‘June 3, 1915] 

very generally of simple numerical value, and a Kelvin 
bridge specially designed for the comparison of such 
resistances is described. It consists essentially of two 
rows of 25 resistances of 20 ohms each.—G. F. W. 
Jordan; Some novel laboratory experiments. (1) Con- 
densation calorimeters for the measurement of latent 
and specific heats. (a) It is shown how an ordinary 
vacuum jacket flask can be converted into a suitable 
condensation calorimeter. Errors arising from loss 
of heat and wetness of the vapour are almost 
eliminated by making two experiments. (b) Another 
condensation calorimeter is constructed on a different 
plan with a view to the elimination of the same errors. 
(2) The thermal conductivity of a narrow metal bar. 
Gray’s apparatus for the measurement of the con- 
ductivity of a narrow bar has been modified for the 
purpose of rendering the loss of heat relatively’ small 
and reducing the time taken in the measurement, 
thus introducing the experiment to the elementary 
student. (3) The measurement of Poisson’s ratio for 
a rectangular lath. Two mirrors are attached to 
opposite sides of the bent lath for the measurement 
of the anti-elastic radius of curvature, and Poisson’s 
ratio is then deduced from the observations in the 
usual manner. (4) A method of measuring the co- 
incidence period of a kater and a clock pendulum. 
The kater and the clock pendulums are electrically 
connected so that when at the centres of their swings 
a momentary current passes through a telephone re- 
ceiver.. (5) A differential telephone receiver. An 
ordinary receiver is connected to the secondary of a 
simple differentially wound transformer, and it is thus 
converted into a differential receiver for the purpose 
of electrical measurement. (6) Experiment on inter- 
ference fringes. The fringes produced by a Lloyd’s 
mirror in white light are nearly achromatised by a 
simple grating on smoked glass. Other suggestive 
interference effects with the grating are also described. 
—S. Butterworth: Electrically maintained vibrations. 
Royal Meteorological Society, May 19.—Major H. G. 
Lyons, president, in the chair—Dr. H. R. Mill and 
E. Carter: The wet winter of 1914-15. The 
authors dealt fully with the abnormal rainfall of the 
four months, November, 1914, to February, 1915, and 
showed that the general rainfall for England and 
Wales for this period was 20-21 in. A striking feature 
of the comparison with the average is that the area 
with less than 12 in. of rain was barely one-tenth 
part of the area on the average map, while the area 
with more than 30 in. was nearly seven times as great 
as on the average map. December was by far the 
wettest month, the general rainfall being 21 I per cent. 
of the average; in November it was 134 per cent.; in 
January 143 per cent.; and in February 108 per cent. 
of the average. The persistent nature of the rainfall 
caused extensive floods over practically all the low- 
lving parts of the country. The wettest previous 
winters were those of 1876-77 and i1g11-12, that of 
1914-15 was shown to be wetter than either of them. 
—J. E. Clark: Report on the phenological observa- 
tions from December, 1913, to November, 1914. The 
report was based on the returns from 133 stations in 
various parts of the British Isles. This was the 
fourth successive mild year, the mean date for the 
plant records being a week earlier than the average. 
The dominating factors were the abnormally mild 
autumn of 1913, the mild winter, and remarkably 
genial April weather. Fruits and crops were preju- 
diced by the serious May frosts and droughty condi- 
tions from mid-April to October; on the other hand. 
the sunny warmth of the autumn largely contributed 
to make the year successful for the farmer and par- 
tially so to fruit-growers. 
NO. 2379, VOL. 95] 
NATURE 

389 


Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, May 25.—M. Ed. Perrier in the 
chair.—S. Lattés: Linear multiplicities invariant by a 
given linear substitution.—Ed. Bourquelot, \{. Bridel, 
and A. Aubry: The biochemical synthesis of the 
a-mono-d-galactoside of ethylene glycol. The galacto- 
side was obtained by the action of an extract of low 
yeast upon an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol and 
galactose during a period of nine months. A descrip- 
tion is given of the process of purification, which 
offered some difficulties, and of the physical properties 
and hydrolysis of the a-galactoside.—Alphonse Berget : 
The capillary constant of sea water. Krom measure- 
ments of the surface tension of sea water and of 
distilled water it is shown that the difference is suffi- 
ciently great to cause an error in density measure- 
ments made with a hydrometer of rather more than 
one part in a thousand.—Pierre Lesage: The pedicels 
of Lunularia vulgaris.—Eugéne Pittard : Comparative 
anthropometry of the Balkan peoples. Supplementing 
an earlier paper with statistics of the cephalic index 
and anthropometric characters of the face.—Jules 
Glover : Telephony without transmission of the sound 
waves through air.—Jean Villey: A method for the 
radioscopic localisation of projectiles in the human 
body. The series of operations required by the one 
method are purely mechanical and dispense with cal- 
culations or photographic plates. Full details of the 
technique are given.—J. P. Dubarry: Anti-typhoid 
vaccination by the gastro-intestinal method. A com- 
parison of the results obtained by the hypodermic and 
gastro-intestinal methods of inoculation.—E. Roubaud : 
The destruction of flies and the disinfection of bodies 
in the war zone. The use of cresylic acid, heavy tar 
oil, and ferric sulphate are recommended, and the 
specific action of each of these described. 
Care Town. 
Royal Society of South Africa, April 21.—Dr. L. 
Péringuey, president, in the chair.—Dr. L. Péringuey : 
Presidental Address :—‘ The Bushman as a Paleolithic 
Man.’—Ethel M. Doidge: Some notes on the South 
African Erysiphaceee. The paper consists of notes on 
the South African representatives of the “ powdery 
mildews.”’ These cause a number of widely distri- 
buted and more or less destructive diseases of plants 
in this country; but they are not easily identified 
owing to the almost invariable absence of perithecia. 
The species occurring in South Africa are enumerated, 
and a list given of the specimens contained in the 
Union Mycological Herbarium, Pretoria. Two new 
specimens of the genus Uncinula are described.—A. W. 
| Rogers: Geitsi Gubib, an old volcano: A geological 
description is given of Geitsi Gubib, a ring-shaped 
mountain in German South-West Africa, rising about 
5200 ft. above sea-level, and a conspicuous object from 
the railway north of Keetmanshoop, ‘The description 
is based on notes taken during a stay by the author 
of two days on the mountain, and on the examination 
of the rocks brought away. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Pendlebury’s New Concrete Arithmetic. By C. 
Pendlebury and H. Leather. Sixth Year. Pp. So. 
(London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd.) 6d. 
Experimental Electricity and Magnetism. 
By M. 
Finn. Pp. x+436. (London: G. Bell and Sons, 
Ltd.) 4s. 6d. 
Plants and their Ways in South Africa. By Dr. B. 
Stoneman. New edition. Pp. xii+387. (London: 
Longmans and Co.) 5s. 
Experimental Plant Physiology for Beginners. By 
