200 



NATURE 



[November 7, 1918 



like the Trichoptera and Diptera, but unlike the Plani- 

 pennia .mil Lepidoptera, which retain all their main 

 tracheae. In the fresh pupa i>f Chorista the fusions 

 which take place later on between certain veins are 

 not yet accomplished, and hence the imaginal vena- 

 tion can he interpreted with certainty. Use is also 

 made of the distribution of the macrotrichia to deter- 

 mine the limits of Cn,. \Y. \V. I.'F.strange and Dr. R. 

 tireig-Smith : The springing of tins of preserved fruit. 

 The blowing of tins containing fruits preserved in 

 syrup appears to be due to the action of yeasts or 

 other gas-forming organisms drawn into the containers 

 through leaks in the joints while cooling after the 

 cooking process. Although various organisms from 

 defective containers were examined, none survived the 

 temperatures to which the contents of containers were 

 subjected during the canning process. 



August 28.- Prof. H. G. Chapman, president, in 

 the chair. — Dr. R. J. Tillyard ; MesozoiC insects of 

 Queensland. No. 3, Odonata and Protodonata. In 

 the order Odonata two new forms are described from 

 the I'pper Triassic beds of Ipswich. One of these is 

 placed in tin- family Lestidae, forming the sole repre- 

 sentative of a new sub-family Triassolestinae. It 

 shows close affinities with the Epiophlebiina?, being 

 more or less intermediate between this sub-family and 

 the more reduced types like Synlestes. The other 

 dragon-fly fossil is not placed, being only the tip of 

 a wing, but it has sufficient characters of interest to 

 merit a name. In the order Protodonata a very re- 

 markable new fossil, Aeroplane mirabilis, is described, 

 and is made the sole representative of a new sub- 

 order Aeroplanoptera. The characters of this extra- 

 ordinary insect are fully discussed, and a comparison 

 made with Meganeura (Upper Carboniferous of Com- 

 rhentrv). From this reasons are given win the insect 

 should be placed in this order, though it stands very 

 far apart from any known tvpe, and might, perhaps, 

 be considered better placed in a new order. A re- 

 construction of hoth wings of this fossil is shown in 

 one of the plates. — J. Mitchell : The Carboniferous 

 Trilobites of Australia. Of the nine species of Aus- 

 tralian Carboniferous Trilobites previously recorded, 

 five only are considered worthv of recognition. Thir- 

 teen species of Phillipsia, one of Griffithides, and one 

 of Brachymetopas are described as new. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Contributions to Embryology. Vol. viii. Nos. 24, 

 25, and 26. Pp. iqS + plates. (Washington : The 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington.) 



Winter Botany. By Prof. W. Trelease. Pp. xxxii + 

 304. (Urbana : Prof. W. Trelease.) 2.50 dollars. 



The Cambridge Pocket Diary, 1918-19. (Cam- 

 bridge : At the University Press.) 2s. net. 



Reports of the Progress of Applied Chemistry. 

 Vol. ii., 1917. Pp. 536. (London: Society of 

 Chemical Industry.) 6s. 6d. 



Alfred Russel Wallace: The Storv of a Great 

 Discoverer. Bv L. T. Hogben. Pp. 64. (London: 

 S.P.C.K.) 2S. net. 



A Manual of the Common Invertebrate Animals, 

 Exclusive of Insects. Bv Prof. H. S. Pratt. Pp. 737. 

 (Chicago: A. C. McCIurg and Co.) 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



F. O. He 



THURSDAY, November 7 

 .70.— Prof. G. K. Hale: The Nature of Sun-spots. 

 and T. H. l.aby: The Thermal Conductivity of Air.- 



K. Chinmayanandam : Haidinger's Rings 

 hemical Society, at 8. 



ION of Electrical Engineers at 6. — Tenth Kelvin I^cture- 

 L. 1'.. Atkinson: The Dynamical Theory of Elect, ic Kn B ines. 



FRIDAY, November 8. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 5— H. C. Plummer : The Distribution 

 of th« Stars— Rev. A. L. Corlie : (1) The Spectrum of the Corona, i( y i 4 , 

 August =1 ; (2) The Earlier Spectrum of Nova Aquilrc.— R. J. Pocock : 

 The Relation between Mean Parallax and Magnitude.— H. H.Turner: 

 Note on the Nebulosity round Nova Persei.— R. Watson: Observations 

 of the Light Variation of Nova Aquila:, 1018.— A. S. Eddineton : The 

 Pulsations of a Gaseous Star and the Problem of the Cepheid Variables. 

