176 



NATURE 



[January 20, 19 16 



appendage of the variable star R Coronas Australis. 

 Some results obtained since 191 1 are described in a 

 preliminary note (Bulletin No. 16). It is found that 

 the nebula is bright when R Coronae Australis is 

 bright, and selectively variable areas have also been 

 noted. 



BRITISH RA INFAL L IN i^^s- 



A DIGEST of the rainfall returns over the British 

 Isles for the year 1915 is given in the Times 

 of January 18 by Dr. H. R. Mill, director of the British 

 Rainfall Organisation. For the purpose of the dis- 

 cussion 130 stations, scattered over the British Isles, 

 have been selected from a total of 3000. 



A table shows for each of the 130 stations the rain- 

 fall for 1915 with the average fall for thirty-five years, 

 and the difference of 1915 from the average, also the 

 percentage of 19 15 fall on the average. The heaviest 

 rainfall at the 130 stations was 103-52 in. at Seathwaite, 

 and the least 24-56 in. at Bury St. Edmunds. Other 

 records as yet to hand give 138-99 in. at Llyn Llydaw, 

 in Snowdonia, and 138-97 in. on the Stye, overlooking 

 Borrowdale, in Cumberland, vi'hilst at Huntingdon the 

 fall was only 23-99 i"-' ^"^ ^t Cambridge 23-00 in. 



The percentage of the average rainfall for the year 

 over the British Isles is given on a map which shows 

 at a glance that the most excessive rainfall occurred 

 in the south-east of England, south of the Thames, 

 where the fall was 130 per cent, of the average. From 

 the Bristol Channel to Mid-Norfolk there is a belt 

 with practically normal rainfall, whilst to the north 

 of this in the Midlands the rainfall was relatively 

 higher. The east coast, as far north as the Moray 

 Firth, had a rainfall in excess of the average. The 

 whole of the west of Scotland and the nortti-west of 

 England had a rainfall below the average ; the deficiency 

 was greatest in the West Highlands. The lack of 

 rainfall in the north-west of Great Britain is said to 

 have been a feature of the year's weather as striking 

 as the excess in the south. In Ireland the distribution 

 of rainfall during 1915 was not very different from the 

 normal. For the British Isles as a whole there was 

 practically an average rainfall with a tendency to 

 excess rather than deficiency. 



A table is given showing the general rainfall for the 

 several months. The winter months — January, 

 February, and December — had the greatest excess of 

 rain in England and Wales, whilst the heavy summer 

 rains in July were slightly the heaviest in Ireland. 



The rainfall in London for 1915 was 28 per cent, 

 above the average, the year being the wettest in fifty- 

 nine years, with five exceptions — in 1903, 1879, 1878, 

 1872, and i860; whilst the number of days with rain 

 was 7 per cent, below the average. Rain fell for 

 568-9 hours, which is 136-1 hours above the average, 

 and the highest in thirty-four years, except in 1903 

 and 1909. 



SCIENCE AT EDUCATIONAL 



CONFERENCES. 



II. 



A PREVIOUS article (January 13) summarised the 

 papers and discussions at conferences of teachers 

 with reference to the national aspect of early training 

 in science. The number and variety of the meetings 

 was so great that many other points of general scien- 

 tific interest deserve notice. First may be placed the 

 exhibition of scientific apparatus at the meeting of the 

 Public School Science Masters' Association, as it marks 

 a new era. Formerly a large proportion of the labora- 

 tory ware and appliances were of German or Austrian 

 origin ; this year, with the exception of a few balances 

 from Rotterdam, all the exhibits were British. Natur- 



NO. 2412, VOL. 96] 



ally, the size of the display was reduced, but thert 

 was no falling off in quality. So far as visual and 

 handling tests can be trusted, the goods shown were 

 of a high grade of material and workmanship. There 

 was a large selection of electrical apparatus, mostlv 

 measuring instruments, suitable to all grades of teach 

 ing, from the most elementary forms of magnetometer- 

 or electroscopes to the elaborate potentiometer sets. 

 Messrs. Philip Harris, F. E. Becker and Co., Gallen- 

 kamp and Co., and Gambrell Bros, all contributed to 

 this section. Messrs. Baird and Tatlock (London) 

 made a special feature of laboratory glassware, and 

 a number of science masters paid a visit to their works 

 at Walthamstow. Messrs. Philip Harris exhibited 

 lamp-blown glass apparatus suitable for volumetric 

 and research work, also moderately-priced strong in- 

 struments suitable for field-work in physical geographv 

 and meteorology. Balances were also a strong feature 

 in the exhibits of the above-mentioned firms, and of 

 Messrs, Townson and Mercer, the last-mentioned pro- 

 viding a good variety of glass apparatus. It was satis- 

 factory to observe that those essentials, best quality 

 porcelain and filter papers, have not been neglected. 

 There is evidence that the efforts of the British Science 

 Guild have stimulated the manufacturers ; without 

 doubt the guild, by bringing before the Government the 

 fundamental importance of the supply of scientific 

 apparatus, has done a great service to science teach- 

 ing. It is inevitable that prices should be advanced, 

 and doubtless there will be some shortage in the 

 supplies here and there ; but it is a matter for con- 

 gratulation that the main requirements are being so 

 well met by British firms under conditions of excep- 

 tional difficulty. 



Exhibitions of books were held at the University of 

 London, and also at the Science Masters' and the 

 Assistant-Masters' meetings. New scientific books 

 are being steadily issued, and the general state of the 

 book-trade, so far as leading publishers of educational 

 works are concerned, appears to be far more normal 

 than could have been anticipated. This implies that 

 instruction is proceeding with but little disturbance. 



The inventiveness of the Science Masters shows no 

 diminution. The Rev. W. R. Burton (Sandwich) 

 showed several of those simple and cheap devices which 

 combine the merits of economy with pedagogic effec- 

 tiveness. An instance was an electroscope costing one 

 shilling, the main insulator being a piece of candle de- 

 prived of its wick. Mr. D. R. Pye (Winchester) showed a 

 most effective wave-motion model ; even more educa- 

 tive was his model illustrating diffraction at a straight 

 edge, of light from a point source. From Rugby came 

 an admirable exhibit of chemical preparations made 

 during the summer holidays, under the direction oi 

 Mr. E. _R. Thomas. The Rugby exhibit included use- 

 ful devices in the fitting of apparatus, and stereo- 

 chemical models made almost instantaneously by the 

 use of plasticine— a useful lecture "tip." To the pre- 

 sent writer it seems a pity that these exhibitions should 

 not be accessible to a larger number ; if they could be 

 transferred to South Kensington as soon as the 

 P.S.S.M.A. meeting was concluded, their sphere of 

 stimulating usefulness would be widened. 



Mr. M. D. Hill (Eton) opened a discussion on 

 " School Museums," the general outcome of which was . 

 the importance of frequent change in the objects 

 shown, and the relatively great value of living objects, 

 aquaria, etc. The curator must regard the function of 

 the museum as dynamic rather than static. It was 

 so much easier to follow the arguments of the speakers 

 whenever the hearer knew the buildings in which the 

 work was done, that it is here suggested that the 

 British Association committee which is dealing with 

 the subject should obtain a collection of photographs 

 and lantern-slides of school museums. 



