6o4 



NA TURE 



[April 19, 1900 



injection of a mixture of serum and virus. — M. Michelson was 

 elected corresponding member for the Section of Physics. — 

 Solar observations at the Lyon Observatory during the 

 fourth quarter of the year 1899, by M. J. Guillaume. — 

 On certain equations of Monge-Ampere, by M. J. Clairin. 

 — On the general representation of some analytic functions, 

 by M. Desaints. — New methods for maintaining the 

 vibrations of tuning-forks, by MM. A. and V. Guillet. 

 The electrical mechanism previously applied by A. Guillet 

 to Lippmann's pendulum is perfectly adapted to the tuning-fork. 

 — Experimental study of the movements produced in liquids 

 by heat convection. -Permanent control ; cellular vortices, by 

 M. Henri Benard. A preliminary note. The liquid behaves as 

 if divided into a number of regular prismatic cells, the dimen- 

 sions and periodic movements of which depend on the experi- 

 mental conditions. — On the duration of the emission of Rontgen 

 rays, by M. Bernard Brunhes. The emission of X-rays produced 

 by a rupture of the primary current of the induction coil lasts for 

 about the ten-thousandth part of a second. — On the reflection 

 and refraction of kathode rays and of the deviable rays of radium, 

 by M. P. Villard. The author's experiments lead to the con- 

 clusion that the apparent transmission of kathode rays through 

 metallic plates is due to a secondary emission. The deviable 

 rays of radium behave like kathode rays, whilst the non-deviable 

 rays include radiations of high penetrating power. — Negative 

 electrification of secondary rays produced by means of Rontgen 

 rays, by MM. P. Curie and G. Sagnac. Rontgen rays appear 

 to bear no electric charge, but the secondary rays resulting from 

 their transformation resemble kathode rays in being negatively 

 electrified. — Heat of formation of hydrated and anhydrous 

 strontium dioxide, by M. de Forcrand. The heat evolved in the 

 conversion of strontium monoxide into the anhydrous dioxide is 

 less by about one calorie than that evolved in the formation of 

 barium dioxide, whilst, on the other hand, strontium dioxide has a 

 greater affinity for water than barium dioxide. — On a new method 

 of fractionating some rare earths, by M. Eugene Demar9ay. The 

 method is based on the crystallisation from nitric acid of the 

 double nitrates of magnesium and the rare earths. — Formation of 

 monomercurammonium iodide by the action of concentrated am- 

 monia on mercurdiammonium iodide, by M. Maurice Francois. 

 Monomercurammonium iodide, NHgHjI, is prepared by adding 

 successive small quantities of ammonia to mercurdiammonium 

 iodide ; it is a black, crystalline substance which does not become 

 red on exposure to air, and is insoluble in ether. — On a crystal- 

 line selenide and oxyselenide of manganese, by M. Fonzes- 

 Diacon. Manganese selenide, MnS, is obtained in cubical 

 crystals by the action of hydrogen selenide on a solution of 

 manganese acetate, by the reduction of manganese selenate 

 with carbon in the electric furnace, and by fusing the precipi- 

 tated selenide at a high temperature. Prismatic needles of the 

 same substance are produced by the action of hydrogen selenide 

 on manganese chloride at a red heat. A green oxyselenide is 

 formed when manganese selenate is reduced by hydrogen at a 

 bright red heat. — On the reducing action of calcium carbide, by 

 M. Geelmuyden. The action of calcium carbide on boric 

 anhydride at the temperature of the electric furnace results in 

 the formation of calcium boride, CaBfi. Under the same con- 

 ditions the sulphides of iron, lead, antimony, and magnesium 

 yield calcium sulphide and the respective metals which, except 

 in the case of iron, are volatilised. Aluminium sulphide is not 

 reduced by calcium carbide. — On a new method for the pre- 

 paration of double sulphates of chromium, by M. C. Pagel. In 

 the destruction of organic matter by means of chlorochromic 

 acid, as previously described, the double sulphates of chromium 

 and sodium or chromium and potassium are formed ; they 

 crystallise in the hexagonal system. — Electrolytic estimation of 

 lead in lead sulphate and chromate. Application to the analysis 

 of lead glass and lead chromates, by M. C. Marie. The lead 

 compounds are dissolved in a mixture of nitric acid and am- 

 monium nitrate, and the solution electrolysed in the usual 

 manner. — On oa/3-trimethyl-j6-oxyadipic acid, by M. E. E. 

