August 29, 19 18] 



NATURE 



515 



Ixcause of the difficulty of moving their troops, artJl- 

 Itiv, and supplies through the deep and sticky mud." 



Advantage was again taken by the enemy of fog 

 luring a dry spell in the second week of April, but 

 iie general weather conditions throughout the month 

 v\ (;re unsettled and not favourable for aggressive work, 

 A hilst similarly unfavourable weather prevailed during 

 If greater part of May. 



The German ofiferrsive was renewed on May 27. A 

 ligh and steady barometer with light easterly winds 

 [M-evailed with morning fogs, and similar weather was 

 \perienced through the first week of June, w'hilst in 

 he after part of the month short spells of similar 

 weather occurred 



The controlling influence of the weather on the 

 Western front during the summer push commenced 

 by the Allies about the middle of July and continued 

 for so many weeks with such marked success should 

 tell in favour of the Allied meteorologists. The move 

 was undertaken when an exceptionally wet period was 

 drawing to a close, and the lengthy spell of fine and 

 dry weather, with a succession of calms and light 

 winds and a steady barometer with not too high a 

 temperature, has proved a most favourable weather 

 control. This aggressive move is beyond the period of 

 Prof. Ward's article. 



Some interesting occurrences are given in connection 

 with the use of gas; two instances, .April 10 and 

 May 12, are cited of a sudden shift of wind blowing 

 tlie gas back in the face of the enemy. The Daily 

 Weather Charts, published by the Meteorological Office, 

 support the chanrfp of wind. 



The most favourable season for submarine activity 

 is referred to; the smoother w^ater and the longer day- 

 light of summer are mentioned as an advantage in 

 that season, but as an offset in winter there are the 

 longer nights " to come to the surface to re-charge 

 their batteries, to rest their crews, and to make long 

 trips unsubmerged, thereby increasing their effective 

 area." 



.\ despatch from Rome, dated May 20, mentioned 

 that " the only obstacle which prevents an enemy 

 attack is the weather . . . but the weather is becom- 

 ing undeniably milder, and the snow is beginning to 

 melt. . . ." The author reminds us that " during the 

 last davs of May the Italians won a brilliant victorv 

 in the Tonale region, some 12,000 ft. above sea-level, 

 whilst the ground was still covered with snow." 



In Palestine a sandstorm on March 16 is referred 

 to as a weather control, under the cover of which " a 

 company of the Turkish Camel Corps was surprised 

 and destroyed. " 



The author states that in the daring raid on the 

 Herman naval bases at Zeebrugge and Ostend (.April 22^ 

 "certain conditions of wind and weather" were waited 

 for, whilst " the losses of the Zeebrugge raiders were 

 due almost entirely to a shift of the wind, which pre- 

 vented the complete success of the smoke screen." 



The prevailing westerly winds occasion much diffi- 

 rult\- to our airmen at the front, and an aviator has 

 said : "If an airman ever wishes for a favourable wind, 

 it is when he is breaking for home." W'hatever air- 

 craft can do, it is noteworthy that no air raid has as 

 vet occurred in London with an overcast skv. 



C. H. 



MAGMATIC SULPHIDE DEPOSITS. 

 pROFS. C. F. TOLM.AN AND A. F. ROGERS, of 

 ^ the Leland Stanford University. California, have 

 issued a small volume in the University Series of Pub- 

 lications entitled "A Study of the Magmatic Sulfid 

 Ores." They restrict the term "magmatic ores" 

 somewhat more narrowly than most other writers 



NO. 2548, VOL. lOl] 



on the subject have done, and consider that such ores 

 are not the product of segregation properly so called. 

 The ores studied by them are associated with basic 

 igneous rocks, such as norite, gabbro, peridotite, etc., 

 these rocks occurring generally as small dykes or sills, 

 and comparatively rarely as large laccoliths. The ore 

 is generally segregated' at the margins of the intru- 

 sives, but occasionally occurs as a lenticular mass well 

 within the magma, and never migrates more than a 

 few feet into the adjoining rocks, .\part from the 

 magnetite-ilmenite group, which is excluded from the 

 present discussion, magmatic ores at'e divided into two 

 classes, (a) pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite and (b) chalco- 

 pyrite-bornite; pyrites is not a typical magmatic 

 mineral. The metallic minerals are formed at a late 

 magmatic stage by a partial replacement of silicate 

 minerals, and there is also evidence of the replace- 

 ment of one magmatic metallic mineral by another. 

 Hydrothermal alteration is relatively insignificant, and 

 is distinctly later than the magmatic-ore period. The 

 following is the series of events recognised bv the 

 authors as leadinj^ to the formation of magmatic ore 

 deposits : — (a) Crystallisation of primary silicates ; 

 (b) development of hornblende and biotite, and occa- 

 sionally tourmaline and garnet, as magmatic alteration 

 products ; (c) introduction of ore-minerals ; (d) re- 

 arrangement of ores and development of secondary' 

 silicates by hydrothermal solutions. The temperature 

 at which the introduction of the metallic minerals 

 commences probably does not exceed 300° to 400° C. 

 It will be noticed that the authors ascribe the forma- 

 tion of these magmatic sulphide deposits to causes 

 very different from those generally accepted. 



THE PkOPOSED UNIVERSITY OF THE 

 EAST MIDLANDS. 

 'X'HE movement for establishing a University of 

 ••■ the East Midlands took its start some dozen 

 years ago in the growth of the University College, 

 Nottingham, and steps towards obtaining "a charter 

 were already being taken before the war. The war 

 seemed at first to stand in the way of further action, 

 but the needs which it brought to light, and the readi- 

 ness to co-operate which has been displayed through- 

 out the East Midland province, have extended the 

 plans of the supporters of the movement. The pro- 

 posed University will, indeed, have its foundation in 

 the University College, Nottingham, but it is antici- 

 pated that the neighbouring cities and counties will 

 enter upon a federal relation through the development 

 of their existing educational institutions and th^ 

 establishment of new. For example, the .Agricultural 

 College which is jointly maintained by the county 

 councils of the East Midlands at Kingston, near 

 Loughborough, is marked out for the agricultural 

 faculty. Further, the close proximity of Leicester, 

 Derby, and Nottingham will make it easy for the ser- 

 vices of professors and lecturers in the I'niversity to 

 be shared by these three centres. 



The Corporation of the City of Nottingham, which 

 founded the University College in 188 1, has declared 

 its readiness to hand over the present site and build- 

 ings, representing a value of some 2oo,oooi., and to 

 make a permanent annual grant of i^i^.oooZ. when the 

 University charter is granted. The Nottinghamshire 

 County Council has, under similar conditions, promised 

 an annual grant of ;oooZ. The neighbouring authorities 

 are taking up a friendly attitude to the scheme, and 

 have under consideration the form and amount of the 

 assistance to be given. The Mayor of Nottingham has 

 undertaken to raise an endowment fund of 150,000/. 



The new University, it is expected, will not only 



