528 



NA TURB 



[April 3, 1902 



given in detail, this staphylococcus is always accompanied by 

 other microorganisms, in one case a streptococcus, in another 

 a Batttriiim <oli, and in another a short bacillus as yet un- 

 determined.— Remarks relating to the demonstration of the 

 therapeutic properties of the methylarsenate of soda, by M. 

 Armand Gautier. Remarks on a communication on this sub- 

 ject by M. Mouneyrat.— The extension of Lagrange's theorem 

 to viscous liquids and the conditions at the limits, by M. 1'. 

 Duhem. The theorem of Lagrange, extended to viscous- 

 liquids, is incompatible with the conditions that liquids ought to 

 verify along solid walls. — The direct hydrogenation of the 

 oxides of carbon in presence of various finely divided metals, by 

 MM. Paul Sabatier and J. B. Senderens. If in the reaction 

 between nickel, carbon monoxide and hydrogen the temperature 

 is raised much above 250° C. , a certain proportion of carbon 

 dioxide is always found among the products, which at 380" C. , 

 may amount to as much as. 10 per cent, of the whole. The 

 effect of replacing nickel by other metals was then examined.. 

 With cobalt the reaction proceeds exactly as with nickel, without;; 

 any secondary reactions. Neither platinum, pallaJium, iron/ 

 nor copper gives rise to any methane under similar conditions. 

 — On a theorem of I-'robenius, by M. de Scguier. — On commu-f- 

 tative homogeneous linear differential expressions, by M. George 

 "VVallenburg. — Oscillations peculiar to a network of conductors 

 in electrical distribution, by M. J. B. Pomey. — On forces which 

 act on a cathode tlux placed in a magnetic field, by M. II. 

 Pellat. — Hertzian waves in storms, by M. Firmin Larroque. ; 

 In examining the effect of very distant storms, it was 

 found that the suppression of the horizontal plate in the' 

 apparatus rendered the system inert, but that the suppression of 

 the vertical portion of the apparatus had no effect upon the 

 sensibility of the apparatus. The electrical oscillations are 

 therefore horizontal. If the storm was not so distant, less than . 

 300 kilometres, the inverse effect was generally observed. — : 

 Contribution to the study of sounding pipes, by M. C. Mai-: 

 tt-zos. — The specific heat of bodies at the absolute zero, by M., 

 Ponsot. The author deduces by thermodynaniical reasoning 

 that at the absolute zero two systems of solid bodies comprising 

 the same elements have the same specific heat, and discusses 

 several particular cases. — On the boiling-point of selenium and 

 on some other pyrometric constants, by M. Daniel Berthelot. 

 The measurements were carried out by the interference method 

 previously described, the necessary uniformity in heating being 

 achieved by the use of an electrically heated flickel spiral. The 

 boiling-point of selenium was found to be 690° C, or 25° higher 

 than that hitherto admitted. — On the thermal equivalent of 

 dissociation and of vaporisation, and on the heat of solidification 

 of ammonia, by M. de Korcrand. — On a monosodium acid 

 orthophosphate, by M. II. Giran. It has been supposed from 

 the experiments of Zettnow that the crystals which cover the 

 sticks cf commercial metaphosphoric acid were a variety of 

 orthophosphoric acid. It is now shown that these crystals con- 

 sist of a sodium salt of the composition NaH5(POj)._,. — On ses- 

 quisodium phosphate, by M. J. B. Senderens. The sodium 

 phosphate described as new by M. Joulie in a recent paper in 



■the Com pies rendtts was discovered in 1882 by MM. Filhol and 

 Senderens. — The action of the halogen ethers on the sulpho- 



■carbonic compounds of secondary amines, by M. Marcel 



I>elepine. — On some new compounds of methylene, by M. 



Blarcel Dcscude. In presence of zinc chloride, trioxymethylene 

 condenses readily with acid chlorides, the products being ob- 

 tained of the types R.COO.CH.,CI and(R.CO.O).;CIL. A list 

 of new compounds prepared by this reaction is appended. — Cane 

 sugar in the food reservesof phanerogams, by M. Em. liourquelot. 

 ^On the digestion of the mannane of the tubercles of orchids, 

 by M. H. Ilerissey. The mannane of the tubercles of orchids 

 can, like the albumens, be transformed into mannose by the 

 action of soluble ferments present in the plant.— The action of 

 sulphurous acid as an antidote against la easse in wines, by 



. M. J. Laborde. It has been shown that the destructive action 

 of the oxydase on the red colouring matter in wine, the di.sease 

 known as /a cass<;, can be prevented by the addition of sul- 

 phurous acid. It is here shown that the contact "f sulphurous 

 acid and the oxydase alone is not sufficient to destroy the 

 oxydase, and that it is the oxygen of the air which a|)pears to 

 be the principal agent of destruction in this case. — On the 

 geological section of the massif of the Simplon, by M. Maurice 

 Lugeon. — On the fragments of pumice found on the ocean 

 floor, by M. J. Thoulet. — On radiometry and its application to 

 pelvimetry, by M. Th. GuiUoz. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY. Apbii. ,. 

