May 2s, 1918] 



NATURE 



239 



helium has been investigated quantitatively, and the 

 results have been discussed with special reference to 

 the reproduction in the laboratory of the abnormal 

 intensity relations found in the spectra of the nebulae. 

 It is shown that the nebular spectrum of helium would 

 be obtained very closely by a combination of the con- 

 ditions belonging to the condensed discharge and to 

 the low-pressure spectrum. — Dr. S. Chapman; The 

 outline of g theory of magnetic storms. The average 

 characteristics of magnetic storms are separated into 

 two parts, depending respectively upon time measured 

 from the commencement of the storm and upon local 

 time. In the former the horizontal force is the ele- 

 ment chiefly affected, a brief initial increase being 

 followed by a much larger decrease, extending over 

 several hours. Afterwards, during a period of days, 

 the force slowly returns to its normal value. The 

 local-time changes, after the ordinary diurnal mag- 

 netic variations have been removed, are approximatelv 

 simple sine or cosine waves in all three elements. 

 Ilieir mutual relations in phase, and the dependence 

 <)f their amplitudes upon latitude, are determined for 

 welve observatoiies from the mean of -forty storms. 

 he two sets of variations are interpreted in terms 

 electric current systems circulating in the upper 

 irmosphere (with corresponding earth currents). 

 1 hese, again, are referred to the inductive action of 

 a system of atmospheric motions. These motions are 

 primarily vertical, though the unequal distribution of 

 \ertical velocity introduces horizontal movements also. 

 The atmospheric motions are explained as the result 

 of the precipitation of electric particles from the sun 

 into the earth's atmosphere. A depression of the 

 absorbing layer (which becomes ionised) is first pro- 

 duced. This is succeeded by a general upward expan- 

 sion, due to the mutual repulsion of the particles 

 (which are mainly of one sign of charge) which are 

 entangled in the layer. The stratum in which these 

 actions occur is considered to be above that in which 

 the ordinar\' diurnal magnetic variations are produced, 

 and the ionisation in the latter layer is attributed to 

 the action of ultra-violet light from the sun. 



Zoological Society, May 7.— Prof. E. W. MacBride, 

 vice-president, in the chair.^Dr. B. Petronievlcs : 

 Comparison between the lower jaws of the cynodont 

 reptiles Gomphognathus and Cynognathus. — Miss 

 D. M. A. Bate .- A new genus of extinct Muscardine 

 rodent from the Balearic Islands. 



Royal Meteorological Society, May 15. — Sir Napier 



Shaw, president, in the chair. — (J. E. P. Brook« : 

 Continentality and temperature (second paper). The 

 first part of this paper deals with the variation with 

 latitude of the coefficients which give the influence of 

 land on temperature. Land east, land west, and ice 

 afe considered separately, and it is found that in the 

 tropics the coefficients are uniformly small. In the 

 temperate regions in winter the effect of land to the 

 east is also small, but land to the west has a well- 

 marked effect in lowering temperature ; this effect 

 increases towards the poles. In summer, land both 

 east and west increases temperature. In the second 

 part the temperatures of land. and water hemispheres 

 are calculated. The distribution of land and sea at 

 the beginning of the Great ^ Ice age is then recon- 

 structed from geological data, and on applying the 

 formulae calculated in the first part to this changed 

 distribution, it is found that the temperature must 

 have been lower than the present in different districts 

 by various amounts up to 20° C. in January and 

 15° C. in July. These changes agree very closely with 

 those required by geologists and palaeontologists, and 

 it is further proved that the Glacial period was a 

 necessary consequence of the geographical changes. 

 Finally, a theory of climatic evolution is outlined in 

 NO. 2534, VOL. lOl] 



accordance with these ideas and the theory of isostasy. 

 —J. E. Clark and H. B. Adames : Report on the pheno- 

 logical observations in the British Isles during 1917. 

 The persistent winter, scarcely broken over four and a 

 half months from early December, dominated seasonal 

 conditions. The chief practical result of the cold was 

 indirect, the hea\7 destruction of bird-life favouring 

 tree-blight and caterpillars, the ova of which were 

 preserved by the unbroken cold. In many parts the 

 latter stripped fruit trees and ruined garden greens. 

 So, too, the antler-caterpillar plague in Derbyshire 

 was ascribed mainly to the scarcity of rooks. On the 

 other hand, berries and other fruits suffered little 

 from birds. Other summer broods than garden white 

 grubs were also favoured, Especially Vanessidae, in- 

 cluding such rarer forms as the Common and White 

 Admiral. From late July into September the splendid 

 harvest prospects were much marred by rain, wind, 

 and lack of sun. Final results were better thart 1916, 

 although grain crops fell some 5 per cent, below the 

 ten-year average in England, rising, however, above 

 elsewhere. As to roots, a warm, dry November more 

 than made up for the cold, wet October; whilst pota- 

 toes gave a record crop with 8,600,000 tons oft' 

 1,364,000 acres, compared with 5,468,000 tons off 

 1,134,400 acres in 1916. Treerfruits, too, gave excel- 

 lent returns, the August gales proving prejudicial to 

 apples only. Finally, November gave a splendid send- 

 off for the coming year in the exceptionally favoured 

 winter earing of the grain crops. This, as the presi- 

 dent. Sir Napier Shaw, has shown, may be counted 

 as half the battle in the prospects for successful har- 

 vesting. Table v. of the report gives the yearly floral 

 means for the five chief districts from 1891. That 

 year alone was later than 1917, namely, 96 days 

 against 76 days after the mean flowering date. May 

 174. Birds and insects in table vi. confirm the 

 lateness of 1917, averaging six^days and twelve days 

 behind; whilst table vii., of 'twenty-four migrants, 

 shows nearlv ten days' lag behind a twenty-year mean, 

 1877-96. 



P.\R1S. 



Academy of Sciences, May 6. — M. P. Painlevdi in the 

 chair.— P. Termier : Contributions to the knowledge 

 of the tectonic of Asturias ; Pefias de Careses ; the 

 Careses-Fresnedo anticlinal zone. — Th. Schlcesing, 

 jun. : Ammonium nitrate as manure. In default of 

 the opportunity of working on the agri<:-ultural scale, 

 pot experiments are described, . using equal weights 

 of nitrogen as ammonium nitrate and ammonium sul- 

 phate, together with a blank e.xperiment without am- 

 monium salt. With maize, the nitrate gave slightly 

 : greater yields than with the sulphate. Some sug- 

 gestions as to the best method of carrying out field 

 : experiments are added.— C. Richet and L. Flament : 

 , Urinarv secretion troubles after great traumatisms. 

 I In seriously wounded cases there is a marked diminu- 

 i tion in the urinary secretion and in the production of 

 I urea. The urea in eleven cases of mortally wounded 

 I fell to 30 per cent, of the normal, whereas in fifteen 

 i cases, seriously but not mortally wounded, the urea 

 I was 44 per cent, of the normal.— J. Pi'is : Certain 

 developments in series.- -T. Lalesco : The application 

 of integral equations to the theory of linear differen- 

 tial equations.— M. T. Beritch : An intuitive rnethod 

 for the detection of ordinary maxima and minima. — 

 J. Andrade : Some point transformations, and the 

 circle of similitude of two cycles.— R. Bricard : Move- 

 ment with two parameters round a fixed point. — 

 L. Guillet : The influence of cadmium on the properties 

 of the copper-zinc alloys. With 60/40 or 70/30 brasses 

 cadmium commences to affect the mechanical proper- 

 ties onlv when the percentage is i per cent, or more. 

 Since commercial zinc rarely contains suflicient 



