NOVEMBER 30, 1916] 
NATURE 
263 
cocks. Experiments’ on the inheritance of henny 
feathering in co-ks were begun in 1910, the original 
cross being between a gold-pencilled Hamburgh cock 
and a silver Sebright hen. Both cock-feathered and 
hen-feathered male offspring resulted from this cross, 
and the later work has shown that hen-feathering in 
the male behaves as a dominant character which 
can be transmitted by either sex.—Dr. Marshall and 
K. J. J. Mackenzie: Extra mammary glands and 
the reabsorption of millx sugar. The authors observed 
that the shape of the udder has been held for some 
considerable time to be correlated with capacity for 
mills production in the cow. In three cases examined 
in which supernumerary glands were in a state of 
apparently complete functional activity (the mill not 
being withdrawn from them) there was proof of the 
Occurrence of reabsorption of milk sugar, since such 
could be detected in the urine, in one instance in very 
considerable quantity, and in the middle of the lacta- 
tion period.—A. Amos: Experimental work on clover 
sickness. In the past “clover sickness’? has been 
ascribed to a variety of causes, e.g, exhaustion of 
plant food, production of toxic substances, lack of 
lime, plant diseases. Under present conditions in 
England “clover sickness” is due in most cases to 
one of two plant diseases: eelworm {Tylenchus devas- 
tatrix), clover rot (Sclerotinia trifoliorum). Observa- 
tions on life-history of Sclerotinia trifoliorum :—First 
Appearance on Clover.—As early as October, or as late 
as January. Active Growing Period.—From date of 
appearance until mid-April, especially during moist, 
dewy weather. Slow growth may be continued 
through the summer. Formation of Sclerotia—To a 
small extent on stems during winter months; chiefly 
on dead roots in April and May. Germination of 
Sclerotia.—In October after ground is cooled and 
moistened by first autumn rains. To a less extent in 
November, and one case recorded on May 3. Depth 
of Germination of Sclerotia.—The Sclerotia germinates 
_ more freely on or near the surface than when buried 
_sorptive capacity of Russian 
one inch. Distribution of Spores.—The ascospores, 
formed in the apothecia, are shot into the air and 
carried by wind. Other Hosts.—By infection : Beans, 
peas, alsilke, lucerne, white clover, trefoil, sainfoin. 
By observation in the field : Beans, alsike, lucerne, tre- 
foil, sainfoin. Methods of Control.—Avoid grow- 
ing two clover crops in quick succession. Other 
methods of control are being tested.—G, N. Watson : 
Bessel’s functions of equal order and argument. 
PETROGRAD. 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, October 1.—O. 
Backlund; Chandler’s period of variation of lati- 
tude.—A. Kristafovié: Some Chinese forms in the 
Sarmatian flora of South Russia.—E. F. Liskun: The 
meat problem under existing economic conditions.— 
R. E. Regel: The mushroom fungus industry. The 
value of beardless barley as horse fodder.—B. P. 
Gerasimovié : The two groups of helium stars.—-S. K. 
Kostinskij : The probable motions in thé spiral nebula of 
Canes Venaticorum observed with the stereocompara- 
tor.—B. N. Gorodkov: Biological study of Pinus 
sibirica, Mayr, in East Siberia.—S. S. Gane’in: Con- 
tributions to the flora of the Government of Irkutsk.— 
P. N. Cirvinskij : Quantitative chemical composition of 
the pallasites and the application to them of Avogadro’s 
law.—E. Burkser ; The radio-activity of the lakes and 
springs of South Russia.—P. Zemiatéenskij: The ab- 
; clays. Part i. Experi- 
mental.—V, Mokrinskij: Geology of the Keré Penin- 
sula. The sulphur deposit of Cekur-Kojag (Crimea). 
—V. M. Rylov: Contributions to the fauna of the free 
fresh-water Copepodes of North Russia.—VI. N. 
