982 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 416. 



eolith-forming Protozoa. The suhject-matter 

 is also varied, this first number for example 

 containing the following contributions : 



1. ' Die Protozoen und die Zelltheorie.' An 

 essay by Professor Richard Hertwig replete 

 with excellent points and suggestive ideas. 



2. ' Bemerkungen iiber Cyanophyceen und 

 Bacteriaceen.' A special morphological paper 

 by Professor Otto Biitschli on the nature of 

 the so-called Centralhorper in certain species 

 of Nostocacese and Bacteria. 



3. ' Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Colliden.' A 

 systematic paper by Professor Karl Brandt " 

 on one of the orders of the Peripylarian 

 Eadiolaria. 



4. ' Die Coccolithophoridffi.' A morpholog- 

 ical, and systematic paper by Dr. ~K. Lohmann 

 on these little-known phytoflagellates. 



5. ' Notiz iiber die Trichomonas hominis.' 

 A note by Dr. S. Prowazek on a human 

 parasite. 



6.- ' Das System der Protozoen.' A proposed 

 classification of the Pi-otozoa by Dr. P. 

 Doflein. 



The A7-cliiv is to appear at irregular inter- 

 vals and without set limits as to size. Con- 

 tributions in English, German and Prench 

 will be printed in these languages without 

 German summaries. 



We heartily wish for the success which the 

 new undertaking deserves. 



G. N. C. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 



The Journal of Physical Chemistry, No- 

 vember. 'Alloys of Lead, Tin and Bismuth,' 

 by E. S. Shepherd. A quite complete study 

 of these alloys, from which the conclusions 

 are drawn that from them the tin crystallizes 

 pure, but often in an unstable denser form; 

 and that lead and bismuth form two series 

 of solid solutions, in each case with contrac- 

 tion. When the fused alloys are cooled fairly 

 rapidly the saturation concentrations are not 

 reached. A bibliography accompanies the 

 paper. ' Influence of the Solvent in Electro- 

 lytic Conduction,' by Harrison Eastman Pat- 

 ten. A paper from the University of Wis- 

 consin presenting the following conclusions 

 among others : The lowering of the specific 



electrical conductivity of non-aque'jus solu- 

 tions by addition of a pure solvent has been 

 found to be approximately proportional to the 

 number of gram-molecules of solvent added. 

 Here is offered a new method for molecular 

 weight determinations. Electrical conduc- 

 tivity seems to be the resultant of: (1) The 

 tendency of some molecules to transfer the 

 charge produced by an impressed electro- 

 motive force, and (2) the resistance offered 

 to this transfer of charge by other molecules. 

 Conduction of electricity by solutions depends 

 upon the fact that a compound is formed by 

 the solvent and solute when solution takes 

 place. 



The Botanical Gazette for ISTovember con- 

 tains the following papers : D. S. Johnson 

 contributes additional morphological informa- 

 tion in reference to the Piperacese, describing 

 the ovule, seed and fruit of Piper; the devel- 

 opment and germination of the seed of Hech- 

 eria; ■ and the germination of the seeds of 

 Peperomia and Hecheria. The development 

 of the ovary, ovule and embryo-sac in Piper 

 and HecJeeria differs widely in several respects 

 from that found in the related genus Peper- 

 omia. Piper and Hecheria differ strongly 

 from one another in the formation of endo- 

 sperm, which in the former begins with free 

 nuclear division, and in the latter with cell 

 formation. In germination the swelling of 

 the endosperm and embryo bursts the seed 

 coats and the endosperm protrudes through 

 the rent as a sac which continues to surround 

 the embryo until foot, root and cotyledons 

 are differentiated. The author concludes that 

 the aleurone containing endosperm of these 

 forms acts as a digesting and absorbing ap- 

 paratus for transferring the starch stored in 

 the perisperm to the embryo. He calls atten- 

 tion to several other genera in which a small 

 amount of endosperm separates ijeri plasm and 

 embryo and seems to serve this function. 

 Henry Kraemer discusses the structure of the 

 starch grain, the results of his observations 

 being that the starch grain consists of col- 

 loidal and crystalloidal substances, these be- 

 ing arranged for the most part in distinct and 

 separate lamellse. The reason that this strue- 



