68o 



NA TURE 



[October 31, 1907 



bv treating with water and analysing the methane pro- 

 duced — \ delicate method for the detection of nickel m 

 the presence of cobalt : Z. Tchougaeff. A direct com- 

 parison of the dimethylglyoxim reagent suggested by the 

 author some vears ago with the reagent recently pro- 

 posed bv M. 'Pczzi-Escot (ammonium molybdate) shows 

 that the latter is much inferior in delicacy, and under 

 certain conditions may also give rise to a precipitate with 

 cobalt.— Syntheses in the camphor group. The complete 

 svnthesis of campholone : G. Blanc. The starting point 

 of this synthesis is ethvl malonate, and the sodium 

 derivative 'of this, treated with 7-bromodimelhylbutyric 

 ester, CH.Br.CH..C(CH,),.COX,H„ gives the ester of 

 I : i-dimethylbutane-i : 4 : 4-tricarboxylic acid. Th'S 1^ 

 saponified and the acid heated, giving oaB-tnmethyladipic 

 acid, the anhydride of which, slowly distilled at the 

 ordinary pressure, is converted into 1:1: 4-trimethyl- 

 cvc/opentanone-s. This with magnesium methyl iodide 

 gives the corresponding tertiarv alcohol, and the latter 

 spontaneously loses water on dfstillation, giving a hydro- 

 carbon identical in boiling point, density, and refractive 

 index with campholene from /3-campholcnic acid.— 

 .Sodium anilarsenite in syphilis : Paul Salmon. This sub- 

 stance is sold commercially under the name of atoxyl, and 

 by its use comparatively large quantities of arsenic can_ be 

 administered with comparati%-e impunity. A physiological 

 comparison of three commercial .-.pecimens, two amorphous, 

 one well crystallised, showed that no appreciable differ- 

 ences could be detected. It was notew-orthy that whereas 

 in animals poisonous symptoms in the medulla were not 

 infrequent, no such untoward effects were observed in 

 man. Of 181 syphilitic subjects, only about i-; per cent, 

 showed intolerance of the drug.— The causes of trypano- 

 Ivtic crises and relapses which follow : A. Massaglia. 

 From experiments in vitro it is concluded that the crises 

 are due to the formation of an anti-body in the blood of 

 the animals infected by trypanosomes ; a small number of 

 the '.parasites escape destruction and grow accustomed^ to 

 the action of the anti-bodv, and it is to these parasites 

 which escape that the relaps^-s are due.— The true acceler- 

 ating action of sodium fluoride on the coagulation of milk 

 by vegetable ferments : C. Gerber.— A preliminary sketch 

 oif the geology of Dahomey : Henry Hubert. — The dis- 

 placements of "the maxima of the positive and negative 

 anomaly of gravity relatively to the configuration of the 

 earth : Giulio Costanri. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



FRIDAY, NovE 



— Resumed cli 

 on's paper on 

 las-engine. 



. W 



The Indi- 



1 of Indiffotin 



Institution of Mec 



Capt. H. R. Sankey on Prof. Bfrtrsm Hopki 

 Gated Power and Mechanical Kfficiency of tht 



Geologists' Association, at 8. — Conversazione. 

 MONDAY, November 4. 



Aristotelian Societv, at 8.— The Presidential Address 

 of Modern Logic and the Conception of Infinity : E 

 Haldane. 



Societv of Chemical Industrv, at 8.— The Det^rnrna 



in Indigo-vielding Plants : Cyril Berptbeil and R. V. Priggs — Analysi" 

 of Indigo (Part iii) and of the Dried I eaves of hidisn/irtr arrecta anc 

 Jiidigo/cra Svinntrana: R. Gaunt, F. Thomas and 'W. P. Bloxaro. 

 TUESDAY, NovEwnER 5. 



Institution op Civil Engineers, at 8.— Address by the President, Sii 

 William Matthews, K.C.M.G., and Presentation of Medals and Prizes 

 awarded by the Council. 



