NA TURE 



[July 19, 1906 



water, ozone, sulphur trioxide, and nitrogen peroxide. — 

 Tlie isomorphism of mercuric iodide with the iodides of 

 zinc and cadmium : A. Duboin. Iodide of mercury is 

 capable of crystallising in all proportions with the iodides 

 of zinc and cadmium. — The non-existence of phosphorus 

 trisulphide : R. Boulouch. Definite sulphides of phos- 

 phorus having formulae between PjSj and V^S^ do not 

 exist, and the latter is not necessarily a definite compound. 

 — The crystallography of iron : F. Osmond and G. 

 Cartaud. — The determination of the transformation points 

 of some steels by the electrical resistance method : P. 

 Fournel. The wire under examination (03 mm. diameter) 

 was wound on mica and heated in a vacuum by an electric 

 furnace, the temperature being measured by a thermo- 

 couple, and the resistance measured by the potentiometer 

 method. Previous researches in which the same method 

 was used have only shown clearly the point called A, by 

 Osmond. In the present research the additional points 

 A, and A, were also clearly defined. — The solubility of 

 carbon in calcium carbide : H. IVIorel Kahn, The amount 

 of graphite recoverable from calcium carbide increases with 

 the temperature to which the carbide has been subjected 

 in the presence of an excess of carbon. It also increases 

 with the duration of the heating. — The action of urethane 

 and urea on ethylglyoxylate. A new synthesis of allantoin : 

 L. J. Simon and G. Chavanne. — The formation of 

 indazyl derivatives starting with o-hydrazobenzoic acid : 

 P. Carre. — Ethyl dioximidosuccinate : A. Wahl. — A mode 

 of reaction of some acid anhydride? : R. Fosse. — .\ new 

 method of estimating casein in cheese : A. Trillat and M. 

 Sauton. The method is based on thf fact that the casein 

 is rendered insoluble by the addition of formaldehyde. 

 Details of the control experiments are given. — The com- 

 position of the soils of French Guinea : .Alex. Hebert. — 

 The malacological fauna of the lakes of Rodolphe, 

 Stephanie, and Marguerite : R. Anthony and H. Neuville. 

 — The development of the egg of Ascaris vitiiloniiii in an 

 artificial medium : L. Jammes and A. Martin. — The 

 seminal apparatus of Helix : A. Popovici-Baznosanu. — 

 The action of the leguminose on the excretion of uric acid : 

 Pierre Fauvel. — The utilisation of carbohydrates in arthritic 

 diabetes : Ren^ Laufer — The auto-adaption of abnormal 

 embryos and the tendency to anomaly : Etienne Rabaud. 

 — New attempts on the maturation of the egg in Rana 

 ftisca. — Parthenogenesic segmentation provoked by freezing 

 and distilled water : E. Bataillon. — The fundamental unit 

 of the black races : the radio-pelvic index : Louis 

 Lapicque. — Fibrillary structure in the Bacteriaceje : J. 

 Kunstier and Ch. Gineste. — Thyroid grafts : MM. 

 Charrin and Cristiani. — Radium in gynaecology : MM. 

 Oudin and Verchere. Details are given of the use of 

 radium in nine cases, three of which were cured and the 

 remainder improved. 



Cape Town. 



South African Philosophical Societv. March 28.— Dr. 

 J. C. Beattie, president, in the chair. — Morphological re- 

 search on the surviving members of the ancient group, the 

 cycads : Prof. H. H. W. Pearson. The relationship of 

 the group to the Pteridophyta was discussed, and micro- 

 scopic slides showing (a) pollen tubes, (6) the ciliated 

 spermatozoid, (c) the karyokinesis of the nucleus of the 

 central cell of the archegonium prior to the formation of 

 the canal-cell-nucleus, of Encephalartos Alsfensteinii were 

 exhibited. A specimen of Stangeria faradoxa with an 

 apogeotropic root and a microscopic section showing the 

 endophystic " nostoc " were also shown. — The nature of 

 effect of the sun-spot frequency on the variation of the 

 magnetic elements at the Cape of Good Hope : G. H. H. 

 Fincham. By a consideration of Sabine's observations at 

 the Cape of Good Hope obtained in 1842-6, it is shown 

 that the sum of the sun-spot effect on the declination is 

 a maximum in winter ; the same result was found for the 

 horizontal intensity. 



