384 



NATURE 



[August 20, 1908 



formulse. — Preliminary note on the action of nitric 

 anhydride on niucic acid : Prof. Crum Brown and G. E. 

 Gibson. — The meteorology of the W'tddell quadrant and 

 adjacent areas : R. C. Mossman, This was a general 

 discussion, restricted to the more prominent elements of 

 climate, of the meteorological conditions of Antarctic and 

 sub-Antarctic latitudes, with the aim of correlating the 

 weather changes of these adjacent regions. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August lo.— M. Maurice Levy in 

 the chair. — A problem relating to the llieory of orthogonal 

 systems and to the method of the mobile trihedron : Gaston 

 Darboux. — Complement to an earlier note on the manner 

 in which the changes in magnitude of the two right lines 

 joining the sun and a planet to the earth arc related to their 

 changes in direction when the planet moves in the plane 

 of the ecliptic : J. Boussinesq. — The registration of the 

 upper layer of calcium in the solar atmosphere : H. 

 Deslandres and L. d'Azambuja. A special study has 

 been made of the calcium line K,. The dark calcium fila- 

 ments appear in all latitudes, and are clearest at the edges. 

 They are the seat of considerable radial movements. The 

 filaments, which form the principal character of the upper 

 layer of the solar atmosphere, are evidently related to the 

 general circulation of the vapours, to the accidental varia- 

 tions of their velocity of rotation, and possibly also to the 

 formation and dissipation of facula;. — The rotation of the 

 sun : \. Perot. .'\n application of the method of inter- 

 ference spectroscopy devised by the author and I\I. Fabry 

 to the lines of wave-lengths (Rowland) 5202-4, 5349-6 (Ca), 

 6065-7 (Fe), and 6122-4 (Ca), the angular velocities and 

 times of revolution of which are given. The equatorial 

 acceleration is very marked for the two calcium lines 

 studied, whilst the two others are normal in this respect. 

 — Equations all of whose roots are real : A. Pellet. — Some 

 remarkable movements : M. Haag. — The action of the 

 radium emanation on solutions of copper salts : Mme. Curie 

 and .Mile. Gleditsch (see p. 372). — .\ new application of 

 superposition without confusion of small electric oscilla- 

 tions in the same circuit : E. Mercadier. The signals 

 are produced by alternating currents controlled by electro- 

 diapasons, and are received on vibrating plates tuned to 

 exact unison. It has been found possible to superpose in 

 the same circuit simultaneously and in both directions the 

 signals arising from twelve electrodiapasons on lines from 

 5 to 700 kilometres in length. Messages on this svstem 

 have been successfully exchanged between Paris and 

 Marseilles. — The physicochemical analysis of wines ; Paul 

 Dutoit and Marcel Duboux. .^n application of D. Berlhc- 

 lot's method of electrical conductivities to the titration of 

 acids and bases in wines. — Researches on the cause of the 

 odour acquired by air submitted to the ultra-violet radiations 

 emitted by a mercury vapour lamp : H. Bordier and T. 

 Nogrier. It is definitely proved that this odour is not due 

 either to the production of ozone or nitrous fumes. The 

 circulation of gases free from oxygen, such as nitrogen 

 or carbon dioxide, causes the same odour. — The intraderiiiii- 

 reaction of tuberculin : Ch. Mantoux. Details are givi-n 

 of the method of applying this test, which has been com- 

 pared in fifty-two cases with the cuti-reaction. The test 

 failed in only two cases, and has the advantages of 

 simplicity of execution and greater sensibility. — The culture 

 of the virus of fowl plague 111 vitro : E. Mairchoux. This 

 disease is one in which no organism has been detected, 

 probably on account of its extreme minuteness. It has 

 been reproduced in ten successive stab cultures, retaining 

 its virulence. — Contribution to the studv of the Continental 

 iacics : PaK-eozoic landslips : Stanisjas Meunier. — The 

 kaolin-bearing rocks of the basin of Lake Ncpigon, 

 Canada : F. Romanet du Caiilaud, 



GOTTINGEN. 



