528 



NA TURE 



[April 2, 1908 



phenylrvc/opcntane has been isolated from the numerous 

 products of this reaction. — Some derivatives of thiophene : 

 \'. Thomas. Magnesium acts on a-iodothiophene in 

 presence of ether, giving an organomagnesium compound 

 which behaves similarly to phenyl magnesium iodide in 

 many of its reactions. Details of the products resulting 

 from the action of various ketones are given. — The forma- 

 tion of acetic aldehyde in alcoholic fermentations : A. 

 Trillat. The experiments described prove that acetic 

 aldehyde is not a true product of fermentation, since if the 

 fermentation is carried out in the presence of hydrogen or 

 carbon dioxide, air being carefully excluded, no aldehyde 

 can be detected. If air is freely admitted during the 

 fermentation, more aldehyde is produced than if a little 

 air is present. — The production of gum in the Moringa : 

 F. Jadin and Volcy Boucher. — The phytology of the 

 eastern region of Kabylie and Djurdjura : G. Lapie. — 

 The levers in the organism : A. Guillemin. h discussion 

 of the efficiency of the leg muscles and bones considered 

 as levers. — The discovery of Palaeolithic paintings of man 

 and animals in the Portel cave : Ren^ Jeannel. More 

 than forty paintings of animals and human beings have 

 been found on the walls of this cave. None of the designs 

 have been cut into the rock, and they are coloured either 

 black or red, both in line and flat wash. Some of the 

 objects are partiallv masked bv stalagmitic deposit. Two 

 designs represent m.-'n on foot in profile ; others represent 

 bison, reindeer, and horses, the last being the most 

 numerous. Photographs have been taken of some of the 

 objects, and the remainder will be photographed shortly. 

 — Anemometric studies of helices copied from animals : 

 Paul Amans. — The Pliocene and Pleistocene ci-uptions of 

 Limagne : Ph. Glangeaud. — Contribution to the study of 

 the solar calorific radiation : C. Fery and G. Millochau. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, .Xpkm. 2. 



RovAL Society, at 4.30.— Complete .Survey of the Cell L.^mination of the 

 Cerebral Cortex of the Lemur : Dr. F. W. Moti, F.R.?.. and Miss A. M. 

 Kelley.— The .Alcoholic Fermert of Veast Juice. Part III The Function 

 of Phosohates in the Fermentation of Glucose by Yeast Juice : .\. Harden 

 and W. J. Young.— The .'Antagonistic Action of Calcium upon the 

 Inhibitory Effect of Macnesium : S. J. Mellzer and J. Auer.— Studies on 

 Enzyme Action, XI., The Hydrolysis .f Raffinose. XII., Emulsin: 

 P rof. H. E. Armstrong, F.R.S., and others. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— The Animals of -Africa : R. Lydekker. F.R.S. 



Royal Society op Arts, at 8.— The Navigation of the Air: Prof. H. S. 

 Hele Shaw, F.R.S. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8.— Altitude and Distribution of Plants in Southern 

 Mexico: Dr. Hans Gadow, F. U.S. —The Anatomy of s me Sapotaceous 

 Seedlings; Miss Winifred Smith. — Notes on some Sponges recently 

 collected in Scotland : Dr. N. Annandale. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineers' Society, at S.— Efficiency of Boiler 

 Heating Surface : C. Humphrey Winatield. 



Chemical Society, at S.30.— The Condensation of Epichlorohydrin with 

 Phenols : D. R. Boyd and E. R. Marie.— Rate of Hydrolysis of Chloro- 

 acetates and Bromoacetates. and of a-Chlorohydrin!| by Water and by 

 Alkali, and the Influence of Neutral Salts on the Reaction Velocities. 

 Preliminary Note: G. .Senter.- A New General Method of Preparing 

 Diazonium Bromides : F. D. Chaltaway.— On the Probable Nature of the 

 Impurity found in the Triphenvlmethane Spectrum : W. N. Hartley.— 

 The Absorption Spectrum of Triphenylmethane : A. G. G. Leonard.— 

 The Constituents of Cyprus Origanum Oil. Isolation of a New Terpene 

 (Origanene): S. S. Pickles. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— High Speed Electrical 

 Machinery : G. Stoney and A. H. Law. 



FRIDA Y, April 3. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — The Modern Moti 

 Beaulieu. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Notes on the Foundations of an 

 Indian Bridge: G. W. N. Rose. 



