456 



NATURE 



[March 12, 1908 



distance would be i26,ooo/.v feet, the balloon being 3 feet 

 in diameter. From these measurements the position of the 

 object in space is determined, and consequently the air 

 movements at the different levels to which the object rises, 

 assuming the air movement to be horizontal. With a 

 3-feet balloon filled with hydrogen gas, or with one of 

 h feet diameter filled with coal gas, the greatest elevation 

 attained varies from 7000 feet to 10,000 feet. It has been 

 found in all cases that up to 4000 feet the air .movement 

 is quite different from what it is above that level, and 

 that in passing from the lower to the upper layer of air 

 the balloon passes through one that has very little motion. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



F.R S. : .Sir v:.t,,r H,,t 

 terol in the Ai.im ,1 1 I 

 by the Doa ' I ' i . 

 in Vaso-molur l'< II. 

 thereon: Dr. « . ,M. 1;. 

 of Amorphous Cai 



THURSDAY, M.^i 

 10.— Desciptionof the 



•Ro 



Tryp, 



egiiipfrilun 



of Mr. Charles Bahb.ige, 

 F.K S -fh.. Oricin and Oestinv of Choles 

 "■ I'll II , IIk- Excietion of Cholesterol 

 I \ i,.-..irri I In Reciprocal Innervation 

 ::i \.:i:, ! ^11 \rhnine and of Chloroform 

 1 .l:.b. n.ulLii., as Agents in the Oxida- 

 Prof. M. C. F'otter —The T.ifehistory of 

 Pr .f. ,1. E. .Salvln-Moore and Anton Breinl. 

 iarly British History and Epigraphy ; Sir 



John Rhys. 



RovAL Socii-.TV OF Arts, at 4.30. — Progress in the Native Plates of India 

 during the past Forty Years : Sir David W. K Barr, K C.S.I. 



Mathematicai, Society, at 5.10.— On the Projective Geomeiry of some 

 Covariants of a Binary Quintic: Prof. E. B EliiMt.— On the Inequal.tles 

 connecting the Double and Repeated Upper and Lower Integrals of a 

 Function of Two Variables: Dr. W. H. Young.— I )n the Operational 

 E.\pression of I aylor's Theorem : W. F. Sheppard.— On a Formula for the 

 Sum of a Finite Number of Terms of I he Hvpergeometric Series when the 

 Fourth Element is Unity (Second Paper) : Prof M. J. M. Hill.— Note on 

 . a Soluble Dynamical Problem : Prof L. J. Rogers. 



Institution op Ei.ectkicai. Engineers, at 8.— America Re-visited, 1907; 

 Sir W. H. Pieece, K.C.B . F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, March 13. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5.— Observations of the Transit of 

 Mercury, 1507 November 14 : T. F. Cla.^ton - Photometric Mea.sure- 

 ments of Saturn, 1907 August-December : J. M. Baldwin.— Reappearance 

 of Saturn's King, 1908 lanuary : R T. A. Innes.— On the Orbits of 

 2483, 22438,23.23,8 Se.vtantis = A. C. ;, and A 15: T.J. J See.-On 

 the Lunar Inequalities due to the Motion of the Ecliptic and ihe Figure 

 of the Earth : E. W. Brown.— On the Variabi ily of the Nucleus of the 

 Planetary Nebula N.G.C. 7612: E. E. Barnard. -Measures of Southern 

 Binary Stars in 1907 : John Tebhutt— Double Star Observations, 1002- 

 1907 : W. H. Maw.— Further Consideratio is on the Correlations of Stellar 

 Characters: Winifred Gibson and Karl Pear-on.— The Perturbations of 

 Halley's Comet, 1759-igio: P. H. Cowell and K C. D. Crommelin — 

 Probable Pafi-rs : A Suggested Explanation of the .-Ancient Jewish 

 Calendar Dales in the Aramaic Papyri. Translated by Prof. A. H. Sayce 

 and Mr. A. E. Cowley: E. B. Knohel.— The Perturbations of Halley'- 



I Comet in the Past (Third Paper), the Pe-iod 1066-1301 : P. H. Cowell 

 elin —On the Relative Numbers of Siar Ini.ages 

 int Parts of the Plates for the Oxford Portion o( the 

 1 (Second Paper): H. H. Turner.— Note on the 

 Objeet near Jupiter (1901 C. J.): Royal Observa- 



and A. 



