28a 



NATURE 



[January 23, 1908 



ments wilh solutions of phosphorus in carbon bisulphide 

 and in turpentine at various temperatures between 230° C. 

 and 290° C showed that the presence of the solvent causes 

 the rate of transformation of the white into the yellow 

 modification to be reduced. — The constitution of cast irons 

 containing manganese : L. Guillet. Manganese displaces 

 the eulectic point, which is produced for lower percentages 

 of carbon than with the iron-carbon alloys. Other changes 

 caused by the gradual increase of the percentage of 

 manganese are noted. — .\mmoniacal cuprous sulphate : M. 

 Bouzat. The salt is formed by the interaction of aqueous 

 ammonia, cuprous oxide and ammonium sulphate, and pre- 

 cipitated by alcohol. It is filtered off on asbestos, and 

 washed with alcohol and ether. Great care has to be 

 taken to exclude all traces of air, all reagents being freshly 

 boiled, and the whole series of operations carried out iii 

 a current of pure hydrogen. Analyses of the precipitated 

 salt show it to possess the composition Cu,SO,.4NH,. 

 The reactions are those of a cuprous salt", oxidising 

 instantly when exposed moist to the air, and giving 

 copper, cupric sulphate, and ammonium sulphate when 

 treated with dilute sulphuric acid. — .Syntheses in the 

 camphor group. The complete synthesis of /8-campholene 

 lactone : G. Blanc. The starting point of this synthesis 

 is aa-dimethyladipic acid, .nnd this is converted successively 

 into its sodium derivative, dimethyl-cydopentanone-acetic 

 acid, and the ethyl ester of the latter. The bitertiary 

 glycol obtained from this by Grignard's reaction forms a 

 lactone identical with ^-campholene lactone. — The consti- 

 tution of the a- and /3-methylsparteines and of isosparteine : 



Charles Moureu and Amand Valeur The synthesis of 



racemic dihydrocamphoric acid : L. Bouveault and R. 

 Locquin — The innervation of the sterno-mastoid and cleido- 

 mastoid muscles : F. X. Lesbre and F. Maignon. — The 

 action of fresh kola nut on work : J. Chevalier and M. 

 Alquier. — The apparent double refraction of vibratory cilia : 

 Fred Vl&s. — The action of choline on the arterial pressure : 

 ■\. Desg-rez and J. Chevalier. Choline furnishes the 

 first example of a physiological substance of well-defined 

 chemical composition, producing a marked lowering of the 

 arterial^ pressure. It behaves as an antagonist to 

 adrenaline, and it is possible to associate these two sub- 

 stances in such quantities that the one neutralises the 

 effect of the other on the blood pressure. — Hexamer sea- 

 urchins : Edouard de Ribaucourt. — ha graisse in wine : 

 E. Kayser and E. Manceau. The change in wine 

 known technically as la graisse is complex, and is not 

 caused by a single organism, but bv the combined growth 

 of several organisms.— The diminution of the salinity of 

 sea water after filtering through sand: J. Thoulet! It 

 is popularly supposed that the salinitv of sea water is 

 considerably reduced by filtration through sand. Direct 

 experiments of the author have failed to confirm this. 



in St. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Jan'Uakv 53. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Report on ihe Fruptions of the Soufti 



Vincent in 1902 and on a Visit to Moncagne Pel,;e in Martinique. 

 Part II. : The Chanpes in the Districts an'i the Subseqiiert History of 

 the Volcanoes: Dr. Tempest Anderson. — Pelroeraphical Notes on the 

 Products of the Eruptions of Mav. 190?, at the Soufriere in St Vincent ■ 

 Dr. 7. S. Fleit.-On the Intimate Structure of Crystals. Part VI., Titanic 

 Oxide, its Polymorphs and Isomorphs: Prof. W. J. Sollas, F.R S — 

 Dietetics in Tuberculosis ; Principles and Economics : Dr N D B-ird«- 

 well .and J. E. Chapman.— The Origin and Destiny of Cholesterol in 

 the Animal Organism. Part I.: On the so-called Hippocoprosterol • 

 C. Dor(^e and J. A. Gardner. 



Royal Institution, at :,. — Recent Light 

 Prof. W. W. Walts. F.R S. 



Institution of Elfctricai. Engineers, a 



of Electrical Machinery : R. Goldschmidl. 



FRIDAY, Janoar' 



Royal Institution, at g.— The Extinctio 

 Bruce, C.B., F.R.S. 



Physical Society, at 5.— R. 

 Experimental Examination of Gibbi 

 Regarded as the Basis of Adsorption, 

 of Dyeing: W. C. M. Lewis. 



Institution op Civil Encineeks, a 



Concrete Beams : J. R. Wade.— The Neutral Axi 

 Beams: E. 1. Spiers. 



SATURDAY, January 23. 



RnvAL Institution, at 3.— The Electrification of Railway 

 Gisbert Kapp. 



Mathematical Association, at 2.30.— Address by the President, Prof. 

 G. H. Bryan, F.R. S.-On the Teaching of Elementary Mechanics, with 

 bpecial Reference to the Preparation and Use of Simple and Inexpensive 



:ient Physiographies : 



^t 8. — Standard Performances 



Y 24. 

 of Malta Fever : Col. David 



Curves : W. Rosenhain — \n 

 lejry of Surface Concentration 

 I an Application to the Theory 



8.— A Cost Theory of Reinforced- 

 '■'*■■" 'nforced.Concrele 



Prof. 



