May 9. 1 901] 



NA TURE 



4- 



robinin, which on hydrolysis yields a colouring matter, C|-,H],j( )s, 

 identical with campherol. Osyritrin has the composition 



2C„.H,,0„,,H„0, 

 and is identical with violaquercitrin. — Preparation of orthodi- 

 methoxybenzoin, and a new method of preparing salicylalde- 

 hyde methyl ether, by J. C. Irvine. An excellent yield of sali- 

 cylaldehyde methyl ether is obtained by treating a mixture of 

 salicylaldehyde and methyl iodide with dry silver oxide ; it is 

 converted into orlhodimethoxybenzoin by potassium cyanate, 

 and this is converted quantitatively into its methyl ether by 

 methyl iodide and silver oxide. — Action of hydroxylamine on 

 the anhydrides of bromonitrocamphane, by M. O. Forster. — 

 On the estimation of cocaine and on diiodococaine hydriodide, 

 by W. Garsed and J. N. Collie. On adding excess of deci- 

 normal iodine solution to a dilute solution of a cocaine salt, 

 diiodococaine hydriodide, C,;H,,,N04, HI,I.,, is precipitated and 

 the excess of iodine may be determined by titration with thio- 

 sulphate solution. — Note on acetonylacetone, byT. Gray. The 

 molecular refraction of acetonylacetone agrees with the value 

 required for the ketonic formula. — Condensation of acetonyl- 

 acetone with hydrazine hydrate, by T. Gray. — Preparation of 

 synthetical glucosides, by H. Ryan and W. S. Mills. Aceto- 

 chlorogalactose reacts with a-naphthol and potash yielding 

 o-naphthylgalactoside, C,iH,,0,,.O.C,oH7. Metacresylglucoside 

 is similarly prepared from acetochloroglucose and metacresol. — 

 The influence of cane sugar on the conductivities of solutions 

 of potassium chloride, hydrogen chloride and potassium hydr- 

 oxide ; with evidence of salt formation in the last case, by 

 C. T- Martin and O. Masson. — The aluminium-mercury couple. 

 Part 3. Chlorination of aromatic hydrocarbons in presence of 

 the couple. The constitution of the dichlorotoluenes, by J. B. 

 Cohen and H. D. Dakin. — A modification of Gulzeit's test for 

 arsenic, by E. Dowzard. — On the chemistry of yVt;r/«/« odoritm, 

 by R. C. L. Bose. In addition to neriodorein and neriodorin, 

 already known to exist in the plant, the author has extracted 

 a new resin-like substance from the sweet-scented oleander, 

 Neriiun odoritin ; this has the composition C.jiHjyO^, and is 

 named karabin. — Change and interaction inorganic compounds, 

 by A. Lapworth. — The mechanism of the Claisen reaction, by 

 A. Lapworth. — A new series of di-mercuri-ammonium salts. 

 Part 1, by P. C. R.iy. Ammonia acts on mercuric nitrite 

 giving a di-mercuri-ammonium nitrite of the composition 

 2NHg.,N0.,,H,A 



This yields salts of the types NHgXl,4HCl and 2NHg._,Cl,H„0, 

 with the halogen acids. 



Royal Microscopical Society, April 17. — Mr. Wm. 

 Carruthers, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Mr. Enock 

 gave a demonstration on the metamorphoses of one of the 

 dragon flies, .Kschna cyatiea. In his endeavours to obtain a 

 complete set of photographs from life which would show every 

 stage in the metamorphoses of the nymph of the dragon fly he 

 had taken over 1000 photographs before he was successful ; 

 those he was about to show were taken from the same individual 

 and recorded every stage of the process, which occupied a period 

 of six hours only. Considerable patience and constant watching 

 were required, as after the first indication of change was noticed 

 the dragon fly might emerge at any time in the lollowing three 

 days, and when the process of emergence began it went on 

 rapidly, so rapidly, in fact, that three photographs were taken 

 within the space of six seconds. Mr. Enock then showed on 

 the screen photographs of a nymph to illustrate the remarkable 

 movements of the mask by which the insect was enabled to 

 capture its prey. These were followed by a series of about 

 thirty slides, illustrating every stage of the metamorphosis from 

 the nymph to the perfect insect. — Mr. Nelson exhibited a slide 

 of podura scales under polarised light. 



Royal Meteorological Society, April 17.— Mr. W. H. 