Seciotot.icAL Society, at 8.— The Evils of Cities: a Studyof th< 

 Degeneration of Communities, and of the Deterioration of their Indi 

 viduals : Prof. Geddes. 



Royal .\NTHRoroLOGiCAL Institute, at 8.15. — Presentation of th( 

 Huxley Memorial Medal to Dr. E. B. Tylor.— On Methods of Deter 

 mining the Stature and taking other Measurements of the Living Person 

 Prof. D. I. Cunningham, F.R.S. 



WEDNESDAY, fio\ ' 



Entomological Society, at 8. — On son 

 Dr. G. B. Longstaff.— On a Large S^ 

 Diptera) from Ceylon : Hugh Scott. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8.— Discussion on the Sealing of 

 Samples. 



THURSDAY, NovEMiiER 7. 



Royal Society, at i.-^o — Prohahte Papers'. The Effect of Pressure upon the 

 Arc Spectra of Metals : ■«'. Geoffrey Duffield.-The Diurnal Variation of 

 Terrestrial Magnetism: Prof. A. Schuster. F.R.S.— The Electric Dis- 

 rharge in Monalomic Gases: F. Soddy and T. D. Mackenzie.— On the 

 Measurement of Temperature in the Cylinder of a Gas Engine : Prof. 

 H. L. Callendar, F.R.S.. and Prof. W, E. Dalby.— Note on the 

 Association of Helium and Thorium in Minerals: Hon. R. J. Strutt, 

 F.R.S. 



Rontgen Society, at 8.15. — The Presidential Address, The Production 



of the Butterflies of Tobago ; 

 of NycteribiidE (Parasitic 



of High Frequency Oscillations, with Demonstrations: W. Duddelt 



Linne'an Society, at 8. — The Origin of the Di-trimerous Whorls among 

 Flowers of Dicotyledons: Rev. George Henslow.— Unrecorded Acari 

 from New Zealand : Albert D. Michael.— On .■Enigiiiatistes a/rtianus, 

 a new Genus and Species of Diptera: R. Shelford.— £.r/j/i';/s ;— A copy of 

 Hudson's " Flora Anglica." 1778, wilh numerous annotations by the Rev. 

 William Kirby : Alexander Slevenson.— Abnormal Stem of Eucalyptus 

 salnwnophhia, F. Muell., from West Australia: Dr. A. B. Rendle. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30.— Gaseous Nitrojen Trioxide : H. B. Baker 

 and Mrs. MKaker.-The Atomic Weight of Tellurium: H. B. Baker and 

 A H Bennett. — The Isomerism of the Double Sulphites of Sodium and 

 Potassium : N. H. Godby.— Studies in the Camphane Series, Part xxiv, 

 Camphoryldithioc.-irbamic Acid and Camphorylthiocarbimide : M. O. 

 Forster and T. J.-.ckson.-l he Vapour Pressures of Triethylamine. of 

 tiw-Trimelhylpyridine, and their Mixtures with Water : R. 1. Laltey.— 

 Liquid Triethylamine: R. T. Lattey.— The Action of Sulphuretted 

 Hydrogen on Solutions of Sodium Hydrosulphite : F. S. Sinnalt.— 

 The Alkyl Compounds of Gold. Diethylaunc Bromide. Prelimin.iry 

 Note • W 1 Pope and C. S. Gibson.— Note on the Constitution of 

 Homoericdictyol : F. B. Power and F. Tutin.-The Interaction of 

 Methylene Chloride and the Sodium Derivative of Ethyl Malonate;™ 

 F Tutin.— Preparation of Aliphatic Nitrocompounds by the Inter-^B 

 action of the Alltyl Iodides and Mercurous Niirite : P. C. Ray andH 

 P Neogi -Some Mercuiy Peiivatives of Camphor: J, E. Maish and'V 

 R. de J. K. Strutheis.— Conlribulion to the Chemistry of the Terpenes. ^ 

 II The Oxidation of Limonene with Chromylchloride : G. G. 

