412 

 Lewes and Brame : "Laboratory Note-Book for 



Chemical Students" , 412 



Grace and Rosenberg : " The Elements of Co-ordinate 



Geometry" 412 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Effects of Lightning upon Electric Lamps. — Sir G. G. 



Stokes, Bart., F.R.S 413 



Stockholm International Conference on the Explora- 

 tion of the Sea. — Prof. Otto Pettersson .... 413 

 Gibbs' Thermodynamical Model. {Ilhisiraled.) — 



W. B. Boynton 414 



To Calculate a Simple Table of Logarithms. ( IVith 

 Diagram.)— "Dr. Arthur Dufton ; Prof. John 



Perry, F.R.S 415 



Recent Progress in Photography. By C. J 416 



The Position that Universities should take in 



regard to Investigation .... 417 



British Dragonflies [Illustrated.) By W. F, K. . , 418 



Notes 419 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Astronomical Occurrences in March 424 



Comet Giacobini (1900 a) 424 



Meteor Photography 424 



Motive Power. Steam Turbines. High Speed 

 Navigation. {Illustrated.) By the Hon. C. A. 



Parsons, F.R.S 424 



Advancement of Electrical Chemistry. By F. 



Mollwo Perkin 428 



The Problem of Coaling at Sea 430 



Mercury as a Naked Eye Object. By W. F. 



Denning 430 



University and Educational Intelligence 431 



Scientific Serials 432 



Societies and Academies. {With Diagram) .... 432 

 Diary of Societies 436 



