344 



NA TURE 



[August 2, 1906 



Ebert and C. Le Morvan, A description of the modifi- 

 ■cations found necessary in the original apparatus, by 

 means of which the error of a single point is less than 

 006s. The results are obviously free from personal error, 

 and the deformations produced by the objective are 

 eliminated, since the images of the stars and the slit 

 fixing the meridian, being produced by the same lens, 

 undergo the same deviations. — The rigorous determination 

 of two instrumental constants which intervene in certain 

 meridian observations : H. Renan. A method for deter- 

 mining the exact angular relations between the two cross 

 wires of the micrometer and the plane of the telescope.' — 

 The arbitrary character of developments of solutions, even 

 unique, of the problems of mathematical physics, and on 

 new properties of generalised trigonometrical series : A. 

 Buhl. — Measurements of wave-lengths in the iron spectrum 

 for the establishment of a system of spectroscopic standards : 

 Ch. Fabry and H. Buisson. The measurements were 

 made photographically by the interference method, the 

 green mercury line given by the Cooper-Hewitt lamp being 

 used as a basis. The measurements given fall between 

 A\ 3606-687 and 6404-094. — The photography of the infra- 

 red rays : Walter Rit«. The author has subjected Abney's 

 method of preparing sensitive collodion films to a critical 

 examination, and gives details for the preparation of plates 

 highly sensitive to the infra-red radiations. Photographs 

 were taken of the spectrum from the blue decreasing 

 regularly to 1-4 /i, none of the discontinuities inseparable 

 from the use of colouring materials being apparent. — The 

 reduction of molybdenum dioxide by boron, and the com- 

 bination of boron with molybdenum : Binet du Jassoneix. 

 Previous work on this subject has been vitiated by the 

 use of carbon crucibles, the formation of carbides of 

 molybdenum being unavoidable under these conditions. 

 The author uses a magnesia boat, and readily obtains pure 

 molybdenum by heating boron and molybdenum dioxide 

 in the electric furnace. By increasing the proportion of 

 boron, products, free from carbide, and containing up to 

 46 per cent, of boron, can be prepared. These are attacked 

 by dilute nitric acid, and show no trace of crvstalline 

 structure. — The electrical conductivity of colloidal ferric 

 chloride : G. Malfitano. — The influence of non-electrolytes 

 on the mutual precipitation of colloids of opposite electrical 

 sign : J. Larguier des Banccls. — The composition of an 

 acetic ferment : E. Alilaire. Five crams of a very active 

 mycoderma were obtained from a vinegar works, the con- 

 ditions allowing of the production of a pure culture on the 

 large scale. Alcohol extracted 1-56 per cent, of a fatty 

 substance containing phosphorus, from which, after saponifi- 

 cation with soda, potassium iodide gave iodocholine 

 crystals. The substance tlius freed from fat contained 

 6-9 per cent, of nitrogen and 5-9 per cent, of ash, the 

 analysis of which is given. The presence of a consider- 

 able proportion of iron and copper in the ash is note- 

 worthy, the latter metal, according to the author's views, 

 playing an important part in the process of acetification. 

 — The microlitic rocks collected in Grahanisland by Dr. 

 Charcot's .Antarctic Expedition : Ernest Gourdon. — The 

 presence of neon amongst the gases from some hot springs : 

 Charles Moureu and Robert Biquard. Previous notes 

 published on the gases from twenty-two hot springs have 

 shown the general presence of argon and helium. A direct 

 examination of these gases for neon gave negative results, 

 owing to the fact that the neon spectrum is completely 

 masked by argon. By the application of the selective 

 absorption of charcoal cooled to —100° C, neon was 

 proved to be present in every case. — The cyanogenetic prin- 

 ciples of Pliaseolus lunatus : M. Kohn-Abrest. — The estim- 

 ation of malic acid and some fixed acids in the juices of 

 fruits, fermented or unfermented : \V. Mestrezat. The 

 method is based on the insolubility of barium malate, 

 tartrate, and succinate in dilute alcohol. — The phospho- 

 humic compounds of soil ; J. Dumont. — Remarks concern- 

 ing the artificial development of Ascaris viliilorum : L. 