 Hendeison.— The Synthesis of .\cridints and Pbenonaphthacndincs : 

 Tetra- and Hexa-methylacridines : Dimethylphenonaphthactldines : 

 Dixylvlmethylenediamines : A. Senier and A. Compton. -^m 



/■A /£>.'! K, November 8. ^B 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. , », e. . r ,.-1 .J^B 



Malacological Society, at 8.— Description of a New Species of Clath^W 

 urella, probably from Ceylon : H. B. Preston.— On the Mollusca of^ 

 Birket-el-Qurun, Egypt: C. A. %mA'a.-rurbo grancl,>alus (New 

 Guinea); Sistrum chrysalis, Purpura l/ougei, Nattca hougct (New 

 Caledonia) ; Urosalpinx -.va/kcri, Listra -.ualkcri (N. W. Australia) ; 

 AmaWica cavi (Port Stephens); Pitaria (Va<a (Sierra I^one) ; all new 

 species : G. B. Sowerby.— Note on the Originals of the Illustrations for 

 E. M. da Costa's " Historia Naturalis Testaceorum Bntannix, London, 

 1778 : Alex. Reynell. „. . ,, ^ , „. n .l. .. 



Physical Society, at 8.— Discussion on Mr. Campbell s Paper on the use 

 of Variable Mutual Inductances.— A Graphic Method for Stream-lines and 

 Equipotential Surfaces : L. F. Rich.irdson.— On the Lateral Vibrations of 

 Bars Supported at two Points with one end Overhanging: Dr. J. 

 Morrow. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Theory of Functions of a Real 'Variable. By 



G H. H 657 



Liebig and Gussefeld. By T. E. T. 65S 



Botanical Works 659 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Stroobant, Delvosal, Philippot, Delporte and Merlin : 

 " Les Observatoires astronomiques el les Astro- 



nomes" • ■ ■ ^° 



Gehrig, Helmkampf, Krausbauer and Stillcke : 

 " Lese- und Lehrbuch fur landlich-gewerbliche Fort- 



bildungsschulen."— E. J. R 66° 



Bresson: " La Houille veite " 660 



Letters to the Eci:or: — 



Tran-sit of Mercuiy across the Sun's Disc, November 



13-14, 1907.— Dr. A. M. W. Downing, F.R.S. 661 

 Oiigin of Radium.— Prof. E. Rutherford, F.R.S. 661 

 The Nature of X-iays.— Dr. Charles G. Barkla . . 661 

 On Correlation and ihe Methods of Modern Statistics. 



—Prof. Karl Pearson, F.R.S 662 



The Interpretation of Mendelian Phenomena.— Dr. 



G. Archdall Reid 662 



Pag;m Survivals and Christian Adaptations.— Rev. 



J. W. Hayes 663 



The "Ouaternaty."— Dr. John W. Evacs .... 663 

 The "Mauretania. ' By W. B. Hardy, F.R.S. . . 663 

 The Geological Succession in South Africa. By 



Dr. F. H. Hatch W , ^!l 



The Romance of Photography. (Illuslrated.) By C. J. 666 



M. Maurice Loewy f°° 



Notes 667 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Astronomical Occurren ces in November 071 



Comet Mellish, igo?-.- °7' 



The Transit of Mercury ^7' 



The Perseid Meteors °72 



A Rich Nebula Region ^' ,'., "^^ 



Rain-gauge Exposure and Protection. By L. C. w. 



Bonacina °72 



Recent Developments in the Theory of Mimicry. 



By Dr. F. A. Dixey ' ' ' ^^e 



University and Educational Intelhgence o7» 



Societies and Academies °79 



Diary of Societies °°° 



NO. 1983. VOL. 76"! 



