43 2 



NA TURE 



[March 5, 1903 



methyl-propyl-ketone, I ■ > M. C. Marie. The phosphorus 

 compoun.ls described were obtained by heating together 

 ihypophosphorous acid and various ketones. — On the results 

 obtained in the distillery by the application of yeasts acclima- 

 tised to the volatile toxic principles present in the molasses 

 from beetroot, by M. Henri Alliot. Satisfactory results 

 have been obtained in practice by the use of acclimatised 

 . the alcoholic fermentation taking place in a liquid 

 nol only containing substances detrimental to yeasts, but 

 also contaminated with foreign bacteria. — Experimental 

 1 ches on epithelial hyperplasia and on the transform- 

 ation of epithelium into conjunctive tissue, by M. Ed. 

 Retterer. The irritation which produces on the epidermis 

 the loosening of the skin gives rise to evolutive pheno- 

 mena which recall very nearly those of cartilage in the 

 course of ossification. The cells proliferate and give 

 rise to new cells, which are transformed into reticular and 

 vascular conjunctive tissue. — The series of the genus Al 

 by M. Paul Vuillemin. — On the interpretation of the 

 arrangement of the bundles in tl and leaf veins of 



the dicotyledons, by M. Col. — Eruptions of the secondary 

 period in the Island of Crete, by M. L. Cayeux. The 

 eruptive rocks in Crete form a part i he strata which have, 

 been identified with the Upper Jurassic. The eruptive rocks 

 have metamorphosed the upper strata in which they are in- 

 cluded, and leave absolutely untouched the more recent 

 strata. — The lower Devonian in the region of Kosva 

 (Northern Ural), by MM. L. Duparc, L. M razee and F. 

 Pearce. — On the faults at Poitou, between Parthenay, 

 Niort and Poitiers, by M. Jules Welsch. " 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March 5. 



Royal Society, at 4.3°- — The Resistance ol the Ions and the Mechanical 

 Friction of the Solvent : Prof. F. Kohlrausch, For. Mem. R.S.— The 

 Electrical Conductivity of Solutions at the Freezing Point of Water : 

 W. C. D. Whetham, F.R.S.— A Note on a Form of Magnetic Detector 

 for Hertzian Waves adapted for Quantitative Work : Prof. f. A. Fleming, 

 F.R.S. — On the Laws Governing Electric Discharges in Gases at Low 

 Pressures. Communicated by Prof. J. J. Thomson. F.R.S. : 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. Miall, F.R.S. 



Society of Public Analysts, at S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— 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 1 : : Dimethyl Pyra/ole : H. A. D. 

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

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

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

 Perkin, Jun., and J. F. Thorpe. — Camphi.r-jS-tliiul : T. M. Lowry and 

 G. C. Donington. — Isomeric Change of Dibenzanilide into Benzoyl-o- 

 amino- and Benzoyl-/-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 Characinida^ : W. S- Rowntree. — On the Anatomy of the Pig-footed 

 Bandicoot Chaeropus castanotis ; F. G. Parsons. — Further Ni I 

 Lemurs : Dr. Elliot Smith. 



Rontgen Society, at 8.qo. — Spark Phenomena: F. H. Glew. 

 FRIDAY, March 6. 



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

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



Geologists' Association, at 8. — The Pliocene Bone Bed of Concud, 

 Teruel, Spain : Dr. A Smith Woodward, F.R.S. — On the Zones of the 

 Upper Chalk in Suffolk: A. J. Jukes-Browne. 



SATURDAY, March 7. 



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

 Rayleigh. 



MONDAY, March 



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

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



Royal Geographical Society, at S.30.— A Buried Landscape in the 

 English Midlands: Prof. W. W. Watts. 



TUESDA Y, March 10. 



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

 Sir William Abney, K.C.B. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Recent Irrigation in the 

 Punjab: S Preston. — The Irrigation Weir across the Bhadar River, 

 Kathiawar : J. J. B. Benson. 



WEUMESDA Y, March n. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Existing Laws, By-Laws and Regulations 

 relating to Protection from Fire, with Criticisms and Suggestions: 

 T. Brice Phillips. 



Geological Society, at 8.— Petrological Notes on Rocks from Southern 

 Abyssinia collected by Dr. R. Koettlitz : Dr. Catherine A Raisin.— The 

 Overthrust Torridonian Rocks of the Isle of Rum and the Associated 

 Gneisses: Alfred Harker, F.R.S. ' 



THURSDAY. March 12. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable Papers :— On the Histology of 

 Urerfo dispersa, Erikks., and the " Mycoplasm " Hypothesis : Prof. Mar- 

 shall Ward, F.R.S.— A Study of a Unicellular Green Alga, occurs 1 

 Polluted Water, with Especial Reference to its Nitrogenous Me.abjlism : 



NO. 174O, VOL. 67] 



Miss H. Chick.— A Comparative Study of the Grey and White Matter of 

 the Motor Cell Groups and of the Spinal Accessory Nerve in the Spinal 

 Cord of the Porpoise (Pkocaena communis): Dr. L>. Hepburn and Dr. 

