96 



NATURE 



[November 28, 1901 



of coolinp; of a blackened ball, llie temperatures being measured 

 by means of a thermocouple. The rate of cooling was taken 

 over the ranges 302" to o' C, I74''3 to -79°'2C. and 15° to 

 - l82'''5 C, and the pxperimental values compared with those 

 calculated from the formuhi; of Dulong and Petit, Stefan and 

 Weber. The formula of Ijulong and Petit was found to apply 

 roughly only between o' and 200', that of Stefan covered the 

 whole range from the boiling-point of liquid air to 302% whilst 

 the formula of Weber does not apply at low temperatures, but 

 for the range 100° to 302" it has the advantage over Stefan's 

 formula. — On the combinations of gold and chlorine, by M. 

 Fernand Meyer. Gold was converted completely into the 

 chloride AuCf, by the action of liquid chlorine in a sealed tube 

 at 70' C. The dissociation of this pure chloride into AuCI and 

 do was then studied, and also the dissociation of AuCl into 

 chlorine and gold. No indication was obtained of the existence 

 of a chloride of gold intennediate between AuCI^ and 

 AuCl. — On dioxyi.sopropylhypophosphorous acid, by JI. C. 

 Marie. A study of one of the three acids obtained by the 

 action of hypophosphorous acid upon acetone. The acid 

 is monobasic, and from its analysis and the fact that it 

 forms diacetyl and dibenzoyi derivatives it is assumed 

 to have the constitution [(CH3).,(OH).C].,PO(OH).— 

 The action of some acid chlorides upon the sodium derivatives 

 of methyl and ethyl acetoacetates, by M. Bongert. Details of 

 the compounds obtained by the action of propionyl chloride 

 and butyryl chloride upon ethyl acetoacetate, and of isovaleryl 

 chloride and caproyi chloride upon methyl acetoacetate. — The 

 oxidation of unsaturated alcohols by contact action ; the pre- 

 paration of vanillin, by M. A. Trillar. The vapours of the 

 alcohols mixed with air are submitted to the action of a hot 

 platinum spiral. " Allyl alcohol gave 5 per cent, of its weight of 

 acrolein, cinnamic alcohol gave the corresponding aldehyde 

 and isoeugenol gave vanillin. Eugenol gave the same product. 

 — The spermatocyte divisions and chromosome special to the 

 Orthoptera, by M. R. de Sinety. — The blue and green color- 

 ations in the skin of the vertebrates, by MM. Camichel and 

 Mandoul. It has been known for some time that the blue 

 coloration of the skin in certain vertebrates is not due to a 

 blue but a black pigment ; green skins contain two pigments, 

 black and yellow. A study of these coloured skins with the 

 spectrophotometer shows that there is a complete analogy 

 between these and the phenomena exhibited by turbid media, 

 the curves obtained from .skin and from artificial turbid media 

 such as lampblack and Chinese ink being absolutely similar. — 

 The relation between the liver, skin and hair from the point of 

 view of the pigments and iron, by M. B. Floresco. — The 

 influence of the ingestion of wine on the development of tuber- 

 culosis, by M. L. Roos. From experiments made with guinea- 

 pigs the author concludes that there is no reason to suppose 

 that the ingestion of alcohol in the form of wine accelerates the 

 course of tuberculosis. — The formation of pearls and their 

 " diseases," by M. S. Jourdain. — The mea.surement of the blood 

 pressure in lunatics, by MM. Ed. Toulouse and N. Vaschide. 

 It is shown that there is a distinct connection between the 

 blood pressure and mental troubles ; there is also a change in the 

 blood pressure corresponding to different states of the same 

 patient. — A mechanical theory of visiim, by M. Antoine Pizon. 

 — An anatomical comparison between grafting, the removal of 

 the heads of buds and annular decortication, by M. L. Daniel. 

 — On chlorophyll assimilation in autumn, by M. Jean Friedel. — 

 On the mica .schists, gneiss, amphibolites and green rocks of 

 the schists of the western Alps, by M. Pierre Termier. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, NovEMiiER 28. 

 RovAL Society, at 4.:(o.— MicrocrysLilliin: Structure of Platinum: T. 



Andrews, F.R.S.— A Coinpiir.-itive Study of the Spcclra, Densities and 



Melting Points of some Groups of KIcmenIs, and of the Relation of 



Properties to Atomic Mass ; H. RamaRe.— On the Properties of the 



Arterial and Venous Walls : Prof. J. A. MacWilliam.— The Development 



of Echmus csculenlus : Prof. E W. MacBride. 

 Institution of Klectbical Engineers, at 8. 



MOXDAY, Decemiikk 2. 

 Society op Arts, at 8.— The Chemistry of Confectioners' Materials and 



Processes : William Jago. . 



Imi'Icriai. Institute, at 8.30.— Planters and Plantmg in Tropical Greater 



Britain : R .Hedger Wallace. 