 Jammes and .A. Martin, — The histological composition 

 of the lymph of ruminants : E. Forgeot. — The pigment- 

 ation of hair and beard by the X-rays : .\. Imbert and 

 H. Marques. Light hair dnrlcens under the action of the 

 X-rays. — The geology between Zinder and Tchad : Ren€ 

 Chudeau. 



Calcutta. 

 Asiatic Society of tttngal, July 4. — Some freshwater 

 Entomostraca in the collection of the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta : R. Gurney. An account of the freshwater 

 phyllopods, cladocera, and copepods in the collection of the 

 Indian Museum. Fourteen species new to the Indian fauna 

 are recorded ; new species of Daphnia and Estheria, and a 

 new variety of a Streptocephalus are described. — Pre- 

 liminary note on the chemical examination of the milk and 

 butter-fat of the Indian buffalo : E. R. Watson. Pappel 

 and Richmond found that the milk of the Egyptian buffalo 

 contains no lactose, but a different sugar that they name 

 tewfikose. This is not the case with the milk of the 

 Indian buffalo, which contains lactose. In the butter-fat 

 the Indian buffalo's milk proves to contain more butyric 

 acid than cither the European cow or the Egyptian buffalo, 

 and also apparently more palmitic or stearic acid. — A new 

 gecko from the eastern Himalayas : Dr. N. Annandale. 

 A description of a new form of Gymnodactylus closely 

 allied to the Malayan G. marmoraliis. — Freshwater fauna 

 of India, No. viii., some Himalayan tadpoles : Dr. N. 

 Annandale. The larvae of Bufo himalayanus and Rana 

 liebigii are described, and that of Mcgalophrys moiitana is 

 recorded from the Darjeeling district. Notes are given on 

 the different ways in which different tadpoles which inhabit 

 mountain torrents in the Himalayas are protected against 

 sudden floods. — .\ parasite upon a parasite. A Viscum — 

 apparently 1'. nrticiilatuiii — on Loranthus vcstitus on 

 Oiierciis iiiciiiia : I. H. Burkill. The paper gives an 

 account of the double parasitism recorded in the title 

 together with .i review of the geographical distribution of 

 such double parasitism and the names of the associated 

 plants in recorded cases. — Gentianacearum species Asiaticas 

 novas descripsii I. H. Burkill. Diagnoses of new species 

 of the genera 'lenliana and Swertia from Asia. — Swertiam 

 novam Japonicam ex affinitate Swertirc tetrapterse, Maxim., 

 descripserunt S. le M. Moore and I. H. Burkilli 

 Diagnosis of a new .Swertia from Japan. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Rand through French Spectacles. By F. H. H. 313 



A New Flora of Greece. By N 314 



•ubterranean Geography. By G. A. J. C 314 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Bailey: " The Outlook to Nature."— A. D. H. . . 315 

 Smith: "Lecture Notes on Chemistry for Dental 



Students" 315 



Howe: " A Study of the Sky " 315 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Positive Charge carried by the a Particle. — 



Frederick Soddy 316 



Stress in Magnetised Iron. — Shelford Bidwell, 



F.R.S 317 



The Mixed Transformation of Lagrange's Equations. 



—A. B. Basset, F.R.S. 317 



Two Modifications of the Quartz Wedge. — Daniel 



James Mahony 317 



Colour Phtnomena in Bolelus toeruksa-its. - Edgar 



Trevithick 318 



Strength ol a Beetle.— Charles R. Keyser .... 31S 



The International Celebration of the Jubilee of the 

 Coal-tar Industry. By Dr. J. C. Cain ...... 31S 



The Sporadic Publication of Scientific Papers. By 



X 319 



The York Meeting of the British Association . . . 321 

 Inaugural Address by Prof. E. Ray Lankester, 

 M.A., LL.D., D be, F.R.S., F.L.S , Director 

 of the Natural History Departments of the 

 British Museum, President of the Associa- 

 tion 321 



Notes 335 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurrences in August 339 



Finlay's Comet (i9o6«) 339 



An Unexplained Observation 339 



The Rio de Janeiro Observatory 340 



Iron and Steel Institute .... 340 



Some Recent Astronomical Works. By V\^. E. P. . 341 



University and Educational Intelligence 342 



Societies and Academies 342 



NO. I918, VOL. 74] 



