40 



NATsURE 



[March 13, 1919 



tgiS.) 



Metzger. Pp. 248. (Paris : F^lix Alcan, 

 5.50 francs. 



A Garden Flora. Trees and Flowers Grown in the 

 Gardens at Nymans, 1890-1915. By L. Messel. With 

 illustrations by Alfred Parsons. Foreword by William 

 Robinson. Notes by iMuriel Messel. Pp. ix+196. 

 (London : Country Life Offices and George Newnes, 

 Ltd., 1918.) los. 6d. net. 



The Quantitative Method in Biology. By Prof. J. 

 MacLeod. (Publications of the University of Man- 

 chester. Biological Series, No. 11.) Pp. xii+228. 

 (Manchester : At the University Press ; London : 

 .Longmans, Green, and Co., 1919.) 155. net. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, March 13. 



RovAL SociETV, at 4.30.— Dr. A. D. Waller: Concerning Emotive 

 Phenomena. III. : The Influence of Drug-; upon the Electrical Con- 

 ductivity of the Palm of the Hand. — Dr. W. L. Balls: The Existence of 

 Daily Growth-rings in the Cell Wall of Cotton Hairs. 



•RovAt Society of Arts, at 4.30. — D. T. Chadwick : The Report of the 

 Indian Industrial Comipission. 



Mathematical Society, at 5. — J. Hammond : The Solution of the 

 Quintic. — L. J. Mordell : A Simple Algebraic Summation of Gauss's 

 Sums. — Major P. A. MacMahon : Divisors of Numbers and their Con- 

 tinuations in the Theory of Partitions.— S. Ramanujan : (i) Congruence 

 Properties of Partitions ; (2) Algebraic Relations between Certain Infinite 

 Products. 



Institution of Electricat. E.vgineers, at 6. — G. L. Addenbrooke : 

 Dielectrics in Electric Fields. 



Optical Society, at 7.— Major C. W. Gamble: Some Photographic 

 Apparatus used in Aerial Photography. 



FRIDAY, March 14. 



Physical Society, at 5.— C. C. Paterson and Dr. Norman Campbell : Some 

 Characteristics of the Spark Discharge, and its Effect in Igniting Explo- 

 sive Mixtures. — Major R. W. Wood : Demonstration entitled "Invisible 

 Light for Military Purposes." 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 5 — J. Evershed : The Spectrum of 

 Nova .AquilcC. — Nautical Almanac Office : Numerical Differences for 1Q23 

 between E. W. Brown's Tabular Places of the Moon and the Places 

 according to Hansen ; Tables with Newcoml.'s Corrections. — A. Panne- 

 koek : Distribution of the Stars of the nth magnitude.— J Lunt : The 

 Dark Line Spectrum of Nova Aquilae No. 3. — G. J. Newbegin : Solar 

 Prominences, igi8. — Cambridge Observatory: Photographic Magnitudes 

 and Effective Wave-lengths of Nova Aquil?e. — A. Stanley Williams: 

 Further Observations of Nova Persei (1901). — Royal Observatory, Green- 

 wich : Preliminary Values of Variation of Latitude, 1918.— E. W. 

 Maunder : Notes on Some of the Sun-spots Measured on Photographs 

 taken at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in 1915. — Probable Papers — 

 J. H. Jeans: The Internal Constitution and Radiation of Ga.seous 

 Stars. — A. F. and F, A. Lindemann ; Preliminary Note on Some Applica- 

 tions of Photoelectric Photometry to Astronomy. 



Royal Institution, at 5.30.— Prof. A. Keith: The Organ of Hearing 

 from a New Point of View. 



Malacological Society, at 7. — A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward : 

 Helix revelata,-Br\x.t. auctt. («o« Fdrussac, nee Michaud), and the Validity 

 of Bellamy's Nameof //^//.r j:Ki5z;z>^.r«:e«.rin lieu of it for the British Mollusc. 

