532 



NA TURE 



[October 14, 1922 



mould : (d) control of rate of pouring ; (e) exclusion 

 of dross from stream of metal ; and (/) mitigation 

 of " zinc-fume." Uniformity of hardness was secured 

 by annealing. For the annealed bars the Brinell curve 

 showed an increase of hardness over the range ioo 

 to 88 per cent, copper. From 88 to 72 per cent, 

 copper hardness was constant, a slight fall setting 

 in at about 72 per cent, copper and persisting to 

 63 per cent., at which point a rapid increase set in 

 with the appearance of the /3-constituent. With the 

 exception of a small dip in the curve, between 53 

 and 50 per cent, copper, the increase is maintained 

 to 45 per cent, copper. The changes of scleroscopic 

 hardness with composition are similar but less 

 pronounced. The hardening capacity of the a-brasses 

 under cold-work increases rapidly with increase of 

 zinc up to a maximum near 75 per cent, copper. 

 The rolled strips, after close annealing, were re-tested 

 for hardness ; the range of uniform hardness is 

 slightly restricted and the succeeding fall (between 

 70 and 63 per cent, copper) is more pronounced. — 

 F. W. Harris : The hardness of the brasses, and 

 some experiments on its measurement by means of a 

 strainless indentation. The theories generally ad- 

 vanced with regard to the connexion between 

 hardness and internal constitution have been, in the 

 main, substantiated. A slight maximum occurs in 

 the middle of the a-phase and a small depression in 

 the /3-phase. The " absolute " hardness for the 

 series was compared with the Brinell hardness by 

 means of curves. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, September 11. — M. L. 

 Maquenne in the chair. — L. Cuenot and L. Mercier : 

 The loss of the faculty of flight in parasitic Diptera. 

 The hypothesis generally admitted is that the atrophy 

 of the wings is the result of non-usage connected 

 with the parasitic mode of life. The authors give 

 the results of a series of observations directly opposed 

 to this view. — E. Merlin : A mobile space attached 

 to a network. — P. Urysohn : Cantorian multiplicities. 

 D. Riabouchinski : The equations of motion in two 

 dimensions, of solids in a liquid with vortices. — Henri 

 Villat : Plane vortex movements in a fluid containing 

 solid walls. — M. Thiebaut : The composition of the 

 iridescent marls. These marls contain three main 

 constituents : carbonates (dolomite and calcite), a 

 silicate which is not a clay, approaching celadonite 

 and bravaisite in composition, and detritic elements 

 with abundance of white mica and quartz. — W. J. 

 Vernadsky : The problem of the decomposition of 

 kaolin by organisms. In admixture with bacteria, 

 diatoms developed well on a nutritive medium, 

 containing no silica except combined silica in a 

 colloidal clay. From these results it would appear 

 that diatoms, either alone or in association with 

 bacteria, can decompose the kaolin structure and 

 set free alumina. — Cam. de Bruyne : Idioblasts 

 and diaphragms in the Nymphaceae. — Marc Romieu : 

 A method of selective coloration of the nervous 

 system in some invertebrates. Details of the applica- 

 tion of the benzidine-hydrogen peroxide reagent to 

 the study of the nervous system of some invertebrates. 

 The nerves are coloured blue ; and the nervous 

 system as a whole can be seen down to the smallest 

 details. — Gabriel Bertrand and M. Mokragnatz : The 

 presence of cobalt and nickel in plants. The ashes 

 from twenty species of plants have been analysed, 

 the parts utilised as food being chosen for examina- 

 tion. Nickel has been found in all the plants ex- 

 amined in quantities between o-oi milligram and 

 0-2 milligram per kilogram of fresh material : cobalt 

 (0-005 to 0-3 milligram per kilogram) was found in 

 all cases except oats and carrot. 



NO. 2763, VOL. I IO] 



Diary of Societies. 



MONDAY, OCTOBER 16. 



Faraday Society and the British Cold Storage and Ice Associa- 

 tion (at [nstitution of civil Engineers), at 2.30, 1.4.".. and 7.45. — 

 Dis.u-Mon Mil tin- Present Position of the Generation and Utilisation 

 i»t Cold. — Pint. H. Karnerlingh Onnes and others: Laboratory 

 Methods "I Liquefaction, ami Methods of Measuring Low Tempera- 

 tures. — Dr. 1 ininiiielin : Description of the Equipment of the 

 Cryogenic Laboratory at Leyden. — M. Claude: The Industrial Manu- 

 facture of Hydrogen bv the Partial Liquefaction "f Water il;is. - 

 E. A. Griffiths and others. 



ciuMii 11 Industry Club (at 2 Whitehall Court), at 8. — Annual 

 General Meeting. 



