34 



NATURE 



[July 6, 191 1 



sidered as rarities. — Miss A. Lorrain Smith : Lichens 

 (i Ian Island Survey). The lichen flora of the Clare Island 

 district is extremely abundant, especially as regards rock 

 and ground species. The rarity of trees renders bark 

 less widely distributed than usual. The pri ent 

 report deals with some 280 species and 40 subspecies, &c. 

 Of these, between thirty and forty are hitherto unrecorded 

 from Ireland, and several are new to the British Isles or 

 only once previously found therein. A summary of 

 previous work in the district shows that while the neigh- 

 bouring county of Galway has been well explored by 

 Larbalestier, Mayo was practically unworked until the' 

 present investigation. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, June 26. — M. Armand Gautier in 

 the chair. — E. Guyou : Solution of problems of altitude. 

 New tables of navigation. — J. Boussinesq : Calcu- 

 lation of the absorption in translucent crystals for 

 plane waves, laterally undefined. — P. Villard and H. 

 Abraham : A large electrostatic machine. A descrip- 

 tion of a specially constructed Wimshurst machine 

 of twenty plates, capable of yielding 1 milliampere 

 at 250,000 volts. — A. Miintz and E. Laine : Con- 

 siderations on the employment of sewage in agriculture. 

 Analyses of the Paris sewage are given, showing its value 

 when applied directly to various crops. It is deficient in 

 phosphates, and to use it to the best advantage these 

 should be added. — L. Maquenne : Concerning a recent 

 communication by M. L. Cailletet (on the origin of the 

 carbon assimilated by plants). — E. L. Bouvier : New 

 observations on evolutionary mutations. — Edouard 

 Heckel : The action of cold, of chloroform, and of ether 

 on Eupatorium triplinerve. No odoriferous substance 

 exists preformed in this plant, but such a substance is 

 formed after desiccation for several hours, and much 

 more rapidly after exposure to cold or to the action of 

 anaesthetics. — J. Ph. Lagrula : A triple meteor observed 

 at Nice. — Luigi Giuganino : Effect of the movement of 

 the earth on light phenomena. — M. Chanoz : Images 

 physically developed after fixing exposed gelatine-silver 

 bromide plates. — J. Gardner-: Apparatus for the tele- 

 phonic reception of submarine signals. This consists of a 

 microphone connected with a metal ring of carefully 

 specified proportions, and attached to the armour of the 

 ship. The signals can be perceived at increased distances, 

 and their directions ascertained. — G. Sagnac : Movement 

 of the earth and the optical phenomena in an entirely 

 terrestrial system. — H. Buisson and Ch. Fabry : Measure 

 of the intensities of the different radiations in a complex 

 ray. The radiations from a quartz mercury vapour lamp 

 were allowed to fall upon a thermopile after passing 

 through various absorbing media, such as water, solution 

 of potassium chromate, solution of quinine sulphate, solu- 

 tions of oxalic acid, glass, &c, thus obtaining the amounts 

 of energy carried by radiations of different groups of 

 frequencies. — Georges Meslin : Circular polarisation. — L. 

 Bloch : Some general theorems in mechanics and thermo- 

 dynamics. — L. Houllevigue : Kathode rays produced in 

 electric incandescent lamps. Conditions are described 

 under which it is possible to obtain pencils of rays, easily 

 deviable by a magnet, in the interior of incandescent 

 lamps. — M. Dussaud : Economical incandescent lighting. 

 Description of the great efficiency of a coiled filament of 

 tungsten as compared with a carbon filament. — A. 

 Besson : Action of the silent discharge on dry and damp 

 ammonia. Small quantities of a substance which reduces 

 copper salts are formed. This is probably hydroxylamine, 

 produced according to the equation 



NH3 + H 2 = H 2 +NH 2 OH. 



— Paul Pascal : A method of optical control of magneto- 

 chemical analyses. — J. B. Scndorcns and J. Aboulcnc : 

 Catalytic esterification of aromatic acids in the wet way. 

 The yield of ethyl benzoate produced in presence of 

 sulphuric acid was found to depend upon the amount of 

 the latter added. Acids such as the toluic acids, and 

 salicylic acid, resemble benzoic acid in this respect, and in 

 having the carboxyl group attached directly to the 1 

 nucleus; whereas such acids as phenylacetic and phenyl- 

 propionic, in which this group is not directly attached t" 



■ • I. 2 1/5, VOL. 87] 



the nucleus, do not yield increasing amounts of ester with 

 [ increase in the quantity of sulphuric acid used as cataly 

 1 The effects of potassium bisulphate and of aluminium 

 sulphate as catalysts were also examined. — G. Andre : The 

 diffusion of saline substances through certain organs of 

 plants. — H. Astruc, A. Couvergne, and j. Mahoux : 

 The adherence of insecticides of arsenate of lead. — V. 

 Balthazard : Identification by finger-prints. — Leon 

 Pigeon : Measure of the degree of strabismus. — M. 

 Odier : The part played by mercury and some of its salts 

 in certain cancers. — M. Foveau de Courmelles : A cause 

 of X-ray dermatitis. — MM. Sollaud and Tilho : The 

 presence in Lake Chad of Palaemon niloticus. — E. 

 Kayser : The influence of humous substances on micro- 

 organisms. — M. Lemoigne : Denitrifying bacteria of 

 filter-beds. — Jean Bielecki : The part played by mineral 

 matters in the formation of the protease of anthrax. 

 Stanislas Meunier : Influence of the structure of certain 

 fossil shells on the production of a new variety of fibrous 

 silica. — M. Lantenois : The advance of geological know- 

 ledge concerning Indo-China. — Henry Hubert : The 

 mechanism of rains and storms in the Soudan. 



CONTENTS. page 



Cancer and its Supposed Causes. By J. B. F. . . 1 



The Evolution of Lunar Detail 2 



Substitution in Benzene. By J. B. C 3 



Ferments and Fermentation. By T. H. P 4 



The Fishes of Africa. By R. L 5 



The Internal-combustion Engine 5 



Resins, Rubber, and Essential Oils. By C. 



Simmonds . .... . . 6 



Mechanics, Theoretical and Technical. By G. H. B. 7 



Our Book Shelf 8 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Duration of Geological Time. — Arthur Holmes 9 



Breath Figures. — George Craig 10 



A Zenith Halo.— C. Fitzhugh Talman ; E. Gold . 10 



Jelly Rain.— M. D. Hill 10 



Notes on the History of the Science Museum. 

 {Illustrated.) By Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., 



F.R.S 11 



Earthquakes and Luminous Phenomena. By Prof. 



John Milne, F.R.S 16 



Notes 17 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Wolfe's Comet, 1911a 20 



The Radial Velocities of Nebula: 21 



The Interferometer in the Study of Nebula; 21 



The Rotation of Stars about their Axes 21 



The Tails of Comet 1910a 21 



Conference on Education and Training of En- 

 gineers 2 1 



Total Solar Eclipse, Tasmania, May, igio. By 



Charles P. Butler 24 



The Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to 



Western Australia. By Dr. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. 24 



Explorations in Dutch New Guinea 25 



Workshop and College. By Dr. W. C. Unwin, 



F.R.S :6 



Gold Mining in the Transvaal By Dr. F. H. 



Hatch 27 



The Fundamental Properties of the Elements. By 



Prof. T. W. Richards ... 29 



University and Educational Intelligence 32 



Societies and Academies 32 



