December 29, 1898] 



NA TCI RE 



2'5 



Commercial "Nitragin" consists of minute rnicrococcus-like 

 bodies, all straight and immobile. They multiply rapidly on 

 gelatin media, and in pea extract become converted into 

 " bacteroids " as well as straight rods. Nitragin does consist 

 of the tubercle organism, and as a result of the inoculation of 

 either seeds or soil with it, ttibercle formation takes place. 

 Crossing of kinds supplied for diflerent genera and species is 

 quite successful within the tribe Viciea;. In order to test the 

 possibility and conditions of direct infection of the roots, seed- 

 ling peas, starting both before and after germination, were grown 

 in sterile tubes, by which means the whole plant was kept under 

 control. This method showed that direct infection of quite 

 young radicles is tolerably certain, also of older roots, provided 

 the conditions under which germination occurred are maintained 

 after infection. 



In order to secure infection it is not necessary that the 

 organism should pass through the soil, and the age of the root- 

 hair at the time of infection seems to be without effect upon the 

 result. An accumulation of COo round the roots is not the 

 cause of failure in direct infection. 



The addition of nitr.agin to soils rich in nitrates appears to be 

 inadvisable, but a supply of it to soil poor in nitrates results in an 

 increased yield, though better results are obtained if instead of 

 nitragin, nitrates be added to the soil. 



Royal Meteorological Society, December 21. — 

 Mr. F. C. Bayard, President, in the chair. — Captain A. 

 Carpenter, R. N., gave an account of the hurricane which 

 caused so much devastation in the West Indies in September 

 last. The cyclone, passing eighteen miles south of Barbados, 

 swept over the southern half of St. Vincent Island, then took a 

 north-west direction towards Aves Island, its rate of progres- 

 sion being about seven and a half miles per hour. From here it 

 pursued a northerly course for 450 miles, passing between 

 Puerto Rico and the Windward Islands. It then swerved to 

 the north-west for 600 miles, when it re-curved to the north- 

 east. Its diameter was eighty miles as it approached Barbados, 

 and 170 miles after leaving St. Vincent. The actual storm- 

 centre (in which the force of the wind greatly increased) was 

 only thirty-five miles in diameter until St. Vincent was passed, 

 but after that the strength of the wind extended to 170 miles 

 from its centre. The diameter of the calm vorte.x, or "eye'' 

 of the storm, was not less than four miles. The storm was 

 accompanied by very heavy rainfall, the amount at St. Vincent 

 being about 14 inches in the twenty-four hours ending at g a.m. 

 on the 1 2th. The barometer at the Botanic Gardens, Kings- 

 town, on the nth, fell from 29 539 inches at 10 a.m., to 

 28509 inches at 11.40 a.m., a fall of i"03 inches in i hour 

 40 minutes. In Barbados 11,400 houses were swept away or 

 blown down, and 115 lives were lost; and in St. Vincent 

 6000 houses were blown down or damaged beyond repair, and 

 200 lives lost. — Mr. W. H. Dines read a paper on the con- 

 nection between the winter temperature and the height of the 

 barometer in North-western Euiope. From an examination of 

 the records of the barometer and temperature at several observ- 

 atories, extending over many years, the author is of opinion 

 that the winter temperature at a place in Western Europe has 

 no connection with the height of the barometer at t-hat place, 

 and that in winter it is just as likely to be cold when the 

 barometer is below the average, as when it is above the 

 average. 



MAN'CIlIiSTER. 



Literary and Philosophical Society, December 13. — 

 Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill, President, in the chair. — Dr. G. H. 

 Broadbent described some microscopical observations he had 

 recently made in the development of a KotHer (P/ii/odi'/m nticrops) 

 obtained from an infusion of bicycle mud. Two days after the 

 organism was found the ovum was extruded, and was under ob- 

 servation for two days, when it was lost. On the following day 

 another ovum was discovered, and the stages of development 

 were observed day and night (with only seven hours' intermission) 

