NATURE 



[May 1 6, 1901 



by boiling with caustic alkalis the /S-ketonic acid, caproylacstic 

 acid being formed. — On dimethyl-pyruvic acid, by iM. A. 

 Wahl. Of the various methods attempted to prove the consti- 

 tution of this acid, the only one meeting with success was the 

 reduction to a-oxy-isovalerianic acid by sodium amalgam. 

 — On the anhydride of the supposed binaphthylene- 

 glycol, by M. R. Fosse. — Action of the acid chlorides upon 

 the ether oxides in the presence of chloride of zinc, by M. 

 Marcel Descude. In presence of anhydrous zinc chloride 

 acetyl chloride reacts violently upon ordinary ether, giving 

 ethyl acetate and ethyl chloride. — On the migration of the 

 ternary materials in annual plants, by M. G. Andre. On the 

 evolution of immature eggs of Raiia fusca, by M. E. Bataillon. 

 — On the development of the sole in the laboratory of Con- 

 carneau, by MM. Fabre-Domergue and Eugene Bietrix. The 

 authors have been successful in developing soles from the eggs 

 in an aquarium, with a mortality of only 50 per cent. They 

 consider that their results open up the possibility of a culture of 

 the sole commercially. — Chlorophyllian assimilation realised 

 outside the living organism, by M, Jean Friedel. — On the 

 movements of the soil and the formation of the valleys in 

 Walachia, by M. E. de Martonne. — On the law of the electrical 

 stimulation of nerves, by M. Georges Weiss. For an electrical 

 stimulation of the nerve lasting / seconds, it is necessary and 

 sufficient that it puts into play a quantity of electricity given 

 by the formula Q = a + i^/, a and b being two coefficients 

 depending on the nerve and the distance of the electrodes. 

 This includes the empirical formula of Hoorweg. — Researches 

 on the injection of blood and of nephrotoxic serum in the dog, 

 by M. Bierry. — Researches on the diseases of dogs. Vaccina- 

 tion of the dog against experimental infection, by M. C. 

 Phisalix. — General characters of the teratogenous process, by 

 M. Etienne Rabaud. — On the atmospheric dust observed at 

 Tunis on March 10, by M. P". Bertainchand. An analysis of 

 the red rain showed that it was essentially siliceous in character, 

 containing only 6 per cent, of organic matter. — The movement 

 in each synodic day of the instantaneous axis of symmetry of 

 the barometric deviations, by M. A. Poincarc. 



St. Louis. 

 Academy of Science, April l. — Mr. John S. Thurman 

 delivered an address on the many industrial uses now made of 

 compressed air, illustrating his remarks by apparatus in oper- 

 ation, including electric motor air compressor, compressed 

 air auger, drill, disinfecting atomizer, sculptors' and stone- 

 cutters' tools, carpet renovators, &c. , and a set of lantern 

 slides showing the practical uses made of these and other 

 implements and machines operated by means of compressed 

 air. — Dr. Theodore Kodis exhibited, under the microscope, 

 slides illustrating a new method of staining brain tissue, whereby, 

 in four or five days, it has proved possible to prepare single or 

 double stained preparations containing nerve cells with the 

 dendrides of the latter brought out by a direct stain, instead of 

 being differentiated merely as amorphous silhouettes, as is the 

 case with the much slower Golgi process commonly employed. 

 It was stated that the material is treated before sectioning, for 

 about twenty-four hours, with cyanide of mercury, followed for 

 approximately the same length of time by a formaldehyde 

 solution, after which sections are cut, stained with phospho- 

 molybdate hematoxylin and, if desired, a contrasting stain, 

 such as one of the aniline greens, and mounted in the usual 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, May 16. 



Chemical Societv, at 3.— The Nutrition of Yeast, P.irt III.: Dr. A. L. 

 Stern. — Derivatives of Methylfurfural : , H. J. H. Fenton and Miss 

 Mildred Gostling.— The Preparation and Optical Inversion of Optically 

 Active Nitrogen Compounds, dextro- and LECvo-a-benzylphenyl-allyl- 

 methylammonium Salts : W. J. Pope and A. W. Harvey. 

 FRIDAY, May 17. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Turkish Kurdistan ; Earl Percy. 



Society of Arts, at 8.— Polyphase Electric Working : A. C. Eborall. 



Epidemiological Society, at 8.30. — What is Plague: Dr. Klein, 



SATURDAY, May 18. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Rise of Civilisation in Egypt : Prof. W. M. 

