* DECEMBER. 14, 1916] 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
LoxpDon. 
Linnean Society, November 30.—Sir David Prain, 
president, in the chair.—J. Small: The floral anatomy 
of some Composite. The vascular supply of various 
bilabiate or ray-florets was discussed, and it was shown 
that in these the vascular supply varies more or less with 
the size of the anterior lip of the corolla. The floral 
anatomy of Senecio vulgaris was described in detail. 
The corolla in the Cichoriee has a very constant type 
of vascular supply, similar to Senecio, but with the 
posterior upper peripheral bundle dividing into three 
to supply the edges of the ligule and the posterior 
stamen. Taraxacum officinale is described in detail- 
The ray-florets of Calendula officinalis and Tussilago 
Farfara show a very simple type of anatomy. The 
peculiar homogeneousness_ within itself of the 
Cichoriez and its isolation from the rest of the Com- 
posite are extended to the floral anatomy.—J. Small: 
Wind dispersal apparatus. The purpose of the appa- 
ratus is to determine the exact velocity of the wind 
required to blow the fruits of the Composite a suffi- 
cient distance to secure proper dispersal. It has 
been found that the following minimum winds 
are necessary for the dispersal of the fruits of the 
species named below :—Senecio vulgaris—t-6 m.p-h.= 
a light air; Senecio vulgaris, var. radiatus erectus— 
189 m.p.h.=a light breeze; Ursinia speciosa—2-6 to 
2-94 m.p.h.=a light to gentle breeze; Taraxacum 
officinale—_1-5 m.p.h.=a light air; Tussilago Farfara 
—o-62 to 0-65 m.p.h. =less than a light air; Centaurea 
imperialis—7-7_ m.p.h.=a moderate breeze; Leonto- 
podium alpinum—4-78 m.p.h.=a gentle breeze.—T. A. 
Dymes: A note on the seed of Iris Pseudacorus, Linn. 
There are two forms of seed in each capsule :—(1) Flat 
seeds in the straight portion; (2).more or less rounded 
seeds at the curved top and bottom of the capsule. 
The seeds drop or are blown from the placenta after 
the capsule dehisces. They lie over until the late 
spring. Those that fall on to the mud and remain 
there appear to perish from decay. The loose, light 
testa enables the seeds to float for a period of at least 
four months. Seeds that have not sunk germinate 
on or near the surface of the water in the latter half 
of May. The flat seeds germinate before the rounded. 
The cotyledon remains within the endosperm. The 
radicle elongates and branches freely ; it does not curve 
downwards, but grows along the surface of the water. 
Adventitious roots are formed close up against the 
seed, and they also branch freely. The unbranched 
upper portion of the radicle secretes chlorophyll. The 
plumule grows slowly; it, too, lies along the surface 
of the water. When the root system is well developed 
the leaves begin to curve upwards and the seedling 
gradually assumes a vertical position, after which the 
leaves grow much more rapidly. The fate of those 
seeds, if any, that sink before germination has not 
vet been determined. The dispersal agents are, in the 
first instance, the wind, and afterwards water. Even 
during the four months of the floating period. 
Aristotelian Society, December 4.—Dr. H. Wildon 
Carr, president, in the chair.—Dr. B. Bosanquet : The 
function of the State in promoting the unity of man- 
kind. The essence of the Greek and German theory 
of the State has been mistaken by recent critics, 
although it has been rightly explained by English 
thinkers. The so-called absolutism of the State is 
merely a caricature of the unique relation between a 
man and the community with which his will is united, 
especially in so far as it provides an adjustment of 
all practical relations. Essentially, according to the 
theory, as having the same task in different terri- 
NO. 2459, VOL. 98] 
NATURE 
393 
tories, States are co-operative. Their function is the 
organisation of rights. The State, then, is a moral 
being with a conscience, and when its conscience is 
perverted it will fight for the wrong as its right. 
It is true that the moral position of the State is not 
comparable to that of a private individual, and this 
view is described as absolutism from unintelligence 
of what constitutes a moral situation and duty. As 
to wider loyalties and units than that of the nation- 
State, there is no being like the ‘‘ humanity ” of the 
Comtists, and humanity as a quality belongs chiefly to 
exceptional communities. Wider communities than 
the nation-State may be possible, but only if they 
fulfil the same condition of unity—namely, a general 
will. Without this, all leagues, federations, etc., are 
mere force and dangerous, and with it, scarcely 
necessary. The true outlook for peace is to the re- 
moval of causes of discontent by organisation at home, 
especially by freedom of human intercourse and 
absence of privilege. World-wide human relations are 
no reason for world-wide political units. A system 
of States, each well organised at home, might be 
just as peaceful as, and much more valuable than, a 
world-State. 
3 Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, November 20.—M. Camille Jor- 
dan in the chair.—C. Richet: The alternating use of 
antiseptics. It has been shown by the author in earlier 
communications that micro-organisms can acquire im- 
munity towards certain antiseptics, and this immunity 
can be transmitted. In the treatment of wounds by 
antiseptics this fact should be taken into account, and 
the conclusion is drawn that in the treatment of a 
wound the same antiseptic should never be used on 
two consecutive days.—P. Vuillemin: The supposed 
heterotaxy of nasturtium flowers.—E. Borel: The ap- 
proximation of incommensurable numbers by rational 
numbers.—G. Julia: Some properties of the Fuchsian 
group formed from modular substitutions which do not 
change an indefinite Hermite ‘form.—E. Kogbetliantz : 
Series of ultra-spherical functions.—G. Koenigs: Pro- 
perties of the second order of plane movements with 
two parameters.—H. Vergne : A method of calculating 
perturbations of a known movement.—L. Roy : The 
problem of the wall in electrodynamics.—M. Russo : 
Geological notes on the region of Bou Laouane 
(western Morocco).—C. Galaine and C. Houlbert: The 
Hermelles reefs and the drying up of the bay of Mont 
Saint-Michel.—G. Lardennois and J. Baumel : Gangren- 
ous infection of wounds by anaerobic germs.—H. 
Bierry : The detection of tubercle bacilli in expectora- 
tions and various animal fluids. Isolation and detec- 
tion of elastic fibres. The technique for sputa con- 
sists in the addition of very dilute alkali and sodium 
hypochlorite at 35°-40° C. The liquid is just rendered 
acid with acetic acid, and the resulting precipitate, 
which contains the tubercle bacilli’ and elastic fibres, 
separated by the centrifuge. “Details are given of the 
modifications suitable for the examination of blood, 
‘ | pleural secretions, and cephalo-rachidian fluid. 
on a slow stream the seeds may drift many miles | 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Opere Matematiche. By .L. Cremona. Tomo iii. 
Pp. xxiit+520. (Milano: U. Hoepli.)” go lire. 
A Bibliography of British Ornithology: By W. H. 
Mullens and H. Kirke Swann. -Part iv. (London: 
Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 6s. net. 
The Earliest Voyases Round the World, 1519-1617. 
Edited by P. F. Alexander. Pp. xxiii+216. (Cam- 
bridge: At the University Press.) 3s. net. 
The Scientist’s Reference Book and Diary, 1017. 
Pp. 134+Memoranda. (Manchester: J. Woolley, 
Sons, and Co., Ltd.) 2s. 6d. 
