464 



NA TURE 



[August 29, 1907 



treasurer of the fund is Dr. Suresh P. Sarbadhicary, 

 79/1 Amherst Street, Calcutla. 



TiiK Paris correspondent of the Lancet states that the 

 Governor-General of Alypria has brought a proposal for 

 the founding of an Algerian university before the financial 

 delegates, who have adopted it. It will be remembered 

 that the' late M. Moissaii and Prof. Bouchard, having 

 inspected the secondary schools in .Algiers, reported 

 favourablv on the founding of a university. They pro- 

 posed the establishment of an institute of natural science, 

 experimental botany, zoology, and hygiene, and pointed 

 out the political and social effects of the foundation of a 

 university which would form a powerful link between the 

 various races which form the population of Algeria. 



The secondary and agricultural school at Bigods Hall, 

 Dunmow, which was established by Lady Warwick ten 

 years ago to provide a scientific education in agricultural 

 affairs for the boys and girls of the district, is to be closed. 

 The Earl of Warwick, in a letter to the chairman of the 

 Essex Education Committee, explains the reasons for the 

 taking of this step. He states that, although the county 

 committee has given the school a grant, it has intimated 

 the possibility of a re-consideration of the educational neces- 

 sities of the locality, and the headmaster has received the 

 offer of another appointment ; complaint is also made that 

 the school has suffered from a lack of cordial support 

 from the committee. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August iq. — M. A. Chauveau in the 

 chair. — Presentation of vol. xiii. of the Aiumlcs dc 

 I'Observatoire de Bordeaux : M. Loewy. This volume 

 contains an account of the work done at Burgos on the 

 total eclipse of the sun of August 30, 1905, by MM. Rayet 

 and Courty, also actinoinetric observations made by M. 

 Esclangon at Bordeaux, from a balloon, on the same 

 occasion. The observations made during 1899 and 1900, 

 forining the contribution of the Bordeaux Observatory to 

 the photographic catalogue of the sky, are also given. — 

 Symmetrical dimcthylethylene oxide, CH, — CH — CH — CH, : 



Louis Henry. A study of the reaction between this oxide 

 and methvl-magnesium bromide. The tertiary alcohol, 

 (CH,).,.C{OH).C\H;, is formed exclusively, from which it 

 follows that this substituted ethylene oxide behaves 

 towards the magnesium compound as though it were first 

 converted into the isomer CH,.CO.CH,.CH3. — The comet 

 1907^ : Ernest Esclangon. Observations with the large 

 equatorial of the Observatory of Bordeaux on August i, a 

 specially clear night, brought out many details of the 

 comet's structure. The nucleus was brilliant, sensibl_\ 

 circular, and appeared like a star of 5-5 magnitude. No 

 scintillation was noticed, from which it may be concluded 

 that the nucleus has a real sensible diameter, correspond- 

 ing to the apparent diameter of the image of about 8". 

 Combining this with the known distance from the earth, 

 the nebulosity forming the head would have a diameter 

 about thirteen times that of the earth. The structure of 

 the tail of the comet is shown in a figure. — The results 

 of observations made at Cistierna, Spain, during the total 

 eclipse of the sun on August 30, iqos : A. Lebeuf and 

 P. Chofardet. Clouds interfered with observations during 

 totality, but measurements were made of the first and 

 fourth contacts, a reduction of these measurements being 

 given. — The variations of the absorption bands of crystals 

 of parisite and tysonite in a magnetic field at the tempera- 

 ture of liquid air : Jean Becquerel. The magneto-optical 

 properties of two crystals of the same family present close 

 resemblances, but with inarked difference in details. From 

 the behaviour of the bonds in parisite it is concluded that 

 either there must be an inversion of the magnetic field 

 in certain parts of the interior of the crystal, or positive 

 and negative electrons must exist simultaneously. — The 

 motion of electricity without action between the electric 

 charges and without external forces : T. Levi-Civita. — 

 Some modifications which produce the splitting up of the 

 curve of rate of decay of induced radio-activity : Ed. 



