NA TURE 



[January 18, 1906 



upon ethylene chloride quantitatively according to the 

 equation C 3 H 1 Cl 2 + 2NH 3 .Na = 2NaCl+C 2 H J +2NH ;l . The 



homologues of ethylene bromide give unsaturated hydro- 

 imilarly, but tliere are secondary reactions. With 

 compounds of the type R.CHCL, the alkali-ammonium 

 reacts differently, giving the paraffin R.CH 3 . — On the 

 retrogradation and composition of natural starch other than 

 potato starch : Eug. Roux. — The action of invertin in a 

 heterogeneous medium : Victor Henri. — On solid solutions : 

 Fred. Wallerant. — On the secretory canals in the wood 

 of Dipterocarpus : P. Guerin. — On the respiration of the 

 flower : M. Maigre. — The composition of the fluids which 

 circulate in the plant; variations of nitrogen in the leaves: 

 G. Andre. — On hordenine, a new alkaloid extracted from 

 the germs of barley : E. Leger. The alkaloid forms 

 anhydrous crystals of the composition C 10 H,,NO. It is a 

 strong tertiary base, forming easily crystallisable salts. — 

 Hordenine, its degree of toxicity and symptoms of poison- 

 ing : L. Camus. This alkaloid is not highly toxic: death, 

 when it is produced by a large dose, is determined by an 

 arrest of respiration. — On the echinoderms collected by the 

 French Antarctic Expedition under Dr. Charcot : R. 

 Kcehler. — On the value of the magnetic elements at the 

 observatory at the Val-Joyeux on January i : Th. 

 Moureaux. — Deep marine currents in the North Atlantic : 

 A. Chevallier. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, January iS. 



Ioyal Society, at 4.30.— The Factors which Determine the Production 

 of Intraocular Fluid : E. E. Henderson and Prof. E. H. Starling, F.R.S. 

 — A Critical Account of some Anomalous Conditions of the Cerebrum in 

 the Human Fcctus: Dr. W. L. H. Duckworth.— A Case of Regeneration 

 in Polycha:te Worms: A. T. Watson.— On the Infection, Histology, 

 and Development of the Uredo Stage in certain Uredinea: : I. B. P. 

 Evans.— On the Synapsis in Amphibia: J. E. S. Moore and Miss A I,. 

 Embleton. — On the Constancy of Form among the Synaptic Gemini 

 (Heterotype Chromosomes) in certain Animals: J. E. S. M. 

 Arnold.— The Growth of the Oocyte in Antedon : a Morphological Study 

 in the Cell Metabolism: G. C. Chubb.— Observations on the Life 

 History of Leucocytes: C. E. Walker. — A Study of the Mechanism of 

 Carbon Assimilation in Green Plants : F. L. Usher and J. H Priestley.— 

 Note on the Progeny of Chestnut Thoroughbred Horses: W. F. R. 

 Weldon, F R.S. 



;hemical Society, at 8.30.— The Refractive Indices of Crystallising 

 Solutions with Especial Reference to the Passage from the Meta-stable 

 to the Labile Condition ■ H. A. Miers and F. Isaac— The Determination 

 of Available Plant Food in Soils by the Use of Weak Acid Solvents. 

 Part II. : A. D. Hall and A. Amos.— The Action of Ammonia and 

 Amines on Diazobenzenc Picrate : O. Silberrad and G Rotter.— The 

 Preparation of /-Bistriazobenzene : O. Silberrad and B. J. Smart.— 

 Gradual Decomposition of Ethyl Diazoacetue: O. Silberrad and C. S. 

 Roy.— Studies on Nitrogen Iodide. Part III. The Action of Methyl 

 and Benzyl Iodides: O. Silberrad-and I!. ]. Smart.— Silicon Researches. 

 Part X. Silicon Thiocyanate : J. E. Reynolds.— The Relations between 

 Absorption Spectra and Chemical Constitution. Part I. The Chemical 

 Reactivity of the Carbonyl Group : A. W. Stewart and E. C. C. Baly.— 

 Halogen Derivatives of Substituted Oxamides : F. D. Chattaway and 

 W. H. Lewis.— The Effect of Constitution on the Rotatory Power of 

 Optically Active Nitrogen Compounds. Part I. : Miss M. B. Thomas 

 and H. O. Jones.— Menthyl Benzene Sulphonate and Menthyl-0- 

 Naphthalene Sulphonate: T. S. Patterson and ). Frew. —An Apparatus 

 for the Continuous Extraction of Liquids with Ether : R. S. Bowman. — 



of B: 

 N. Walker.— Some Reactions and New 

 E. B. R. Prideaux.— The Relation 1 

 Chemical Reactivity. Part II. The Q 

 Baly and A. W. Stewart.— The Relation bet. 

 Chemical Reactivity. Part III. The Nitroan 

 E. C. C. Baly, W. H. Edwards, and A. W 

 the Chemistry of the R 



phenol : J. 1 

 pounds of FIuo 

 ;en Absorptioi 



I n-Diker 



Absorpti 



and the Nitrophenols 

 wart. — ContributU 

 M. Esposito.— A Synthe 



nes : I 

 ,.S P e 



: E. C. C. 



of Aldehydes by Grignard's Reaction; G. W. Monier Williams.— The 

 Condensation of Dimethyldihydroresorcin and of Chloroketodimethyl- 

 tetrahydrobenzene with Primary Amines. Part I. Monamines, Ammonia, 

 Aniline, and /-Toluidine : P. Haas. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The City of Calcutta: C. E. Buckland.-At 

 8. o.— High Speed Electric Machinery, with Special Reference to Steam- 

 Turbine Machines : Prof. S P. Thompson, F.R.S. 



