i74 



NATURE 



[November i, 191 7 



a deficiency of sunshine. An examination of the de- 

 tails given in the issues for the last six months shows 

 that for the whole summer from April to September 

 inclusive the rainfall for England and Wales was 

 109 per cent, of the average, in Scotland 91 per cent., 

 in Ireland 106 per cent., and for the British Islands 

 as a whole 104 per cent. The wettest month was 

 August over the entire kingdom, and the driest July 

 m Great Britain, whilst September was the driest in 

 Ireland. In London, according to the observations at 

 Camden Square, the rainfall for the six months was 

 19-90 in., 144 per cent, of the average, and every month 

 was wet except April. 



The September number of Terrestrial Magnetism 

 and Atmospheric Electricity contains the preliminary 

 report of the magnetic survey work of the Carnegie 

 during her four months' voyage from San Francisco 

 to Easter Island and Buenos Aires last winter. 

 Throughout the whole region traversed the compass 

 deviates to the east of north by amounts between 3° 

 and 30°. The errors of the British Admiralty chart at 

 points on the course — almost directly south — from San 

 Francisco to Easter Island, rarely exceed half a de- 

 gree, the deviations given in the chart "being in excess 

 in the northern and in defect in the southern por- 

 tion. From Easter Island round Cape Horn to 

 Buenos Aires the errors of the Admiralty chart are 

 on the average greater, but for the region near Cape 

 Horn itself the chart is practically correct. In general 

 over this pant of the ocean -the deviations given are 

 smaller than those found by the Carnegie. 



In view of the public interest in the Mesopotamian 

 Report, an article in Engineering for October 19 calls 

 for special notice. This article gives a complete 

 account, with many illustrations from photographs, of 

 the new hospital ships for the Mesopotamian Expedi- 

 tion. These ships have been designed by Sir J. H. 

 Biles and Co., who have embodied in the plans the 

 requirements which the experience and foresight of 

 Brevet Lt.-Col. Marham Carter have shown to be 

 essential. The vessels are 160 ft. in length and 30 ft. 

 in breadth, and the draught is limited to 3 ft. 6 in. 

 The hospital accommodation is arranged on three 

 decks, covered by a sun deck. The flying deck, 

 immediately beneath the sun deck, is used ex- 

 clusively for convalescents, and the upper and 

 main decks for more serious cases. The vessels 

 are driven by oil engines, but a steam _ boiler 

 is fitted and is available for heating purposes during the 

 cold Mesopotamian winter. Ventilation and cooling ar- 

 rangements of very complete character have been pro- 

 vided. A carbon dioxide refrigerating machine of capa- 

 city .t^ cwt. of ice per day is fitted; also a soda-water 

 machine capable of turning out three gross of soda- 

 water, lemonade, or ginger beer per day. It is impossi- 

 ble in a brief note adequately to deal with the arrange- 

 ments of the hospital wards, cots, operating-room, 

 infectious cases ward, bathrooms, etc. Those interested 

 should refer to the article in our contemporary. Lt.- 

 Col. Carter is to be congratulated upon the complete- 

 ness of the arrangements which have resulted from 

 his courage and pertinacity. 



Among forthcoming books of science we notice the 

 following:— ("Telegraph Practice," J. Lee; "A Text- 

 book of Laying Off, or the Geometry of 

 Shipbuilding," E. L. Attwood and J. C. G. 

 Cooper (Longmans and Co.); "The Resistance 

 of Air," Col. R. de Villamil ; " Aluminium : Produc- 

 tion and Use," J. T. Pattison {E. and F. N. Spon, 

 Ltd.); "The Nature of Solution," Prof. H. C. Jones, 

 with a sketch of the author's career by Prof. E. 

 Emmet-Reid (Constable and Co., Ltd.); "Ship 

 Stability and Trim," P. A. Hillhouse (The Grieves 



NO. 2505, VOL. 100] 



Publishing Co.); "Strength of Ships," J. B. Thomas 

 (Scott, Greenwood and Co.). 



The Cambridge University Press has in preparation 

 for appearance in the "Cambridge Farm Institute" 

 Series: — "Plant Life in Farm and Garden." Prof. 

 R. H. Biffen, and "The Feeding of Farm Animals," 

 Prof. T. B. Wood. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Planets in November. — During the present 

 month Venus will be a conspicuous object low down in 

 the south-western sky for a short time after sunset, 

 Jupiter may be observed practically throughout the 

 night, while Mars and Saturn come into view during 

 later hours. Particulars as to their rising, southing, 

 and setting, together with their stellar magnitudes, 

 at the beginning and end of the month, are given 

 in the following .table : — 



Rises Souths Sets Stellar mng. 



Venus '^^°^- '' 2.51 I'.M. 624P.M. -38 



I M 30. 3-15 ,. 7- 4 .. -4'c ■ 



Mars '^^°^- '• 0-'5A.M. 7. 28 A.M. -,- i 4 



I „ 30. "-45 I'-M- 6.31- ,, +I-I 



Jupiter / ^''''- '' 5-56 P.M. 1.55 A.M. 9.5.1A.M. -2-.5 



t ,, 30, 3.46 „ II. 41 I'.M. 7.36 ,, -2- 



Saturn 



(Nov. 



10.51 P.M. 6.27 A.M. 



\ ,. 30, 9- o „ 4.3s ,, 



Venus will be at greatest easterly elongation of 47° 

 on November 30, when half the disc will be illu- 

 minated. Mars is near a Leonis (Regulus) on Novem- 

 ber I, and afterwards moves eastwards towards Virgo. 



Jupiter will be in opposition on November 29; on the 

 ist the planet will be 4^° north of Aldebaran, and will 

 have a retrograde motion of nearly 4° during the 

 inonth. 



Saturn is in the eastern part of Cancer, and will 

 be at a stationary point on November 26. 



New Zealand Standard Time. — The present ar- 

 rangement whereby the standard civil time in New 

 Zealand differs from Greenwich Mean Time b\- 

 iih. 30m. was adopted on the suggestion of Sir James 

 Heotor in 1868, before the general system of zone time 

 was introduced. The council of the Wellington Philo- 

 sophical Society has recently taken the matter into 

 consideration, and has resolved to urge upon the 

 Government the desirability of making New Zealand 

 time exactly twelve hours in advance of Greenwich. 

 New Zealand is so happily situated that it would be 

 possible by this simole alteration to secure the advan- 

 tages of a time system moderately in advance of solar 

 time, and to bring the time into conformity with the 

 international arrangement. As there is no extreme 

 variation in the length of the day at different seasons 

 it is proposed to put the clock forward by half an 

 hour, once for all. 



New Stars in Spiral Nebula. — Two new stars 

 have been found in the spiral nebula N.G.C. 4321 by 

 Dr. H. D. Curtis, of the Lick Observatory (Journ. 

 R.A.S., Canada, vol. xi., p. 311). The first appeared 

 at some time prior to March 17, 1901, and was then 

 of about magnitude 13-5 ; it was a magnitude fainter 

 in April, and has now completely disappeared. It was 

 no" west, and 4" north, of the nucleus. The second 

 nova appeared at some time before March 2, 19 14, 

 and was then about magnitude 14 ; it was 24" east, and 

 III" south, of the nucleus. The position of the nebula 

 for 1900 is R.A. i2h. ly^m., declination +16° 23'. 



Mr. Adams reports that Ritchey's nova in N.G.C. 

 6946 was rapidly growing fainter at the end of July; 

 the colour-index shows that the star cannot be a long- 

 period variable. 



