190 
NARO RE 
| DECEMBER 20, 1906 
Chromium A 2866-80 appeared to divide into eight, only 
seen separately when analysed by a calcite prism; 3147-23, 
2855-73, 2757:75 were divided into six, also only seen 
separated on analysis; and 2861 is divided into five. The 
titanium line 3252-03 is divided into six. The distances of 
the constituents of the divided lines were measured for a 
considerable number of the strongest lines, and the values 
of da/a* calculated from them. It appeared that amongst 
the lines which had more than three constituents, the 
values for several were simple multiples of one another, 
and in several instances the constituents of different lines 
had the same values, the same general appearance and 
polarisation. Also the values of da/A? for some lines 
appeared to be simple multiples of those of other lines.— 
The solubility of stereoisomerides in optically active sol- 
vents: H. O. Jones. The statement, found in certain 
text-books, that the solubility of two optical antimers must 
be different in an optically active solvent has been put to 
the test of experiment, and it has been found untrue. In 
the cases of d- and l-camphoroximes and of d- and 
I-eamphors in l-amylbromide and in dextrorotatory turpen- 
tine as solvents, the solubility of the d and 1 compounds 
was found to be the same.—Estimation of copper: W. H. 
Foster. An attempt to employ the method of Wood and 
Berry for the estimation of sugar, and that of Jones and 
Carpenter for the estimation of hydroxylamine, to the 
determination of copper, especially in mixtures. The 
method was found to be simple and accurate with copper 
solutions, using grape-sugar as reducing agent. With 
mixtures of copper and other metals the results were 
generally unsatisfactory, being high when sugar was the 
reducing agent employed, and low when hydroxylamine was 
used. Phenylhydrazine gave better results than hydro- 
xylamine, but these were also below those required by 
theory. The method, which is really a modification of that 
of Schwarz, can be recommended for solutions of copper 
salts alone, or for solutions containing only small quanti- 
ties of other metals.—The maturation of the germ-cells in 
the saw-fly, Nematus ribesii (third note): L. Doncaster. 
Dvusiin. 
Royal Dublin Society, November 
Grubb, F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair.—Some _in- 
jurious fungi found in Ireland: Prof. T. Johnson. The 
author dealt with certain fungal diseases, mainly from the 
economic aspect, such as yellow-blight and scab in the 
potato, “‘ Phoma ”’ rot in mangel and turnip; onion rot, and 
barley leaf-streak. The paper ended with an account of 
the author’s discovery of the American gooseberry mildew 
on the red currant in co. Kilkenny, and of the steps 
taken by the Irish Government to check the spread of 
this mildew in Ireland.—A contribution to the study of 
evaporation from water surfaces: J. R. Sutton. The 
observations and experiments were made at Kimberley, 
South Africa, and under meteorological conditions, i.e. in 
the open air. It is provisionally concluded that while 
differences between the vapour tensions at the water sur- 
face and in the open air are competent to influence the 
rate of evaporation to a large extent, the intensity of the 
effect of vapour-tension differences is profoundly modified 
by the relation the temperature of the dew point bears 
to the temperature of the air, or, in other words, is pro- 
foundly modified by the relative humidity. The water 
temperatures are, as such, probably of no great importance, 
initially, at any rate; but when considered in conjunction 
with the temperature and relative humidity of the air, an 
influence becomes apparent which, so far as is known, has 
not hitherto received due recognition. It seems to be 
extremely probable that after the relative humidity of the 
open air and the difference of vapour tension have been 
allowed for, much of the observed evaporation, from what- 
soever form of water surface or type of gauge, is due to 
convection currents. The effects of insolation are dis- 
cussed, both as regards evaporation at sea and from land 
surfaces, and the conclusion is drawn that too much 
importance has hitherto been attributed to this source of 
energy. In a series of experiments on the effects of elec- 
trification, no difference was detected between the evapor- 
ation from insulated and uninsulated copper evaporating 
vessels, other than trifling differences which may be due to 
experimental error. ; 
NO. 1938, VOL. 75 
20.—Sir Howard 
EDINBURGH. 
