May 23, 1912] 
NATURE 
destroy the greenish colour due to iron salts.—R. D. 
Kleeman; The different internal energies of a sub- 
stance. IJ. In this paper it is further tested to what 
extent an agreement of a number of formule with 
the facts is obtained on the assumption that (#) in 
the law of molecular attraction is a function of the 
temperature only. 
diffusion of gases can be approximately calculated on 
this assumption. It is found that the more complex 
the molecule the greater the variation of (¢) with the 
temperature. The value of (¢) always decreases with 
increase of temperature. Evidence is brought for- 
ward that the change in the value of (¢) and of the 
internal energy of a molecule with temperature is 
due to a change in the configuration of the atoms. 
| 
The coefficients of viscosity and | of the eclipse. 
—A. E. Oxley: The detection of small amounts of | 
polarisation in light from a dull sky. 
The paper | 
describes an arrangement of a bitrapezoid polariser | 
and a Babinet’s compensator by the aid of which the 
existence of polarisation in light from a dull sky can 
be detected when that light is insufficient in quantity 
and of an azimuth too indefinite to produce visible 
complementary tints in crystalline plates.—J. C. 
Chapman; An attempt to refract R6ntgen radiation. | 
In this experiment an attempt was made to refract 
X-rays, under exceptional conditions, by a prism of 
ethyl bromide vapour. That is when the radiation 
which it was attempted to refract (1) stimulated the | 
bromine characteristic radiation, (2) was selectively | 
absorbed by the vapour. In neither case could 
appreciable refraction be detected.—Major P. A. 
MacMahon: (1) The problem of derangement in the 
theory of permutations; (2) Compound denumeration. 
DUBLIN. 
Royal Irish Academy, May 13.—Dr. F. A. Tarleton, 
and subsequently Sir John Ross of Bladensburg, in 
the chair.—H. Ryan and T. Nolan: Higher ketones 
and secondary alcohols derived from amides of 
palmitic and stearic acids. The higher amides, such 
as those of palmitic and stearic acids, give good 
yields of ketones by interaction with alkyl magnesium 
halides. In this way the authors obtained methyl-, 
phenyl-, p-tolyl-, and a-naphthyl-pentadecyl ketones 
from palmitamide and ethyl-, phenyl-, and a-naphthyl- 
heptadecyl ketones from stearamide. 
formed crystalline oximes, semicarbazones, and 
phenylhydrazones. By reduction of the ketones 
secondary alcohols were obtained, which formed 
acetyl derivatives and phenyl urethanes.—R. J. 
Ussher: Birds (Clare Island Survey). 
deals with the west coast of Connaught. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, May 6.—M. Lippmann in the 
chair.—MM., de Vanssay, Cot, and Courtier : Observa- 
tion of the solar eclipse of April 17, 1912. These 
observations were carried out at three stations near 
Luzarches, on a line perpendicular to the central line 
Details are given of the times of 
contact and the duration of the annular phase.—P. 
Salet: The character of the solar eclipse of April 17, 
1912, in Portugal. The eclipse was not total on the 
line of centrality in Portugal.—L. Picart: Observa- 
tions of the solar eclipse made at the Observatory of 
Bordeaux. Times for the first and second contacts 
are given. The presence of clouds interfered with the 
observations.—E. Rabioulle: The latitude of the 
Observatory of Toulouse. A comparison of measure- 
ments made since 1844. The result for 1911 was 
43° 36’ 43:5”.—René Garnier: The limits of the sub- 
stitutions of the group of a linear equation of the 
second order.—Zodard de Geécze: The quadrature of 
curved surfaces.—Louis Roy : The dynamical adiabatic 
law in the motion of flexible membranes.—L. Riéty : 
The electromotive force produced by the flow of saline 
solutions in capillary tubes.—G. Berlemont : A method 
of joining platinum and quartz. A sound joint can 
be made directly between quartz and an alloy of 
platinum and iridium.—Samuel Liichitz : The range of 
the particles in the Brownian motion. An ultramicro- 
scopic study of smoke particles under the influence of 
sound waves.—L. Houllevigue : The kathode rays with 
low velocity produced by incandescent lamps.—Ch. 
Fabry and H. Buisson: The size of the lines of the 
spectrum and the production of interference with large 
differences of path. The theory of Lord Rayleigh, 
completed by Schénrock, gives a relation between the 
width of a line in the spectrum, the wave-length, the 
absolute temperature, and the mass of the vibrating 
particle. From this follows that in interference there 
| is an order N above which the fringes cannot be 
The ketones | 
observed. N has been determined for helium, neon, 
and krypton, and the values are in close agreement 
with the figures predicted by the theory. The increase 
| in the value of N which should result if the tempera- 
_ ture is lowered has also been confirmed experiment- 
ally. The experiments as a whole confirm the prin- 
_ ciples of the kinetic theory of gases.—G. D. Hinrichs : 
This report | 
On the | 
islands land-birds that breed are few, and comprise | 
the chough, raven, peregrine, and rock-dove, while 
the golden eagle nested within the last twenty years, 
though now but one survives in Mayo and one in 
Donegal. The district contains great colonies of 
cliff-birds; on the Bills many great black-backed 
gulls nest. Petrels and shearwaters also breed on 
the islands. The influence of the Atlantic with 
west. winds produces a moderate temperature in 
winter, when there is a regular movement to the 
islands of song thrushes, finches, starlings, rooks, 
and larks, that do not breed there.—A. R. Nichols : 
(1) Polyzoa, and (2) Echinodermata (Clare Island 
Survey). (1) Seventy-five species of marine Polyzoa, 
chiefly encrusting forms belonging to the suborder 
Cheilostomata, were collected in the Clare Island dis- 
trict. A single species (Plumatella repens) of fresh- 
water Polyzoa was found in a small lake at Clare 
Island and also at Inishbofin; four other species were 
| the 
its | 
found in lakes in the western part of the mainland | 
of Co. Mayo. (2) Thirty-two species of echinoderms 
are enumerated from the Clare Island district, nine 
of which belong to the group Holothurioidea. 
NO. 2221, VOL. 89] 
The systematic errors in the chemical operations used 
in the determination of the atomic weights.—F. 
Bourion: The separation of iron and titanium. <A 
mixture of the two oxides is heated in hydrochloric 
acid gas containing a small proportion of chloride of 
sulphur (S,Cl,). The iron is volatilised as chloride, 
titanium dioxide remaining unattacked.—G. 
Darzens: A carbon pernitride (see p. 303).—Ed. 
Chauvenet : The oxychlorides of zirconium.—A. Wahl 
and M. Doll: The preparation of the «6-dilketonic 
esters. The authors have extended the method of 
preparing the diletonic esters by the action of nitrous 
fumes on the acylacetic esters to the propionyl-, 
butyryl-, and heptylacetic esters. The properties and 
chief chemical reactions of the new diketones are 
given.—Alph. Mailhe: Some new colouring matters 
derived from phenyloxyaniline.—Jean Escard : A new 
densivolumometer applicable to the rapid determina- 
tion of the density of solids.—Paul Desroche: The 
influence of temperature on the zoospores of Chlamy- 
domonas.—L. Lutz: A comparison of the total 
nitrogen and the nitric nitrogen in parasitic and 
saprophytic plants.—H. Heérissey: The presence of 
amygdonitrileglucoside in Photinia serrulata.—L. 
Bull: An optical illusion perceived at the moment of 
shutting the eyes.—W. Broughton Alcock : Attempts 
at antityphoid vaccination in_ man by means of a 
| sensitised living vaccine.—J. Bridré and A. Boquet : 
