JUNE 20, 1912| 
NATURE 
subtropical vegetation on the coast and an alpine flora 
on the mountains of the interior; that during the 
period of refrigeration the fauna and flora were 
gradually expelled to Australasia through Tasmania, 
first the warmth-loving plants and animals, last the 
alpine or subantarctic forms; that a penultimate 
expansion of Antarctica reached New Zealand, but 
not Australia. By it an exchange operated between 
New Zealand and South America, though in the sub- 
sequent phase the gifts of Patagonia to Tasmania were 
not reciprocated. 
Mathematical Society, June 13.—Dr. H. F. Baker, 
president, in the chair.—H. Hilton; Some properties 
of symmetric and orthogonal substitutions.—F. R. 
Moulton ; Closed orbits of ejection and related periodic 
orbits.—W. H. Young: (1) A certain series of Fourier ; 
(2) the Fourier series of bounded functions.—G. N. 
Watson : Some properties of the extended zeta-function. 
—H. P. Hudson: Curves of contact of any order on 
algebraic surfaces. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, June 1o.—M. Lippmann in the 
chair.—J. Boussinesq: The resistance met by an ellip- 
soid in slow uniform translations through a viscous 
liquid, calculated by an extension of the method pre- 
viously successfully applied to slow movements of 
translation of the sphere.—Henry le Chatelier: The 
law of mass action. The fallacy in a recent criticism 
of Colson is pointed out, and the results recalculated 
for the dissociation of hydriodic acid, using the more 
accurate data of Bodenstein.—A Haller and Eug. 
Benoist ; The action of sodium amide and alkyl halides 
upon benzoyltrimethylene.—S. A. S. the Prince of 
Monaco: Bathymetric map of the oceans.—El. Metch- 
nikofi and Eug. Wollman: The view is advanced, con- 
trary to the generally accepted view, that indol and 
its derivatives are toxic. An experimental study 
of diet has been made from the point of view of indol 
excretion, and the administration of an amylolytic 
bacterium suggested.—J. Clairin: The transformation 
of Imschenetsky.—Jean Chazy: The divergent asym- 
ptotic developments which represent the integrals of 
certain differential equations.—Ph. A. Guye, J. Kovacs, 
and E. Wourtzel: The weight of a normal litre of air 
at Geneva. The weight of a litre of dry, pure air 
taken at different places on the same day may vary 
by some tenths of a milligram.—A. Pérard: The 
measurement of the Johansson standard by an optical 
method. 1, 5, 25, 50, and roo mm. standards were 
examined; in one case (100 mm.) the error was 
0'2x, in five o'1u, and in five o’ou.—Albert Colson : Dis- 
sociation at constant volume and the law of mass 
action.—J. Carvallo: The law of Guldberg and Waage 
in the case of the dissociation of gases.—M. Jouniaux : 
Cryoscopy in camphor. For the cryoscopic constant 
K in camphor a mean value of 495 was obtained, 
leading to 824 cal. as the latent heat of fusion of 
camphor. The vapour pressures, combined with 
Clapyron’s equation, lead to an identical value.—M. 
Hannover : Porous metals.—Daniel Berthelot and Henry 
Gaudechon: The function of wave-length in photo- 
chemical reactions. The analogy of the photo-chem- 
istry of high frequency. Vibrations with the chemistry 
of high temperatures.—E. Kohn-Abrest and _ Rivera- 
Maltes: The influence of impurities on the activity of 
aluminium.—A. Besson : Observations on the hydrogen 
silicides.—H. Baubigny: Researches on the mode of 
decomposition of copper sulphite——Camille Matignon : 
The spontaneous and progressive destruction of cer- 
tain leaden objects. The presence of chlorides much 
facilitate the destruction of leaden antiquities by 
atmospheric action; the oxidation is partially, but not 
completely, prevented by a coating of transparent 
varnish.—Paul Lebeau: The decomposition of uranyl | 
NO. 2225, voL. 89| 
nitrate by heat.—G. Darzens and Séjourné: The esters 
of dichlorosuccinic acid and their stereochemical 
isomers.—Mme. Ramart-Lucas: Isopropyl-diphenyl- 
acetic acid.—G. Bouchard: The chromogenic mate- 
rials and nitrogenous substances contained in fatty 
bodies. —P. Lemoult: The leucobases and colouring 
matters of diphenylethylene. The preparation of some 
amido-alkyl ethylene derivatives.—Marcel Godchot and 
Felix Taboury: Some _ cyclopentane  glycols.—G. 
