










elt ie «tes ms a 
Fepruary 24, 1923] 
in width. It is a monoclinal block, with dip-slopes 
to the west and escarpments to the east. The lavas 
; ing these features are basaltic, and intrusive 
into these lavas is a trachytic stock. Following this 
intrusion the basalts were cut by a series of doleritic 
dykes. In general, it is similar to Ascension and 
‘St. Helena Islands. 
DUBLIN. 
Royal Dublin Society, January 23.—Prof. J. A. 
Scott in the chair.—J. Joly : Isostasy and continental 
drift—H. H. Dixon and N. G. Ball: The structure 
of the vascular supply to the storage organs of some 
lings. According to the view that the trachee 
convey material only in an upward direction, and 
are not functional in the downward transport of 
organic substance in the plant, the organs connecting 
the stores of organic substances with embryos would 
either contain no tracheal (woody) strands, or would 
possess only vestigial traces of this tissue. In the 
seedlings of Lodoicea sechellarum, Phenix canariensis, 
P. dactylifera, P. silvestris, and of Vicia faba, the 
petiole of the cotyledon transports the stored organic 
material to the growing embryo, and in the bundles 
the tracheal or woody strand is normally de- 
veloped, and in some cases, at least, the trachez are 
differentiated earlier than the sieve-tubes. Hence the 
structure of these seedlings is in agreement with the 
view that the wood transmits organic materials. 
] . Paris. 
\ Academy of Sciences, January 29.—M. Albin Haller 
in the chair.—Georges J. Rémoundos: The iteration 
of multiform functions.—A. Angelesco: A class of 
polynomials and an extension of Taylor’s and 
urent’s series.—E. Gau: The study of invariants 
relating to the characteristics of partial differential 
equations of the second order with two independent 
-variables.—Birger Meidell : The probability of errors. 
—Paul Piketty: Cold hardening by drawing. The 
method of M. Seigle for increasing the strength of 
metal bars by extension up to the elastic limit was 
Bitilised by the author in 1911 for reducing the 
weight of steel in reinforced concrete construction.— 
Jean Chazy: The expression of Einstein’s law in 
, esian co-ordinates.—MM. Huguenard, Magnan, 
_and A, Planiol: A compensated hot wire anemometer. 
The most convenient way of mounting a hot wire 
anemometer is to measure the fall of potential over a 
resistance placed in the circuit containing the hot 
wire. The curve showing the gas velocity as a 
function of the potential differences is nearly para- 
bolic, and as a consequence accurate measurements 
can be made only over a narrow field. If the shunt 
be replaced by a fine platinum wire of variable re- 
sistance, the conditions can be arranged to give a 
linear relation between the potential differences and 
the gas velocity—Rodolphe Soreau: The laws of 
variation of the characteristics of standard air with 
altitude. A new formula is deduced for the pressure 
as a function of the altitude in which the tempera- 
ture of the air is eliminated. The pressures calcu- 
lated from the equation agree well with the experi- 
“mental results, the latter being computed from 89 
observations with balloons at heights ranging up to 
20,000 metres.—L. Décombe: The theory of gravita- 
tion.—M. de Broglie and J. Cabrera: The gamma 
Tays of the radium and thorium family studied by 
their photo-electric effect. The apparatus described 
in an earlier communication has been applied to 
determine the wave lengths of the gamma rays of the 
_mesothorium group.—A. Portevin and P. Chevenard : 
NO. 2782, VOL. I11] 
NATURE 

275 
The dilatometric study of the alloys of aluminium 
with magnesium and silicon. The coefficients of 
expansion of the alloys were obtained by a differential 
method against a standard of pure aluminium.— 
Mlle. G. Marchal: The dissociation of silver sulphate. 
The dissociation was studied over the temperature 
range 820° C.-1220° C., and the partial pressures of 
oxygen, sulphur dioxide, and sulphur trioxide calcu- 
lated for 28 temperatures between these limits.— 
Paul Mondain-Monval: The law of solution. Sodium 
nitrate obeys the solubility law of Le Chatelier very 
closely.—Edouard and Remy Urbain: The atmolysis 
of a gaseous mixture containing several constituents. 
Application to the mixture utilised in the sulphuric 
acid industry by the contact method.—F. Loewinson- 
Lessing : A relation between the atomic numbers and 
atomic weights of the chemical elements. Starting 
with helium, for the first twenty elements the atomic 
weight is equal (within one unit) to the sum of the 
atomic number of the element and of that immediately 
succeeding it.—L. J. Simon and G. Chavanne: A 
new method of preparation of monochloracetic acid. 
The preparation is based on the hydration of tri- 
chlorethylene by sulphuric acid (90-93 per cent.) at 
a temperature of 170°C. The yield is more than 90 
e1 cent. of the theoretical.—M. Tiffeneau and Mlle. J. 
Lévy: Pinacolic and semi-pinacolic transpositions. 
Comparison of the aptitude to migration of various 
radicals. In these transpositions the migrating ten- 
dency of the ethyl and benzyl groups is much more 
marked than with the methyl radical. No satis- 
factory explanation for this can be given.—A. 
Briquet: The invasion of the sea on the coast of 
Berck and the teachings of recent geology. The 
encroachments seriously threaten the Haut-Banc 
light and the City of Paris Hospital. The causes and 
possible engineering remedies are discussed.—P. 
Raspal: Temperature measurements in trial borings 
1700 metres deep near Moliéres (Gard). At 1674 
metres depth the temperature was 82°:-5C. A rise 
of 1°C. per 24:3 metres was found as an average 
over the range 300 metres to 1674 metres.—Pierre 
Bonnet: The existence of the upper Silurian and 
lower Devonian in southern Transcaucasia.—G. 
Pontier: The presence of Elephas planifrons in the 
red crag (English Upper Pliocene), An account of a 
detailed examination of a molar of E. planifrons 
found north of Felixstowe in 1922.—J. Thoulet: 
Relation between the depth of the line of appearance 
of mud and the depth of the waves.—Ph. Wehrlé 
and R. Cordebas: The notion of phase in the study 
of the undulatory perturbation of pressure.—Marcel 
Mirande : Special elaborating organites (sterinoplasts) 
of the epidermis in the scales of the bulb of the white 
lily.—Robert Stumper : New researches on the venom 
of ants. Determinations of the percentages of formic 
acid from three species of ants (Cataglyphis bicolor, 
Camponotus e@ethiops, and Camponotus maculatus). 
Formic acid was proved to be the only free volatile 
acid present.—E. Aubel: The microbial metabolism 
of lactic and pyruvic acids.—René Legendre and 
Maurice Nicloux: A mask designed for administering 
oxygen in artificial respiration. After poisoning by 
carbon monoxide or other gases, the efficiency of the 
usual methods of artificial respiration is much in- 
creased if oxygen is simultaneously administered. 
The mask described resembles those used in adminis- 
tering anaesthetics, and leaves the eyes uncovered. 
It is furnished with two valves and is of small capacity. 
Schafer’s method of artificial respiration is recom- 
mended.—Georges Mouriquand and Paul Michel : The 
experimental conditions of the action of cod liver oil. 
Its osteodystrophic power in the presence of an 
insufficient food regime. 

