FEBRUARY 14, 1907 | 
NATURE 
383 
Challenger Society, January 30.—Mr. E. W. L. Holt 
in the chair.—Fishes captured by the Marine Biological 
Association’s fishery steamer Huxley in November, 1906, 
at the channel entrance from the Bay of Biscay: L. W. 
Byrne. The collection was chiefly interesting as pro- 
viding records of species already known from deeper water, 
e.g. Synaphobranchus pinnatus, and Scopelus  glacialts, 
punctatus, and S. crocodilus. Attention was also 
directed to specimens of the little-known Onos biscayensts 
and the recently described Pteriditum alleni.—The Deca- 
poda collected by H.M.S. Research in the Bay of Biscay, 
1900: S. W. Kemp. The chief interest of this collection 
was in a fine series of Acanthephyra purpurea, which 
ranged from the length of 4.3 mm. up to an adult of 
St mm. Unlike A. debilis, in which Contiére has shown 
that the larva is hatched with perzeopods, uropods, and 
pleopods fully formed, this closely allied species leaves the 
egg as a Zocea. The series of larva was fully described 
and figured, and shows a remarkable reduction at a 
certain stage of the cornea and rostrum, followed by their 
subsequent growth. Other interesting captures were 
Sergestes arcticus, Gennadus parvus, and Acanthephyra 
debilis. The author also described and figured an un- 
known larva allied to Caricyphus of Spence Bate. 
Society of Chemical Industry (London Section), 
February 4.—Mr. R. J. Friswell in the chair.—Chemical 
composition of some motor-tyre rubbers: Dr. P. Schidro- 
witz and F. Kaye. The authors conclude (1) that in many 
cases tyre trouble is directly referable to chemical defects 
(such as over or under curing, unsuitability of the quality 
of the rubber, excess of mineral matter, &c.) of the rubber 
mixings; (2) that manufacturers are by no means agreed 
as to nature and quantity of the various ingredients and 
conditions of manufacture to be employed; (3) that it is 
apparent from the widely divergent results obtained in 
some cases with tyres of the same size and make that 
the process of manufacture is not always conducted on 
sound scientific lines, but, on the other hand, they point 
out that some of the results of their investigations indicate 
that even and constant quality may be obtained by adequate 
supervision of manufacture.—Composition of some new 
crude rubbers: Dr. P. Schidrowitz and F. Kaye. The 
authors give the results of examination of rubbers from 
the newer sources of supply, such as Ceylon, Uganda and 
Malaya, and also of a sample of Castilloa elastica from 
Mexico. ‘he results of experiments on a series of Ceylon 
biscuit rubbers distinctly support the view that it is a 
mistake to turn out rubber in thin biscuit form, and the 
authors make some observations on the apparent nature 
of the changes produced in rubbers prepared jin_ this 
manner. They also describe a modification of the Ditmar 
method of analysis of crude rubbers which they have 
devised, and give some preliminary figures referring to the 
nature of the proteids, resins, and mineral matters in 
some of the rubbers examined.—Sources of carbon dioxide 
in the determination of nitrogen in organic compounds 
by the absolute method: C. Young and B. Cautwell. 
The authors described a modification of Theile’s apparatus 
(Annalen, 1889, 253, 242) for the evolution of carbonic 
acid in an external generator. The design of the mercury 
trap and safety tube are novel. The carbon dioxide pro- 
duced is claimed not to contain o-1 c.c. of air per 
5 litres. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, February 4.—M. A. Chauveau in 
the chair.—The secretary announced to the academy the 
death of Prof. Mendeléeff.—Researches on the solar atmo- 
sphere. Vapours with dark lines and clusters of particles : 
H. Deslandres and L. @’Azambuja. A detailed account 
of the work done at the Observatory of Meudon during 
1906 with various forms of apparatus.—Autopsy of the 
African elephant ‘* Sahib,’’ which died on January 29 at 
the Museum: Edmond Perriex.—Determinism of the 
superiority of the energy expenditure due to the assimil- 
ation of albumenoid foods: A. Chauveau. The author’s 
experiments are described in detail. Of the numerous con- 
clusions drawn from these results, the most important is 
that it is mecessary to give up the use of the heat of 
NO. 1946, VOL. 75] 
combustion as a guide in the theory of food.—A new con- 
tribution to the study of trypanosomiasis of the Upper 
Niger: A. Laveran. A study of a new species closely 
allied to Trypanosoma dimorphon, arising from the blood 
of an infected sheep. A close comparison of T. dimorphon 
with the new organism shows that the two are not 
identical, and the name T. pecaudi is proposed for the new 
species. —The relation between falls of barometric pressure 
and the evolution of fire-damp in mines: G. Bigourdan. 
