48o 



NA TURE 



[February i8, 1909 



the nutrition of plants. — The combinations of gold with 

 bromine : Fernand Meyer. The final product of the action 

 of excess of bromine on gold is pure AuBr,. This is 

 soluble in bromine and volatile in an atmosphere of bromine 

 at about 300° C. At temperatures at which AuBrj dis- 

 sociates, two bromides only appear to exist, AuBr, and 

 AuBr, the dissociation curves of which have been studied. 

 There is no evidence of the existence of AuBr,. — The 

 coking power of coals : O. Boudouard. Coal was 

 extracted with various organic solvents, of which only one, 

 pyridine, dissolved an appreciable amount. The coking 

 power of the extracted coal was unaffected. — Indigoid 

 colouring matters derived from phenyl-isoxazolone : A. 

 Wahl. — The chemical composition of colloidal silver : G. 

 Rebiere. .A study of the electrical conductivity of solu- 

 tions of colloidal silver prepared by Bredig's method leads 

 to the conclusion that a part of the silver is in solution 

 as oxide, or possibly carbonate. — The fertilisation of the 

 poppy flower : Paul Becquerel. — The presence of amylase 

 in old seeds : MM. Brocq-Rousseu and Edmond Gain. 

 Wheat, fifty years old and incapable of germination, still 

 contains diastases capable of transforming starch into 

 sugar. — The gastric digestion of human milk and asses' 

 milk : Louis Gaucher. The casein of these milks 

 resembles that of cows' milk in not being peptonised in 

 the stomach. Their great digestibility is due to the casein 

 forming very small clots in the case of human milk, or a 

 clot very easily broken up in the milk of the ass. — Parasitic 

 protozoa of the intestine of the lobster : L. Legrer and 

 O. Ouboscq. — The regeneration of the anterior part of 

 the body in the Chetoptera : Ch. Gravier. — Some 

 Plumulariida- of the British Museum collection : .Xrmand 

 Billard. — .\ new protozoa from Ctenodactyhis goiidi : 

 C. Nicolle and L. Manceaux. — The chemical treatment 

 of bile. The separation of the biliary acids : M. Piettre. 

 — The hypotensive action of d'.Arsonvalisation in per- 

 manent arterial hypertension : M. Letulle and A. 

 Moutier. The arterial pressure in these experiments was 

 measured for each case with two independent instruments 

 of different construction ; the figures obtained were prac- 

 tically identical. The treatment with high-frequency 

 current always caused a reduction in the arterial pressure. 

 — .Antimony in syphilis : Paul Salmon. .Antimony in the 

 form of tartar emetic is of service in the cure of syphilis, 

 but in certain cases there is a rapid relapse. — The geology 

 of Ag6ou^ : M. Arsandaux. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSnAV. FtuRUiiRv iS. 



RovAL SociF.TV, 3(4.30.— On ihe O'sni.lic Pressures of Calcium Ferro- 

 cyanide Solutions, Part II., Weak Solutions: Earl of Berkeley, F.R.S., 

 E. G. J. Hartley and J. Stephenson.— On the Spontaneous Crvstallisalion 

 of Monochloracetic Acid and its Mixtures with Naphthalene : Prof. H. A. 

 Miers, F.R.S.. and Miss F. Isaac— .Xn Apparatus for Measurements of 

 the Defining Power of Objectives : J. de G. Hunter.— On Best Conditions 

 for Photographic Enlargement of Small Solid Objects: A. Mallock, F.R..S. 



RovAL Institution, at 3.— Problems of Geographical Distribution in 

 Mexico: Dr. Hans Gadow, F.R.S. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8.— Discussion on Alternation of Generations: 

 opened by Dr. W. H. Lang. 



FRIDAY, February .9. 



Royal Institution, at g.-Recent Advances in Means of Saving Life in 

 Coal Mines: Sir Henry Cunynghame, K.C.B. 



Institution of Mechanical Engini 

 —Further disnission .-The Filtratio; 

 Supply : John Don. 



Institution of Civil Enginefrs, e 

 Practice : Dr. W. C. Unwin, F.R.S, 



MONDAY. Feiiruarv 22. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Modern Methods <f .Arlificiar Illumina- 

 tion : Leon Gaster. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— A Recent Journey Across; 

 Northern Arabia : Captain S. S. Butler. 



Institute of .^ctuauies, at 5.— Some Financial and Statistic.-il Con- 

 siderations of the Old Age Pension Scheme : Vyvyan Marr. 

 TUESDAY, February 23. 



Royal Institution, at 3,— The Evolution of the Brain as an Organ of 



t 8.— Standardisation in Engii 



Mil 



of Ma 



1 Sturgf!. 

 VII. Eng 

 Steam-Turbin 



—Ma 



Prof. F. W. Mott, F.R.S 

 Royal Anthropological Instt 

 Period : W. All 



EER5. at 8. — Further discussion : The Di 

 S.J. K^^A.—Prolialile Paper: Some 



Glacial 



Mo 



i-handling and Storing Applii 



Millvvall Docks 



WEDNESDA Y, February 24. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— Hand-made Papers of Different Periods 

 Clayton Beadle and Henry P. Stevens. 



