January 30, 19 13] 



NATURE 



613 



at the g'iven angles ; the angles corresponding to any 

 indices, or vice versA, are read off directly within the 

 limits of the scale. In the second naethod a double 

 diagram is employed, of which one-half is a new 

 form of the moriogram, and the other is a representa- 

 tion of angles the cotangent of which is the difference 

 of the cotangents of the given angles ; the method is 

 general and unrestricted in its application. — Dr. J. 

 Drugman : The Goldschmidt apparatus for cutting 

 models of crystals. The mechanism was described 

 and the method of using it explained. — Prof. H. L. 

 Bowman : A nodule of iron pyrites. The octahedral 

 shape and the striations on the faces truncating the 

 coigns of the tiny crystals point to their being pyrites 

 and not marcasite, as usually stated. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, January 20. — M. F. Guyon in 

 the chair. — A. Lacroix : The mineralogical and chem- 

 ical constitution of the volcanic lavas of the centre of 

 Madagascar. Analyses of t\ventj--seven typical rocks 

 are given. The materials derived from the two vol- 

 canic centres are analogous but not identical. — Pierre 

 Duhem : The adiabatic stability of equilibrium. — Paul 

 Sabatier and M. Murat : Preparation of the three 

 cymenes and the three menthanes. The ortho-, meta-, 

 and para-dimethylcresylcarbinols were prepared by 

 three different methods, these dehydrated by passing 

 over thoria at 350° C, and the cresyl-propenes, 

 CH3.C,H,,.C{CHJ = CH, reduced with hydrogen in 

 presence of nickel to the three cvmenes, 

 CH3.C,H,.CH(CHJ„, and ultimatelv to the corre- 

 sponding menthanes, CH,.CjHj„.CH(CH3),. The 

 physical properties of all these compounds are given. 

 — Paul Richer : The identification of the supposed 

 skull of Descartes by its comparison with portraits. 

 The skull preserved at the museum corresponds very 

 closely with the portrait of Descartes by Franz Hals. 

 — Henri Chretien : The general magnetic field of the 

 sun. — G. Fayet : The next return of the Finlay comet ; 

 disturbance of the orbit due to the action of Jupiter. 

 \n approximate calculation of the orbit after passage 

 of the comet within the sphere of attraction of Jupiter. 

 In its changed position the conditions of visibility 

 will be verv unfavourable. — Georges Giraud ; Certain 

 functional equations and the permutable transforma- 

 tions. — M. Norlund : The problem of Riemann in the 

 theory of equations of finite differences. — Louis 

 Bachelier : Semi-uniform probabilities. — Et. Delassus : 

 The various forms of Dalembert's principle, and the 

 general equations of motion of systems submitted to 

 linkages of any order. — !\I. Mesnager : A paradox of 

 uniformly loaded rectangular plates. — E. Fichot : The 

 production of static tides of the second kind in an 

 ocean obeying any law of depth. — Vasilesco Karpen : 

 The flight of birds without motion of the wings. — 

 Emile Borel : The theory of relativity and kinematics. 

 — C. Dauzere : Isolated cellular vortices. — J. Giiyot : 

 Differences of contact potential between a metal and 

 electrolytic solutions. — E. J. Brunswick : Predetermina- 

 tion of ■ the characteristics of continuous-current 

 dynamos. — A. Leduc : Latent heats of evaporation and 

 maximum pressures. .\n application of the Clapeyron 

 formula to the calculation of latent heats, the specific 

 volume of the saturated vapour being calculated by 

 methods previously described by the author. 

