December 17, 1908] 



NA TURE 



The principal characterisiic of tlie Kj images is the 

 appearance of the long dark lines, which M. Deslandres 

 has called filaments, joined up by the less conspicuous 

 and less continuous lines designated aligiiemeiits ; these 

 apparently intersect at particular points, three or four of 

 them cutting each other in the same place. Then there 

 are large, dark patches, some of which appear to lie above 

 facula;, whilst others are either attached to filaments or 

 are independent. 



Some of these filaments have been observed to persist 

 in the same heliographic positions for several rotations, 

 just as do spots in the lowrst level, and this leads to the 

 suggestion that spots and filaments are simply manifesta- 

 tions of the same cyclonic motions in different parts of 

 the circulation. The analogv to terrestrial cyclonic move- 

 ments is shown to be very close, and it is suggested that 

 the closer study of the solar may throw valuable light upon 

 the working of the terrestrial toiirbillons. 



Liverpool .Astronomical Society. — The report of the 

 I^iverpool Astronomical Society for the session 1907-8 con- 

 tains a number of papers read by various members during 

 the session ; amongst them is the president's address, in 

 which Mr. Plummer gave an interesting description of the 

 motion of Halley's comet and the various methods by 

 which it has been investigated. Papers were also read by 

 Mr. Reynolds, describing the large reflector which he has 

 - t up at Birmingham and also the one he presented to 

 he Helw.an Observatory, and Father Cortie, whose dis- 

 course dealt with the maintenance of the sun's heat. 



One HiNDRED New Double St.ars. — Bulletin No. 144 

 from the Lick Observatory is devoted to a list of 100 new 

 double stars discovered by Dr. R. G. Aitken. This is the 

 thirteenth list of its kind, bringing the total number of 

 " .\itken " doubles to iqoo, and it includes closer com- 

 canions to the previouslv known doubles 2 22, 2 •539, 

 02 (App.) 41, 02 87, S. 461, $ 627, and 2 31. 



PRIZE AWARDS OF THE PARIS ACADEMY 

 OF SCIENCES FOR igo8. 



A T the annual meeting of the academy, held on 

 "^ December 7, the president announced the prize 

 awards as follows : — 



Geometry. — The grand prize of the mathematical 

 sciences is divided in equal parts between Luigi Bianchi 

 and C. Guichard ; the Francoeur prize is awarded to Emile 

 Lemoine, for his work taken as a whole ; the Poncelet 

 prize to Prof. Fredholm, of Stockholm, for his researches 

 on integral equations. 



Mechanics. — The Montyon prize (mechanics) is awarded 

 to E. Lebert. No memoir was received by the academy 

 on the subject proposed for the Fourneyron prize (the 

 theoretical or experimental study of steam turbines). 



Navigation. — The extraordinary prize for the navv is 

 divided between M. Labeuf (2500 francs), for his work 

 on submarines, M. Dunoyer (2500 francs), for his electro- 

 magnetic compass, and M. Dautriche (1000 francs), for 

 his work on the influence of alkaline salts on the power 

 of explosive materials ; the Plumey prize is divided between 

 ^^. Codron (1500 francs), for his w'ork on machine tools, 

 M. Marchis (1500 francs), for his work on the use of 

 poor gas and the production and application of low 

 temperatures, and MM. Fortant and Le Besnerais (1000 

 francs), for their memoir on the oscillations of water along 

 a vertical wall. 



.istronomy. — The Pierre Guzman prize is not awarded. 

 The Lalande prize is divided between W. L. Elkin and 

 F. L. Chase, for their researches on the determination of 

 stellar parallax, yi. F. Smith receiving a mention ; the 

 Valz prize is awarded to Michel Luizet, for his researches 

 on terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricitv, and 

 variable stars. No memoir has been received on the sub- 

 i' rt proposed for the Damoiseau prize (the theory of the 

 minor planet Eros based on known observations)! Pierre 

 Puiseux receives the Janssen prize for the whole of his 

 .istronomical work. 



Geography. — The Gay prize is divided unequally between 

 Louis dentil, for his topographical and geological work 

 in Morocco, Prosper Larras, .Abel Larras, and Marcel 



Traub, for surveying work in the same country ; the 

 Tchihatchef prize is awarded to Lieut. -Colonel Bernard,, 

 for his memoir on the delimitation of the Franco-Siamese 

 frontier ; the Binoux prize is divided between Paul Heil- 

 bronner, for his memoir on the geometrical description of 

 the French Hautes Alpes, and Jules Richard, for his works 

 and book on oceanography. Mentions are attributed to 

 MAL Mazeran and R^ne Bossifere. The Delalande- 

 Guerineau prize is awarded to Auguste Chevalier, for his 

 researches on the flora and economical resources of tropical 

 .Africa. 



