4o8 



NATURE 



[February 26, 1903 



F.R.S. It is a widespread idea that if abundant rain falls 

 in England there will be an abundant rainfall in Australia 

 in the following year. By means of a diagram showing 

 the rainfall in England and in Sydney for a number of 

 years in succession, it is shown that, as a matter of fact, 

 this seldom occurs. — On the presence of platinum and 

 iridium metals in meteorites, by Prof. Livei-sidge, F.R.S. 

 The author described the occurrence of gold in meteorites ; 

 in certain cases, the gold is accompanied by one or more of 

 the platinum and iridium metals. The Boogaldi meteorite 

 contains both gold and one or more of the platinum metals ; 

 these metals do not appear to be uniformly diffused through 

 the meteorite, for some parts apparently contain a much 

 larger proportion than others. The amount of the platinum 

 metals in the Boogaldi meteorite is comparatively large, 

 being at the rate of several ounces per ton. — Is Eucalyptus 

 variable? by Mr. J. H. Maiden. The author takes the 

 following characters seriatim, and shows that they all 

 vary :• — Habit, bark, timber, exudations, petiole, leaf — 

 (a) suckers, (b) cotyledon leaves, (c) venation, (d) young 

 stems, (c) essential oil, (/) stomata — galls, inflorescence, 

 anthers, pollen-grains, calyx, fruit. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDA Y, February 26. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30. — Bakerian Lecture : Solid Solution and 

 Chemical Transformation in the Bronzes : C. T. Heycock, F.R.S., and 

 F. H. Neville. F.R.S. 



Royal Institution, at 5. — Insect Contrivances : Prof. L. C. Miall, 

 F.R.S. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30. — Gleanings from the Indian Census : J. A. 

 Baines. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— The Nemst Lamp: 

 J. Stottner. — And, ij time permit, Ijistiibution Losses in Electric Supply 

 Systems : A. D. Constable and E. Fawssett. — A Study of the 

 Pheno menon of Resonance in Electric Circuit by the Aid of Oscillo- 

 grams : M. B. Field. 



FRIDAY* February 27. 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Perfumes: Natural and Artificial : Dr. A. 

 Liebmann. 



Physical Society, at 5.— On the Measurement of Small Capacities and 

 Inductances : Prof. Fleming and Mr. Clinton. — On the Interpretation of 

 Milne Seismograms : Dr. Fatr. — On the thickne?.s of the Liquid Film 

 formed by Condensation at the Surface of a Solid : Dr. Parks. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The Relative Advantages of 

 Single Screws, Twin Screws, and Triple Screws, for Marine Propulsion : 

 E. Falk. 



SATURDAY, February 28. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Light : Its Origin and Nature : Lord 

 Rayleigh. 



Essex Field Club (Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford), a 

 6. 30. — The British Vespidae and their Vespiaries : Edward Connold. 



MONDAY, March 2. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Hertzian Wave Telegraphy in Theory and 



Practice: Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S. 

 Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— The Need of Duty-Free Alcohol 

 for Industrial Purposes: Thomas Tyrer. 



TUESDAY, March 3. 

 Royal Institution, at 5. — Recent Advances in Photographic Science: 

 Sir William Abney, K.C.B. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Paper to be further discussed. 

 — Mechanical Handlingol Material: G. F. Zimmer. — Succeeding Papers. 

 — Recent Irrigation in the Punjab: S. Preston. — The Irrigation Weir 

 across the Bhadar River, Kathi&war : J. J. B. Benson. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30. — Observations and Experiments on Japanese 

 Long-Tailed Fowls : J. T. Cunningham. — On the Land O peculate 

 Mollusca collected during the " Skeat Expedition " to the Malty 

 Peninsula : E. R. Syke>.— The Significance of the Callosities on the 

 Limbs of the Equida: : R. Lydekker. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The Ugandaof To-day : Herbert Samuel. 



WEDNESDAY, March 4. 



Society of Arts, at 8.— Education in Holland : J. C. Medd. 



Entomological Society, at 8.— The Aculeate Hymenoptera of Barrack- 

 pore, Bengal: G. A. James Rothney.— Notes on the Nests of Bees of 

 the Genus Trigona : Charles Owen Waterhouse. — On the Aganiida; in 

 the British Museum, with Descriptions of some New Species : Colonel 

 C. Swinhoe. 



THURSDAY, March 5. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Probable Papers :— -The Resistance of the 

 Ions and the Mechanical Friction of the Solvent: Prof F. Kohlrausch, 

 For. Mem. R.S.— The Electrical Conductivity of Solution?, at the 

 Freezing Point of Wa er : W. C. D. Wheiham, F.R.S.— A Note on a 

 Form of Magnetic Detector for Hertzian Waves adapted for Quantitative 



NO. 1739, VOL. 67] 



Work ; Prof. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S. — On the Laws governing Electric 

 Discharges in Gases at Low Pressures: W. R. Carr. — The Differential 

 Invariants of a Surface, and their Geometric Significance: Prof. A. R. 

