300 



NA TURE 



[January 7, 1909 



harmful influence of atmospheric refraction. It is to be 

 recommended in all precise measurements of position, and 

 especially in worli on stellar parallax. — The principles of 

 flig-ht with wings : L. Thouveny. — A special model of a 

 balloon : .\I. Radiot. — The problem of efforts in the theory 

 of elasticity : .A. Korn. — The magnetic rotatory power of 

 the vapour of calcium fluoride and of nitrogen peroxide in 

 the neighbourhood of their absorption bands: \. Dufour. 

 The vapour of calcium fluoride in the magnetic field 

 possesses a positive magnetic rotatory power outside and 

 near the doublets of all the components of the band D" 

 and negative in their interior ; the rotation may attain a 

 value of 40° to 50° in the centre of the doublets. Similar 

 observations on nitrogen peroxide are described. — The law 

 of the maximum of kathode phosphorescence in binarv 

 systems : G. Urbain. It is now well established that, in 

 opposition to the views of Sir AY. Crookes, pure sub- 

 stances do not give rise to phosphorescence. A brilliant 

 phosphorescence is always the result of a riiixture of two 

 substances, and there is a certain percentage of one of 

 them which gives a maximum result.— The electrical 

 resistance of the alkali melals, of gallium, and of 

 tellurium : A. Guntz and A\'. Broniewsici. These metals 

 were introduced into a U-shaped capillary tube, with 

 .suitable precautions as to purity and freedom from oxida- 

 tion. The resistances of cres'ium, rubidium, potassium, 

 sodium, and lithium were measured at -187°, ~^?^°■^y. 

 0°, and a fourth higher temperature, and the results com- 

 pared with those calculated from the formula 



r,=(2F-|-T)x constant, 

 in which r, is the resistance at the temperature /, F ihc 

 absolute temperature of fusion, and T the absolute tempera- 

 ture of the body. .Measurements are also given for 

 gallium in both the solid and liquid state and for'tellurium. 

 — The reduction of uranyl chloride ; a->hsner dc Coninck. 

 .An attempt was made to determine the atomic weight of 

 chlorine by reducing i;,0,CI, in hydrogen at a red heat, 

 but the results were found to be of no value. — The pre- 

 paration of ether salts of the cyclic series : A. Behal. A 

 mixture of acetic acid and benzyl chloride, heated to the 

 boiling point, slowly gives off 'hydrochloric acid, benzyl 

 acetate being formed. The action is accelerated by the 

 presence of certain catalytic agents, bismuth chloride being 

 especially active in this respect.— The preparation and pro- 

 perties of B-gluco-heptite : L. H. Philippe. By reducing 

 the gluco-heptonic lactone obtained from ordinary glucose 

 with sodium amalgam, E. Fischer obtained ' ;S-gluco- 

 heptose. The author, by pushing the reduction a stage 

 further, has prepared a new heptavalent alcohol, /3-gluco- 

 heptite, the physical and chemical properties of which are 

 given. — The facies of natural crystals : Paul Gaubert.— 

 The development of the perennial plant compared with th.at 



of the annual plant : G. Andre The presence of urea in 



some of the higher fungi r A. Goris and M. Mascre. 

 Certain species of fungi have been found to contain from 

 2-7 to 4-3 per cent, of urea. It still remains to be proved 

 whether the urea was present as such In the fungus, or 

 was formed during the process of drying.— A new artificial 

 peroxydase : K. de Stoecklin. Tannate of iron acts as a 

 peroxydase, the monophenols being attacked with especial 

 case.— The green pigment of the bile : M. Piettre. — Th 

 physiological function of the arborescent glands connected 

 with the female generating apparatus of Pcriplaneta 

 oricntalis : L. Bordas — The stratigraphical definition of 

 the Sicilian stage : Maurice Gignoux. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



toNTC.EV .SOCIKI 



Kadio-actlvity 

 Phillips.— .\ Ni 

 Giilelt : H. C. Head 



THURSDAV, Jaxuakv 7. 



S.15.— .\ Description of fhree Sub-standards 



tly prepared for the ROnteen Society : C. E. 



Localising Apparatus designed by Staff-Surgeon 1 



ROVAL AsTRnsOMICAI, 



McCaw.— Fluctuation 

 Newcomb.— Observations of Comet 

 Development of the Disturbing Pu 

 t'f the Mean Anomalies and Consta 

 Note on Major MacMahon's Paper 

 Diameter of a Fixed Star : A. S. 

 Chinese Planisphere: E. B. Knobel, 



Obs. 



FRIDAY, January 8. 



Society, at 5.— A New Dividins Engine : G. T. 