SATURDAY, Apkil 4. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Electric Discharges through Gases : Prof. T. 1. 



Thomson, F.R.S. 



MONDA Y, April 6. 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— History of the Spread of the North 



American Fauna : Prof. J. Logan Loblev. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8.— Impressions and Ideas: H. Wildon Carr. 

 Sociktv of Chemical Inouitry. at 8.— Considerations aflFecting the 



" Strength " of Wheat Flours: I. L. Baker and H. F. E. Hullon.— Note 



on Murexide as a quondam Dye Stuff and Printing Colour : W. Smith. 



TUESDAY, April 7. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.-The Egyptian Sudan : its History, Monuments, 

 _ and Peoples. Past and Present : Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30.— A Mono-raph of the Chiropteran Genera 

 Uroderma, Euchis-henes, and Arliheus: Dr. Knud Andersen.— On 



Lord Monta,gu of 



Certain Points in the Structure of the Cervical Vertebra; of the Okap 



and the Giraffe: Sir Ray Lankester, K.C.B., F.R.S.— Some Australi^ui 



Spiders : H. R. Hogg 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The King Edward VII. Bridge 



Newcastle-on-Tyne : F. W. Davis and C. R. S. Kirkpatrick. 

 Junior Institution of Engineers, at 8. — Purification of Water: Geor.:'- 



H. Hughes. 



WEDNESDAY, April 8. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Technical Education in America: Si^" 

 W. H. Preece, K.C.B . F.R S. 



THURSDAY, April 9. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — The Animals of South Ainei ica ; R. LydekkeJ 

 F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, April 10. 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— The Carriers of Positive Electricity: Prof. J.J. 



Thomson, F.R.S. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Physical Society, at 8.— An Experimental Investigation of the Nature of 

 7 Rays: Prof. W. H. Bragg, F.R.S., and Mr. Madsen.— Experiments 

 Artificial Fulgurites : Miss D. D. Butcher.- Short-spark Phenomena : 



SATURDAY, April ii. 

 t 3.— Electric Discharges through Gases: Prof. J. J. 



NO. 2005, VOL. JJ^ 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Electricity and Matter. By E. R 501; 



Charting the World's Commerce 506 



Masonry and Concrete Arches. By T. H. B. ... 507 

 Our Book Shelf: — 



Strecker : "Das Kausaliliitsprinzip der Biologie." — 



J- A. T 507 



Koch and Gilg : " Pharmakognostisches Praktikum " 50S 



Simroth : "Die Pendulations-theorie. " — R. L. . . . 508 

 Sedgwick: "The Minimising of Maurice, being the 

 Adventures of a very small Boy among very small 



Things" 50S 



Stroobant : " Les Progres de la Photographie astrono- 



mique."— W. E. R 508 



Revere : " I laterizi " ; Ragno : "La Tecnologia delle 



Saldature autogene dei Metalli " . . . . . . 508 



Letters to tbe Editor: — 



Mendelian Characters among Shorthorns. — Prof. 



James Wilson 509 



The Natuieof 7and X-Rays. — Charlton D. Cooksey 509 



Martinmas in May. — Rev. C. S. Taylor 510 



An Annotated Copy of Newton's " Principia." — 



Bruce Smith . . 510 



Two County Bird-books. (Illuslralcd.) 511 



Modern Nitre Beds. By A. D. H 513 



Prominence and Coronal Structure. [Illustrated.) 



By Dr. William J. S. Lockyer 514 



Dr. A. W Hewitt, C. M.G. By Dr. A. C. Haddon, 



F.R.S 515 



Notes, (llluslratal.) . . . 516 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Astronomical Occurrences in April . . .... 5^° 



Comet 1907 II 520 



The President of the Astrographic Congress .... 520 



The Helium, D.„ Line in the Solar Spectrum . . . 520 



Two Remarkable Spectroscopic Binaries . . . . 520 



Variation in the Radial Velocity of j8 Urspe Majoris . 5%o 



Dr. Nordmann's Variable Star Observations . . . 520 

 The National Physical Laboratory during 1907. 



{Illustrated.) 521 



The North Sea Fisheries Investigations. (Illus- 

 trated.) By Frank Balfour Browne 523 



Extensions at University College, London .... 525 



University and Educational Intelligence 525 



Societies ani 'VcaJemies 526 



Diary of Societies .... 528 