NO. 1974, VOL. 76] 



Sarasin and Th. Tommasina. — The atomic weight of 

 radium : .Mme. Curie. — The disengagement of the 

 emanation by radium salts at various teinperatures : 

 L. Kolowrat. It is known that the quantity of eman- 

 ation produced in unit time is constant. When the salt 

 is in solution, the whole of the emanation is evolved, but 

 in the solid state a part remains in the salt. The author 

 confirms the observation of J. Curie and J. Danysz, that 

 when the radium salt is fused the whole ol the emanation 

 is given off. .\t a fixed temperature the quantity of 

 emanation obtainable from a salt previously deprived of its 

 emanation in a given time is a function of the tempera- 

 ture. It results from this work that, in the application 

 of the inethod of heating to the estimation of radium in 

 minerals or other solid substances by the disengagement 

 of the emanation, it is absolutely necessary to fuse the 

 material. — The dissociation of calcium carbonate : D. 

 Zavriefl. A repetition of the work of H. Le Chatelier, 

 especial care being taken to secure uniformity of tempera- 

 ture. The dissociation pressures are given for six 

 temperatures ranging between 815° C. and 926° C. — The 

 alloys of nickel and tin : Em. Vig^oiiroux. Alloys con- 

 taining between 57-65 per cent, and 66-76 per cent, of 

 tin treated with hydrochloric acid leave residues richer in 

 nickel, approximating to NijSn, ; treatment with nitric 

 acid, on the contrary, gives alloys richer in tin, tending 

 towards NiSn. .Ml tbesi- alloys are brittle, brilliant, and 

 non-magnetic. — Study of the alloys of cobalt and tin ; 

 F. Ducelliez. Alloys containing less than 50 per cent. 

 of tin behave as mixtures of cobalt and Co.,Sn,, the latter 

 remaining when the alloys are subjected to the action of 

 dilute nitric acid. — The action of some substances upon 

 potassium iodide : B. Szilard. — A new and very sensitive 

 method for the qualitative detection of nickel : Emm. 

 Pozzi-Escot. The method is based on the fact that 

 molybdate of nickel is insoluble in presence of an excess 

 of alkaline molybdate, w^hilst cobalt molybdate is very 

 soluble under the same conditions. — The preparation of 

 unsymmetrical halohydrins and the properties of the 

 corresponding ethylene oxides : MM. Fourneau and 

 Tiffeneau. — Rhinanthin : Marcel Mirande. — The ichthyo- 

 logical fauna and the age of the shell inarls of Pourcy 

 fMarne) : Maurice Leriche. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Constituents of the European Fauna. ByR. L. 441 

 The Geography of Australia and New Zealand. By 



Sir John A. Cockburn, K.C.M.G 441 



Air Currents and Ventilation 442 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Nunn : "The Aim and Achievements of Scientific 



Method : an Epistemnlogical Essay" . . . . 443 



Sykes : " The Principle! and Practice of Brewine " . 443 



Baumgartel : " OberharzerGangbilder" — G. A. J. C. 444 

 Letter to the Editor: — 



Atmospheric Absorption of Wireless Signals. — 



Dr. Reginald A. Fessenden 444 



Practical Telephotography. (Illustrated.) By Dr. 



Shelford Bidwell, F.R.S 444 



Mars in 1Q07. (//Iiis/ratid.) By Prof. Percival Lowell. 446 



Prof. H. C. Vogel. By W. E. P 446 



Notes 447 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Astronnrrical Occurrences in Septeinber 451 



Daniel's Comet (19071/) 451 



Further Observations of Mars 451 



A Suspected, Large Proper Motion 451 



The Astrographic Chart 451 



The Simultaneous Invisibility of Jupiter's SateUiles . 451 



Latitude-Variation and Longitude Determinations . 451 



The Colours and Sjiectra of Stars 451 



The British Association : — 



Section D. — Zoology. (/lliistrati-il.) — Abridgement 

 of Opening Address by William E. Hoyle, M.A., 



D.Sc, President of the Section 452 



Mathematics and Physics at the British Association 457 



Anthropology at the British Association 462 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . . 463 



Societies and Academies 464 



