i68 



NA rURE 



[June i8, 1908 



observed for the first time in the photographs of II. 

 Hemsalech is the existence of two circuits in parallel. — 

 Catalytic dehydrations of organic compounds : J. B. 

 Senderens. Several inorganic substances have been found 

 by the author to possess catalytic properties, the most 

 active being precipitated alumina dried at a temperature 

 below a red heat. This substance at about 300° C. splits 

 up ethyl ether into ethylene and water, acetic acid (at 

 350°) into acetone, water and carbon dioxide, propionic 

 acid into diethylketone, water and carbon dioxide, ethyl 

 acetate into water, ethylene, carbon dioxide and acetone, 

 and ethyl oxalate into water, carbon monoxide and dioxide, 

 and ethylene. — The action of silver nitrate upon chloro- 

 auric acid, and the preparation of fulminating gold : Jules 

 Jacobsen. I^ure chloroauric acid, prepared by the action 

 of chlorine upon pure gold in suspension in hydrochloric 

 acid, is precipitated by silver nitrate, the precipitate having 

 the composition Au(OH).,.4.-\gCl. A solution of ammonia 

 removes the silver chloride from this substance, leaving a 

 yellow, flocculent precipitate of fulminating gold. Analyses 

 of this latter gave figures corresponding to the formula 

 .Au(OH).XH.,. — The separation of ammonia and the 

 .(minis by means of . boiling absolute alcohol : Jean 

 Certheaume. It is shown that this commonly used 

 method of separation is imperfect, a determination of the 

 solubilities of ammonium chloride and methylamine hydro- 

 chloride proving that at least 8-5 per cent, of ammonium 

 chloride is always present in methylamine hydrochloride 

 purified in this manner. — Contribution to the study of the 

 artificial peroxydiastascs : J. Wolff. .\ study of the oxida- 

 tion of pyrogallol by hydrogen peroxide in presence of 

 colloidal ferrocyanide of iron. The effects of the latter are 

 shown to be in all respects comparable with those of the 

 natural peroxidases. — A new mica of the paragonite 

 group: Ph. Barbier. This mica is characterised by its 

 proportions of soda (7-6 per cent.) and lilhia (1-2 per 

 cent, to 2-0 per cent.), the association of these two 

 elements, sodium and lithium, being unusual. The name 

 hallerite Is proposed for the new mineral. — A certain func- 

 tion of hepatic replacement exercised by the feather in 

 birds : Jean de La Riboisiere. For any species of bird 

 the amount of liver and fcithors, referred to 100 grams of 

 the total weight, may undergo extensive variations. But 

 it would appear that in each species those individuals 

 having more liver have less feathers, and reciprocally. — 

 The rd\c of the yeasts and the nalinc iif ilic vine in the 

 formation of bouquet in wine : k. Rosenstiehl. — The iron 

 deposits of Coatquidan : F. Kerforne. This deposit was 

 worked for iron ore in 1825, but after some time was 

 abandoned. The ore is -a red ha?matitr, containing a con- 

 siderable proportion of fine quartz grains. Its geological 

 level is at the base of the .Armorican grit. — The principles 

 to be applied to render buildings aselsmic : Montessus 

 de Ballore. .Armoured concrete is the best material for 

 building purposes In countries liable to earthquakes. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, June iS. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — (i) An Electrical Method of Counting the 

 a Particles from Radio-active Matter ; (2) The Charge and Nature of 

 the a Particle: Prnf. E Rutherford, F.R.S., and Dr. Hans Geiger. 

 — The Scattering of the a Rays by Matter : Dr. Hans Geiger, — 

 Studies of the Processes Operative in Solutions. Part VI., Hydration, 

 Hydrolation and Hydrolysis as Determinants of the Properties of 

 Aqueous Solutions ; VII., The Relative Efficiencies nf Acids as deduced 

 from their Conductivities and Hydrolytic Activities ; VIII., The Influence 

 of Salts on Hydrolysis and the Determination of Hydration Values; 

 IX., The Determination of Optical Rotatory Power in Solutions ; X., The 

 Changes Effected by the Reciprocal Interference of Cane Sugar and 

 other Substances (Salts and Non-electrolytes); Prof H. E. Armstrong, 

 F.R.S., and others. ^The Electrolytic Properties of Dilute Solutions of 

 Sulphuric Acid : W. C. D. Whetham, F.R.S.. and H. H. Paine —The 

 Giant Nerve Cells and Fibres of Halla pay-thcnopeia '. Dr. J. H. Ash- 

 worth. — On Methods for the Continuous (Photographic) and Quasi- 

 continuous Registration of the Diurnal Curve of the Temperature of the 

 Animal Body: Prof A. Gameee, F.R.S. 



Chemical Society, at 8.30. — The Thermal Decomposition of Hydrocar- 

 bons, Part I., Methane. Ethane, Ethylene and Acetylene : W. A. Bone 

 and H. F. Coward. — The Ru'-ting of Iron ; W, A. Tilden. — Studies on 

 Elementary Zirconium: E. VVedekind and S. J. Lewis.— (i) The Con- 

 stituents of Canadian Hemp, Part I , Apocynin ; (2) A New Synthesis of 

 Apocynin : H. Finnemore. — The Constitution of the Diazonium Perbro- 

 mides : F. D. Chattaway.— Cholestenone ■ C. Doree and J. A. Gardner. 