 Dines, president, in the chair. — Mr. W. Marriott read a paper on 

 the special characteristics of the weather of March 1901. From 

 March I to the I2lh or 13th the temperature was slightly above 

 the average, the prevailing winds being from the south-west and 

 often strong in force. About the 13th a change set in, when 

 north-easterly winds became predominant and low temperatures 

 prevailed. This continued with increasing intensity until the 

 29th, the last two days of the month being nearly of average tem- 

 perature. The most remarkable period of the month was the 

 five days from the 25th to 29th, when the temperature was more 

 than 10° below the average all over the country. The north- 

 NO. 1645, VOL. 64] 



easterly winds were strong in lorce and particularly keen and 

 dry. At the Greenwich Observatory the relative humidity was 

 only 52 per cent, on the 26th and 54 percent on the 27th. The 

 only other instance during the past 54 years of as low a relative 

 humidity in the month of March was on March i, 1886. In 

 consequence of this keen and cold weather, vegetation was at a 

 standstill. Snow showers were frequent but not very heavy, 

 except on the 20th in the south-west of England, when on 

 Dartmoor nearly as much snow fell as in the great blizzard of 

 March 1891 ; and on the 29th, when a very heavy fall of snow 

 and rain occurred in the north-west of England and Wales. 

 Although the death-rate was below the average, there was a 

 considerable increase in the deaths due to diseases of the respira- 

 tory organs. — A paper by Mr. R. Strachan, on vapour tension in 

 relation to wind, was also read. 



Anthropological Institute, April 23. — Prof. A. C. Had- 

 don, F.R..S , in the chair. — Specimens of Neolithic implements 

 from the Wilts border of Berkshire were exhibited by Mr. 

 L. J. Shirley.— Mr. Franklin White exhibited stone imple- 

 ments, pottery and silver ornaments from Central Rhodesia ; 

 he then read a paper on the ruins of Dhlo-Dhlo, or Mambo, 

 illustrated by lantern slides, photographs and plans. The author 

 gave a detailed description of the nature, dimensions, ornamenta- 

 tion and state of preservation of the ruins, and showed that the 

 theories of the late Mr. Theodore Bent with regard to the 

 Zimbabye ruins would not apply to the ruins of Dhlo-Dhlo, the 

 orientation and other details depending mainly on the character 

 of the ground. — Papers on the Baganda, by Rev; J- Roscoe, 

 and on folktales of the New Hebrides, by Mr. S. H. Ray, were 

 taken as read. 



Manchester. 



Literary and Philosophical Society, April 23. — Prof. 

 Horace Lamb, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Dr. Elie 

 Metchnikofl', Paris, was elected an honorary member of the 

 society. Mr. Charles Bailey was elected president of the Society 

 for the session 1901-2. — Prof. S. J. Hickson communicated twcf 

 papers by Miss E. M. Pratt, upon a collection of Polychaeta 

 from the Falkland Islands, and some notes on the bipolar 

 theory of the distribution of marine organisms. In the first 

 paper Miss Pratt described a small collection of Polychaeta 

 collected in shallow water off the shores of the Falkland Islands. 

 There are no new species, but considerable interest attaches to 

 certain forms which are new to the southern hemisphere, amongst 

 them being Arciikola claparcdii, now recorded for the first 

 time outside the northern temperate region. The second paper 

 contained a review of the facts of zoology bearing upon the 

 theory that the marine organisms found around the two poles of 

 the earth have been derived from a common or universal fauna^ 

 which existed in the past history of the world, at a time when 

 the seas were of a more uniform temperature. It was shown 

 that the evidence in favour of the theory is increasing rapidly, 

 and our knowledge of the details of anatomy of the north and 

 south representative species reveals a closer relationship between 

 them than might have been anticipated. 

 P.\RIS. 



Academy of Sciences, April 29. — M. Fouque in the chair. 

 — On the mechanical compensation of the rotation of the optical 

 field furnished by the siderostat and heliostat, by M. A. Cornu. 

 The theoretical solutions of this problem given by Turner and by 

 Lippmann have been anticipated practically by M. P. Gautier, 

 who has devised a simple mechanism for moving the photographic 

 plate with an angular compensating movement sufficiently pre- 

 cise to obtain a good negative with a short exposure (see p. 42). 

 — On the use of oxygen in ascents at great heights, by M. L. 

 Cailletet. A description of an apparatus by means of which 

 liquid oxygen can be used by aeronauts. Its great practical 

 service v\as demonstrated in a balloon ascent of 5500 metres. — 

 On the stability of a system having a movement of rotation, by 

 M. P. Duhem. — M. Zeiller was elected a member in the Section 

 of Botany in the place of the late M. A. Chatin. — On a general- 

 isation of a definite integral, by M. H. Lebesgue. — On the 

 analytical integrals of difl'erential equations of the first order in 

 the neighbourhood of initial singular conditions, by M. Henri 

 Dulac. — On the equations of certain groups, by M. de Seguier. 

 — On the laws of Belgrand and the formula? for the delivery of 

 a water-course, by M. Edmond Maillet. — The isochores of ether 

 from I 'o to I '85 c.c, by M. Edouard Mack. The experiments 

 confirm the law of Amagat that at constant volume the pressure 

 is a linear function of the tcmprrature. — On the measurement 



