576 



NATURE 



[October 26, igi 1 



iand spectra, and the number is too small to establish 



[ularity with certainty. The author has discovered a 



new less refrangible band, and shows that the differences 



is to the nitrogen bands. — FtHix Robin. Pitch 



in alloys and its variation with temperature. In steel 

 tuning-forks chromium raises the pitch, whilst nickel 

 - it. For a nickel steel containing 30 per cent, of 

 the pitch increases with rise of temperature up to 

 90 C. Four alloys are suggested as suitable for standard 

 tuning-forks, the composition being such that the pitch 

 is practically independent of the temperature. — Mile. E. 

 Feytis : The magnetic rdle of water in the constitution 

 of some solid hydrates. The additive law cannot be con- 

 .sidered as applicable with certainty when dealing with salt 

 molecules containing strongly electropositive metals. — G. 

 Charpy and S. Bonnerot : The cementation of iron by 

 solid carbon. From their experiments, published in 

 January, 1910, the authors concluded that solid carbon 

 could not cause cementation in iron in a vacuum ; since 

 thnn, new experiments by M. Weyl have I'd to the opposite 

 conclusion. The results of fresh experiments are now 

 ;4hen, and it is concluded that the cementation of solid iron 

 bj carbon at about 950° C. is absolutely nil in the absence 

 of gases capable of reacting on the carbon and metal. — 

 Robert Pers : An equilibrium between chloropentamine- 

 cobaltic chloride and aquopentaminecobaltic chloride in 

 aqueous solution. — Paul Bary and L. Weydert : The 

 apparently reversible character of the vulcanisation reaction 

 between indiarubber and sulphur. Reasons are put for- 

 ward for the view that the vulcanisation of indiarubber by 

 sulphur is accompanied by a process of depolymerisation. — 

 Etienne Boismenu : The hypobromous amides. 'I'll.' re- 

 action between hypobromous acid and amides has been 

 found to take place according to the equation 



R— CO— NH, + BrOH = R— CO— Ml— Br+11,0 



in the cases of the amides of propionic, benzoic, and formic 

 acids. The bromo-acetanilide could not be isolated owing 

 to its instability. — A. Behal and A. Detceuf : A new 

 derivative of urea, monochlorurea. If chlorine is passed 

 over urea at the ordinary temperature in the proportion of 

 one atom of chlorine to one molecule of urea, a mass is 

 obtained which gives reactions corresponding to 11 mixture 

 of monochlorurea and urea hydrochloride in equal mole- 

 cules, but these two substances could not be separated by 

 organic solvents. By modifying the conditions of the 

 experiment, the authors have been able to isolate pure 

 monochlorurea and to study its reactions. — P. Gaubert : 

 Helicoidal structures. — R. Soueges : The development of 

 the embryo in Mysorus minimus. For demonstrating how 

 the first cells in a dicotvledon are formed, M. minimus 

 is a better example than Capsella Bursa-pastoris or any 

 other Crucifer. — C. L. Gatin : Experimental reproduction 

 of the effects of m.- tarring of roads on the neighbouring 

 vegetation. — Raphael Dubois : New researches on the 

 physiological light in Pholas dactylus. The light is tin- 

 result of an indirect oxidation of an albuminoid substancp 

 fluciferine) by a peroxidase (luciferasel. — G. Faroy : Proof 

 of the treponeme in tertiarv syphilis of the kidney with 

 amyloid degenerescence. — Foveau de Courmelles : The 

 identification of charred bodies by the X-ravs. Peculiari- 

 ties of the bone structure could lead to the identification of 

 bodies so burnt as to be otherwise unrecognisable. — Ch. 

 Cravier : The polvchajtal annelids collected by the second 

 French Antarctic F.xpedition (iqoS-1010). — Ph. Negrris : 

 The importance of the Eocene in eastern Greece and the 

 discovery of the Trias. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, October 26. 

 1 TE, at 8.— Fire-proofing : U. I.. Humphrey 

 FRIDAY, October 27. 

 5.— Further Obi 



>ns on the Afterglow 

 Hon. R. J. Struti. F.R.S 

 Second Scries: Prof. C. G 



Physical Society, 



Ele. 11. Discharge and K. 



ini-otis fluorescent X-radia 

 Barkla and J. Nicol. 



SATURDAY. OCTOBER 28. 