IitlYAI. GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE ALPINE CLUB (at Central 



Hall, Westminster), at 8.30. — Gen. Bruce, Col. Strutt, Mr. Mallory, 

 Capt. Finch, and Major Norton : The Mount Everest Expedition, 

 1922. 



TUESDAY, October 17. 

 Royal Horticultural Society, at 3. — R. G. Hutton : The Control 



lio\ \i mii Hi-, or Mhiiii INK. at 5. — General Meeting of Fellows. 

 INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT (at Institution of Electrical Engineers), 

 at 5.30. 



Rotaj Photographic Society of Great Britain, at 8. — Major 

 F. C. V. Laws : The Progress of Aerial Photography. 



WEDNESDAY, October 18. 

 Royal College of Physicians, at 4. — Dr. A. Chaplin : Harveian 



Oration. 

 Institute of Physics (at Institution of Electrical Engineers), at 6. — 



('. c. Paterson : The Physicist in Electrical Engineering (l.ertures 



on " Physics m Industry." No. 3). 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 8. — Prof. R. Chambers: New 



Apparatus and Methods lor the Disseetion and Injection of Living 



' 'IK T. !■'. l onnolly : The Speeilication of a Medical Microscope. — 



II. .1. Deiiham : A Micnuiietric slide Rule. 



THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19. 

 Royal Society of Medicine (Dermatology Section), at 4.30 ; at 



s.:;o.— In. Savatard : Epithelioma of tin- skin. 

 Royal Aeronautical Society (at Royal United Service Institution), 



:il 5.30. — J. D. North : The Metal Construction of Aeroplanes. 

 Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (at Geological Society), 



at 5.30. 

 Child-Study Society (at Royal Sanitary Institute), at 6. — Dr. F. H. 



Hayward : Something Wrong with Intelligence Tests. 

 ciiiMicM. so. icty, at 8.— Prof. T. M. Lowrv : The Polarity of Double 



P. Is. An Ext. -ii, ion of the Theories oi Lnpwortli and Kobinson. 



SOCIETY ion constructive Birth Control \ni> 1! icial Progress 



(at. Essex Hall), at S.--llr. Marie Stopes : The Ideals and Present 



Position oi Constructive Birth Control (Presidential Address). 



FRIDA Y, OCTOBER 20. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 6. — Dr. H. s. 1I.U- 



Shaw : Presidential Address. 



Junior Institution of Engineers, at 7.30. — G. H. Ayres : Profits 



Wi 



Institution of Production Engineers (at Royal Automobile Club), 



at 7.30. — M. R. Lawrence : Presidential Address. 

 Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, at 8. — G. A. 



Clarke : Record Work in Cloud Photography. 



PUBLIC LECTURES. 



SATURDAY, October 14. 

 Hornijian Museum (Forest Hill), at 3.30.— H. shaw : Flight in all 

 Ages. 



MONDAY, October 16. 

 Royal College of Surgeons of England, at 5. — Prof. Shattock : 



The Anatomical Results of Inflammation. 

 City of LONDON Y.M.c.A. (ISO Aldersgate Street), at 6. — Dr. E. L. 

 Ash : Mind and Health. 



TUESDAY, October 17. 

 Gresham College (Basinghall Street), at 6. — A. R. Hinks : Astronomy. 

 Succeeding Lectures on October 18, 19, 20. 



WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18. 

 School of Oriental Studies, at 5. — J. W. Robertson Scott : Im- 



pr. ssi.ms ni flu- Japanese. 

 University College, at 5.30. — Sir Richard Paget, Bart. : The Nature 



and Reproduction of Speech Sounds. 



THURSDAY, October 19. 

 University College, at 4. — Dr. T. Ci. Pinches : Babel and its Gods. 

 City of London Y.M.C.A. (180 Aldersgate Street), at 0.— Sir D'Arcy 

 Power : Surgery in the City of London. 



FRIDAY, October 20. 

 Royal College of Surgeons of England, at 5. — Sir Arthur Keith : 



Hydrocephaly. 

 Bedford College for Wojien, at 5.30. — F. H. Marshall: The 



Early Civilisation of Ionia. 



SATURDAY, October 21. 

 Horniman Museum (Forest Hill), at 3.30.— Miss M. A. Murray: The 

 Nile in the Life and Religion of the Ancient Egyptians. 



