6o 



NA TURE 



[November ii, 1909 



These are thick bacilli, of length usually less than 2 ^i ; 

 all are sugar ferments, and an<xrobic. — B. Collin : The 

 hypertrophied forms and degenerated growth among the 

 Acinetians. Intensive culture and constant over-feeding are 

 capable of producing on the organism of these infusoria 

 profound modifications, both morphological and physio- 

 logical. — Ph. Dantzenberg : The marine molluscs found 

 in the scientific expedilions of M. A. Gruvel in West 

 Africa, iqo6-f). — W. Wietrxykowski : Contributions to the 

 study of the development of Lucernarids. — G. Eisen- 

 rnenerer : The glacial excavation of Lake Garda (Italy). 

 If the origin of the Lake of Garda is a tectonic depression 

 dating from Mesozoic, or if, later, different movements took 

 place with a dislocation of Mount Baldo, it is necessary 

 to recognise that the actual configuration of Lake Garda 

 is the work of a very powerful glacial e.Kcavation. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, NnvriiBER 11. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Ihe V.iciiolation of the RIood-platelets 

 —An Experimental Proof of their Cellular Nature: H. C. Ro5s. 

 —Further Results of the Experimental Treatment of Trypanoso- 

 miasis— being a Progress Report to a Committee of the Roval Society ; 

 H. G. Plimmer and Captain W. B. Vry.—Hillhaiisia viirahilis, a Giant 

 Sulphur Bacterium : G. S. West and B. M. Griffiths —The Modes of 

 ■Division of S/tirochacta rccnrrcntls and Ji'. djtttoni as observed in 

 the Living Organism: H. B. Fantham and Miss A. Porter.— On the 

 Supposed Presence of Carbon Monoxide in Normal Blood and in the 

 Blood of Animals anjEsthetised with Chloroform : G. A. Buckmaster and 

 I. A. Gardner.— The Origin and Destiny of Cholesterol in the Animal 

 Organism. Part vi., The F.xcretion of Cholesterol by the Cat : G. W. 

 Ellis and I. A. Gardner. -The Elasticity of Rubber Balloons and Hollow 

 Viscera (with a Note by W. Sutherland) : Pro'. W. A. Osborne. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30. — Annual General Meeting. — (i) The 

 Ordinal Relations of the Terms of a Convergent Sequence ; (2) The 

 Application to Dirichlet's Series of Borel's Exponential Method of 

 Sumn.ation ; (3) Theorems relating to the Summability and Convergence 

 of Slowly Oscillating Series: G. H. Hardy — Notes on Synthetic 

 Geometry: Prof. \V. Esson— Kummer's Quartic Surface as a Wave 

 Surface : H. Bateman.— The Green's Function in a Wedge, and Other 

 Problems in the C ndiirtion of Heat : Prof. H. S. Carslaw.— The 

 Envelope of a Line cut Harmonically by two Conies : J. L. S. Hatton.— 

 On a Case of ./-Hypergeometric Series : Rev. F. H. Jackson. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— Presidential Address : 

 Dr. Gisbert Kapp. 



FRIDAY, November 12. 



Physical Society, at 8.— On the Absorption Spectrum of Potassium 

 Vapour: P. V. Bevan.— Some Further Notes on the Physiological 

 Principles underlying the Flicker Photometer: J. S. Dow.— Exhibition 

 of a Colour-perception Spectrometer : Dr. F. W. Edridge-Green. — Tables of 

 Berand Bei and Ker and Kei Functions, wilh Furthur F'ormuliefor their 

 Computation : H. G. .Savidge. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. --Observations of Jupiter, 1907-8: 

 Scriven Bolton.— On the use of an Ordinary Telescope in the Zenith for 

 Determination of Time and Latitude : R. H. M. Bosanquet.— Star 

 Colours and Spectral Types : Stars of Spectrum Type O : W. S. Franks.— 

 Observations of Jupiter's Galilean Satellites, 1909 : R. T. A. Innes.— The 

 EfTective Temperature of 109 Fixed Stars : J. Wilsingand 7. Scbeiner.-.\ 

 New Map of the Moon : W. Goodacre.— An Addition to the Theoretical 

 Secular Acceleration of the Moon's Mean Motion: E. W, Brown.-An 

 Frrnr in the New Lunar Theory : E. W, Brown.— On the Plans for New 

 Tables of the Moons Motion: E. W. Brown.— Ihe Magnetic Storm of 

 1909 Sept. 25, and the Associated Solar Disturbance : W. J. S. Lockyer. 

 —A Solar Outburst and a Magnetic St^rm : C. Michie Smith. -Spectro- 

 scopic Determination of the Systematic Motions of the Stars : S. S. Hough 

 and J. Halm.— Mesures ricentes sur la PlaneteMars: R. Jonckheere. - 

 Aberration Day Numbers for 1910: H. C. Plummer,— Description of the 

 Society's Harrison Clock : E. T. Cottingham.— The Cyclones of the Indian 

 Ocean, 1856-67, and their Association with the .Solar Rotation : E. W. 

