48 



NA TURE 



[May 9, 1907 



ties of a new variety of chromium : Binet du Jassonneix. 

 At a high temperature copper dissolves about i-6 per cent, of 

 chromium, and this separates out during cooling in the form 

 of a spongy mass. The chromium can be isolated by dis- 

 .solving away the copper in nitric acid. — The limit to the 

 proportion of silicon which can be taken up by copper : Em. 

 Vigouroux. In the presence of lead, bismuth, or antimony, 

 silicon in excess reacts with the copper only to form a 

 copper silicide, the maximum percentage of silicon taken up 

 being about lo per cent. — The higher oxides of rubidium : 

 E. Reng^ade. By the regulated action of oxygen upon 

 rubidium, evidence is obtained of the formation of a black 

 oxide intermediate between the dioxide and the peroxide, 

 and of a composition approximating to Rb,0,. — The 

 isomeric dioximidosuccinic acids : .A. Wahl. — The di- 

 bromides of the allyl phenolic ethers ; the formation of 

 cyclopropanols : MM. Tiffenau and Oaufresne. — The 

 bitterness of milk : MM. Trillat and Sauton. The bitter- 

 ness of milk, as of cheese, is produced whenever con- 

 tamination occurs with any organism capable of producing 

 both aldehydes and ammonia, or by several species of 

 organisms, some of which are capable of producing 

 ammonia, others aldehydes. — The presence of sympathetic 

 ganglia situated below the spinal ganglia ; micro- 

 sympathetic and hypo-spinal ganglia : G. Marinesco and 

 J. Minea. — The nephro-poietical activity of the foetal 

 kidney : P. Carnot and k. Leiievre. — The mode of action 

 of sodium salicylate on the uric excretion ; Pierre Fauvel. 

 Salicylate of soda does not increase the amount of uric 

 acid or .xantho-uric products, but only exerts a modifving 

 action on the secretion. — The discovery of a human jaw- 

 bone in a Quaternary breccia : A. Favraud The rela- 

 tions between glacial erosion and fluvial erosion : Jean 

 Brunhes. — The movements of sands along the coast- 

 line : M. Thoulet. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDA I', May 9. 



Royal Society, at 4.1(0. The Anatomy of the Julianiacea: con=iidered 

 from the Systematic Point of View: Dr. F. E. Fritsch.— The Ascent of 

 Water in Trees, Second Paper : Prof A. J Ewart.— Increase in the 

 Complement-Content of FreA Blood-Sernm : Dr. J. Henderson Smith — 

 . On the Periodic Variations of the Nile Flood ; E. B. H. Wade. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Spectroscopic Phenomena in Stars, (i) 

 Chemistry: H. F. Newall, F.R.S. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Telephonic Trans- 

 mission Measurements : B S. Cohen and G. M. Shepherd. 



Iron and Steel Institute, at 10.30 a.m.— Presidential Address.— Elec- 

 trically Driven Reversing Roller-Mills : D Selby-Bigge.— (i) Steel 

 Makin? from High Silicon Phosphoric Pis Iron by the Basic Bessemer 

 Process: (2) Steel Making from Pig Iron containing Chromium. Nirkel. 

 and Cobalt: A, W. Richards.— The Use of Steam in Gas Producer 

 Practice : Prof. W. A. Bone and R. V. Wheeler. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30.— Rational Exnression of the 

 Invatianls of a Quintic by Means of Three : Dr. H. F. Baker.— Secular 

 Stability : Prof. H. Lamb. — A Lemma connected with Fourier's Series ■ 

 F. J. W. Whipple. 



FRIDAY, May 10. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Recent Excavations on Forum Romanum, 

 and the Forum Ulpium : Signor Com<= Gi.icomo Boni. 



Physical Society, at S.— Slereoscopy wiih long Base-line illustrated on 

 the Screen : Dr. T. C. Porter 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5.— On ihe Presence of Tin in Stellar 

 Atmospheres: J. Lunt. — Tables to Accompany Mr. Innes's Paper on 

 Computation of Secular Perturbations: F. Robbins —Note on Certain 

 Photo-visual Objectives : W. J. S- Lockyer.— On Ihe Variable Stars AT 

 and RX Andromcdacl: A. Stanley Williams. — Note on Le Verrier's 

 Tables of Saturn : A. M. W. Downing.— Note on ihe Range in Brightness 

 at Ma.\-imiim of Long-period Variables : H. H. Turner.— .-\n apparent 

 Influence of the Earth on the Numbers and Areas of Sun-spots in the 

 Cycle 1889-1901 : Mrs. A. S. D. Maunder.— Some Notes on the Classifi- 

 cation of Long-period Variables: H. H. Tmnzj— Promised Pnpcn: 

 Distribution of Promin=nces in Latitude in the Year 1906 : John Evershed. 

 — Description of the 30-inch Reflector recently erected at the Helwan 

 Observatory, Egypt: J. H. Reynolds.— Note on Ihe Spectrum of 

 o Oriinis:H. F. Newall.— Observations of Jupiter's Sixth and Seventh 

 Satellites from Photographs taken with the 30-inch Reflector in 1906-7 : 

 Royal Observatory, Greenwich.— Recent Work at the Kodaik.inal 

 Observatory : Prof. Michie Smith. 



Malacological Society, at 8.— The Pairing of Limnaea ficiigra with 

 Ptanorbis corneus : W. D. Lang. — Notes on Achatina tienisoni. Reeve, 

 and Achatina magniji<a, Pfr. : E. A. Smith —Review of the New 

 Zealand Acmxida:, with Descriptions of New Species and Sub-species : 

 Henry Suter. 



