260 



NATURE 



28, 1918 



oi the balloons were followed with two 

 theodolites and the vertical motion computed I In 

 average rate o< ascent is Found to agrei do ely with 

 the value given by the formula illj adopted 



in this 1 ounti y. I hei e w as lil tie 1 hangi in thi mi m 

 rate between the ground and 4 km. height. In this 

 particular the results diffei from those obtained at 

 inland si at in, is, where i In- rate of rising lias been found 



generally to be greatei in the first half-ki! han 



ater heights. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, Octobei -s. \l. P. Painleve" in 

 the chair. — The permanent sei retai j read a letti 1 signed 

 by MM. II. Parenty, Laguesse, Duret, Witz, and 

 A. Calmette, members and correspondants of the 

 Institute, ol the Academy of Medicine, and oi the 

 Academy of Agriculture, retained at Lille during the 

 German occupation, giving an account of sum.- of the 

 outrages and indignities inflicted b\ the German 

 authorities upon the population. — C. Richet, P. Krodin, 

 and Fr. Salnt-Glrons : Injections of blood plasma 

 (plasmo-therapy) fur replacing blood. It lias been 

 shown in previous communications that dogs aftei 

 heavy loss of blood (54 grams of blood per kilogram 

 of body-weight) only survive if a transfusion of blood 

 or blood plasma is made. In the present papet ex- 

 periments an- given sh iwing that the blood corpuscles 

 play only a secondary part, the efficaeity of the trans- 

 fusion being mainly due to the plasma. — (i. (iiraud : 

 lh. connection with the theory of hyperabelian func- 

 tions of a certain partial differential equation of the 

 second order, with a generalisation to any number ol 

 variables. — A. Angelesco : The simultaneous approxima- 

 tion of several definite integrals. M. Riquier : A pro- 

 perty of analytical functions with any number of 

 imaginary variables. — J. (iuillaume : Observations of 

 the sun made at the Lyons Observatory during the 

 first quarter of 101S. Details of observations made on 

 seventy-six days during the quarter. — A. Veronnet : 

 The limit and composition of the terrestrial atmo- 

 sphere. Aurora borealis, meteorites, shooting stars. 

 The percentage of nitrogen increases regularly at alti- 

 tudes up to 100 kilometres. Between 100 and 150 kilo- 

 metres the nitrogen forms ,)(> per cent, of the atmo- 

 sphere at a pressure below 10- c atmosphere, a pres- 

 sure of the same order as that in a Crookes tube. 

 This is the region of the aurora borealis. — J. Renaud : 

 The deep ports on our Mediterranean coast and on 

 those of our colonies and protectorates. — E. Carvallo : 

 The correction of faults in lenses. — Albert and Alex- 

 andre Mary: The inversion of cane-sugar by colloidal 

 silica. Colloidal silica effects an appreciable inver- 

 sion of cane-sugar, and its inverting power is a func- 

 tion of its state of dispersion. — H. Hubert: Limit of 

 the horizontal siliceous grit in western Africa. — J. 

 Chaine : Contribution to the phvlogenv of muscles. — 

 M. Raudouin : '['he discovery of a trustworthy m< thod 

 for recognising sex in human vertebra? of any age. — 

 M. Follev : The action of sodium citrate on the blood. 



(li. |. (iravier : The Actinia from great Atlantic 

 depths obtained during the cruises of the I'm;. 

 {lice, and ome biological characteristics of these 

 animals. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 

 Cast Iron in the Light of Recent Research. Bv 

 Dr. W. II. Hatfield, Second edition. Pp. xvii 292. 

 (London: ('. Griffin and Co.. Ltd.) 12s. 6d. net. 



The Principal Species ol Birds Protected by Law 

 in Egypt. By Cani. S S : 1 ei and M. J. "Nicoll. 

 Pp. iv+8-t-viii plates. (Cairo: Government Press.) 

 P.T.5. 