 Flinders Petrie. 



MONDAY, May 20. 

 Royal Geographical Society.— Anniversary Meeting. 

 Victoria Institute, at4. 30. 



NO. 1646, VOL. 64] 



TUESDAY, May ;i. 



Royal iNSTiTtjTlON, at 3.— Cellular Physiology: Dr. A. Macfadyen. 



Zoological Society, fat 8.30.— On the more noticeable mannmals ob- 

 tained by Sir Harry Johnston, K.C.B., during his Recent Expedition to 

 Mount Ruwenzori: Oldfield Thomas.— On some Arctic Nemerteans : 

 R. C. Punnett.- On the Anatomy of Cogia breviapi : Prof. W. B. 



Society OF Arts, at 8.— The Rise and Development of Egyptian Art : 



Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie. 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5.— Calculation of National Resources : 



V. V. Branford. 



WEDNESDA Y, May 23. 



Geological Society, at 8.— On the Skull of a Chiru-like Antelope from 

 the Ossiferous Deposits of Hunder. Tibet : R. Lydekker, F.R.S.— On 

 the Occurrence of Silurian (?) Rocks in Forfarshire and Kincardineshire 

 along the Eastern Border of the Highlands : George Barrow. — The 

 Crush-Conglomerates of Argyllshire: J. B. Hill. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Testing and Training Distant Vision ; R. 

 Brudenell Carter. 



THURSDAY, Ma 



Royal Society, at 4. 30. — Pt ohable papc 

 Enzyme in Muscle : Sir Lauder Bruntoi 

 tive After-images and their Relation [t< 

 S. Bidwell, F.R.S.— The Solar Activity 

 — A Comparative Crystallographical Stui 

 Series R2M(Se04)2, 6H,0.— Salts in 

 Tutton, F.R.S.— On the Intimate Stru 

 Crystals with Octahedral Cleavage : Pr 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Chemi: 



J : On the Presence of a Glycolytic 

 and Herbert Rhodes.— On Nega- 

 certain other Visual Phenomena : 

 1833-1900 : Dr. W. J. S. Lockyer. 

 dy of the Double Selenates of the 

 hich M is Magnesium : A. E. 

 :ture of Crystals. Part V. Cubic 

 Df. W. J. Sollas, F.R.S. 

 try of Carbon : Prof. J. Dewar, 



-Annua! General 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 

 Meeting. 



FRIDAY, May 24. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— The Aims of the National Physical Labora- 

 tory: Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S. 



SATURDAY, May 25. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Rise of Civilisation in Egypt : Prof. W. M. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Significance and Scope of Natural Selection. 



By F. A. D. 49 



A Text-Book of Electricity .50 



An Essay in Critical Bibliography, By A. F. W. . 51 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Hacker: " Der Gesang der \ogel." — W. P. P. . . . 52 



Griesbach : " Physikalisch-chemische Propadeutik " 53 

 Gooch : " Annals of Politics and Culture (1 492 -I S99)." 



-R. M S3 



Drummond : " The Child : His Nature and Nurture " 53 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



The Smithsonian Solar Eclipse Expedition. — Prof. 



S. P. Langley . . 53 



The Persistence of the Spectrum of Carbon Monoxide. 



—Prof. W. N. Hartley, F.R.S 54 



The Use of " Axis- vectors. '"—Prof. F. Slate. ... 54 



The New Comet.— E. C. Willis 55 



Blood-Rain.— F. H. Perry-Coste ■ • 55 



The Anti-Vivisection Society and Lord Lister ... 55 



The Army Education Committee . 55 



Studies on the Structure of the Universe. By 



Howard Payn . . 56 



The Geological Society and its Museum ... 57 



The Royal Society Conversazione 57 



The National Antarctic Expedition 58 



Notes 58 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet a (1901) 63 



Variability of Eros 63 



Washington Observations, 1S91-92 63 



Stellar Photometry 63 



New NebuUie ... 63 



Musk-Ox and Bison at Woburn Abbey. {Illustrated.) 



By R. L 63 



Researches on Organic Peroxides 64 



Iron and Steel Institute 64 



Vitrified Quartz. (Illiish-ated.) By W. A. Shenstone, 



F.R.S 65 



Notes from Recent Consular Reports 67 



University and Educational IntelliKence 68 



Societies and Academies. {IVilh Diagram.) .... 69 



Diary of Societies 72 



