372 



NATURE 



[January 19, 191 1 



ferred to. M. Didon was kind enough to allow me to 

 make drawings of them for publication, and in the accom- 

 panying figure at B, C, D they are shown side by side 

 with the Eskimos' shaft-straightener described by Dr. Boaz 

 (Franz Boaz, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., xv., p. 84, 

 Fig. 117, 1901). They are all reduced to the same 

 scale. The larger holes are no doubt intended to be 

 used upon the shafts of javelins or lances ; the smaller 

 ones are of an appropriate size for arrows. The largest 

 hole in A is 24 mm. in diameter, in B 21 mm. ; the small 

 hole in C is only 10 mm. 



The most important feature in these implements is the 

 obliquity of the holes ; their axes are not perpendicular, 

 but strongly inclined to the face of the implement. 

 Singularly enough, in the more artistic haton de Com- 

 mandement of the Magdalenians this refinement is absent, 

 and the hole goes straight through. 



The ridges produced by the drill in boring these 

 Aurignacian straightcners are still preserved, except on 

 two opposite sides of the hole, where they have been worn 

 away by use. 



Whatever may be the ultimate verdict upon the Magda- 

 lenian " batons," there can be no question as to the nature 

 of their Aurignacian homologues, since in no essential 

 feature do these differ from the shaft-straighteners of the 

 Baffin's Bay Eskimos described by Dr. Boas. 



A similar straightener has been described and figured 

 by Maska from the Kulna cave near Sloup, in Moravia. 



'Oxford, January 7. W. J. Sollas. 



The Turkestan Earthquake of January 3-4. 



Some details of the seismographic and magnetographic 

 records of the great earthquake of January 3 may be of 

 interest to readers of Nature. The three oscillation phases 

 as seen on the seismogram are comparatively large. They 

 commenced suddenly, each with a westward displacement, 

 at iih. 37m., iih. 44-5m., and iih. 48-5m. p.m. re- 

 spectively. The large waves (third phase) then continued 

 for 23-5 minutes, producing rapid oscillations of the boom 

 at an average of 35 mm. double amplitude, indicating 

 14-4'' arc swing of the pillar. But these suffered an early 

 interruption of 5 minutes by an apparent interference of 

 two systems, reducing the amplitude to a minimum at 

 iih. 54m. p.m. The recovery was immediate and sharp, 

 as if by the arrival of a second train of large waves, 

 resembling closely the effect of the initial shock of the 

 first large waves. 



The maximum amplitude may have occurred between 

 midnight and 8 minutes after, during which interval the 

 registering light-spot travelled frequently beyond the limits 

 of the camera aperture. But there is a probability that 

 the maximum occurred precisely at midnight ; and this is 

 supplied by the mechanical effects upon the three magneto- 

 graphs, each of which shows a clear maximum oscillation 

 at midnight. 



As on former occasions, the bifilar suspension of the 

 horizontal force magnet was much more sensitive to the 

 shakes than the unifilar declination or the vertical force 

 balance. The bifilar responded to the first preliminary 

 earth-tremors, and did not come to final rest for half an 

 hour. Its record shows two groups of lines. The first 

 contains three clear oscillations, marking the beginning, 

 middle, and end of the first tremors. The second group 

 contains five oscillations, including the maximum ; and 

 there is a smaller oscillation near tJhe middle of the inter- 

 vening lull at iih. 50m. p.m., the commencement of the 

 large waves. The other two curves show only the last 

 group, containing the maximum. 



We have therefore on the horizontal force curve oscilla- 

 tions responding to the three initial shocks of the first 

 and second earth tremors, and of the large waves. To 

 these may be added the maximum oscillation at midnight, 

 as probably responding to a sudden increment of the large 

 waves. 



The bifilar sus{>ension, being a torsion balance against 

 the horizontal force, is naturally more sensitive to sudden 

 vertical movements of its pillar than to horizontal or 

 slower vertical displacements. 



Walter Sidgreaves, S.J. 



Stonyhurst College Observatory, January 11. 



NO. 2 15 1, VOL. 85] 



As given by the Milne-principle seismograph here, the 

 commencement of the phases of this quake were as 

 follows: — Preliminary: both N. and W. boom, 11.34 p.m. 

 Second: N. boom. 11.40; W. boom, ii-39-5 Principal: 

 N. boom, 11.52-9; W. boom, 11.52-8. 



The actual maxima were: — N. boom, 110-8 mm. at 

 11.58-7; W. boom, 131-0 mm. at 11.55, and 127-6 mm. at 



II.58-3- 



l here were 30 after-shocks on the N. boom, lasting until 

 5.11 a.m., and 37 on the W. boom, lasting until 5.26. 



F. Edward Norris. 



Woodbridgc Hill, Guildford, January 17. 



The Markings f Mars. 



May I mention on behalf of my relative, Mr. J. H. 

 Worthington, to whose previous letter M. Antoniadi has 

 replied in Nature of January 5, that he is at present away 

 on an eclipse expedition to the Pacific Ocean, and out of 

 reach of correspondence ? 



A. M. Worthington. 



I The Paragon, Blackheath, S.E., January 17. 



Fireball of January 9. 



The Rev. W. F. A. Ellison, of Fethard Rectory, near 

 Waterford, saw a splendid meteor on January 9 at 7h. 

 35m. G.M.T. The apparent path was near Aries and 

 Cetus from 25° + 3° to 27°— 13°. Motion very slow, the 

 whole duration being at least seven seconds. 



The flight was directed from the radiant of the January 

 Quadrantids, and it is possible that the fireball formed one 

 of the larger fragments of that stream. But this is un- 

 certain, and another observation is desirable to discover 

 the true radiant. From Cornwall the meteor must have 

 been a very fine object, and must have attracted the notice 

 of many persons, though 1 have seen no published descrip- 

 tion of it, 



W. F. Denning. 



THE ADMISSION OF WOMEN TO THE PARIS 

 ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



IN our last week's issue we gave an account of 

 the action taken at the quarterly plenary meeting 

 of the five academies of the Institute of France on 

 January 5, in relation to the proposal of the Academy 

 of Sciences to elect Madame Curie to the vacancy on 

 the physical section of that body caused by the death 

 of Monsieur Gernez. 



A Paris correspondent has sent us a copy of the 

 Temps containing a remarkable letter from M. Dar- 

 boux, the permanent secretary of the Academy of 

 Sciences, giving the reasons and motives of the 

 academy for their decision. We have not space ior 

 the whole letter, which is admirable from start to 

 finish, but M. Darboux insists upon a point missed 

 in all the preceding polemic, which should have 

 an important bearing upon the general question raised 

 by it. 



After referring to the magnificent work done by 

 Madame Curie, and the honours which have been 

 showered upon her, he points out that her proposed 

 election as a working member of a busy academy 

 is a matter of great importance, not so much t 

 Madame Curie as to the academy itself. 



•'Tant de litres, tant de r^sultats memorables 

 obtenus dans un si court espace de temps donneraient 

 certes a Mme. Curie le droit de reclamer comme une 

 recompense meritee le siege occupe naguere par son 

 mari. Mais un siege a notre Academie est plus et 

 mieux qu'une recompense. S'il donne une satisfac- 

 tion legitime et quelques droits, il impose aussi dc 



