428 



NATURE 



[December 12, 1912 



coral was described first by David lire, in 1793, as 

 Fungites ; the genus was established by Milne- 

 Edwards and Haime in 1S50. In this genus Thom- 

 son's genus Cyclophyllum is included. All the species 

 previously described are regarded as variations of the 

 same species. Many specimens of the coral display 

 the phenomenon of rejuvenescence. The structural 

 changes observed are described, and the nature of the 

 rejuvenescence is discussed. 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, November iS.— Dr. John Home, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Prof. \\'. 

 Peddie : The deviation of the law of torsional oscilla- 

 tion of metals from isochronism. It was found that, 

 in spite of the effect of viscosity, even though that 

 were so great as to cause, during a semi-oscillation, 

 a fall in amplitude to one-third of the original value, 

 the law of oscillation throughout the greater part of 

 a semi-oscillation could be represented by a simple 

 harmonic function. — James B. Ritchie : A fuller test 

 of the law of torsional oscillation of wires and a 

 continued investigation on the behaviour of certain 

 torsionally oscillating wires. The investigations had 

 been extended to brass and aluminium wires at high 

 temperatures, and to various other wires at ordinary 

 temperatures. The effects of quenching and of mag'- 

 netisation were also studied. In the case of a copper 

 wire on the surface of which zinc had been deposited 

 electrolytically to various thicknesses, the parameters 

 in the formula for relation of torsional swing to 

 number of swings changed gradually from those char- 

 acteristic of the one metal to those characteristic of 

 the other.— J. P. Dalton : The energetics of the induc- 

 tion balance. When the arms of a Wheatstone Bridge 

 contain capacities and inductances, as well as resist- 

 ances, the formula appropriate to the methods for 

 measuring capacities and inductances can be deduced 

 from the relations between the electrostatic and elec- 

 troliinetic energies. — R. A. Robertson and Miss Rosa- 

 lind Crosse : Periodicity in plants. Experiments were 

 described which proved the existence of a four-day 

 growth rhythm of wide occurrence in plant organs. 

 By means of a specially arranged apparatus simul- 

 taneous records were taken of the growth of the shoot 

 and the root, and these showed a correlative affect- 

 ability between the organs.— Dr. Thomas Muir : 

 Theorv of axisvmmetric determinants from iS;7 to 

 18S0. ■ ■ 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, November 25.— M. Lippmann in 

 the chair.— G. Bigourdan : Fifth list of nebuljt dis- 

 covered at the Observatory of Paris. — L. Maquenne 

 and E. Demoiissy : The determination of the true 

 respiratory coefficient of plants. In a preceding com- 

 munication it has been shown that the true respiratory 

 quotient for plants is always higher than the apparent 

 ratio given by the confined air method, and it is very 

 difficult to apply corrections to the latter. An accurate 

 method is described, called the displacement method, 

 and results obtained by this and the vacuum method 

 compared for numerous plants. — M. Gouy : The simul- 

 taneous action of gravity and a uniform magnetic 

 field on an ionised gas. The apparent contradiction 

 between the kinetic theory and Carnot's principle dis- 

 appears if the ions arise on the walls of the vessel at 

 the same time as in the body of the gas, according 

 to a determined relation. — Serge Bernstein : The 

 asymptotic value of the best approximation of 

 analytical functions. — Rodolphc Soreau : The reduction 

 of F,„„ = o to the form /,/, +/,^3-|-fe, = o.— L. 

 Tliouveny : The volplane. A mathematical studv of the 

 conditions under which a bird floats in the air in a 

 wind.--M. Mesnager : An experimental method for 

 determining in advance the tensions produced in build- 

 NO. 2250, VOL. 90] 



ings. — Carl Stormer : Remarks on a note of .M. Kr. 

