460 



NATURE 



[March 8, 1900 



given showing the relative effects of cooked and uncooked meat 

 as a diet for the tuberculous, the active part of the meat 

 consisting of the parts soluble in water. 



Amsterdam, 

 Royal Academy of Sciences, January 27.— Prof. H. G. 

 van de Sande Bakhuyzen in the chair.— Prof. J. C. Kapteyn 

 explained a new method of determining the direction of the 

 sun's motion in space, and criticised the methods of Arge- 

 lander, Airy and Kobold.— Prof. Van der Waals made a com- 

 munication concerning the cooling down of a gas current on the 

 pressure being suddenly lowered. — Prof. Franchimont pre- 

 sented to the Library of the Academy the dissertation of Dr. 

 P. J. Montagne, entitled " The action of strong nitric acid upon 

 the three isomeric chloro-benzoic acids and some of their 

 derivatives," and orally elucidated the contents ^f this work'. — 

 The following papers were presented for publication in the 

 Proceedings :—(a) By Prof. Van der Waals ; first, on behalf 

 of Mr. Hamburger, a paper, entitled " Lipolytic ferment 

 in human ascitic fluid." Secondly, a paper by Mr. H. 

 Hulshof, entitled "The direct deduction of the value of 

 the molecular constant o- considered as tension in the 

 surface." (b) By Prof. Kamerlingh Onnes, a paper, entitled 

 "Methods and apparatus employed in the Cryogene Labor- 

 atory (IL). Mercury pump for compressing pure and expensive 

 gases at high pressure." {c) By Mr. E. F. van de Sande 

 Bakhuyzen, on behalf of Mr. C. Sanders, a paper on the de- 

 termination of the geographical latitude of Ambriz and of 

 San Salvador in Portuguese West Africa, (d) By Prof. 

 Bakhuis Roozeboom ; first, on behalf of Dr. Ernst Cohen, a 

 paper, entitled " The supposed identity of red and yellow 

 mercury mono.xide (H. )," and secondly, on behalf of Dr. A. Smits, 

 a paper on " Determination of the decreases of the tension of 

 •solution vapours by means of determining the rises of the 

 boiling point." {e) By Prof. Jan de Vries, a paper, entitled " On 

 twisted Quintics of deficiency one." — A treatise by Prof. 

 Schoute, entit,Ied " Les hyperquadriques dans I'espace a quatre 

 dimensions (Etude de geometrie enumerative) " was presented 

 for publication in the Academy's Transactions. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March 8. 

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

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

 W.A. 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. — 

 Problems relating to the Impact of Waves on a Spherical Obstacle in 

 an Elastic Medium : Prof. Lamb, F.R.S. 

 •NSTiTUTiON 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 

 Swinton. 



FRIDAY^MKYim 9. 

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

 JROYAL Astronomical Society, at 8. — Photographic Observations of 

 Hinel's Variable N«bula in Taurus, made with the Crossley Reflector of 

 the Lick Observatory : Prof. J. E. Keeler.— Ephemeris for Physical Ob- 

 servation! of the Moon for the Second Half of 1900 : A. C. D. Crommelin. 

 ■ — On a Simple Method of Comparing the Bonn Durchmusterung with 

 ' Photographic Plates : Prof. H. H. Turner, F.R.S.— The Maximum Dura- 

 tion possible for a Total Solar Eclipse : C. T. Whitmell.— Note on a 

 Possible Occultation of A Geminorum on 1900 May 27-28 : W. W. 

 Bryant. 

 ">Institutionof Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Distribution of Stress in 

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

 Day. 

 lPhysical Society at S.-^On the Damping of Galvanometer Needles: 

 M. Solomon. — On the Distribution of a Gas in an Electric Field : G. W. 

 Walker. — Exhibition of a Surface Tension Lecture Experiment : C. E. 

 S. Phillips. 

 "Malacological Society, at 8.— Further Notes on Helicoid Land- 

 shells from Japan, the Loo Choo and Bonin Islands, with Description of 

 New Species : G. K. Gude. — Note on the Genera Callocardia and 

 Vesicomya : E. A. Smith. — The Genus Mytilus and its South American 

 Species : H. von Jhering. 



MONDAY, March 12. 

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

 Shepherd. 



TUESDAY, March 13. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Structure and Classification of Fishes : Prof. 



E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. 

