bases to water. 
SEPTEMBER 25, 1902] 
NATURE 
541 
In the August number of the American Chemical Journal 
is an interesting paper by Messrs. Franklin and Stafford on re- 
actions between acid and basic amides in liquid ammonia. 
Solutions of these amides in liquid ammonia are conductors of 
electricity, a fact presumably due to electrolytic dissociation of 
the dissolved substances. It would appear that these amides 
indeed bear a relation to liquid ammonia which in many 
respects is very similar to that borne by ordinary acids and 
Complete or partial neutralisation of the dis- 
solved amides takes place with the formation of one or more 
molecules of the solvent ammonia in which the reaction takes 
place. By bringing together liquid ammonia solutions of dif- 
ferent acid and basic amides, the authors have prepared a large 
number of metallo-substituted acid amides; for example, 
monopotassium acetamide, mono- and di-potassium benzamide, 
mono- and di-potassium sulphamide, mono- and di-potassium 
urea, magnesium acetamide, &c. 
In a Audletin of the Bussey Institution, vol. iii. No. 2, Prof. 
F. H. Storer describes the results of tests for mannose carried 
out on a large number of vegetable species. From these it 
would appear that mannan is fairly widely distributed in plant 
fife. The amount of mannan in the trunk-wood of sugar-maple 
trees felled during the period of hibernation is considerably 
greater than that in maple trees felled at the beginning or end 
of May, that is, during or just after the formation of new leaves 
upon the trees. The author comes to the conclusion that 
mannan as well as starch is stored as reserve food in the wood 
of the sugar maple. 
THE sixteenth number of the Revue générale des Sciences, 
issued on August 30, contains a short article, by Mr. P. 
Lemoult, on the new synthesis of indigo patented by Sandmeyer. 
The author points out that the Sandmeyer synthesis possesses 
several advantages, from a chemical point of view, over the two 
processes which are now used on the large scale for the artificial 
production of indigo. An estimate of the cost of production by 
the new process indicates that the indigo obtained should 
compete successfully on the market with the natural product and 
that of the older synthetic methods. 
In vol. xvii. of the Journal of the College of Science, 
Imperial University, Tokyo, Messrs. Divers and Ogawa show 
that it is possible to prepare sulphamide from ammonium amido- 
Sulphite with a 10 per cent. yield, whereas the older method of 
obtaining it from sulphuryl chloride and ammonia only gives 1 
to 2 per cent. of the theoretical amount. 
To the September number of the Zoologist, Mr. R. C. J. 
Swinhoe contributes some important notes on prehistoric man 
in Burma. It will be remembered that in 1894 Dr. F. 
Noetling announced in the Records of the Geological Survey of 
India the discovery in a bed of ferruginous conglomerate at 
the oil-fields of Yenangyoung of worked flints in association 
with the remains of Hifparion antilopinus and Rhinoceros 
derimensis, thus carrying back the existence of man in that 
country to the older Pliocene or upper Miocene. A year later, 
Mr. R. D. Oldham expressed the opinion that, in the first | 
place, the flints are not confined to the ferruginous conglomerate 
and, secondly, that they are not chipped by man. As the result 
of a recent visit to the locality, Mr. Swinhoe confirms Dr. 
Noetling’s view that the chipped flints, and likewise certain 
facetted bones, are the works of men’s hands; but, on the other 
hand, he regards them as of Palzolithic age, the place where 
they were found being apparently a workshop of that period. 
THE September issue of the Quarterly Journal of Micro- 
scopical Science contains four articles of a highly technical 
Nature, for the most part interesting only to specialists. In the 
first of the four, Dr. T. H. Bryce treats of the maturation of the 
NO. 1717, VOL. 66] 
egg in the common sea-urchin ; he is followed by Mr. R. I. 
Pocock, who discusses the ‘‘entosternite” of spiders and 
scorpions. The third article, by Dr. S. F. Harmer, is devoted 
to the morphology of polyps allied to the common sea-mat, 
while in the fourth, Mr. L. Doncaster describes the development 
and anatomy of the annelid sagitta. 
Nos. 1275 and 1276 of the Proceedings of the U.S. Museum 
are respectively devoted to a list of the beetles of the Columbia 
district, by Mr. H. Ulke, and to the description of some* new 
South American birds, by Mr. H. C. Oberholser. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus lalandiz) 
from South Africa, presented by Mrs. O’Connor; a Rhesus 
Monkey (A/acacus rhesus) from India, presented by Miss 
Faulkner ; a Lesser White-nosed Monkey (Cercopethecus 
petaurista) from West Africa, presented by Mr. C. W. 
Woodhouse; a Black-headed Lemur (Lemur brunneus) from 
Madagascar, presented by Dr. EI. C. Hilliard; a Grey Parrot 
(Pstttacus erithacus) from West Africa, presented by Captain 
Paget J. Bourke; a Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) British, 
presented by Miss N. Simmons; a Great Barbet (JMZegaloema 
virens) from the Himalayas, presented by Mr. R. Phillips ; 
eighteen Green Tree Frogs ({Zy/a arborea) European, presented 
by Dr. E. L. Goygh; a Common Marmoset (Hapale jacchus), 
an All-green Tanager (Chlorophonia viridis), a Blue Sugar-bird 
(Dacnis cayana) from Brazil, a Suricate (Svrzcata tetradactyla) 
from South Africa, a Prairie Marmot (Cyzomys ludovicianus) 
from North America, a Crab-eating Opossum (Didelphys 
cancrivorus) from Tropical America, a Levaillant’s Amazon 
(Chrysotés levaillantz) from Mexico, three Asiatic Quails 
(Perdicula asiatica) from India, deposited; an Axis Deer 
(Cervus axts) born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES IN OCTOBER :— 
Oct. 10. oh. 41m. to 5h. 34m. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. IV. 
12. 2h. 7m. to 5h. gm. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
13. Ith. 24m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
‘15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc = 0981, of 
Mars = 0'930. 
16. Sh. 13m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
16. 1oh. 17m. to 1th. 18m. Moon occults ¢? Piscium 
(mag. 4°2). 
16. 16h. 17m. to 19h. 50m. Total eclipse of the moon 
partly visible at Greenwich. The moon sets at 
18h. 32m. when totally eclipsed. 
19. 5h. 58m. to gh. gom. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
19. 17h. 8m. to 18h. 13m. Moon occults 6! Tauri 
(mag. 4°0). f ; 
19. 17h. 43m. to 18h. 43m. Moon occults 6? Tauri 
(mag. 4°7). rh 3 ‘ 
19-21. Epoch of Orionid meteoric shower. Radiant 
gr’ +15°. ’ 
22. 12h. 53m. to 13h. 44m. Moon occults A Gemi- 
norum (mag. 3 6). 
23. 9h. Mercury in conjunction with Venus. Mercury, 
1720'S: 
26. gh. 54m. to 13h. 36m. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
30. 6h. Venus in conjunction with moon. Venus, 
o 54’ N. , 
30. Partial eclipse of the sun slightly visible at Greenwich. 
The eclipse ends at 19h. rm., or 8 minutes after 
sunrise at Greenwich on the morning of Oct. 31. 
REPORT OF THE MELBOURNE OBSERVATORY FOR IQOI.— 
New buildings are being added ata cost of 1500/., and, with 
the repairs that have already been done, this will add consider- 
ably to the efficiency of the Observatory. 
The third Melbourne catalogue for the epoch 1890 has been 
in the printer’s hands since last December. 336 plates have 
been exposed in connection with the astrographic chart, and of 
these, 320 have been passed as satisfactory. 
