June 8, 1905J 



iVA TURE 



'4: 



compounds. The normal acid being pentabasic, N(OH),, 

 there are several hvdrates of this extending to 



N(OH)5.i4H,0. 

 Ordinary nitric acid of 1-42 sp. gr. consists entirely of the 

 octobasic- acid (HO),N.O.N(OH),, and the crystallisation 

 of this was shown to the meeting by cooling the acid in 

 liquid air. — The effect of very low temperature on moist 

 seeds : John Adams. Seven species of moist seeds were 

 submitted to the temperature of liquid air, with fhe result 

 that they were all killed, while dry seeds were not adversely 

 affected. The physiological processes involved were next 

 considered, as well as the various theories put forward to 

 account for death by freezing. An attempt was made to 

 bring the results obtained into line with Macfadyen's ex- 

 periments on bacteria, and the more recent investigations 

 of Edwin J. Smith and Deane B. Swingle. — Injurious 

 insects and other animals observed in Ireland during the 

 year 1904 : Prof. G. H. Carpenter. In this paper special 

 attention is paid to Cecidomyiidae, the pear-midge {Diplosis 

 pyrh'ora, Riley) being recorded, and an account of Rhab- 

 dopliaga beterotia, Loew., very destructive to osier beds in 

 the county of Kilkenny, . being given. Further instances 

 are mentioned of CoUembola injurious to plant roots and 

 a new species of oribatid mite (Lohmannia insigiiis, 

 Berlese) destructive to bean seedlings is described. The 

 life-history of the well known mangold fly {Pcgomyia 

 bc'tae, Curtis) is worked out in some detail. — Prof. 

 McClelland made an addition to the cominunication he 

 laid before the society at its February meeting. 



Edinburgh. 

 Koyal Society, May i— Pruf. Gcikie in the chair.— 

 The internal structure of Sigillaria degans of Brongniart's 

 " Histoire des \Yg^taux fossiles " : R. Kidston. The 

 primary xylon formed a continuous ring as in i'. dongata, 

 Bgt., described by Prof. Bertrand, but the protcxylon 

 groups formed rounded projections, not pointed, as in 

 .<. clongata. The paper concluded with some general re- 

 marks on the development of the primary xylon of the 

 Carboniferous lycopods, and the opinion was expressed 

 that the jiolid stele was the most primitive type, followed 

 by the continuous ring with a medulla, the series ending 

 in that type of structure found in S. spiniilosa, where the 

 primary xylon assumes the form of a circle of isolated 

 bundles. — The rainfall of the drainage area of the Talla 

 reservoir : B. Hall BIyth and W. A. Tait. The observ- 

 ations had been carried out in connection with the new 

 Edinburgh Water Works in order to obtain data for fix- 

 ing an equitable compensation to the iTwecd Salmon 

 Fisheries Commissioners and other proprietors in the dis- 

 trict. Seven gauges had been established at various levels, 

 and observations had been taken continuously for seven 

 years from 1896. The lowest gauge, at a height of 

 966 feet, gave an annual average of 6143 inches, and the 

 highest, at a height of 2627 feet, gave 65.53 inches, or 

 only 0-41 per cent, per too feet rise. The greatest average 

 was given by the gauge at the height of 1537 feet, the 

 value being 73-92 inches. These facts showed that the 

 rainfall was greatly affected by the exposure to prevailing 

 winds and the character of these winds, quite apart from 

 the effect of height. The extent of the drainage area was 

 6180 acres, and the average annual rainfall, as estimated 

 from the observations, was nearly 14,600,000 gallons per 

 day, of which one-third had to be given off as compen- 

 sation. — The rainfall records in the Talla drainage area 

 from 1896 to 1902 : P. D. Donald. This contained further 

 discussions of the records. The observations of rainfall 

 were being continued by the Water Trust, and it was 

 hoped that the information so gained would be of special 

 value to all interested in water supplv. — \'ariant forms of 

 vanishing aggregates of minors of axisymmetric deter- 

 minanls : Prof. Metzler. 



P.\RIS. 



Academy of Sciences, May 29. — M. Troost in the chair. — 

 The exact transmission of time by the telephone : E. Guyou 

 (see p. 134). — On cyanocampho-acetic, cyanocanipho-a- 

 propionic, cyanocampho-a-butyric acids and their principal 

 derivatives : A. Haller and .\. Couiemenos. The sodium 



derivative of cyanocampbor reacts with the methyl and 

 ethyl esters of the a-monochlor- and monobromo fatly 

 acids similarly to the alkyl iodides and bromides previously 

 studied, the camphor derivative behaving as if it possessed 

 the enolic form. These new compounds can be saponified 

 by alcoholic potash, furnishing the corresponding acids, 

 several esters, salts, and amides being described in detail. 