Physics. — Andr^ Blondel receives the Hubert prize, for 

 his researches on the electric arc ; Marcel Brillouin the 

 Hughes prize, for his book on the viscosity of liquids and 

 gases. 



Chemistry. — The Jccker prize is awarded to Ph. Barbier, 

 for his researches in organic chemistry ; the Cahours prize 

 to MM. Gain and Pierre Carr^ (in equal parts) ; Montyon 

 prizes (unhealthy trades) to A. Frois, for his work on clust 

 arising in industrial occupations, and Georges Claude, for 

 his practical applications of liquid gases ; the Berthelot 

 prize to M. Fosse ; the Fontannes prize to M. Pervin- 

 qui^re ; the Bordin prize to F. Priem and M. Leriche. 



Botany. — The Desmaziferes prize is not awarded, but 

 M. Hariot and Mile. Belfee receive honourable mentions ; 

 the Montagne prize is awarded to Ernest Pinoy, for his 

 studies in the my.xomycetes ; the De Coincy prize to Paul 

 Gu^rin. 



.Anatomy and Zoology. — For his work on the Coleo- 

 ptera, Pierre Lesne receives the Savigny prize ; Jules 

 Bourgeois the Thore prize, for the whole of his entomo- 

 logical work. 



Medicine and Surgery. — Montyon prizes are awarded to 

 MM. Frouin, Tissot, Carre, and Vallee, and !NOL Rennes, 

 Chevassu, and Joly are accorded mentions, MM. Georges 

 Rosenthal, Adrien Lippmann, and Soubies citations. The 

 Barbier prize is awarded jointly to MM. Piettre and Vila, 

 for their w^ork on the blood of mammals and birds ; the 

 Bryant prize (interest, in equal parts) between MM. 

 \'incent and Remlinger ; the Godard prize to MM. Lamy 

 and Mayer jointly, for their studies on the mechanism of 

 urinary secretion ; the Baron Larrey prize to Dr. Bonnette, 

 for his memoir on the dangers attending the use of blank 

 cartridge ; the Bcllion prize to M. Basset, for his book 

 on pathological anatomy, J. Alquier receiving an honour- 

 able mention. The Jlege prize is not awarded. The 

 Serres prize is accorded to Albert Brachet, for the whole 

 of his work on embryogeny. 



Physiology. — The Montyon prize for experimental physio- 

 logy is divided equally between J. Sellier, for his studies 

 on the comparative physiology of digestion, of muscular 

 contraction, and the special physiology of the encephalus, 

 Henri Pottevin, for his studies on the soluble ferments, and' 

 F. X. Lesbre and F. Maignon (jointly), for their contribu- 

 tions to the physiology of the pneumogastric and spinal 

 nerves. The Philipeaux prize is awarded to M. Lafon, 

 for his experimental researches on diabetes and glycogen ; 

 the Lallemand prize to G. Pagano, for the whole of his 

 researches on the nervous system ; the Martin-Damourette 

 prize to Eugene Collin, for his application of the micro- 

 scope to the determination of substances of vegetable 

 origin ; the Pourat prize to J. Leffevre, for his studies on 

 the energetics of the animal body. 



Statistics. — ^The Montyon prize is divided between MM. 

 Deniker and Felhoen, MM. Risser and Laurent receiving 

 mentions. 



General Prizes. — Berthelot medals are awarded to MM. 

 Barbier, Gain, Pierre Carr^, Frois, and Georges Claude. 

 Charles Fremont receives the Tremont prize and J. H. 

 Fabre the Gegner prize. The Lannelongue prize is 

 divided between Mmcs. B^clard, Ruck. Cusco, and 

 de Nabias ; the Wilde prize between MJL Tikhoff and 

 Charles Nordmann ; the Saintour prize between Paul 

 Gaubert and Emile Riviere ; the Jerome Ponti prize 

 between Louis Bedel and .Adrien Dollfus ; the HouUeviSue 

 prize between MM. Debierne, Petot. and E. Fabry. The 

 Estrade Delcros prize is awarded to Jacques Hadamard ; 

 the prize founded bv Mme. la Marquise de Laplace to- 

 P. M. E. Lancrenon : and the prize founded by M. F^lix 

 Rivot to MM. P. M. E. Lancrenon, G. E. A. Chavanes, 

 and R. D. Blanchet. 



NO- 



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