4o8 



NA TURE 



Ll'EBKUARV 27, 1902 



Ilerlziati oscillations, by M. Cliarles Nordmann. Tlie trans- 

 parencies for ihe waves vary in the same sense as their resist- 

 ances, increasing less rapidly than a direct proportion, but more 

 rapidly than in proportion to their square roots. — The conduc- 

 tivity of liquid dielectrics under the influence of the radium and 

 Kontgen rays, by M. 1'. Curie. Under the action of the 

 radium rays there is a marked increase of electrical conductivity 

 in liquid dielectrics, and on replacing the radium rays with the 

 Kontgen rays, effects of a similar order are observed. The mag- 

 nitude of the increase of conductivity observed under the action 

 of the lays varies greatly with the liquid used, from 20 x lo"''' 

 mhos per c.c. in the case of carbon bisulphide to I '3 lo"''' 

 mhos per c.c. for liquid air. — Molecular fieUls of force, by M. S. 

 Leduc. — A second quarter of meteorological observations at 

 Quito, by M. F. Gonnessiat. — On praseodidyinium chloride, by 

 M Camille .Matignon.|The anhydrous chloride can be obtained 

 from the crystallised PiCl;;,7lI.jO by heating in a current of 

 hydrogen chloride at 185° C. Thermochemical data are given 

 for the heats of solution of the various hydrated chlorides. — On 

 the diapedesis of leucocytes charged with lecithin, and on the 

 absorption of the lecithin by the vascular endothelium, by MM. 

 II. Stassano and F. Billon. — Comparison of the egg-laying 

 capacity of fowls fed on meat and on grain, by M. Frederic 

 Iloussay. It was found that on a meat diet there was a marked 

 increase both in the number of eggs produced and also in the 

 average weight of the egg obtained. — On the evolution of 

 stolonial formations in Syllidians, by M. G. Pruvot. — On two 

 caoutchouc-bearing plants of Indo-China, by M. Gustave 

 Ouintaret. — On the origin and the differentiation of the vascular 

 meristem of the petiole, by M. Bouygues. — New observations on 

 the Taui^kiii du Miiiabt' (Meitabea vciwiia/a) and on its toxic 

 and medicinal root, by M. Edouard Heckel. — On the properties 

 of the reflection fringes of silvered plates, by M. Maurice Hsmy. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAV. February =7. 



Royal Society, at 4.3o.~Notc on ihe Discovery of a New Trypano- 

 soma: Lieut -Colonel David Hruce, R.A.M.C, F.R.S.— The Bakerian 

 Lecture will be delivered by Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., on the Law of the 

 Pressure of Gases. 



Society of Arts at 4.30 —The Industrial Development of India : 

 Nilkanth B. Wagle. 



Lnstitution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Electric Shock and 

 Legislation thereon: Major-General C. E. Webber, C.B., R.E. -Electric 

 Shocks : F. B. Aspinall.— Electric Shocks at 500 volts (illustrated by a 

 Demonstration of 500 volts): A. P. Trotter. 



FRIDAY, February 28. 

 RovAi Institution, at 9.— Gold Miniog in Klondyke : Prof. H. A 



Miers. F.R.S. 

 Physical Society, at 5.-(i) On Focal Lines and Anchor ring Wave- 

 ftonts : (2) Contributions to the Theory of the Resolving Power of 

 Objectives: Prof. J. D.Everett, F.R.S —The Absorption, Dispersion, 

 and Surface-colour of Selenium : Prof. R. W. Wood. 

 Institution ofCivil Engineers, at 8.— Indicating High-Speed Steam- 

 Engines: A. M. Arter. 



SATURDAY, March j. 

 . Royal Institution, at 3.— Some Electrical Developments: Lord Ray- 

 leigh, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, March 3. 

 Society of Arts, at 8.— Photography .ipplied to Illustration and Printing 

 J. D. Geddes, 

 ^Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— The Physical History of the New Ze.-iland 

 .Fjords: J. Malcolm Maclaren. 



TUESDA y, March 4. 

 KovAL Institution, at 3.— The Temperature of the Atmosphere: its 



Changes and their Causes : W. N.Sh.-iw, F.R.S. . . 



Society of Arts, at 8.— Structural Colour Decoration of the Interior ot 



Public Buildings: G.C. Horslev. u f a ■ 1 ir 



Zoological Society, at 8.3o.-Exhibmon of Photographs of Anim.tl- ife 

 in the Egyptian Soud.an : E. N. Buxton.— On .ihe Origin of Pearls ; 

 Dr. H. Lyster Jameson— On the Organ of Jacobson in the Elephant- 

 Shrew (Macroscelides) : Dr. R. Broom. , , , J. 

 Institution of Civil ENGiNEERs,ai i.—Pafcr to be further discussed : 

 Electrical Traction on Railways: W. M. Mordey and B. M. Jenkin. 

