288 



NA TURE 



[July i8, 1907 



hexanone and its deri%ativcs : \V. H. Perkin, jun., and 

 J. L. Simonsen. — Purification of acetic ester : J. K. H. 

 In^lis and Miss L. E. Knigrht. — Solubility of lead sulphate 

 in concentrated solutions of ammonium acetate: J. J. Fox. 

 — Researches on morphine, part iii. : F. H. Lees. By the 

 hydrolvsis of chloromorphide a second isomeride of 

 morphine, ncoisomorphine, has been obtained which on 

 methvlation furnishes the substance already known as 

 fseiidocodeine. 



Association of Economic Biologists, July 4- — Mf- A. E. 

 Shipley, F.R.S., president, in the chair.— Some notes on 

 ticks : Cecil Warburton. The author dealt with the 

 classification and means of identification, and discussed the 

 leading generic characters. — Results of experiments with 

 the spruce-gall and larch-blight disease : E. R. Burden. 

 The results showed that a paraffin emulsion applied early 

 in the year, before the buds open and whilst the insects 

 are still hibernating, is most effective.— The Cecido- 

 myidae or gall midges : W. E. Colling;e. The author 

 gave an account of his work, and appealed to entomologists 

 and others for assistance in working out the life-histories, 

 &c., of this very difficult family of Diptera. — A disease of 

 bees in the Isle of Wight : 'Prof. A. D. Imms.— The 

 American gooseberry mildew and the proposed legislative 

 measures : E. S. Salmon. — The bionomics of the caly- 

 pterate Muscida; and their economic significance : C. G. 

 Hewitt. — The next meeting will be held at Edinburgh 

 about Easter, 1908. 



GOTTINGEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences. — The Nachrichlen (physico- 

 mathematical section), part i. for 1907, contains the follow- 

 ing memoirs communicated to the society : — • 



July 28, 1900. — Measurements of the vertical electric 

 current in the atmosphere, I. : H. Gerdien. 



January 12. — A characteristic property of the Kla$sen- 

 korper : Ph. Furtwangler. — A convergence theorem : E. 

 Landau. — The most general conception of the plane con- 

 tinuous curve : .-V. Schoenflies. — The occurrence of genera 

 and groups of Ammonites in the several zones of the 

 Lower Chalk of Germany : A. von Koenen. 



February 9. — The composition of quadratic forms : H. 

 Weber. 



February 23. — Researches from the Gottingen University 

 chemical laboratory : O. Wallach. (:) Carbon acids of 

 cyclic carbohydrates ; (2) the behaviour of the nitrites of 

 primary bases, and on the enlargement of the " ring " of 

 carbocyclic systems. — (i) The Jacobian transformation of 

 the quadratic forms of an infinite number of variables; 

 (2) the transformation of assemblages of bilinear forms of 

 an infinite number of variables : O. Toeplitz. 



March 9. — Orthogonal systems of functions : F. Riesz. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, July S. — M. A. Chauveau in the 

 chair. — Endosmosis between two liquids of the same 

 chemical composition at different temperatures : G. 

 Lippmann. If two volumes of pure water, one hot, the 

 other cold, be separated by a porous membrane, there is 

 endosmosis from the latter to the former. This pheno- 

 menon is adapted to very delicate thermometry. — Thermo- 

 endosmosis of gases : G. Lippmann. Between air at 

 different temperatures there is endosmosis from cold to 

 hot, more rapid than in (he previous case of water. — 

 The spontaneous combustion of balloons at ordinary atmo- 

 spheric pressure : W. de Fonvielle. In the case of a 

 recent explosion, the cause lay in a discharge of electricity 

 between the earth and clouds. In previous instances the 

 explosion was caused by an accumulation of positive elec- 

 tricity of the atmosphere in the metal of the valve. — 

 The use of radiomctry for the observation of low pressures 

 in gases : application to researches on gaseous products 

 emitted by radio-active bodies : Sir J. Dewar. Experi- 

 ments show that by the use of a torsion balance or bifilar 

 suspension radiometry can be used for quantitative re- 

 searches at low pressures. — Polarisation by refraction, and 

 the propagation of light in a non-homogeneous medium : 