April 25. — Dr. J. C. Beattie, president, in the chair. — 

 The round perforated stones (tikoe) alleged to have been 

 made by Bushmen for the purpose of giving weight to the 

 " kibi " or digging stick : L. Peringuey, That some 

 aborigines, Bushmen or Hottentots, made use of these 

 stones for the aforesaid purpose was now proved. Although 

 Kolben did mention the digging stick as a part of the 



NO. 1916, VOL. 74] 



Hottentot household utensils, he never, said anything about 

 the perforated stone being used. Sparrmann, however, 

 does so. Then follows Burchell, who figures the tikoe and 

 the kibi. Livingstone, in his last Journal, gives evidence 

 on the subject, but quotes from memory. In the figures 

 given in that work the stone is a flat disc. That the 

 stones were used for the alleged purpose by some 

 aborigines is, however, made more clear by Bushman 

 paintings, tracings of which were exhibited by permission 

 of Prof. Young, of Johannesburg. 



May 30. — Dr. J. C. Beattie, president, in the chair. — 

 Rock etchings of animals, &c. , the work of South African 

 aborigines, and their relation to similar ones found in 

 Northern Africa : L. Peringruey. These etchings are not 

 uncommon along the Orange River, also the Vaal River, 

 in the Asbestos Mountains, and other parts of the colony, 

 Beaufort West, Clanwilliam, Humansdorp, &c., also in 

 the Transvaal, and the author proceeded to compare these 

 with etchings of a similar nature discovered and repro- 

 duced by the Geological Survey of Algeria. — Observations 

 on the functions of the ethereal oils of xerophytic plants : 

 Dr. R. Marloth. Since the observations of Tyndall on 

 the great diathermancy of the vapours of ethereal oils, 

 many biologists think that the main function of these 

 oils is to produce a protective atmosphere around the 

 plants, thereby reducing their transpiration. If that virere 

 the case, one would rxpect that the excretion of oils would 

 be largest in the driest season and the hottest part of the 

 day. But just the reverse is the case, for many aromatic 

 plants do not betray their presence at such times, while 

 the atmosphere becomes filled with their aroma during 

 foggy weather. Such plants are many Rutaceae, Compo- 

 sites (wormwood), Umbelliferae (Bubon), Pelargonium, and 

 even the rhenosterbush. These facts are, however, in 

 perfect accordance with the view that the oils are a pro- 

 tection against the attacks of herbivorous animals, 

 especially also against snails and slugs, which appear only 

 during wet weather. 



CONTENTS. PAr,E 



Some Recent Mathematical Works. By G. H. B. . 265 



A Treatise on Chemistry 267 



Popular Evolutionary Theory. By F. A. D. ... 268 

 Our Book Shelf: — 



Orlich : " Aufnahme und Analyse von Wech=elstrom- 



kurven." — Dr. J. A. Harker 26S 



Riviere and Lecq : "Cultures du Midi de I'Algerie 



et de la Tunisie '" 269 



Baur and Jahn : " Tabulae Botanicae " . . 269 



" Reports of the Expedition to the Con^o, 1903-5 " 269 

 Bell: "Ten Years' Record of the Treatment of 



Cancer without Operation." — R. T. H 269 



Van Dyke : " The Opal Sea " 269 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The .St.^bilitv of .Submarines. — J. H. Jeans ; Sir 



W. H. White, K.C.B., F.R.S 270 



The Action of "o" Radiation on Diamonds. — 



C. W. R 271 



The Day of Week for any Date. — W. E. Johnson . 271 

 Some Scientific Centres. VIII. — The Macdonald 

 Physics Building. McGill University, Montreal. 



(Illustrated.) By A. S. Eve 272 



The York Meeting of the British Association. Pro- 

 visional Programmes of the Sections 275 



Notes. (Illnstrateil) 277 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Rediscovery of Finlay's Comet (1906s') 2S2 



The Orbit of Cauor 282 



Planets and Planetary Observations 282 



The Sanitary Congress at Bristol 282 



Migrations into Nearer and Further India. By Dr. 



G. A. Grierson 283 



Research in Terrestrial Magnetism. {Jllusfrater!.). 284 



Report upon the Californian Earthquake of April 18 2S5 



University and Educational Intelligence 2S6 



Societies and Academies 2S7 



