5o8 



NATURE 



[January 2, 19 13 



results obtained by the proposed method and that of 

 Pfliiger. — Maurice Nicloux : An experiment realising 

 the mechanism of the passage of carbon monoxide 

 from the mother to the fcEtus. — Ch. Pussenot : The 

 middle \yestphalian in the alpine axial zone. — 

 G. Gourt; di- Villemontee : A case of globular lightning. 

 — E. A. Martel : The displacement of the thermal 

 springs at Roosevelt Dam, Arizona. 



Calcutta. 

 Asiatic Society of Bent^al, December 4, 1912. — Dr. Sten 

 Konow : Fragments of a Buddhist work in the ancient 

 Aryan language of Chinese Turkestan. This paper 

 gives an account of six MSS. lea\-es (forming part of 

 a bulky work containing about 400 leaves) recovered 

 from Khotan, and written in verse in what is pro- 

 visionally designated as the ancient Aryan language. — 

 Dr. N. Annandale : Contributions to the biology of the 

 Lake of Tiberias. No. i, an account of the sponges. 

 The paper is the first in a series based on a visit to 

 Palestine made in October, 1912, with the object of 

 discovering whether the peculiar fauna characteristic 

 of fresh water in tropical Africa and Asia, especially 

 as regards the lower invertebrates, extends northwards 

 up the Jordan valley. Considered as a whole the 

 sponge fauna of the lake provides evidence (i) that a 

 peculiar fauna of closely related species is being 

 evolved therein ; (2) that in this lake, as in others, 

 there is a tendency for the Spongillidse to lose their 

 characteristic gemmules ; and (3) that as the gemmules 

 disappear the skeleton of the sponges becomes harder 

 and more compact. — D. Hooper : The Ash of the 

 plantain (MM.?a sapientum, Linn.). The ash of plantain 

 leaves and stalks is used in India for various indus- 

 trial purposes : as a mordant in dyeing, as a soap, 

 medicine, table salt, and manure. Analyses of authen- 

 tic samples show a variation in composition and 

 alkalinity, and do not exhibit a greater value than 

 ashes of other plants. There is evidence that the 

 composition of the ash is influenced by the soil in 

 which the plants are grown. — M. H. Sastri : A short 

 note on .\yi Pantha, a newly discovered cult in the 

 Bilada District of the Marwar State. The new reli- 

 gion was preached by women in the fifteenth century 

 A.D. Its chief seat is at Bilada in Marwar. It has a 

 perfect administrative organisation, and it has about 

 a lac of adherents. The chief object of worship is a light 

 kept up for the last 450 years fed by ghee. It emits no 

 smoke, but a yellow substance called "Kesara," which 

 means saffron. The lady preacher is known as "Ayi," 

 and the cult is therefore called "Ayipantha." As 

 Shams Tabrez is an object of reverence, this cult 

 seems to be a survival of the ancient fire-worship of 

 Iran. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Handworterbuch der Naturwissenschaften. Edited 

 by E. Korschelt and others. Lief. 26 to 34. (Jena : 

 G. Fischer.) Each 2.50 marks. 



Beziehungen des Lebens zum Licht. By Dr. C. 

 Neuberg. Pp. 63. (Berlin : Allgemeine Medizinische 

 Verlagsanstalt G.m.b.H.) 1.50 marks. 



The Moorlands of North-Eastern Yorkshire : their 

 Natural History and Origin. By F. Elgee. Pp. 

 xvi + 361 + illustrations + maps. (London and Hull: A. 

 Brown and Sons, Ltd.) 12s. 6d. net. 



The British Bird Book. Edited by F. B. Kirkman. 

 Section x. Pp. 188 + plates. (London and Edin- 

 burgh : T. C. and E. C. Jack.) 10^. 6d. net. 



Notes on the Natural "History of Hornsea Mere. 

 By G. Bolam. (London and Hull : A. Brown and 

 .Sons, Ltd.) IS". 



llntersuchung und Nachweis organischer Farbstoffe 

 auf spektroskopischem Wege. By Prof. J. Formdnek. 

