— a 
JANUARY 22, 1914] 
NATURE 
as a whole, of the “ wilt’ type, the outward symptoms 
of- disease being.rather similar to those produced by 
‘Bacillus melanogenes, Pethyb. and Murphy.—Prof. 
H. H. Dixon: Note on the spread of morbid changes 
through plants from branches killed by heat. Experi- 
ments are described showing the possibility of wash- 
ing out the poisonous materials liberated in the water 
tracts of branches killed by heat, and thus removing 
the contamination from the water supply of the leaves 
above. The withering of the leaves on a killed branch 
may in this way be long postponed. It is also possible 
to wash back the contaminating substances from the 
dead branch into other branches, when it is found 
that the leaves on the otherwise uninjured branches 
wither. Both these experiments show that it is not 
allowable to assign the withering to a failure in the 
water supply brought about directly by the death of 
the cells of the heated branch.—W. R. G. Atkins : 
Oxydases and their inhibitors in plant tissues. 
Part iii., The localisation of oxydases and catalase in 
some marine algz. Catalase was found in all alge 
tested. Out of a total ot twenty-nine, only one alga 
gave the direct oxydase reaction, while six gave the 
indirect with guaiacum. In two cases only was a 
colour produced with o-naphthol.—Prof. T. Johnson ; 
Bothrodendron kiltorkense, Haughton, sp.: its cone - 
and Stigmarian stage. The specimen described supplies 
conclusive evidence that the Stigmarias found in the 
Kiltorean quarry are the underground root-carrying 
rootstocks of Bothrodendron. In one _ specimen 
organic continuity is shown between the aérial stem 
with typical leaf-scars and Stigmaria with apnendages, 
a horizontal line of demarcation indicating the ground 
level. The paper also contains a description of a 
fertile shoot ending by repeated forking in four tips 
of which three are stalked cones, 3x5 cm. in extent, 
the fourth being sterile. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, January 12.—M. P. Appell in 
the chair.—Maurice Hamy: The use of the objective 
prism in the determination of radial velocities. An 
arrangement is described in which a spectrograph with 
a prism objective gives a determination of the motion 
of a star in the direction of the line of sight, by 
comparison with a terrestrial spectrum.—G, Lippmann ; 
-\ method of regulating a telescope for autocollimation. 
A plate of silvered glass, on which a fine line has 
been traced with a diamond, is placed at an angle of 
45° to the axis of the telescope. The slit is illuminated 
from a point on the axis of the telescope, and looked 
at by an eyepiece at the side of the instrument. When 
the axis is at right angles to the reflecting mercury 
surface the slit cannot be seen; the accuracy of the 
adjustment does not depend on the size of the slit, 
but only on the quality of the telescope itself—Fred 
Wallerant : Rotatory power in biaxial crystals.—A. 
Laveran: Trypanosoma soudanense as the cause of 
debab of Algeria. The disease affecting dromedaries, 
and sometimes horses, in Algeria, and known as 
debab, is shown to be caused by T. soudanense, and 
has nothing in common with T. evansi—M. Vasseur 
was elected a correspondant for the section of 
mechanics in succession to M. Gosselet, elected non- 
resident member.—M. Gambier: Curves of constant 
torsion.—Arnaud Denjoy: A property of certain func- 
tions.—Jules Pal: The transformations of functions 
the Fourier series of which converge.—Ph. Frank and 
G. Pick: Some measurements in functional space.— 
H. Bohr and E. Landau; The zeros of Riemann’s 
(s) function.—R. Bricard: A doubly decomposable 
movement.—A,. Tauleigne, F, Ducretet, and E. Roger: 
The graphical registration of radio-telegrams. The 
apparatus described makes use of an electrolytic de- 
tector of a modified type in connection with a polarised 
NO. 2308, VOL. 92] 
relay. The instrument has given a good record of 
Eiffel Tower signals at Dijon, 275 kilometres from 
Paris, and experiments are being made at greater 
distances.—M. Swyngedauw: The resonance of the 
three harmonics of triphase alternators.—R. Marcelin : 
The expression of the velocities of transformation of 
physico-chemical systems as a function of the affinity. 
