43^ 



NA TURE 



[March 6, 1902 



For the analysis of objects in relief on porcelain ot a difierent 

 composition, advantage is taken of the action of a layer of drying 

 glycerine in removing the surface of porcelain or glass. — Search 

 for fatty acids in contaminated waters, by M. H. Causse. The 

 amounts of fatty acids present in a water are regarded by the 

 author as measuring the contamination, and methods are given 

 for separating and estimating the quantities of such acids present. 

 — The resistance of the red globules of the blood determined by 

 its electrical conductivity, by MM. Calugareanu and Victor 

 Henri. In the determination of the resistance of the red globules 

 of the blood, it is necessary to determine both the hxmoglobin 

 and the salts. This determination can be made with great pre- 

 cision by measuring the electric conductivity of the solutions. 

 The application of this method has shown that the red globules 

 may lose a part of their sails without any corresponding 

 change in their colouring-matter. — On the simultaneous 

 production of indoxyl and urea in the organism, by 

 M. Julius Gnezda. — On asphyxia by the gases of drains, by 

 M. Hanriot. Accidental cases of asphyxia in drains are usually 

 attributed in the text-books to the presence of sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. Analyses of the air in ventilated drains showed that 

 this gas was either absent or present in such small proportion as 

 to have no appreciable effect. In unventilated drains the 

 amounts were larger, "03 to '05 per cent., but still too small to 

 exert a poisonous action. The air in the unventilated drains 

 was irrespirable on account of the large amount of carbonic acid 

 present and the deficiency in oxygen, and hence no disinfectant 

 that might be proposed would meet the case. The only prac- 

 ticable means of rendering the air of a drain inoffensive is 

 energetic ventilation at the time the workmen are descending. — 

 On the germination of Onguekoa and Strombosia, by M. Edouard 

 Heckel. — On the tectonic of the neighbourhood of Biarritz, 

 Bidart and Villefranque, by M. Leon Bertrand. — On the exist- 

 ence of phenomena of overlapping in the subbetic zone, by M. 

 Rene Nickles. — A geological map of Bambouk, in the French 

 Soudan, on the scale of 1/250,000, by M. Alex. J. Bourdariat. — 

 -On the constitution of the suboceanic soil, by M. J. Thoulet. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDA Y, Makch 6. 

 RoVAL Society, at 4.^10.— On tlie Sp.irk Discharge from Metallic Poles 

 in Water: Sir Norman Lockyer, F. R.S.— E.vperimental Researches on 

 Drawn Steel. Part I. The Induence of Changes of Temperature on 

 Magnetism. Part II. Resistivity, Elasticity and Density, and the 

 Temperature Coefficients of Resistivity and Elasticity : J. R. Ashworth. 

 —On the Effects of Magnetisation on the Electric Conductivity of 

 Iron and Nickel: G. Barlow.— The Differential Equations of Fresnel's 

 Polarisation-Vector, with an Extension to the Case of Active Media : J. 

 Walker.— On a convenient Terminology for the various Stages of the 

 Malaria Parasite : Prof. E. Ray Lankester. F.R.S. 

 LiNNEAN SociETV, at 8.— On .some New Species of Lepadida; in the 

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

 the Brain in the Mammalia, with Sp^ ' ' ' 

 Recent and Extinct : Dr. G. Elliot Smilh. 



1 RoNTGEN Society, at 8.30.— Localisation ; with D 

 Simple Direct Reading Apparatus : 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-/*.tolu- 

 idine w.Nitrohenzalaniline and Benzal-"(-nitraniline, Part III. : F. E. 

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

 Ryffel.— w.-Nitrobenzoylc.-imphor : M. O. Forster and F. M. G. Mickle- 

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

 FRIDAY, March 7. 



>RovAL Institution, atg.- Radio-active^Bodies: Prof. H. Becquerel. 



• Geologists' Association, at 8 

 English Coast. III. Devonshi 



;ial Reference to the Lemurs, 

 nstration of 



Zones of the White Chalk of the 



SATURDAY, March 8. 

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



leieh, F.R.S. 

 Essex Fiflh Cluh (at Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford), at 

 6.30.— The Spiders of Epping Forest : Frank P. Smith.— Eolithic Imple. 

 ments from the Plateau Grave around Walderslade : J P. Johnson. 

 MONDAY, March 10. 

 Society of Chemical I ndustrv, at 8.— Birmingham Sewage and its Treat- 

 ment : F. R. O'Shaughnessy.— Remarks on Ihe Technical Examination 

 ofGlue: E.G. Clayton. u- , ,- j- • 



Roval Geooraimiical Society, at 8.30.— The Geographical Conditions 

 determining History and Religion in Asia Minor : Prof. W. M: Ramsay. 

