4o8 



NA TURE 



[August 15, 1907 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August v — M. H. Poinrare in the 

 ili.-iir. — M. A. Lairoix aniioiincod the death of J. F. C. 

 Klein, correspondant for the section of mineralogy, and 

 gave an account of his worii in the field of mineral 

 crystallography. — Report presented by the committee 

 charged with the scientific control of the geodesic oper- 

 ations on the equator : H. Poincare (secretary). The 

 last report was presented in April, U105. A summary is 

 given of the work done at seventy-four geodesic stations. 

 Three base lines were measured, and magnetic and 

 pendulum observations were also carried on throughout. 

 The provisional calculations are well advanced. The 

 triangulation and the concordance of the bases measured 

 and calculated appear to be of the same order of accuracy 

 as these used in the revision of the meridian of France. 

 — The law of the velocity of hrcmolysis of the red blood 

 corpuscles under the action of light, of heat, and of some 

 h:cmolytic bodies : Georges Dreyer and Olav HanBSen. 

 The decrease of the corpuscles after treatment with light 

 or heat can be expressed by the monomolecular formula, 

 and examples of this are given in three tables. — The heat 

 of combustion and formation of gaseous hydrogen phos- | 

 phide : P. Lemoult. This measurement has hitherto been , 

 made by indirect methods only. The author has carried ; 

 out direct measurements by exploding hydrogen phosphide ' 

 with oxygen in the calorimelric bomb. , Observations 

 were made with a Mahler enamel lined bomb and with a 

 Berthelot platinum lined bomb, the results agreeing In 

 about 05 per cent. The molecular heat of combustion of 

 phosphoretted hydrogen is 310 calories at constant volume, 

 3ii>2 calories at constant pressure. — The silicide of 

 platinum, SiPt, and on a double silicide of platinum and 

 copper : Em. Vigouroux. Referring to a recent publi- 

 cation concerning this silicide SiPt by M. Lcbeau and 

 \. Xovitzky, the author points out that he recently de- ! 

 scribed the same compound, further details of which are 

 now given. — The use of foreign materials modifying the 

 forms of a crystal in course of growth to determine its 

 crystalline symmetry : Paul Gaubert. Crystals of nitrate 

 of urea have been variously ascribed to the monoclinic 

 and rhombic systems. By utilising the effects of the 

 presence of methylene blue or picric acid in the mother 

 liquor from which the urea nitrate crystals arc separating 

 it has been found that the crystals of urea nitrate are 

 monoclinic. and it is by an association following a plane 

 perpendicular to the base that the groups appear to show 

 a rhombic symmetry. This made presents the curious 

 property of not being noticeable from the optical behaviour. 

 — Concerning two notes of M. Gerber, on the ferment of 

 the Cruciferrc and the ferment of the Rubi.ice.-c : M. 

 •Javillier. 



New South Wales. 

 Linnean Society, June 26.— Mr. A. H. Lucns, presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — New Australian species of the family 

 Calopterygida; (Neuroplera : Odonata) : R. J. Tillyard. 

 Dit>lilcbia lesloUles, Sdlys, is the only species of this 

 exceedingly beautiful and interesting family so far de- 

 scribed from Australia. Two additions are now made, 

 one a common East Indian species (Jihiiwcypha tincta, 

 Ramb.), and the other a beautiful new Diphlebia from 

 northern Queensland. — .A contribution to the geologv of 

 Viti I.evu, Fiji : Dr. \V. G. Woolnougrh. This p-il>'r 

 comprises the results of the author's second expedition to 

 Fiji in 1005. The granitic rocks met with in loot were 

 shown to occur at intervals over an area of at least 400 

 square miles ; evidence is now adduced to prove that their 

 surface represents an ancient peneplain. The sections at 

 Nasaqo and Nadrau previously described, and new and 

 very instructive ones at Rewasau and Nukuilau, were 

 examined. These prove conclusively that the granite is 

 very much older than the volcanic series which builds the 

 bulk of the island. The slaty rocks associated with the 

 granites are shown to be, in part at all events, altered 

 eruptive rocks. Their geological relationship to the 

 granites has not yet been definitelv proved. The earliest 

 stage of the Cainozoic hislorv of the island is marked bv 

 ■extensive submarine eruption's, later stages hv terrestrial 

 •erupt'ons of andrsites; ajid a probable sequence of erupliv.- 

 NO. 1972, VOI,. 76] 



lOtks is suggested. I'he causes which led to the separ- 

 ation of the Fiji mass from the continental land to the 

 west were assumed to be faulting, but no definite evidence 

 of such a phenomenon was cited. Now fairly definite 

 evidence is adduced to show that heavy faulting has taken 

 place along a N.N.W.-S.S.E. axis, it is suggested that 

 a second faulting has taken place along a W.S.W.-E.N'.E. 

 axis, parallel to the long axis of the Viti Levu-Vanua Levu 

 mussif. Exlen'iive mcvemenls of elevation have taken 

 place, causing a maximum uplift of nearly 5000 feet on 

 the north-west with a marked tilt towards the south-east. 

 River development affords scope for very interesting 

 speculations, and several theories are dealt with in the 

 paper. The marked rectangular network arrangement of 

 the rivers is conunented on, and is explained as chiefly 

 due to earth movement. River capture has subsequently 

 modified the original drainage in some particulars, and 

 adjustment of drainage is proceeding very rapidly under 

 almost ideal conditions. .All the evidence obtained up to 

 the present confirms the opinion formerly expressed that 

 Fiji at one time formed part of a great .Austral-Papuan 

 continent. — Revision of the Australian Curculionid.-e belong- 

 ing to the subfamily Cryptorhynchides, part viii. : 

 .Arthur M. Lea. In this contribution the revision of the 

 genera allied to Cryptorhynchus is eonlmued. 



CONTENTS. p.AGK 



Cornish Geology 377 



Modern Introductions to Physical Theories. By 



G. H. B 577 



Theoretical Electrochem'stry 3S0 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Korteweg : "Christiaan Huygens, Traite : De iis qii.v 



liquidi) supernatant."— H. L 3S1 



Shelly and Stenhouse : " .A Health Reader " . . . 3S1 

 Neisser : " Piolemaus oder Kopernikus ? Eine Studie 

 iiber die Bewegung der Erde und liber den Begriff 



der Bewegung" 381 



Letters to the Editor: — 



British Association ; Section A. — Sir Oliver Lodge, 



F.R.S 3S2 



Fecundity of the Leopard Moth. — Prof. R. Meldola, 



F.R.S 3S2 



The Second International Congress on School 



Hygiene 382 



Electricity in Bulk 385 



Notes 3S5 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Helium Absorption in the Solar Spectrum 389 



Possible Changes in the " Owl " Nebula (M. 97) . . ^89 



A (Quickly Changing Variable Star 3S9 



Venus as a Luminous Ring 389 



Observations of Jupiter, 1906-7 390 



August Meteors. By W. F. Denning 390 



Treasury Grants to University Colleges 390 



The British Association : — 



Section ('■. — Engineering. — tjpening .Addiess by 

 Silvanus P. Thompson, D.Sc, F.R.S., Past 

 President of the Institution of Electrical 

 Engineers, President of the Section .... 391 

 Section II. — .Anthropology. — Opening Address by 

 D. G. Hogarth, M.A., President of the 



Section 397 



Section I. — Physiology. — Opening Address by 



Augustus D. Waller, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., , 



President- of the Section 402 j 



University and Educational Intelligence 405 



Societies and Acade-nies 406 



