June 21, 1906] 



NA TURE 



191 



Thioinrbamide as a solvent for gold : J. Moir. Two new 

 complex gold salts have been obtained by dissolving gold 

 in an acid solution of thiocarbamide. Their formulae are 

 C„H..„N,..S„Au„(SO,) and C,H;„N,o^.A"3<^'.i respectively.— 

 An improved 'Becltmann apparatus for molecular weight 

 determinations: J. McConnell Sanders. 



Linnean Society, June 7. — Prof. W. A. Herdmnn 

 l-'.K.S., president, in the chair.— £.x/ii6i(.— Tubes showmg 

 stages in the metamorphosis of a young nat-tish (i'/ciii-o- 

 nectes platessa), the plaice, leading from the symmetrical 

 larva to the asymmetrical young flat-fish : the President. 

 These fish were hatched and reared in the Port ICrin 

 Biological Station. Reference was also made to the oper- 

 ations conducted this year in hatching and liberating some 

 millions of young plaice.— Two new species of Populus 

 from Darjceling : H. H. Haines. Populus ciliata, Royle, 

 was re-described, and the two new species characterised, 

 namely, P. Gamblci, which may or may not be the species 

 described by Dode from imperfect material, and P. glauca, 

 Haines. — ^Two reports dealing with Biscayan plankton 

 collected during a cruise of H.M.S. Research in 1900 : 

 Dr. G. H. Fowler, (i) The Cephalopoda: W. E. Hoyle. 

 Among seventeen specimens, five genera and two species 

 were recognised ; all but one (750 fathoms to 500 fathoms) 

 apparently belonged to the epiplankton ; not a single speci- 

 men was captured at the actual surface. (2) The Medusje : 

 E. T. Browne. As the area investigated was oceanic, the 

 neritic Anthomeduss were represented by only three 

 species ; while the Trachomedusas and Narcomedusje, which 

 are essentially oceanic, were represented by seven and three 

 species respectively, three species of Trachomedusre furnish- 

 ing 85 per cent, of the total specimens captured. Four 

 rarities were recorded ; one Narcomedusan was apparently 

 new to science, and of interest as showing medusa-buds 

 (which were not parasitic) developing as outgrowths of the 

 stomach pouches. — The Conifers of China : Dr. M. T. 

 ■Masters. The paper described the whole coniferous flora 

 now known, including the discoveries of Messrs. E. H. 

 Wil-ion and B. Hayata ; eight new species are fully set out, 

 five of thesi- being of the genus Picea. 



Royal Astronomical Society, June 8. — Mr. W. H. Maw, 

 president, in the chair. — The ancient eclipses of the sun : 

 E. Nevili. — Mr. Cowell's discussion of ancient eclipses of 

 the sun : S. Newcomb. The above papers were discussed 

 by Mr. CowcU in reference to his corrections to the secular 

 acceleration. He concluded that, with the exception of the 

 eclipse of Archilochus, which Mr. Nevili had shown to be 

 entirely uncertain, they agreed with the theory, which was 

 also supported by the Chinese eclipses now brought for- 

 ward by Mr. Nevili. — Errors in the tabular places of 

 Jupiter from photographs taken with the astrographic re- 

 fractor at the Royal Observatory : Astronomer Royal. — 

 Notes on polarisation phenomena in the solar corona, 1905 

 August 30 : H. F. Newail. — Photographs of the corona of 

 1905 August 30, taken at Sfax, Tunis : Astronomer 

 Royal. — In an oral communication Prof. H. H. Turner 

 brought forward some results of his polarisation observ- 

 ations during recent solar eclipses, considered in reference 

 to the constitution of the corona. Father Cortie said that 

 we should consider the effect of explosive outbursts on the 

 solar surface, and not regard the coronal phenomena as 

 due only to the pressure of light. — -'\ spherical slide-rule, 

 consisting of two superposed stereographic projections of 

 the sphere, arranged for solving various problems in 

 spherical trigonometry : W. B. Blaikie. 



Cambridge. 

 Philosophical Society, May 14. — Dr. Fenton, vice-presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — The influence of a very strong mag- 

 netic field on the spark spectra of palladium, rhodium, and 

 ruthenium : J. E. Purvis. The strength of the field was 

 39-980 units, and the general results are : — (i) Most of the 

 lines divide into triplets, and several become quadruplets. 

