NA TURE 



[January 25, 1906 



Geological Society, January 4. — Dr. J. E. Marr, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — The highest Silurian rocks of the 

 Ludlow district: Miss G. L. Elles and .Miss I. I.. Slater. 

 The authors give a classification of the beds, and a brief 

 outline description of the main subdivisions is first given, 

 as they appear when followed from Ludlow southward to 

 Overton, eastward to Caynham Camp, westward to 

 Downton-on-the-Roik, and northward to Bromfield, and 

 also near Onibury and Norton. The main tectonic features 

 of the district appear to be due to the superposition of 

 Armorican movements in rocks with a Caledonian trend, 

 held by some rigid mass to the north, presumably the 

 Longmynd massif. — The Carboniferous rocks at Rush 

 (Counlv Dublin) : Dr. C. A. Matley, with an account of 

 the faunal succession and correlation : Dr. A. Vaughan, 

 Rocks <>( the Carboniferous Limestone series are exposed 

 along live miles of coast near Rush, Loughshinny, and 

 Skerries, in County Dublin. The present paper deals only 

 with the beds near Rush, in the southern portion of this 

 tract, where about 2500 feet of the series are exposed, 

 without allowing for gaps in the succession. The upward 

 sequence is (on the whole) from south to north, and the 

 range is from the Cpper Zaphrentis- to the Upper Dibuno- 

 phyllum-zone. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, January 25. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— 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 Land 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.— Galvanic 

 Cells Produced by the Action of Light. The Chemical Statics and 

 Dynamics of Reversible and Irreversible Systems under the Influence of 

 Light. Second Communication : Dr. M. Wilderman.— Artificial 

 Double Refraction due to /Eolotropic Distribution, with Application to 

 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. VV. Burnside, F.R.S.— On Metallic Reflection 

 and the Influence of the Layer of Transition : Prof. R. C. Maclaurin. 



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

 Reference to Steam Turbine Machines : Prof. S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — '1 echnical Considera- 

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

 FRIDAY. January 26. 



Physical Society, at 5. — The Isothermal Distillation of Nitrogen and 

 Oxygen and of Argon and Oxygen- I. K IngMs.— On the use of Chilled 

 Cast Iron for Permanent Magnets : A. Campbell. — Experiments on the 

 Propagation of Longitudinal Waves of Magnetic Flux along Iron Wires 

 and Rods: Prof. T. R. Lyle and J. M. Baldwin. 



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

 T. R. Grigson.— Ferro-Concrete Pier at Purfleet : H. O. H. Etheridge. 

 SA TURDAY, January 27. 



The Essex Field Club (at Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford), 

 at 6.30. — Methods of Fire-making, Ancient and Modern — A Lecture and 

 Demonstration: Miller Christy. 



MONDA Y, January 20. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— The Geographical Functions 

 of Certain Water Plants in Chile : Prof. G. F. Scott Elliot 



Society OF Arts, at 8. — Modern Warships: Sir William White, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S. 



Institute of Actuaries, at 5. — The Variations in Masculinity under 

 Different Conditions: J. N. Lewis and Dr. C. J. Lewis. 

 TUESDAY. January 30. 



Royal Institution, at 5. — Impressions of Travel in China and the Far 

 East : Prof. E. H. Parker. 



Society "F Arts, at 8. — The Chemistry of Artists' Colours in Relation 

 o their Composition and Permanency : Prof J. M. Thomson, F.R.S. I 



Faraday Society, at 8.— The Electric Furnace: its Origin, Trans- 

 formations and Applications. Part III. : Adolphe Minet. — Demonstration 

 of a New Electrolytic Tube Furnace: Dr. J. A. Harker.— Note on the 

 Production of Ozone by Electrolysis of Alkali Fluorides: E. B. R. 

 Prideaux. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Railway-Gauges of India : 



F. R. Upcott. 



WEDNESDAY, January 31. 

 Royal Geographical Society (Research Department), at 5.— Sugges- 

 tions as to an Inquiry into the Resources of the British Empire: Prof. 



G. F. Scott Elliot. 



THURSDAY, February i. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.— Probable Papers: On the Filtration of Crystal- 

 loids and Colloids through Gelatin, with Special Reference to the 

 Behaviour of Ha:molysins: J. A. Craw.— Chemical Action of Bacillus 



NO. I 89 I, VOL. J 3] 



lactii aerogenes (Escherich) on Glucose and Mannitol. Production of 

 2 : 3-Butyleneglycol and Acetylmethylcarbinol : Dr. A. Harden and 

 G. S. Walpole.— On Voges and Proskauer's Reaction for Certain 

 Bacteria: Dr. A. Harden.— The Quantitative Estimation of Small 

 Ouantities of Nickel in Organic Substances : H. W. Armit and Dr. A. 

