144 



NA TURE 



[December 8, 1904 



of this wood with steam. — The formation and distribution 

 of the essential oil in an annual plant : Eug. Charabot 

 and G. Laloue. During the formation of the flower the 

 increase of essential oil by the flower corresponds to a loss 

 of oil by the green parts. After the seed is formed, and 

 there is no longer a flow of nutritive principles towards the 

 flower, the essential oil returns to the green organs. — Floral 

 -abnormalities produced by parasites acting at a distance : 

 Marin Molliard. The atrophy of the stamens, and the 

 conversion of the sepals, petals, and carpels into green 

 (foliaceous leaves, a phenomenon frequently met with in 

 Trifoliuui repetis, is shown to be due to the burrowing of 

 a larva (probably of Hylastinus obscunis) at the base of 

 the stem of the plant. — \yIotrecluis quadrupcs and its 

 ravages on the coffee plant of Tonkin : L. Boutan. — The 

 individuality of the complex particle in a crystal : M. 

 Wallerant. — On the lakes of the Grimsel and of the St. 

 Gothard massif : Andr^ Delebecque. — The degree of saline 

 concentration of the blood serum of the eel in sea water and 

 in fresh water, after its experimental passage from the 

 former to the latter : Ren^ Quinton. The percentage of 

 salt in the blood serum of the eel varies in accordance with 

 the degree of salinity of the water in which it is placed, 

 and is an example of the fact that the saline concentration 

 of fresh water fishes is that of their marine ancestors, re- 

 duced simply by the influence of the new medium in which 

 they live. — The elimination of urea in healthy subjects : 

 H. Labbe and E. Morchoisne. — Contribution to the study 

 of acid dyscrasia : A. Desg-rez and J. Adier. — On the 

 bleaching of flour : E. Fleurent. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, December 8. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Memoir on the Theory of the Partitions of Num- 

 bers. Part III : Major P. A. MacMahon, F.R.S.— Note on a Means of 

 Pr.tducing a High-voltage Continuous or " Pertinacious " Current ; Sir 

 Oliver Lodge, F.R.S.-The Effect of Liquid Air Temperatures on the 

 Mechanical and other Properties of Iron and its Alloys : Sir James 

 Dewar, F.R.S., and R. A. Hadiield.— The Role of Diffusion during 

 Catalysis by Colloidal Metals and Similar Substances : Dr. H. J. S. Sand. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineers' Society, at 8.— Notes on Portland 

 Cement : H. E. Bellamy. 



Institution or Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Hydrodynamical and 

 Electromagnetic Investigations regarding the Magnelic-Flu.\ Distribu- 

 tion in Toothed-Core .'Armatures: Prof. H. S. Hele-Shaw, F.R.S., 

 Dr. A. Hay, and P. H. Powell. (Conclusion of Discussion).— Studies in 

 Magnetic 'testing : G. F. C. Searle. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30.— Burma : Sir Frederic Fryer, K.C.S.I. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30.— On Groups of Order /" <7* : Prof. 

 W. Burnside.— On the Linear Differential Equation of the Second Order ; 

 Prof. A. C. Dixon.— On a Deficient Multinomial Expansion : Major 

 P. A. MacMahon.— The Application of Basic Numbers to Bessel's and 

 Legendre's Functions (second paper): Rev. F. H . Jackson. —On the Failure 

 of Convergence of Fourier's Series: Dr. E. W. Hobson.— An Extension of 

 Borei's Exponential Method of Summation of Divergent Series Applied to 

 Linear Differential Equations : E. Cunningham. 

 FRIDAY, December 9. 



RovAL Astronomical Society, at 5.- (1) Dark Nebulosities ; (2) Detached 

 Nebula in Cygnus ; 'W. S. Franks.— On the Relative Brightness of Binary 

 Stars : J. E. Gore.— (i) On the Completion of the Main Problem in the New 

 Lunar Theory ; (2) The Final Values of the Coefficients in the New Lunar 

 Theory : Prof. E. VV. Brown.— On the Relative efficiency of Different 

 Methods of Determining Longitudes on Jupiter: A. Stanley Williams.— 

 On the Temperature of Sun-spots, and on the Spectrum 01 an Artificial 

 One ; W. E. 'Wilson —On the Validity of Meteor Radiants deduced from 

 Three Tracks : H. W. Ca^pman.— Promised fa/iers :— Observations of the 

 Leonid Meteors of 1904 November : Royal Observatory, Greenwich.— 

 Radio-activity of Matter the Possible Cause of Heat Energy in Sun and 

 Stars: 'W. E. Wilson.— Mean Areas and Heliographic Latitudes of Sun- 

 spots in the Year 1903 : Royal Observatory, Greenwich.— The Coefficients 

 of 145 Terms in the Moon's Longitude derived from Greenwich Meridian 

 Observations, 1750-igor : P. H. Cowell. 



Epidemiological Society, at 8.30.— Ticks and Tick-transmitted 

 Diseases: Dr. Nuttall, F.R.S. 



Malacological Society, at 8.— Description of a new species of 

 Trachiopsis fr^m British New Guinea : H. B. Preston.— A Correction in 

 Nomenclature: E. A. Smith.— Notes on the American Cyclostomatida; 

 and their Opercula : W. H. Dall.— Note on the Dates of Publication 

 of the Various Parts of Moquin-Tandon's " Hist. Moll. terr. fluv. de 

 France " : J. W. Taylor. 