Snitnikov : Itineraries of the excursions in the province 
NO. 2457, VOL. 98] 
of Semiré¢ie from 1907-15.—N. N. Adelung: Contri- 
butions to the knowledge of Palzearctic Blattoides. [. 
Genus Ectobius, Steph. General considerations: new 
forms of western Europe.—I, A, Smorodincev: The 
organic bases of pork.—B. P. Babkin: The natural 
chemical stimulants of the movements of the small 
intestines.—I. S. Plotnikov: The addition of bromine 
to non-saturated hydrocarbons under the influence of 
light. 
October 15.—E. S. Fedorov: Systems of plani- 
gons as technical isohedra in the plane—G. A. 
Tichov ; New researches on the problem of the cosmic 
dispersion of light.—N. N. Kalitin: The variable RT 
Persei.—N. N. Monteverde: Development and ‘present 
state of the medicinal plant industry in the Poltava 
Government.—Ja. V. Samoilov: Sources of pyrites in 
Russia.—F. A. Satsyperov: Russia’s medicinal plants. 
—S. F. Zeméuznij: Preparation and properties of pure 
platinum.—K. A, Flaksberg: Russia’s wheats.—E. 
Miakinen: The discovery of some rare chemical 
elements in Finland.—E, D, Revutska : Russian sources 
of Iceland spar.—V. J. Vernadskij: Notes on the dis- 
tribution of the chemical elements in the earth’s crust. 
VII. Bismuth.—V, I. Vernadskij: The simple rela- 
tions found by Prof. Moureu between certain natural 
gases.—O. O. Backlund: Scapolite from the river 
Kanda.—K. I. Skriabin: Materials for a monograph 
on avian Nematodes.—D, Rubinstein: Note on the 
Sagittz of the Black Sea.—A. N. Kiricenko: Notes on 
some Reduviidee (Hemiptera-Heteroptera).—P. I. 
Valden; Sir William Ramsay. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, November 13.—M. Camille Jor- 
dan in the chair.—The President announced the death 
of Oscar Backlund, correspondant in the section of 
astronomy.—G. Bigourdan: An old observation of an 
eclipse of the sun, made at Paris in 1630. A repro- 
duction of a manuscript found in the National Library. 
It is anonymous, but is probably due to Gassendi.— 
C. Guichard: Triple orthogonal systems such that a 
system of Lamé curves may be formed of spherical 
lines, the centres of the spheres which contain them 
being on a sphere, or a paraboloid, of revolution.— 
W. Kilian and J. Révil: The breccias (conglomerates) 
of Tarentaise.—G. Vasseur: (Posthumous note.) Dis- 
covery of remains of Anthracotherium in the San- 
noisian formations of the basin of Aix-en-Provence.— 
L. Hartmann ; Systematic variation of the value of the 
kinetic energy in the elastic shock of bodies.—R. 
Guillery ; A new’system of transmission by a ball joint. 
The new joint, described and illustrated, gives a 
flexible transmission, and is economical in construc- 
tion, as except for one pair of faces rough castings 
can be utilised.—E, Belot: The exponential law of 
the distances of the planets and satellites. New ap- 
proximations.—H. Bordier and G. Roy: Colloidal 
iodine. Jn an earlier paper it has been shown that 
certain characters of solutions of iodine in water 
indicate that the iodine is in the colloidal state. The 
amount in solution is too small for the eryoscopic 
method to give decisive information. | Experiments 
with the ultra-microscope lead to the conclusion that 
iodine in pure water is in the colloidal state, but in 
the form of granules too small to be seen with the 
ultra-microscope. In the presence of gelatin larger 
particles, visible in the instrument, are formed.—M. 
Molliard : The catalytic action of potassium nitrate in 
the alcoholic fermentation produced by Sterigmato- 
cystis nigra. The presence of the nitrate prolongs 
the alcoholic fermentation and gives an increased 
yield of alcohol. The proportion exerting the maxi- 
mum effect is much less than with yeasts, 4 per 1000 
instead of 50 per 1000.—F. Vincens: The development 
