February 14, 1901] 



NATURE 



383 



certain of these hair-marks. According to native ideas, the 

 old maxim that "a good horse cannot be a bad colour" does 

 not hold good, white, dun, grey, piebald and skewbald 

 animals being much more highly esteemed than those of other 

 colours. A white bullock, again, is held to be of little value, 

 while a black one is regarded as vicious. 



Several popular scientific articles appear in the February 

 number of Pearson s Magazine. Mr. R. S. Baker gives a de- 

 scription of some of Sir John Murray's work in oceanography, 

 this being the first of a series on the science of the sea. Mr. 

 Alder Anderson describes Russian Imperial forestry ; Mr. T. E. 

 James writes about the remarkable Crater Lake, Oregon ; and 

 Mr. T. Morton corrects some mistakes about rainbows in 

 pictures, illustrating his contribution with several good photo- 

 graphs of rainbows. In Good Words, Miss G. Bacon describes 

 the Yerkes Observatory ; and there are also articles on an ascent 

 of Mount Rainier — the highest mountain in the United States 

 outside Alaska — the effect of light of various wave-lengths upon 

 the growth of plants, the Purbeck marbles, and Miss Mary 

 Kingsley. 



In an address recently delivered to the Chemical Society of the 

 Goldsmiths' Institute, Dr. Julius Lewkowitsch dealt with " The 

 Profession of an Industrial Chemist." Tne views of Dr. 

 Lewkowitsch, who has had a long experience of manufacturing 

 chemistry both in Germany and in this country, are entitled to very 

 careful attention. He is able to recall the days when in Germany 

 the chemical manufacturer was chiefly a merchant who thought he 

 was marching with the times when he took into his works a young 

 man to act as a testing machine and to become, later on, when 

 he had shaken off the last remnants of chemical knowledge, 

 assistant works manager. Dr. Lewkowitsch points out how 

 entirely this condition of things, which is still prevalent in 

 England, has changed in Germany. His main contention is that 

 that the training which is most effective is that which is most 

 liberal and educationally thorough. He has no grudge against 

 the classics ; on the contrary he extols their educational value 

 when properly taught, and he is more solicitous that the school 

 teaching of science should develop the logical faculty than 

 that it should impart a fund of specialised knowledge. In the 

 University period he would have a broad, thorough and unbiased 

 study of chemistry and allied sciences ending, where possible, 

 with some training in the special methods of technological 

 laboratories. He concludes with a very graphic and complete 

 account of the circumstances with which the chemist, so far 

 trained, will have to contend in the works and the conditions 

 necessary for his becoming the scientific master of his surround- 

 ings. Dr. Lewkowitsch's address combines high educational 

 ideals with keen appreciation of practical requirements, and it 

 deserves a wide circulation among those who are concerned 

 directly or indirectly with chemical industries. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Red-faced Ouakari \^Ouacaria rubicnnda) 

 from the Upper Amazons, presented by Mr. Afred Hutchinson ; 

 a Long-eared Bat (Plecotns aurilus), a Common Bat {Ves- 

 perugo pipislrellus), British, presented by Mr. Louis Grundel ; 

 a Feline Dourocouli {Nyctipithecus vocifcrans) from South 

 Brazil, a Yellowish Capuchin {Cedus flavescens) from South 

 America, two Sharp-tailed Conurcs {Conurus aculicatida) from 

 Paraguay, a Common Waxbill {Estrelda cinerea) from West 

 Africa, seventeen Blue-tongued Lizards ( Tiliqiia scincoides) 

 from Australia, deposited ; a Soemmerring's Pheasant (/'/5a«a««5 

 soemmerringi) from Japan, an Elliot's Pheasant {Phasianus 

 ellioti), two Amherst Pheasants (Thauma/ea ainherstiae) from 

 China, a Black-backed Kaleege ^{Euplocaiitus melanotiis) from 

 Sikkim, purchased. 