André: The evolution of the nitrogen, phosphorus, 
and sulphur in the course of the growth of barley.— 
L. Camus and E. Gley: The mechanism of the hamo- 
lytic action of the serum of the eel.—Ancel and P. 
Bouin: The determinism of accouchement.—R. 
Robinson: The action of adrenaline and of choline on 
the determination of sex in some mammals.—Charles 
Nicolle, L. Blaizot, and E. Conseil: The etiology of 
recurrent fever and its mode of transmission.—Anna 
Crzewina and Georges Bohn: The effects of the inhibi- 
tion of oxidation on the spermatozoids of Strongylocen- 
trotus lividus and on the development.—Ph. Dautzen- 
berg : The marine molluscs arising from the scientific 
expedition of M. A. Gruvel in western Africa, 1910-11. 
— Albert Berthelot and D. M. Bertrand: Researches on 
the intestinal flora. The isolation of a micro- 
organism capable of produciig 8-imidoazolethylamine 
from histidine.—L. Massol: ‘The action of the ultra- 
violet rays upon starch.—Gabriel Bertrand and Arthur 
Compton: The supposed reversibility of the diastatic 
hydrolysis of salicin.—F. Kerforne: A clay facies of the 
lower Ordovician in Brittanv.—J. Vallot : Hail and ice 
deposits on Mt. Blanc.—A. B. Chauveau : Observations 
on the atmospheric electricity during the eclipse of 
April 17, 1912.M. de Broglie: The solar eclipse of 
April 17 and the penetrating radiation measured by 
the natural ionisation of the air in a closed vessel.—M. 
Verschaffel : A seismic movement which occurred during 
the night of May 30-31, 1912.—Louis Roule: The dis- 
tribution of the bathypelagic fishes in the Atlantic 
Ocean and in the Mediterranean. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Nature Study Note-Book. By G. H. Green. Pp. 63. 
(London: J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd.) 6d. net. 
A Laboratory Note-Book of Physics. By S. A. 
McDowall. In four sections. Pp. 20, 20-62, 64-112, 
114-166. (London: J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd.) 9d. 
net, Is. net, Is. net., and 1s, net respectively. 
Neue Lehre vom zentralen Nervensystem. By Dr. 
E. Radl. Pp. vii+4o6. (Leipzig: W. Engelmann.) 
12 marks. 
Handbuch der vergleichenden Physiologie. Edited 
by H. Winterstein. 22 Lief. Band I. Zweite 
Hilfte. Pp. 160. (Jena: G. Fischer.) 5 marks. 
Cambridge County Geographies: Dumfriesshire. 
by Dr. J. K. Hewison. Pp. ix+176+map. Ren- 
frewshire. By F. Mort. Pp. ix+177+maps. Perth- 
shire. By P. Macnair. Pp. xii+180+maps. (Cam- 
bridge University Press.) Each 1s. 6d. 
Examples in Numerical Trigonometry. By E. A. 
Price. Pp. v+90. (Cambridge University Press.) 2s. 
Numerical Trigonometry. By J. W. Mercer. Pp. 
x+157. (Cambridge University Press.) 2s. 6d. 
Gomera die Waldinsel der Kanaren. By W. May. 
Pp. ix+214. (Karlsruhe: G. Braun; London: Wil- 
liams and Norgate.) 3 marks, or 3s. net. — 
Principles and Methods of Municipal Trading. By 
D. Knoop. Pp. xvii+4o9. (London: Macmillan and 
Co., Ltd.) 10s. net. 
Across Australia. By Prof. B. Spencer and F. J. 
Gillen. 2 vols. Pp. xiv+254; xviit515. (London: 
Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 21s. net. 
La Pression Osmotique et le Mécanisme de 
