;6o 



NA TURE 



[May 20, 1909 



the four epaulettes — of the pluteus of Echinus csciileiilus. 

 This substance occurs, with a simihu' distribution, in the 

 plutcus of E. miliaris. 



Cape Town. 

 Royal Society of South aticb, March 17. — Dr. Wm. 

 Flint in the chair. — The spectrum of the ruby : J. Moir. 

 On placing a ruby before the slit of a spectroscope, using 

 strong illumination, preferably sunlight, a very remarkable 

 absorption spectrum is obtained, which differs from all 

 others in resembling an ordinary emission spectrum. The 

 light is cut off except for a sharp narrow red band situated 

 just beyond the B line of the solar spectrum, and this 

 band bears the closest resemblance to the potassium or 

 lithium line as commonly seen in the Bunscn flame when 

 a rather wide slit is used. The limiting wave-lengths of 

 the band are about 6915 and 6945 tenthmelres. Its width 

 is therefore about half its distance from the B line in the 

 solar spectrum. The phenomenon is most easily seen in 

 pale rubies ; corundum with even the faintest pinii shade 

 generally shows the characteristic line ; but even the 

 darkest true rubies show it if the illumination be strong 

 enough. No other pink or red stone — pyrope, almandine, 

 spinel, or tourmaline, for example — shows this line, wliich 

 would tlierefore appear to be characteristic of the colour- 

 ing of the true ruby. In addition to the red line the 

 spectrum contains wide green and orange bands, which 

 are, however, not characteristic. — Remarlis on some ex- 

 periments witli the venom of Soutln African snakes : W. 

 Frei. The author contends that, from a toxicological point 

 of view, the classification of the snakes in (i) Oglypha, 

 (2) Opistoglypha, (3) Proteroglypha, (4) Solenoglypha, is 

 the most satisfactory. — An upper limit for the value of a 

 determinant. Note on a theorem regarding a sum of 

 differential coefficients of principal minors of a Jacobian : 

 Dr. T. Muir. — Note on a Cccnurus of the Duiker bok ; 

 L. H. Goughi The parasite was found imbedded in the 

 muscles between the scapula and the vertebral column of 

 a Duiker Bol-: [Ccphalophus Grimmi). — The evolution of 

 the river system of Griqualand West : A. L. Du Toit. 

 The drainage system in the area dealt with consists of 

 the Orange River with its tributaries, the Vaal, Harts, 

 Riet, and Brak rivers, sections of the first three forming 

 the continuous valley facing the edge of the Kaap Plateau 

 from Vryburg almost to Prieska. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Mav 20. 



Royal Society, at 4,^0.— Observations on the Urine in Chronic Disease 

 of the Pancreas: Dr. P. J. Cammidge. — Trypanosoma itigc^ns, n.sp. : 

 Colonel Sir David Bruce, C.B., F.R.S., and Captains A. Hamerton, 

 H. R. Bateman and F. P. Mackie.— The Incidence of Cancer in Mice of 

 Known Age : Drs. E. F. Pashford and J. A. Murray.— A Method of 

 Investigating the Total Volume of Blood cmt.iined in the Living Body: 

 Drs. J. O. Wakelin Barratt and W. Yorke, 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Newfoundland : J. G. Millais. 



Institution of F-i.ectrical Knginef-rs, at P. — Annual General 

 Meetins.— Some Tests and Uses of Condensers : W. M. Mordev. 



Institution of Mining and Metallukgy, at 8. — Notes on the Zangezour 

 Copper Mines: A. I.. Simon.— The Determination of Tungstic Acid in 

 Low-grade Wolfram Ores : H. W. Hutchin and F. J. Tonks.-Cupellation 

 Experiments : the Thermal Properties of Cupels : C. O. Bannister and 

 W, N. Stanley.— The Bessemerising of Hardhead : Donald M. Levy and 

 D. Ewen.— The U^eof St<indards in Reading Gold Pannings : Stephen J. 

 Lett.— Notes on the Scaling and Sweating of Copper Battery Plates : 

 Sydney F. Goddard. 



FRIDAY, May 21. 



Royal Institution, at g. — Afforestation: Hon. Ivor C. Guest, M. P. 



SATURDAY. Ma 

 at 5.— The Secret S. 

 s, F.R.S. 



es of the Banks' Islands 



MONO A y. May 24. 

 -Anniversary Meeting. 

 ^ICAL "Society, at 3.— Anniversary Meeting. 



