4o8 



NA TORE 



[February 22, 1906 



hyperelliptic Hessian: Louis Remy. — The extinction of a 

 solitary wave propagated along a horizontal elastic tube: 

 A. Boulanger. A comparison of the time of discharge 

 in an X-ray lube and of a spark in series with the lube 

 producing the rays : Bernard Brunhes. Remarks on a 

 recent paper by M. Andre Broca, and directing attention 

 to a paper published by the author in moo on the sami 

 subject. — The recombination of the ions in saline vapours : 

 li. Moreau. The ions of '-alt vapours, both by their 

 mobilities and by the values of the coefficient a, for 

 temperatures between 170° C. and o° C, are intermediate 

 between the ions of ordinary gases and the large ions due 

 to the oxidation of phosphorus. Their mass diminishes as 

 the temperature rises, and in a flame, for the negative 

 ion, they become comparable with kathodic particles, and, 

 for the positive ion, with the atom of hydrogen. — Remarks 

 on the combinations of the rare metals of the cerium group 

 and on their sulphates: Camille Matignon. A replj to 

 a claim for priority made by M. Otto Brill. — Calcium 

 iodomercurates : A. Duboin. These salts are prepared 

 by alternately adding calcium iodide and mercuric iodide 

 to water, finishing with a slight excess of the calcium 

 salt. The solution had a density of 2-8q at 16 C, and 

 three crystalline compounds were isolated from the solution. 

 - I he existence of sulphides of phosphorus : H. Giran. 

 Various mixtures of phosphorus and sulphur were heated 

 in sealed tubes to 200 C, and the melting points taken 

 after solidification. The results are given graphically. 

 The lour maximum points correspond exactly to the pro- 

 portions of sulphur indicated by the sulphides P,S 3 , P,S,, 

 IV.V, and PS,. — The preparation and properties of 

 strontium : MM. Guntz and Roederer. Strontium 

 amalgam is heated in a current of hydrogen until the 

 whole of the mercury is expelled, strontium hydride re- 

 maining. This hydride, heated in .1 vacuum at 1000° C, 

 is dissociated, the vapours of strontium being condensed 

 on a cool tube. The metal thus produced contained 

 99-43 per cent, of strontium, and was utilised in re- 

 determining some thermochemica! data. — The action of 

 some esters of some dibasic acids on the halogen- 

 magnesium derivatives of the primary aromatic amines : 

 !•'. Bodroux. — The constitution of the sulphates of 

 chromium: Albert Colson. — The existence of bicarbonates 

 in mineral waters, and on the supposed anomalies of their 

 osmotic pressure : I.. C. Maillard and I. mien Graux. 

 For one specimen of mineral water it is shown that the 

 cryoscopic results are not opposed to the idea of the exist- 

 ence of bicarbonates in mineral water. — A new mode of 

 extraction of oil of anise: Ph. Eberhardt. The oil can 

 be extracted from the leaves as well as the fruit. — The 

 anti-coagulating power of the blood serum of the lower 

 animals : J. Sellier. Serum extracted from some fishes 

 and invertebrates has the power of preventing the coagu- 

 lation of milk by rennet. — The annelids of the Red Sea : 

 Ch. Gravier. — The salivary glands of the snail (Helix 

 pomata) : M. Pacaut and 1'. Vigier. — The mechanism 

 of the pathological modality special to each organ in the 

 coin- oi .1 general disease: A. Chai-rin. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, February 22. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.— On the Coefficii 

 its Relation to that of Viscosity : Prof. 

 Contributions 10 our Knowledge of the Poison Plants of Western 

 Australia. Pail I. Cygnine : E. A Mann and Dr. W. H. Ince. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8 — Crane Motors and 

 Controllers: C. W. Hill. 



FRIDAY, February 23. 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — The Internal Architecture of Metals: Prof. 



John O. Arnold. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— A Note on Talbot's Bands: J. Walker.— 

 Secondary Ron'gen Radiation: C. G. Barkla.— Records of the Differ- 

 ence of Potential between Railway Lines, and a Suggested Method for 

 .the Observation of Earth-Currents and Magnetic Variations: C. W. S. 

 Crawley and F. B. O. Hawes. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The Graphical Determination of 

 the Deflection of Beams: C. H. Sumner. 



SATURDAY, February 24. 