Physical Society, at 8.- On a Rapid Method of Approximate Harmonic 

 Analysis: Prof. S. P. Thompson. F.K.S.—.\ High- Frequency Alter- 

 nator : W. Duddell.— Exhibition of Experiments to show the Retardation 

 of the Signalling Current on 3500 miles of the Pacific Cable between 

 Vancouver and Fanning Island.— Exhibit of Ayrton-Mather Galvano- 

 meters, Universal Shunts, and Electrostatic Instruments. 



MONDAY, December 12. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Musical Wind Instruments, Reed 



D. J. Blaikley. 

 Society of Dyers and Colourists, at 8.— Bleaching Agents : and the 



Method.s of Application :_F. W. Walker.— The Application of Sulphide 



Colours in the Dyeing ot Chrome Leather. 



NO. 1832, VOL. 71] 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— Explorations in Bolivia: Dr. H. 

 Hoek. 



TUESDAY, December 13. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30.— Some Notes on Anthropoid Apes: Hon. 

 Walter Rothschild.— On the Cranial Osteology of the Clupeoid Fishes : 

 Dr. W. G. Ridewood. — The Characters and Synonymy of the British 

 Species of Leucosolenia : Prof. K. A. Minchin. 



Sociological Society, at 8.— The School in Some of its Relations to 

 Social Organisation and to National Life: Prof. M. E. Sadler. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — On the Construction of a 

 Concrete Railway-Viaduct: A. Wood-Hill and E. D. Pain. 

 WEDNESDAY, December 14. 



Chemical Society, at 5.30.— Hydrolysis of Ammonium Salts . V. H. Veley. 

 -The Viscosity of Liquid Mixtures. Part ii. : A. E. Dunstan.— The 

 Diazo-reaction in the Diphenyl Series. Part ii. : Ethoxybenzidine : J. C. 

 Cain.— The Sulphate and the Phosphate of the Dimercurammonium 

 Series: P. C. Ray.— .A. Method for the Direct Production of certain 

 Aminoazo-compounds : R Meldola and L. Eynon. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — The Patent Laws: C. D. Abel. 

 THURSO A Y, December 15. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Frobul'U Papers'. — An Analysis of the Results 

 from the Falmouth Magnetographs on " Quiet " Days during the Twelve 

 Years 1891 to 1902: Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S.-The Halogen Hydrides as 

 Conducting Solvents. Part iii : B. D. Steele.— The Halogen Hydrides 

 as Conducting Solvents. Part iv. : B. D. Steele, D. Mcintosh, and 

 E. H. Archibald.— Effects of Temperature and Pressure on the Thermal 

 Conductivities of Solids. Part i., The Effect of Temperature on the 

 Thermal Conductivities of some Electrical Insulators : Dr. C. H. Lees.— 

 The Basic Gamma Fund ion and the Elliptic Functions : Rev. F. H. 

 Jackson. — On the Normal Series satisfying Linear DitTerential Equa- 

 tions : E. Cunningham. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Discussion on Mr. 

 Searle's Paper, Studies in ^Iagnetic Testing ; Followed by The Combina- 

 tion of Dust Destructors and Electricity Works, Economically Con- 

 sidered : W. P. Adams. 



Linnean Society, at 8.— The Ecology of Woodland Plants: Dr. 

 T. W. Woodhead.— Experimental Studies on Heredity in Rabbits: 

 C. C. Hurst. 



FRIDAY, December 16. 



Institution op Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Heat Treatment Ex- 

 periments with Chrome-Vanadium Steel : Capt. H. Riall Sankey and 

 J. Kent-Smith.— Messrs. Seaton and Jude's Paper on Impact Tests on 

 the Wrought Steels of Commerce will be further discussed. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Folkestone Harbour; Cylinder- 

 Sinking at the Root of the Old Pier : R. H. Lee Peiinell. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Millais British Mammals. By R. L 121 



Fire Risks 122 



The Determination of Minerals 123 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Ilaberlandt: " Die Sinnesorgane der Pflanzen " . . . 123 

 Walmsley : "Electricity in the Service of Man." — 



M. S 124 



Cooke : " The Flora of the Presidency of Bombay " . 124 



Cunningham: " Quadratic Partitions " 124 



Kilbey : " Advanced Hand-camera Work " 124 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Definition of Entropy.--J. Swinburne ; Prof. 



G. H. Bryan, F.R.S 125 



Craniology of Man and the Anthropoid Apes. — A. T. 



Mundy; N. C. Macnaraara 125 



Pinnipedia a Sub-order of Cetacea ! — F. Z. S. . . . 125 

 The Late Mr. Assheton Smith. — Prof. Philip J. 



White 125 



The Leonid Meteors of 1904. — ^John R. Henry . . 126 



Blue-stained Flints.— Thomas L. D. Porter ... 126 



" Find " of Royal Statues at Thebes 126 



Compulsory Greek at Oxford and Cambridge . . 128 

 Prof. Karl Selim Lemstrbm. By Prof. Arthur 



Kindell 129 



Notes 129 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Re-discovery of Tempel's Second Comet 133 



Parallax of a Low Meteor 133 



Dale of the Most Recent Sun spot Minimum .... 133 



Observations of Perseids, 1904 133 



The Orbit of Sirius 133 



Harvard Observations of Variable Stars 133 



Correction of the Longer Term in the Polar Motion . 133 



Arc Spectra of the Alkali Metals 133 



Invar and its Applications. {Illustrated.) By Dr. Ch. 



Ed. Guillaume 134 



Shower of Andromedids from Biela's Comet (?) By 



W. F. Denning 139 



University and Educational Intelligence 139 



Societies and Academies 141 



Diary of Societies 144 