 Birkeland relating to the origin of the planets and 

 their salelUtes. A paper pubhshed by the author in 

 1907 on the movement of an electrified particle in the 

 field of an elementary magnet can be directly applied 

 to the hypothesis of the origin of planets of M. Birke- 

 land. — E. Rothe : The reception of wireless signals by 

 antennte on the ground. Using a horizontal wire 

 from 15 to 35 metres in length and supported only 

 15 cm. from the ground near Saint-Die, the Eiffel 

 Tower signals were clearly heard. The garden in 

 which these experiments were carried out was entirely 

 surrounded with a metallic trellis more than one metre 

 high. — Leon and Eugene Bloch : The ionisation of 

 the air by a mercury arc in quartz. A distinct ionising 

 action 01 the arc on the air was proved. — A. Henry : 

 A micromanometer. The manometer consists of two 

 wide vertical tubes connected by a narrow horizontal 

 tube. Carbon tetrachloride is used as the fluid, and 

 a small bubble of air is introduced into the horizontal 

 tube. Differences of level corresponding to 0003 mm. 

 of water are shown by the movement of the bubble. 

 Various possible applications of this micromanometer 

 are enumerated. — A. Boutaric : The critical coefficient 

 and the molecular weight of bodies at the critical 

 point. — Eugene L. Dupuy and A. Portevin : The 

 thermoelectric properties of the system iron-nickel- 

 carbon. Experiments were made with thirty analysed 

 alloys containing varying proportions of nickel;' the 

 results are shown graphically in six curves. — M. 

 Hanriot and F. Raoult : The chemical reactions of &- 

 gold and crystallised gold. A study of the solution of 

 the two forms of gold by solutions of nitric and hydro- 

 chloric acids and of auric chloride. — E. Leger' and 

 Ferdinand Roques : Carpiline, a new alkaloid from 

 jaborandi. Details of the method of extraction and 

 chemical and physical properties of the new alkaloid 

 are given, together with some preliminary experi- 

 ments to determine its constitution. — Aug. Chevalier : 

 The introduction of the clove (Carophyllus aromaticus) 

 into Gabon. — A. Lamothe : The ganietophyte of the 

 Marchantiacese and the importance of its anatomical 

 characters.— J. Stoklasa : The influence of radio- 

 activity on the development of plants. Radio-active 

 water causes a prompt germination and a very rapid 

 development of the leaves and roots of plants, pro- 

 vided that the radio-activity does not exceed a certain 

 limit ; above this limit the action is deleterious. — \'. 

 Gregoire : The truth of tlie heterohomeotvpical scheme. 

 — C. Delczcnne and Mile. S. Ledebt : New contribution 

 to the study of the hasmolytic substances derived from 

 serum and from the vitelius of the egg submitted to 

 the action of cobra poison. — Henri Iscovesco : Tin 

 physiological properties of certain lipoids. The homo- 

 and hetero-stimulant lipoids of organs. A lipoid 

 extracted from the ovary, injected into rabbits, pro- 

 duced marked hypertrophy of the ovary. The action 

 was specific, all the other organs remaining normal. 

 A lipoid extracted from the testicle of the horse was 

 also found to exert a similar specific action in rabbits. 

 —J. -P. Langlois and G. Desbouis : The duration of the 

 pulmonary circulation. The method followed was a 

 modification of that due to Stewart. Curves are given 

 showing the action of varying amounts of digitalin 

 and chloroform and ether on the duration of the pul- 

 monary circulation. — .•\. Desmouliere : The antigen in 

 the Wassermann reaction. Further experiments 

 showing the constancy and high sensibility of the 

 antigen prepared by the method described in a pre- 

 vious paper.— .A. Magnan : Variations in the digestive 

 apparatus of ducks produced by various kinds of foods. 

 —Jacques Pellegrin : The ichthyological fauna of the 

 coasts of Angola. — R. Fourtau ': The divisions of the 

 Eocene in Egyi^t. — G. Vasseur : The vertebrate faun.T 

 discovered in the upper .Xquitnnian of Agenais. 