 Maunder.— /"TOfoifr Papers : Solar Parallax Papers, No. 8, The Mass 

 of the Moon derived from Photographic Observations of Eros, 1900-1 : 

 A. R. H inks. —The Sun-spots and Associated Magnetic Storm of 1905 

 September and October : Rev. A. L. Cortie. 



MONDAY, November 15. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— Mesopotamia: Past, Present, 



nd Future : Sir William Willcocks, K.C.M.G. 

 TUESDAY, No 



16. 



Mineralogical Society, at 8. — .\nniversary Meeting.— On an Occurrence 

 of Native Copper with Tin Ore in the Federated Malay States : J. B. 

 Scrivenor. — On a Meteoric .Stone from Simondium, Cape Colony: Dr. 

 G. T. Prior.— On .Sartorite and other Minerals from the Binnenthal : 

 Prof W. J. Lewis.— On the Occurrence of Alstonite and Ullmannile, a 

 Species New to Britain in a Batyles-witherite Vein in the New Brancepeth 

 Colliery, near Durham : L. J. Spencer. — A Pocket Sclerometer : C. J. 

 Woodward. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Discussion : The .Single-phase 

 Electrification of the Heysham, Morecambe and Lancaster Branch of the 

 Midland Railway : J. Dalziel and J. Sayers.— The Equipment and Work- 

 ing.resultsof the Mersey Railway under Sieam and under Electric Trac- 

 tion : J. Shaw. — The Eff'ect of Electrical Operation on the Permanent-way 

 Maintenance of Railways, as Illustrated on the 'I'ynemouth Branches of the 

 North-Eastern Railway : Dr. C. A. H; 



Royal Anthropological Institute, at 8.15. — The Rothwell Crania: 



F. G. Parsons, 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5. — Inaugural Address : Sir J. A. Baines, 



President. 



WEDNESDAY, November 17. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 8. — An Imperial Navy : Sir W. H. White, 



K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 Roval Meteorological Society, at 7.30. — Methods Employed for 



Observing Pilot Balloons : C. J. P. Cave —Registering Balloon Ascents at 



Gloucester, June 23 and 24, 1909 : W. Marriott.— Winter Temperatures 



on Mountain Heights: W. P. Brown.— The Semi-diurnal V.iriation of 



Rainfall : E. Gold. 

 Geological Society, at 8. 

 Ento.moi.ogical Society, at 8. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 8.— On the Recent and Fossil Fora- 



minifera of the Shore Sands of Selsey Bill, Sussex ; Part iv. : Edwd. 



Heron-Allen and A. Earland. 



THURSDAY, November 18. 



Royal Society, at 4.30.— Bakerian Lecture: The Statistical and Thermo- 

 dynamical Relations of Radiant Energy: Sir J. f^armor. Sec.R.S. 



Linnkan Society, at 8.— A New Tipulid Subfamily : W. Wesch6.— Fresh- 

 water Rhizopods from the English Lake District : I . W. Brown. 



Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, at 8. 



FRIDAY, November 19. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — An Internal-combus- 

 tion Pump and other Applications of a New Principle : Herbert A. 

 Humphrey. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Internal Combustion Engine 31 



The Diamonds of South Africa 32 



A Lost Opportunity 32 



Chemical Technology. By W. A. D 33 



Handbooks on Animal Study 34 



Elementary Physics 35 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Cain : " A Brief Course in the Calculus."— P. P. . . 36 

 Sternberg : " The Life of a Fossil Hunter." — 



A. S. nV 36 



" The Book of Nature-Study " • • 37 



Borel : " Elements de la Theorie des Probabililes " . 37 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Magnetic Storms.— Dr. George C. Simpson ... 37 

 The Identity of Certain Large Birds on Egyptian 



Vases. — Dr. Henry O. Forbes 3S 



November Meteors.— John R. Henry ■ 3*> 

 The Absence of a Lunar Atmosphere.— Charles W. 



Raffety 38 



Pitchblende as a Remedy.— H. Warth 38 



South African Association for the Advancement of 



Science 3^ 



American Cave Vertebrates. By Prof. Arthur Dendy, 



F.R.S 40 



The Preservation of Natural Monuments in 



Germany. By A. E. Crawley 4° 



The Migrations of Plaice 4' 



Notes 41 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Astronomical Occurrences in November 46 



Re-discovery of Winnecke's Comet (1 909(/) 46 



Halley's Comet 46 



Saturn 47 



Mercury 47 



The " Flash " Spectrum without an Eclipse .... 47 



Search-ephemeris for Giacobini's Comet, 1896 V. . . 47 



The Upper Air 47 



Solar Vortices and Magnetic Fields. II. {[//iis- 



/raltil,] By Prof. George E. Hale, For.Mem.R.S. 50 

 The New Rooms of the Royal Society of Edin- 

 burgh 53 



The International Investigations in the North Sea 

 and the Scottish Board's Annual Report. By 



W. C. M 54 



The Association of Teachers in Technical Institu- 

 tions. By H. Ade Clark 5^ 



An Ornithologist in Queensland sd 



Interchange of University Students 57 



University and Educational Intelligence 57 



Societies and Academies 5^ 



Diary of Societies 60 



XO . 



2089, VOL. 82] 