 The Essex Field Club (at Essex Museum of Natural Historv, Stratford 

 at 6.30.— The Mosses of Essex: a Contribution to the Flora of the 

 • County: F. J. Chittenden. -Mysterious Subsidence at Mucking, Essex. 

 Miscellaneous Denehole Notes. 1906 : T. V. Holmes. 

 MONDAY, February 26. 

 Society of Arts, at 8.-Modern Warships : Sir William White, K C B. 

 F.R.S. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30 —Travels on the I 



Bolivia and Peru: Baron Erland Nordenskjold. 

 Institute of Actuaries, at 5.— On a Form of Spurit 



when Mortality Tables 



algamated : W. Pa 



Lake Tanganyika : W. A. Cu 



Institution of Civil Engine 

 for Better Country Roads : C 

 Traffic : J. B. Blackwall. 



WEDNESDAY, February 2S. 



Society of Arts, at 8.— London Traffic : Captain G. S. C. Swinton 

 THURSDA Y, March i. 



Royal Society, at ^.-gj.— Provable Papers'. Experimental Inquiry into 

 the Factors which Determine the Growth and Activity of the Mammary 

 Glands: Miss J. E. Lane-Claypon and Prof. E. H. Starling, F.R.S.— 

 The Specificity of the Opsonic Substances in the Blood Serum : Dr. W. 

 Bulloch and G. T. Western.— The Internal Anatomy of Stomoxys : 

 Lieut. F. Tulloch. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30.— Studies of Dynamic Isomerism. Part IV. 

 Stereoisomeric Halogen llerivatives of Camphor : T. M. Lowry. 



Royal Institution, at 5.— The Physiology of Plants : F. Darwin, 

 F.R.S. 



Linnean Society, at 8.— On a New Type of Stem from the Coal- 

 measures: Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S.— Notes on Some Species of Nereis 

 in the District of the Thames Estuary : Dr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineers' Society, at 8.— Coast Lines 

 Protected by Chain Cable Groynes : K. G. Allanson-Winn. 

 FRIDA Y, March 2. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Hippocrates 

 Health Temple at Cos : Dr. R. Caton. 



SA TURDA Y, March 3. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Corpuscular Theory of Matte 

 J.J.Thomson, F.R.S. 



Prof. 



NO. 1895, VOL 73j 



CONTENTS. page 



The Action of Sulphur-Dioxide on Plants. By F. 



Escombe 385 



Some Side Aspects of Mathematics. By G. H. B. . 386 



Two Egg-Books. By R. L 387 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Stillman : "Engineering Chemistry: a Manual o. 

 Quantitative Chemical Analysis for the Use of 



Students, Chemists, and Engineers" 3S7 



Terschak : " Die Photographie im Hochgebirg " . . 3S8 

 Moore and Paget : "The Royal Medical and Chirur- 

 gical Society of London. Centenary 1805 -1905." — 



Prof. R. T. Hewlett 388 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Tidal Researches.— R. A. Harris; S. S. H. ... 388 

 Atomic Disintegration. — Prof. W. Meigen . . 389 

 Phosphorescence of Pyro-soda Developer. — T. A. 



Vaughton . 389 



Emission of Light by Kanalstrahlen Normal to their 



Direction. — Dr. J. Stark 389 



Inversion-point 'of thej Joule-Kelvin Effect. — Prof. 



Alfred W. Porter 390 



A Definition of Temperature. — Geoffrey Martin . . 390 

 Chinese Names of Colours. — Prof. Reginald A. 



Fessenden ; Alfred Sang 390 



Sounding Stones. — W. G. Barnett 390 



The Nile Quest. {Illustrated.) Bv J. W. G 391 



The Form of the Atoms in Relation to their 



Spectra. By W. A. D 392 



The Time of France. By H. P. H 394 



The Colombian Earthquake 395 



Notes. (Illustrated.) 395 



Our Astronomical Column . — 



Comet 1906a 400 



Comet 1905^ 4°s> 



The Apparent Enlargement of the Moon at the 



Horizon. (Illustrated.) 400 



Magnetic Observations during the Total Eclipse of the 



Sun 4°o 



Observations of Jupiter 401 



Granulations on the Solar Surface. (Illustrated.) By 



W. E. Rolston 401 



Practical Science for Schools. By Prof. J. Perry, 



F.R.S 4° 2 



The New Orleans Meeting of the American Associa- 

 tion 4 02 



University and Educational Intelligence ... 406 



Societies and Academies 407 



Diary of Societies 1 4°8 



