2.^,8 



NA TURE 



[July 4, 1907 



naphthacridincs : triniethylphenonaphiliacridines : A. Senier 

 and P. C. Austin. — The condensation of aldehydes with 

 mixtures of a-naphthol and a-naphihylaniine : synthesis of 



o-N o 



7-arvl- I -dinaphthacridines : A. Senier and P. C. 



j8— CH-3 

 Austin. — An improved form of apparatus for the rapid 

 estimation of sulphates and salts of barium : \V. R. Lang 

 and T. B. Ailtfn. The authors have simplined the 

 apparatus of Tarugi and Bianchi for the estimation of 

 sulphates and salts of barium by a volumetric method 

 based on the rapid clearing of turbid solutions in tubes of 

 narrow calibre. — The determination of sugar by Fehling's 

 solution : W. R. Langr and T. B. Allen. The apparatus 

 described by the authors (preceding paper) was also 

 employed for the determination of dextrose by means of 

 Fehling's solution. — Studies in asyminelric synthesis, vi., 

 the asymmetric synthesis of the optically active tartaric 

 acids : A. McKenzie and II. Wren. The asymmetric 

 synthesis of /-tartaric acid was accomplished in three 

 wavs : — (i) by the oxidation of /-bornyl fumarate in 

 glacial acetic acid solution by potassium permanganate : 

 (2) by the oxidation of the potassium salt of (-bornyl 

 hydrogen fumarate in aqueous solution by potassium 

 permanganate; (3) by the o.\idation of /-menthyl fumarate 

 in an analogous manner. The asymmetric synthesis of 

 rf-tartaric acid was accomplished by the oxidation of the 

 potassium salt of d-bornyl hydrogen fumarate. — Some 

 derivatives of 2-phenyl-i ; 3-naphthylenediamine, part i. : 

 N. Lees and J. F. Thorpe. Typical derivatives of the 

 base have been prepared and investigated, and the con- 

 ditions have also been determined under which it is con- 

 verted into the corresponding dinaphthol and the two 

 amino-naphthols. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, May 6. — Dr. Robert Munro in the 

 chair. — Inbreeding in the Barbary sheep and in the 

 common goat : Prof. J. C. Ewart, F.R.S. The herd of 

 Barbary sheep, which had been living for about a century 

 at Abercairnev, in Perthshire, seemed to be as vigorous 

 and prolific now as when they were first introduced, and 

 yet there had been no fresh blood added for at least fifty 

 years. The problem was, why should this vigour continue 

 in spite of inbreeding? lo answer this question a series 

 of experiments had been begun in iSqg with a pair of 

 common goats. The great-great-grandson in 1905 was as 

 vigorous as the original male, whom he closely resembled, 

 and his offspring with the grand-daughter of the original 

 pair were decidedly more vigorous than the first pair of 

 goats born in 1900. It was found that, as a rule, the off- 

 spring of immature males was weak, and that it was 

 more important for the male to have reached his full 

 strength than for the female to have reached maturity. 

 One reason why inbreeding in herds did not lead to 

 deterioration seemed to be that the weaklings were 

 eliminated, and every now and again there was a restor- 

 ation of a vigorous ancestor. — Report on fossil fishes 

 collected bv the Geological Survey in the Lower 

 Carboniferous rocks near Gullane, East Lothian : Dr. 

 R. H. Traquair, F".R.S. The list contained thirteen 

 species, of which two were new. \ comparison with the 

 fossils of other similar shales showed that the Gullane 

 rocks corresponded most closely with the Wardie shales, 

 there being eight of the thirteen species in common. — 

 Heusler's magnetic alloy : Alexander D. Ross. The par- 

 ticular alloy experimented with had a composition of 

 manganese 25 per cent., aluminium 125 per cent., a trace 

 of lead, and the remainder copper. The aim of the re- 

 search was to find how the magnetic susceptibility varied 

 under various thermal treatment, such as heating up to 

 different high temperatures, cooling down to the tempera- 

 ture of liquid air, and bringing back the alloy to its 

 original state either suddenly or gradually. When quenched 

 at 610° C, the material show^ed distinct diminution in 

 permeability, which was not so marked when the quench- 

 ing was from either higher or lower temperatures. This 

 was perhaps the most interesting among a nuinber of other 

 results obtained. — The physical properties of mixed solu- 

 tions of independent optically active substances : Clerk 

 Ranken and Or. W. \V. Taylor. The properties chosen 



NO. T966, VOL. 76] 



for ineasurement were the viscosity, the density, and the 

 electric conductivity. The optically active substances were 

 the normal potassium tartrates and the tartar emetics, and, 

 for the sake of comparison, potassium racemate and 

 racemic emetic. The independent optically active substance 

 was cane sugar, and in one set of experiments maltose. 

