October 31, 19 12] 



NATURE 



'■11 



to serums of different species. It has been found that 

 tlie order of increasing resistance is the same as the 

 amounts of non-volatile fatty acids present in the 

 corpuscles. The haemoh tic power of the different sera 

 was found to correspond with the amounts of 

 cholesterol present in the sera. — Em. Bourquelot and 

 H Herissey : The synthesis of the galactosides of 

 alcohols with the aid of emulsin. /3-Ethylgalactosido. 

 — Romuald Minkiewicz : A case of extraordinary re- 

 production in Polyspira delagei. — Leon Bertrand and 

 Louis Mengaud : The existence of several superposed 

 strata in the Cantabrian Cordillera, between Santander 

 and Llanes. — L. Cayeux : The structure of the Urville 

 (Calvados) basin and its consequences from the point 

 of view of working for minerals containing iron. 



October 21. — M. Lippmann in the chair. — H. Des- 

 landres : Additional remarks on the protuberances, 

 al i g II cnients, and filaments of the upper solar atmo- 

 sphere. The influence of the solar electric field. — Th. 

 Schlcesing, sen. : The measurement of flowing water 

 bv chemical analysis. A concentrated solution of am- 

 monium sulphate of known strength was allowed to 

 flow at a measured rate into the watercourse ; the 

 latter was then sampled at a point lower down, and 

 from the concentration in ammonia the flow per second 

 was deduced with fair accuracy. — Henry Le Chatelier : 

 The law of mass action. Final reply to M. Colson. — 

 L. Maquenne and E. Demoussy : Respiration in green 

 plants. A critical review of the methods of determin- 

 ing respiration in plants. The rapid decrease in the 

 respiratory coefficient of a freshly-cut organ as a source 

 of error in such measurements is pointed out, and also 

 the effects of darkness in altering the coefficient in 

 old and young leaves. — A. Schaumasse : The discovery 

 and observation of the comet 1912b (Schaumasse) 

 made at the Nice Observatory. The comet was 

 of the ii"5 magnitude on October 18; on tlie 

 following day it appeared as a rounded nebulosity 

 about 3' in diameter, with a badly defined condensa- 

 tion. — M. Giacobini : Observations of the new Gale 

 comet (1912a). Dailv observations are given from 

 October 3 to 13. — P. Briick : Observations of the Gale 

 comet (1912a) made at the Observatory of Besangon. 

 Positions given for October 13, 14, 16, 18. The tail 

 was clearly visible. — Leon Autonne : Cremonian sub- 

 stitutions. — T. H. Gronwall : A theorem of M. Picard. 

 — George Polya : .\ theorem of Stieltjes. — P. 

 Helbronner : The complementary- geodesic triangula- 

 tions of the higher regions of the French Alps (second 

 series). — E. Merigeault : The influence of the velocity of 

 combustion on the efficiency of a gas motor. — Paul 

 Jegou : The use of horizontal wires for receiving 

 Hertzian waves. .\ single horizontal wire 80 metres 

 long failed to detect the time-signal from the Eiffel 

 Tower, but with two such wires, 40 cm. apart, good 

 signals were obtained. Telephone or telegraph wires 

 can be utilised in this way if a small condenser is 

 placed in the circuit to suppress parasitic currents. — 

 P. Th. Muller and Mile. V. Guerdjikoff : The refraction 

 and magnetic rotation of mixtures. Further evidence 

 is given tending to show that the expression of 

 H. Becquerel connecting the refraction and magnetic 

 rotation is not general. — Maurice Billy : A simple 

 method for the preparation of mineral oxides. A mix- 

 ture of a metal with its higher oxide, both in a finely 

 divided condition, heated to a high temperature with 

 precautions to prevent the access of air, gives a lower 

 oxide. Details are given of the application of the 

 method to the preparation of Ti^O, and TiO. — Lucien 

 Daniel : Grafts of the carrot on fennel. — P. Maze : 

 Researches on the presence of nitrous acid in the 

 excretions of the higher plants. — Marcel Mirande : A 

 new group of plants producing hydrocyanic acid, the 

 Calycanthaccae. The production of hydrocyanic acid 

 from the leaves of three species of Calycanthus has 

 NO. 2244, VOL. 90] 



been proved. — H. Vincent : The action of polyvalent 

 antityphoid vaccine in persons in a state of latent 

 infection by the Eberth bacillus. The injection of the 

 polyvalent typho-vaccine never produces a negative 

 phase. Not only do these injections never aggravate 

 the disease, but they exercise a favourable action on 

 the course of the disease. Taken before the infection 

 is incurred, the immunity produced appears to be 

 absolute. — Paul Paris : The presence of Herbst cor- 

 puscles in the uropygian gland of birds. — C. Delezenne 

 and M. Lisbonne : The action of the ultra-violet rays 

 on the pancreatic juice. Their influence on the stimu- 

 lation of the juice by kinase and by calcium salts. The 

 enzymes in the pancreatic juice present different resist- 

 ing powers to the action of the ultra-violet rays. After 

 a certain time, two to three hours, the liquid loses its 

 property of being' rendered active by the addition of 

 calcium salts, although still reactive with kinase. At 

 the same moment that the juice loses its power of re- 

 acting with calcium salts, it is also deprived of its 

 lipasic properties. — L. Lindet : The antiseptic action of 

 salt and sugar. A study of the amounts of nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid, and potash extracted from yeast cells 

 by solutions of common salt and of sugar of varying 

 concentrations. — M. Lemoigne : The fermentation of 

 sugar by Bacillus subtilis. The production of 

 2 : 3-butylene glycol. The action of B. subtilis upon 

 sugar under aerobic conditions takes place in two 

 phases, the first a fermentation leading to the production 

 of 2 : 3-butylene glycol, CH,.CH(OH).CH(OH).CH„ 

 and this is then oxidised to acetvlmethvl-carbinol, 

 CH.,.CH(OH).CO.CH,. By the further action of the 

 organism the latter substance is destroyed. — MM. 

 Couyat and Fritel : The imprints (Medusae, Alga) col- 

 lected in the carboniferous deposits in the neighbour- 

 hood of Suez. — F. Dienert : The solution of silica in 

 underground waters. 



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