628 



NA TURE 



[OCTOBEK 1 8, 1906 



up the tube ; near the critical volume the mist was very 

 den>e, especially near the middle ; continuing to compress, 

 the mist disappeared below, but became dense above; the 

 clear part extended upwards, and the mist finally dis- 

 appeared at the top of the tube. When observations were 

 made during expansion the phenomena were very similar, 

 except that the mist was usually lower down in the tube. 

 (2) The limits of volume between which mist was visible 

 were much the same for the four paraffins examined, about 

 1-17 or i-i8 to 0-87 or o-88 (critical volume= i-oo). (3) At 

 slightly higher temperatures the mist was much less dense 

 and the range of volume more restricted. It seems prob- 

 able that i\e position of maximum opalescence depends on 

 the volume, but further investigation is desirable. 



June 28. — " The Alcoholic Ferment of Yeast-juice. 

 Part ii. — The Coferment of Yeast-juice." By Dr. Arthur 

 Harden and W. J. Young. Communicated by Dr. C. J. 

 Martin, F.R.S. 



Experiments have been made on the nature of the 

 dialysable, thermostable substance contained in yeast-juice, 

 upon the presence of which tlie fermentation of glucose 

 by yeast-juice depends, and to which the name coferment 

 is provisionally applied. The inactive residue, obtained by 

 filtration of yeast-juice through a Martin gelatin filter, 

 has been prepared in a solid form, which is quite inactive 

 when dissolved in glucose solution, but is rendered active 

 by the addition of filtrate or of boiled yeast-juice. This 

 solid retains its potential activity for a considerable time. 

 When a small quantity of. boiled yeast-juice is added to a 

 solution of this inactive residue in 10 per cent, glucose, 

 fermentation commences, and continues for a period vary- 

 ing with the amount of boiled juice added. The cessation 

 of fermentation appears to be due to a change in the co- 

 ferment, since the addition of a further quantity causes 

 a repetition of the phenomenon. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, October i. — M. H. Pnincare in the 

 chair. — Remarks by M. Berthelot on his work entitled 

 " Traite pratique de I'Analyse des Gaz." — Some new ex- 

 amples of Rosacea? containing hydrocyanic acid : L. 

 Guig^nard. In addition to the plants mentioned by the 

 author in earlier papers on this subject, the names of 

 twenty additional genera are given from which hydrocyanic 

 acid has been obtained. The earlier experiments have also 

 been made quantitative, and it has been found that the 

 amounts of the acid obtainable depend on the age of the 

 organs of the plant. The leaves nearly always furnish the 

 highest proportion of prussic acid, and in certain cases 

 the proportion is nearly as high as that given by the leaves 

 of the cherry laurel. — The ravages of Loxostega 

 (Eurycreon) sticticalis in the cultivation of beet-root of 

 the Central Plateau ; Alfred Giard. For some years this 

 parasite has been well known in North America as a 

 dangerous enemy of the beet. More recently it has caused 

 great damage to beet culture in Russia, but France has 

 hitherto escaped this pest. This year, possibly owing to 

 the unusual dryness, it has taken firm hold of some regions 

 of the Midi, in some districts more than 90 per cent, of 

 the roots being affected. The author describes in detail 

 the measures necessary to eradicate the parasite. — The 

 periodic trajectories of electric corpuscles in space under 

 the influence of terrestrial magnetism, with application to 

 the magnetic perturbations : Carl Stormer. — The con- 

 stituents of the alloys of manganese and molybdenum : 

 G. Arr-ivaut. The preparation of alloys rich in molyb- 

 denum is difficult in the furnace, but easy when a suitable 

 mixture of the oxides is reduced with aluminium. From 

 the ingots thus obtained the compounds Mn.Mo, MnMo, 

 and MnMo, have been isolated. — Syntheses in the 

 quinoline series. Dihydrophenylnaphthoquinoline di- 

 carboxylic ester and its derivatives : L. J. Simon and 

 Ch. Maugruin. — The existence of stable yeast forms in 

 Steriginatocystis versicolor and in Aspergillus fumigatus, 

 and the pathogenic nature of the yeast derived from 

 the latter type : G. Odin. — The " fenetre " of the Plan- 

 du-Nette and the geology of Haute-Tarentaise : W. 

 Kiiian. — A leakage between impermeable zones in cal- 

 careous subsoils : E. A. Martel. 



Che 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAV, October 18. 

 :iETV, a£S. 30.— Presentation of the Longstafl: Medal to Prof. 



