November 4, 1922] 



NA TURE 



62 



localisations of the egg. The eggs of Rana fusca, 

 after growth to the advanced blastula stage, were 

 pricked with a needle at various points. From the 

 resulting modifications in the growth it can be con- 

 cluded that the formative materials of the whole of 

 the central nervous system and the dorsal chord are, 

 in the blastula and consequently in the fertilised egg, 

 localised in the zone occupied by the grey crescent. — 

 Paul Montel : Quasi-normal families of meromorphic 

 functions. — Eligio Perucca : The surface properties 

 of mercury : voltaic character, surface tension, 

 photo-electric effect. Measurements of the Volta 

 effect and surface tension of mercury in a vacuum 

 and in different gases at varying pressures show 

 changes in both magnitudes which are in qualitative 

 agreement with the anti-contact theory of Frenkel. — 

 Jean Durand : Contribution to the study of the 

 thermal modifications of some cast irons. A diagram 

 is given showing the volume expansions and con- 

 tractions produced in a fragment of cast iron by five 

 successive heatings between 6oo° C. and goo° C. 

 The swelling of cast iron becomes significant only if 

 the proportion of silicon is sufficiently high and the 

 heating is slow. — L. J. Simon and A. J. A. Guillaumin : 

 The quantitative determination of carbon and of 

 hydrogen by the use of chromic and sulphuric acids. 

 The carbon is determined directly as usual and the 

 hydrogen indirectly by measuring the amount of 

 oxygen (derived from a weighed amount of potassium 

 bichromate) used in the combustion. Analytical 

 figures are given for ten organic compounds of different 

 types. — A. Brives and M. Dalloni : The earthquake 

 of August 25, 1922, and the geological structure of 

 the region of Tenes-Cavaignac (Algeria). — Rene 

 Soueges : Embryogenic researches on Hippuris 

 vulgaris. — Marc Bridel and Mile. Marie Braecke : The 

 presence of aucubine and of saccharose in the seeds 

 of Rhinanthus Crista-Galli. The biochemical method 

 of Bourquelot applied to Rhinanthus seeds indicated 

 the presence of saccharose and aucubine, and both 

 these substances were then isolated from the seeds in 

 a pure state. — A. Policard : The mechanism of working 

 of the adipose cells. The elaboration by the mito- 

 chondria represents only one of the possible modes of 

 fixing fat ; the adult cell takes up the fat by direct 

 fixation without preliminary chemical change. — 

 A. Desgrez, H. Bierry, and F. Rathery : Diabetes, 

 /3-oxybutyric acid, and levulose. A study of the 

 conditions under which a certain quantity of levulose 

 may be added with advantage to the diet of diabetic 

 patients. — A. Goris and P. Costy : Urease and urea in 

 fungi. Urease is present in nearly all the higher 

 fungi. In cases where urease is absent, or present in 

 very small proportion, urea has been found to be 

 present. — Emile F. Terroine, R. Wurmser and J. 

 Montane : The influence of the constitution of the 

 nutritive media on the composition of Aspergillus 

 niger. — Georges Truffaut and N. Bezssonoff : A new 

 bacillus capable of fixing nitrogen. This organism 

 was isolated from some cultures of Versailles garden 

 soil, and morphologically is connected with the 

 Proteus group. This bacillus is aerobic and fixes, 

 atmospheric nitrogen. It appears to differ from the 

 bacilli assimilating nitrogen hitherto known, and it is 

 proposed to name it Bacillus Truffauti. — J. Cluzet, 

 A. Rochaix, and Th. Kofman : The action of the 

 secondary radiation of X-rays upon micro-organisms. 

 October 9. — M. Albin Haller in the chair. — H. 

 Douville : The Lepidocyclines and their evolution : 

 a new genus " Amphilepidina." — E. L. Bouvier : 

 New researches on the appearance of reproductive 

 individuals in the ants, Formica rufa, and F. 

 pratensis. — Paul Vuillemin : The petalostem. — G. 

