?94 



NATURE ~, 



[January 6, i4uq 



da Gama Machado prize to .MM. J. Pantel and R. de 

 Sinety, for their studies in spermatogenesis ; the Cuvier 

 prize to M. Charles Janet, for his anatomical and embryo- 

 logical researches on ants. 



Medicine and Surgery. — Montyon prizes to MM. Neu- 

 mann, Ch. Nicolle, Bergoni^, and Tribondeau, mentions 

 being accorded to MM. Moussu, H. True and P. 

 Chavernac, Ch. Porcher and Ch. Hervieux, and a citation 

 to MM.' Henri Claude and Jean Camus. The Barbier 

 prize between M. L. Launoy, for his researches on the 

 conditions of activity of glandular cells, and M. J. Lesage, 

 for his experimental studies on mat^ (Verba niati). The 

 Breant prize was not claimed, but from the interest of 

 the fund a prize of 4000 francs was awarded to W. M. 

 Haffkine, for his work on vaccination against cholera and 

 plague, and a mention of 1000 francs to M. Louis R^non, 

 for his memoir on the practical treatment of pulmonary 

 tuberculosis ; the Godard prize to M. .'\. Pousson, for his 

 work on the surgery of nephritis, and a very honourable 

 mention to M. J. L. Chiri^, for his studies on arterial 

 hypertension ; the Baron-Larrey prize to M. Niclot, for 

 his researches on the relations between the numbers of 

 Anopheles and cases of malaria in the Oran district, and 

 a very honourable mention to MM. Dupard and Lepour- 

 celet, for their contribution to the study of meat in the 

 army ; the Bellion prize to M. Ch. Nicolas, for his work 

 on public and private hygiene in the Loyalty Islands : 

 the M^ge prize (interest) to M. S. J. Metalnikoff, for his 

 researches on Galleria mellonclla ; the Parkin prize to 

 M. Ad. Cartaz, for his therapeutical studies on carbon 

 dioxide as applied to diseases of the nose and throat. 



Physiology. — Montyon prizes to M. Charles Dh^ri, for 

 his spectrographic researches on the absorption of the 

 ultra-violet rays by albumenoids, proteids, and their deri- 

 vatives, and to M. E. Pozerskl, for his contribution to 

 the physiological study of papaine ; the Philipeau.x prize 

 to MM. J. E. Abelous and E. Bardier, for their discovery 

 of urohypertensine ; the Lallemand prize between M. 

 August Pettit and Gustave Roussy ; the La Caze prize to 

 M. C. Delezenne, for the whole of his researches in physio- 

 logy. The Pourat prize was not awarded, and is post- 

 poned to 1911. 



Slatislics. — A Montyon prize to M. Louis de Goy, for his 

 financial studies, M. .'Vusset receiving an honourable 

 mention. 



History of Science. — Binoux prizes to M. P. Duhem, for 

 the whole of his works relating to the history of science, 

 and M. J. B. de Toni, for his historical studies on the 

 life and work of Italian philosophers of the fifteenth and 

 sixteenth centuries. 



General Prizes. — Berthelot medals to MM. G. Blanc, 

 Marcel Guerbet, Jolibois, Brunei, Emile Lefranc, Paul 

 Letellier, Maurice Perrot ; the Gcgner prize to M. J. H. 

 Fabre ; the Lannelongue prize to Mme. Cusco and Mme. 

 de Nabias ; the Tr(5mont prize to M. Charles Fremont ; the 

 Wilde prize to M. Joseph Vallot, for his work on Mt. 

 Blanc ; the Longchampt prize to M. Claudius Roux, for 

 his work on the chlorosis of plants ; the Saintour prize to 

 MM. E. F. Gautier and R. Chudcau, for their scientific 

 studies in the Sahara ; the Jean Jacques Berger prize 

 between MM. Bienvenue (3000 francs), Biette (1000 francs), 

 Locherer (1000 francs), Thomas (1000 francs), Faillid (750 

 francs), Hervieu (750 francs), Chagnaud (750 francs), 

 Dayd^ and Pill^ (750 francs), and Calmette {6000 francs). 

 The Petit d'Ormoy prizes were not awarded. M. E. 

 Mercadier receives the Pierson-Pirin prize for his phvsical 

 researches; M. Ritz and M. Lebeuf, 2000 francs each' from 

 the Leconte fund ; M. Vaucheret. the prize founded by the 

 Marquise de Laplace; and MM. Vaucheret, Hentschel, 

 Messiah, and Courtaigne the prize founded by M. Felix 

 Rivot. 



The Bonaparte Fund.— The committee proposes the 

 following grants from this fund for the year iqoq : — M. 

 Cayeux, 4000 francs, to enable him to follow up in the 

 United States his researches on oolitic iron-ore deposits, 

 already commenced in France ; M. Chevalier, 4000 francs, 

 to assist his explorations in tropical Africa ; M. P(5rez. 

