288 



NATURE 



[June 13, 1918 



Instrument Manufacturers' Association; Dr. H. N. 

 Dickson, professor of geography, University College, 

 Reading, Head of Geographical Section, Naval Intel- 

 ligence Division, Admiralty; Prof. H. B. Dixon, 

 F.R.S., professor of chemistry, Manchester Univer- 

 sity; Prof. A. S. Eve, F.R.S., Resident Director of 

 Research, Admiralty Experimental Station, Parkeston ; 

 Prof. E. C. K. Conner, professor of economic science, 

 Liverpool University, Director of Statistics, Ministry 

 of Food; Mr. C. H. Wordingham, president. Institu- 

 tion of Electrical Engineers, Director of Electrical 

 Engineering, Admiralty. The list of several hundreds 

 of Officers of the Order (O.B.E.), published on 

 June 7, includes the names of a number of men of 

 science. 



The creation of extensive hay dumps for Army 

 requirements tends to bring into prominence the ques- 

 tion, which is ever-recurrent in agricultural practice, 

 as to the extent to which spontaneous ignition may 

 take place and the conditions that are favourable to 

 it. The commonest cases of spontaneous heat produc- 

 tion are, of course, those in which living material, 

 seeds, leaves, etc., undergo a "sweating" process 

 when placed in heaps, and this change, which is asso- 

 ciated with respiratory and enzymic changes, also 

 proceeds to a certain extent in stacks of green or 

 fresh hay. A much more potent effect is, however, 

 exerted by the growth of micro-organisms, bacteria, 

 and moulds, some of which have been shown to be 

 capable of raising the temperature to upwards of 

 70° C. Beyond this temperature it is doubtful whether 

 even these organisms can continue growth, and this 

 view is supported by the fact that only carbon dioxide, 

 and riot inflammable gas, is produced, but the high 

 temperature already attained, and possibly the pro- 

 ducts of microbial action, serve to initiate purely 

 chemical oxidation changes, which eventually raise 

 the temperature to the region of 9o°-95°. During 

 this phase the hay assumes a dark brown or black 

 colour, small quantities of formic acid are produced, 

 and there is a loss of pentosans and other nitrogen- 

 free constituents. The latter temperature is, of 

 course, unable to give rise to firing, but in view of 

 the fact that substances such as bran become pyro- 

 phorus on exposure to' temperatures of i4S°-i75°, and 

 that energetic changes take place as low as 130°, it 

 has been assumed that a prolonged action at the 

 temperature occurring in the haystack may also result 

 in the formation of similar pyrophorus substances. 

 The presence of moisture and of easily decomposable 

 compounds and a free air supply are predisposing 

 conditions to excessive heating. 



Some interesting notes, which someone should col- 

 lect, have been made from time to time by competent 

 observers in regard to the behaviour of various 

 animals under the terrific conditions of noise, vibra- 

 tion, explosion, and other disturbances at the front. 

 Thus it seems clear that some kinds of birds, under 

 the dominance ot instincts of feeding, nesting, or 

 brooding, behave as if they were indifferent to the 

 most conspicuous anomalies of their environment. 

 Living creatures of many kinds are not in the least 

 impressed by sounds which have no interest for them. 

 Just as human perceptions are affected by pre-estab- 

 lished concepts, so the intensity of animal sensations 

 is affected by previously established associations. To 

 terrific disturbances, which have neither inherited nor 

 acquired " meaning," an acutely sensitive organism 

 may remain quite indifferent. The cuckoo's calls are 

 not interrupted by the thunderstorm. But another 

 point is raised by some observations which Capt. W. 

 Neilson Jones has just sent us. These refer to the 

 diverse ways in which sheep and cows react to dummy 

 NO.' 2537, VOL. lOl] 



bombs released from an aeroplane. The cows seem 

 entirely indifferent to the "swish" of the falling bomb, 

 but the sheep "invariably scatter in panic." The first 

 question is whether this can be taken as a well-estab- 

 lished fact, and the answer must take the form of a 

 considerable number of precisely and impartially 

 observed cases. Supposing it to be a fact, we face 

 the second question of interpretation. Have the cows 

 a different — more placid— temperament? But how 

 excited they get at times by the buzzing of flies that 

 cannot hurt them. The excitement is probably due 

 to fallacious association with the buzzing of blood- 

 sucking flies which can hurt them ; and Capt. Jones's 

 suggestion is that sheep are panic-struck because the 

 swish of a falling bomb is probably not unlike the 

 sound of a bird of prey, say a golden eagle, swooping 

 upon tlie lambs. Susceptibilities of ancient origin 

 may prove very persistent, as Mr. Robinson has so 

 well shown in his suggestive book " Wild Traits in 

 Tame Animals." 



Count A. de la Baume Pluvinai., Sir Frank Dyson, 

 and Prof. F. Schlesinger have been elected foreign 

 members of the Society of Italian Spectroscopists. 



On the recommendation of the council of the Royal 

 Society of Arts, the Albert medal for 19 18 has been 

 awarded to Sir R. T. Glazebrook "for his services 

 in the application of science to the industries of peace 

 and war, by his work as director of the National 

 Physical Laboratory since 1899, and as chairman of 

 the Advisory Committee for u^eronautics." 



According to a correspondent of the Times (June 8), 

 a severe earthquake was recorded at the Sydney 

 Observatory on the preceding day. The epicentre is 

 placed, probably on the evidence of the seismogram, 

 in Keppel Bay, on the east coast of Australia, about 

 650 miles north of Sydney. The strength of the earth- 

 quake is evident from the fact that the north-eastern 

 towns of New South Wales, not less than two hundred 

 miles south of Keppel Bay, were severely shaken. 

 The chief interest of this shock lies in its occurrence 

 in a district which is rarely visited by earthquakes. 



In view of the public interest which is being taken 

 at present in the Madsen macliine-gun, we Jiote that 

 the Engineer has reprinted in its issue for June 7 a 

 description of tliis gun, which first appeared in our 

 contemporary on March 10, 1916. The article includes 

 photographs of the weapon, and also a set of draw- 

 ings showing the arrangement of the breech 

 mechanism. It is impossible to attempt any descrip- 

 tion of this mechanism here on • account of its com- 

 plicated nature, and readers interested should refer 

 to the original article. 



We regret to note that the Engineer for June 7 

 announces the death of Mr. Thomas Aitken on 

 May 27. Mr. Aitken was road surveyor for the Cupar 

 district of the County of Fife during the last thirty- 

 six years. His invention of a road-tarring machine 

 brought him into prominence during the introduction 

 of the motor-car, and his machine gained the gold 

 medal and the prize of one hundred guineas at the 

 Road Surveyors' International Competition at Staines 

 in 1907. His book, "Road-making and Mainten- 

 ance," has now become a standard work. He was a 

 member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 



We learn from Science that Mr. W. Hague Har- 

 rington, one of the best known of the older Canadian 

 entomologists, died on March 13 at Ottawa, Canadg, 

 at the age of sixty-six years. Mr. Harrington was 

 one of the founders of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' 

 Club, and at one time was president of the Entomo- 



