432 



NATURE 



[March 2, 1905 



in the presence of antiseptics, such as camphor. The 

 author therefore regards the decomposition of carbonic acid 

 outside the plant as unproven. — On the composition of 

 brandy from wine : X. Rocques. A table is given show- 

 ing the results of analysis of twenty-two samples of brandy 

 arising from the distillation of wine, and it is pointed out that 

 a brandy containing a relatively small amount of esters con- 

 tains an increased amount of higher alcohols. — The pre- 

 diction of a chemical reaction forming a monovariant 

 system : Camille Matigrnon. — On two plants producing 

 rubber : E. de Wildeman. .\ description of two plants, 

 Bassea gracillima and Pcriploca iiigrescens, the rubber pro- 

 ducing properties of which have not hitherto been recog- 

 nised. — On a new coffee plant in Central .Africa : Aug. 

 Chevalier. A detailed account of Coffea cxcelsa, with 

 analyses of the soil in which it flourishes and of the coffee- 

 bean produced from it. The amount of caffeine and the 

 taste and aroma of the coffee are good, and would be worth 

 cultivating in the French Congo. — On the secreting ap- 

 paratus of Dipterocarpus : P. Gu6rin. — On the effect of low 

 temperatures on the zoospores of the Algae ; E. C. 

 Teodoresco. The spores of DunalicUa salina were found 

 to retain their activity in a salt solution even after exposure 

 to a temperature of —30° C. — On a new cellular type with 

 metamerised cytoplasm, Tacnicystis mira : Louis Legrer. — 

 Geographical variations of the Pleuronectids : A. Cligny. — 

 The extension of the functional states of the auricle to the 

 ventricle : H. Kronecker. The author's experiments lead 

 him to regard this effect as being entirely due to nervous 

 elements. — Variations in morbid processes according to the 

 composition of the organs : MM. Charrin and Le Play. 

 Hydrolysis of the hepatic glycogen produced by the injection 

 of amylase into the portal vein : M. Pariset. — On the 

 stimulation of the nerves by very short electric waves : Louis 

 Lapicque. — The experimental reproduction of leprosy in 

 the ape : Charles Nicolle. — The geology of the Pyrenees of 

 Haute-Garonne and Ari^ge : L^on Bertrand. — On the 

 Amana meteorites : G. D. Hinrichs. — The cave lions : 

 Marcellin Boule. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March 2. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.— Further Researches on the Temperature Classi- 

 fication of Stars. No. 2: Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.E., F.R.S.— On 

 the Radio-active Minerals: Hon. R. J. Strut!.— Atmospheric Electricity 

 ill High Latitudes : G. C. Simpson.— On the Spectrum of Silicon, with 

 a Note on the Spectrum of Fluorine : J. Lunt.— On the Electric Resist- 

 ance to the Motion of a Charged Sphere in Free Space or in a Field of 

 Force : G. W. Walker. 



Royal Institution, at 5.— Recent Astronomical Progress: Prof. H. H. 

 Turner, F.R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— The Latent Heat of Evaporation of Benzene 

 and some other Compounds : J. Campbell Brown.- The Relation between 

 Natural and Synthetic Glycerylphosphoric Acids: F. B Power and 

 F. Tutin.— The Reduction of Isophthalic Acid : W. H. Perkin. jun., and 

 S. S. Pickles.— The Transmutation of Geometrical Isomers: A. W. 

 Stewart. 



RoNTGEN Society, at 8.15.— A discussion on " The Necessity of Accurate 

 Measurement in X-ray and High Frequency Work," opened by Dr. 

 W. D. Butcher. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineers* Society, at 8. — Engineering Expert 

 Evidence : J. F. Reade. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Zoological Nomenclature ; International Rules 

 and Others (to be followed bv a discussion): Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing, 

 F.R.S.— Biscayan Plankton. Part IV. The Thaliacea ; Dr. U. Herbert 

 Fowler. 



Institution of Electrical Engii 

 graph : D. Murray. 



FRIDA V, 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Recent 

 Chev. G. Marconi. 



Geologists' Association, at 8.— Tt 

 Prof. H. A. Miers, F.R.S. 



SA TURD A y, Mahch 4. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Archaoliiey ; D. G. Hogarth. 

 MONO A V, March 6. 



SociBTV OF Arts, at 8.— Internal Combustion Engines: Dugald Clerk. 



Society of Chemical Inoustry, at 8.— Mechanics of Fire: Prof. H. 

 E. Armstrong, F.R.S. — On the Estimation of Arsenic in Fuels — .^ 

 Shortened Method : Dr. G. McGowan and K. B. Floris. 



Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— Geological Exterminations: Dr. C. B. 

 Warring. 



Fakadav Society, at 7.50. — Annual general meeting. — At 8.15. — Recent 



, at 8. — Type-setting by Tele - 



;h 3. 



nces in Wireless Telegraphy : 



mond Mines of South .\frica : 



elting in Connection with In 



nd Steel ; 



Prof. 



Developments in Electri 



F. W. Harbord. 



TUESDAY. March 7. 

 Royal Institution, at 5.— Some Recent Biometric Studies 



Pearson, F.R.S. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. 