 D. Waterston. — The Oestrous Cycle and the Formation of the Corpus 

 Luteum in the Sheep : F. H. A. Marshall.— On the Culture of the 

 Nitroso-bacterium : H. S. Fremlin. — Upon the Immunising Effects of 

 the Intracellular Contents of the Typhoid Bacillus as Obtained by the Dis- 

 integration of the Organism at the Temperature of Liquid Air : Dr. A. 

 Macfadyen. 



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

 F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Distiibution Losses in 

 Electric Supply Systems : A. D. Constable and E. Fawssett. — A Study 

 of the Phenomenon of Resonance in Electric Circuits by the Aid of 

 Oscillograms (abstract) : M. B. Field. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30. — The Currency Policy of India: J. Barr 

 Robertson. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — On the Convergence of Certain 

 Multiple Series : G. H. Hardy. — On the Representation of a Group of 

 Finite Order as an Irreducible Group of Linear Substitutions and the 

 Direct Establishment of the Relations between the Group-Character- 

 istics : Prof. W. Burriside. — Approximate Calculation of the Periods of 

 Vibration of a Circular Plate: Prof. H. Lamb — Mathematical Notes: 

 Dr. H. F. Baker. 



FRIDA Y, March 13. 



Royal Institution, ai o.— Character Reading from External Signs; 

 Prof. Karl Pearsun, F.R.S. 



Physical Society, at 5. — On the Interpretation of Milne Seismograms : 

 Dr. Farr. — A Potentiometer for Thermocouple Measurements : Dr. 

 R. A. Lehfeldt. — A Direct-Reading Potentiometer for Thermoelectric 

 Work : Dr. J. A. Harker — The Measurement of Small Resistances : A. 

 Campbell — A Resistance Comparator: Dr. R. A. Lehfeldt. 



Malacological Society, at 8. — Further Description of the Animal of 

 lyantia carinata, Collinge : Lieut. -Col. H. H God win- Austen, 

 F.R.S. — Note on the Generic Name Buliminus : B. B. Woodward. — 

 Notes on Pleistocene Non-marine Mollusca trom Portland Bill; and mi 

 Holocene Non-marine Mollusca from Wilts, Dorset Cambridgeshire and 

 Folkestone: R. Ashington Bullen. — On the Occurrence <A Xeritina 

 Gratelonpiana., Fer. s in the Pleistocene at Swanscomb : A. S. Kennard 

 and B. B. Woodward. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Reconstruction of Midland 

 Railway Bridge No. 27. over the the River Trent : A. K. Langton. 

 SAfURDAY, March 14, 



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

 Rayleigh. 



CONTENTS. pa.k 



Electrical Stimulus and Response. By F. G. . . . 409 



The Lead Accumulator. By Maurice Solomon . . 410 



Biology of the Lake of Geneva 411 



Ou- Book Shelf- 



Taylor : " A Monograph of the Land and Freshwater 



Mollusca of the British Lies."— (BV)- 412 



DeGarmo : " Interest and Education." — A. T. S. . 413 



Drude : " The Theory of Optics" 413 



Perdoni : " Le Forze Idrauliche " . . .... 413 



Julius: " De Ether"; Barbera : " L'Etere e la 



Materia ponderabile " . . 413 



Letters to ttar Editors- 

 Sir Edward Fry on Natural Selection. — Sir Edw. 



Fry, F.R.S 414 



The Assumed Radio-activity of Ordinary Materials. — 



Prof. Henry E. Armstrong, F.R.S 414 



The Dissociation Theory of Electrolysis. — J. Brown, 



F.R.S ... 414 



Analysis of the "Red Rain" of February 22. — 



Rowland A. Earp 414 



Proof ol Lagrange's Equations of Motion, &c. — 



Prof. W. McF. Orr; R. F. W 415 



Genius and the Struggle for Existence. — S. Irwin 



Crookes; Arthur Ebbels . 415 



The Organisation of Fishery Research. By Dr. 



E.J. Allen ... 417 



Magnetic Work in New Zealand. (Illustrated.) By 



Dr. Charles Chree, F.R.S. 41S 



The Kearton Selborne. (Illustrated.) By R. L. . 419 

 Recent Conferences between Science Masters and 



Examiners 419 



Notes 420 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in March 424 



Comet 1903 a 424 



Comet 1902 b (Perrine) 424 



Herschel's Nebulous Regions of the Heavens . . . 424 



A New Star Catalogue 425 



Recent Science in Austria 425 



The Future of Coal Gas. By Prof. V. B. Lewes . 426 



University and Educational Intelligence 42S 



Scientific Serial 420 



Societies and Academies 429 



Diary of Sof ieties 432 