 — The oscillations of locomotives under the action of 

 various disturbing forces : Georges Marie. A study of the 

 conditions under which the oscillations may accumulate to 

 a dangerous amplitude, and of the means of avoiding 

 these conditions in practice.^On the continued algebraical 

 fractions of Laguerre ; R. de Montessus de Ballore. — 

 On partial differential equations of the elliptic type : S. 

 Bernstein. — On the interpolation nf continuous functions 

 bv polynomials : Martin Krause. — The electrolytic produc- 

 tion of very fine wires : Henri Abraham. Starting with 

 a fine drawn wire of a given material, the metal is re- 

 moved electrolytically in a suitable bath, the resistance of 

 the wire being measured during the experiment, the in- 

 crease of the resistance giving an exact measure of the 

 reduction of the diameter. For the production of uniform 

 wires it is necessary that the electrolysis be conducted very 

 slowly, and the method proved very successful for the 

 purpose in view. — On tangential irradiation : A. Guebhard. 

 A discussion of the mechanical and electrical theories as 

 to the cause of photographic irradiation. — The examination 

 of phosphorus sulphide for the presence of free white 

 phosphorus : L^o Vignon. The Mitscherlich reaction (dis- 

 tillation with water) is useless for detecting free phosphorus 

 in commercial phosphorus sulphide ; the removal of the 

 free phosphorus by heating in a current of hydrogen proved 

 more serviceable. — On a reaction with discontinuous 

 velocities of the green sulphate of chromium : Albert 

 Colson. — On some physical properties of propane : Paul 

 Lebeau. Pure propane was obtained from three sources, 

 normal propyl iodide, isopropyl iodide, and isopropyl 

 chloride, the final purification being effected in all three 

 cases by fractional distillation of the liquefied gas. It 

 remained liquid at the temperature of liquid air ( — 195°), 

 boiled at — 44°-5 C, and had a critical temperature of 

 97°-5 C, the critical pressure being 45 atmospheres. 

 Propane is soluble in several reagents, its solubility being 

 much greater than either methane or ethane. It is interest- 

 ing to note that although propane does not solidify at 

 — 195° C, methane, its lower homologue, is crystalline 

 at —184° C. — On methyl-acetyl-carbinol : Andr^ Kling. 

 This acetol can be obtained by the oxidation of 

 2 : 3-butanediol by the action of the sorbose bacterium 

 and by Mycodcrma accti. The resulting keto-alcohol is 

 dextrorotatory, the oxidation proceeding at the expense of 

 the laevo-form. The semicarbazone is well crystallised 

 and readily isolated, and forms the best means of identify- 

 ing this substance. — On the oxide of methoethenylbenzene : 

 M. TilTenau. — Syntheses in the anthracene series. The 

 condensation of derivatives of benzodihydrofurfurane into 

 7-substituted anthracene derivatives : A. Guyot and 

 J. Catel. — On methylnataioemodine and nataloemodine : 

 E. Leger. The name nataloemodine is given to a trioxy- 

 methyl-anthraquinone obtained by the action of sodium 

 peroxide upon the aloin from Cape aloes. Details are 

 given of its properties and the preparation of some of its 

 derivatives. — On the acidity of some ethyl alcohols of 

 commerce and on the variations in acidity at the ordinary 

 temperature : Ren^ Duchemin and Jacques Dourien, 

 Alcohol slowly oxidises in the presence of air at the ordinary 

 temperature, acetic acid being formed. The amount 

 formed depends on the nature of the containing vessel. 

 — The conductivity of colloidal solutions : J. Duclaux.. 

 A solution of a colloid can be filtered through a collodion 

 film, crystalline substances passing readily through such 

 a filter, the colloid remaining behind. It was found that 

 the conductivity of the concentrated solution of the colloid 

 was appreciably greater than that of the filtrate. From 

 the results of the measurements it was calculated that 

 the electric charge on each particle of colloidal ferric 

 hydrate was about i /500th of that corresponding to the 

 gram-valence of an ion. — On the presence of noumeite in 

 the detritic state in the neo-Caledonian Eocene : M. 

 Deprat. — The wild coffee trees of French Guinea : A. 



NO. 1858, VOL. 72] 



