262 



NA TURE 



[July 16, 1908 



variety of dialects, which are said to form two broad 

 divisions, Zaza and Kermanji. Physically, the most extra- 

 ordinary contrasts are to be found. In Hakkiari they are 

 small, wiry mountaineers ; tall, slim horsemen in Irak ; 

 those north of Lake Van are clumsy, heavily built, big- 

 boned, and hook-nosed ; in north Mesopotamia thev are 

 full-bearded, with regular features ; while to the north and 

 west of Erzinjian the men are fair-haired and of ruddv 

 complexion. In point of civilisation the contrasts are just 

 as marked. 



CAMEniDCB. 



Philosophical Society, May iS. — Mr S. Ruhemann. vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Radio-activitv of solutions of 

 potassium salts : N. R. Campbell, (i) All attempts to 

 observe or to produce any difference in the activitv of 

 different samples of the same potassium compound in the 

 same physical state have failed completely. No evidence 

 has^ been obtained of any such separation' of the activity 

 as is to be expected, whatever view^ mav be taken of the 

 source of the activity. (2) The activit)'' of a thick layer 

 of a potassium compound is not accurately proportional' to 

 the amount of potassium which it contains. It is probable 

 that the variation from strict proportionality is to be- 

 attributed to a difference in different compounds of the 

 values of the ratio of the densitv of the substance to the 

 absorption coefficient of the rays emitted by it. In the 

 case of solutions, at least, the 'variations in the value of 

 this ratio are surprisingly large and irregular. The ratio 

 is not necessarily greater for the solution of greater density 

 or greater concentration.— A preliminary note on an effect 

 observed when palladium foil is heated in air at a low 

 pressure : Rev. H. V. Gill. Strips of palladium foil were 

 mounted in a glass tube so that thev could be heated bv 

 means of an electric current. Wheii heated in air at a 

 pressure of about 0-15 mm. first to a dull red and 

 then to a bright white heat, the palladium foil was seen 

 to be surrounded by a purple-blue glow. This glow had 

 all the appearance of a kathode discharge in a vacuum 

 tube. There was no electric field except that due to the 

 current which came from two storage cells to heat the 

 foil. The glow gradually disappeared, and could not be 

 agam obtained from a strip which had been already used. 

 This experiment was repeated many times, and with 

 palladium foil obtained from different sources. The cause 

 of this glow is being investigated.— The absorption spectra 

 of some compounds of pyridine (second paper) : J. E. 

 Purvis. The results indicate that in these isomeric com- 

 pounds ^ the relative positions and the persistencies of the 

 absorption bands are inlluenced by the tvpe and the spatial 

 positions of the atoms or groups' of atoms introduced into 

 the nucleus.— Further researches in the theory of divergent 

 series and integrals: G. H. Hardy.— Some reactions of 

 phenyhodidechloride and iodosobenzene acetate : H. H. 

 Hodgson — Integral forms and their connection witli 



physical equations : R. Hargreaves The determination 



of the rate of chemical change bv measurement of the oases 

 evolved : F. E. E. Lamplough.' 



Manchester. 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, May 12.— Prnf. 

 H. B. Dixon, F.R.S., president, in the chair. 

 —Spore formation in the genus Chretoceros : Miss 

 Nellie Snape. Spined resting spores occur during the 

 late summer; these are set free by the breaking up 

 of the Chc-Etoceros filament and the throwing off of the 

 old shells. Individuals of Chajtoceros are also often seen 

 containing a number of small rounded spore-like bodies 

 formed by the contraction of the protoplasm and its aggre- 

 gation round the chromatophores. The number of these 

 bodies varies considerably, but their size is remarkably 

 constant. It would appear rather probable that these 

 spore-like bodies are really gametes, but confirmatory 

 evidence on this point is at present lacking.— The mumm'y 

 of Khnumu \ekht in the Manchester Museum : Mis's 

 Margaret A. Murray. The coffin was found in a rock 

 tomb at Rifeh, near ."Vssiout, in Upper Egypt, and dates 

 from the Xllth Dynasty, or, roughly, about 2500 B.C. 

