486 
chloride for edestin, sulphosalicylic acid for casein— 
he is able to measure the amount of peptic, tryptic, and 
ereptic digestion with accuracy and speed. In a second 
paper (Journal Amer, Chem. Soc., 1913, vol. xxxv., 
1546) the same author describes improvements in the 
micro-chemical method of forming copper complexes 
of amino-acids, peptides, and peptones in neutral or 
slightly alkaline solution, so that quantitative results 
can be obtained in dilutions of one part in 500,000. It 
is shown that very few other substances react with 
the reagent, and these can be easily removed by means 
of ammoniacal lead acetate. The method has been 
studied carefully in its application to blood, urine, and 
the measurement of proteolysis, and it appears to give 
results accurately and quickly with small amounts of 
material. Seeing that the Sérensen, van Slyke, and 
Abderhalden methods for determining amino-acids - 
have each in their turn been most fruitful in advancing. 
the knowledge of the proteins much is to be hoped 
from the application of the new method. 
Mr. Francis Epwarps, bookseller, 83 High Street, 
Marylebone, W., has issued a catalogue of books, 
pamphlets, engravings, maps, and manuscripts relat- 
ing to the whole American continent. 
to works of unique interest. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES FOR JANUARY, 
Jan. 3. oh. om. Earth nearest the Sun. 
5. 6h. om. Mars at opposition to the Sun. 
8. 2th. 41m. Saturn in conjunction with the. 
Moon (Saturn 6° 47’ S.). : 
11. th. 4gm. Mars in _ conjunction with the 
Moon (Mars 0° 34’ S.). 
12. th, 39m. Neptune in conjunction with the’ 
Moon (Neptune 4° 26’ S.). 
17- 7h. om. Neptune at opposition to the Sun. 
20. gh. om. Jupiter in conjunction with the 
Sun. 
24. 21th. om. Mercury in superior conjunction 
with the Sun, 
25. 6h. 32m. Venus in conjunction with 
Jupiter (Venus 0° 33’ S.). 
» 8h. 43m. Jupiter in. conjunction with the 
Moon (Jupiter 3° 22’ N.). 
» 8h. 54m. Venus it conjunction with the 
Moon (Venus 2° 48’ N.). 
27. 20h. om. Uranus in conjunction with the 
Sun. 
30. 15h, 36m. Venus in conjunction with 
Uranus (Venus 0° 30’ S.). 
A Faint New Comet.—A Kiel telegram dated 
December 18 reports the discovery by Delavan of a 
comet of magnitude 11-0 on December 17 at toh. 
348m. La Plata mean time. Its position is given as 
R.A. 3h, 3m. 19-:2s., declination 7° 25’ 24” south. 
A further telegram from Kiel, dated December 10, 
reports the observation of this comet at Bergedorf on 
December 18, at 8h. 5-3m. Bergedorf mean time. It 
is stated to be of magnitude 11-0, and its position is 
given as R.A. 3h. 2m. 4i1s., and declination 7° 21' 29” 
south, 
Tue Eartu’s ALBEDO.—Astronomische Nachrichten, 
No, 4696, is occupied for the main part with a con- 
tribution by Mr. Frank W. Very on the earth’s 
albedo. The research consists of determining the 
albedo from visual observations on the earth shine 
The catalogue: 
contains some 1662 entries, many of them referring 
1914 :— 
NATURE 
[DECEMBER 25, 1913 
sun-illuminatec areas on the moon’s surface, The 
contribution describes in the first instance the photo- 
meter employed, the methods of procedure, and the 
necessary constants of the instrument. Then follow 
the records of the observations made during the years 
tgtr and 1912. Mr. Very finally concludes that in 
round numbers the earth shine at new moon has an_ 
intrinsic brightness of about 1/1600 of moonlight of 
average quality, such as is received shortly before. 
first quarter. He eventually states, as a final result, — 
that the albedo of the earth may be ‘taken as Ae= =0'89. 
This value he finds favours the higher of the two 
values of the solar constant, namely 3-6 cal./sq. cm. 
min., which he published at the ee of ‘this 
year, 
ANNUAIRE DE L’OBSERVATOIRE RoyaL DE poo: 
'—The Royal Belgium Observatory’s Annual, published” 
under*the direction of M. G. Lécointe, the- director of] 
the - observatory, is well known to amateur - cand “pro-- 
_ fessional astronomers on this side of the- chann 
‘and 
the issue for. the year 1914 will be found as useful as 
ever. The aim of the publication is to pr ‘the 
indispensable elements ‘to those who interest 
selves in astronomical observations and to help : ‘render 
the science more popular by means of numerous, clearly 
written articles on various astronomical topics. - ‘The 
list.of the. contents. is a very full one, but attention 
‘can only be directed to one or two of ‘the items’ in- 
serted. The recent progress of astronomy, i.e. the 
progress up to the end of the year 1911, is well sum- 
“marised by M- P. Stroobant, and is very well illus- 
trated. 
Under . “ Periodic’ Comets” an interesting - 
‘table is given showing, among other facts, the epochs — 
of the. first and next appearances. The scheme for 
the distribution of international time by wireless’ is” 
‘thoroughly described, and such sections’ as ‘ those 
. found useful. 
devoted to different tables, their cost, 
notions. on the measurement of time, 
elementary 
“Bea, * will ae 
» 
‘DISTRIBUTION OF ELEMENTS IN THE Sora: ke 
SPHERE.—In this column for September 11 vety Wee 
‘reference was-made to an important paper by“ 
Charles ‘E. St.. John-on radial motion .in ‘sun-sj ee 
the contribution in question dealing with the distri- 
bution of velocities in the solar vortex. The Noyem- 
ber number of The Astrophysical Journal (vol. XXXvViii-, 
No. 4, p. 341) is devoted to-a second portion of the . 
‘investigation, and deals with the: distribution of: the 
‘Solar Observatory. . Mr. 
This: paper forms — 
74 of the contnbaeem from the Mount Wilson 
John. finds that radial 
elements in the solar atmosphere. - 
No. 
displacements are aeneeee associated with dep 
‘and, assuming as a standard a‘series of displaweetienl 
| levels of different groups of iron lines. 
shown by the iron lines, he deduces the relative level 
of twenty-six other elements of. the reversing layer 
and chromosphere. ‘The distribution shows that the 
form of calcium .that produces the H and K lines is 
at the highest level, followed by the He line of 
hydrogen. Then successively come the vapours of 
magnesium, sodium, iron, aluminium, &c., each in- 
creasing in absolute density with the’ depth until in 
the lowest portion of the reversing layer occur alsc 
the vapour of all the elements the lines of which 
appear in the sola~ spectrum. It is interesting to note 
that enhanced lines show smaller radial displacements 
than unenhanced lines of the same solar intensities, 
and thus originate at higher levels in and near sun- 
spots. A differentiation is also made between the 
A comparison 
of the radial displacements with the weakening and 
strengthening of spot lines shows that the latter is 
associated with increase of depth and the former with 
high elevations. Numerous other important conclu- 
on the moon in comparison with light from similar * sions are included in this investigation. 
NO. 2304, VOL. 92] 