Photographed in DilTei 1 

 Astrographic Catalogu 

 Discovery of a Moving 

 tDry, Greenwich. 



Royal Institution, at 

 G. Marconi. 



Physical Society, 



allantic Wireless Telegraphy : Chevali. 



—On Cerla 



I Dynamicrl Analogues of Tempera 

 ture Equilibrium : Prof. G. H. Bryan.— Experiments on Artificial Ful 

 gurites : Mi-s D, D Butcher.— The Distribulion in Electric Fields of thi 

 Active Deposits of Thorium and Actinium : S. Russ. 

 Malacological Society, at 8.— Descriptions cf Two New Species o 

 Synapterpes, Pils., and a New Species of South .American Strophocheilus 

 Hugh C. Fulton.— Description of a New Sp-cies of Plectopylis ■ G. K 

 Gude.^On the Mollusca of so.ne Ho'ocene Deposits of the Thame 

 River System: A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward.— Note on thi 

 Radula of Pomatias elegans : Rev. E. W. Bowell.— The Application o 

 "■ '■' " ' " les: A. I. lukes.Browneand J. H. Ponsonby. 

 SATURDAY, March n. 

 , at 3 — Electric Discharges th 



i Generic Na 



Roval Institutioi 

 Thomson, F.R.S. 



ghGa 



Piof J. J. 



MONO A Y, March 16. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Fuel and its Future : Prof. V. B. 

 Lewes. 



TUESDAY, March 17. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Membranes : Their Structure, Uses and 



Products : Prof. W. Stirling. 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5. • 



Zoological Society, at 8.30.— Some Observations on the Effects of Pres- 

 sure upon the Direction of Hair in Mammals: Dr. W. A. Kidd — The 

 Rudd Exploralion of S. Africa, IX. List of Mammals obtained by Mr. 

 Grant on the Gorongoza Mounlams. Portuguese S E. .'Africa : O. Thomas. 

 F.K.,S., and R. C. Wroughton.— Notes upon some Species and Geo- 

 graphical Races of Serows (Capclcornis) and Ciorals ( Naemorhedus) based 

 upon Specimens exhihUed in the Society's G.-irdens : R. I. Pocock. 

 -MiNERALOGlCAi. SociETV.at 8.-00 the'Occurrence of .Minerals developed 

 by Pneumalolitic Acti .n in the Bodmin and Canielford Areas : G. B.arrow 

 and H. H. Thomas.— ,\ Protraclor for Use in Constructing Stereo::raph:c 

 Projections: K Hutchinson.— Supplementary Notes on 

 Allan B. Dick.— An Attachment to theC 



WEDNESDAY, Mk-rzh i8. 



Royal Microscopical Society, at 8.— Lord .\veb-.;ry will deliver his 

 Presidential Address, on Seeds, with Special Reference to British Plants. — 

 ExkibitioKl .Mounted Specimens of some of the Rarer Species of Fresh- 

 water Polyzoa : Mr. C. F. Rousselet. 



Geological Society, at 8. — The Carboniferous Rocks' at Loughskinny, 

 (co. Dublin), with an Account of the Faunal Succession and Correlation : 

 Dr. C. A. Matleyand Dr. K. Vaughan.— A Note on the Petrology and 

 Physiography of Western Liberia (West Coast of .\frica) ; J. Parkinson. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



THURSDAY, ■^hKzw i^. 



