628 



NATURE 



August 14, 19 l 



With the exception of uranium salts, none of the 

 fluorescent and radio-active bodies used had any 

 accelerating effect on photochemical reactions. The 

 accelerating effect of uranium salts is limited to a 

 special class of reactions, those which are produced 

 spontaneously in ultra-violet light. The photocatalyst 

 enables the reaction to proceed in ordinary light. — A. 

 Damiens : The products of incomplete reduction of 

 cerium oxide. By the action of a limited quantity of 

 carbon on eerie oxide Sterba obtained a substance 

 described by him as cerium oxycarbide. The reduc- 

 tion of eerie oxide is now shown to give a mixture 

 of Ce„0 3 , CeC-., and CeC : ; there is no confirmation 

 of the existence of a definite oxvearbide. — F. Jadin and 



Handbuch der vergleichenden Physiologic. Edited 

 by H. Winterstein. 35 Lief. (Jena : G. Fischer.) 

 5 marks. 



A Text-book of Physics. Edited by A. W. Duff. 

 Third edition, revised. Pp. xvi + (j86. (London: J. 

 and A. Churchill.) 10s. 6d. net. 



Th- Volatile Oils. By E. Gildemeister and F. 

 Hoflmann. Second edition, by E. Gildemeister. 

 Translated by E. Kremers. First volume. Pp. xiii + 

 077 + 2 maps. (London: Longmans and Co.) 20s. 

 net. 



A Systematic Course of Practical Science for 

 Secondary and other Schools. By A. YV. Mason. 

 Book II. Experimental Heat. Pp. vii+162. (Lon- 



A. Astruc : Manganese in drinking water and mineral i don : Rivingtons.) 2s. 6d. net 



water. The results of a series of determinations of 

 manganese in the drinking water of eight towns and 

 nine mineral springs. All the latter showed appre- 

 ciable amounts of manganese varying from 009 to 

 0-20 milligram per litre.— Charles Nicolle and E. 

 Conseil : An attempt at the experimental reproduction 

 of mumps in the ape. — H. Pottevin and H. Violle : Ex- 

 perimental cholera in the lower apes. — Jacques Mawas : 

 The structure and morphological signification of the 

 comb (peigne) of the eve of birds.— M. Arabu : The 

 Neogene of the north of the Sea of Marmora. 



GoTTINGEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences — The Nachrichten (physico- 

 mathematical series), parts 1 and 2 for 1913, contain 

 the following memoirs communicated to the society : — 



December 21, 19 12. — F. Bernstein: Contributions to 

 mathematical statistics. I., The method of treating 

 incomplete material. — G. Tamman : The phase-diagram 

 of water. 



January 11, 1913.— A. Peter; The diatomaceous flora 

 of southern Hanover, including the Harz, and its 

 distribution in the waters of the region. 



January 25.— R. Wedekind : Further contributions to 

 the zonal partition of the Upper Devonian. — E. Perna : 

 The relations of the Upper Devonian of the Eastern 

 Ural and that of Westphalia and Silesia. 



February 8.— G. Tamman : The relation of the 

 volume-surface to the polymorphism of water. — B. 

 Diirken : The transplantation of young osteoblasts into 

 the orbit of the larval frog. — O.' Wallach : Researches 

 from the Gottingen University Chemical Laboratory. 

 XXVI., The behaviour of carvoxime and of eucarv- 

 oxime towards free hydrogen in the presence of 

 colloidal palladium. 



February 22.— M. Planck, P. Debye, W. Nernst, 

 M. von Smolukowski, A. Sommerfeld, and H. A. 

 Lorentz : Preliminary report on the course of lectures 

 on the kinetic theorv of matter instituted by the 

 committee of the Wolf'kehl foundation.— P. Hertz : The 

 statistical mechanics of the spatial "aggregate," and 

 the probability of a given "complexion" (kinetic 

 theorv of gases).— H. Bolza, M. Born, and Th. von 

 Karm'an : Molecular streams and discontinuity of tem- 

 perature.— P. Koebe : Boundary adaptation in con- 

 formal representation. 



March 8.— W. Voigt : Electric and magnetic double- 

 refraction.— R. Triimpler : Determination of funda- 

 mental star-places from altitude-transit observations. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



The Official Guide to the Norwich Castle Museum. 

 By the late T. Southwell. Fifth edition, by F. 

 Leney. Pp. 182 + plates. (London: Jarrold ' and 

 Sons.) 



Brief Sketch of the Natural History Museum of 

 the Universitv of St. Andrews. Bv Prof. Mcintosh. 

 Pp. 63 + xvii plates. (St. Andrews.)" 

 NO. 2285. VOL. 91] 



Jahrbuch der Kaiserlich-Kbniglichen Geologischen 

 Reichsanstalt. Jahrg. 1913. lxiii. Band, 1 Heft. 

 Pp.- 206 + vii plates. (Vienna : R. Lechner.) 



Light, Radiation, and Illumination. Translated 

 from the German of Paul Hogner by J. Eck. Pp. 

 xii + 88. (London : The Electrician Printing and Pub- 

 lishing Co., Ltd.) 6s. net. 



Brazil in 1912. By J. C. Oakenfull. Pp. viii + 

 498 + plates. (London : R. Atkinson.) 5s. 



The Place of Climatology in Medicine. By Dr. W. 

 Gordon. Pp. 62. (London : H. K. Lewis.) 3s. 6d. 

 net. 



Common British Moths. By A. M. Stewart. Pp. 

 viii + S8+ 15 plates. (London: A. and C. Black.) 

 is. 6d. net. 



CONTENTS. page 



Mathematics in China and Japan. By G. B. M. . 603 



Technological Chemistry. By Dr. J. W. Mellor . . 604 



Climatology. By E. G 604 



The Habitability of the Planets 605 



Our Bookshelf 606 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Variation of Mean Sea-Leyel. (With Diagram.) — 



Prof. D'Arcy W. Thompson, OB. ... . 607 

 On the Transmission of X-Rays through Metals. — 



H. B. Keene 607 



A Ked-water Phenomenon due to Euglena. — Charles 



E. Benham 607 



The Ribbon-Fish.— F. J. Cole . 607 



The International Medical Congress. By Dr. C. W. 



Saleeby 60S 



The Continuation of Milne's Work in Seismology. 



By J. W. J 610 



The Ultima Thule of Polynesia. By Sidney H. Ray 610 



The South African National Botanic Garden. . . 611 



Wireless Time Signals. By W. W. B. . .... 612 



Notes 613 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Radial Velocity of 915 Stars .■ 617 



Stellar Parallaxes 61S 



The Birmingham Meeting of the British Associa- 

 tion . . . 61 S 



Bonaparte Research Fund Grants 618 



The Education of Europeans and Eurasians in 



India 619 



The Mount Wilson Solar Observatory. (Illustrated.) 610 



Chemio-therapy. By Prof. Paul Ehrlich 620 



University and Educational Intelligence 626 



Societies and Academies . . 627 



Books Received 62S 



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