\ Modern Pilgrim in Mecca. Bj \. J. B, Wavell, 

 NO. 2561, VOL. T02"| 



New cheaper impression. Pp. xv + 232. (London: 

 1 onstable .aid Co., Ltd.) 2s. 6d, 



Mi moirs of thi < ii oloj ii al Sut vi p al Ri poi ts 



on the Mineral Resources ol Greal Britain. Vol. vii., 

 pari 1 : England and Wales. Bv Dr. A. Strahan 

 J, Pringle. (London : II. M.S. O.) 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, November j8. 

 Royal Society OF Arts, at 4.30.— Bhupendranath Basu : Some Aspecls 

 of Hindu Life. 



MONDAY, Dl 

 AsiSTOT] at 8.— Principal F. 1!. Jcvons : Rabindranath 



1 ■ 1 . i.'t 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 5.— Prof. T. C. Philip : Physical Chemistry 

 1 Bearing on the Chemical and Allied Industries. 



Socu rv op Engineers, at 5.30. — H. Kelway-Bamber : N'otes on Railway 



High Capacity Wagons' Wheel Axles. 



TUESDAY, December 3. 

 Ins mm now of Civil Engineers, at 5.30. — Continued Discussion : K. B. 



The Tata Hydroelectric Power-supply Works, Bombay.— 



Folloived by E. I.. Leeming: Road-corrugation. 1\ Wood: Investi- 

 gations in the Structure of Road-surfaces.— T. B. Bower : Notes on Road 

 Construction and Maintenance. 

 Rontgen Society (at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, S.E.), at 

 7.30.— Visit to the Radiocraphic and Electro-therapeutic Department. 

 Demonstrations of Apparatus. 



WEDNESDAY, December 4. 



Entomological Society, at 8. — Dr. H. Eltringham : Butterfly \ 1 1 



Geological Society, at 5.30.— Wheelton Hind and A. Wilmore : The Car- 

 boniferous Succession of the Clitheroe Province. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— B. Seebohm Rowntree : Housing after 

 the War. 



Society of Pudlic Analysts, at 5.— Dr. Eric K. Rideal and Dr. H. S. 

 Taylor : Recorder for Estimating Carbon Monoxide in Inflammable Gases. 

 —A. D. Powell : I he Estimation of Phenacet.n and other Para-amino- 

 phenol Derivatives by Hypochlorous Acid. — H. E. Annett and Hardayal 

 Singh: Effect of Morphine Concentration on the B.P. Method of 

 Morphine Estimation. 



THURSDAY, December 5. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6— Prof. Mile, Walker: The 



Supply of Single-phase Power from Three-phase Systems. 

 Linnean Society, at 5.— Prof. W. A. Haswell : A Revision of the Exo- 



gonidie.— C. D. Soar : Exhibition of Coloured Drawings of British Mites. 



— The General Secretary : The Tulbach-Linne Correspondence. 



CONTENTS. page 



Absorption Spectra and Chemical Constitution. 



By E. C. C. B .241 



Synthetic and Analytic Physics. By Dr. H. S. Allen 241 



Practical Forestry 242 



Developments of the Theory of Relativity 242 



Our Bookshelf 243 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Zeiss Abbe Refractometer. — L. Bellingham .... 244 



British Iron-ore Resources. By Prof. H. Louis . . 244 



Tropical Queensland. (Illustrated.) By J. S. G. . . 245 



Agricultural Research in Australia 246 



Reginald Philip Gregory. By Prof. A. C. Seward, 



F.R.S 247 



Notes 248 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comets: Wolf's and Borrelly's 252 



The Orbit of 83 Aquarii . .' 252 



The Spectrum of Nova Aquilce 252 



Orbital Distribution of the Asteroids 253 



Officers' University and Technical Classes. By 



Prof. J. Wertheimer 253 



A Scientific Research Association 254 



Science and the Future. By A. A. Campbell 



Swinton, F.R S 255 



University and Educational Intelligence 258 



Societies and Academies 259 



Books Received . 260 



Diary of Societies 260 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., 



ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



[dvertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 



Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : PhuSIS, London. 

 Telephone Number Gerhard 8830. 



