668 



NATURE 



[NOVEM 



1923 



as hiK t among tli' 1 cations 



required m uu- aiiaiy>t is accuracy aii'i ini'^t worthi- 

 ness, to whicii should be added the ability to decide 

 to what degree of accuracy his results attain. 

 Sorondly, there is the need for rapidity to be 

 I with accuracy, as few students realise 

 i i of manipulation which is retjuired of them 

 wiion they obtain a post after leaving college. 

 Thirdly, it is of great importance that students 

 should cultivate the gift of expressing results suitably 

 in a report. Much good experimental work is marred 

 by the inability of the chemist to write up his results 

 in such a way that the bearing of the work can be 

 properly appreciated by those who read the report. 

 The chemist should not be easily moved from an 

 opinion formed after careful consideration of results 

 obtained by patient investigation. In conclusion, 

 the lecturer stated that of the three classes of 

 men practising chemistry, namely, works chemists- 

 public analysts, and consultants, the first class will 

 greatly outnumber the public analysts when trade 

 revives, while consulting chemists will be men of 

 wide experience and high attainments who will be 

 called upon by manufacturers to solve their problems 

 and should be highly remunerated for such work. 



Messrs. Wheldon and Wesley. Ltd., 2 Arthur 

 Street, W.C.2, have just sent out a new catalogue 

 (New Series, No. 9. 1923) of second-hand works on 

 ornithology, compiled with their usual care. It 

 contains nearly 1300 titles, and should be seen by all 

 interested in the subject. 



Mr. W. H. Robinson, 4 Nelson Street, Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne, has just issued catalogue No. 9, 1923, of 

 "Rare and Standard Books " offered for sale by him. 

 Many books of science, voyages, and travels are 



included, and there is a very interesting section on 



" Americana." 



Messrs. H. K. L . ., jwer 



Street, W.C.i, have just issued a list of the new books 

 and new editions added to their Medical and Scientific 

 Circulating Library' during August and September. 

 As it is practically a list of the me<lical and scientific 

 books published during the months in quj-stion it 

 should be a useful guide to others 

 to the library'. 



i'\i ! i!l 'j1 Sotheran's Catalogue of Sci< 

 Technology has just reached us from the publuUc-r.-. 

 (140 Strand. W.C.2). It gives the titles of. and in 

 many cases comments upon, upwards of 1500 works 

 on the subjects of astronomy and astrology, chrono- 

 logy, geodesy, horology, and dialling. Many very 

 rare books are included, among them being a unique 

 star atlas entitled " Uranographia Britannica," 

 published in 1750 and reported to be hitherto un- 

 known. The catalogue should be seen by all who are 

 interested in books dealing with the subjects named. 



Messrs. W. and G. Fovle, Ltd., 121-125 Charing 

 Cross Road, W.C.2, have sent us a copy of their 

 catalogue (Dept. No. 3, September) of second-hand 

 books, some 700 in number, which they have for 

 disposal. The catalogue is classified under the 

 headings : General Science, Mathematics, Astronomy 

 and Surveying, Mathematical Tables, the New- 

 Physics, General Natural History', Anthropology and 

 Ethnology, Evolution. Variation, Heredity, Genetics. 

 Botany, Zoology, Microscopy, Collectors' Manuals, 

 Geology, Palaeontology, and Biography. We learn 

 that Messrs. Foyle have recently organised a new de- 

 partment for the supply of books relating to science. 



Our Astronomical Column. 



New Comet. — The first cometary discovery of 

 1923 was made on October 14, at i3h i8"'-2 G.M.T., 

 by Mr. Doubiaco at Kasan. The comet was of 

 magnitude 8*0, and its position was R.A. 'j^ 46'" 42*-67 ; 

 south declination, 20° 37' 31". The daily motion 

 ^was +6"- 40"; south, 4° 51'. The rapid motion 

 mdicates that the distance from the earth was small. 



Unfortunately, owing to delays in Russia, the 

 news did not reach western Europe until October 25, 

 and by that time it may be inferred that the comet 

 had passed below our southern horizon. 



Two Large Fireballs. — Mr. W. F. Denning 

 writes that on the evenings of October 16 and 17 

 very fine meteors were seen in the south-west of 

 England. The first appeared on October 16, at 

 9-28 P.M., and was well observed by many persons 

 in the counties of Gloucestershire," Somerset, and 

 Devon. It gave a brilliant illumination. Its height 

 was from about 63 to 44 miles, and it passed from 

 above Poole, Dorset, to a few miles south-west of 

 Readmg. The radiant point was indicated in 

 Aquila at 30i°-9°. 



The fireball which appeared on the following 

 night October 17, at 11.57 pm., was of extraordinary 

 splendour, and created a startling effect upon many 

 persons who were in a favourable position for witness- 

 ing Its full effect. About ten observations have 

 come to hand from Cornwall, Devon, Gloucester and 



NO. 2818, VOL. 1 12] 



Somerset, and from these ii i> iinm-ai^u iikh ijiv 

 fireball pursued an horizontal flight at an elevation 

 of about 55 miles above the earth's surface. The 

 radiant point was situated in Hercules and not far 

 from the north-western horizon at the time of the 

 meteor's appearance. The illumination it gave was 

 estimated as greater than that of the full moon, and 

 during its flight the nucleus gave a succession of 

 three vivid outbursts of remarkable intensity. 



The Spiral Nebulae. — Mr. J. H. Reynolds replies 

 in the October issue of the Observatory to the articles 

 of Prof. Perrine and Mr. Gifford in the September 

 number. The latter had objected that the number 

 of the spircds approached half a million, which would 

 give an improbably high mass, if they were composed 

 of dust expelled from the Galaxy. Mr. Reynolds 

 notes that many of the small nebulae suspected to be 

 spirals at the Lick Obser\'atory have been shown at 

 Mt. Wilson to be nebulous nuclei of a different 

 character from spirals. The number of known spirals 

 does not exceed 2000. 



The great difference of illumination between the 

 nucleus and the outer portions of the spirals is con- 

 sidered fatal to their being external galaxies similar 

 to our own. 



Further, the unsymmetrical distribution of the 

 spirals in galactic longitude has to be considered in 

 any discussion of their nature. 