 Figures are given for water, ether, and 

 benzene ; the deviations from the experimental results 

 are considerable. — E. Briner and I\I. Boubnoff : Chem- 

 ical reactions in compressed gases. Studv of the 

 decomposition of nitric oxide. The decomposition of 

 nitric acid is accelerated by pressure. The products 

 of the reaction at 300° under high pressure include 



NO. 2257, VOL. 90] 



N„ N,0, N.Oj, and NO,.— Victor Henri and Rene 

 Wurmser : Ihe law of elementary photochemical 

 absorption. The law is enunciated that the photo- 

 chemical susceptibility of a body depends on that part 

 of the absorption spectrum which corresponds to the 

 same molecular groupings as those on which the 

 reaction is produced. — Daniel Berthelot and Henry 

 Gaudechon : Action of the middle and extreme ultra- 

 violet rays on ethyl aldehyde : acidification, poly- 

 merisation, resinification. In the absence of oxygen 

 the ultra-violet rays cause a simultaneous o.xidation 

 and reduction. The production of the polymers, met- 

 aldehvde and paraldehyde, and some aldehyde resin 

 was also proved. — J. Bougault : Phenyl-a-oxycrotonic 

 acid. — E. E. Blaise and E. Carriere : Succinic acid 

 aldehyde. An attempt to clear up some discrepancies 

 between the work of Carriere and that of Harries on 

 the polymers of the acid aldehyde of succinic acid. — 

 A. Maiihe : The nitro-derivatives of the oxides of ortho- 

 cresyl and orthocresylene. — M. Trabut : The infectious 

 chlorosis of the Citrus. This is transmitted by grafts, 

 but numerous attempts to find a bacillus to account 

 for the disease have proved fruitless. — INI. Chantemesse : 

 Preventive vaccination against typhoid fever in the 

 navy. A comparison between vaccinated and unvac- 

 cinated persons, subjected to the same environment, 

 shows that about 1 per cent, of the unvaccinated con- 

 tracted typhoid fever, whilst not a single case occurred 

 amongst the vaccinated. — M. Rappin : Antituberculous 

 vaccination in the guinea-pig. — Raphael Dubois : 

 Anaesthesia bv the digestive canal. Anaesthesia caused 

 by the rectal injection of chloroform ought to be 

 rejected. — M. Pezard : Measurement of the reflex ex- 

 citabilitv of the spinal marrow and its variations 

 under the influence of injections of solutions of cal- 

 cium chloride. — Etienne Rabaud : The cryptocecidia 

 of Balamus nucitm, and the biological signification 

 of galls. — A. Labat : The presence of bromine in the 

 normal state in human organs. Bromine is normally 

 present in the thyroid gland and in the urine. — 

 Charles Lepierre : The non-specific action of zinc as a 

 biological catalyser in the culture of Aspergillus niger. 

 Its replacement bv olhcr elements. Cadmium has 

 precisely the same influence as zinc in the growth of 

 this mould.— Gabriel Bertrand and M. and Mme. 

 Rosenblatt : The activity of Koji sucrase in presence 

 of various acids. — R. Fosse : The formation of urea 

 by two moulds. Aspergillus niger grow^n on a modi- 

 fied Raulin solution containing ammonium nitrate 

 contains urea in its cells; Pemcilliurn glaticum be- 

 haves similarly. — H. Bierry : The diastatic hydrolysis 

 of glucosides and galactosides. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. Report on 

 the Scientific Results of the Voyage of s.y. Scotia 

 during the Years 1902-3-4, under the Leadership of 

 Dr. \V. S. Bruce. \'ol vi., Zoology. Parts i. to xi.. 

 Invertebrates. By Dr. C. Vaney and others. Pp. 

 viii -I- 353 + plates. (Edinburgh: The Scottish Oceano- 

 graphical Laboratory ; Oliver and Boyd.) 305. 



A First Book of Experimental Science. Arranged 

 By W. .^. Whitton. Pp. vii+137. (London: Mac- 

 millan and Co., Ltd.) is. 6d. 



Das meteorologisch-magnetische Obsorvatorium bei 

 Potsdam. Pp. 81 -t- plate. (Berlin: Behrend and Co.) 

 3 marks. 



Terminologie der Entwicklungsmechanik der Tiere 

 und Pflanzen. By Profs. C. Conrens, A. Fischel, and 

 E. Kiister. Edited by Prof. W. Roux. Pp. xii + 465. 

 (Leipzig: W. Engelmann.) 10 marks. 



Royal Society of London. Catalogue of Scientific 