 Blaise. The lactonic acid corresponding with this acid is 

 obtained by the condensation of methyl levulate with methyl 

 bromisobutyrate in presence of zinc. ^Action of amyl chloride 

 on calcium carbide, by M. P. Lefebvre. The primary products 

 of the action of amyl chloride on calcium carbide at a dull red 

 heat are probably acetylene, amylene, and calcium chloride. — 

 The nervous ganglions of the posterior roots belonging to the 

 great sympathetic system, by M. Nicholas Alberto Barbieri. 



NO. 1590, VOL. 61] 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



MONDAY, Afril 23. 



Institution OF Civil Engineeks, at 8. — Eighth "James Forrest" Lec- 

 ture : The Relations between Electricity and Engineering : Sir William 

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



TUESDA y, April 24. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Studies in British Geography: Dr. H. R. 

 Mill. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 4. — Repetition of "James 



Forrest " Lecture by Sir William Preece, K.C.B., F.R.S. At 8.— 



Annual General Meeting. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8.30 — The Ethnography of Torres 

 Straits and British New Guinea : A Genealogical Method of collecting 

 Social and Vital Statistics: Dr. W. H. R. Rivers. — Lantern Demon- 

 stration of Native Industries : Prof. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. 



Royal Statistical Society, at 5.— The Consumption of Alcoholic 

 Beverages : H. Bence Jones. 



WEDNESDA Y, April 23. 



Geological Society, at 8. — On Longmyndian Inliers at Old Radnor 

 and Huntley (Gloucestershire) : Dr. Charles Callaway. — On a Complete 

 Skeleton of an Anomodont Reptile from the Bunter Sandstone of 

 Riechen, near Basel, giving New Evidence of the Relation of the Ano- 

 modontia to the Monotremata : Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S. 

 THURSDAY, Kvmi. it. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— A Century of Chemistry in the Royal Insti- 

 tution : Prof. J. Dewar, F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — The Electric Trans- 

 mission of Power : Prof George Forbes, F.R.S. 



Institution op Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Road Locomotion: 

 Prof Hele-Shaw, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, April 27. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Nineteenth Century Clouds over the Dy- 

 namical Theory of Heat and Light : Lord Kelvin, G.C.V.O.. F.R.S. 



Physical Society (Solar Physics Observatory, Exhibition Road, South 

 Kensington), at 8. — A short account of the Physical Problems now being 

 investigated at the Solar Physics Observatory, and their Astronomical 

 Applications: Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S. — Weather permit- 

 ting, the 36-inch, lo-inch, and 9-inch telescopes will be used for the ob- 

 servation and photography of celestial objects and their spectra. The 

 Apps-Spottiswoide coil and 21-ft. Rowland grating will also be in opera- 

 tion. 



SATURDAY, April 28. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Egypt in the Middle Ages : Prof. Stanley 

 Lane-Poole. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Economic Science. By Sir R. Giffen, K.C.B., F.R.S. 581 

 Practical Mathematics. By Prof. A. G. Greenhill, 



F.R.S 582 



A System of Medicine. By Dr. F. W. Tunnicliflfe 584 



The Natural History of Whales 585 



Researches on Glycogen 586 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Franklin and Williamson: "The Elements of Alter- 

 nating Currents."— D. K. M 587 



Herdman and Boyce : " Oysters and Disease : An 

 Account of Certain Observations upon the Normal 

 and Pathological Histology and Bacteriology of the 



Oyster and other Shellfish " 587 



Rayleigh: " Scientific Papers."— G. H. B 588 



Tullberg : " Ueber das System der Nagethiere ; eine 



phylogenetische Studie." — F. E. B 588 



Dollar : " A Surgical Operating Table for the Horse" 588 

 Letters to the Editor : - 



The Eclipse- Wind.— A. Laurence Rotch ... 589 



Lord Kelvin's Origin of Granite.— Arthur Roope 



Hunt . . .... 589 



Is New Zealand a Zoological Region?— Charles 



Hedley ' S89 



Mercury Jet Interrupters.— S. M. Kintner ... 590 

 Tyndall's Ice Crystals.— J. A. . -590 

 Marine Zoology in Australia. By Prof. W. A. 



Herdman, F.R.S 59^ 



The Origin and Occurrence of Cave-Ice. {llhis- 



trated.) By F. L, K 59i 



Notes 592 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Compound Prism of Uniform Dispersion 597 



Dynamical Criticism of the Nebular Hypothesis . . 597 



The Cape Star Catalogue for 1890 . . . . • ... 597 



Flint Implements from the Nile Valley. {Illustrated.) 597 

 On the Mechanism of Gelation, and on the Stability 



of Hydrosols. By W. B. Hardy 599 



North American Geology 600 



Electro-Culture 602 



Scientific Serials 602 



Societies and Academies 603 



Diary of Societies 604 



\ 



