PKIZE-QUESTIOin'S OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 435 



FOURTH QUESTION. 



To give the result of new experiments on uric acid and its deriva- 

 tives, i)rincipally witli regard to tlieir chemical structure and their syn- 

 thesis. 



FIFTH QUESTION. 



The polymorphism of fungi attracts more and more attention from 

 botanists and physiologists. It seems even to furnish new elements for 

 the solution of the problem of life iu general. 



Required : 



1. A succinct critical review of the known observations relative to 

 the polymorphism of Mucedines. 



2. The exact determination — applying only to a single species — of 

 the part which belongs at first to the proper nature of the vegetable 

 (to its specific energy) and then to the exterior conditions of its devel- 

 opment. 



3. The positive proof, or the satisfactory disproof, of the fact that 

 ferment-molds {Micrococcus, Zooglcea, Palmella, LeptotJirix, Arthrococcus, 

 Mycoderma, &c.) can under any circumstances whatever transform them- 

 selves into fungi of a higher order. 



SIXTH QUESTION. 



To describe, especially in regard to their composition, the Pkitonic 

 rocks, or those considered as such, of Belgium and French Ardennes. 



The prize for the first, the fourth, and the fifth questions will be a 

 gold medal of the value of 600 francs ; the prize for the sixth will be 

 of the value of 800 francs ; and the prize for the second and third will 

 be of the value of 1,000 francs. 



The authors of the memoirs inserted in the reports of the academy 

 will be entitled to one hundred copies of their papers. They will also 

 have the privilege of obtaining a larger number by paying four centimes 

 a sheet. 



Manuscripts should be written legibly, should be in Latin, French, or 

 Flemish, and addressed, postage prepaid, to Ad. Quetelet, permanent 

 secretary-, before August 1, 1874. 



The academy requires the greatest exactness in citations 5 authors 

 must, therefore, be particular to mention the editions and the pages of 

 the works cited. Manuscript-illustrations only will be allowed. 



Authors must not put their names on their papers, but only a device, 

 which must be repeated on a sealed envelope containing their names 

 and addresses. Papers sent after the prescribed time, or those indicat- 

 ing the author's names in any way, will be excluded from competition. 



The academy deems it necessary to state to the contestants that, 

 after papers have been submitted to its judgment, they are placed in 