 4000 francs, to assist in the publication of a memoir 

 entitled " Recherches histologiqucs sur les Metamorphoses 

 des Muscides " ; M. Houard, 3000 francs, to enable him 

 to travel in Corsica, Algeria, and Tunis for the purpose 

 of collecting material ; M. Berget, 2000 francs, for the 

 NO. 2097, VOL. 82] 



construction of a special form of pendulum for stu, dying 

 the variations of gravity ; M. Bernard, 2000 franf^s (^ 

 assist him in his photometric studies of the variaticns of 

 solar radiation; M. Blaringhem, 2000 francs, to enable 

 him to continue his e.xperimental researches on the Varia- 

 tion of species; M. Estanave, 2000 francs, to permi'^ j,;,^ 

 to continue his researches on stereoscopic vision, s>tereo- 

 radiography, and autostereoscopy ; M. Mathias, . 2000 

 fiancs, to enable him to continue his researches a't t^g 

 I.eyden cryogenic laboratory on the rectilinear diaij-ngter 

 of liquids and on the law of corresponding states at ; very 

 low temperatures. 



The academy, taking advantage of the freedom acc>orded 

 it under the terms of the Petit d'Ormoy foundation,, has 

 decided this year not to give this prize in the usual -form 

 but to strike medals commemorative of the progress .,made 

 in flying. Gold medals have accordingly been a^^'-irded 

 to Louis Bl^riot, Commandant Bouttieaux, Caj^tain 

 Crocco, Henri Farman, Captain Ferber, Henri Juiiuiot 

 Charles de Lambert, Hubert Latham, Leon LevavasF^gur 

 Col. Charles Renard and Commandant Paul Renard (ong 

 medal), .Mberto Santos-Dumont, Rodolphe Soreau, Edoijard 

 Turcouf and Henri Kapferer (one medal), L^on Teisse'renc 

 de Bort, Henry de La Vaulx, Gabriel Voisin, CommamJant 

 Jules Voycr, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright and Ccjunt 

 de Zeppelin. ."Vlso silver-gilt medals to Gustave Herinite 

 and Georges Besan^on, Louis Breguet, L(?on Delagrai;ige_ 

 Robert Esnault-Pelterie, L. Marchis, Louis Paulhan, Htnrl 

 Rougier, and Victor Tatin. ' 



CLIM.iTOLOGIC.iL REPORTS. 



THE director of the meteorological observatory at 

 Chemulpo has issued the results of the observatijns 

 made at the Japanese meteorological stations in Korea for 

 each of the months January-December, 1908. The insi-u- 

 ments and the method of observation are the same ' as 

 those at the meteorological stations in Japan, and hg 

 readings, taken six times a day, are expressed in metric 

 and centigrade measures, with monthly m'ians md 

 extremes. These form an important contribution to the 

 meteorology of the Far East ; their value would be mi,ch 

 enhanced by the addition of annual summaries. 



The report on rainfall registration in Mysore for iioS 

 shows that, except in the Shimoga (north-west) distri-r, 

 the amount was deficient in all parts of that important 

 province, reaching 43 per cent, in Kolar (east). Tie 

 deficiency of the fall during both monsoons was detrimengl 

 to the cultivation of ragi, which is the staple dry crop of 

 the province. The tables for monthly, seasonal, and yeaiy 

 periods have been carefully prepared by Mr. Iyengar, js 

 before, with diagrams and maps showing (i) the annigl 

 rainfall for 1908, and (2) the average for 1870-1908. Tie 

 mean amount for the whole province in 190S was 29'ii 

 inches, the average for the thirty-nine years' period bei.g 

 36-79 inches. .Among the heavy daily falls we note ii-:2 

 inches in .Shimoga district, and 10-90 inches in Kadur dj. 

 trict, both in the month of July. 



.\n important memoir on the climate of Tripoli is pV). 

 lished in the .Annals of the Italian Central Meteorologiti] 

 Office (vol. XXX., part i.), containing the results of observ,. 

 tions made during the years 1893-1907, at an observatOy 

 established by the Italian Foreign Office and the Metec. 

 ological Service, and situated in lat. 32° 54' N., Ion. 

 13° 11' E. The mean monthly values of atmospher- 

 pressure exhibit the greatest variability during the wintt- 

 season, when the barometer is highest; the lowest reai. 

 ings occur during spring. The mean monthly temperature 

 do not show much variation from one year to anothe) 

 The means of the daily maxima are 60-0° in January an 

 86-2° in August, and of the minima 46-1° in January an 

 72-9° in August. The absolute maxima and minima wei 

 ioq-o° in July and 34-5° in January. The mean annur 

 rainfall is 17-29 inches, most of which fails betwee 

 October and February (14-85 inches) ; from June to Augu^ 

 inclusive little or no rain falls. The memoir has bee 

 carefully prepared in considerable detail by Prof: 

 Martinuzzi and Eredia, and is especially valuable, as con. 

 paratively little has hitherto been published on tV 

 climatology of that country. 



