102 



NATURE 



[January 26, 1922 



sense, but net annual products. Nor is the 

 reader's understanding- helped by careful consist- 

 ence in the use of the term. On p. 116 we read : 

 " This normal price consists in the number of 

 articles produced per person (labour unit) multi- 

 plied by the money price," which suggests a gross 

 and not a net product; but on p. 142, " when we 

 take the normal prices which are based upon the 

 unit of labour, we find that this price, whAch is 

 the price the producer gets. . . ." — our italics. 

 On p. 205 we find a clear statement that it is 

 really the net product which is wanted, but on 

 p. 303 we read " normal price is the market price 

 or price per unit, multiplied by the quantity pro- 

 duced." The authors have only themselves to 

 thank if few readers have the patience to stand 

 much loose writing of this sort. 



Frankly, this is a pity. For to the present 

 reviewer there seems something to be said for 

 the constructive argument of the book, though 

 very little for much of the criticism contained in 

 it. The argument might have received more 

 attention if concisely presented, with unnecessary 

 criticism eliminated. G. U. Y. 



Our Bookshelf. 



The War List of the University of Cambridge, 

 1914-18. Pp. xiv + 616. (Cambridge: At the 

 University Press, 1921.) 20s. net. 



In his address to the Senate of the University of 

 Cambridge, delivered on October i, 191 5, the re- 

 tiring vice-chancellor, Dr. M. R. James, spoke of 

 the services which members of the university were 

 giving in their country's need. He said : " We 

 are debtors to all. . . . Yet the university bears 

 them upon her heart and will not, I know, neglect 

 to perpetuate the memory of them." No public 

 memorial has, indeed, been raised to their memory, 

 but a nofole record has been given to the world by 

 the publication of this volume, which will carry far 

 and wide the names of 'those members of the uni- 

 versity who served with his Majesty's forces. 



The volume has been prepared under the able 

 editorship of Major G. V. Carey, of Clare College, 

 and it is based on the lists published from time to 

 time by the Cambridge Review, the materials for 

 which came from the various college records. The 

 syndics of the University Press took over the 

 records in December, 1919, and since that date 

 every name has been checked by the official Service 

 Lists. Faced with the task of deciding which 

 names were to be included, it was determined that 

 residence prior to war service should be the criterion, 

 with the exception of those who were prevented 

 from going into residence in October, 191 4, by 

 reason of their having joined the forces ; further, 

 only those names which appeared in the various 

 Service Lists have been included. This necessarily 

 NO. 2726, VOL. 109] 



excludes the names of many who performed valu- 

 able and distinguished national service in other 

 capacities, but it is ob'/ious that to obtain an accu- 

 rate record doing justice to all is almost an impos- 

 sibility. 



The volume concludes with an alphabetical index 

 to the names, and a comprehensive summary-— in 

 itself a task of considerable magnitude — giving, 

 for each college and for the whole university, the 

 number of men who served, the number killed in 

 action, the number of honours, etc. The first total 

 is 13,878, and the second 2162 — figures which show 

 what a great part the university played in the war, 

 and she has commemorated them worthily in this 

 handsome list. 



Meteorological Office — Air Ministry: British Rain- 

 fall, 1920 : The Sixtieth Annual Volume of the 

 British Rainfall Organization. Pp. xxviii + 285. 

 (London: H.M.S.O., 1921.) 12^. 6^. net. 

 Rainfall statistics over the British Isles have in 

 no way suffered by the transfer of the collection and 

 discussion of the observations from private to public 

 control. The present annual volume is the sixtieth 

 issued, and the second published under the manage- 

 ment of the Meteorological Office. The war occa- 

 sioned some diminution in the number of observers, 

 but a considerable recovery from this is shown, the 

 number now being 4Q'i2, an increase of 54 on 1919- 

 A column is added to the detailed observations, 

 giving the number of wet days or days with 0-04 in. 

 or more of rain, and for the present the rain days 

 or days with o-oi in. of rain are also given. 



Standard average values for the period 1881-1915 

 are used for the first time in " British Rainfall," 

 and these are in agreement with the averages in use 

 by the Meteorological Office in its various publica- 

 tions. Monthly average maps are given for the new 

 period now introduced. 



The distribution of total rainfall for 1920 is 

 shown by a map as a frontispiece. Maps of monthly 

 and seasonal rainfall are given, and the peculiarities 

 are well described in the letterpress. Droughts and 

 excessive rains are discussed, and there is much valu- 

 able information on evaporation and percolation in 

 1920. 



Special articles are given on the new averages by 

 the Superintendent of the Rainfall Organization, 

 and also on the presence and distribution of salt in 

 the air over the British Isles, by Mr. Wilfred Irwen, 

 and on the Nipher rain-gauge shield, possibly of use 

 where over-exposure is experienced. 



Rainfall for 1920 was generally in excess of the 

 average except in the eastern districts of Great 

 Britain. The results for the droughty year 192 1 will 

 be of great interest. C. H. 



Geography : Physical, Economic, Regional. By 



J. F. Chamberlain. (Lippincott's School Text 



Series.) Pp. xviii + 509. (London: J. B. Lip- 



pincott Co., 1 92 1.) 155. net. 



Essentially this book is an account of the earth, 



its surroundings, and its products in relation to 



man, but, since it is addressed particularly to 



