240 
NATURE 
[ JANUARY 3, 1907 
described permits of the administration of a given quantity 
of chloroform in a given time, whatever may be the 
respiratory activity. Srrie preservation of chloroform, and 
an arrangement indicating its accidental alteration: Pierre 
Breteau and Paul Woog. Pith tinted with Congo red 
is recommended as the most practical means of detecting 
acid alteration products in chloroform.—The physiological 
action of Euphorbium resin: L. Pénieres.—The nature 
of vaccine virus: H. Nicolle and M. Adil-Bey.—The 
causes of alteration of butter. The bacteriological control 
of butter manufacture: M. Mazé.—The geological con- 
stitution of the Chézery region: Attale Riche. 
CarcuTta. 
Asiatic Society of Bengal, December 5,1906.—The common 
kestrel (Tinnunculus alaudarius): Lieut.-Colonel D. C. 
Phillott. Note on the breeding and distribution of this 
bird in India; its use in Persia as a decoy for hawks; its 
employment by the Arabs for training greyhound puppies 
destined for the sport of gazelle- hawking. —Note on the 
falcon (Falco jugger): Lieut. -Colonel D. C. Phillott. 
Note on habits, breeding, prey, and use in falconry, with 
a detailed description of and a figure illustrating its use 
as a barak, or decoy with nooses, by Indian hawk- 
catchers.—Swertia tongluensis, and a new variety of 
Swertia purpurascens: J. H. Burkill. Records the result 
of observations in the field upon the difference between 
Swertia tongluensis and Swertia Chirata. Both plants are 
equally bitter. The new variety of Swertia purpurascens 
was collected in the Sikkim Himalaya. It differs from 
the type in several features, and the finding of it extends 
the range of the species to the east of Nepal. —Hunting- 
dogs from an Arabic manuscript of the fourth century : 
Lieut. -Colonel D. C. Phillott and R. F. Azoo.—A speci- 
men of Felis tristis, Milne-Edwards, in the Indian Museum : 
N. Annandale. The skull of this rare cat is figured and 
described from a specimen of unknown provénance. The 
most characteristic feature of the dentition the high 
development of the anterior pramolar.—Miniature tank 
worship in Bengal: A. N. Moberly.—The Rajmahal hill 
folk. The Saorias of the Rajmahal Hills: R. Bainbridge. 
—Fresh-awater fauna of India, No. 11. The occurrence of 
the medusa, Irene ceylonensis, in brackish pools, together 
with its hydroid stage: N. Annandale. This medusa has 
been found, with its hydroid stage, in pools in the Ganges 
delta which probably contain about one-third of the pro- 
portion of mineral salts commonly present in sea-water.— 
Fresh-water fauna of India, No. 12. A preliminary note 
on the Polyzoa occurring in Indian fresh water and brackish 
pools, with the description of a new Lophopus: N. 
Annandale. JVictorella pavida is recorded from near 
Calcutta, the ‘‘ species’’ of Plumatella (P. repens, P. 
emarginata, and P. allmani) occurring in India are dis- 
cussed, and a Lophopus distinguished from L. crystallinus 
by the shape of its statoblasts is described’ from a lake 
in the outer Himalayas. 
is 
DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 
THURSDAY, January 3. 
Roya [NsTITUTION, at 3 .— Signalling to a Distance: 
its Working : W. Duddell. 
FRIDAY, January 4. 
Lonpon InsTiTuTION, at 4.—Earthquakes and Geysers : 
Garrison. 
Royat GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, at 3.30.—Japan and the Japanese as I 
saw them: Miss A. L. Murcutt. 
SATURDAY, January s. 
Roya Institution, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance: 
Telegraphs: W. Duddell: 
Groxocists’ Association, at 8.—On a Norwegian Snowfield and its 
Glaciers : Horace W. Monckton. 
MONDAY, January 7. 
Rovat GroGrapHICAL SOCIETY, at 3-30.—A Lady's Journey from the 
Cape to Cairo: Miss Mary Hall. 
Sociery or Cuemicat InnustRY, at 8.—The Sixth International Congress 
of Applied Chemistry at Rome: Walter F. Reid. 
Victoria INSTITUTE, at 4.30.—The San Francisco and Valparaiso Earth- 
quakes and their Causes: Dr. Warren Upham. 
TUESDAY. January 8. 
Roya InsTiTuTion, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance : The Radio Tele- 
graph ; W.. Duddell. 
INSTITUTION OF CiviL ENGINEERS, at 8.—The Simplon Tunnel: 
Fox. 
1940, VoL. 75] 
the Telephone and 
W. Herbert 
Early Wireless 
Francis 
NO 
WEDNESDAY, January g. 
Society or Arts, at 5.—Perils and Adventures Underground: Bennett 
H. Brough. 
GroLocicaL Society, at 8.—On the Cretaceous Formations of Bahia 
(Brazil), and on Vertebrate Fossils collected therein ; J. Mawson and Dr. 