 Equivalent solutions of the three d, I, and r substances 

 were made, and the physical properties determined at 

 15° C. and 25^ C. .\ definite weight of sugar was then 

 added, and the measurements again made. The general 

 conclusion was that the addition of an independent optically 

 active substance to solutions containing optically active 

 stereoisomers does not cause any recognisable differences. 



May 20. — Dr. Traquair, vice-president, in the chair. — 

 A new method of ascertaining twist in single threads : 

 Thomas Oliver. The usual microscopic method in the 

 case of combed yarns is fairly accurate, but is very un- 

 satisfactory in the case of c;yded woollen thre.ads. The 

 new inethod depended on the relation formerly obtained 

 by the author between the " take-up " and the turns per 

 inch in the twisted thread, and consisted in determining 

 the number of turns required to give the maximum length 

 as the thread was untwisted. — The influence of twist on 

 the strength of a thread : Thomas Oliver. Under tensile 

 stress the elongation of a thread is not quite proportional 

 to the stress. With increasing stress the increment of 

 elongation increases. At length a certain point is reached 

 when the increment of length for a given increment of 

 stress becomes distinctly greater, and goes on increasing 

 to the breaking point. This yield point w^as chosen as 

 an indication of the strength, and thus it was possible to 

 compare the strengths of the thread in different conditions 

 of twist without breaking it. The relation between the 

 strength y and the number of turns of twist per inch x 

 could be represented by the equation y^bx'Kx' + b'/k), 

 where h and /,- are constants for each thread. The paper 

 contained a critical examination of a formula given in 

 1879 by Prof. Hartig, and of some conclusions advanced 

 by Profs. Hiibner and Pope in a paper on the influence 

 of certain reagents on the tensile strength of cotton yarn. 

 — Notes on some oligocha?tes found on the Scottish Loch 

 Survey, and also on some Turbellaria from Scottish lochs : 

 C. H. Martin. The notes were chiefly concerned with 

 the genital organs, and one new species of oligoch^te 

 worms was described. An interesting point was noted in 

 connection with the Turbellaria. This worm feeds on the 

 Hydra. The nematocysts are not digested, but, retaining 

 their vitality, work out to the external skin, finally 

 i'ssumlng the position normally occupied in the Hydra. — 

 The composition of red clay : Dr. F. W. Clarke. Fifty- 

 one specimens of red clay from various localities had been 

 supplied by Sir John Murray. These were combined in 

 equal weights, and the composite sample so obtained 

 carefully analysed. In most respects the analysis agreed 

 fairly well with the average of the original Challenger 

 analyses, but showed distinctly less iron and a small 

 quantity of a number of minor elements not hitherto re- 

 ported, such as titanium, barium, strontium, vanadium, 

 &c. — The glaciation of east Lothian, south of the Garlton 

 Hills : Prof. Kendall and E. R. Baily. This paper gave 

 a detailed account of the glaciation of the district de- 

 scribed, the positions and manner of formation of the 

 various glacial lakes and their outflows being indicated 

 as the ice advanced and retreated. Some interesting illus- 

 trations were given of the way in which a tributary fall- 

 ing into a flat valley formed an accumulation of detritus 

 which finally turned back the course of the upper tribu- 

 taries into another channel and quite altered the water- 

 shed. The view which explains certain so-called raised 

 beaches as the result of glaciation was also emphasised. 

 The evidence of the old lake basins and of the Boulder- 

 clav deposits led to the same conclusions. 



June 3. — Prof. Crum Brown, F.R.S. , in the chair. — 

 Temperature changes occurring In fresh-water lochs : 

 E. M. Wedderburn, There were three types of tempera- 

 ture distribution occurring in the Scottish lochs. From 

 December to March the temperature was . practically 

 uniform throughout ; from .April to July the heating of 

 the surface waters led to a distribution in which the 

 gradient of temperature with depth was at no place very 

 rapid, but from .\ugust to November a " discontinuity 



i 