—J. Canac and E. Tassilly: The deposition of nickel 
upon aluminium. A special preliminary treatment of 
the aluminium is described, and nickel is then electro- 
deposited in a very coherent form. The nickel-plated 
aluminium does not change in moist air, and resists 
the action of dilute soda solutions, glacial acetic acid, 
or strong brine.—R. Goubau: The melting point of 
arsenic. The melting point of arsenic was measured 
in a quartz bulb under pressure, and found to be 
817° C.—José Rodriguez Mourelo : The phototrophy of 
inorganic systems.—L. Crussard; Deflagrations in a 
steady state in conducting media.—Ed. Chauvenet : 
Two compounds of zirconium chloride with pyridine. 
—G. Friedel: The crystalline structures rendered 
evident by the diffraction of the Réntgen rays.—Michel 
Longchambon: The carbonate sedimentation and the 
genesis of the dolomites in the Pyrenees chain.—P. 
Chaussé: Researches on the pulverisation of tubercu- 
lous saliva and sputa by air currents. No particles of 
saliva or sputa are detached by contact with air 
moving with velocities under 30 metres per second; 
at higher velocity respirable particles are removed and 
can convey the infection.—R. Argaud and I. Brault: 
Lepra cells and plasma _ cells.—M. Lécailion: The 
fecundity of Colaspedima atra.—Auguste Lumiére and 
Jean Chevrotier: The resistance of the gonococcus to 
| low temperatures.—M. Javillier: A cause of error in 
the study of the biological action of some chemical 
elements; the presence of traces of zinc in glass. 
Aspergillus niger is very sensitive to the stimulating 
action of minute traces of zine salts in its culture 
solutions. It is shown that sufficient zine is given to 
culture fluids by Jena glass to mask entirely any 
effects due to added glucinum, or cadmium. [xperi- 
ments carried out in quartz or Bohemian glass vessels 
give quite different results on the growth of moulds 
from experiments made in Jena glass vessels.—L. 
Mengaud; The Cretacian in the neighbourhood of 
Comillas, province of Santander.—O. Mengel: The 
Pliocene of Roussillon.—Louis Gentil: The structure 
of the plateau of Beni Mtir, central Morocco.—Albert 
Brun: The exhalation of Kilauea in 1910. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Siisswasser-Flora Deutschlands, Oesterreichs 
und der Schweiz. Edited by Prof. A. Pascher. Heft 
14. Pp. iv+222. (Jena: G. Fischer.) 5.60 marks. 
Anuario del Observatorio de Madrid para 1914. 
Pp. 594. (Madrid.) 
Comité International des Poids et Mesures. Procés- 
Verbaux des Séances. Deux, Série. Tome vii. 
Session de 1913. Pp. v+i1go. (Paris: Gauthier- 
Villars.) 
Ueber die Erkenntnis a priori insbesondere in der 
Arithmetik. By N. Ach. I.. Teil. Pp. 7o. (Leip- 
zig: Quelle und Meyer.) 2.25 marks. 
Bienen und Wespen, ihre Lebensgewohnheiten und 
Bauten. By E. J. R. Scholz. Pp. viii+208. (Leip- 
zig: Quelle und Meyer.) 1.80 marks. 
Prinzipien der Erkenntnislehre. By Prof. E. v. 
Aster. Pp. viiit+4o08. (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer.) 
7.80 marks. 
Das Problem der Briitung. By Dr. J. Fischer. 
Pp. 155. (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer.) 3.20 marks. 
Das Nachsprechen von Satzen in seiner Beziehung 
zur Begabung. By E. Gassmann and E. Schmidt. 
Die 