Royal Society, November 19.—Dr. R. H. Traquair 
in the chair.—A new Siphonogorgid genus, with descrip- 
tions of three new species: J. J. Simpson. These 
organisms were obtained from the shallow waters of the 
Indian Ocean, and presented features which quite differ- 
entiated them from the other known genera of the same 
family.—Craniometric observations on the skull of Equus 
prejvalskii and other horses: Prof. O. Charnock Bradley. 
The general conclusions were that the wild horse had a 
long, narrow face, the Iceland or forest type a short, 
broad face, while the Celtic type occupied an intermediate 
| position; that the orbit of the wild horse was elongated 
and placed far back as compared with the rounded orbits 
of the two other types.—Skulls of horses from the Roman 
fort at Newstead, near Melrose, with observations on the 
origin of domestic horses: Prof. J. C. Ewart. From a 
careful study of these skulls, thirteen in all, the author 
obtained fresh evidence in support of his theory that the 
present domesticated horses are descended from three dis- 
tinct types, namely, the wild horse of the Gobi Desert, 
the Celtic type, and the forest type. The evidence from 
length and shape of skull, and from the estimated heights 
of the horses of which the skulls had been found near 
Melrose, was thoroughly examined, and there seemed little 
doubt that the Romans possessed horses of from twelve to 
fifteen hands in height belonging to the three types named. 
A remarkable feature which seemed to have hitherto 
escaped notice was the manner in which the forward part 
of the skull was bent with reference to the base, giving 
to some types a Roman-nose aspect, to others a straight 
form of face. An interesting point was that the amount 
of bending varied with the age of the animal, being (for 
example) bent at birth in the case of the wild horse, then 
becoming straight at sixteen months, and, finally, bent 
again in the adult.—The inversion of cane sugar by 
optically active acids: Theodore Rettie and Dr. W. W. 
Taylor. 
December 3.—Prof. Crum Brown, vice-president, in 
the chair.—The sporulation of Amoeba proteus: Prof. 
J. Y. Simpson. The paper gave an account of the 
sporulation in Amoeba proteus without encystment, 
describing certain specific nuclear changes, and rais- 
ing some questions in connection with the nuclear 
changes in the allied species Pelomyxa palustris.—Results 
| of removal and transplantation of ovaries: Dr. F. H. A. 
Marshall and W. A. Jolly.—The influence of an excessive 
meat diet on the osseous system: Dr. Chalmers Watson. 
—The effects of a meat diet on fertility and lactation: Dr. 
B. P. Watson.—The effects of a meat diet on the minute 
structure of the uterus: Drs. Malcolm Campbell and 
Chalmers Watson. These three papers treated of different 
aspects of the same general question. In the first it was 
shown that in the offspring of rats fed on an excessive 
meat diet the osseous system was defective. The bones 
were invariably too soft and vascular, and frequently 
showed structural changes like those of rickets in the 
human subject. The blood-forming cells in the bone 
marrow were also affected, being at first increased in 
number and later diminished. In the second paper it was 
demonstrated that the reproductive power of rats fed on 
an excessive meat diet was much below that of rats fed 
on a bread-and-milk diet. Further, when the meat-fed rats 
had litters they were less able to feed their young owing 
to smaller development of mammary tissue. The third 
paper contained a description of the minute structure of 
the lining membranes of the uterus in rats fed on different 
diets. The prolonged use of an unphysiological diet, such 
as an excessive meat diet, induced structural changes in 
the mucous membrane of the uterus, and these changes 
were most pronounced in animals in which the faulty feed- 
ing was begun when the animals were weaned. Such 
animals were invariably sterile—The minors of a product 
determinant: Dr. Thomas Muir. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, December 10.—M. H. Poincaré in 
the chair.—The division of labour amongst bees: Gaston 
Bonnier. The author’s experiments during last summer 
show that the division of labour is carried out to a sur- 
prising extent among bees. Bees which are seeking for 
