Marcu 7, 1912] 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, February 19.—M. Lippmann in 
the chair.—L. Guignard ; Notice on the life and work 
of Edouard Bornet.—A. Lacroix: The volcanoes of 
Central Madagascar. The Ankaratra massif. The 
products of the Ankaratra volcanoes cover an area 
of not less than 4000 square kilometres. The petro- 
graphical constitution has been investigated, and is 
found to be much more complex than that sketched 
by Baron.—A. Miintz and E. Lainé: The quantity of 
water and frequence of watering as depending on the 
physical properties of soils. It is very essential that 
any irrigation scheme should be preceded by a careful 
study of the soils on which the water is to be placed. 
Cases are cited in which, owing to the lack of per- 
meability of the soil, irrigation has been actually 
harmful to the land.—M. du Ligondés : The condensa- 
tion of the solar nebula in the Laplace hypothesis. 
The enormous condensation necessary, according to 
the Laplace hypothesis, to the formation of Neptune 
has been pointed out by Fouché; the author shows 
that there is also a discontinuity in the condensation 
between Jupiter and Mars.—Billon-Daguerre: The 
fusion of pure quartz. A description of the electric 
furnace used for fusing quartz, and obtaining a clear, 
transparent product.—P. Th. Muller and Mlle. V. 
Guerdjikoff ; Refraction and magnetic rotation of mix- 
tures. H. Becquerel has shown that for pure sub- 
stances there is a connection between the refractive 
index and the magnetic rotation; for solutions, how- 
ever, there would appear to be no general relation 
between these two magnitudes.—Paul Joye and 
Charles Garnier: Contribution to the study of neo- 
dymium compounds. The different spectra given by 
neodymium hydroxide heated to temperatures between 
300° and 7oo° C. are shown to correspond to the 
formation of definite hydrates.—A. Portevin and G. 
Armou: The effects of reheating aluminium bronzes. 
Measurements are given of the alteration of hardness 
produced, and photographs reproduced showing the 
change in the structure of the alloys.—Daniel Berthelot 
and Henry Gaudechon: The photolytic decomposition 
of smokeless powder, of picric acid, and of ammonium 
picrate by the ultra-violet rays. The gas in which 
the smokeless powder is exposed to the rays is shown 
to have an influence on the nature and amount of 
the gaseous decomposition products.—H. Masson : The 
principal constituents of essence of labdanum. Two 
ketones were isolated from this oil, 1: 5 : 5-trimethyl- 
6-hexanone and acetophenone; the latter substance 
has not been previously noticed as a constituent of an 
essential oil—A. Prunet: The Japanese chestnut at 
the experimental station at Lindois (Clarente). Ex- 
periments have -been carried out on the disease- 
resisting properties of various chestnuts, and the 
Japanese chestnut (Castinea japonica) has been found 
to be the most suitable tree to replace the chestnuts 
destroyed by the maladie de l’encre.—A. Demolon: 
The fertilising action of sulphur. Sulphur has been 
shown by direct experiment to be beneficial to plant 
growth, especially Crucifere. It appears to exert a 
favourable action upon the development of chloro- 
phyll, since during drought the plants on the plots 
treated with sulphur did not turn as yellow as the 
untreated control plots.—Em. Bourquelot and Mlle. A. 
Fichtenholz: The identification of the glucoside from 
the leaves of Kalmia latifolia with asebotine. Eykman 
in 1883 gave the name asebotine to a_ glucoside 
extracted from the leaves of Andromeda japonica; the 
glucoside extracted from the leaves of Kalmia latifolia | 
is shown to be identical with asebotine.—Michel- 
Cohendy : Experiments on life without micro- 
organisms. Although normally provided with a rich 
microbial flora, the chicken can live absolutely with- 
NO. 2210, VOL. 89] 
NATURE 
| Vol. i. 