TUESDAY, May 2;. ' 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — The Hitiites : (2) Recent Discoveries in Asia 



Minor and Norihern Syria : Prof, lohn Gar^tang. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — Description of a New Species of the Genus 



Alpheus, Fabr., from the Bay of Batavia : Dr. J. G. De Man.— On the 



Skull of a Black Bear from E.^stern Tibet, with a. Note on the Formosan 



Bear : R. Lydekker. — The .\natomy of the Olfactory Organ of Teleostean 



Fishes : R. H. Burne. 



WEDNESDA Y, May 26. 

 Geological Society, at 8. — The Cauldron Subsidence of Glencoe, and the 



Associated Igneous Phenomena : C. T. Clough, H. 13. MutT, and E. B. 



Bailey —The Pitting of Flint Surfaces : C. Carus- Wilson. 



NO. 2064, VOL. 80] 



Royal Society of Arts, at 8.— The Manufacture of Nitrates from the 



Atmosphere by the Electric Arc : S. Eyde. 

 British Astronomical Association, at 5. — Chinese Astronomy: E. B. 

 Knobel. 



THURSDAY, May 27. 

 Royal Society, at ^.^o.— Probable Papers: Notes concerning Tidal Oscil- 

 lations upon a RoiatiniT Globe : Lord Rayleigh, O.M , F.R.S.— The 

 Absolute Value of the Mechanical Equivalent of Heat in Terms of the 

 lal Electrical Units: Prof H. T. Barnes.— An Approximate 

 tion of the Boiling Points of Metals : H. C. Greenwood.— Some 

 Results in the Theory of Elimination : A. L. Dixon.— The Liquidus 

 Curves of the Ternary System, AIuminium-Copper-Tin : J. H. Andrew 

 and C. A. Edwards. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Newfoundland : J. G. Millais. 

 Institution of Mining Engineers, at 11. — Presidential address : Dr. 

 R. T. Moore.— Electricity in Coal-mines : R. Nelson.— Comparison 

 the Value of Surplus Gas from Regenerator Bye-product Coke- 



Dete 



ovens and Steam produced by 



ovens, with Special Reference to the Ev 



Ovens: M. H. Mills. 



FRIDAY, Ma 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Adv 



Organic Element : Dr. J. " 

 Institution of Mining Engine 



Mine Support: P.of. W. R. Cr: 



Rosalind Young. 



SATURDAY, May 29. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — The Secret Societies of the Banks' Islands: 



Dr. W. H. K. Rivers, F.R.S. 



I Bye-product Coke- 

 Coppee new Bye-product 



ces in our Knowledge of Silici 

 Reynolds, F.R.S. 

 ;, at ro.3o.--The Use of Cone 

 — Mining in British Columbii 



CONTENTS. p 



Tbe University Teaching of Chemistry. By Prof. 



Arthur Smithells, F.R.S 



The Floweiing Plants of Africa. By Dr. Otto Stapf, 



F.R.S. 



Social Psychology. By Rev. A. E. Crawley .... 



The Riddle of Old Age. By R. T. H 



The Songs of Birds. By W. W. F 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Jordan ami Kellogg: "The Scientific Aspects of 



Luther Btirbatik's Work " 



Hatch: "Text-book of Petrology, containing a 

 Summary of the Modern Theories of Petrogenesis, 

 a Desciiption of Ihe Rock-forming Minerals, and a 

 Synopsis of the Chief Types of the Igneous Rocks 

 and their Distribution, as illustrated by the British 



Isles."— J. W. E 



Hampson : " Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalsense 



in the British Museum " 



Starke: " Physikalische Musiklehre."— E. H. B. . 

 Lrtters to the Editor : — 



Electrons and the Absorption of Light. — R. A. 



Houstoun 



Dimensional Changes produced in Iron and Steel Bars 



by Magnetism. — 'W. J. Crawford 



"Blowing" Wells. — Sydney H. Long 



The Uses and Dates of Ancient Temples. By Sir 



Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S 



Recent Studies on Animal and Plant Life. (Il/iis- 



tra/fd.) 



Reform at Cambridge 



The Royal Society's Conversazione 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Mars 



Jui^'X^f 



The Upper Layers of the Solar Atmosphere .... 



Spectra of some Spiral Nebulre and Globular Star 



Clusters 



The International Commission for Scientific Aero- 

 nautics 



Problems of Apiculture 



Meteorology of the Dutch East Indies 



Recent Papers on Fishes 



University and Educational Intelligence 



Societies and Academies 



Diary of Societies 



333' 

 334= 

 335 

 336' 



33r 



33r 



338 

 33S 



33» 



339' 

 339- 



34* 

 345 

 347 

 349' 



353- 

 353- 

 354 



354 



354 

 356 

 356- 



^ST 

 35r 

 358^ 

 360. 