 RoNTGEN Society, at 8.30.— X-Ray Diagnosis of Renal Calculus : Dr. 



Ch. Leonard. 

 LiNNKAN Society, al 8. — On the Composite Flora of Africa: W.Spencer 



Moore. — A Halonial ^^r&nQ^i o\ Lcpiiiophloios fuUginosus: Prof. K. E. 



Weiss. 



FRIDAY, Ai'Bii. 4. 

 Institution op Civil Engineers, at 8.— Compressed-Air and its 



Applications : L. G. Crawford. 

 Geologists' Association, at 8. — Klondike, its Gcolocy and Mininc: 



Prof. H. A. Miers, F.R.S. 



MONDAY, April 7. 

 SociKrv OF Chemical Industry, at 8. — .Some Recent Improvements in 



llie Photography of Colour : E. Sanger Shepherd. 

 Victoria Institute, at 4.30.— Locusts and Gra.ssboppers : Rev. F. A. 



Walker. 



TUESDAY, AiRiL 8. 

 RovAL Institution, at 3.— Recent Methods and Results in Biological 



ln<iuiry : Dr. Allan Macfadyen. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at i.— Papers to ie further 



.iiscusse.i : The Greenwich Footway-Tunnel: W. C. Copperthwaite.— 



Subaqueous Tunnelling through the Thames Gravel, Baker Street and 



Waterloo Railway : A. H. Haigh. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. —Street Architecture : Prof. Beresford Pitc. 



UTEnNESDAY. April 9. 

 Society OF Arts, at 8.— Ceula and Gibraltar: Major-General John F. 



Crease. 



THURSDA Y, April 10. 

 Mathematical Society, at 5.30.— .\ Note on Divergent Scries : Dr. 



Hobson, F.R S. — Stress and Strain in Two-dimensional Elastic Systems : 



Prof. Love, F.R.S. 

 Institution op Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Problems of Electric 



Railways : J. Swinburne and W. R. Cooper. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — The Oxygen Group of Elements: Prof. 



Dewar, F.R.S. 



FRIDAY, April ii. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— An Apparatus for Vapour-pressure Measure- 

 ments : Mr. Grant.— (i) The use of Cathode Rays for Alternaiing- 



Current Measurements ; (2) An Experiment on the Current Growth in an 



Inductive Circuit: Mr. Morris.— An Electric He.iter : Dr. R. A. 



Lehfeldt.— Note on the Compound Pendulum : S. A. F. White. 

 Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 

 Malacological Society, at 8. 

 RoVAL Institution, at 9. — Problems of the Atmosphere : Prof. Dewar, 



F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Elasticity for Engineers 505 



Determinative Bacteriology. By Prof. R. T. 



Hewlett ... 506 



Stratigraphical Geology 507 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Dixon : " Birds' Nests, an Introduction to the Science 



of Caliology."— R. L 508 



Herdman and Dawson : " Lancashire Sea-Fisheries 

 Memoir. No. 2, Fish and Fisheries of the Irish 



Sea" 50S 



Coulter : " Plant Structures " 5°^ 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Magic Squares of the Fifth Order. (llliis/raled.) 



— Dr. C. Planck 509 



Rotation of a Lamina Falling in Air. (Illustrated.) 



— A. Mallock 510 



Mathematics and Science at Cambridge. — C. A. 



Rumsey 510 



The Morphology of Pleuronectidse. — J. T. Cunning- 

 ham ; The Writer of the Review 511 



Sun Pillars.— G. Paul : Hon. R. Russell ; Sir 



W. J. Herschel ; Catherine O. Stevens 511 



Sounds Associated with Low Temperatures. — Prof. 

 J. D. Everett, F.R.S. ; Charles J. P. Cave . . 512 

 Central and South America. {Illustrated.) By 



Colonel George Earl Church 512 



The Maldive and Laccadive Archipelagoes. 



(/lluslia/cd.) By R. L 514 



Prof. Maxwell Simpson, F.R.S. By Prof. A. E. 



Dixon 515 



Notes. (Illustrated.) 516 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Distortion of Sun's Disc at Horizon 520 



The Croonian Lecture. By Dr. Arthur Gamgee, 



F.R.S 520 



Quantitative Investigations of Biological Problems 521 

 The Kozloff Expedition to Tibet. By P. K. ... 521 



Catalysis. By Prof. Ostwald 522 



University and Educational Intelligence 526 



Scientific Serial 526 



Societies and Academies 5^^ 



Diary of Societies 5^8 



NO. 1692, VOL. 65] 