NO 1995. VOL. Tj'] 



Apparatus : W. J. Dobbs.— On the Teaching of the Elements of Analysis : 

 C. O. Tuckey.— On the Geometrical Treatment of Series in Trigonometry, 

 with Lantern Illustrations: F. J. W. Whipple.— On a New Treatment of 

 Similarity in Elementary Geometry : W. E. Bryan.— Machine for Draw- 

 ing Rectangular Hyperbolas; H. L. Trachtenbetg. 



Essex Field Ci.un (at the Essex Museum, Romford Road, Stratford), at 6. 

 —Report of Club'.s Delegate at British Association, Leicester, 1907 : 

 F. W. Rudler.— Cn Plant Distribution in the Neighbourhood of Felstead, 

 Essex : J. French. 



MONDA Y, January 27. 



SnciETy OF Arts, at 8.— The Theory and Practice of Clock Making : 

 H. H. Cunynghame. C.B. 



RovAi. Geograj'hical Society, at 8.30.— Exploration and Climbing in 

 the Gurhwal Himalay.as : Dr. T. G. Longstcff. 



Institute of Actuaries, at 5.— On the Construction of Mortality Tables 

 from Census Returns and Kec jrds of Deaths : G. King. 

 TUESDAY, January 28. 



Royal Institution, at 1.— Roman Britain: (a) Its Frontiers and Garri- 

 son: Prof. F. J. Haveriield. 



Royal Anthroi'oi.ocicai. Institute, at 8.30. —Annual General Meeting. 

 —President's Address : Anthropology in the Eighteenth Century : Prof. 

 D.J. Cunningham, F.R.S. 



Instituti.in of Civil Engineers, at i.—Cmitinued discussion : Experi- 

 mental Investigations of the Stresses in Masonry Dams subjected to 

 Water Pressure : Sir J. W. Ottley, K.C.I. E., and Dr. A. W. Brightmore. 

 — .Stresses in Dams ; an Experimental Investigation by Means of India- 

 rubber Models : J. S. Wilson and W. Gore.— Stresses in Masonry Dams : 

 E. P. Hill. 



WEDNESDA Y, January 20. 



.Society of Dyers and CoLocRisrs, at 8. Colloidal Dyestuffs : Dr. E. 

 Feilmann.— Notes on the Dyeing of Celluloid : Dr. J. N. Goldsmith. 



British Astronomical Association, at 5. 



THURSDAY, ]\^VST!.\ zo. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— /"ro/iaWf Papers: On the Observation of Sun 

 and Stars made in some British Stone Circles. Third Note : The .Aber- 

 deenshire Circles: Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S.— On the Non- 

 periodic or Residual Motion of Water moving in Stationary Waves: Mrs. 

 W. E. Ayrton. — The Refractive Index and the Dispersion of Light in 

 Argon and Helium : W. Burton. — On the Generation of a Luminous 

 Glow in an Exhausted Receiver moving near an Electrostatic jField, and 

 the Action of a Magnetic Field on the Glow so produced : Rev. F. I. 

 Jervis-Smith, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, January 31. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Recent Researches on Radio-activity; Prof. 

 E. Rutherford, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Manx Archaeology 265 



Chemical and Physical Tables. By T. H. L. . . . 267 



A New Text-book of Psychology. By W. B. . . . 267 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Vogl : "Die Physik Roger Bacos" 268 



Kanthack : " The Preservation of Infant Life. A 



Guide for Health Visitors" 268 



Richards: " Sanitation in Daily Life" 268 



Tischbrock : " Der neue Leitfaden " 268 



Letters to the Editor:^ 



The Stresses in Masonry Dams. — H. M. Martin ; 

 Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S.; Prof. Karl 



Pearson, F.R.S 269 



The Nature of 7 and X-Rays. — Prof. W. H. Bragg 270 



Drifted Ice-cry>tils. {Illustrated.)— T>x. Walter Leaf 271 

 The Interpretation of Mendelian Phenomena. — H. H. 



O'Farrell 271 



Musical Sands. — Cecil Carus-Wilson 271 



Fillrationof Kain Water. — Enquirer 272 



The Highland Overthrusts. [llliisti-atid.) By Prof. 



J. W. Gregory F.R S 272 



The Total Solar Eclipse of January 3, 1908. By 



Dr. William J. S. Lockyer 274 



The British Science Guild 274 



J. Macfarlane Gray 277 



Notes 277 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Observation of Encke's Comet on Decenilier 25, 1907 281 



A newly discovered Bright Minor Planet (1908 B.M.) 2S1 



Measures of Double Stars 281 



Ephemeris for Comet 1907^ 2S1 



The Absorption of D3 (Helium) in the Neighbourhood 



of Sun-spols 281 



The Orbit of the Spectroscopic Binary fl Aquite . . 281 



Eclipse Observations, August, 1905 281 



Science at Recent Educational Conferences. By 



G. F. Daniell 2S1 



The Interdependence of Medicine and other 



Sciences. By Prof W. H. Welch 283 



Rainfall and Water. Supply. By Dr. H. R. Mill . . 286 



University and Educational Intelligence 286 



Societies and Acaoemies 287 



Diary of Societies' 288 