A comparison of the times of the colliery explosions in the 
Lens and Saarbruck basins on January 28 with the heights 
of the barometer shows that here, as in other cases, the 
explosions occurred at the time of a rapid fall of the baro- 
meter following a long period during which the readings 
of the barometer had been high.—Prince Roland Bonaparte 
was elected a member in the place of the late Raphacl 
Bischoffsheim.—Some new variable stars with very rapid 
variations in light intensity: Jules Baillaud. In the 
photography of the chart of the sky the negative receives 
small successive displacements at intervals of thirty 
minutes, so that each star is represented by three con- 
tiguous images. These images will be similar if the con- 
dition of the sky has not changed, different if it has 
varied, but in the latter case all the images will be affected 
similarly. In some of the photographs obtained at Paris 
during 1905 several of these triple images vary considerably 
in the intensity of the images, and two at least of these 
appear to be due to very rapid variations in the 
rightness of the star. In one instance the three images 
are respectively of magnitudes 14-5, 13, and 12-7. Of the 
forty plates examined this year by MM. A. Boinot and J. 
Baillaud, containing more than 50,000 stars, only three 
other stars have been found exhibiting this peculiarity, and 
two of these are due to a grain of dust on the plate.— 
The quadrature of curved surfaces: Zoard de Gedcze.— 
The comparative study of helices and aéroplanes: P. 
Tsoucalas and J. Viahavas.—The refraction of compound 
gases: Jules Amar. The author examines the proposition 
that the refraction of a compound gas is the sum of the 
refractions of the atoms which enter into the molecule, 
and shows that this proposition holds within the range of 
experimental error.—The resonance phenomena in the case 
of transformers with open magnetic circuit, and their 
utility in the production of strong electric sparks: G. A. 
Hemsalech and C. Tissot. Resonance effects are 
generally avoided in alternating-current circuits on account 
of the harmful results on the insulation; but there are 
certain cases in which there is a considerable advantage 
in establishing resonance, and one of these is the produc- 
tion of powerful electric sparks. An account is given of 
the construction of a coil in which this resonance effect 
is utilised. A transformer of the type described is useful, 
not only in spectroscopy, but also in wireless telegraphy. 
—Experimental researches on dielectric solids: Louis 
Maliclés.—An attempt at a theory of phosphorescence and 
fluorescence: J. de Kowalski. A development of some 
views of Prof. J. J. Thomson on the production of light 
under the influence of electric discharges. The theory is 
in general agreement, both qualitatively and quantitatively, 
with experiment.—The molecular weights of various gases 
calculated by the method of critical densities: Daniel 
Berthelot. Regarding the correction for the compressi- 
bility of a gas, the author points out that it is not a matter 
of indifference which formula is used for the variation of 
v. This expression has been taken as a linear function 
of the density or of the pressure; the former is correct. 
The atomic weight of chlorine, deduced from the density 
of hydrochloric acid, falls between 35-454 and 35-478; that 
of sulphur, from sulphur dioxide, between 32-050 and 32-064. 
—The ethyl ether oxide of aa-dichloroisopropyl alcohol and 
on dibromoacetic aldehyde: P. Freundler. A preliminary 
notice indicating the line of work on which the author- is 
engaged._Some_ reactions of sodium amide: Louis 
Meunier and E. Desparmet. Sodium amide reacts with 
ethylene bromide, the products being acetylene, ammonia, 
and sodium bromide. With chloroform, the reaction starts 
with difficulty, but once started becomes explosive. 
ammonia, together with a mixture of sodium chloride and 
cyanide, resulting. The application of sodium amide to 
the preparation of diphenylbenzylamine, sodium  diazo- 