A. S. Woodward, F.R.S.—On a new Dinosaurian Reptile from the 
Trias of Elgin: Dr. A. S. Woodward, F.R.S. 
THURSDAY, January to. 
MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY, at 5.30.—Exhibition of Four-dimensional 
Models: Mrs. A. Stott.—On the Uniform Convergence of Fourier’s Series : 
Dr. E. W. Hobson.—Asymptotic Approximation to Integral Functions of 
Zero Order: J. E. Littlewood.—Partial Differential Equations of the 
Second Order having Integral Systems free from Partial Quadratures : 
Prof. A. R. Forsyth.—On the Singular Points of Some Classes of Power 
Series in Several Variables: G. H. Hardy.—The Construction of the Line 
drawn through a Given Point to meet Two Given Lines : Prof. W. Burnside. 
InsTITUTION OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS, at 8.—New Incandescent 
Lamps: J. Swinburne. 
FRIDAY, JaANvaRY 11. 
InsTITUTION OF CiviL ENGINEERS, at 8.—The Balancing of Internal- 
combustion Motors applied to Marine Propulsion: A. T. Weston. 
Roya ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, at 5. 
MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY, at 8. —Descriptions of New Species of Achatina 
from the Congo Free State: S. I. Da Costa.—Further Contributions to 
the Genus Chloritis, with Descriptions of Eleven New Species: G. K. 
Gude.— Description ofa New Species of Papuina, and Illustrations of some 
hitherto unfigured Helicoid Land-shells: G. K. Gude.—Descriptions of 
new Non-marine Shells from New Zealand: Henry Suter. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12. 
Royat GEOGRAPHICAL Society (at The Queen’s Hall, Langham Place), 
at 8.45.—The Duke of the Abruzzi's Expedition to Mount Ruwenzori. 
Pusiic ScHoor Science Masters’ ASSOCIATION (University of London), 
at 2.30,—The Place of Science and of Literature in a General Education : 
Rev. and Hon. E. Lyttelton.—The Internal Economy of School Science : 
Mr. Thwaites.—The best Method of Introducing the Atomic Theory in 
Science: F. R. L. Wilson. 
CONTENTS. PAGE 
Plant Dispersal and Kindred Problems. By J.B. F. 217 
Petroleum andits Products... Bog esis 
Recent Advances in EP ae By Prof. Benjamin 
Moore . . yoo 219 
Science and Road-Metal. By G A. ig ‘ci °. One 220 
Dynamo; Design’... \.)) eee sess |: 3 eon 
Our Book Shelf :— 
Cox: ‘Irrigation with Surface and Subterranean 
Water; and Land Drainage” . eee 
Baikie: ‘‘ Through the Telescope.’ _w. ‘E.R. |. 222 
““The British Journal Photographic Almanac and 
Photographer's Daily Companion, 1907”. (a eeeeeeze) 
Kirby: ‘* British Flowering Plants” . . 222 
Gahan: ‘‘The Fauna of British India, ‘including 
Ceylon and Burma, Coleoptera, vol: i.” .... . 222 - 
Letters to the Editor:— 
Radium and its Disintegration Products.—Dr. 
Bertram B. Boliwood .. Pee cig) | 25> 
The a Rays.—Prof. O. W. Richardson... . . ee 
The Effect of Radium on the Strength of Threads, — 
J. L. McKee and Prof. W. B. Morton . -. . 224 
The Upheaval of the Sea Coast by Barn — 
Dr Le JoJ. See sae: Pa oe 
Emerald Green Sky Colour. uey!G. (Collina aa 224 
Perception of Relief by Monocular Vision, —T. Terada 224 
The Geology of the German Antarctic Expedition. 
(Zllustrated.) ByJ.W.G. . ap 224 
Cotton Cultivation in the United States of America 226 
Notes. (///ustrated.). . . SOWA Gry, a! on 227 
Our Astronomical Column :— 
Comet 1906 (Thiele) . <3) ia) See 231 
The LunarGrater Minné , . |, , 4. 231 
Ephemerides of Comets and Planets... . . Bo eit 
A Résuméof Aérography .,,..-....... 231 
Jupiter’s Satellites . . . ee ee 231 
The Causes of Solar Phenomena que 231 
Prizes Awarded and Proposed by the Paris Academy 
of Sciences _. . 231 
Recent Work of the American Bureau of Standards 
By Dr. J. A. Harker. . Bey crecseic} 
Researches in Stellar Parallax. ‘By W. EB Pi oe 234 
Russian Scientific Publications. .. 2 seees5| 
The Brussels Sociological Society ........ 236 
Is there Determinate Variation ? . pe) eee Oy 
University and Educational Intelligence AM oc. eR YA 
SocietiestandvAcademices:., < 72). seen ee eS 
Diary of Societies PabrPrinic oi 0. 0. moO Oa0 240 
