June 9, 192 1] 



NATURE 



467 



of May 31. Mr. L. M'Lellan Mann, of Glasgow, has 

 found on the surface of a rock at Green Island, 

 Jersey, a series of shallow depressions or "cups." 

 Similar cup-markings are found in Great Britain and 

 on the Continent, and are widely distributed over 

 other parts of the world, including India, Australia, 

 and North America. Green Island, where these 

 cups have been found, is an island at high tide 

 only, and has been severed from the mainland in 

 comparatively recent times. From previous discoveries 

 it is known to have been the site of a Neolithic burial- 

 place. This would be in agreement with the usual 

 attribution of rock carvings, such as these in Jersey, 

 to the Neolithic or early Bronze age. On the other 

 hand, cup-marks with one or more concentric rings, 

 which have a more restricted distribution and, with a 

 few exceptions, are found only in the United 

 Kingdom and Sweden, are usually more or less closely 

 associated with remains of the Bronze age. It is 

 stated that cup-markings have not hitherto been re- 

 corded from the Channel Islands. This, however, is 

 an error. Sir J. Y. Simpson figured two cup-marked 

 stones from Guernsey, one being the prop stone of a 

 dolmen with eleven cups, the other a conical standing 

 stone with three large cups placed at some distance 

 apart (J. Y. Simpson, "Archaic Sculptures," Proc. 

 See. Scot. Ant., 1864-65, plate viii.. Figs. 2 and 3; 

 see also C. Rau, " Observations on Cup-shaped and 

 other Lapidarian Sculptures in the Old World," in 

 "Contributions to North American Ethnology," 

 vol. v., Washington, 1882, pp. 12-13). No cup- 

 marked stones have, however, previously been re- 

 corded from Jersey. 



The Advisory Council for Scientific and Indus- 

 trial Research has quite recently granted an 

 application made to it to assist in carrying out a 

 piece of research work relating to the determination 

 of the parallaxes of stars having- a certain type of 

 spectrum. The grant has been made to Mr. W. B. 

 Rimmer. who up to the present has been employed 

 in spectroscopic researches at the Imperial Colleg-e 

 of Science and Technology under the direction of 

 Prof. A. Fowler, but will now carry out this research 

 at the Norman Lockyer Observatory at Salcombe Hill, 

 Sidmouth. This observatory was founded by the late 

 Sir Norman Lock3er in 19 12, and the programme of 

 work has been confined strictly to the photography 

 of the spectra of stars and their subsequent classifica- 

 tion according to his scheme of increasing" and de- 

 creasing temperatures, which has been confirmed in 

 its general features by the more recent work of 

 Russell and Hertzsprung on giant and dwarf stars. 

 The researches of Prof. W. S. Adams have now ren- 

 dered it possible to differentiate almost at a glance 

 between a giant and a dwarf star. As a large amount 

 of spectroscopic material was available at the Norman 

 Lockyer Observatory for the application of Adams's 

 method a trial research was begun. The method is 

 based on a connection found by Adams to exist between 

 the true brightness of a star and the intensity of cer- 

 tain lines in its spectrum. These line-intensities were 

 determined by him by estimation, the plates being 

 examined under a sp>ectro-comparator. At the Norman 

 Lockyer Observatory- the method employed is to cover 

 NO. 2693, VOL. 107] 



the lines gradually with a dark wedge, the position of. 

 which when a line is obliterated indicates the intensity 

 of the line. The results of this trial research have proved 

 very satisfactory, and were commented upon very 

 favourably by Prof. H. N. Russell on the occasion 

 of a visit to the observatory. The above grant has 

 been awarded to aid the extension of this research 

 to all stars of suitable type down to declination — 10** 

 and of magnitude 65 and brighter. It is very 

 opportune, for the staff of the observatory is small, 

 and the work could not have been undertaken without 

 such additional help. 



The annual visitation of the National Physical 

 Laboratory, Teddington, will be held on Tuesday, 

 June 28, from 3 to 6 p.m. 



The Safeguarding of Industries Bill was read a 

 second time in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 

 June 7. 



The annual conversazione of the Institution of 

 Electrical Engineers will be held at the Natural His- 

 tory Museum, South Kensington, on Thursday, 

 June 30, from 8.30 to 11 p.m. 



At the meeting of the Physical Society of London 

 on June 10, to be held at the Imperial College of 

 Science, South Kensington, S.W.7, Sir Ernest 

 Rutherford will deliver a lecture entitled "The 

 Stability of Atoms." 



Prof. Einstein was expected to arrive at Man- 

 chester yesterday, and will deliver the Adamson 

 lecture on "Relativity" at the University at 5.0 

 this afternoon, June 9, when the honorary degree of 

 Doctor of Science will be conferred upon him. He 

 will leave Manchester for London to-morrow morning, 

 June 10. 



Mr. Churchill announced at Manchester on 

 Tuesday, June 7, that the Government has decided to 

 devote the sum of i,ooo,oooZ. to fostering cotton- 

 growing in the British Empire, The money will be 

 placed at the disposal of the British Empire Cotton 

 Growing Corporation, and will be in place of the 

 Government's former promise of 50,000!. a year for 

 five years to the corporation. 



The Hugo MuUer lecture of the Chemical Society, 

 entitled "The Natural Photosynthetic Processes on 

 Land and in Sea and Air, and their Relation to the 

 Origin and Preservation of Life upon the Earth," will 

 be delivered by Prof. Benjamin Moore on June 16 

 at 8 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Institution of 

 Mechanical Engineers, Storey's Gate, Westminster, 

 S.W.I. 



At a general meeting of members of the Royal 

 Institution held on June 6 special thanks were given 

 to Sir Humphry Davy Rolleston for his present of a 

 safety-lamp which was in the possession of Dr. John 

 Davy, brother of Sir Humphry Davy, and to Sir 

 David L. Salomons for his present of a privately 

 printed Life and Study of the Works of Breguet, the 

 famous watchmaker, Arago's watch, and two others 

 of special interest, the first working aneroid made by Vidi 

 in 18^7, and a series of models illustrating the develop- 

 ment of the chick. 