NO. 1633, VOL. 63] 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN, 



Variability of Eros. — A circular from the Centralstelle at 

 Kiel calls attention to an important notice from Dr. E. von 

 Oppolzer respecting the planet Eros. He says that Eros shows 

 a variation of brightness of about one magnitude, the change 

 taking place in a few fours. It is in the highest degree desirable 

 that, so far as possible, numerous estimations with neighbouring 

 stars should be made in the course of each night. 



Catalogue of Principal Stars in Coma Berenices 

 Cluster. — The sixteenth issue of Conttibulions from the 

 Observatory of Columbia Oniversity, New York, contains the 

 discussion and reductions by Mr. W. C. Kretz of a series of 

 measures of this cluster, from photographs obtained by Dr. 

 Rutherford with his i3-inch refractor during 1870-76. The 

 eleven standard stars adopted were reduced from the records of 

 thirty five catalogues, extending from that of Bradley in 1755 to 

 the Greenwich results, 1887-94, The method of reduction is 

 given in detail with tables of data for determining final positions, 

 concluding with a list of twenty-four stars showing corrected 

 coordinates and proper motions. 



United States Naval Observatory. — The report of the 

 superintendent of the Naval Observatory at Washington deals 

 with the progress of work during the fiscal year ending June 30, 

 1900. All the instruments have been in use on every clear 

 night and day. 



The 26-inch equatorial has been devoted to observations of 

 difficult double stars, satellites of planets, and a long series of 

 investigations on the use of ocular colour screens for planetary 

 and double star measurements. The double floor, mentioned 

 in a previr>us report, has undoubtedly improved the working 

 conditions in partly eliminating the variable air currents in the 

 dome. Certain markings have been observed on the disc of 

 Neptune indicating a similarity to the belts of Jupiter. 



Photographs of the sun have been taken with the photohelio- 

 graph of 40-feet focal length on every fine day, except in April 

 and May, when it was dismounted for use during the total 

 eclipse of the sun. For this eclipse an extensive programme,, 

 including spectro.scopic, polariscopic and other items, was 

 successfully carried out, the report of which will be ready 

 shortly. 



Double Star Measures. — In ihtAstronomische Nachrichten 

 (BJ. 154, Nos. 3680-1), Dr. Doberjk gives a long series of 

 measures of double stars obtained with the 14-mch refractor of 

 the University Observatory, Copenhagen. Comparisons are dis- 

 cussed between the performance of short and long focus instru- 

 ments with respect to the measurement of close doubles. 



SCIENCE AT SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY 

 COLLEGE. 

 'T'WO addresses delivered at the University College of Shef- 

 field on Thursday last, the occasion being the annual 

 distribution of medals, prizes and certificates to successful 

 students of the Technical Department, should be of service to- 

 science and technical education in the city. One was by Dr. 

 H. C Sorby, F.R.S., who during the greater part of the past 

 fifty years has been occupied with scientific research. His 

 remarks on the practical value of scientific theory admit of wide 

 application, and the following report from the Sheffield and 

 Rotherham Independent will be read with interest. A valuable 

 address on technical and scientific education was also given by 

 Alderman W. E. Clegg, who in the course of his remarks 

 indicated three directions in which future efforts should be 

 devoted in order to maintain our position in the industrial 

 world ; they are : — 



(i) Greater energy and enterprise on the part of our manu- 

 facturers in utilising to the utmost existing markets, finding 

 fresh ones, seizing every opportunity which presents itself to 

 develop our increasing output and a greater adaptability and 

 suitability of our goods to the requirements of our customers. 

 (2) A closer union and real sympathy between employers and 

 employed, each realising that the interests of the one are bound 

 up in the interests of the other. (3) Greater interest and appre- 

 ciation of the advantages of a technical and scientific education, 

 and in connection with this all possible facilities should be given 

 to men and boys to enable them to learn the science — the why 

 and wherefore of the particular work they are engaged in — so 

 that they can take an intelligent interest in what they are doing 

 and what they have to do. 



