n^ 



NATURE 



f^ April 7, 192 1 



.jgpac'fe-,"" A connecting aether, sharing with atomic 

 miitter the property of extension, does appear to be 

 necessary to render distance and space between the 

 heavenly bodies objective reality. The aether can, 

 apparently, be reconciled with the Einstein equations. 

 Relativity has, at any rate, rendered the inestim- 

 able intellectual service of bringing physics into con- 

 tact with metaphysics. In respect to questions of 

 ultimate reality we do appear to some extent to be 

 drifting into a position of philosophical idealism. It 

 is evidently in relation to mind that the physical 

 universe acquires its fullness and richness, and cer- 

 tain qualities of matter can scarcely be thought of 

 as standing alone apart from mind. A case in point 

 is beauty, a quality which was referred to by Sir 

 Oliver Lodge in Nature of February 17. Beauty 

 differs from the grosser qualities of matter in that 

 its objective foundations, namely, various harmonious 

 dispositions and groupings of parts, are only inci- 

 dentally, not 'directly, the expression of physical 

 forces. Consequently, beauty as beauty is relative to 

 mind, a subjective reality, and the sense of it in 

 man a faculty of the spirit. 



L. C. W. BONACINA. 



27 Tanza Road, Hampstead, N.W.3, 

 March 20. 



Molecular Structure and Energy. 



In some recent communications on the structure of^ 

 molecules based on the Lewis-Langmuir theory the 

 question of the energy of molecules seems to have 

 been left out of account. The models for halogen 

 molecules proposed by Prof. A. O. Rankine (Proc. 

 Roy. Soc., 1921, February), for example, whilst 

 they agree well with the viscosity data, are not in 

 agreement with the specific heats of the gases. The 

 models of the nitrogen and nitric oxide molecules 

 proposed by Langmuir, and those of the carbon dioxide 

 and nitrous oxide molecules proposed by Rankine, are 

 Mso at variance with the specific heats of these gases. 



A molecule composed of atoms rigidly attached 

 in line should have a ratio of specific heats of 1-400. 

 Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are assumed to have 

 three atoms in line. The value of c^jc^ for these 

 gases is of the order of 1-300. If nitrogen consisted of 

 molecules as pictured by Langmuir, i.e. having two 

 nuclei inside one perfect sphere, the ratio of specific 

 heats would be 1-667. The value of Cpjc,, for nitrogen 

 is I-40. 



I intend to develop this matter in a little more 

 detail, but it seems worth while painting out that a 

 discrepancy appears to exist between the facts and 

 the latest "theory of atomic and molecular structure, 

 at least as I understand it. 



J. R. Partington. 

 • East London College, Mile End Road, E.i, 

 March 26. 



Oceanographic Research. 



One can cordially agree with Dr. Annandale and 

 Major Sewell as to the importance of all such 

 intensive local work as they refer to in their letter 

 in Nature of March 31, p. 139; but is it oceano- 

 graphy? 



"The investigation of the fauna of the Chilka 

 Lake ... a minute, almost is6lated, fragment of the 

 ocean " (to use their own words) seems exactly the 

 type of excellent marine biological investigation which 

 has been carried on bv manv institutions, committees, 

 and individuals in various parts of the world (not the 

 British Empire alone) in the past. Lohg mav such 

 continuous local work flourish and become enlarged 

 in scope by the addition of 'those hvdrographical and 

 biochemicaV researches • which should ehable us to 



NO. 2684, VOL. 107] 



understand better the causes of the observed faunistic 

 distribution. 



But these intensive studies of relatively small areas 

 can scarcely be said to touch the great problems of 

 the wide oceans as a whole, and cannot be regarded 

 as an alternative to occasional more general expedi- 

 tions making traverses of large areas and deep seas. 

 The British Empire has interests beyond the coastal 

 waters of the continents. By all means let us en- 

 courage local and minutely detailed work, and also 

 advocate, when the time is opportune, that wider in- 

 vestigation of the open oceans which, in the opinion 

 of many of us, might add much knowledge in various 

 branches of science. W. A. Herdman. 



Biological Station, Port Erin, April 4. 



Why do Worms Die? 



The middle of March saw the slaughter of millions 

 of worms. Morning by morning the pavements, 

 roads, and pathways were strewn with the dead. 

 Great and small, young and old, of every known 

 species and genus, from Lumhricus to Dendrobaena, 

 lay prone. Even if they were able to reach the pas- 

 ture, lawn, or grass-plot alive, they had not the power 

 to burrow and recuperate. What caused their death ? 

 1 have asked the question for thirty years, but have 

 never found the answer. 



Four main theories have been advanced. They are 

 killed, folks say, by (i) parasites, (2) cold, (3) rain, 

 or (4) poison. 



The first theory has long been maintained. It was 

 held by Darwin (""Vegetable Mould," p. 14), who 

 said that worms were affected by a parasitic fly. The 

 parasites of worms are of very many kinds, but I have 

 collected large numbers of dead and dying worms and 

 examined them with care, yet have found nothing 

 abnormal in this direction. Since worms "are cold- 

 blooded creatures they can endure a low temperature 

 without suffering. Moreover, they are often found 

 dead in the spring when the temperature recorded for 

 the. night has not been below 34*^. 



Darwin (p. 125) speaks of Mr. Scott's surprise when 

 told how long they could endure being submerged, 

 "as he did not know how long worms could survive 

 beneath water." It is practically impossible to drown 

 them in a brief time, such as is allowed for their 

 slaughter day by day at this season of the year. And 

 yet in some way showery weather seems to be 

 essential. After March 21 no showers fell at night, 

 and no worms lay dead in the morning. 



There remains the miasma theory. " Nature uses 

 poison gas," says the speculator. This theory would 

 seem good if worms were found dead on tarmac 

 roads, but not on gravel paths, and if they died in 

 a similar way all the vear round. But such is not 

 the case. Thus every theory seems to fail. 



The worms appear to be paralysed. They crawl 

 at first with vigour, then the rate of progress declines. 

 Eventually they cease to move, die, swell in places 

 or along the whole length of the body, and ulti- 

 mately become the prey of various scavengers, but are 

 totally ignored by the birds. 



It seems clear that the conditions required are 

 warm days and evenings, moisture in the way of 

 showers during the night and early morning, and 

 then a cold snap, but not necessarily a frost. Does 

 the combination of cold and moisture paralyse them ? 

 Are the dorsal pores choked ? Or are they exhausted 

 in their efforts to regain their closed burrows? At 

 present I am unable to carry out the research and 

 experiments upon which alone a satisfactory judg- 

 ment can be based. Has anyone ever found the 

 answer? Hii.deric Friend. 



"Cathay," Solihull. 