Linnean Society, at 8.— The Life-history o(J/,nT.ir.7/'/,T,i Pan, is, sue : 



A. D. Cott. 



W. Alle 

 Organ of Sphenodon : Dr. R. Broom. 



FRIDAY, Januar 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Some Applicatioi 

 Discharge to Spectroscopy : Prof J. J. Thor 

 Institution op Mechanical Engineers, at 8.— Be 

 of Construction under Pure Shear : E. G. Izod (Re. 

 Worm Contact : R. A. Bruce. 



MONDA Y, January 22. 

 Sociological Society, at 8. — Sociology as an Acac 

 R. M. Wenley. 



TUESDAY, Janu .1 

 Royal Institution, at 5.— Impressions ol I rai 1 I ii 

 East : Prof. E. H. Parker. 



NO. 1890, VOL. -JT)] 



nstitution of Civil Engineers, at I.— Resumed Discission: The 

 Elimination of Storm-water from Sewerage Systems : D. E. Lloyd- 

 Davies. — On the Elimination of Suspended Solids and Colloidal Matters 

 from Sewage : Lieut. -Colonel A. S. Jones and Dr. W. O. Travis. 



iflNBRALOGlCAL Society, at 8.— Studies in Crystallisation : Prof. M ers 

 and Mr. Chevalier.— The Chemical Composition of Geikielite : Mr. Jones 



. A.l.'b 



- Institute, at 8.30. — Annual General Meeting. Pre- 

 Copper and its Alloys in Antiquity. 



WEDNESDAY, January 24. 

 at 8.— The Planting of Waste Lands for Profit : Dr. J. 



The Buttermere and Ennerdale Granophyre : 



n the Igneous and Associated Sedimentary 



henshire) : T. Crosbie Cantrill and Herbert 



Society of Art 

 Nisbet. 



Gfological Society, at 8. 

 Robert Heron Rastall. 

 Rocks of Llangynog(C 

 Henry Thomas. 



THURSDAY, January 21. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Prol-able Papers : Experiments on the Chemical 

 Behaviour of Argon and Helium: Dr. W. T. Cooke.— The Vapour 

 Pressure in Equilibrium with Substances holding Varying Amounts of 

 Moisture. Parts I. and II. : Prof. F. T. Trouton, F.R.S., and Miss B. 

 Poole. — Note on Heusler's Magnetic Alloy of Manganese, Aluminium 

 and Copper : Prof. A. Gray, F.R.S. — On the Overstraining of Iron by 

 Tension and Compression : Dr. J. Muir.— On the Effect of High 

 Temperature on Radium Emanation : W. Makower.— Observations and 

 Photographs of Black and Grey Soap Films: H. Stansfield. — Artificial 

 Double Refraction due to zEolotropic Distribution, with Application 10 

 Colloidal Solution and Magnetic Fields : T. H. Havelock.— An Electrical 

 Measuring Machine for Engineering Gauges and other Bodies: Dr. 

 P. E. Shaw.— The Relation between the Osmotic Pressure and the 

 Vapour Pressure of a Solution: W. Spens. — The Elliptic Integral in 

 Electromagnetic Theory : Prof. A. G. Greenhill, F.R.S.— On the Simple 

 Group of Order 25920: Prof. W. Burnside, F.R.S. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — High Speed Electric Machinery, with Special 



Refe 



itoSt 



Turbine Machines : Prof. S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. 

 Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Technical Considera- 

 s in Electric Railway Engineering: F. W. Carter. 



FRIDAY, January 26. 

 cal Society, at s. 



1 Civil Engineers, at 8.— Prince of Wales Pier, Falmouth : 



t. Grigson.— Ferro-Concrete Pier at Purfleet : H. O. H. Etberidge. 



CONTENTS. page 



The Higher Teleology. By J. A. T 265 



Two Books on the Soil 266 



Recent Aspects of Elementary Geometry. By 



G. B. M 267 



Legibility and Visual Acuity. By J. Herbert 



Parsons 26S 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Morse: "Exercises in Quantitative Chemistry." — 



H. M. D 26S 



Flint : " Handbook of Physiology for Students and 

 Practitioners of Medicine." — Prof. J. S. 



Macdonald 269 



" Penrose's Pictorial Annual" 269 



Gewecke : " Philips' Large Planisphere ", 269 



Hann : "Lehrbuch der Meteorologie" . 270 



Henslow : " The Uses of British Plants " 270 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Cheirality of Form of Crystals of Epsom Salt. — 



Dr. H. C. Pocklington 270 



Deposits on Telephone Wires. — A Subscriber . . . 270 



Sounding Stones. — T. Dillon 270 



More About Japan. {Illustrated.) By E W. ... 271 



The Motion of the Moon. By R. A. S 272 



The Control of the Gas Supply of the Metropolis . 273 



Prof. C. J. Joly, F.R.S. By W. E. P 273 



Notes 274 



Our Astronomical Column : — 279 



Comet 1905;: (Giacobini) 279 



Nebulosity around Nova Aquite 279 



The Figure of the Sun 279 



Stellar Magnitude of the Sun 279 



Variability of Iris 279 



Some Questions for Archaeologists. By Sir Norman 



Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S 2S0 



The Skeleton of Brontosaurus and Skull of Moro- 

 saurus. (Illustrated.) By Prof. Henry Fairfield 



Osborn .... 282 



The Present Position of Radio-activity. By 



Frederick Soddy 285 



Medical Inspection and Feeding of Children in 



Schools 286 



University and Educational Intelligence 286 



Societies and Academies 2S7 



Diary of Societies 2S8 