■ ■' ns Mean Motion: Prof. Simon 



1908, Morehouse : R. C. Johnson.— 



:ion in Planetary Theory in Terms 



Elliptic Elements: P. H. Cowell.— 



■on the Determination of the Apparent 



Y.&A\n^\on.—ProhabU Papers : On a 



" ' Observations of Occultations of 



1 Obsei 



^Nii 



itory, 



ih Satellite, Pbcebe, from Photoj^raphs take 

 1908 : Royal Otservatory, Greenwich. 



NO. 2045, VOL. 79] 



ults of the 



Third Tan- 

 1, 1904-5.- 



MO^^DAY. Jancarv : 



Royal Geographical .Society, at 8.30. 



TUESDAy, J.\nuarv 



Zoological Society, at 8.30.— Zooloaical R 

 ganyika E.\-peailion, conducted by Dr. W. A. C 

 Report on the Copepoda : Prof. G. O. Sa's.— Stud' 



Blood Parasites of Freshwater Fishes: Prof. E A. Minchin.— A Furthtr 

 Note on the Gonadial Grooves of a Medusa, A:in-l:a avrit/i : T. Goodey. 

 —The Tuberculin Test in Monkeys, with Noies on the 'J emperalure uf 

 Mammals : Dr. A. E. Brown.— A few Notes on Balae/ia ^lacialis and 

 its Capture in Recent Years in the North Atlantic by Norwegiau 

 Whalers : Prof. R. Collett. 



WEDNESDAY January 13. 



Geological Society, at 8.— On Labradorite-Norite with Porphyritic 

 l-ibradorile Crystals : a Contrihut on to ihe Siudv of the " Gabbroidal 

 Eutecticum " : Prof Johan H. L. Vogt.— On ihe Genus I.oxonema, with 

 Descriptions of New Proterozoic Sp-cies : Mrs. Jane Longstaff. 



Society ok Pchlic Anaivsts, at 8.— (i) The Analysis of Complex 

 Candle MLvtures; (2) The Detection and Estimation of Mercury in 

 Nilro-Explosives : Otto H.-hner. 



THURSDAY, January 14. 



OF Electrical Engineers, at 8.— The G. B. System 

 uway Manager's Point d View : Str.nley Clegg. 

 FRIDAY, IANUARY15. 

 OF Mechanical Engineers, at 8.-The Filtration and 

 of Water for Public Suj piv : |ohn Don. 



CONTENTS. P 



All About Water . 



Colour and Pigments 



The Atlas of Canada 



Animal Histology 



Indian Wild-fowl. By R. L 



Biochemical Monographs. F.y W. D. H 



Elementary Mathematics 



Two Speculative Contributions to Geology. By 

 J. W. G 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Adioff: " Das Geliiss des Menschen und der Anlhto- 

 pomorphen. Vergleichend-anatoniische Untersuch- 

 ungen. Zugleich ein Beilrag zur menschlichen 



Stainmgeschichte." — A. K 



"The Hope Reporls" 



d'Ocagne : " Calcul graphique et nomographie " . . 



Lipps : " MMhenliildung und Erkenntnis " 



Hadell: "The Old Yellow Book" 



Letters to the ttditor ; — 



On the I'.Iagnelic Action of Sun-spots. — Prof. Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S. . . 



Kew Records of ihe Itali.in Earthquake. (Illits- 



lrate<i.) — Oi. C. Chree, F.R.S 



The Commercial Products of India. — Sir George 



Watt, CLE 



The Isothermal Layer of the Atmosphere. — J. I. 



Ciaig; W. H. Dines, F.R.S 



Curinus Efl'ecl of Surface Ablation of a Glacier. 



{///;«/;-,rte/.)— Bernard Smith 



Moral Superiirity?—F. C. Constable 

 Surveying for Archaeologists. VI. [niuslrated.) By 



Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S 



Geodetic Surveys. By T. H. H 



The Role of Liquid Crystals in Nature. By 



G. H. F. S 



Mt:teorological Reports by Wireless Telegraphy 



The Italian Earthquake. By R. D. O 



Dr. George Gore, F.R.S. By G. A. S 



Prof. J. M. Peinter 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column :- 



Asirononiical Occurrences in January 



Comet Morehouse, 19081" 



The Total Sniar Eclipse of 1911 April 2% . . 



A Sixth Type of Stellar Specira 



The Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of 



America 



Spectroscopic Binaries 



The Variable Star U Geminorum 



The Heavens at a Glance 



Survivals of Pagan Beliefs among the Indians of 



South California 



Field Natural History. (Illtisimtcd.] 



Higher Education in London 



University and Educational Intelligence 



Societies and Academies 



Diary of Societies 



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279 

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28 I 



2S2 

 282 



283 



285 



286 

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294 

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29s 

 295 

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295 

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