 Anthropological Institute, at 8.30. — Stone Circles of Scotland : A. 

 L. Lewis. — Exhibit of Photographs of Megalithic Buildings in Malta 

 and Gozo : J. L. Myres. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— A Short History of the En- 

 gineering Works of the Suez Canal : Sir Charles Hartley, K.C.M.G. 



Na 1584, VOL 61] 



Royal Photographic Society 

 Rooms : E. Howard Farmer. 



at 8. — The Illumination of Developing 



THURSDAY, March 15. 

 Royal Society, 'at ^.ya.— Probable Papers: Total Eclipse of the Sun, 



ianuary22, 1898. Observations at Viziadrug : Sir N. Lockyer, K.C.B., 

 '.R.S., Captain Cbisholm-Batten, R.N., and Prof. Pedler, F.R.S.— A 



Comparative Crystallographical Study of the Double Selenates of the 

 Series R2M(Se04)2, 6H2O. Part I. Salts in which M is Zinc : A. E . 

 Tutton, F.R.S.— The Theory of the Double Gamma Function : E. W. 



Barnes. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Recent Excavations in Greece : Dr. C. 

 Waldstein. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — Report on the Botanical Results of an Expedi- 

 tion to Mount Roraima, in British Guiana, undertaken by F. V. 

 McConnell and J. J. Quelch, W. Botting Hemsley, F.R.S., and others. 

 — Bryozoa fiom Franz Josef Land, collected by the Jackson- Harmsworth 

 Expedition, 1896-97 : A. W. Waters. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — The Vapour Densities of Dried Mercury and 

 Mercurous Chloride : H. Brereton Baker. — (i) The Preparation of Pure 

 Hydrobromic Acid ; (2) A iNew Sulphide of Arsenic : Dr. A. Scott, 

 F.R.S.— The Action of Iodine on Alkalis : R. L. Taylor.-The Inter- 

 action between Sulphites and Nitrites: Dr. Edward Divers, F.R.S., 

 and Dr. Tamemasa Haga. — New Polysaccharides : Manno-galactan 

 and Laevulo-mannan : Julian L. Baker and Thomas H. Pope. 

 FRIDAY, March 16. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Pictorial Historical Records: Sir Benjamin 

 Stone. 



Epidemiological Society, at 8.30 —Measles : its Distribution and 

 Control : Dr. Robinson. 



SATURDAY, March 17 



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



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Egyptian and Babylonian Religion and Mythology. 



By Frank Rede Fowke 437 



Huxley's Scientific Memoirs. By E. A. M 440 



Scenery and Geology. By H. B. W 441 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Coulter : " Plant Relations : a First Book of 



Botany."— Prof. J. B, Farmer 442 



Arey : " Elementary Chemistry for High Schools and 



Academies" .... 442 



Luff and Page : " A Manual of Chemistry, Inorganic 



and Organic " . . . . . . 442 



" Dictionary of the Lepcha Language " 442 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Structure of the Inner Corona. — Prof. S. P. 



Langley, For.M.R.S 443 



Suggested Source of the Energy of the " Becquerel 



Rays."— Dr. Fred. T. Trouton, F.R.S. .443 



A Possible Cause of the Variability of Stars.— Dr. G. 



Johnstone Stoney, F.R.S • . 443 



A New Peripatus from New Zealand. — Prof. Arthur 



Dendy ..... 444 



Notes on the Occurrence of Amphioxus at Singapore. 



(With Diagram.)— F. P. Bedford 444 



Indian Corn.— W. F. Sinclair 445 



Colour of Horses for Service in Hot Countries. — 



Captain M. H. Hayes 445 



An Interesting Case of Resonance. — Kenneth 



McMurtrie 445 



The Relation between the Periodic Changes of 

 Solar Activity and the Earth's Motion. By Dr. 



J. Halm. {With Diagrams.) 445 



Applied Meteorology. By W. E. P 44S 



Notes 449 



Our Astronomical Column:— 



Occultation of Neptune 453 



Opposition of Minor Planet (434), Hungaria .... 453 



Ceraski's Second Algol Variable 454 



The New Odessa Observatory 454 



Hartley Botanical Laboratories of University 



College, Liverpool. {With Diagrarn.) 454 



School Gardens 455 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . 456 



Scientific Serials 457 



Societies and Academies 457 



Diary of Societies 460 



