31 
2 NATURE 
(hay 3; “Tome 
dalin, may be separated; it is proposed to term this 
enzyme prunase. Apparently, the two enzymes are 
always present in the fruit in association with amyg- 
dalin, but amygdalin is not known to occur in the 
leaf, and the leaf enzyme, as a rule, has little action on 
amygdalin.—H. E. Armstrong, E. F. Armstrong, and 
E. Horton: Studies on enzyme action. XWVII.—En- 
zymes of the emulsin type (II): The distribution of 
B-enzymes in plants. A method of general application 
is described by which the enzymic activity of plant 
materials may be determined. It has been applied 
to the study of the distribution in plants of enzymes 
capable of acting on the glucosides linamarin, 
prunasin, salicin, arbutin and amygdalin.—H. E. 
Armstrong and J. Vargas Eyre: Studies on enzyme 
action. XVIII.—Enzymes of the emulsin type 
(III): Linase and other enzymes in Linacee. The 
method developed in the previous communication has 
been applied to various species of Linaceae. The family 
is found to be divisible into two groups—one of these, 
which apparently includes all species similar in habit 
to L. usitatissimum, having blue, white, or red flowers, 
contains the cyanophoric glucoside linamarin and the 
corresponding enzyme linase. The second group, 
which comprises the yellow-flowered species of arboreai 
habit (L. arboreum, L. flavum, &c.), apparently con- 
tains neither glucoside nor enzyme. . One important 
outcome of the inquiry is the proof that whereas the 
enzyme extracted from Phaseolus lunatus is about 
equally active towards linamarin and prunasin, that 
present in Linum is much less active towards the 
latter. It is therefore not improbable that linase is 
usually accompanied by prunase, and itself without 
action on prunasin.—A. Forbes: Reflex rhythm induced 
by concurrent excitation and inhibition.—T. Graham 
Brown: The factors in rhythmic functions of the 
nervous system. In a previous communication it was 
shown. that the act of rhythmic progression is in- 
trinsically conditioned centrally and not peripherally. 
At the same time, it was suggested that the 
phenomenon of rhythmic movement in the act is 
conditioned during a balance of equal and opposite 
activities. 
Zoological Society, May 7.—Prof. E. A. Minchin, 
F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair.—G. A. Boulenger : 
A collection of fishes made by Mr. A. Blayney 
Percival in British East Africa to the east of Lake 
Baringo. This collection was of special importance 
as coming from a district the fishes of which had not 
been collected before, and contained examples of five 
new species.—Dr. F. E, Beddard: A new genus of the 
Cestoidea, founded on some specimens of tapeworms 
which the author had discovered in the small intes- 
tine of an example of the Tasmanian devil (Dasyurus 
ursinus). In briefly describing the most salient 
points of anatomical interest in this form, which 
formed the type of: a new family, the author re- 
marked that in view of the very considerable peculiari- 
ties of structure observed, it was remarkable that the 
generative organs did not show any marked features | 
of interest as compared with those of other tape- 
worms.—R. E. Turner: Studies in the fossorial wasps 
of the family Scoliida, subfamilies Elidina and 
Anthoboscinze.’ Several new species of Elidinze from 
South Africa were described, including a new genus 
in which the female was wingless, and the genus 
Anthobosca was monographed. The geographical 
distribution of Anthobosca, which was almost entirely 
confined to the southern hemisphere, was discussed, 
and the conclusion was reached that the distribution 
was due to survival from a wider range in the past, 
and not to a southern origin.—A. Chapman: Notes on 
the Spanish ibex, with reference to Prof. Angel 
Cabrera’s recent paper on this species. 
NO. 2221, VOL. 89] 
Royal Astronomical Society, May Tote Dyson, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—F. W. Dyson and 
E. W. Maunder: ‘The position of the sun’s axis as deter- 
mined from photographs from 1874 to 1911, measured 
at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. It was con- 
cluded that the final mean value for the position of the 
sun’s axis agrees very closely with Carrington’s, and 
that there is no sufficient evidence of any change during 
the period covered by the photographs measured.— 
S. Chapman and T. Lewis: The effect of magnetism 
on the rate of chronometers and watches. The chrono- 
meters are placed in magnetic fields of different 
strengths; the balance arm becomes magnetised, and 
the magnetic field pulls it towards its own position, 
causing the watch to gain or lose according to its 
position with regard to the magnetic field. Owing to 
the smaller size of its balance a watch is more 
affected than a chronometer.—Prof. Lowell spoke on 
the spectroscopic discovery of the rotation of Uranus, 
made at the Lowell Observatory, Arizona. Vhe photo- 
graphs showed the inclination of the lines in the 
spectra of the limbs of the planet, from which a 
rotation period of between to and 11 hours was 
deduced.—Dr. J. W. Nicholson: The constitution of the 
solar corona, second paper. The subject was dealt 
with from the point of view of the movements of the 
electrons within the atoms.—H. C. Plummer: The 
motions and distances of certain stars of the types BS 
and Bg. The paper was a continuation of one read 
in January, certain other classes of stars being 
examined, the motions of which appeared to be in 
the plane of the Milky Way.—J. H. Reynolds: Pre- 
liminary observations of spiral nebulz in polarised 
light. The assumption was made that some of the 
luminosity of a nebula might be due to light re- 
flected from the stars involved in it. From the photo- 
graphs shown there appeared some evidence of polari- 
sation, and the author proposed to continue the 
investigation.—Prof. H. F. Newall: The spectrum of 
the sun’s limb during the partial eclipse of 1912, 
April 16-17. 
CAMBRIDGE. 
Philosophical Society, May 6.—Sir George Darwin, 
K.C.B., president, in the chair.—Sir J. J. Thomson ; 
The unit theory of radiation.—Dr. G. F. C. Searle: 
A simple viscometer for very viscous liquids. If the 
space between two coaxal cylinders of radii a, b, and 
of length h, be filled with viscous liquid, the viscosity 
# is given in terms of the couple G, which maintains 
the inner cylinder in motion about its axis with 
angular velocity » relative to the outer fixed cylinder, 
by the equation 
_ Gla? 
4naharb ~ 
2 
) pes 
eno (Ut) 
The apparatus exhibited is adapted for finding the 
viscosity of treacle. At 12° C. the viscosity of treacle 
is about 400 in C.G.S. units, that of water at the 
same temperature being o-0146.—W. A. D. Rudge: 
The action of sunlight and of radium salts on glass. 
The author has studied the action of sunlight and of 
radium salts on glass tubing, and exhibited speci- 
mens showing the results of the action on the two 
cases. Glass tubing is affected by sunlight - differ- 
ently, some specimens: acquiring a deep amethyst 
tint, others being merely darlkened or bleached, and 
others, again, being after six months’ exposure to a 
tropical sun practically unaffected. Radium salts 
produce the same effect, but the coloration with 
identical glass is much deeper than is the case with 
sunlight. The change in colour in both instances is 
probably due to some oxidation of the manganese 
oxide usually present in small quantity in glass, either 
as an accidental impurity or deliberately added to 