25 
out micro-organisms, and this aseptic life does not 
prejudice growth or development in any way. Accord- 
ing to these experiments, the theory of the necessary 
connection between the animal and its bacteria, a 
principle which has been given as a well-established 
biological law, is not in accord with facts.—P. Armand- 
Delille, A. Mayer, G. Schaefier, and E. Terroine ;: The 
culture of the Koch bacillus in a definite chemical 
medium. A formula is given for a culture medium 
containing definite chemical compounds only. On 
such a medium it is found that the tubercle bacillus 
develops perfectly, rapidly, and abundantly, retaining 
all its morphological and biological characters.—A. 
Moutier ; The measurement of the arterial elasticity in 
clinical practice. The measurement of arterial elas- 
ticity cannot be carried out with an apparatus using 
circular compression, only those using localised com- 
pression giving correct results. Bloch’s sphygmo- 
meter is the best instrument at present available. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Expédition Antarctique Frangaise (1903-1905), 
Commandée par le Dr. Jean Charcot. Hydrographie 
Physique du Globe. By Lieuts. A. Matha and J. J. 
Rey. Pp. vi+619. (Paris: Gauthier-Villars.) 
Botany, or the Modern Study of Plants. By Dr. 
M. Stopes. Pp. 94. Heredity. By J. A. S. Watson. 
Pp. 94. The Science of the Stars. By E. W. 
Maunder. Pp. 95. The Principles of Electricity. 
By N. R. Campbell. Pp. 91. Organic Chemistry. 
By Prof. J. B. Cohen, F-R.S: -Pp./ 96. - Each in 
“The People’s Books.’’ (London and Edinburgh : 
T. C. and E. C. Jack.) 6d. net each. 
Colour-music : the Art of Mobile Colour. By Prof. 
A. W. Rimington. Pp. xx+185. (London: Hut- 
chinson and Co.) 6s. 
Butterfly-hunting in Many Lands: Notes of a Field 
Naturalist. By Dr. G. B. Longstaff. Pp. xviii+ 
728. (London: Longmans and Co.) 21s. net. 
Types of Ore Deposits. Edited by H. F. Bain. 
Pp. 378. (San Francisco: Mining and Scientific 
Press; London: The Mining Magazine.) 8s. 6d. net. 
Graphical Solution of Fault Problems. By C. F. 
Tolman, jun. Pp. 43. (San Francisco: Mining and 
Scientific Press; London: The Mining Magazine.) 
4s. 6d. net. 
The Seven Follies of Science. By J. Phin. Third 
edition. Pp. ix+231. (London: Constable and Co., 
Ltd.) 5s. net. 
Direct and Alternating Current Manual. 
F. Bedell and C. A. Pierce. Second edition. 
xiii+360. (London: Constable and Co., Ltd.) 
net. 
Railway Signal Engineering 
L. P. Lewis. Pp. xviii+358-. 
and Co., Ltd.) 8s. net. 
An Introduction to the Study of Fuel. 
F. J. Brislee. Pp. xxii+269. (London: 
and Co., Ltd.) 8s. 6d. net. 
A Treatise on the Analytic Geometry of Three 
Dimensions. By Dr. G. Salmon, F.R.S. Revised by 
R. A. P. Rogers. Fifth edition, in two volumes. 
Pp. xxii+470. (London: Longmans and 
Co.; Dublin: Hodges, Figgis and Co., Ltd.) 9s. 
Common Land and Inclosure. By Prof. E. C. K. 
Gonner. Pp. xxx+461. (London: Macmillan and 
Co., Ltd.) 12s. net. 
Principles of Human Nutrition. 
By Drs. 
Pp. 
8s. 
(Mechanical). By 
(London: Constable 
By Dr. 
Constable 
By W. H. Jordan. 
Pp. xxi+450. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 
7s. 6d. net. 
Laboratory Problems in Physics. By F. T. Jones 
and R. R. Tatnall. Pp. ix+81. (London: Mac- 
millan and Co., Ltd.) 2s. 6d. 
