i6o 



NATURE 



[April 25, 191. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



In spite of the war, changes have been carried 

 through with the object of placing higher technical 

 education in Holland on a university basis. About 

 twefity years ago the engineering and technological 

 college at Delft became a technical university ; later, a 

 commercial high school was started at Rotterdam. 

 Now the Minister of Agriculture has brought about 

 the reorganisation of the veterinary college at Utrecht 

 aVid the agricultural college at Wageningen ; both 

 these have recently been converted into institutions of 

 university rank. It was at the Utrecht veterinary 

 school that van't HoflF taught chemistry and physics 

 from 1875 to 1877, before his appointment to a pro- 

 fessorship at Amsterdam. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Zoological Society, April 9.— Dr. A. Smith Woodward, 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Miss J. Proctor : The 

 variation of the pit-viper, Lachesis atrox. The paper 

 idealt with' the variation of the principal characters of 

 the Central and South American pit-viper, Lachesis 

 fLtrox, L., of which the author regarded L. lanceo- 

 latus, Lacdp., as a synonym, and L. affinis, Gray, 

 jararaca, Wied, and jararacussu, Lacerda, as varieties. 

 The author laid special stress on the diflferent patterns 

 of markings, discussing their evolution and regarding 

 that shown by the more northern form, L. affinis, as 

 the most primitive,' from which all others could be 

 derived. 



Mathematical Society, April 18. — Prof. E. W. Hobson, 

 vice-president, in the chair. ^ — P. A. MacMahon : The 

 attraction of a circular disc. — H. Hilton : n-Poled 

 cassinoids. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Malaria in Macedonia : Clinical and Hasmatological 

 Features and Principles of Treatment. By P. Abrami, 

 G. Paisseau, and H. Lemaire. Translated by Dr. 

 J. D. Rolleston. Pp. xxx + 115. (London: University 

 of London Press, Ltd.) 6s. net. 



The Science and Practice of Photography. By Dr. 

 J. R. Roebuck. Pp. xiv + 298. (New York : D. Apple- 

 ton and Co.) 2 dollars net. 



Medical Contributions to the Study of Evolution. 

 By Dr. J. G. Adami. Pp. xviii+372. (London : Duck- 

 worth and Co.) 185. net. 



A Text-book of Mycology and Plant Pathology. By 

 Prof. J. W. Harshberger. Pp. xiii + 779. (London: 

 J. and A. Churchill.) 155. net. 



A Treatise on the Principles and Practice of Har- 

 bour Engineering. By Dr. Brvsson Cunningham. 

 Second edition. Pp. xvi + 377. (I_x)ndon : C. Griflfin 

 and Co., Ltd.) 255. net. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, Aprii. 25. 

 Royal Sociktv, at 4.^0— Baker^pn Lecture: Experiments on the Prodiir- 



tion of Diamond : Sir Charle? Parsons. t 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6.— Laree Batteries for Power 



Purposes: E. C. McKinnon. 



FRIDAY, April 96. 

 Royal Institution, at 5.30.— Feed Production and Encjlish Land : Sir 



A. Daniel Hall. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— Notes on the Pulfrich Refrnctmneter : J. Guild. 



—1 he Accuracy attainah'e with Critical Angle Refractometers : F. 



Simeon.— Cohesion : Dr. H. Chatley. 



SATURDAY, Arnii, 27. 

 Royal Institiiti""', at 3.— Modern Investigation of the Sun's Surface : 

 Prof. H. F. Newall. 



NO. 2530, VOL. lOl] 



MONDAY, April 29. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8.— The Conception of Social Orders : Prof. 



H. J. W. Hetherington. 



TUESDAY, April 30. 

 RovAL Institution, at 3. — Cave-hunters : Prof. A. Keith. 

 Royal Society OF Arts, at 4.30. — British Guiana : Sir Walter Egerton. 



WEDNESDAY, May i. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— Sugar from several Points of View : 



G. Martineau. 

 Entomological Society, at 8. 

 Gkological Socieiv, at 5.30.— The Relationship between Geological 



Structure and Magnetic Disturbance, with Special Reference to Le'cester- 



shirs and to the Concealed Coalfield of N ottinghamshire : Dr. A. Hubert 



Cox. 

 Society of Public Analysts, at 5.-— Factors Aft'ectingr the Composition 



of Plant .'\shes, with Special Reference to Tobacco: O.D. Roberts. — The 



Effect of Codeine inHindering the Prec pitation of Morphine by Ammonia 



from a Solution of its Lime Compound : H. E. Annett and H. Singh.— 



Analysis of " Cocoa Teas" : J. L. Baker and H. F. E. Hulton. 

 THURSDAY, May 2. 

 Royal Society, at ^.-^0.-1 rotable Papers: Nerve End Cells in the 



Dental Pulp : Dr. J. H. Mummery— The Nature of Growths in Colloidal 



Silica Solutions : H. Onslow. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— The Freedom of the Seas: Gerard 



Fiennes. 

 Linnean Society, at 5.— A New Fresh-water Shrimp {Caridina) from 



Fiji : G. M. Thomson.— (i) .5^««4'////<'j scottii, sp. nov., a European 

 • Petrifaction with Foliage ; (2) A Survey of the Biological Aspect ot the 



Constitution of Coal : Dr. Marie Stopes. 



FRIDAY, May 3. 

 Royal Institution, at 5.30. — The Spinning Top in Harness: Sir G. 



Greenhill. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 6.— Employment of Women 



in Munition Factories : Miss O. E. Monkhouse {Discussion). 



SA TURDA Y, May 4. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Modern Investigation of the Sun's Surface : 

 Prof. H. F. Newall. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Some "Intellectual Adventures." By H. W. C. . 141 



Physics Text-books. By G. D. 'W 142 



Medicine and the Law. By J. H. T. W 143 



Our Bookshelf 143 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Keconstiuction Problems and the Duty of Science. — 



Prof T. D. A. Cockerell 144 



The Motion of the Perihelion of Mercury. — Harold 



Jeffreys 145 



A Plea for the Naturafist. — Dr. James Ritchie . . 145 

 Time at Sea and the Astronomical Day. (Illus^ 



trated.) By Dr. A. C D. ( rommelin ...... 146 



The Recovery of Potash from Blast-furnace Gases. 



By H. C. H. C 147 



War-lime Research in the United States. By 



T. A. H 148 



Notes 149 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Companion to Sirius 153 



Physical Observations of Venus . 153 



The Lunar Crater Eimmart 153 



The National Dye-making Industry. By A. E. E. . 153 

 Scientific Problems of Refrigeration and Cold 



Storage ..... 154 



Present and Prospective Food Supplies 154 



Sleeping Sickness and Big Game 155 



Metallurgy of Copper. By H. L 155 



The Organisation of Scientific and Industrial 



Research 15^ 



The Frequency of Earthquakes. By R. D. Oldham, 



F.R.S. . 159 



University and Educational Intelligence 160 



Societies and Academies 160 



Books Received • 160 



Diary of Societies 160 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



MACMILLAN AlMD CO., Ltd., 



S-T. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address : Phusis, London. 

 Telephone iVtimber ; Gerrard 8830. 



