38o 



NATURE 



[December 2, 19 15. 



Radial Velocities and Distances of the Stars. — 

 The very puzzling relationship between the linear 

 velocities of the stars and their spectral type has given 

 rise to much speculation. Eddington's suggestion 

 that the relationship is fundamentally between distance 

 and velocity received support from the results obtained 

 by Kapteyn for the K-type stars. Dr. W. S. Adams 

 has recently extended the analysis to stars of the other 

 main types (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i., p. 417; also 

 Astrophysical Journal, November), with similar results 

 — stars of types F, G, K, and M, having large proper 

 motions, have also high linear velocities. For stars 

 of types B and A the velocity difTerence is not so 

 marked, but the range of proper motion is also con- 

 siderably less. 



The low average velocity of the distant stars of 

 types F to M — stars of high absolute luminosity — to- 

 gether with the exceptionally great average radial velo- 

 city of the observed absolutely faint stars, stars of 

 probably small mass, is held to favour Halm's hypo- 

 thesis of the equipartition of energy among the stars. 



A New Astronomical Publication. — Under the 

 aegis of the French Committee of Astronomy there has 

 recently been launched a new periodical, entitled 

 Journal des Ohservateurs. The editorial duties have 

 been assigned to M. Henry Bourget, director of the 

 Marseilles Observatory. The journal is to be strictly 

 and exclusively devoted to the publication of observa- 

 tional matter concerning — for the present — planets and 

 comets. The first number contains series of observa- 

 tions of comet Mellish (1915a), from Lyons, Algiers, 

 and Marseilles, together with observations of minor 

 planets. Numbers are to be published as occasion 

 demands, and the terms of subscription are 25 francs 

 per volume of twenty parts. We wish the new venture 

 every success. 



LANCASHIRE SEA-FISHERY INVESTIGA- 

 TIONS. 



"VJOTWITHSTANDING the fact that investigations 

 -'■^ at sea practically ceased with the outbreak of war, 

 the report of the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries Laboratory 

 for 19 14 shows that much useful work was still carried 

 on under the more restricted conditions which the war 

 imposed. As Prof. Herdman points out in his intro- 

 ductory chapter, the present seems an opportunity to 

 concentrate attention upon the cultivation of the shal- 

 lower seas, and any increase of employment on the 

 seashore or in shallow waters may be of direct and 

 immediate advantage, both to the fishermen and to 

 the country. "Such industries as shellfish cultivation, 

 shrimping and prawning, whitebait and sprat fishing, 

 if extended and exploited judiciously, will add to em- 

 ployment, will increase the food supplies oF the 

 country, and may lead to the establishment of per- 

 manent industries of a profitable nature." 



One of the most useful sections of the report is the 

 memoir by Dr. James Johnstone on the bacteriology 

 of shellfish, which records the results of experimental 

 work on the methods of cleansing mussels from in- 

 gested sewage bacteria. The self-cleansing of sewage- 

 polluted mussels by placing them for some days in 

 pure sea-water had previously been demonstrated. 

 The experiments now described deal (i) with the 

 periodic bacteriological examination of mussels from 

 a polluted source, which were laid down either on the 

 shore or in floating tanks in localities where pure 

 sea-water is found ; and (2) with similar bacteriological 

 examination of mussels from a polluted source which 

 were kept in sea-water sterilised by the addition of 

 five parts in a million of chlorine. In both cases the 

 number of organisms in the mussels was so far re- 

 duced that the shellfish might be safely used as food. 



NO. 2405. VOL. q61 



In an appendix to the memoir, Dr. Johnstone gives 

 a more minute and detailed examination of the 

 scientific methods employed in his investigations and 

 of the principles involved, which will be greatly valued 

 by specialists in this line of work. 



A second memoir by Dr. Johnstone deals with 

 diseased and abnormal conditions of marine fishes, 

 and forms a substantial addition to his previous work 

 on this subject. The greater part of the memoir is 

 devoted to the description of tumours found in fishes. 

 Both benign and malignant tumours occur, the malig- 

 nant being rare. All the malignant tumours the 

 author has seen in fishes are sarcomata, due to an 

 excessive growth of connective-tissue and almost 

 always of the subintegumen,;ary connective-tissues. 

 Cases of haemangioma in the eye of a stickleback and 

 of papillary cystadenoma in a ling are also described. 



A paper of high scientific value is that by Prof. 

 B. Moore and Messrs. E. B. R. Prideaux and G. A. 

 Herdman, entitled " Studies of Certain Photo-synthetic 

 Phenomena in Sea-water." In this paper, seasonal 

 variations in the reaction of sea-water in relation to 

 the activities of vegetable and animal plankton are 

 investigated and discussed. It is shown that the 

 alkalinity of the water in the Irish Sea increases ,in 

 the spring and summer months. This increase in 

 alkalinity is not due to increasing temperature dis- 

 turbing the equilibrium between the carbon dioxide of 

 sea-water and atmosphere, for the rise in alkalinity 

 clearly precedes In time the rise in temperature. It is 

 caused, the authors state, by photo-synthesis, as is 

 shown by its coincidence in its occurrence with the 

 rapid lengthening of the day In March and the in- 

 creasing sun's altitude, as also by the great changes 

 in alkalinity which may be produced by exposure of 

 sea-water containing algae to sunlight. 



Other subjects dealt with in the report are the 

 plankton of the Irish Sea, the spawning period of the 

 common shrimp, the whitebait fisheries of tlie Menai 

 Strait, measurements of the Irish Sea race of herrings, 

 and the variations In the amount of fat in these her- 

 rings at different seasons. The report as a whole 

 shows that much valuable work is being carried out, 

 and the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries Committee is to be 

 congratulated upon it 



THE ACTION OF GASES ON IRON AND 



STEEL. 

 T>Y a curious coincidence, three out of the eight 

 -L* papers presented at the recent autumn meeting 

 of the Iron and Steel Institute deal with the effects 

 of a gas or its compounds when present in iron or 

 steel. The gases dealt with are oxvgen, by Mr. Wes- 

 ley Austin; nitrogen, by Prof. N.' Tschischewski, of 

 Tomsk ; and blast-furnace gases, by Mr. T. H. Byrom. 

 The prominence thus given to the question of the 

 action of gases reflects the increasing attention which 

 this subject demands in practice. During most 

 ordinary manufacturing processes our metals are ex- 

 posed — often for prolonged periods — to the action of 

 gases, and a knowledge of their action is thus of 

 great Importance. The subject Is, however, beset with 

 difficulties, since in many cases It Is not at all easy 

 to prepare alloj^s containing a given gaseous element 

 In any_ desired proportion, while even the analytical 

 determination of the nitrogen or oxygen contents of 

 steel Is by no means free from doubt and difficulty. 



These difficulties are evident in the two papers 

 named above, which deal with oxygen and nitrogen. 

 Mr. Austin's specially prepared "oxygen alloys" con- 

 tain relatively very large amounts of oxygen, and this 

 makes it difficult to brid^re the cap' between his 

 laboratory series and even the most highly oxygenated 