 Institution of iCivil Enginbers, at 8.— Surface-Condensing Plams, 



and the Value of the Vacuum produced: R. W. Allen. (Coathtualion 0/ 



Disc7tssion.) 



NO. 1844, VOL. 71] 



WEDNESDAY, March 8. 



Geological Society, at 8. — (i) Observations on some of the Loxonema- 



tida;, with Descriptions of two New Species: (2) On some Gasteropodi 



from the Silurian Rocks of Llangadock : Miss jane Donald. 



Society op Arts, at 8 —Ethics of Japanese Society : Baron Suyematsu. 



THURSDAY, March 9. 



Royal Society, at ^.-ip.— Probable Papers : The Rate of Transmission of 

 the Guatemala Earthquake of April IQ, 1902 : R. D. Oldham.— Ionic 

 Sizes in Relation to the Conductivity of Electrolytes: W. R. Bousfield. 

 —Explosions of Mixtures of Coal Gas and Air in a Closed Vessel : 

 L. Bairstow and A. D. Alexander. 



Royal Institution, at 5. — Recent Astronomical Progress : Prof. H. H. 

 Turner, F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Report on Experiments 

 carried out at the National Phy-ical Laboratory : On the Effect of Heat 

 on the Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Dielectrics, and on the 

 Temperature Distribution in the Interior of Field Coils : Dr. R. T. 

 Glazebrook, F.R.S.— On Temperature Curves and the Rating of 

 Electrical Machinery : R. Gold'chmidt. 



FRIDAY. March 10. 



Royal Institution, at g.— The Structure of the Atom: Prof. J. J. 

 Thomson, F.R.S. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Malacological Society, at 8.— On a Dibranchiate Cephalopod from the 

 Eocene of Arabia : G. C. Crick.- Note on the Horizon and Locality of 

 the Type Specimen of Plciirona7,tilus /ulcher: G. C. Crick. — New 

 Marine Mollusca from the Collection of the late Admiral Keppel : G. B. 

 Sowerby. — On the Occurrence of Internal Septa in Giyfitosto'iia new- 

 berryanum : G. K. Gude.— Note on a Dart found in the Body Cavity of 

 Helix aspersa: R. G. Barnes. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The Purification of Sewage : 

 F. G. Helsby.— The Purification of Sewage by Hydrolysis and Oxida- 

 tion : F. O. Kirby. 



Physical Society, at 3.— On the Stresses in the Earth's Crust before and 

 after the Sinking of a Bore-hole : Or C. Chree, F.R.S.— On the Lateral 

 Vibration of Bars of Uniform and Varying Sectional Area : J. Morrow. — 

 On Direct Reading Resistance-Thermometers, with an Appendix on 

 Composite Thermocouples : A- Campbell. 



SATURDAY, March ii. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Electrical Properties of Radio-active Sub- 

 Prol. J. J. Thomson, F.R.S. 



poda ^j 



I 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Text-book of Electromagnetism. By G. F. C. 



Searle 409 



Astronomical Lectures at Chicago. By W. E. P. . 410 



Zoological Results 411 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Colgan : " Flora of the County Dublin" 412 



Cole : " Exercises in Practical Physiological Chem- 

 istry ; " Lacey and Pannett : " Practical Exercises in 

 Chemical Physiology and Histology." — W. D. H. . 412 

 Macfarlane : " Laboratory Notes on Practical Metal- 

 lurgy : being a Graduated Series of Exercises" . 413 

 Martignat : " Le Liege. Ses produits et ses sous- 



produits " 413 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Charge carried by the a Rays from Radium. ^Prof. 



E. Rutherford, F.R.S 413 



Compulsory Greek at Cambridge. — X. ; Prof. A. G. 



Tansley ; Edward T. Dixon 414 



A Large Indian Sea-Perch. — Major A. Alcock, 



F-R S 415 



Attractions of Teneriffe. — Hugh Richardson . . . 415 

 Samuel Pepys and the Royal Society. By Sir 



Arch. Geikie, F.R.S 415 



Compulsory Greek at Cambridge 416 



Folk-Tales of Plains Indians. (Illustrated.) By 



A. C. H 417 



A Naturalist's Journal. (Illustrated.) By R. L. . . 418 



Prof. G. B. Howes, F.R.S. By W. N. P 419 



Notes 420 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Astronomical Occurrences in March 424 



Reported Discovery of a Seventh Satellite to Jupiter . 424 



Planetary Tides in the Solar Atmosphere 424 



The Bruce Photographic Telescope 424 



Physical Conditions of the Planets ... .... 424 



Discussion of Central European Longitudes .... 424 



The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. [Illus- 

 trated.) By J. H. Haivey Pirie and R. N. Rudmosej 



Brown 425 



The Early History of Seed-bearing Plants, as 

 Recorded in the Carboniferous Flora. Dr. D. H. 



Scott, F.R.S. ... 426 



Forestry in the United States. (Illustrated.). . . . 427 



Progressive Buddhism 428 



University and Educational Intelligence . . , . 428 



Societies and Academies . 429 



Diary of Societies . . . .•'.■,.;.— 432 



