2IO 



NA TURE 



[August 12, 1909 



— Biological observations of the Tonkin india-rubber tree : 

 M. Eberhardt and M. Dubard. — A new parasitic ento- 

 phyte of one of tlie Coleoptera : L. Leger and E. Hesse. 

 — The genital stolon of the compound Ascidians ; its evolu- 

 tion in the course of partial regression : Antoine Pizon. 

 — Study of the toxic powers of the strophantines accord- 

 ing to the method of administration : J. Pedebidou. — 

 The paralysing influence exercised by certain acids on 

 alcoholic fermentation : Mile. M. Rozenband. The 

 results, given in tabular form, show the concentration up 

 to which no prejudicial effect is produced, and the con- 

 centration at which fermentation is completely stopped. 

 ■ — The action of the ultra-violet rays upon the acetic 

 fermentation of wine : Victor Henri and Joseph 

 Schnitzler. The ultra-violet rays from a quartz mercury 

 vapour lamp completely arrested the acetic fermentation 

 after thirty minutes' exposure, a smaller exposure causing 

 tfie action to slow down. — The hydrolysis by diastase of 

 the a- and /S-methyl-d-glucosides : H. Bierry. — Researches 

 on the electric charge of textile substances plunged into 

 water or into electrolytic solutions : J. Larguier dcs 

 Bancels. — The variation of some diastases during the 

 metamorphosis in Limnophilus flavicornis : Xavier 

 Roques. — The tectonic relations of the internal pre-Alps 

 with the Helvetic strata of the Morcles and the 

 Diablerets : Maurice Lugeon. — The neogenic continental 

 formations in the Hautes-Plaines, Algeria : A. Joly. — An 

 oscillation of the sea noted on June 15, 1909, in the port 

 of IVIarseilles : Louis Fabry. This oscillation had an 

 amplitude of 40 cm. to 80 cm., and appears to be con- 

 nected with a sudden rise of 2 mm. in the height of the 

 barometer. — Some earthquake shocks felt at Yunnan : Ch. 

 Dupont. 



August 2. — M. Bouquet de la Grye in the chair. — Is 

 the virulence of the trypanosomes of mammals modified 

 after passage through cold-blooded vertebrates? A. 

 Laveran and A. Pettit. When blood rich in T. lewisi 

 or T. cvansi is injected into the peritoneal cavity of a 

 snake {Tropidonotiis natrix) the trypanosomes pass rapidly 

 into the snake's blood, and live there several days, although 

 their number rapidly diminishes. Some days after the 

 disappearance of the organisms from the blood the latter 

 remains infectious. No definite proof of the modification 

 of the virulence of the trypanosome by passage through 

 the snake has been obtained. — The figure and mass of the 

 planet Uranus, deduced from the motions of the two 

 interior satellites : Qisten Bergstrand. The calculations 

 are based exclusively on observations made at the Lick 

 Observatory. The flattening of Uranus is probably of the 

 order of one-twentieth, corresponding to a period of rota- 

 tion of thirteen hours. The mean density of Uranus is 

 o-i6 that of the earth. — The elasticity of the terrestrial 

 globe : Ch. Lallernand. A discussion of the measure- 

 ments made at Potsdam by Dr. Hccker. — The variation of 

 the magnetic double refraction of aromatic compounds. 

 Surfused bodies and substances in the vitreous state : A. 

 Cotton and H. Mouton. The variation of the magnetic 

 double refraction of nitrobenzene and salol with tempera- 

 ture was found to be linear. — The magnetic properties of 



carbon and organic compounds : P. Pascal The latent 



heat of fusion and the specific heat of propionic acid : 

 G. Massol and M. A. Faucon. Direct measurements of 

 the latent heat of fusion gave 2335 cal. per gram by one 

 method and 19-07 cal. by another. Indirect methods based 

 on the formulae of van 't Hoff and de Forcrand gave 267 

 and 30-5 cal. respectively. The causes of this discrepancy 

 are discussed. — Some ethylene amido-derivatives : G. 

 Busigrnics. A description of a series of ethylene deriva- 

 tives obtained by the action of the Grignard reagent upon 

 alkyldiamidobenzophoiones. — Remarks on the nuclear 

 evolution in the Ascomycetes : A. Guilliermond. — The 

 growth of Fucus : P. Hariot. Observations of the rate 

 of growth. — Contribution to the study of sterilisat'on bv 

 the ultra-violet rays. Application to the butter industry . 