 Ch. Fabry. Light, passing through a medium the 

 refractive index of which varies continuously, gives rise 

 neither to any appreciable reflection nor in consequence 



to any polarisation. — The optical analysis of pyroxyles : 

 .M. de Chardonnet. — The electrolytic oxidation of 

 platinum : C. Marie. — The sulphides, selenides, and 

 tellurides of thallium : H. Pelabon — On the prepar- 

 ation and properties of the borides of iron, Fe^Bo and 

 FeBo, : Binet du Jassonneix. — The direct oxidation 

 of toluene by catalysis : Paul Woogr. Oxides of iron, 

 nickel, copper, and manganese can be used as catalytic 

 agents. — .\ new method of preparation of amino-primary 

 aicoliols : H. Cault. The action of halogen derivatives 

 of ketones on some aromatic amines : A. Richard. — 

 Complete analysis of the fruit of Lycopersicum esciilentum : 

 J. M. Aibahary. — .\ proximate analysis of egg-yolk : 

 X. A. Barbieri. — Photographic pelliplanimetry, a new 

 meihod of rapidly measuring the surface of the living 

 human body : B. Roussy. — The ferments in diseases of 

 wine, especially Coictis aiiomaliis : P. Maz£. and P. 

 Pacottet. — The extension of the Trias into the south 

 of Tunis : A. Joly. — The Empid^ of Baltic amber : 

 Fornand Meunier. These may be considered as belonging 

 10 a fauna indigenous to Europe and North .America during 

 Eocene times. — The principal characteristics of the leaf of 

 Staiiropleris oldhamia : Prof. Bertrand. — The distribu- 

 tion of temperature in the atmosphere under the North 

 Polar circle and at Trappes : L6on Teisserenc de Bort. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



An Introduction to the Comparative Anatomy of 



Vertebrates. Bv A. K 265 



The Principles and Practice of Food Preserving. By 



C. Simmonds 266 



The Theory of Plant Breeding 266 



Science for Artists 267 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Jukes-Browne : " The Hills and Valleys of Torquay : 

 a Study in Valley-Development and an Explanation 



of Local Scenery " 268 



Grossmann : "Ammonia and its Compounds." — 



J. B. C 268 



Maxwell: " Ventilation, Heating, and Lighting " . 268 

 Hawk: "Practical Physiological Chemistry" — 



W. D. H 268 



Fricker : " Resistance des Carenes" 268 



Letters to the Editor: — 



' Radium Emanation. — Sir William Ramsay, 



■K.C.B., F.R.S 269 



Effect of Pressure on the Radiation from Radium. — 

 Prof. Arthur Schuster, F.R.S. ; Prof. A. S. 

 Eve and Prof. Frank D. Adams, F.R.S. . . . 269 

 The .^Ltherand .\bsolute Motion. — Prof. J. Larmor, 



F.R.S. ; Dr. C. V. Burton 269 



Root Action and Bacteria. — F. Fletcher 270 



The Natural History of the Ceylon Pearl Banks. 



{Illustrated.) 271 



The Desert and the Sown. (Illustrated.) By H. R. 



Hall 272 



Have all Eyes the Power of Forming Images .' By 



Prof. John G. McKendrick, F.R. S 274 



Sir W. H. Perkin, F.R.S. By Dr. J. C. Cain . . . 276 



Notes 276 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet 1907^ (Daniel) 280 



Comet IQ07C (Giacobini) 280 



The Orbit of aCentauri 280 



Comparison of the Spectra of the Limb and Centre of 



the Sun 281 



The Orbit of 1 Orionis z8l 



Meteor and Fireball Observations 2bl 



The Royal Society of Canada 281 



The Royal Visit to the University College of North 



Wales. By Prof. G. H. Bryan, F.R.S 282 



The Aldrovandi Celebrations at Bologna 282 



National Poultry Conference at Reading. By J. P. 283 

 Hydrology in the United States. Purification of 



Sewage 284 



University and Educational Intelligence 2S5 



Societies and Academies 286 



NO. 1968, VOL. 76] 



