April 26, 19 17] 



NATURE 



175 



Drosophila it is the male which is heterozygous for 

 sex, while in moths it is the female. 



The lar\al patterns investigated by Tanaka, though 

 iefinite and distinct from one another, show in some 

 instances much variation with respect to the intensity 

 of their pigmentation. The normal and quail patterns 

 can exist in several grades, so that a continuous series 

 can be formed between the lightest and the darkest. 

 Nevertheless, these grades are definitely transmitted, 

 tnd Tanaka considers that his experiments afford good 



vidence that, these apparently continuous series can 

 be explained on the assumption of very few genetic 

 factors. 



An interesting section is that on the inheritance of 

 moulting. In certain cases the three-moult behaves 

 as a simple dominant to the four-moult character; in 



aher cases the relation is more complex, though 

 Tanaka considers that the facts can be explained by 

 regarding the genetic difference here as one involving 

 two factors. In any case, definite experiments show 

 :hat the number of moults is much subject to environ- 

 mental changes. 



Records are given of a number of cases of mosaics 

 and gynandromorphs, many of which are illustrated. 

 In view of their importance for theories of sex-deter- 

 mination and fertilisation, it is to be regretted that no 

 pedigrees are given. 



Embodying as it does the greater part of our know- 

 ledge of the genetics of the silkworm, the memoir de- 

 serves careful study by the practical breeder, as well 

 as by the professed geneticist, and we look forward 

 to the publication of the author's analysis of cocoon 

 characters which he promises upon some future occa- 

 sion. 



"^EW DETERMINATIONS OF PROPER 

 MOTIONS OF STARS A 



THE author of the catalogue before us is carr\-ing 

 out the suggestion of M. A. Donner that those 

 obser\-atories that finished their astrographic cata- 

 logue plates in good time should now repeat them, in 

 order to determine proper rnotions. The Helsingfors 

 plates were taken between 1892 and 1896; they 

 were repeated, at similar hour-angles and calendar 

 dates, between 1909 and 1913, giving an average time- 

 inter\-al of seventeen years. 



The corresponding pairs of plates were examined 

 simultaneouslv in the Blink apparatus, all cases of 

 apparent shift being noted, and afterwards verified by 

 measurement. A selection was made on each pair of 

 eight faint stars that showed no shift ; these stars 

 were taken as the zero point to which the motions 

 were referred. This method does not eliminate the 

 small systematic effect due to the solar motion, or 

 other common drift which the region may have. Cor- 

 rection was made for these effects by comparison with 

 Boss, there being forty Boss stars in the region dis- 

 cussed (R.A. gh. to I2h., N. dec. 39° to 47°). From 

 these he adopts the corrections to his centennial 

 motions, in R.A. —007s., in dec. o*. There are 

 eighteen additional stars in Porter's catalogues, which 

 give centennial corrections — o-34S., +0-8". Porter's 

 proper motions do not claim to be reduced to an abso- 

 lute system. A further comparison, not used by the 

 author, is afforded by twenty-nine additional stars in 

 the revised Groombridge catalogue. These give the 

 centennial corrections to Helsingfors (small, but sys- 

 tematic) — 0-155. . +I-I''. These tests show that the 

 Helsingfors results are quite satisfactory, considering 



1 " Recherches surles MouvementsPropresde^ EtoiIesdansIaionephoto- 

 Srapbique de Helsingfors" Par Ragnar Furuhjelm. (i) Cliches de ^h. a 

 lah. 4to, pp. 190. (Helsingfors: Imprimerie de la Sociit£ de Lttt^raturc 

 Finnoise, iot6.) 



the shortness of the time-interval ; they give us a 

 useful list of 1016 proper motions, of which at least 

 900 are new. The following large motions of faint 

 stars are noteworthy : — 



The author gives an examination of the mean 

 parallaxes of stars of various magnitudes, and of the 

 solar motion. The latter must be considered prema- 

 ture until the results for the whole zone are available. 

 The mean parallaxes for magnitudes 3 to 7 are 

 0-032' ; magnitudes 7 to 9, 0021' ; magnitudes 9 to 11, 

 0-017'. These are much larger than those of Kap- 

 teyn, which is explained by the fact that the present 

 catalogue contains only those stars that show a 

 sensible shift in seventeen years; these are compara- 

 tively near us. Andrew C. D. Crommelix. 



CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES FOR SCIENCE 

 AND EDUCATION. 



CLASS IV. of the Estimates for Civil Services 

 for the year ending March 31, 1918, dealing with 

 Education, Science, and .-\rt, has now been issued as 

 a Parliamentary Paper, We record the main items of 

 these estimates of expenditure, with details relating 

 to scientific investigation and higher education. 



It will be noticed, as has been pointed out alre^v 

 in these columns, that the grant in aid of scientific 

 and industrial research has been increased to 

 1,038,650^., an increase of 998,050^, on the grant for 

 the year 1916-17. 



United Kingdom and England. 



Bo.xRD OF Education. 



Administration ... 206,902 



Inspection and examination 217,158 



Grants in respect of public elementan.^ 



schools, etc 12,669,455 



Grants for training of teachers ... ... 357»900 



Grants towards expenditure on secondary 

 schools and pupil teachers and bursars, 

 etc. ... ... ... ... ... ... 962,600 



Grants towards expenditure on other aided 

 institutions, schools, and classes, and on 

 assistance in choice of employment ... 613,960 

 Imperial College of Science and Techno- . 

 ktgy and Chelsea Physic Garden (grants 



in aid) ... 33.650 



Royal College of .\rr 7.743 



The Victoria and Albert Museum 59,682 



.Science Museum ... 13.508 



Geological Museum 3. 171 



Geological Survev of Great Britain ... 14.387 



Bethnal Green Museum 2,249 



Gross total 

 Deducf— 

 .Appropriations in aid' 



Net total 



15.162,455 



2-675 



15.15Q.780 



Net decrease 26.052 



j i In addition, receipts from sale of catalogues and other pnblications 

 I sopolict) by the Statiooery Office, estimated at 400/., will be paid to the Vote 

 or Stationery and Printing. 



NO. 2478, VOL. 99I 