 That this was a real mummy was shown by the fact that 



NO. 2C20, VOL. 78] 



the_ nails of the hands and feet were carefully bound with 

 thr'eads so as to preserve them in position when the 

 epithelium fell away. This proves the practice of 

 mummifying, which rapidly disappeared oh the introduc- 

 tion into Egypt of Christianity, to be more ancient than 

 some have maintained, wiio give 1600 B.C. as the earliest 

 date of its occurrence. The practice was held by some 

 to be connected with the belief in re-incarnation. On the 

 cofifin were inscriptions said to be variants of the Pyramid 

 text. Some of these read as follows : — " Thy mother 

 Nut spreads herself above thee : she causes thee to be as 

 a god without enemies '" ; ** Comes to thee, comes to thee, 

 thy mother Nut"; "To .Anubis, Lord of Sepa, may he 

 grant that thou cross heaven, and that thou reach land 

 at the pure places w'hich are in heaven." — Dr. Cameron 

 gave an account of the anatomical features of the remains. 

 The bones were remarkably slender. Measurements of the 

 capacity and " indices " of the skull showed that it com- 

 pared favourably with the average modern European type, 

 whilst the limb bones rather tended tow^ards the Simian 

 character. There were indications that Khnumu Nekht was 

 of lethargic habit, and spent much time in a squatting 

 posture. His height was probably between 5 feet 3 inches 

 and 5 feet 10 inches, and his age between sixty and seventy 

 years. The teeth, with the exception of one, were intact, 

 and only one of them showed any sign of decay, but all 

 were extraordinarily worn, which showed that the food 

 consumed must have been exceedingly gritty. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, June 22. — Prof. Ewart, F.R.S., vice-presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Equilibrium in the system water, and 

 a pair of enantiomorph solids : Dr. \V. \V. Taylor and 

 Dr. T. Rettie. The system investigated was water and 

 the optically active tartar emetics, the systems water with 

 r tartar emetic along w^ith d- or Z-tartar emetics being also 

 included to complete the scheme. Series of confirmatory 

 experiments were made with d- and /-sodium ammonium 

 tartrates and sodium ammonium racemate. In the former- 

 case the transition temperature was unknown ; it was 

 determined by the solubility and dilatometer methods to 

 be between 60° and 61° C. It was confirmed by crystallisa- 

 tion experiments above and below the transition tempera- 

 ture. The results show- that the enantiomorph solids 

 behave as two absolutely distinct phases, any mixture of 

 the two being more soluble than either component alone ; 

 and the maximum solubility is possessed by the equi- 

 molecular mixture. Owing to the occurrence of labile 

 equilibria, true equilibrium in each system was found to 

 be attained much more slowly than was generally sup- 

 posed. In some cases 20 davs' shaking was found lo be 

 necessary. — The electrolytic conductivity of aqueous solu- 

 tions of lactic acid, and on changes in conductivity 

 accompanying the alcoholic fermentation : Dr. John 

 Gibson and .\ndrew King;. — -An improved thermostat and 

 other apparatus used in conductivity w'ork : Dr. John 

 Gibson and G. E. Gibson. — Determinations of the con- 

 ductivity of concentrated solutions of good electrolytes : — 

 (i) hydriodic and hydrobromic acids : Dr. John Gibson 

 and .Andrew King;; (2) hydrochloric acid: Dr. John 

 Gibson and \V. H. Paterson ; (3) ammonium bromide, 

 lithium bromide, and sodium bromide : Dr. John Gibson 

 and Dr. E. B. R. Prideaux. — The precipitation of certain 

 chlorides by hydrochloric acid : Dr. John Gibson and Dr. 

 R. B. Denison. These papers all bore more or less upon a 

 general line of research w'hich has occupied Dr. Gibson's 

 attention for years. The discussion of the facts established 

 was held over for a future communication. The improved 

 thermostat was electrically controlled, the circuit of the 

 incandescent lamps which supplied the heat being inter- 

 rupted or closed (as the case might be) by an electro- 

 magnetic relay controlled by a modification of the usual 

 form of cut-of5f. By means of this thermostat the tempera- 

 ture could be kept absolutely constant for months at a 

 time. — .Andrews's measurements of the compression of 

 carbon dioxide and of mixtures of carbon dioxide and 

 nitrogen : Dr. C. G. Knott. This completed a work which 

 w-as begun by Prof. Tail in 1899 with the view of 



