May 1 8, 191 1] 



NATURE 



3«i 



" we consider that tlie internationiil charaiVcr of the 

 diagnosis will better be maintained if the \ienna rule be 

 altered so as to read ' eitlier a diagnosis in Latin or a 

 recognisable figure.' Tiiis alternative would do away with 

 tlie difticuhy as to language, and would allow bolanist> 

 10 u<'- till ir own language, provided ihey give a cliararifr- 

 i-;ic tigui'.." 



Trot. Sfward has --ignod the second slaii'nirni, and ha> 



added the following r-niarks : — '• In view of the natun- of 



nuirh {jT i\v- maicfjul a\ailabli- for invcsiigation, 1 c(in>i(li-r 



- iiii.l' ~ii-a!ilc to insist on a Laiin diagnosis for all 



i'Mr;!«'il by ])al;eobolanists. In rasrs wlvri' a 



'arntal diagnosis is possible, such diagnosis and a tii^un- 



of the specimen ought to be given, but for the ])r(--i nt at 



least I am not disposed to bind myself to the publication 



of a diagnosis in Latin. It is, I believe, in the interests 



if ilif subject to avoid pledging oneself to any fixed rule 



ds either a diagnosis or the language in whicii 



-gliosis is to be written. — A. C. Seward." 



Trot. Zeiller, of Paris, to wlioni a copy of the memor- 

 andum was forwarded, has .-igncd the second statement 

 mentioned above, and has kindly expressed his reasons for 

 li'ing unable to suliNcrih.- to the first. These are a- 



int, au Congr^s de Bruxelles, ralli(5, dans un 

 conciliation, k la disposition g(5n^'rale qui fait de 



la diagnose latine unc obligation, 'y n'lii pirsistc ])a< 

 moins a pr-nscr que cette obligation ne devraii pa> etre 

 /•tendue a la pal('obot,inique, rapplic.it ion s'en heurtant 

 souvenr, a\ei- I'l'-iat hagiit'iilaire ■■! incoinplet des fossiles 

 vegctaux, a d''^ (lifliciilii'-. j)reM.|i.ir in<iiriii(Hitablns, notani- 

 rn'iit l(H>qii'il ^".'igit d 'I'-cham illon-, a sti-uctnn- conserv'rM- 

 i^' inomr.ani ^|ii.' t\i- caraeieres anatoiniques internes. 



■■ji'ni'l- le vivu (.|ue lous le^ pal('ob()tani-.te-. s'iinis-,ent 



i'^'ur demaixliT an proch.ain ( 'oii'_^re>- dr l.an- lais^.-r h <-et 



-■■■"'1 la lil)'-rti'- (lonl ils .-n-aiem joui justju'ici, !■! a 



'onii-'' (!'■ laqiii-lle ,iii n 'a relr\'(' aucnn incon\'i'nieni . 

 ;s. Z-ni.T." 



In eonrlii-ion. whilr-. as we have srr-n, thr Hritisli, 



Anvriian, and S(aii(lin;i\-i.in pala obotiuiisls have agree'd to 



avoid the i^iiicKil iisr ot Latin diagnoses for the present, 



it should be pointed out that the object of the menior- 



iiniiui-. mentioned above has been solely to ascort.ain the 



opinion- and present intr-niions of workers on fossil pl.mfs 



'. :li'- re^jjict. It is, of coin'-e, understood llial ilio-e 



\ ,o !ia\- -nhxi-ihed t(f llie two -tateuients quoted alio\e 



a ec: ::< .e.w w:i\ bound .a- to tile future, and they are 



■> :f. in ali( T'd i irruinstances in the future, 



-!i ■'■ '!■ par: honi their present opinions and 



i ■ :■ w is widelv belli tb.al perfect 



- of n()nienc]alure, .a- in otbei- 



• '•:■..■!.-. ':< '--.nKa! to lii- progre~< of cuir knowjed-.' 



■ ! fo--:! plant-. 



li. A. \i:wi-,ii, ,\i,;hi-;k', 

 lb. N,.,l^v i, k Mu-e,nn, Canibridge. 



Spitting Cobras. 



III. !. ,11, ,,,•;,,,.• ,,,-.i., ,,, ,, i„, of intr^rr'st-, the more so a- 



1 >' iiai< < > 1- denied in a I'ec.n; 



■ ''ii ^■.■.n•- ;nnong the S, ., 



i)>.. I . v<iiii ■■ Noa-"' in Xami,;] (.1 \\.t\ .| 



'p. ■ ;■•>■ to lb- •• .piMa,,, ,.,,],,;,. " ,,! }■:,.: \lrica. 



pro- 

 in 

 ' ' I ;,i - a :■. a !;_; .1 loi i;^ .1 n.i ri'i >W 



tfoni the ((la-l. in l,al. 

 rect pri-paring to -trik.' 

 n.l biok. 



, k ab.ae 

 wb.n I 



-1 tail k it ai>oui ,11 

 eo I :boiieht). ■ I' 



n I!).' Ii.'.a 



1 did not notice wb-re the other -irmk. I 



il, ,id I - I I oara , ei a ':'■■-. illtiaidi nj_; < Ml ni \ 

 •.ill.- il. bn'; wlt.-n 1 



I bit .Ml irrii.,;;,.n 

 -. and tb. n -i-idn- 



socks all wet through. But I sent for the Bugis who had 

 accomp.mied me, and without telling him anything, asked 

 him to point out where the cobra poison had struck me. 

 He imniedi;itcl\ placed one finger on the lapel of my 

 co.-ii and another oti my shin exactly where the irritatioti 

 w.as 



He added that about ten miles away his brothe"- had 

 lu-t the use of his arm for three months because of a cobra 

 which had projected its poison at him. 