 (2) The value of d\l\- was calculated from the measure- 

 ments of the distances of the constituents, and in several 

 quadruplets the value is the same ; the general appearance 

 in intensities and polarisation of the separate constituents 

 is also very similar. This is well seen in the quadruplets 



NO. 191 2, VOL. 74] 



from palladium 3460-4 and 325S-7 when compared with the 

 quadruplets from rhodium 35027 and 34747. In the 

 triplets there are also lines which may be classified in the 

 same way. (3) The displacements of the constituents of 

 some of the divided lines are simple multiples of one 

 another. — Experiments on the band spectrum of nitrogen 

 in a magnetic field of 41000 units ; J. E. Purvis. The 

 bands in the red, orange, and yellow become very weak, 

 whilst those in the green, blue, and violet are brighter 

 and stronger. But there was no shift of the bands, nor 

 did there appear to be any widening or division of the lines 

 forming the bands. — The ionisation of gases exposed simul- 

 taneously to Riintgen rays and the radiation from radio- 

 active substances : T. Noda. 



Edinhurgm. 



Royal Society, May 28.— Sir John Murray, K.C B., vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Life in reservoirs in relation to 

 water supply in towns : James Murray. The paper was a 

 detailed discussion of the types of life met with in reser- 

 voirs, the time needed for new reservoirs to become stocked 

 with animal life, and the conditions under which such life 

 might do harm to the water. Rise of temperature was 

 always followed by a great increase in the number of 

 animals in the water, but so long as the loch or reservoir 

 was large there was little chance of any serious results. 

 The conditions under which animal life might possibly get 

 into the mains were also discussed, and it was pointed out 

 that Nature herself supplied a preventive in the tendency 

 of free-swimming animals to swim against the current. 

 — The Rotifera of the Scottish lochs : James Murray. Of 

 the 177 species which had been discriminated, five were 

 new. Many new observations on the structure and habits 

 of the various species were recorded. — The Tardigrada of 

 the South Orkneys : James Murray. Fourteen forms, 

 obtained from a single tuft of moss, were more or less 

 fragmentary. Two had been known before, but only 

 three could be described as new. — The temperature of 

 fresh-water lochs of Scotland, with special reference to 

 Loch Ness : E. M. Wedderburn. The paper discussed 

 the temperature distribution in the loch at different times 

 and in different months. In addition to the usual type of 

 sounding thermometer, a platinum thermometer was used 

 in conjunction with Callendar's self-recording apparatus. 

 The record showed on certain occasions the very rapid 

 change of temperature which may take place at depths 

 of 150 feet or 200 feet. This was traced to the slight rise 

 or fall of the layer of water in which the temperature is 

 changing most rapidly with depth, the so-called " Sprung- 

 schicht." Clear evidence was also obtained of the tempera- 

 ture seiche, first noticed by Mr. Watson. The observed 

 period was in fair agreement with that calculated from 

 the theoretical formula. At a depth of 5 feet very rapid 

 changes of temperature were sometimes observed during 

 night time, due clearly to convection currents. .A sun- 

 shine recorder could, when required, be connected with the 

 self-recording apparatus instead of the thermometer. .A.t 

 a few feet depth the effect of the direct action of the sun 

 was very small. At a depth of only 2 feet it was impossible 

 to detect the passage of a cloud in front of the sun. .\n 

 estimation of the amount of heat which entered the water 

 of the loch during the day was made, and came out at 

 about a sixth or seventh part of the whole amount of solar 

 heat available, according to Knott's calculation. 



P-tRIS. 

 Academy of Sciences, June 5.— M. A. Chauveau in the 

 chair. — The utilisation of turf for the intensive production 

 of nitrates : A. Miintz and E. Laine. The authors, con- 

 tinuing their researches on the artificial production of 

 nitrates, find that if the animal charcoal used in their 

 former work is replaced by turf as the medium for the 

 growth of the nitrifying bacteria the yield is multiplied 

 eight times. Fresh salts of ammonia can be added to the 

 weak nitrate solution resulting from the first nitrification, 

 and this again passed through the turf bed, and this 

 process can be repeated until the percentage of nitrate 

 present in the liquor is sufficient for its economical extrac- 

 tion commercially. The possibility of the turf itself furnish- 

 ing the necessary ammonia compounds is discussed, and a 