Royal Society, at ^.^o.- Probable Papers -.-On Scandium: S.r William 

 Crookes, F.R.S —Un Secondary B-Rays: Prof. I. A. McClelland.— On 

 the Measurement of the Atmospheric Electric Potential Gradient and 

 the Earth-air Current: C. T. R. Wilson. F.R.S.— Note on the Tra- 

 jectories of Rifled Projectiles with Various Shapes of Head : A. M.allock, 

 F.R.S. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Standardisation in Various Aspects: (i) Me- 

 chanical Engineering: Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S 



Royal Society OF Arts, at 8.— The Navigation of the Air : Dr. H. S. Hele- 

 Shaw, F.R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30.— The Constitution of Electroiegative " Thio- 

 cyanates " : A E. Dixon and J. Taylor. — An Improved Form of Pykno- 

 meter: W. R. Bouslield.— The Quantitative Conversion of Aromatic 

 Hydrazines into Diazonium Salts: F. D. Chattaway.-The Action of 

 Heatona.Hydroxycarboxylic.\cids, Partiv.. Racemicaa-Dihydroxyadipic 

 Acid and Meso aa-Dihydroxvadipic Arid : H. R. l.e Sueur.— The Spon- 

 taneous Crystallisation of Sodium Sulphate Solutions: H Hartley, B. M. 

 Jones, and G. A. Hutchinson.— Quanti-ative R- l.uions of Salts of Thallium 

 and its Separation from Silver: J. F. Spencer and Miss M. Le Pla.— 

 Constitution of Hvdroxvazo Compounds, Action of Diazomethane and of 

 Mercuric Acetate : C. Smith and A. D. Mitchell. 



Institution of Electrical. Engineers, at 8.-,New Alternate Current 

 Instruments : Dr. W. E. Sumyner and J. W. Record. 



for the Me 



surement of Coinpl. 



"■MITUTION OF Civil - 



York Rapid 



NO. 2002. \0L. 77] 



Hated Crystals : H. L. Bowman. 

 s\i.—Furelur dinciission: the Ne 

 it Subw.-»y : W. B. Parsons. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The First Nile Cataract. ByJ. W. J . . 433 



The " Histoire Intime '' of Nitrous Oxide 434 



Tritubercuiism. By R. L 435 



Our Book Shelf : — 



■Curtis: "Nature and Development of Plants." — 



J. B. F 436 



Mayo: " The Di.seases of Animals." — G. L. ... 436 

 Duparc and Monnier : Traile de Chimie analjtique 

 qualitative, suivi de Tables systematiques pour 



I'Analyse ininerale" 437 



de Nansouty : " Actualities scientifiques" . . . . 437 

 Jordan : " California and Californians" ; "The Alps 



ol King-Kern Divide" 437 



Letters to ttie tditor : — 



The Isothermal layer of the Atmosphere. — Dr. 



Charles Chree, F.R.S 437 



The Solidification of Helium.— Prof. Alfred W. 



Porter . . • • 437 



Disease-resisting Sugar-Canes. — Sir D. Morris, 



K.C.M.G 43S 



Modem Views of Electricity.— Sir Oliver Lodge, 



F.R.S.S 438 



Rothesay Summers and Greenwich Winters. ( IVilli 



Diagrams.)— Pkiex. B. MacDowall 43S 



The Possibility of Life in Mars.— Dr. W. Ainslie 



Holhs 43^ 



The o Panicles from Radio-active Substances. — Dr. 



R. S. Willows 439 



Ancient Egyptian Burial Customs. {Illiislratea.) By 



H. R. Hall 439 



Sleeping Sickness. ByJ. W. W. S 440 



Water Vapour in the Martian Atmosphere. By 



William E. Rolston 44^ 



Notes 44- 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Parallax of the Andromeda Nebula 446 



The Orbit of 7 \irginis 44^ 



The Large Solar Prominence of May 21, 1907 . . . 446 

 Spanish Observations of the Total Solar Eclipse of 



August, 1905 446 



A New Variable of the U Geminorum Type .... 446 

 The Canadian Astronomical Handbook for 1908 44*> 



The Us2 of Gyrostats. (^niiistraleJ.) By Prof. J. 



Perry, F.R.S . . 447 



On the Physical Aspect of the Atomic Theory. By 



Prof. J. Larmor, bec.R.S. . 45° 



A New Method of Stereoscopic Photography . . . 452 



University and Educational Intelligence 4S- 



Societies and Academies 453 



Diary of Societies 45'^ 



