654 
NATURE 
[May 12, 1923 
fat for some of the carbohydrate gives results which 
preserved in different states, are of different geological 
: age, and belong to various divisions of the vegetable 
kingdom, and reference was made to the examination 
of fragments detached from imperfectly petrified 
stems which cannot be cut into sections. Petrified 
roots of a Cretaceous fern were described in illustration 
of the difficulty of distinguishing between inorganic 
and organic structures. The architectural basis of 
plant organs has been remarkably persistent through 
the ages. Recent paleobotanical discoveries have 
thrown little light on the problem of evolution. 
MANCHESTER. 
Literary and Philosophical Society, April 24.— 
Mr. W. H. Todd, vice-president, in the chair.—T. H. 
Pear: A new type of number form. The numbers 
appear to be on small square blocks. It is possible, 
by imaging a series of them tilted backwards, to see 
at a glance a numerical series like 1, 2, 4, 8, etc., or 
even I, 4,}, ... 1s. To see this last fraction it 
is necessary, in imagination, to approach the form 
very closely. Complex numbers like ,/—1 and 
./—9 can be seen vaguely in undefined areas in the 
neighbourhood of r and g respectively. The form 
even represents a billion and a trillion, though it is 
difficult to see beyond a source of light (to look into 
which is like looking at the sun) which exists near 
the place representing a million.—W. J. Perry: The 
neurological basis of human behaviour in society. 
A calm, happy, peaceful behaviour is normal for man 
as he is at present constituted. Since this type of 
behaviour is universal among peoples in the “ food- 
gathering’ stage of culture, it must have been 
acquired at an early stage in the evolution of man, 
who, in the course of the development of civilisation, 
has, speaking generally, exhibited war-like, cruel, and 
angry types of behaviour to an increasing degree. 
An explanation is sought by considering man’s brain 
as consisting of two distinct parts—the optic thalamus 
and the cerebral cortex, or neo-pallium. The optic 
thalamus represents the dominant part of the brain 
of the lower vertebrates. The cortex is concerned 
with “‘epicritic’”’ sensibility, the thalamus with 
emotional tone. The increasingly violent behaviour 
of man as civilisation has proceeded can be referred 
to stimuli, due to certain social institutions, which, 
by unduly exciting the thalamus, undermine the 
control established by the cortex. The removal of 
those institutions should therefore have tremendous 
effects on human behaviour. 


DUBLIN. 
Royal Dublin Society, April 24.—Prof. J. A. Scott 
in the chair.—A. E. Clark: Evidence of displacement 
of Carboniferous strata in County Sligo. Accurate 
plotting of the igneous dykes on the N. coast af 
Co. Sligo shows that a strip of country four miles 
wide, lying just W. of Aughris Head, has been dis- 
placed southwards between parallel faults for a 
distance varying from a quarter of a mile on the 
W. side to three-quarters of a mile on the E.—E. J. 
Sheehy: The comparative values of protein, fat, 
and carbohydrate for the production of milk fat. 
By feeding lactating goats for successive periods 
with carbohydrate, fat, and protein the relative 
values of these materials have been ascertained. 
Protein (in excess of that required for milk protein 
and for body maintenance) and carbohydrate are 
equal in value, and fat is 2} times as valuable as 
either. In rations containing less than a certain 
quantity of fat, however, the substitution of extra 
NO. 2793, VOL. I1T] 


credit fat with a value much higher than 2} times 
that of carbohydrate. 
fat in the ration stimulates milk fat secretion, but 
a small quantity suffices for the latter purpose.— 
T. J. Nolan and H. W. Clapham: The utilisation 
In addition to its food value, 
of monomethylaniline in the production of tetryl. — 
In the nitration of monomethylaniline, metanitrotetryl 
is formed in addition to tetryl; also crude tetryl 
formed from commercial dimethylaniline frequently 
contains the same impurity. The use of mono- 
methylaniline for the manufacture of tetryl has, 
apart from its cost, been hitherto regarded with 
disfavour. 
inappreciable quantities of metanitrotetryl can b 
obtained in good yield from monomethylaniline i 
the latter, before nitration, is converted into its 
nitroso derivative. The nitroso group influences the 
course of the nitration. ' 
Paris. = 
Academy of Sciences, April 9.—M. Albin Haller 
in the chair—aA. Guntz and Benoit: The ionising 
power of fused lithium hydride.—Maurice Lecat: 
The generalisation and modifications of a theorem 
of Frobenius.—E. O. Lovett: Certain functional 
properties of conics and their generalisations.— 
Maurice Fréchet: The existence of ((}) classes not 
complete—M. Mandelbrojt: Taylor’s series with 
gaps.—H. C. Levinson: The gravitational field of 
n bodies in the theory of relativity——Ermmnest Csilser : 
Some dynamical and geometrical properties of move- 
ment resulting from the conditions of M. Angelesco. 
—G. Laville: The propagation of maintained waves 
along an iron wire. 
in good agreement with the formula developed from 
Maxwell’s equations, but the formula deduced from 
Kirchoff’s theory leads to results not in accord with 
experiment.—G. Vavon and A. Husson: Catalysis 
and steric hindrance. A study of the reduction 
of cinnamic acid and esters and alkylcinnamic acids 
and esters by hydrogen in the presence of a platinum 
catalyst. The experimental results are in agreement 
with the predictions of the theory of steric hindrance. 
J. F. Durand: The action of acetylene on zinc ethyl. 
Acetylene was passed into a solution of zinc ethyl 
in petroleum ether, and the yellow solid produced 
rapidly separated. It gave the reactions of a zine 
acetylide ; water gave acetylene and zinc hydroxide. 
Mercury diphenyl treated in a similar manner gave 
no reaction.—W. J. Vernadsky: Mendelejeffite, a 
new radioactive mineral. This mineral, found near 
Sludjanka (on lake Baikal), is a calcium urano-titano- 
niobate, containing about 23-5 per cent. of U;O.. 
Its crystalline form is described.—Ph. Schereschewsky 
and Ph, Wehrlé: Elements of a synthesis of the 
French and Norwegian methods of weather forecasts. 
—Ch. Janet: The ontogenesis of Volvox aureus.— 
Lucien Daniel: Variations of perfumes under the 
influence of grafting. Experiments on grafting with 
wormwood (Avtemisis Absinthium) have shown that 
the modifications in the leaves and seeds are accom- 
panied by changes in the character of the essential 
oil : the taste and perfume may improve or deteriorate 
with differences in the species grafted—Raphael — 
Dubois: Tears and the functions of the lachrymal 
gland. An enzyme has been isolated from the 
lachrymal glands of the cow : it is neither an oxydase ~ 
nor a peroxydase, but is a diastase hydrolysing starch 
like ptyaline ; the name lacrymase is given to it.— 
M. Lopez-Lomba and Mme. Randoin: The production 
of scurvy in the guinea-pig and young rabbit by 
means of a new food regime, complete and in bio- 
Tetryl containing not more than almost 
The experimental results are 
