‘starch. Exposure of 
June €, mo? | 
colloidal spiutong is Boidnes by the author as due | 
to osmotic phenomena.—Jean Bielecki and René 
Wurmser: The action of the ultra-violet rays on 
starch to the light from a Cooper Hewitt lamp caused 
a reduction of the rotatory power. Dextrins, 
ducing sugars, pentoses, formaldehyde, and some 
acids were detected in the solution.—Mme. Paul 
Lemoine: Calcareous alge collected during the 
Chareot Expedition, 1908-10.—Mme. Phisalix: The 
natural immunity of the hedgehog towards the poison 
of Heloderma suspectum. The immunity of the 
hedgehog against the poison of the lizard is due to 
the resistance of its cells; it is a cytological immunity. 
—Ch. Gravier: The Pterobranchs described by the 
second French Antarctic Expedition, and a parasitic 
crustacean on one of them.—E. Bataillon: New 
analytical researches-on the experimental partheno- 
genesis of amphibians.—A. Trillat and M. Fouassier : 
Study of the properties of a distillate from a culture 
of B. proteus upon the vitality of micro-organisms.— 
L. Lematte: The estimation of mono- and bi-metallic 
phosphates in the presence of organic compounds of 
acid nature. Evaluation of the total urinary acidity. 
—R. Fosse: Syntheses of urea by oxidation of 
ammonia and the carbohydrates, of glycerol, and of 
formaldehyde.—Gabriel Bertrand and F. Medigre- 
ceanu: The presence and the distribution of man- 
ganese in the organs of animals. With the exception 
of white of egg of birds, manganese has been found 
in all the organs_and in. all-the animal products_ex- 
amined.—J. Deprat : 
NATURE 
on 
20 
solutions of highly purified | 
re- | 
The discovery of the Ordovician | 
with Trinucleus and the Dinantian in North Annan, | 
and on the general. geology of this region.—E. 
Rothé: The possible influence of solar radiations on 
the propagation of Hertzian waves. A study of the 
intensity of wireless signals during the recent eclipse 
of the sun.—Albert Turpain: The influence of the 
eclipse of the sun of April 17, 1912, on the propagation 
of electric waves.—M. de Montessus de Ballore: The 
non-existence of isoseistic curves. 
CaLcutra. 
Asiatic Society of Bengal, May 1.—Dr. Annandale : 
Frogs and. snakes from the Abor foot-hills. The 
collection exhibited forms a very interesting addition 
to our knowledge of the fauna of the Himalayas, 
illustrating a district (the eastern extremity of the 
great range) hitherto almost unknown. Specimens 
in habits, were obtained, and of these more than a 
third are new to science, while several (notably 
| (London : 
5 Geers os 
of at least twenty species of frogs, mostly arboreal | Seo DOC: 
species of the two peculiar Burmese genera Chirixalus | 
and Phrynoderma) are of considerable interest from 
a geographical point of view. No fewer than twenty- 
three kinds of snakes were obtained, including three 
apparently new to science, one of which represents 
a hitherto undescribed genus.—S. W. Kemp: Speci- 
mens of Peripatus from’ the lower Abor hills. Peri- | 
patus is a very primitive arthropod which shows 
relationships with both worms and insects. It had | 
not previously been found within the limits of the 
Indian Empire nor, in the eastern hemisphere, in 
any locality north of the Malaya Peninsula. The 
specimens from the Abor country show some affinity 
with those from the latter region, but they evidently 
represent a species hitherto undescribed.—W. Kirk- 
patrick : 
of European Gypsies or Romnichal and colloquial 
Hindustani. Although the linguistic test is not an 
infallible test of pedigree, it seems possible to account 
for the similarity of Romnichal or the language of 
European Gypsies and colloquial Hindustani by the 
fact that the Gypsy folk of Europe came originally 
NO. 2223, VOL. 89| 
A comparative vocabulary of the language | 
_ tory for National 
from India. The Gypsy w Swords given in the vocabu- 
| lary show in most -cases an obvious identity with 
Hindustani. The Gypsy terminal or affix Engro or 
Mengro corresponds to the Hindustani Walléh.— 
D. N. Mallik: Note on the secular cooling of the 
earth and a problem in conduction of heat. 
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