io8 



NATURE 



[October 2, 1919 



The University of Brisbane will receive 250,000;. from 

 the same source. 



Prof. Alex. Findlav desires it to be known that 

 after October i his address will not be the University 

 College of Wales, Aberystwyth, but the Chemistry 

 Department, the University, Marischal College', 

 Aberdeen. ' " 



_ The School of Librarianship, instituted at Univer- 

 sity College, London, will be opened bv Sir Frederic 

 Kenyon on Wednesday, October 8, at 5 p.m. Cards 

 of invitation and particulars of the work of the school 

 may be obtained from the Secretary, University Col- 

 lege, Gower-street, W.C.i. 



The programme of University Extension lectures 

 for the coming session has now been issued bv the 

 University of London. Central courses are to be held 

 in the University buildings and in the City, while 

 local courses, at some sixty local centres ' in and 

 around London, will prove of value to the student in 

 the suburbs. The subjects treated cover a wide 

 range, but science occupies a minor position among 

 them. There are to be about ninety courses in all, 

 and these are mainly on literature, economics, historv] 

 and architecture, progressive science being represented 

 by two courses only on scientific discoveries and their 

 practical application. Either the local committees of 

 London University Extension centres are not in- 

 terested in scientifiq subjects, or the Board is unable 

 to offer a strong panel of science lecturers for their 

 selection. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



Melbourne. 

 Royal Society ol Victoria, July 10.— Mr. J. A 

 Kershaw, president, in the chair.—H. G. Smitli ■ The 

 essential oil of Boronia pinnata. Smith, and 'the 

 presence of elemicin. The plants were collected at 

 Longwarrv_, where it grows in great profusion, and 

 the distillation was carried out by Mr. P. R. H. St 

 John. The product consists largelV of elemicin, whicli 

 has previously occurred only in the order Burseracea 

 (Protium, elemi resin), whilst Boronia belongs to the 

 Rutaceae.— J. T. Jutson : The "clawing" action of 

 rain in sub-arid Western Australia. The author 

 describes the erosion on ground generally covered bv 

 hard capping due to surface deposits of hard mineral 

 matter. When this capping is broken, miniature 

 waterfalls are formed, and at lower levels basins with 

 crenulated edges, with a gradual reduction of rock 

 material from high to low levels. The "clawing" 

 action of the rills is so marked as to deserve special 

 notice.— J. T. Jutson : A striking example of rock 

 expansion by temperature variation in sub-arid 

 Western Australia. This note puts on record an 

 instance of a thin slab of granite parting from the 

 main mass and rising convexlv 7 in. from its base 

 before cracking and breaking up.— E. O. Teale : The 

 diabase and associated rocks of the Howqua River, 

 near Mansfield, with reference to the Heathcotian 

 problem in Victoria. A study of this interesting area 

 of the Howqua district with its Lower Carboniferous, 

 Upper and Lower Ordovician, and older rocks throws 

 much light on the sequence of the Lower Palaeozoic 

 series in other areas. Cherts and bedded' ash with 

 radiolaria and sponge-remains are found, similar to 

 those of Heathcote, and an interesting phosphate- 

 breccia with trilobite remains is described, which is 

 closely associated with Upper Ordovician rocks.— 

 F. Chapman : An Ostracod and Shell-marl of Pleisto- 

 cene age from Boneo Swamp, west of Cape Schanck, 

 Victoria. This deposit of marl, which does not now 

 appear to be subject to tidal influence, contains an 

 interesting fauna of fresh- and salt-water Ostracoda, 

 NO. 2605, VOL. 104] 



and swamp, land, and marine shells. Two of the 

 Ustracods are new. Cypris tenuisculpta and Limni. 

 cythere stcula. It is probable that in late Pliocene 

 "i°x",,° Pleistocene times this area was connected 

 with IN.W. Tasmania, as an emergence of Bass Strait 

 ot 40 fathoms would show the earliest land connection 

 at these points. This theory is supported bv the 

 occurrence of Limnicythere bo'th at Boneo and Mow- 

 bray Swamps. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



The English Rock-Garden. By R. Farrer. 2 vols 

 Vol. 1. Pp. IXIV+S04+S2 plates. Vol. ii. Pp. vm + 

 524 + 50 plates. (London and Edinburgh : T C and 

 E. C. Jack, Ltd.) 2I. 35. net. ^ ' ' 



Motionism, or the World's True Religion. By 

 E. J. M. Morris. Pp. 130. (London : The Caxton 

 Press, Ltd.) 55. net. 



Ethnography and Condition of South Africa before 

 A.D. 1505. By Dr. G. M. Theal. Second edition. 

 Pp. XX -1-466. (London: G. Allen and Unwin, Ltd.) 

 8s. 6d. net. 



The Daily Telegraph \'ictory Atlas of the World. 

 Part i. (London: "Geographia," Ltd.) li. 3^. net. 



The Timbers of India. Bv .A. L. Howard. Pp. 16. 

 (London : W. Rider< and Son.) 2s. 6d. 



General Phonetics, for Missionaries and Students 

 of Languages. By G. XoiJl-.Armfield. Second edition. 

 Pp. xii-l-146. (Cambridge: W. HefTer and Sons, 

 Ltd.) 5.?. net. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Waste of Youth. By Prof. Frederick Soddy. 



F.R.S \ 89 



Biological Problems go 



South Australian Geology. By J. W. G 91 



Our Bookshelf gj 



Letters to the Editor: — 



A Photoelectric Theory of Colour Vision. — Sir Oliver 



Lodge, F.R.S. ,52 



Reversed Pleochroic Haloes. — Prof. J. Joly, F.R.S., 



and J. H. J. Poole .j2 



The Spectra of Isotopes. — Dr. Thomas R. Merton (J3 

 A British Imperial Antarctic Expedition. — ^John L. 



Cope •93 



Luminous Worms. — Rev. S. Graham Brade-Birks 93 

 Catalysis in Chemical Industry. By Dr. Hugh S. 



Taylor ... . 94 



Frosts and Agriculture in the United States. By 



W. H. D 95 



Notes 96 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Twenty-four-hour Day 100 



Comets 100 



Minor Planets 100 



Flora of Macquarie Island loi 



Education in British India . . loi 



The British Association at Bournemouth : — 



Section C— Geology — Opening Address (Abridged) 

 by J. W. Evans, D.Sc, LL.B., F.R.S., 



President of the Section . 102 



University and Educational Intelligence .... 107 



Societies and Academies 108 



Books Received 108 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



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Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address: Piiusis, London. 

 Telephone Number : Gerr.ard 8830. 



