492 
reaction, whether unequivocal (homodrome) or equivocal (anti- 
drome) requires short strong currents for its manifestation. I 
have therefore always used induction shocks and condenser dis- 
charges, as stated even in the extremely brief Turin abstract 
quoted by Dr. Tompa. 
I shall be surprised if Dr. Tompa does not repeat the ex- 
periments, and from the courteous tone of his account of the 
matter I think it probable that he will withdraw his stricture on 
my work when he has witnessed for himself the clear and in- 
dubitable results of the experiments. 
Can Carbon Dioxide be “‘ Vitalised” ? 
THERE has long been present in my mind an idea to which I 
have hitherto hardly dared give expression. The query forming 
the above heading amounts to the raising of the question whether 
the carbon dioxide which is exhaled as a product of animal or 
vegetable vital processes differs in any way from the carbon 
dioxide of ‘ inorganic” origin formed, let us say, from carbon 
by combustion in oxygen. The answer will probably be in the 
negative, since, on theoretical (stereochemical) grounds, an 
asymmetric structure is not possible in the case of this molecule. 
Nevertheless, it might be worth while to cross-examine nature 
on this point. It is, in fact, possible that the experiment may 
have been already tried with negative results, and that is why 
I venture into print, since I have been unable to find any record. 
Two ways occur to me for submitting the question to the test 
of experiment. Calling the carbon dioxide from the two sources 
‘‘inorganic’ and ‘‘ organic ” respectively for the sake of brevity, 
the ‘‘ organic” gas might be obtained either from the brewer’s 
vat or from a carbonate formed from the carbon dioxide of 
animal respiration. The rate of absorption of this gas might be 
carefully compared with the rate of absorption of a specimen of 
‘inorganic ” gas by a growing plant. This is a method which 
appeals to vegetable physiologists. The other method, which 
is more purely chemical, depends upon our being able to obtain 
some optically active compound sufficiently basic to absorb 
carbon dioxide. I cannot call to mind any such compound at 
the present moment, and from where I am writing I have no 
access to the usual sources of information. Given, however, an 
optically active base capable of forming a carbonate, would 
the gases from the two sources be absorbed at equal rates? 
Perhaps some of your readers may be able to dispose of these 
queries offhand. R. MELDOLA. 
Easton Park Cottage, Dunmow, September 13. 
Effect of a Lightning Flash. 
DuRING the storm on Wednesday, September 10, a house oppo- 
site my rooms in Fulham was struck by lightning at 4.40 p.m. 
Curiously enough, at the moment of thefoccurrence I was looking 
at the exact spot, and it may be of interest to record what oc- 
curred. A stack of brickwork about ten feet high capped with 
two red-pot chimneys about three feet high was struck, and a 
hole was made in the slates of the roof on the south side of the 
stack. One chimney was shattered. The flash was extremely 
brilliant and left a perfectly straight line of light on the retina ; 
the length of the flash appeared to be twenty feet, but its upper 
part was lost in the diffused daylight. The flash was of several 
seconds’ duration and was followed by a thin column of smoke ; 
both these facts are due in my opinion to the fusion of the soot 
in the chimney. The flash itself was a mere line, otherwise the 
appearance of the whole strongly reminded me of a cordite 
discharge from a big gun. There was a loud report, and the 
circumstances left little doubt in my mind that the electrical 
discharge was upwards in direction. 
C. Davies SHERBORN. 
Bipedal Locomotion of a Ceylonese Lizard. 
I HAVE frequently observed with interest the erect attitude 
assumed by the small Agamid lizard Ovocryptis bivéttata, 
Wiegm., when running rapidly, and have long suspected that 
the short front legs were not used at such times. But the 
rapidity with which the animal runs, and the nature of the 
ground which it usually frequents, have prevented very close 
observation. I have, however, recently fully satisfied myself 
that its action is truly bipedal. The lizard happens to be 
common in the Botanic Gardens here, and on several occasions 
one of them has crossed a smooth sanded road immediately in 
NO. 1716, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 
[SEPTEMBER 18, 1902 
front of me. I have thus been able to see clearly that the 
anterior limbs are carried quite free from the ground, progress 
being effected solely by the long hind limbs. 
It seems possible that the closely allied and similarly built 
lizard Sttana ponticeriana, Cuv., may have the same _ habit. 
Does the Indian species of Otocryptis (O. deddomiz) progress in 
the same fashion ? 
At present the habit has been recorded only of one or more 
Australian lizards, notably the ‘ frilled lizard ” (Ch/amydosaurus 
kingi), which has been very cleverly photographed in the erect 
attitude by Mr. Saville Kent. E. ERNEST GREEN, 
Peradeniya, Ceylon, August. 
A Series Related to Bernoulli’s Numbers. 
THE following seems to be a useful and interesting series :- 
Gti D; Dy, 7D3_.7(7=1)D4 
aimee en |. i 4 
4 70) eee 
ie 
A (7 — 1)Dr-9 4 7D ri z Dy 
[4 [Baar 2 
where 
1D) 9 
Dy —a—sbr ; 
D,-3= —4= 5B, 5 
D,-5=+=7Bs; &e., 
and generally for all odd values of p>1, 
p+ 
D;_p= = {( —1)2 \(6+2)Brsy 
B,, B,, . . . being the numbers of Bernoulli. 
Also 
D3. =D SD eo: 
I have been trying since last year, without success, to 
ascertain whether this is a known series previously published. 
If it is, perhaps some of your readers will be good enough to 
supply a reference. J. R. Surron. 
Kenilworth, Kimberley, August 7. 
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS ABEL. 
| Pane death of Sir Frederick Abel on Saturday, Sep- 
tember 6, at the age of seventy-five, removes a 
conspicuous figure from the world of science and 
technology and brings to a close a long and useful 
public career. For some years he had been in failing 
health, but his sudden death, which came painlessly from 
cardiac failure following one of those attacks of shivering 
and rigor to which he had long been subject, was quite 
unexpected. 
Frederick Augustus Abel was born in 1827, being the 
son of Mr. J. L. Abel, of Woolwich. The family, which 
appears to have been of Swedishgorigin, had already 
produced men notable in science, Tnusic and painting. 
Abel has given in the Hofmann memorial lecture, which 
he delivered to the Chemical Society in 1893, an amus- 
ing account of his unsuccessful attempts in the early 
‘forties to learn chemistry at the Polytechnic Institution 
of those days ; and these recollections perhaps impelled 
him in the efforts he subsequently made to improve the 
quality of technical education in this country. In 
1845, he entered the Royal College of Chemistry as one 
of Hofmann’s first pupils, and was soon promoted to 
be an assistant, which he remained until 1851, when he 
was appointed professor of chemistry at the Royal 
Military Academy at Woolwich, succeeding Faraday in 
this position. In 1854, he became chemist to the War 
Office, a post which he held until 1888, when he retired 
under the regulations of the Civil Service. It was 
during this period of thirty-four years that he made his 