W. Noel Hartley.— The Amino.dicarbo.-<ylic .Acid derived from Pinene : 

 W. A. Tilden and D. F BIyther.— The Preparation and Properties of 

 Dihydropinylamine (Pinocamphylamine) : W. A. Tilden and F. G. 

 Shepheard.— Determination of Nitrates: F. S. Sinnatt— The Nature of 

 Ammoniacal Copper Solutions: H. N. Dawson.-Malacone, a Silicate of 

 Zirconium containing Argon and Helium : S. Kitchen and W- G- 

 Winterson.— The Relationship of Colour and Fluorescence to Constitu- 

 tion, Part i., The Condensation Products of Mellitic and Pyromellitic 

 Acids with Resorcinol : O. Silberrad.— The Colouring Matters of the 

 Stilbene Group, Part. iii. : A. G. Green and P. F. Crosland.— (1) Separ- 

 ation of aa- and )3^'-Dimethyladlpic Acids ; (2) Action of Alcoholic 

 Potassium Hydroxide on 3-Bromo-i : i-Dimethyl-hexahydrobenzene ; 

 A. W. Crossley and N. Renouf.-(i) The Compounds of Pyridine with 

 Dichromates ; (2) The Normal Chromates and the Unsaturated Character 

 i of the Chromate Radical : S. H. C. Briggs.— (1) Interaction of Succinic 

 Acid and Potassium Bichromate, Note on a Black Modification of 

 Chromium Sesquioxide ; (2) Derivatives of Polyvalent Iodine: the Action 

 of Chlorine on Organic lodo-derivatives, including the Sulphonium and 

 Tetra-substituted Ammonium Iodides: E. A. Werner.— (i) New Deriva- 

 tives of Diphenol (4-4-Dihydroxydiphenyl) ; (2) The so-called " Benzidine 

 Chromate" and Allied Substances: J. Moir.— The Interaction of the 

 Alkyl Sulphates with the Nitrites of the Alkali Metals and Metals of the 

 Alkaline Earths : P. C. R.iy and P. Neogi 



Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, at 8.— The Auriferous 

 Rocks of India, Western Australia, and South Africa : M. Maclaren. — 

 .Sand Sampling in Cyanide Works; D. Simpson. — Treatment of the 

 Precipitate and Manipulation of the Tilting Furnaces at the Redjang- 

 Lebong Mine, Sumatra: S. J. Tiuscott. — A Combined Air and Water 

 Spray : T. White. 



FRIDAY. October 19. 



Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Disatssion: Railway- 

 motor-car Traffic: T. H. Riches and S. B. Haslam. —/"«/<•>-; Some 

 Notes on the Mechanical Equipment of Collieries : E. M. Hann. 

 SATURDAY, October 20. 



Essex Field Club (at Epping).— Annual Fungus Foray- all day Meeting. 

 — Ihe Ecology of Fungi ; George Massee. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Floral Biology. By F. D 605 



Single. phase Commutator Motors 606 



Volcanic History of Auvergne. By Prof. T. G. 



Bonney, F.R.S 607 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Stonham : "The Birds of the British Islands'' . . . 607 

 Rice and Torrance: "The Manufacture of Concrete 



Blocks, and their Use in Building Construclion" . 60S 

 James and Sands: "Elementary Electrical Calcula- 

 tions ■' 60S 



Letters to the Editor; — 



Biometry and Biology : A Rejoinder. — Prof. Karl 



Pearson, F.R.S 60S 



Radium and Geology.— Hon. R, J. Strutt, F.R.S. 610 



The Rusting of Iron. — J. Newton Friend .... 610 



Optical Illusions. — Douglas Carnegie 610 



Ethnology of Southern India. (Illustrated.') .... 611 

 Medical Science and Army Efficiency. By Lieut, - 



Colonel R. H. Firth 612 



The Metric System of Weights and Measures in 



the Colonies 614 



Notes 615 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet l9o6i: (Kopff) 619 



Jupiter's Seventh Satellite 619 



Observations of Variable Stars 619 



Sun-spot Spectra Observations 619 



Condensation Nuclei. By C. T. R. Wilson, F.R.S. 619 



Botanical Congress at Hamburg. By T. J 621 



Meteorological Observations 622 



Diseases of Sheep. (Illiisiratcd.) By Prof. R. T. 



Hewlett 623 



The New Muspratt Laboratory of Physical and 



Electrochemistry at the University of Liverpool . 624 



University and Educational Intelligence ..... 625 



Societies and Academies 626 



Diary of Societies 62S 



NO. 1929, VOL. 74] 



