April 14, 192 1] 



NATURE 



211 



Chaps, vi.-x. deal with geometrical and sheet- 

 building spiders, their work and habits. The mis- 

 cellaneous contents of chap. x. include "water- 

 boatmen " and "mentality of fishes," as well as 

 the habits of wasps and bees. Interesting observa- 

 tions on mimicry in butterflies — chap. xi. — include 

 Kallitna inachus and a Melanitis, which, like Kal- 



Kh;. 2. — I he flying Squiirel {/'e'ajtris.'a inornaia\ From " A Naturali>t in Himalaya.'" 



lima, resembles dry leaves blown by the wind ; and 

 these are compared with Dophla patala, which, 

 "coloured a rich green," blends with the fresh 

 foliage ; " the Dophla alights where it is lost upon 

 the branches, the Melanitis seeks concealment on 

 the leaf-strewn ground ; the Dophla rests with 

 wide-open wings . . . Melanitis with wings tightly 

 closed." Glow-worms, termites, and shells receive 



attention in chap. xii. Few will agree that the 

 male glow-worm is " not even capable of per- 

 ceiving a light" given out by the female; and 

 on the pages where the massacre of a flight of 

 winged termites is described there is much re- 

 petition of the names of various birds taking part 

 in the orgy. We do not like the somewhat Teu- 

 tonic view that in Nature "all 

 is war and carnage, greed and 

 cruelty." Animals, including man, 

 must destroy life for food, and 

 no doubt there is even unneces- 

 sary killing by some of the carni- 

 vora ; but, on the whole. Nature 

 is fairly peaceful, and among many 

 orders the unfit are removed in 

 honourable battles between males, 

 while bloodless competition by 

 dance or song governs selection 

 in others. 



Among the observations of 

 mammals, that concerning the fly- 

 ing squirrel is very interesting, and 

 the author gives us a beautiful pic- 

 ture — here reproduced (Fig. 2) — of 

 Petaurista inornata. The only 

 comment necessary is upon the 

 statement (p. 243) that "the tail 

 of a bird cannot be used as a 

 rudder." Most readers will take 

 the opposite view. Chap. xiv. 

 contains the best account of soar- 

 ing we have ever read, and the explanation 

 will be welcomed by many who may not be able 

 to observe the phenomenon for themselves. The 

 book ends with a sketch of the geology of the 

 Himalaya based on the work done by the Geo- 

 logical Survey of India. The author acknowledges 

 his indebtedness to the labours of Mr. C. S. 

 Middlemiss. 



The Annular Eclipse of April 8. 

 By Dr. A. C. D. Crommelin. 



FINE weather in most parts of the country 

 favoured observation of this phenomenon. 

 Great public interest was taken in the search for 

 stars. Venus was seen with ease nearly every- 

 where. Mercury was also undoubtedly observed, 

 and Vega was suspected at Oxford, though not 

 seen by Mr. Mitchell at Mallaig, which is inside 

 the zone of annularity. The lowering of tempera- 

 ture was marked, amounting to as much as 9° F. 

 The diminution of light was striking, probably 

 more so than if the sky had been partially covered 

 with cumulus clouds. The light had the purplish 

 hue that so often prevails in large eclipses ; it 

 doubtless arises from the absorption of the solar 

 atmosphere, which is more noticeable in the region 

 near the limb. Successful spectroscopic observa- 

 tions of the reversing layer and chromosphere were 

 made by Profs. Fowler, Newall, and Sampson at 



NO. 2685, VOL. 107] 



Kensington, Cambridge, and Edinburgh respec- 

 tively. 



At Greenwich efforts were made to improve the 

 determination of contact times by Mr. Innes's 

 method of making a number of rapid measures of 

 the distance between the cusps near the beginning 

 and end of the eclipse. The measures are not yet 

 fully reduced, but it is probable that each contact 

 will be determined within 2 sec. by the combined 

 results. 



It can already be stated that the Hansen- 

 Newcomb right ascension of the moon needs to be 

 corrected by about -fo-8o sec, which is just double 

 the correction that was applied in the Nautical 

 Almanac eclipse elements. Several photographs 

 were taken near the beginning and end of the 

 eclipse, also near the greatest phase. One of the 

 last, exposed at 8h. 48m. 2s., Greenwich meaa 