Iron and Steel Institute, at id. 30 a.m.— Sentinel Pyrometers and their 

 Application to the Heat Treatment of Tool Steel : H. Brearley and F. 

 Colin Moorwood.— Induced Draught with Hut-air Economisers for Steel- 

 Works and Blast-Furnace Boilers: A J. Capron — The Influence of 

 Process of Manufacture on Pome of the Properties of Steel : F. W. 

 Harbord. — The Distribution of Sulphur in Metal.Ingot Moulds: J. 

 Henderson. -The Ageing of Mild Steel: C. E. Stromeyer.— Carbon- 

 Tungsten Steels : T. Swinden.- The Nomenclature of Iron and Steel : 



NO. 1958, VOL. 76] 



Report of a Commiltee of the International Association for Testing 

 Materials. 

 Society of Chemical Industry, at 8. — Consideration of the Patents and 



Designs Bill, 1907. 



SATURDAY. May 11. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Scientific Work in the Sea- Fisheries : Prof. 

 W. C. Mcintosh, F.R.S. 



MOlfDAY, May 13. 



Royal Geographical Society, at 8. 30. — An Expedition from the Niger 

 to the Nile : Lieut. Boyd Alexander. 



Victoria Institute, at 4.50.— Recent Discoveries in Palestine and 

 Syria ; Dr. Ernest W. G. .Masterman. 



TUESDAY, May 14. 



Royal Statistical Society, at 5. 



Anthropological Institute, at 8.15. — Exhibition of Australian 

 Specimens and Photographs recently received from Dr. Ramsay Smith, of 

 Adelaide: Prof. D. J. Cunningham, F.R.S.— Dolls: N. W. Thomas. 

 WEDNESDAY, May 1;. 



SociETYOKARTS.atS.-TrypanosomiasisorSleeping Sickness: Dr. H. W. 

 G. Macleod. 



Royal Meteorological Society, at 4.30. — The Standard Rain Gauge, 

 with Notes on Other Forms : Dr. Hugh Robert Mill.— On a Method and 

 Apparatus for Measuring P'og Densities ; J. W. Lovibond. — Note on a 

 Balloon Struck by Lightning, April 11, 1907 : Colonel J. E. Capper.— 

 Account of a Remarkable Excavation made by Lightning in Peat-earth 

 on .August 2 or 3, iqo6 : J. Nevin and A. S. Herschel, F.R.S. 



RovAL Microscopical Society, at S — Diffraction Rings due to a 

 Circular Aperture : Prof. k. W. Porter and P. F. Everilt.— An Improved 

 Vertical Illuminator: E. M. Nelson. 



Geological Society, at 8. — The Origin of certain Canon-like Valleys 

 Associated with Lake-like Areas of Depression : F. W. Harmer. 

 THURSDAY. May 16. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Spectroscopic [Phenomena in Stars, (2) 

 Motion : H. F. Newall, F R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30 —The Relation Between the Crystalline form 

 and the Chemical Constitution of Simple Inorganic Substances : W. 

 Barlow and W. J. Pope — Experimental Investigation into the Process of 

 Dyeing: J. Hiibner. — Some Derivatives of /-Pyrano! allied to certain 

 Derivatives of Brazilein and H^matein, Preliminary Communication : 

 W. H. Perkin, jun., and R. Robinson.— Mixed Semi-ortho-'Jxalic 

 Compounds: G. D. Lander— The Mechanism of Bromination of 

 Acylamino-compounds, Preliminary Notice : J. B. Cohen. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8.— The Present State of 

 Direct Current Design as Influenced by Interpoles : F. Handley Page 

 and Fielder J. Hiss. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Is the Electronic Theory of Matter Legitimate ? By 



Frederick Soddy 25 



The Colonisation of Virginia 26 



The Life-work of an Eminent Meteorologist. By 



Dr. Charles Chree, F.R.S 28 



The Colloidal Theory of Dyeing. By Walter M. 



Gardner . . 29 



The Ways of Wildfowl. By O. V. Aplin 30 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Ash: " Hypnoiism and Suggestion " 30 



JJommer : " Domaine de Tervueren — Arboretum — 

 Types de Forets des Regions temperees representes 



dans leur Composition caracteristiqvie" 31 



Clough and Dunstan : " Elementary Science for Pupil 



Teachers" ; 31 



Baker and Bourne : " A First Geometry " 31 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Radium and Geology.— Rev. O. Fisher 31 



Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New 

 South Wales and Victoria. — R. H. Mathews ; 



Northcote W. Thomas 31 



French Experiments on Riveting. {Illnstyated.) By 



E. G. C 33 



Big Game Preservation. By Sir H. H. Johnston, 



G.C.M.G 33 



The International Union for Cooperation in Solar 



Research 35 



University Needs and the Duty of the State .... 35 



Science and the Empire 37 



Notes (Illnstyated.) 38 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet 1907a (Giacobini) 41 



The Temperature of the Sun 41 



The White Spot on Jupiter's Third Satellite 41 



Photography of the Infra-red Solar Spectrum .... 41 



The Orbit of o Draconis 41 



Russian Geographical Works. [Illtistrated.) .... 42 

 The Temperature of the North Sea. {With Diagrams.) 



By Prof. D'Arcy W. Thompson 43 



Maya Hieroglyphs 45 



University and Educational Intelligence 46 



Societies and Academies 46 



Diary of Societies 48 