 WEDNESDAY, March 5- 

 S^cibtvofArts, at 8.-Sound Signals: E.Price Edwards. 

 liNTOMOLOGICAL SociF.TV, at 8.- On Mr. Gliy A. k. Marshall si'ive 

 Years' Experiments and Observations in Mimicry and W.-irning l^olours 

 in South African Insects: Prof Edward B. Poulton, F.R.S., with an 

 \pDendix by W. L. Dist.%nt and Colo.iel C. T. Bingham.— Notes on 

 ^omc Cases of Sexual Dimorphism in Butterflies ; with an Account of 

 Experiments made by Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall : Dr. Frederick A^ 

 Dixey.-A Monograph of the Genus Acrida, with Notes of some Allied 

 Genera, and Descriptions of New Species : Malcolm Burr.-(a) Notes 

 on H.-\w.iian Wasps, with Descriptions of New Species; (/■) I'our New 

 Species and a New Genus of Par.isitic Hymenoplera (Ichneumonida:) 

 from the Hawaian Islands; (<:) On ihe Generic Characters of Hawaian 

 Crabronida; : Four New Genera Characterised : R. C. L. Perkins. 

 Society OF Public Analysts, at 8. 



THURSDAY, March 6. 



Royal Society, xi ^.■\o.—/r,tiitb/e Pa/ers: On the Sp.ark D^(;harge 

 from Metallic Poles in Water: Sir Norman Luckyer, F.R.S —Experi- 

 mental Researches on Drawn Steel. Part I. The liiHuence of Changes 

 of Temperature on Magnetism. Part 'II. Resistivity, Elasticity and 

 Density, and the Temperature CoclTicients of Resistivity and Elasticity : 

 J. R. Ashwonh.— On the Effects of Magnetisation on ihc Electric Con- 

 ductivity of Iron and Nickel: G. Barlow.— The Dilferenlial Equations 

 of Fresnel's Folarisationveclor, with an Extension to the Case of Active 

 Media : J. Walker. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8.— On some New Species of Leii.adid.-i.- in the 

 British Museum (Nat. Hist ): Prof. A. Gruvel.-On the Morphology of 

 the Brain in the Mammalia, with Special Reference to the Lemurs, 

 Recent and Extinct : Di. G. EHiot Smith. 



RoNTCEN Society, at 8.30.— Localisation ; with Demonstration of a 

 Simple Direct Reading App.-iratus : Dr. Barry Blacker. 



Chemical Society, at 8— The Slow Oxidation of Methane at Low 

 Temperatures: W. A. Bone and R. V. Wheeler— Isomeric Additive 

 Compounds of Dibenzyl Ketone and Deoxybenzoin with Benzal-/-lolu- 

 dine, m-Nitrobcnzalaniline and Benzal-m nitr.-inilire. Part III.; F. E. 

 Francis.— Mesoxalic Simi-Aldehyde : H. J. H. Fenton and J. H. 

 Ryffel.— «.-Nilrobenzoylcamphor : M. O. Forster and F. M. G. Mickle- 

 thwait.— Picrimidothiocarbonic Esters: J. C. Crocker. 

 FRIDAY, March 7. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Radio-aclive Bodies ; Prof. H. Becquerel. 



Geologists' Association, at 8. — The Zones of the White Chalk of the 

 English Coast. III. Devonshire : Dr. A. W. Rowe. 

 SATURDAY, March 8. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Some Electrical Developments : Lord Ray- 

 leigh, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



British Geography 3S5 



The Book of the Dead 3S7 



Fossil Fishes in the British Museum. By G. A. B. 38S 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Grace: " Tales of a Dying Race" 3S9 



Liebmann : " Lehrbuch der Differentialgleichungen." 



— M 389 



Burnside and Panton : " The Theory of Equations : 

 with an Introduction to the Theory of Binary Alge- 

 braic Forms " 39° 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Note on Electric Charging and Discharging at a Dis- 

 tance. — Hertha Ayrton 39° 



The Origin of the .Scale of Fahrenheit's Thermometer. 



—Gilbert S. Ram 39° 



The Inheritance of Mental Characters.— Prof. Karl 



Pearson, F.R.S 39i 



The Colours of Wings in Butterflies.- \V. B. Croft 391 

 Birds attacking Butterflies and Moths. — Lilian J. 



■Veley; John Hartley Durrant 392 



The Severn Bore. — E. 'W, Prevost 392 



Beautiful Birds. — Edmund Selous ; F. E. B. . . 392 



King Og's Bed. -Rev. O. Fisher 392 



The Royal Society and the Proposed Academy . . 393 

 Position and Promise of Wireless Telegraphy. By 



M. S. . . . ■ -W 



Prof. I. V. Mushketoff. By P. K 395 



Notes 395 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in March 4°° 



Observations of 900 Double and Multiple Stars . . . 4°° 



Ob.servations of 194 "™l'l>: •'^'*" ^oo 



Radio-Activity and the Electron Theory, [lllus- 



traleJ.) By Sir 'William Crookes, F. R.b 4C0 



The Milroy Lectures on Typhoid Fever 403 



'Vessels with Tuibine Mashinery 403 



Mechanical Ventilators for Mines 404 



University and Educational Intelligence 404 



Scientific Serial ■''^•* 



Societies and Academies 4^5 



Diary of Societies 4°^ 



NO. 16S7, VOL. 65] 