Geological Society, at 8. — Palaeolithic Implements, &c., from Hackpen 

 Hill, Wintcrbourne Bassett, and Knowle Farm Pit (Wiltshire): Rev. 

 H. G. O. Kendall.— On the Karroo System in Northern Rhodesia, and 

 its Relation to the General Geology : A. J. C. Molyneux.— On Coal-Balls 

 from Japan : Dr. Marie C. Slopes. 



Bki- 



. at = 



XO. 2051, VOL. 79] 



Society of Dyers and Colou 

 from the Aminosulphonamide! 

 Micklethwaite. 



THURSDAY, February 25. 



Royal Society, at 4,30.— /"joiai/s Papers: The Statistical Form of the 

 Curve of Oscillalion for the Radiation emitted by a Black Body : Prof. 

 H.A.Wilson, F.R.S— The Flight of a Rifled Projectile in Air: Prof. 

 J. B. Henderson.— On the Cross breedinsr of Two Races of the Moth 

 Acidalia virgularia : L. B. Prout and A. Bacot. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Problems of Geographical Distribution in 

 Mexico : Dr. Hans Gadoiv, F.R.S. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30. — The Bhuddist and Hindu Architecture 

 of India : Prof. A. A. Macdonell. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8, — Further discussion : The 

 Use of Large Gas Engines for Generating Power : L. .Andrews and R. 

 Porter. 



FRIDAY, February 26. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Osmotic Phenomena, and the 

 Physical Interpretation : Prof. H. L. Callendar, F.R.S. 



Physical Society (at Finsbury Technical College, Leonard Stri 



Road, E.G.), at 5. — .\ Laboratory Machine lor applying Bending and 

 Twisting Moments simultaneously: Prof. Coker. -On the Self-demagnet- 

 ising Factor of Bar Magnets : Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, F.R.S., .and 

 E. \1. Moss.— Exhibition of Optical Properties of Combinations of Mica 

 and Selenite Films (after Reusch and others) in Convergent Polarised 

 Light : Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, K.R.S.— Exhibition of Apparatus: 

 C. R. Darling. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Standardisation in Engineering 

 Practice: Dr. W. C. Unwin. F.R.S. 



SATURDAY. February 27, 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Properties ot Matter : Sir J. J. Thomson, 

 F.R.S. 



iMode 



Citv 



CONTENTS, P.4GE 



Applied Physiology of the Circulation 451 



Justus von Liebig. By Dr. T. E. Thorpe, C.B., 



F.R.S .452 



The Construction of Ships. By Sir W. H. White, 



K.C.B. , F.R.S 454 



Heredity and Education 455 



Recent Studies in Atmospheric Electricity. By Dr. 



C. Chree, F.R.S 455 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Benett : " The Ethical Aspects of Evolution, regarded 



as the Parallel Cirowth of Opposite Tendencies ' . 456 

 Wall : " The Poisonous Terrestrial Snakes of our 

 British Indian Dominions and how to recognise 



Them."— R. L 456 



"Gray's New Manual of Botany" 457 



Upward : " The New Word " ; Marques : " Scientific 

 Corroborations of Theosophy : a \'indication of the 

 Secret Doctrine by the Latest Discoveries" . . . 457 

 Letters to the Kditor : — 



The Boiling Point of the Radium Emanation. — Prof. 



E. Rutherford, F.R.S 457 



Crocodiles and Tsetse-flies. — Prof. E. A. Minchin . 458 

 The Pioduction of Prolonged Apnoea in Man. — Dr. 



H. M. Vernon 458 



The Isothermal Layer of the Atmosphere. — W. H. 



Dines, F.R.S. 459 



Barometric Oscillation. — C. Braak 459 



Electrons and .\iainic Weights.^ — Alfred Sang . , . 459 

 Further Antarctic Results. {Illustrated.) By Prof. 



J. W. Gregory, F.R.S 460 



Irrigation in Egypt 462 



Electrochemical Industry. By F. M. P 463 



Notes 464 



Our Astionomical Column : — 



Interaction of Sun-s]),ots 469 



Distribution of the Stars 469 



Jupiter's Seventh and Eighth Satellites 469 



The Anomalies of Ke/raction 469 



The Story of the Telescope 469 



Regional and Stratigraphical Geology. (Illustrated.) 



By G. A. J. C. 470 



A Remarkable Development in X-ray Apparatus . . 472 



Recent Papers on Marine Animals 472 



Meaning and Method of Scientific Research. By 



Dr. L. A, Bauer . 473 



University and Educational Intelligence 477 



Societies and Academies 478 



Diary of Societies 480 