 Part I.— S. Chapman : The Energy of Magnetic Storms. — Prof. G. E. 

 Hale: The too-inch Telescope of the Mount Wilson Observatory.— 

 Probable Pa/ier : Koy.il Observatory, Greenwich : Magnitudes of Nova 

 Aquil.t- from June 10 to November i, iqi8. 



Mai icoloi 11 n Society, at 7.— The Rev. Dr. A. H. Cooke : The Radula 

 of Thais. !>rupa, Concholepas. Crouia, Rapana, and the Allied Genera. — 

 \V. I . Webster : Notes on the Life-history of Planorbis corneus and 

 01 her Freshwater Mollusca. 



PHYSICAL Society, at 5.— Prof. J. C. McLennan: Lowr-voltage Arcs in 

 Metallic Vapours.— Dr. W. Wilson : Relativity and Gravitation.— C. R. 

 Gibson : Experiments Illustrating Colour-blindness. 



MONDAY, November n. 



Roval Geographical Society, at 8.— Col. G. S. F. Napier: The K ad 

 from Baghdad to Baku. 



THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14. 



Royal SnciRTV, at 4.qo.— Probable Paters:— A. Mallock : Sounds pro- 

 duced by I hops falling on Water.— G. H. Hardyand S. Ramanujan : The 

 Coefficients in the Expansions of certain Modular Functions.— Hon. R. J. 

 Strutt: The Light Scattered by Gases ; Its Polarisation and Intensity. — 

 Dr. V. Honon and Ann C. Davies.— An Investigation of the Ionising 

 Power of the Positive Ions from a glowing Tantalum Filament in Helium. 



Optical Societv. at 8.— T. Smith : Some Generalised Forms of an Optical 

 Equation. — H. S. Ryland : The Manufacture of Binoculars. 



FRIDAY, November 15. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 6. — Adjourned -Discussion : 

 Prof. C. A. Edwards and F. W. Willis : A Law Concerning the Resistance 

 to Penetration of Metals which are Capable of Plastic Deformation, and 

 a New Hardness Scale in Fundamental Units.— R. G. C. Batson : The 

 Value of the Indentation Method in the Determination of Hardness; and 

 Dr. W C. Unwin : The Ludwik Hardness Test.— T. T. Heaton : Electric 

 Welding. 



CONTENTS. page 



Reconstruction 1S1 



Applications of Coal-tar Dyes 182 



The Measurement of Temperature 182 



Our Bookshelf 183 



Letters to the Editor:— 



The Perception of Sound. — Sir Thomas Wrightson, 



Bart. ; Dr. W. Perrett .... 184 



The Society of Civil Servants.— Dr. G. F. Herbert 



Smith ... 1S5 



Modern Studies in Schools.— G. F. Bridge ; The 



Writer of the Article . 186 



The Ministry of Health Bill and After 186 



Racial Investigations on Fishes. By J. J.. . . 187 

 Canon Alfred Merle Norman, F.R.S. By Dr. Sidney 



F. Harmer, F.R.S 1S8 



Prof. Olaus Henrici, F.R.S. Bv Prof. M. J. M. 



Hill, F.R.S 189 



Notes 190 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Dark-line Spectrum of Nova Aquils 194 



Observations of Minor Planets ....... . . 194 



A Bright Meteor 194 



The Hot Working of Steel. By Prof. H. C. H. 



Carpenter, F.R.S 194 



Education and Life 195 



The Scottish Journal of Agriculture. By C. C. . . 196 

 Chemistry in Education and Industry. By Prof. 



W.J. Pope, F.R.S 196 



University and Educational Intelligence 197 



Societies and Academies 198 



Books Received 200 



Diary of Societies 200 



NO. 2558, VOL. I02] 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



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Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : Phusis, London. 

 Telephone Number Gerhard 8830. 