CtUI (:,l Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford) at 



I 'i.e Natural History of British Fresh-water Leeches, with Notes on 



their Occurrence In Essex: Henry Whitehead. -On the R 



Vertebrate Animals found in recent excavations at Kayleieh Castle, 

 I Hart 11 \ C, Hinton.-Keport of Clubs Delegate at Portsmouth 



Meeting of British As oration : W. Whitaker, K.R.S, and D. [ 

 Scoutneld. J 



MONDAY, October 30. 

 lEISTOTRI ian Society, at 8. -The Relations of Universal and Particulars: 

 Hon. Bertrand Russell, K.R.S. 



WEDNESDAY, Nov 



of Public Analysts, at 8. — No 



for Estimating Gcoanut Oil: H. S. Shrewsbury andA. 



rfeit Gold Coin : H. S. Shrewsbury.— No 



Society 

 Proce 



Knapp.-NoteonaCo .... 



theExanunation of Finnish Turpentine: L Myddelton Nash.— Note 

 the Approximate Estimation of Starch by Iodine : Lester Reed— Not- on 

 the Gravimetric Estimation of Phosphorus in Milk: E H. Miller.— 

 Roberts Reagent as a I est for Salicylic Acid : J. McCrae.— Precipitation 

 of Nickel Compounds and Preparation of Spongy Nickel : W. H. Low. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL Society, at 8. -The Effect of Temperature on Animal 

 (especially Insect) Life : Dr. A. G. Butler.— Parthenogenesis in Worker 

 Ants : W. C. Crawley. 



THURSDAY, November 2. 

 Royal Society, at 4.30.— Probable Papers— Colour Blindness and the 

 Trichromatic Theory of Colour Vision. Part III. Incomplete Colour 

 Blindness. Sir W. de W. Abney, K.C.B., F.R.S. -Note on the Iridescent 

 Colours of Birds and Insects: A. Mallock, F.R.S.— The Behaviour of the 

 Intusorian Micronucleus in Regeneration : K. R. Lewin.— An Inquiry 

 into the Influence of the Constituents of a Bacterial Emulsion on the 

 Opsonic Index: A. F. Havden and W. P. Morgan.— The Morphology of 

 Trypanosoma gambioise (\>m\on and Todd): Colonel Sir David Bruce, 

 C.B., 1- R.S. — Preliminary Report upon the Injection of Rabbits with 

 Protein-free (tuberculo) Antigen and Antigen-Serum Mixtures ; Factors 

 in the lnterprelaiion of the Inhihitive and Fixation Serum Reactions in 

 Pulmonary Tuberculosis : A. H.Caulfeild. 



CONTENTS. page 



Agriculture in Dry Countries. By E. J. R 543 



The Grouse and its Ailments. By R. L 544 



Climatic Change. By H. G. L 544 



A Guide to Electrical Testing. By Prof. Gisbert 



Kapp 545 



Edible Fats. By C. S 546 



Elementary Physics 547 



Our Book Shelf 548 



Letteis to the Editor: — 



The Scientific Misappropriation of Popular Terms. — 



Dr. Sidney F. Harmer, F.R.S 549 



Iron Bort. — J. R. Sutton 550 



A Starling's Deception. — Basil T. Rowswell . . . 5^0 



Hot Days in 1911.— H. E. Soper; E. Gold . . . . 550 

 Deteimtnation of Refractive Index of a Liquid. ( With 



Diagram.)— G. N. Pingnff 551 



The Nematodes of the Thames. — Rev. Hilderic 



Friend 551 



Miniature Rainbows. — Richard Coulson 551 



Olive Trees. — Dora Batheld 551 



Explosives on Board Battleships. By Major- 



General Sir Desmond O'Callaghan, K.C.V.O. . . 551 

 The Sharman System of Wireless Telephony and 



Telegraphy. {Illustrated.) By T. Thorne Baker . 553 



Forestry in India 554 



An Album of Geological Types, (illustrated.) By 



J. W. 555 



Three-colour Kinematography. By Dr. C. E. 



Kenneth Mees 556 



Proposed Reform of the Calendar. By H. C. P. . 557 



Notes 557 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Mars 562 



Beljawsky's Comet, 191 Ig 563 



Quenisset's Comet, 1911/ 563 



Brooks's Comet, 1911c 563 



The Cape Observatory 563 



The Spectium of P Cygni 563 



Museum Conference at Liverpool . . 563 

 New Buildings of the Royal Albert Memorial 



University College. (Illustrated.) 5 6 3 



American Ethnology 564 



Grants for Agiicultural Science in the United States 565 

 The Physiology of Submarine Work. By Leonard 



Hill, F.R.S S67 



University and Educational Intelligence 573 



Societies and Academies 575 



Diary of Societies 57b 



CVvsVCv- 



