484 



NA TURE 



[September 6, 1906 



the plane of polarisation whicli is necessary to give the 

 " half-shade " effect. It takes the place of the half wave- 

 length plate used by Laurent and of the subsidiary Nicol 

 used by Lippich. The principle, it was subsequently dis- 

 covered, had been used by Poynting, but the particular 

 form here described had certain advantages over its pre- 

 decessor. The second appliance provides a means for in- 

 creasing the brightness of the very faint field of view given 

 by all half-shade polarimeters, and depends on the fact 

 that when two equally bright fields of view polarised at 

 right angles to each other are received through a double 

 image prism, the brightness of the single field seen by the 

 ■eye is twice that of each of the component fields. To 

 obtain this effect in the polarimeter, ihe ordinary half- 

 shade field is divided into two identical portions, the light 

 of one passed through a quartz plate wilh a 90° rotation, 

 and then both are superposed by a double image prism, 

 which also takes the place of the ordinary analysing Nicol. 

 — Spectroscopic observations of the rotation of the sun 

 (further communication) : Dr. J. Halm. In addition to 

 distinct evidence of changes in the rotation of the sun as 

 shown by the displacements of the Fraunhofer lines at 

 the limbs, the observations made between iqoi and igo6 

 have also revealed the fact of a new displacement of the 

 solar lines which affects both limbs in the same direction. 

 During the interval iqoiHi the Fraunhofer lines have 

 gradually shifted towards the red by an amount slightly 

 more than 0-02 tenth-metre. The solar lines also show 

 greater wave-lenglhs at the limb than near the centre 

 when compared with the same telluric standards. The 

 relative shift in the case of two iron lines employed by 

 Dun^r and by the author is 0-012 tenth-metre. While at 

 least six other " low-level " lines show the same behaviour, 

 the high-level lines appear to occupy essentially the same 

 positions at centre and limb. This remarkable phenomenon 

 may be explained on the assumption that the radiation 

 from the solar gases is affected by pressure. If this explan- 

 ation be correct, the gradual shift towards the red during 

 the interval iqoi-6 would indicate that the solar gases to 

 which the Fraunhofer lines are due are under higher 

 pressure at times of maximum than at times of minimum 

 sun-spot frequency. — A monograph on the general morph- 

 ology of the myxinoid fishes based on a study of Myxine ; 

 part ii., the anatomy of the muscles : F. J. Cole. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 27. — M. A. Chauveau in 

 the chair. — The earthquake at Valparaiso, August 16, 1906, 

 registered at Paris : G. Bigourdan. A reproduction of 

 the curves registered by the seismograph recently set up at 

 the Observatory of Paris on the night of August 16-17. 

 — The two specific heats of a slightly deformed elastic 

 medium : some extensions of Reech's formula : P. Duhem. 

 — The origin of the carbon monoxide contained in normal 

 blood, and especially in the blood of persons suffering from 

 anajmia : R. Lepine and M. Boulud. The injection into 

 the veins of a dog of sodium oxalate or tartrate causes an 

 increase in the amount of carbon monoxide present. A 

 solution of glucose or levulose has the same result. — The 

 laws of music : Maurice Gandillot. — The copper-steel 

 alloys : Pierre Breuii. Alloys containing proportions of 

 copper varying from o-o per cent, to 100 per cent, of copper 

 were prepared, and determinations made of the strength of 

 notched specimens submitted to shock, torsional strength, 

 and resistance to corrosion. Micrographical examination 

 gave results confirming those previously published by Stead. 

 — The mechanism of the influence of acids, bases, and salts 

 on the liquefaction of potato starch : A. Fernbach and 

 J. Wolff. — K disease of the potato produced by Bacillus 

 pliytophthorus : Georges Delacroix. — The hremopoietic 

 activity of serum during the regeneration of the blood : 

 Paul Carnot and Mile. CI. Deflandre. 

 New South Wales. 

 Linnean Society, June 27. — Mr. Thos. Steel, president, 

 in the chair. — Studies in Australian entomology, part xv., 

 revision of the Cicindelid^ of Australia : Thomas G. 