Royal Society of Sciences.— The Nachrichten (physico- 

 inatheinatical section), part ii. for 1908, contains llir- 

 lollowing memoirs cnnnuunicated to the society : — 



July 27, 1907. — Records of the specific conductivity of 

 atmospheric air : H. Scheringr. 



February 21, igoS. — Determination of the vertex and 

 apex (of (he stellar system), on the ellipsoidal hypothesis, 



KO. 2025, VOL. 78] 



from a small number of observed proper motions : K. 

 Sch^arzschild. 



March 7. — Seismic records in Gbttingen for 1906 : K. 

 Zoeppritz. 



March 21. — The generation of linear ternary substitu- 

 tions from a minimal number of fundamental substitutions : 

 VV. Fr. Meyer. 



The business communications of the society, part i. for 

 1908, include a report on the Samoa Observatory for 

 1907, the address presented to the University of Upsala 

 at the Linna-us celebration, and a memorial noticE of 

 Lord Kelvin bv \\'. Voigt. 



Cape Town. 

 Royal Society of South Africa, July 15.— Mr. S. S. 

 Hough, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Preliminary note 

 on the diurnal variation of level at Kimberley : J. R. 

 Sutton. This paper gives the preliminary results of 

 observations made during the course of three years upon 

 the variation of the level of the ground as recorded by a 

 large horizontal pendulum of a special design made for 

 the author by the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co. It 

 appears from the results that the movements in the surface 

 of the ground which set up corresponding movements on 

 the pendulum at Kimberley are very great. The maximum 

 westerly elongation of the extremity of the pendulum 

 occurs about 5^ a.m., the maximum easterly about 41 p.in., 

 the median positions a little before 11 a.m. and gi p.m. 

 Geometrically these movements may be represented on the 

 hypothesis that the hemisphere facing the sun bulges out, 

 forming a sort of meniscus to the geosphere. The 

 enormous rise and fall of the surface of the land that such 

 a supposition would postulate are, however, mechanically 

 difficult. The range of the pendulum's excursion from 

 west to east during the day is twice as great in winter as 

 it is in summer. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Heredity. By G. Archdall Raid 361 



Egypt and Babylonia 363 



Potential Energy and the Figure of the Earth. By 



W. J. J .364 



Elementary Science 36c 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Bashore : "The Sanitation of Recreation Camps and 



Parks" 366 



Laurance : " The Eye, its Elementary Anatomy, 



Physiology, and Optical Constants" 366 



London: " Before Adam " 366 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Bimetallic Mirrors made by Electro-deposition. — 



Earl of Rosse, K.P., F.R.S. ... ... 366 



The Form of a Dirigible Balloon. (Ilhtsli-aled.)— 



A. Mallock, F.R.S 367 



The "Sky-coloured Clouds" or Twilight Glows.— 



T. W. Backhouse 367 



.August Meteors of 1908. — W. F. Denning .... 367 



Solar Vortices, [llluslraled.) By T. F. C 368 



Solar Magnetic Fields and Spectrum Analysis. By 



Prof. P. Zeeman 369 



The Liquefying of Helium. By Francis Hyndman 370 



The Etiology of Trypanosomiasis. By E. A. M. . 372 



Notes 372 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Another Large Sun-spot Group 377 



The Total Solar Eclipse of December 22-23 - . - - 377 



One Hundred New Double Stars 377 



The Night-glows at the Beginning of July . . . 377 



The Employment of Selenium Cells in Photometry . 377 



Eclipses of Saturn's Satellites 377 



A Large Prominence 377 



The Water of the Metropolis. By R. T. H 377 



Some Results of the Norwegian Herring Investiga- 

 tions. By R. M. L 378 



Archaeological Research in India 378 



On Ice and its Natural History. (Illustrated.) By 



J. Y. Buchanan, F.R.S 379 



University and Educational Intelligence 3X2 



Societies and Academies 383 