 BociETV op Arts, at 8.— Photography applied to Illustration and Printing : 

 I. D. Geddes. 



TUESDAY, n\nCK \i- 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Recent Researches on Prolcclivc Resem- 

 blance, Warning Colours and Mimicry in Insects : Prof. E. B. Poulton, 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at i.—Pafer to be further discussed: 



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

 Aeronautical Society (Society of .^rts), at 8.— The Development of 



Aerial Navigation in Germany: Major W. L. Moedeb<;ck. — Balloon 



Photography ; Miss Gi 



Barton. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8.30.— A Colltction of Andamanese 



Objects, presented to the Museum, Royal Gardens, Kew, by P. Vaux. 



Esq. : Exhibited by Sir William Thiselton-Dyer. K.C.M.G , F.R.S.— 



The Nicobar Islanders ; Extracts from Diaries kept in Car Nicobar by 



V. Solomons, Esq., 1895-1Q00: Communicated by Col. R. C. Temple, 



CLE. 



WEDNESDAY, March 12. 

 Society of Arts, at 3.— The Utility of Alkaline Phospbatic Manures: 



J. Hughes. 

 Geological Society, at 8— The Crystalline Limestones of Ceylon: 



A. K. Coomdra-Swimy. — Researches among some of the Proterozoic 



Gasteropoda which have been referred to Murchisonia and Pleurotomaria, 



with Descriptions of New Species : Miss Jane Donald. 

 THURSDAY. March 13. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.— Croonian Lecture on the Physico-Chemical 



Properties of Haemoglobin, its Compounds and Derivatives : Prof. A. 



Gamgee, F.R.S. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Adjourned discussion 



on the following papers :— Electric Shock and Legislation thereon : 



Major-General C. E. Webber, C.B., R.E.-Electric Shocks; F. B. 



Aspinall— Electric Shocks at 500 volts : A. P. Trotler. 

 Mathematical Shcietv, at 5.30.— The Theory of Cauchy's Principal 



values(lIL); Mr. G H. Hardy.— The Solutions of a System of Linear 



Congruences: Rev. J. Cullen. 

 SociETV of Arts (Indian Section), at 4.30.— The Indian Famine of 1899, 



and the Measures laken to meet It : T. W. Holderness. 

 FRIDAY, March 14. 

 Royal Institution, at 9.— M.-ignetism in Transitu: Prof. S. P. 



Thompson, F.R.S. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. 

 Malacological Society, at 8. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— The Use of Long Steel Wires 



in Surveying : H. J. Deane. 



rude Bacon.— The Barton Airship : Dr. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Voyage of the " Valdivia." By L. A. B. . . . 409 



Chemical Analysis. By F. M. P 410 



The Movements of the Foot and Wrist. By A. K. 411 

 Our Book Shelf :— 



Klein und Kiecke : " Ueber angewandte Mathematik 

 und I'hysik in ihrer Bedeutung fur den Unterricht 

 an den hoheren Schulen. Nebst Erlauterung der 

 beziiglichen Gbttinger Universitiitseinrichtungen." 



_M • 412 



Hay ward : "The Ethical Philosophy of Sidgwick. 



A. E. T 412 



Thompson : " On Traces of an Indefinite Article in 



Assyrian" u' '*'" 



"Sir Thomas Browne's Notes and Letters on the 



Natural History of Norfolk."— R. L 412 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Botany by Indian Foresters.— Prof. W. R. Fisher . 413 

 Cherry Disease.— William Carruthers, F.R.S. ; 



Sir W. T. Thiselton Dyer, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. 413 

 Identity of Negative Ions Produced in Various Ways. 



John S. Townsend 4'3 



The Recent Fall of Red Dust.— Clement Reid, 



F.R.S 4>4 



The Validity of the lonisation Theory.— Dr. H. M. 



Dawson • • 4'4 



Birds att.acking Butterflies and Moths. — F. Finn ; 



Dr. Ad. Nicolas 415 



On Prof. Arrhenius' Theory of Cometary Tails and 



Aurora-. — Dr. J. Halm ^ \' *^^ 



Experimental Geometry in Secondary Schools.— C. A. 



Rumsey 4'6 



The Zodiacal Light.— V. Admiral J. P. Maclear . 416 

 Contributions to Anatomical Journals. — Prof. Alex. 

 Macalister, F.R.S. ; the Writer of the 



Review . 4l6 



Further Developments in Wireless Telegraphy. 



(Ilh.slrale.l.) By M. S . • ^16 



The Metropolitan Hospitals and Vivisection . . 417 



The Proposed British Academy 4i*> 



Notes. (Iiliislraled) 419 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Spectrum of the Chromosphere , 423 



Photographic Determination of Longitude 423 



Indian Surveys 424 



Milroy Lectures on Typhoid Fever ..... . 424 



Evolution and its Teaching. By Captain F. W. 



Hutton, F.K.b 42s 



University and Educational Intelligence 427 



Scientific Serial 425 



Societies and Academies. (Illustrated.) 42» 



' Diary of Societies 432 



NO. 1688, VOL. 65] 