 MM. Dornic and Daire. The water used in washing 

 butter made from Pasteurised cream is treated with ultra- 

 violet rays from a quartz mercury vapour lamp, and 

 partially sterilised. A comparison of two samples of 

 butter made from the same Pasteurised cream showed 

 that the one washed with ordinary water was rancid after 

 eight days, whilst the sample washed with the treated 

 NO. 2076, VOL. 81] 



water was fresh after the lapse of a month. — The exist- 

 ence of carbonophosphates in milk. Their precipitation by 

 Pasteurisation : A. Barille. — The actjon of the pancreatic 

 juice on glycogen, starch, and its components : Mme. Z. 

 Gruzewska and M. Bierry. — The examination of plants 

 for raffinose, and on its presence in two leguminous seeds, 

 Erythrina jusca and Entada scandens : Em. Bourquelot 

 and M. Bridei. — The slight penetration of the ultra-violet 

 rays through liquids containing colloidal substances : J. 

 Courmont and Th. Nogier. Owing to the opacity of 

 solutions containing colloidal substances to the ultra-violet 

 rays, the practical difficulties in the way of sterilising 

 such liquids as beer or cultures of organisms are very 

 great. — The action of ultrn-violct light on the toxin of 

 tetanus : Mile. P. Cernovodeanu and M. Victor Henri. 

 — The relation between phenol eliminated in the urine and 

 epilepsy : J. T. Florence and P. Clement. — The geo- 

 logical history and the tectonic of the Atlas of eastern 

 Numidia (.Algeria) : J. Dareste de la Chavanne. 



186 



1S7 



187 

 187 

 187 



1 88 



1 88 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Asiatic Palms 181 



Gyroscopic Motion. By Prof. C. V. Boys, F. R.S. . 182 



Magic Squares. By P. A. M 182 



Physical Chemistry 183 



The Chemistry of Drugs. By Prof. H. G. Greenish. 184 



Magneto- and Electric-Optics 185 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Fayrer, Brunton and Rogers: "On the Poison of 

 Venomous Snakes and the Melhods of preventing 

 Death from their Bite." ... .... 



" Bathy-orographical Map of Afiica. 1-8,400,000. 



Balhy-orographical Map of Asia. 1-9,300,000" . 



" Publications of the Research Defence Society." — 



R. T. H 



Walker-Tisdale : " Milk Testing."— E. J. R. ... 

 " The Journal of the Cooper Research Laboratory" . 

 Knight and Dutton : "Cambridge County Geo- 

 graphies : Somerset " 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Difference between Longitudinal and Transversal 

 Zeeman Effects in Helium Lines. — Prof. H. 



Nagaoka 



Natural Selection and Plant Evolution. — Dr. D. H. 



Scott, F.R.S 1S8 



The Perseids of 1909. — W. F. Denning 189 



The Ringing of House-bells without Apparent 



Cause.— Rev. C. L. Tweedale 1S9 



Variation in Relative Intensity of Helium Lines. — 



P. G. Nutting and Orin Tugman 189 



Kohlrausch's " Physical Measurements."— E. W. 



Nelson 1S9 



The British Explosives Industry. l^With Diagrams.) 



By J. S. S. B 190 



Danish Researches on the Eel and the Plaice. 



(Illustrated.) 191 



The Position of Science Teaching in Public Schools 192 



The Egyptian Land Survey. By E. H. H 194 



Notes 194 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Observations of Saturn's Rings . . . ■ 1 99 



The Relative Atmospheric Efficiency of Telescopes . 199 



The Motion c.f the Pole 199 



Reports of Observatories 200 



Solar Research 200 



A Brilliant Meteor 200 



Physiology at the British Medical Association . . . 200 

 Recent Improvements in the Internal-combustion 



Engine. II. By H. E. Winiperis . 201 



Conference of Engineers and Shipbuilders at 



Glasgow 203 



Papers on Reptiles and Fishes 203 



Primitive Diprotodonts ^04 



Problems of Aviation 204 



The Magnetic Observatories of the U.S. Coast and 



Gtodetic Survey. By Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S. ... 205 

 Recent Advances in our Knowledge of Silicon and 

 of its Relations to Organised Structures. [Illiis- 

 /iat,-d.) By Prof. J. Emerson Reynolds, F.R.S. . 206 



University and Educational Intelligence 209 



Societies and Academies 209 