 for four days, at the end of which period the organism emerged 

 from the ovum fully formed. — Description of a new genus and 

 species of Hymenoptera {Liaba balteata) from Chili, by Peter 

 Cameron. The description is based on a single male specimen, 

 which is undoubtedly closely allied to the genus Nonmdina of 

 the family Tri^onalidae . This family the author proposes to 

 divide into two tribes, Trigonaliiiae and Nomadinae, the former 



containing the genus Trigonalis, and the latter the genera 

 Noniadina and Liaba. — Vestiges of primitive man found near 

 Todmorden, by Dr. J. Lawson Russell. In July last the ex- 

 cavation of a curious " ring barrow " at Blackheath, near Tod- 

 morden, Yorkshire, was undertaken by Alderman Crossley and 

 Messrs. Wilkinson and Lowe, of Todmorden, which resulted 

 in the finding of the remains of several cinerary urns. The 

 work of excavation was continued in November by Dr. Russell, 

 who found a number of other urns, four of which, together with 

 the various objects found with them — bone pins, a bronze knife, 

 whetstones, beads of resin, lignite, pot and bone, and also 

 several small vessels enclosed in the urns, of the kind usually 

 known as " incense pots " — have been carefully restored by 

 Messrs. Standen and Hardy, of the Manchester Museum. The 

 urns, which were exhibited at the meeting, are all of different 

 patterns and variously ornamented. The paper was illustrated 

 by about fifty lantern slides prepared from photographs mostly 

 taken on the spot, and showing the position of the urns in silii 

 prior to removal, the disposition in the circle of the various 

 objects found, and other features of interest. 



Edinburgh. 

 Mathematical Society, December 9. — Dr. Morgan, Pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The following papers were read : — 

 Systems of circles analogous to Tucker circles, part ii. , by Mr. 

 1. A. Third; Cantor's history of Mathematics, vol. iii. part 

 iii. (concluding) : a review with special reference to the Analyst 

 controversy, by Prof. G. A. Gibson. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, December 19. — M. Wolf in the 

 chair. — The President delivered his annual address, and gave 

 a short account of the work of the Correspondants and As- 

 sociates deceased during the past year. The prizes for the 

 year 1898 were awarded as follows : the Grand Prize of the 

 Mathematical Sciences to M. Emile Borel for his memoir on 

 the part played in analysis by divergent series, M. Maurice 

 .Servant being awarded an honourable mention. The Bordin 

 Prize was not awarded ; the Francoeur Prize was awarded to 

 M. Vaschy, and the Poncelet Prize to M. Hadamard. In 

 Mechanics, the Extraordinary Prize of 6000 francs was divided 

 between MM. Baude, Charpy, Thiebaut, Ravier, and Mois- 

 senet ; the Montyon Prize awarded to M. de Mas for his re- 

 searches on the resistance of water to moving boats ; a Four- 

 neyron Prize to M. Bourlet, another being divided between MM. 

 Carvallo and Jacob, and an honourable mention to Mr. Sharp. 

 In Astronomy, the Lalande Prize is given to Dr. S. C. Chandler 

 for his researches on the variation of latitude and on variable stars, 

 M. Chofardet receiving an encouragement ; the Damoiseau 

 Prize is given to Prof. George Williams Hill for his numerous 

 astronomical memoirs, the Valz Prize to M. P. Colin, and the 

 lanssen Prize to M. Belopolsky. In Statistics, the Montyon 

 Prize is awarded to M. Alfred des Cilleuls, M. Martial Huble 

 receiving a very honourable mention, and M. Paul Vincey an 

 honourable mention. In Chemistry, the Jecker Prize is divided 

 betw-een MM. G. Bertrand, Buisine and Daniel Berthelot, Dr. 

 C. A. Schott receiving the Wilde Prize. In Mineralogy and 

 Geology, the Vaillant Prize is awarded to M. Cayeaux ; and in 

 Botany, the Desmazieres Prize to M. G. Battista de Toni, the 

 Montague and La P'ons-Melicocq Prizes not being awarded ; but 

 M. le general Paris and Dr. Ledoux-Lebard receive encourage- 

 ments. In Anatomy and Zoology, the Thore Prize is given to 

 M. Pantel for his contributions to the knowledge of parasitic 

 organisms and their relations with the host, and the Savigny 

 Prize to M. Courtiere for his researches on the marine fauna 

 of the east coast of Africa. In Medicine and Surgery, 

 Montyon Prizes are received by MM. Widal, Secard, Bard, 

 Poncet and Berard. Mentions are given to MM. Le Double, 

 Variot, and Kirmisson, the Barbier Prize being given to Dr. J. 

 Comby, the Breant Prize to M. Phisalix, the Bellion Prize to 

 M. Castaing, and the Baron Larrey Prize to MM. Regnault and 

 de Raoult. The Godard Prize is divided between MM. Motz 

 and Guiard, the Mege Prize between MM. Labadie-Lagrave 

 and Felix Legueq, and the Lallemand Prize between Mr. E. P. 

 AUis and M. Thomas. In Physiology, the Montyon Prize for 

 experimental physiology is awarded to M. Tissot, honourable 

 mentions being accorded to MM. Dassonville, Lesbre, Reynaud 

 and Mile. Pompilian, the Pourat Prize to MM. Courtade and 

 Guyon, and the Philipeaux Prize to M. Moussu. In Physical 



NO. 1522, VOL. 59] 