 .Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— The Lemon Oil Industry: 



Herbert K. Burgess and J. F. Child.— The Separation of Materials of 



Different Specific Gravity : J. W. Hinchley. 



TUESDA Y. December 3. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30.— On the Myriapoda collected during the 



" Skeat Expedition " to the Malay Peninsula, 1899-1900: F. G.Sinclair.— 



NO. 1674, VOL. 65] 



On the Crustacea collected during the " Skeat I^xpcdition " to the Malay 

 Peninsula, 1899-1900: W. F. 1-aiichester. — On the Anatomy and Sys- 

 tematic Position of Rhynchaca : F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Paper to t/e further discussed; 

 Train ResisL-ince : J. A. F. Aspinall. 



Afronautical SociETV, at 8. — Aerial Navigation by the Body heavier 

 than Air : Sir Hiram Maxim.— Atmospheric Currents : William Marriott. 

 — Navigable Balloons, and the Scientific Aspects of M. Santos Dumont's 

 Experiments : Eric Stuart Bruce. 



WEDNESDAY, December 4. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — The Identification of Wcod and its Application 

 to Scientific and Commercial Purposes : Herbert Stone. 



Geological Society, at 3.— On a New Genus belonging to the Leperdit- 

 ida;, from the Cambrian Shales of Malvern : Prof T. T. Groom.— The 

 Sequence of the Cambrian and Associated Beds of the Malvern Hills : 

 Prof. T. T. Groom, with an Appendix by C. A. Malley. 



Entomological Society, at 8. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8. 



THURSDAY, Decembers. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The New Trade Route to Persia by Nushk 

 and Seistan : Edward Penton. 



LiNNEAN SociETV, at 8. — On the Foraminifera collected round the Funa- 

 futi Atoll from Shallow and Moderately Deep Water, with Notes on New 

 Species from the Sands of ihe Reef Slope : F. Chapman.— Protoplasmic 

 Connections in the Lichens : Ur. J. H. Salter.— Exhibition : Ten Abnormal 

 Sacra of the Frog: Dr. A. G. Ridewood. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— Influence of Substitution on the Formation of 

 and amino-azo-compounds : G. T. Morgan. — The Dc- 

 of Av.ailable Plant Food in Soils by the Use of Dilute 

 : A D. Hall and E. J. Plymen.— Some New Derivatives of 

 Gallic Acid : E. B. Power and E. Shedden. 



FRIDAY, December 6. 



Geologists' Association, at 8.— Notes on a Recent Visit to Egypt: 

 Dr. C. W. Andrews. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Gas-Engine Construction: 

 R. W. A. Brewer. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Public Health Administration in America 73 



The Correspondence of Huygens. ByJ. L. E. D. . 74 



Elementary Botany 75 



Truth and Error in Von KoUiker. ByJ. A. T. . . . 76 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Poore : " A Treatise on Medical Jurisprudence." — 



F. W. T 77 



Meyer : " Ueber Museen des Ostens der Vereinigten 



Staaten von Amerika ; Reisestudien." — R. L. - • 77 

 Barber : " The Mechanical Triumphs of the Ancient 



Egyptians " ■■ ^ 7° 



Botirlet : " Cours de Mathematiques a I'usage des 

 ElevesArchitectes et Ingenieurs Professe a I'Ecole 



des Beaux-Arts " _■ 7^ 



Kelsey : " Physical Determinations." — S. S. . . .78 

 " Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society."— A. E. T. 78 



(}roos: " The Play of Man " 78 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Red (C) Line of Hydrogen and the Zeeman 



Eftect.— Lord BIythswood and H. S. Allen . . 79 

 On the I'robability that the Son of a very highly gifted 

 Father will be no less Gifted than Himself. — Dr. 



Francis Galton, F.R.S 79 



Pigments ofNudibranchiateMoUusca.— Prof. T. D. A. 



Cockerell 79 



The Ash Constituents of some Lakeland Leaves. — 



Dr. P. Q. Keegan So 



Note on a Point of Chemical Nomenclature.— Prof. 



Alfred Senier 80 



Does Man use his Arms in Locomotion ?— Basil W. 



Martin So 



Celebration of the Jubilee of M. Berthelot ... So 



Berthelot, and the Metals of Antiquity. By Dr. J. H. 



Gladstone, F.RS S2 



The Use of the Wire Saw for Quarrying. (ll/uslnileJ.) 84 



Notes ^5 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Astronomical Occurrences in December 89 



Leonid Meteors, November, 1901 89 



Motion of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter 89 



Preliminary Investigation of the Diameter of Mars . . 9° 



DLllnitive Orbit Elements of Comet 1S99 I 9° 



The Chemistry of the Albumins 9° 



Scope and Functions of Museums. By Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.R.S 91 



University and Educational Intelligence 92 



Scientific Serial 93 



Societies and Acaderoits 93 



Diary of Societies 96 