 Sloane. The .paper includes descriptions of two new 

 species, synoptic lists of the tribes (2), genera (5), and 

 species (47) of the family Cicindelidae found in the con- 

 tinent of Australia ; also notes on ta.xonomy, phytogeny, 

 geographical distribution, &-c. — Two undescribed species of 



NO. 1923, VOL. 74] 



Eucalyptus from eastern .\ustralia : R. T. Baker. Euca- 

 lyptus carnea, sp.nov., and E. ihozciiana, F.v.M., the 

 species diagnosed in this paper, are found respectively in 

 the coast district and dry interior of the continent. The 

 former is a typical forest stringybark, with a pinkish or 

 flesh-coloured, hard, durable timber. The mature fruits 

 differ very little in shape and size from those of 

 E. acmenioides, Schau., but otherwise these two species 

 can be differentiated by their leaves, timber, and oil. 

 This latter constituent is of some chemical and industrial 

 importance, as it contains, besides a dextrorotatory pinene 

 and eucalyptol, an acetic acid ester. Only a small quantity 

 of free acetic acid was found in the crude oil, but the 

 ester split off acid on distilling the oil under atmospheric 

 pressure. Systematically the species should be placed with 

 the stringybarks, and in sequence with E. nigra, R. T. B., 

 and E. acmenioides, Sch. E. thozetiana, F.v.M., ined., 

 has only been known previously to systematists from 

 imperfect material, and both Baron von Mueller and 

 J. H. Maiden refer to it in their writings on the genus. 

 The material upon which the complete description is now 

 based was obtained by Mr. N. C. Champion from his 

 station of Tandawanna, Gooniwindi, Queensland. It 

 attains a height of about 60 feet, has a tesselated bark at 

 the base, and is smooth above to the ultimate branches. 

 The wood is very hard and very heavy, dark coloured, 

 close grained, and interlocked and very durable. It is the 

 hardest yet recorded from any Eucalyptus tree, and very 

 much resembles the South American " lignum vita?," 

 Guaiacum officinale, Linn., and is specially suitable for 

 cog-wheel teeth, mallets, girders, bridge-work, &c. 

 Systematically it might be placed with E. tesselaris, 

 F.v.M. As both the species described in this paper yield 

 excellent timber, the) are recommended for forest cultiva- 

 tion. — The formation of slime or gum by Rhizohium 

 leguminosarum : Dr. R. Greig:-Smith. — The structure of 

 Rhizohium leguminosarum : Dr. R. Greigr-Smith. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Nile Studies. ByJ. W. J 461 



The History of Determinants. By G. B. M. ... 462 

 European Vertebrates. By F. E. B. . ... 463 

 Treatment of Water for Steam Boilers and Manu- 

 factures 464 



Our Book Shelf: — 



"Studies in Anatomy from the Anatomical Depart- 

 ment of the University of Manchester " . ... 464 



de Ball : " Refraktinnsiafeln " 465 



South: "The Butterflies of the British Isles." — 



W. F. K 465 



Letter to the Editor: — 



The Latest Critic of Biometry.— Prof. Karl 



Pearson, F.R.S 465 



Royal Society Addresses. (Illiistralc-d.) . ... 466 

 An American Contribution to Archaeology. By 



H. R. Hall 468 



The Immigration of Summer Birds 470 



Notes . 470 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Return of Holmes's Comet (igo6/') 474 



Comet 1906? (KopIT) .... 474 



A Newly-discovered Planetary Nebula 474 



Plea for an International Southern Telescope . . . 474 



The Progress of Agricultural Science. By E. H. G. 474 



Russian Geographical Works, {lllustratnl.) .... 476 



The Matteucci Medal ... 477 



Practical Meteorology 477 



Geography at the British Association 478 



Physiology at the British Association. By Joseph 



Barcroft 479 



Local Societies at the British Association .... 481 



The Bombay Locust. By Fred. V. Theobald ... 481 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 482 



Societies and Academies 482 