File cobra w.is black with a bluish sheen, but the 

 ihioai W.I- \.llo\\. i:-tiinated length, 1600 mm. 



Hos.oniI.e, Max ,s. J. R. H. Garrett. 



The Reform of the Calendar. 



The article in this week's N.vture on " Daylight and 

 Darkness " leaves little to be said with regard to the so- 

 called n.iyligbt Sa\ing Hill. Its adoption would indeed 

 rendi r us " the hnighing-stock of the enlightened people 

 of the world. ■■ No object, however good in it-elf, can !).■ 

 ari,ained by a deci'itful :ind und.rhanil ))ia>ce-s. which 

 inu-i lead to many inconsistencies .and misunderstanding-. 

 i here is no reason why 12 o'clock should be the exact 

 time ot noon; in point of f.act, it seldom is, as clock- 

 must be regulated to k-e.p nuuDi time. But there i- a 

 very gocxi reason, and it is of great importance, thtit the 

 inierwal between two consecutive hours by the idock -liould 

 lie alw.iy- .xactly one hour. To ngultue ii oih.rwi-. 

 would be deciiifui and confusing. 



My purpose, however, in this letter is rather with 

 reference to Mr. i'hilip's letter on thf^ " Reform of the 

 Calendar." He denies that tit. wi.k ha- bad an un- 

 broken continuance, because tlie pa-chal full moon on 

 -\.l>. j,\ (which be thinks was tb.- \i,ar of the ("rucitixion) 

 fell on M,ai-ch 27, which w.is a Tn.-day. Now lie ji-wi-h 

 Pa-so\ia- bad nothing to do with tlie (la\- of tin- we. k, and 

 niii^lil fall on any d.ay, being i-.-galai.'d bv the moon. d'hal 

 it fell in A.I). ;i t)n a Tuesd.i\ pntx. - that that coidd not 

 have been the year of the Criu ilixion, which was ]iia)b.ablv 

 .\.|). }o, or |)Os-ibly (as Prof. Saiiday now thinks) \.i>. 2u. 

 The -.-v. nth d.a\- of the w.'ek (_th.- J-wi-lt Sabli.athi wa- 

 the da\- after the Ciaicifixion, and ili.- da\ alter ''"a:. •'?. 

 first da\ of ih.. we.'k, th,' d.a\ of the R. 

 ('bristians ob-.-rved th.it d.a\ a- ilieir sacred \ 



\\.'.k', and tb.' Church decided (after the eari\ Oa.nio- 

 (licini.in conti ocfsy, settled b\' tb.' ("outicil of Nicaa) to 

 U'.ip th" Christian Passover (which we call l-i,a-t.: a .ilwa\s 

 on that (lav of tln' week. Th. r.' h.i-, th. n. a 



;in\ br.ak in the (a>ntinuiis of lb.- w.'ei<. 



iil.ick-be.ath, M.ay 1;,. " \\'. 1. I.nw. 



The Rusting of Iron. 



In \ie\\- of the corrcsfxyndence \\liich has taken ))lace 

 r.-c.nil\ in N\iciv}-" on this -iibj.'c;, I should lik.' to i.I.t 

 to til.- r. -tills ol -oni.- fin'tber inw.-l i^at ions whiili I h.iv.' 

 mtid" in conjunction with Mr. ]. R. llill ii-i continual i(>ii 

 of llio~.- ]iiibii-h,(I in th.' journ.il of th.- Chemical SoCatx 

 in mo:;. In that pa|).'i-, .-ind in oth'-r previous ])ubli<-.il ion-, 

 . Np.-rinienl al .\id.-nci- was brought forw.ird to show that 

 till- ru-liiii; ol iron i-.in tak.- ))lac.- in th.- .di-'-ni.- of cirbon 

 dioxidi-, (-ontr.irx lo tin- e.n.-ralh' a.. -p;.d \-;i',\-. "-. \ < ral 

 chemists h,i\-, addr.'--.-d thiM-'I\-.- lo tii.' !a-k ..f .1. !-:-d- 

 iuL; lb.- old opiriion th;il (-.'irbon dioxi'l 

 'I le-ir ,n-^;ini)ent- wer.. summari-.-.| r.-i-.-n!' 



in N\iri;i- aiiii.-ill. d " T. M, L." No .-x. - |, a e.- 



tak. a ^. ihi- ai-:i,-l. if il- lani ! .1 ! ion- at.- cl.-.irlv r.-, og- 

 iii-.il, Il omit- .ill 1 . fi-j-.-n.-. lo tie- l.ii'u;.- biMl\- ol . xpei-i- 

 ne ntal w-..rl< whi.-li ba- been publi-la-d h\ Whim-a, likl.ti 

 a:al ..''i' -~. in addilion lo iin-- If. '.. -how llial la- ..!-! -,-■ w 

 aid, .11. d. Th. ■ nt work . - - 1 



a icnlirni- tli-- a, wdiilsl 



■in|>..';aai adilition to c>ur i<iiow c ol^.- <if tln' condiiam- oi 

 r'.Kiion bitw.en iron, ox\-g.n, .ind wat.-r wli.-n brought 

 !. i". 'i. ' ai lb,- mo-t bigblv piiriii. d I..: o-i, 

 in writing ibis n.-; 

 -a .! th.- ,'au-.- of la .a 



(.it.iai ■-, ini biding .iTk,!!;- ,uid pot.i-auin 



ai pri-veiiiine th.- ru-ling of iron, and it 

 to . xiil.iin .1 niniib' ■ ^ . 



■ bicli h.i\-.-- b. I n h. ' ' 



bicbron 