 Forsyth, F.R.S. 



Royal Institution, at 5. — Insect Contrivances : Prof. L. C. MiaII r F.R.S. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8. 



Chemical Society, at S.— The Mechanism of the Reduction of Potassium 

 Bichromate by Sulphurous Acid: H. Bassett. — The Constitution of Pilo- 

 carpine. Part IV. : H A. D. Jowett. — Preparation and Properties of 

 1:4 (or 1 : 5)-Dimethyl Glyoxalineand r :3-Dimeihyl Pyrazole : H. A. D. 

 Jowett and C. E. Potter.— Some Analyses- of " Reh," or the AlkaJine 

 Salts in Indian Usar Land : E. G. Hill. — Experiments on the Synthesis 

 of Camphoric Acid. Part III. Synthesis of Isolauronolic Acid : W. H- 

 Perkin, Tun., and J. F. Thorpe. — Camphor-jS- thiol : T. M. Lowry and 

 G. C. Donington. — Isomeric Change of Dibenaanilide into Benzoylortho- 

 amino- and Benzoylpara-amino- Benzophenone : F. D. Chattaway.— The 

 Rate of Decomposition of Diazo-Compounds. Part III. The Tempera- 

 ture Coefficient : J. C. Cain and F. Nicoll. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — On some Points in the Visceral Anatomy of 

 the Characinidae : W. S- Rowntree. — On the Anatomy of the Pig-footed 

 Bandicoot Chacrof>its castanotis : F. G. Parsons. — Further Notes on 

 Lemurs: Dr. Elliot Smith. 



Rontgen Society, at 8.30. — Spark Phenomena: F. H. Glew. 



FRIDAY, March 6. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Studies in Experimental Phonetics; Prof. 

 J. G. McKendrick, F.R.S. 



SATURDAY, March 0. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Light : Its Origin and Nature : Lord 

 Rayleigh. 



CONTENTS. page 



The Living Substance — A Theory 385 



Science and Practice. By R. T. G 3S6 



The Infinities of Mathematics. By G. B. M. . . 387 



Practical Physiology 388 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Smith : " Studies in the Cartesian Philosophy." — 



G. S. B . 3S9 



Rosa: "Die progressive Reduktion der Variabilitat 

 und ihre Beziehungen zum Aussterben und zur 



Entstehung der Arten."— J. A. T 389 



Watson : " Steel Ships : their Construction and 

 Maintenance. A Manual for Shipbuilders, Ship 

 Superintendents, Students and Marine Engineers" 389 

 Porro : " Elementi di Geografia Fisica, Fisica 

 Terrestre e Meteorologia, ad uso delle Scuole 

 Classiche, Tecniche, Normali et Agrarie." — 



H. R. M 390 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Cambridge Mathematics.— Prof. John Perry, 



F.R.S 390 



Radio-activity of Ordinary Materials. — Prof. J. J. 



Thomson, F.R.S 391 



Fall of Coloured Dust on February 22-23. — Wm. 



Marriott .... 391 



Chapman's Zebra.— Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell . 391 

 American Magical Ceiemonies. {Illustrated.) By 



A. C. H 392 



The Fata Morgana of the Straits of Messina. 



(Illustrated.) By G. H. B 393 



Indian Rainfall. By Dr. William J. S. Lockyer . . 394 

 The Afforestation of the Black Country. By Prof. 



W. Schlich, F.R.S 395 



Notes 396 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Photographs of the North Polar Region 400 



A Device for Obtaining Good Seeing 400 



Proper Motion of the Sun Compared with Stellar 



Velocities 400 



Discovery of Ancient Astronomical Records .... 400 

 Animal Thermostat. By Lord Kelvin, G.C.V.O. . 401 

 Bacterial Treatment of Crude Sewage. By Prof. 



Frank Clowes, F.R.S 402 



Silica Glass 403 



Sir William Hooker's Scientific Work 404 



University and Educational Intelligence 404 



Scientific Serial 405 



Societies and Academies 405 



Diary of Societies 408 



