ISO 



NATURE 



[April i, 1909 



derivative of naphthalene being obtained. The best yield 

 (55 per cent.) was obtained with phosphorus trichloride. — 

 The function of magnesia in the transformation of 

 saccharose at different temperatures : J. Tribot. — Bio- 

 chemical researches on the development of anthocyanine in 

 plants : R. Combes. — Study of the action of iron on wine : 

 M. Trillat. In contact with iron or its salts, the produc- 

 tion of aldehyde in wine is very rapid. The quantities 

 produced arc sufficient to precipitate the colouring matters 

 of the wine. — The penetration of pulverised liquids into the 

 respiratory tracts : M. Cany. The experiments were 

 carried out on sheep which had inhaled arsenical water, 

 and the results clearly showed that an increase in the 

 normal amount of arsenic in the lungs was produced. It 

 is necessary for the success of similar experiments that 

 the drops should be of the smallest possible dimensions. — 

 The skeleton of the posterior member of Bradypus 

 torquatus : A. Menegraux. — The geology of the basin of 

 Og6ou6 : H. Arsandaux. — The age and'the nature of the 

 most recent folds of the interior reliefs of the eastern 

 Tellian .Atlas (.Algeria) : L. Joleaud. 

 Calcutta. 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, March 3.— Studies in the 

 experimental breeding of Indian cottons ; an introductory 

 note, part ii., on buds and branching: H. IVIartin Leake. 

 The ^ author has in hand observations on the effect of 

 making crosses between types with the secondary branches 

 sympodial and types with monopodial — observations of con- 

 siderable importance, because early-flowering races are 

 wanted for profitable cultivation in' the neighbourhood of 

 Cawnpur, and if the delaying of flowering, i.e. of form- 

 ing main sympodial buds, should be dominant in crosses 

 over the other condition, any other improvements brought 

 in by the crossing would be rendered locallv valueless. 

 However, it was found that on crossing a monopodial by 

 a sympodial, the offspring differeid very slightly from the 

 sympodial parent, though there might be some increase 

 m number of secondary branches, and in the second (F,) 

 generation (the flower of the first generation being self- 

 fertilised) the full sympodial type was dominant ; but every 

 proportion of sympodial and monopodial branches occurring 

 on a single stem was found. — Notes on the theory of souls 

 among the Malays of the IWalay Peninsula : Dr. N. 

 Annandale. A summary and revision of the author's 

 views as expressed in an account of the animistic beliefs 

 of the Patani Malays in "Fasciculi Malayenses."— 

 Tamarisk manna : D. Hooper. Historical references to 

 Gazangabin or Tamarisk manna in Persia and Arabia. 

 Names and distribution of manna-yielding species of 

 Tamarix in Asia. Chemical composition and properties of 

 the manna. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



„ , THURSD.'iy, Aprii. i. 



r'^h 'S"'"^^'!,'™' ^' 3--AcTial flight in Theory and Practice : Prof. 

 Cr. H. Bryan, F.R.S. 



L1NNE.4N SociETV, at 8.— The Amphipoda Hyperiidea of the St-alark 

 t-xpedition to the Indian Ocean : A. O. Walker.— The Marine IVIollusca 

 Irom the same E.xpedition : J. Cosmo Melvill.-The Land and Fresh, 

 water Mollusca of the Seychelles Archipelago : E. R. Sykes.— On a 

 Dr." W.T "caiman ''"' ^" °^ °^'""' ''y''''"'"''' S"'"''''' S- =t sp. n. : 



Institution OF Ei.ectrical Enginefrs, at 8.— The Electrical System 

 Tk t\?u ^^•'-■,^"'"*^''y^- J- H. Rider. (Adjtmyiied discussion.)-- 

 Ihe Iheory and Application of Motor Converters : H. -S. Hallo. 



RoNTGEN SrjciETV, at 8.i5.-The Origin, History and Development of 

 the X-Ray Tube : J. H. Gardiner. 



„ , FRIDAY, Ahril 2. 



•^^^AL Institution, at 9.— Electrical Striations : Sir J. J. Thomson, 



^'c'i "i^ Mechanicai, Engineers' Society, at 8.— Storms, and their 



Effect Upon the Sea Coast : Dr. \. S. Owens. 

 Institution OF Ctvii. Engineers, at 8.-Reinforced Concrete on 



Railways : \V. E. R. Gurney. 



«r'''i?*J?' Association, at 8.-The Valleys of the Cotswold Hills: Prof. 



W. M. Davis. -The Ancient Land of Esypt : Mary S. Johnston. 

 „ , SATURDAY, April 3. 



'fRS "''^"'"°''' ^' 3.-Propenies of Matter : Sir J. J. Ihomson, 

 Essex Field Club (at Essex Museum of Natural History, Stratford), 



at 6.— The Head as an Index of Race : J. Gray. 