 Bratu : Progressions of higher order. — Halvor 



NO. 2766, VOL. I IO] 



Hansson : A new method of multiplication of functional 

 scales. — M. d'Ocagne : Remarks on the preceding com- 

 munication. — Rodolphe Soreau : The laws of varia- 

 tion of the characteristics of standard air with 

 altitude. — M. Seigle : The possibilities of the com- 

 mercial use of mild steel bars hardened by extension. 

 Details of the mechanical effects produced in mild 

 steel bars by extension up to the breaking point have 

 been given in an earlier communication. The ad- 

 vantages of this method of hardening are summarised 

 and various possible industrial applications men- 

 tioned. — Charles Nordmann and M. Le Morvan : The 

 effective temperatures of the stars 8 and 1 in the 

 Great Bear. Reply to a criticism of Ejnar Hertz- 

 sprung on a previous communication. — Charles L. R. 



E. Menges : The coefficient of Fresncl. — G. Hoist and 



F. Oosterhuis : The explosive potential of a gas. In 

 Townsend's theory of ionisation by shocks the 

 explosive potential depends only on the properties of 

 the gas, and the material of the electrodes is without 

 effect. The authors have proved experimentally that 

 the nature of the cathode has an important influence. 

 They support the hypothesis that the positive ions 

 do not produce ionisation by contact with the gas 

 molecules, but that by their electrostatic attraction 

 they can liberate them from the cathode. A new 

 theory of explosive potential is outlined, based on 

 this hypothesis. — Jean Rey : The probability of 

 illuminating an aeroplane by means of an electric 

 projector. — Andre Brochet : Remarks on the prepara- 

 tion of cyclohexanol. Phenol containing 5 per cent, 

 of its weight of reduced nickel as catalyst is readily 

 reduced to cyclohexanol by hydrogen under pressure 

 in an autoclave. The temperature should be main- 

 tained between ioo° C. and 150 C. and the pressure 

 kept at 10 to 15 atmospheres. The conversion is 

 quantitative, and no indication was obtained of the 

 formation of any intermediate compound. — A. 

 Damiens : The absorption of ethylene by sulphuric 

 acid. The production of ethyl alcohol, diethyl 

 sulphate, and of liquid hydrocarbons. Cuprous oxide 

 dissolved in the strong sulphuric acid proved the best 

 catalyst. On hydrolysis, the acid solution gave 

 different products with varying conditions. Absorp- 

 tion at ordinary temperature, with acid not under 97 

 per cent., gives ethyl alcohol only, but when a certain 

 concentration of ethylsulphuric acid is reached, 

 ethyl sulphate is also "formed. At higher tempera- 

 tures the velocity of absorption increases, and a 

 considerable quantity of saturated hydrocarbon of 

 the nature of petrol appears among the products of 

 hydrotysis. — C. Mariller and Van Ruymbeke : A 

 method for the preparation of commercial absolute 

 alcohol and its application to the preparation of a 

 national motor fuel. The vapours from 95 per cent, 

 alcohol pass up a rectification column down which 

 a stream of glycerol is descending. The latter 

 removes water and the distillate contains 98-5-99 

 per cent, alcohol. The alcohol . removed by the 

 glycerol can be readily recovered. — Raoul Combes 

 and Mile. Denise Kohler : The disappearance of 

 hydrocarbons in dying leaves. When the leaves die 

 in the autumn, about 45 per cent, of the carbo- 

 hydrates remain in the fallen leaf and are lost to the 

 tree ; 35 per cent, disappear by respiration and only 

 20 per cent, return to the living parts, of the tree and 

 are retained in a form ultimately utilisable. — St. 

 Jonesco : The transformation of a chromogen of the 

 yellow flowers of Medicago falcata under the action 

 of an oxydase. — Marcel Mirande : The relation 

 between anthocyanine and the oxidases. — Leon 

 Azoulay : Provoked and spontaneous movements of 

 the leaves of Russula Queletii and its varieties.— 

 P. Mathias : The evolutive cycle of a holostomid 