 NO. 2253, VOL. 90] 



Zweite Auflage. Zweiter Teil. 2 Lief. Pp. 165- 

 366 + plates. (Berlin : J. Springer.) 14 marks. 



Abr^ge sur I'H^lice et la Resistance de I'Air. By 

 M. Gandillot. Pp. 188. (Paris : Gauthier-Villars.) 

 10 francs. 



Bergens Museums Aarbok, 1912. 2det Hefte. Pp. 

 84 + plates xxvii+ 152 + plate i. (Bergen: ]. Griegs.) 



Bergens Museums Skrifter. Ny Roekke. Band ii.. 

 No. I. Vestlandske Graver fra Jernalderen. By H. 

 Schetelig. Pp. iii + 242. (Bergen : J. Griegs.) 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



FRIDAY, January 3. 

 Geologists' Association, at ?>. — Some Valleys and Moraines in the Bergen 

 Distiict, Norway : H. W. Monckton. 



MONDAY, January 6. 

 Aristotelian SociETV.at 8. — Intuilinnal Thinking : Prof. Frank Granger. 

 Society of Chemical Industry, at 8.— The Estimation of Glycery) 

 Acetate in Essenti.il Oils: S. Godfrey UM anil A. J. Harvey.— The 

 Estimation of Moisture : F. H. Camphell.— The Determin.ition of Moisture 

 in Foods, etc. : W. P. Skertchly.— The Determination of Water; G. N. 

 Huntly and J. H. Cosle. 



TUESDA Y, January -. 

 RSntu.kn Society, at 8.15.— Spark Photographs at High Pressure: Prof. 

 .\. W. Porter, K.R.S.. and W. B. Haines.— Some Relations between 

 Kathode .ind kSntgen Rays: Dr. R. Whidriington. 

 WEDNESDAY. January 8. 

 Geological Society, at 8. — The Geological Historj* of the Malay Penin- 

 sula : J. B. Scrivenor. — A Mass of Anhydrite in the Magnesian Limestone 

 at Hartlepool ; C. T. Trechmann. 



THURSDAY, January q. 

 Concrete Institute, at 7.30.— Concrete in its Legal Aspect : W. 



Valentine Ball. 

 Institution op Electrical Engineers, at 8. — The Design of Apparatus 



for Improving the Power Factor of A. C. Systems : Prof. Miles Walker. 

 Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — The Reduction of Ideal Numbers: 

 W. E H. Berwick.— Proofs ol Certain General Theorems Relating to 

 Orders of Coincidence : J. C. Fields. 



FRIDAY, January 10. 

 RovAL Astronomical Society, at 5. 



CONTENTS. P.4GE 



Races of Mankind. By A. K 483 



Irritability of Plants. ByJ. B. F 483 



Copper Smelting. By W. G 484 



Personal and Public Health 484 



Our Bookshelf 485 



Letters to the Editor: — 



British Forestry and the Development Commission. — 



D. E. Hutchins 4S6 



The KucL-nt Fomniinifera of the British Isl.-inds. — 



Edward Heron-Allen 487. 



Popular Natural History, {/lliistraled.) 48S 



Natural and Synthetic Rubber 489 



Movements of Glaciers. By T. G. B 490 



The Protection of Ancient Monuments 490 



Notes 490 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomicnl Occurrences for January 494 



A Bright .Meleor Reported . '. 494 



Ephemeris for Gale's Comet, I9l2fl 495 



The Spectrum of Nova Geminoruni, No. 2 495 



Observations of Saturn 495 



Improvements in Microscopes 495 



Prize Awards of the Paris Academy of Sciences . . 496 



The Tin Mines of New South Wales. ByJ. W. G. 497 



Osmotic Pressure and the Theory of Solutions . . 497 



Engineering at the British Association. ByE.G.C. 497 



Lord Lister. By Sir William Macewen, F.R.S. . . 499 



University and Educational Intelligence 505 



Societies and Academies • . 5°5 



Books Received 508 



Diary of Societies . | 5°^ 



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Editorial Communications to the Editor. 



Telegraphic Address: Phusis, London. 

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