JANUARY 7, 1904] 
Tur Century Magazine for January contains an_ illus- 
‘trated article on radium by Prof. E. Merritt, and one on 
radium and radio-activity by Mme. Curie. The extraction 
and properties of the new element are also described in the 
Strand Magazine, in the course of an illustrated interview 
~with M. Curie: 
Tue bound volume for 1903 of Knowledge, which has now 
‘been published, makes a very attractive book. It is pro- 
fusely illustrated, and, as usual, the astronomical plates are 
particularly good. The magazine has just been incorpor- 
ated with the Illustrated Scientific News, and the combined 
journal will be published under the joint title of Knowledge 
and Illustrated Scientific News. 
‘THe second part of vol. ii. of ‘‘ The Fauna and Geography 
wf the Maldive and Laccadive Archipelagoes,’’ being the 
account of the work carried on and of the collections made 
by an expedition during the years 1899 and 1900, has been 
published by the Cambridge University Press. This part, 
edited by Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner, contains the following 
three reports :—marine mollusca, by Mr. Edgar A. Smith; 
tthe Enteropneusta, by Mr. R. C. Punnett; and marine 
Crustacea—the spider-crabs (Oxyrhyncha) and the classifi- 
‘cation and genealogy of the reptant decapods—by Mr. L. A. 
Borradaile. The third part of vol. ii. is to be published on 
May 15. 
We have received the second series of vol. viii. of the 
“Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of 
(Canada,’’ and notice that it contains a full account of the 
twenty-first general meeting held at Toronto in May, 1902. 
The presidential address, by Sir James A. Grant, K.C.M.G., 
had for its subject the universities in relation to research, 
and constitutes the first appendix to the first part of the 
volume, which includes the Proceedings. The second 
appendix contains reports from twenty-seven associated 
literary and scientific societies in Canada, some of the re- 
ports being in French. Similarly the section of the Trans- 
actions dealing with French literature, history, and 
archeology is given in French. Among papers read before 
the section concerned with the mathematical, physical, and 
chemical sciences may be mentioned :—On the stresses de- 
veloped in beams loaded transversely, by Prof. H. T. Bovey, 
F.R.S.; researches in physical chemistry carried out in the 
University of Toronto during 1901-2, by Prof. W. L. Miller ; 
on the existence of bodies smaller than atoms, by Prof. 
Rutherford ; on the absolute value of the mechanical equiva- 
lent of heat, by Prof. H. T. Barnes; and the specific heats 
of organic liquids and their heats of solutions in organic 
solvents, by Dr. J. W. Walker and Dr. J. Henderson. In 
‘the section of the geological and biological sciences twelve 
papers are included, and among them are two by Prof. D. P. 
Penhallow on Osmundites skidegatensis and notes on 
‘Cretaceous and Tertiary plants of Canada. Dr. G. F. 
Matthew contributes notes on Cambrian faunas, and Prof. 
‘A. P. Coleman discusses the classification of the Archzean. 
‘The volume contains numerous well executed illustrations, 
and is an excellent witness to the value of the work in 
‘science which is being accomplished in Canada. 
Tue determination of the density of chlorine gas is 
attended with many experimental difficulties, and the figures 
obtained by different workers vary between 2-448 and 2-491. 
In the current number of the Comptes rendus MM. H. 
Moissan and Binet du Jassoneix describe their researches on 
this subject. Three groups of experiments are given, in- 
volving seventeen determinations, and the final figure re- 
“Zarded as the most probable is 2-490 at 0° C., a value 
NO. 1784, VOL. 69] 
NATURE 
233 
identical with the figure of Leduc. The chief sources of 
error to be eliminated are the presence of air in the density 
flask, the difficulty of completely drying the gas, and the 
solubility of different gases in liquefied chlorine. 
In a recent number of the Comptes rendus it is stated by 
M. Becquerel that when crystals of hexagonal zinc blende 
are crushed between glass plates they emit a flash of light 
comparable with that which is produced by the proximity 
of a radium salt in Crookes’s spinthariscope. It is suggested 
that in the latter case the positively charged a-particles 
fracture by their impact the surface of the blende, and that 
the flashes of light observed are thus caused by a mechanical 
action on the screen. 
Tue origin of natural asphalte or bitumen has given rise 
to much speculation, and the suggestion has been made that 
it is produced by the destructive distillation of vegetable re- 
mains mixed with organic matter, and especially with fish. 
Another possible explanation is suggested by the production 
of an artificial asphalte by heating natural petroleum with 
sulphur. The series of paraffins is not affected by this 
treatment, but the naphthenes which are present in the 
petroleum undergo condensation and give rise to bodies 
which may be regarded as typical constituents of asphalte. 
Two of these, prepared by the action of sulphur on ace- 
feck: 
naphthene, C,,H_~ | , 
NCH, 
Karl Dzieworiski in the Berichte. The first is a hydro- 
carbon, C,,H,, (trinaphthylene benzene), melting at 387° C., 
which contains no less than ten independent ring systems, 
and is therefore named decacyclene, whilst the second is a 
sulphur-compound, C,,H,,S (dinaphthylenethiophen), melt- 
ing at 278° C. 
have recently been described by 
Tue additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during 
the past week include a Mozambique Monkey (Cercopithecus 
pygerythrus) from East Africa, presented by Lady Amherst ; 
a Patas Monkey (Cercopithecus patas) from West Africa, 
presented by Mr. F. A. Knowles; a Lesser White-nosed 
Monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista) from West Africa, pre- 
sented by Mr. G. A. Hanton; a Black-backed Jackal (Canis 
mesomelas) from South Africa, presented by Captain 
Moseley ; a Hairy-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta prymnolopha) 
from Central America, presented by Mr. John Gordon; two 
Ring-tailed Coatis (Nasua rufa) from South America, pre- 
sented respectively by Mr. H. Everest and Mr. D. F. 
Mackenzie; a Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus), British, pre- 
sented by Mr. F. W. Pizzey ; a Californian Sea Lion (Otaria 
californiana) from the North Pacific Ocean, seven Indian 
Fruit Bats (Pteropus medius) from India, deposited. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
ASTRONOMICAL CALENDARS FOR 1904.—The “‘ Annuaire du 
Bureau des Longitudes ’’ for 1904 contains more than 700 
pages of useful tables and formule, astronomical and 
physical, including lucid explanations of such matters as 
the several different calendars, the tides, &c. A new 
arrangement is inaugurated in this year’s publication ; in- 
stead of giving the customary complete set of tables, &c., 
only those relating to astronomy, physics, and chemistry are 
included, and it is proposed to omit the chemistry and physics 
next year, giving instead full sets of tables relating to 
general geography, meteorology, and statistics. This 
alternation will be continued in future *‘ Annuaires.”’ 
The ‘‘ Annuaire astronomique et météorologique,’’ com- 
piled by M. Camille Flammarion, attains its fortieth year 
of publication in the issue for 1904. It gives a complete 
account of the astronomical occurrences due this year, and 
a useful review of the astronomical and meteorological 