 —A New Form of Potash Bulb: A. E. Hill.— Solubility of Silver 

 Chloride in Mercuric Nitrate Solutions: B. H. Buttle and J. T. Hewitt. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — Altitude and Distribution of Plants in Southern 

 Mexico: Dr. Hans Gadow, F.R.S. — The Marine Algae collected in the 

 Indian Ocean by H. M.S. Seaiark: A. Gepp. — Nudibranchs from the 

 Red Sea, collected by Mr. C. Crossland : Sir Charles Eliot, K.C.M.G. 

 — The AlgEc of the Van Yean Reservoir, Victoria: G. S. West. — 

 Bryozoa from the Indian Ocean, chiefly from the Collections made by 

 H.M.S. Scalark: A. W. Waters.— On Gardenia Thnihergia, Linn., 

 and its Allies: Dr. Otto Stapf, F.R.S., and J. 'S\\x\.c\\m%ox\.— Exhibits: 

 Portfolio of Coloured Drawings illustrating the Flora of Bombay Island : 

 Mrs. Harry Gay. — Specimens of Mclitella pusilla, Somm., belonging to 

 a New Genus of Composita;, recently discovered by^ Cavaliere S. Som- 

 mier, in the Island of C^ozo, near Malta : J. F. Duthie. 



TUESDAY, }^MiKiz- 



Royal Anthroi-ological Institute, at 8.15. —The Kurdish Tribes of 

 the Ottoman Empire : Mark Sykes. 



Faraday Society, at 7 45. — Annual General Meeting. — At 8.15. — Recent 

 Developments of the Kjellin nnd Rochling-Rodenhauser Flectric Induc- 

 tion Furnaces: J. Harden. — New Applications of Electrometallurgical 

 Alloys : Adolphe Jouve. 



THURSDAY, June 25. 



Royal Society, at i^.jp.— Prpbal'le Papers : Have Trypanosomes an 

 Ulira-microscupical .Stage in- their Eife-history ? Colonel D. Bruce, CE., 

 F.R.S., and Captain H. R, Bateman. — The Action of Chlorine upon 

 Urea whereby a Dichloro Urea is Produced : Dr. F. D. Chattaway, 

 F.R.S.— Further Note on a Luminous Glow generated by Electrostatic 

 Induction in an E.vbausted Vessel made of Silica : Rev. F. ). Jervis- 

 Smith, F.R.S. — On the Reflection of Waves from a Stratum of Gradually 

 Varying Pioperties, u-ith Application to Sound : Dr. J. W. Nicholson. — 

 The Electrical Forces of Mitosis and the Origin of Cancer: A. E. and 

 A. C. Jessup, E. C. C. Baly, F. W. Goodbody, and E. Prideau.v.— The 

 w-Function — a Class of Normal Functions : E. Cunningham. — And 

 other papers. 



FRIDAY, June 26. 



Physical Society (at the National Physical Laboratory, Bushy House, 

 Teddington), at 3. 30. — Demonstrations of Work in Progress in the 

 Laboratory. 



CONTENTS. 



The Fresh. Water Fishes of Central America 



Roulette at Monte Carlo 



The Theory of Light. By H. L 



By G. A. 

 By A. D. 



J. C. 



Geological Epitotces. 

 New Zealand Plants. 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



McConnell : "Soils: their Nature and Management" 



Young: "The Life and Work of George William 



Stow, South African Geologist and Ethnologist." — 



J. W. G 



Coleman: " Lessons in Hygienic Physiology " . . . 



Rosenthal: "L'Aerobisation des Microbes Anaero- 



bies" ; Kiister : " Anieitung zur Kullur der Mikro- 



organismen." — Prof. R. T. Hewlett 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Distant Electric Vision. — A. A. Campbell Swinton 

 Prominences and Coronal Structure. — Albert Alfred 



Buss 



The Action of Radium Salts on Glass. — W. A. 



Douglas Rudge 



A Field Method of Determining Longitudes by 

 ObS'rvations of the Moon. (Il'/'/.'t /J/'a^rai/i.) By 



Prof. C, v. Boys, F.R.S 



The Cavendish Laboratory. (Illuslralci.) 



Landslip at Lyme Regis 



British Cotton Cultivation 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Encke's Comet, 190S/' 



A Fourth Minor Planet near Jupiter 



Observations of Jupiter's Eighth .Satellite 



Photographic Determination of Star Colours .... 



The Maximum of Mira in October, 1907 



Determination of Longitude Difference 



Coronal Streamers 



Low Temperature Galvanising. (Ulnslraled.) By 



F. M. P 



Studies of Some American Meteorites. {Illustrated.) 

 The Science Court of the Franco-British Exhi- 

 bition. By G. F. Daniell 



Conference of Teachers in Technical Institutions. 



By J. Wilson .... 



South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies. By 



R, A. B 



University and Educational Intelligence 



Societies and Academies 



Diary of Societies 



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NO. 20 T 6, VOL. 78] 