 Harden.— The Alcoholic Ferment of Yeast Juice : Dr. A. Harden and 

 W. I. Young.— On the Function of Silica in the Nutrition of Cereals. 

 Parti. : A. D. Hall and C. G. T. Morison. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30.— Hydroxylamine-a0-disulphonates (Structural 

 Isomerides of Hydroxyamino-sulphates or Hydroxvlamine-/90Hi<;,il- 

 phonates): T. Haga.— Studies in the Camphane Series. Part XXL 

 Benzenediazo-i^-Semicarbazino-camphor and its Derivatives : M. O. 

 Forster. — The Relation between Absorption Spectra and Chemical 

 Constitution. Part I. The Chemical Reactivity of the Carbonyl Group : 

 A. W. Stewart and E. C. C. Baly.— (1) The Relation between Absorption 

 Spectra and Chemical Constitution. Part II. The Quinones and 

 a-Diketones ; (2) The Relation between Absorption Spectra and Chemical 

 Constitution. Part III. The Niiranilines and the Nitrophenols : E. C. C. 

 Baly and A. W. Stewart.— The Action of Light on Benzylidenephenyl- 

 hydrazine: F. D. Chattawav.— The ITnion of Chlorine and Hydrogen: 

 D. L. Chapman and C. H. Burgess.- Note on the Molecular Weight of 

 Adrenaline: G. Barger and A. J. Ewins. — The Critical Temperature 

 and Value of ML/O of Some Carbon Compounds: J. Campbell Brown. 



Royal Institution, at 5.— The Significance of the Future in the Theory 

 of Evolution: Benjamin Kidd. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineers' Society, at S.— Destructor Bje- 

 pioducts: F. L. Watson. 



Linnean Society, at 8.— The Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to the 

 Indian Ocean in H.M.S. Sealark : J. Stanley Gardiner. 



Society of Arts, at 8.— Howard Lecture : High Speed Electric 

 Machinery, with Special Reference to Steam-Turbine Machines : Prof. 

 S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. page 



Helium in Relation to Radioactive Processes. By 



Hon. R. J. Strutt, F.R.S. . . 2S9 



An Essay toward the " Prima Philosophia " . . . 290 

 Mathematics for the Laboratory. By C. G. K. . . . 290 



Plant Diseases 291 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Marage : " Mesure et Developpement de 1' Audition." 



— Prof. John G. McKendrick, F.R.S 292 



Kellogg : " American Insects." — D. S 292 



Gregory: "First Steps in (Quantitative Analysis." — 



H. M. D 293 



Rotzell : "Man: an Introduction to Anthropology " 293 



Borchardt : " Elementary Algebra " 293 



Schneider: " Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholz- 



kunde," Part tv 293 



Claparede : " Esquisse d'une Theorie biologique du 



SommeiU' 293 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Percy Sladen Expedition in H.M.S. Sealark to 

 the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles Archipelago. — 



{Illustrated.) — J. Stanley Gardiner 294 



What Causes the Destructive Effects of Lightning ? — 



Sir Samuel Wilks, Bart., F.R.S 296 



The Probable Volcanic Origin of Nebulous Matter. — 



Prof. J. M. Schaeberle 296 



On an Alleged New Monkey from the Cameroons. — 



R. I. Pocock 297 



Sounding Stones. — Cyril Crossland 297 



Chinese Names of Colours.— E. H. Parker .... 297 

 The Work of the National Antarctic Expedition. 



(Illustrated.) By Prof. J. W. Gregory, F.R.S. . . 297 

 Recent Ethnological Publications from the Field 

 Columbian Museum. (Illustrated.) By A. C. H. . 300 



Notes. (Illustrated.) 302 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Periodical Comets Due to Return this Year . . . . 305 

 The Annular Nebula in Cygnus (N.G.C. 6S94) . . . 305 

 Right Ascensions of the Eros Comparison Stars . . . 305 

 Observations of Nova Persei (No. 2) and Nova 



Geminorum 305 



Double Star Orbits 305 



Economic Geology in the United States. (Illus- 

 trated.) 306 



The Application of Scientific Methods to the Study 



of History. By Prof. F. J. C. Hearnshaw . . . 307 

 Public Schools Science Masters' Conference. By 



Wilfred Mark Webb . . 30S 



The 1 hird Tanganyika Expedition. By W. A. 



Cunnington 310 



University and Educational Intelligence 310 



Societies and Academies 311 



Diary of Societies 312 



