950 



NATURIi 



[Dkce.m 



3 Kitropeans and lo Indians in March 102.I A study 



• lit riiovftiit-nts in India is sai! 'y'ing 



' 11 .M f.r tvjH's of foreca.HtinK herto 



|x)Ksil)l( ice observations, iho whole 



system iir storins and <v< lories over the 



sea .III': 



of Icasi with 



the hitc.sl iiifon ■ liii;..; ilir \s.-.ftiicr by 



wiroliss biilletiii> ' : , • r(-w,irrli slious that at 



I'l I miles .ind ii)>\\ ,iti I-. tli'- 1 nM wcitluT winds 

 v.; ;....:;''!! In.ija of leu reach a hlieiigLli ot iuo miles 

 per hot! v., wliile calms prevail at the surface. 



At Agr.i tin ,. .torlv rompnnr--' • *■ -tpper air. at a 

 height of al)iii:i 1 nulcs, prc\ vii the middle 



of SeptemlMT lo (he middle Ot UciolxT, show a close 

 relaiKJiiship wiih the precipitation in north-west 

 India in the winter following. Departmental observa- 

 tories for the ye£ir consist of 5 first class, 185 third 

 class, 23 tourlli class, and ^1 Idth class. Kainfall 

 observations aie re(-eiv(>d from z^)zu stations. 



Messrs. H.\wk d Sons, 83 Wigmore Street, 



W., h;i\(> forwarded to us their catalogue of medico- 

 di.ij^iiosiic. physiological, anthropometrical, psycho- 

 logical, and chemical apparatus. Several forms and 

 sizes of capillary pipettes for the accurate measure- 

 ment of (piiintities from 0-005 c.c. to I'o c.c. are 

 listed, as well as several types of haemacytometers 

 and hajmoglobinometers for the estimation of the 

 number of corpuscles and amount of ha-moglobin 

 in blood. Under blood analysis apparatus we find 

 outfits for the estimation of calcium, urea, and sugar 

 in the blood. Gal ton's finger-print outfit and whistle 



and many pi©c«« of anthropometric and p«»vcho- 

 logical app tied. Messrs 



are aho n io$cop«i and 



of l^cns Co., New York. 



1 auna of Bri' 



■ liich the edr 



with thi' assistance of 1' 



.,iii-t;.,!i i,f tin; Secret a : ... 



■'lumes . ■ liies (Lye ■ 



...... ii. .,.^ ^'- ^ I ■ - ♦'■- •■ 



and .\rgas! 



Warbii'-' :r<liiiy and 



Prof, i I;,. J.v Dr 



G. A. 



Andr( 



on til 1,1- ami JMidoiiiN. 



Arrow :!• (iilii i'i.i- \>\- ( 



Major S. K. ( hri^i' 



on th'- rhrv -,,,,,,,.],, ..,,;,„. <..i i 



11 Ivtidaj and 



I'la I \ jM !■ ii' i,i- II-, I.: i.ii. \\ III!! >.!;;i])^. ,n 



with a rc\i^i-d edition of .Mammalia hv 

 A. C. I Initnii " nek, a;. 



(6 vols.i !,v M; 



Thi 



\Vlield-;i. and W . .-.ley, Ltd., 2 Arlimr Mixct. U .C ,j, 

 slioiild, ue think, be very useful u> librarians and 

 others, it being a classified list of some 840 .serials an ! 

 transactions of scientific societies on sale ])\ them 

 The catalogue is conv( 

 headings: V.r;ti.^ii i..i,.< 

 other sciei 



ings of local socieiies ; I'omMiions and (.oionies 



scientific serials, etc.; liiiKd States of America — 



sciem i' ^. etc. • and 1( ii 



serial-^. 



Our Astronomical Column. 



The January Shower of Meteors. — This display 

 of meteors is of greater importance than is supp>osed. 

 It sometimes furnishes a rather brilliant exhibition 

 of a conspicuous character, being more brilliant than 

 the average and traversing longer paths. The radiant 



Eoint is situated at about 230° +53° in the region 

 arren of bright stars lying on the borders of the 

 constellations Bootes, Draco, and Hercules. 



11 le shower has occasionally been so abundant as to 

 furnish one or two meteors per minute. In the 

 e\eniug hours, from the latitude of England, the 

 radiant point is situated at a low^ altitude in the 

 northern sky, and it is generally in the few hours 

 preceding sunrise that the display attains its greatest 

 strength. Unusually rich returns of tliese meteors 

 were witnessed in the early evening hours of January 

 3, 1918 and 1922, and we may expect another plentifiil 

 exhibition of its meteors on the morning of January 4 

 next between about 4 and 6 a.m. The moon will 

 not offer any obstruction on that date, as it will be 

 26 <la\ s old and \ isible as a very narrow crescent only. 

 Should the weather be clear on the morning of 

 January 4, all the conditions are promising for a 

 meteoric spectacle of very interesting character, and 

 it will be important to observe it carefullv through 

 the nisjilit in order to determine tlie hourly i\umber of 

 meteors visible and the time when it reaches a 

 maximum. 



NO. 2826, VOL. 112] 



Iv b\ Trol. W 

 xis V.f Marv 



ii. 



Tin: Axis i>\- .M \i;s. - / ' 

 ember) contains an interesiim^ si 

 Pickering of the posiliMU of th" 

 notes that the method 

 the polar caps is subjei , 



edii.v of the cap has a sensible diurnal slult ; the wlute 

 deposit melts on the noon side of the cap, and forms 

 again on the opposite side. Accordingly a new deter- 

 mination was made, based on a large number of small 

 well-defined markings spread < • - *' '■ !- 



cidentally the conclusion was r 



number of the Martian spots ha\. .i -..-..:. .m n-.w 

 shift, easih- explicable on the view that they are 

 vegetation piienomena. This. hinve\er, can be elim- 

 inated from the discussion. I'lof. Pickering's final 

 value for the obliquity of the Martian equator to its 

 orbit is _' 4 i.|', a degree greater than I.owel! 

 gives for the co-ordinates of the point to wli; 

 N. pole is directed — 



R.A. ^20»> 58"' 6s + i-56» (/- 

 N. Decl. =52° 12' 50' +12-6' ( 



The equinox of the planet is shit 

 from 87-89° to 80-73 . rhis has the ' acr 



ing the Martian date by 14 days. 1 ;.e meth 

 emplo>eil seems to give this determination more 

 weight tlian any other that is based on markings on 

 the disc. 



4 



ho^^ 