 „ „ MONDA Y, April 5. 



K.ivAL Geographical Society, at 8.3o.-The .Scenery of Cuba, Haiti 



and Jamaica: Sir Harry Johnston, G.C.M.G., K.C.B. 

 KOYAL Society of Arts, at 8.— Steam Turbines : G. G. Stoney. 

 SOCIETY OF Chemical Industry, at 8.-Vapour Galvanising : S. Copper 



t;Oes -The .\ction of Sulphuric and Nitric Acids in the Nitration of 



Cellulose: C N. Hake and M. Bell. 



NO. 2057, VOL. 80] 



TUESDAY, April 6. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30. — Notes on an Ichthyosporidian causing 

 a Fatal Disease in Sea-trout : Muriel Robertson. — A Collection of 

 Fishes made by Dr. C. W. Andrews, F.R.S., at Christmas Island: 

 C. Tate Regan. — Description of a New Form of Ratel (Mellivora) 

 from Sierra Leone, with Notes upon the described African Forms 

 of this Genus: R. 1. Pocock.— On some New and Little-known 

 Hesperida^ From Tropical West Africa : H. H. Druce. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— Ceylon : Its Industries and Material 

 Progress : Hon. John Ferguson, C.M.G. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at i.— Further Discussion : Construc- 

 tion and Wear of Roads: A. Mallock, T .-R.S.— Probable Paper: The 

 New York Times Building: C. T. Purdy. 



WEDNESDA Y, April 7. 



Society of Public Analysts, at 8.— The New Standards for Sewage 

 Effluents : Dr. S. Rideal and W. T. Burgess. —The Determination of 

 the ' Oxygen Absorbed ' by Sewage and Effluents by a Modification 

 of Kubel's Method : W. Carter.— A Note on Enkabang and Tcglam 

 Fats and Katio Oil, from Sarawak : C. J. Brooks. — The Composition 

 of Milk : H. D. Richmond. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5. 



Geological Society, at 8. 



Entomological Society, at 8.— On Reciprocal Mimicry : Guy A. K. 

 Marshall. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Alaska. By G. W. L. 121 



A Text-book of Physics 122 



Spherical Astronomy. By W. D 123 



The Cell and its Work 123 



Internal Combustion Engines. By Prof. E. G. Coker 124 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Kries : " Abhandlungen zur Physiologie der Gesichts- 

 empfindungen aus dem physiologischen Institut zu 



Fteiburg-i-B." 125 



West and West : " Fresh-water Alga; from Burma, in- 

 cluding a few from Bengal and Madras" 125 



Ward : "Trees : a Handbook of Forest- Botany for 



the Woodlands and the Laboratory " 126 



Smith: " The Story of Iron and Steel " 126 



Hrdliika: "Physiological and Medical Observations 

 among the Indians of South-western United States 



and Northern Mexico" 126 



May : " Ernst Haeckel. Versuch einerChronik seines 



Lebens und Wirkens " 126 



King : " Ventilation for Dwellings, Rural Schools and 



Stables" 127 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Temperature of the Upper Atmosphere. — Dr. C. 



Chree, F.R.S 127 



The Encouragement of Research. — Dr. E. H. 



Griffiths, F.R.S 127 



Research and the Colleges. — W. P. Dreaper ... 128 

 Fall of an Aerolite in Mokoia, New Zealand, on 



November 26, 190S. — W. F. Denning 128 



Early References to Fluorescence and Light trans- 

 mitted by Thin Gold Films.— John H. Shaxby . 128 

 Another Fossil Tsetse Fly.— Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell 128 

 Hints for Nature-Study. (Illustrated.) ByJ. A. T. . 129 

 Lieut. Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition. (With 

 A/a/.) (I) Explorations and Results. (2) The 

 South Magnetic Pole. By Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S. 

 (3) Meteorological Observations. By W. H. 



Dines, F.R.S. (4) Biological Results 130 



The Solar Research Union. By T. F. C. . ■ . . 134 

 The Manufacture of Basic Steel. By A. McW. . . 135 



Notes 136 



Our Astronomical Column : — 141 



Astronomical Occurrences in April 141 



The Rotation of the Sun 141 



Common Motions of the Principal UrsK Majoris Stars 141 

 The Surface of Rotating Mercury as a Reflecting Tele- 

 scope 141 



Photographs of the Earthshine on the Moon .... 141 



Cosmical Matter in Space 141 



Observations of Variable Stars 142 



The Carnegie Institution of Washington 142 



Recent Papers on Darwinism 142 



The Electrical Properties of Flame. By Prof. H. A. 



Wilson, F.R.S 143 



Heat-transmission in Steam Boilers. By Prof. J. T. 



Nicolson 144 



University and Educational Intelligence 146 



Societies and Academies 147 



Diary of Societies 150 