 — A. Reynell : Forbes's Notes on Loven's " Index." — H.Watson: Notes 

 on Hygrotiiia litnbata (Drap.). 



SATURDAY, March is. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Sir J. J. Thomson : Spectrum Analysis and its 

 Application to Atomic Str 



MONDAY, March 17. 

 Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— Prof. W. A. Bone : Coal and its Con- 



VicTORiA Institute, at 4.30.— Dr. A. B. Rendle : Bible Natural 



History. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 5.— Lt.-Col. N. M. MacLeod : Survey 



by .\ir Photographs. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8.— A. E. Heath : The Scope of Scientific 



Method. 



TUESDAY, March 18. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Prof. A. Keith : British Ethnology— The 



People of Scotland. 

 British As.soctation Geophysical Committee (Royal Astronomical 



Society), at 5 -Prof. W. H. Bragg and Dr. Crichton Mitchell : The 



Measurement of Pulsations in the Vertical Component of the Earth's 



Magnetic Force by means of Horizontal Coils.— Prof. Hubert Cox and 



Prof. Ernest Wilson : Recent Investigation of the Geological Bearing of 



Local Magnetic Disturbance in a certain Region. 

 Royal Statistical Society, at 5,15.— Prof. G. Diouritch : A Survey of 



the Development of the Serbian (Southern Slav) Race. An Economic 



and Statistical Study. 

 MiNERALOGiCAL SociETY, at 5. 30. — L. J. Spencer : Curvature in Crystals. 



— Lieut. -A. B. Edge : Siliceous Sinter from Lustleigh, Devon. — Dr. G. T. 



Prior : The Meteorites Adare and En^isheim. 

 Zoological Society, at 5.30.— H. R. A. Mallock ; Some Points in Insect 



Mechanics. — F. Martin Duncan : Photographs and Lantern-slides of 



Marine Zoology. — H. F. Blaauw : The Breeding of Oryx gazella at 



Gooilu.st. 

 Institution of Petroleum Technologists, at s-3o. — M. A. Ockenden 



and .Ashley Carter : Plant Employed in the Percussion Systems of Drilling 



Oil Wells. 



NO. 2576, VOL. 103] 



Institution of Electrical Engineers (Students' Meeting), at 7.— 

 R. P. Howgrave-Graham r Oscillatory Electric Discharge. 

 WEDNESDAY, March 19. 



Royal Society of Arts, at 4.30.— Sir Dugald Clerk : The Distribution of 

 Heat, Light, and Motive Power by Gas and Electricity. 



Royal Meteorological Society, at 5.— Prof. Leonard Hill: Atmo- 

 .spheric Conditions which Affect Health. 



Royal Microscopical Society, at 8.— Dr. J. Bronte Gatenby : An 

 Account of Work on Cytoplasmic Inclusions of the Cell.— Lt.-Col. J. 

 Clibborn : A Standard Microscope.— Dr. Nathan Mutch : A Simple 

 Method for the Isolation of Single Bacteria for the Preparation of Pure 

 Cultures (Demonstration). 



[THURSDAY, March 20. 



Royal Institution, at 3.— Prof. C. H. Lees : Fire Crocks and the Forces 

 Producing Them. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 5.— F. Lewis : Notes on a Visit to Kunadiyapara- 

 witta Mountain, Ceylon, with List of the Plant<',Observed and their Altitu- 

 dinal Distribution. — Miss May Rathbone : Specimens of Plants Preserved 

 by Formalin Vapour.— H. R. Amos : Wheat-breeding with Mr. W. O. 

 Backhouse in Argentina. 



Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, at 5.30.— Sir Thomas Kirke 

 Rose : The Volatilisation of Gold.— W. S. Curteis : Cobar Stope Measure- 

 ment Methods, 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 6.— Discussion on G. L. 

 Addenbrooke's Lectures on Dielectrics in Electric Fields. 



Child-Stubv Society, at 6.— Discussion opened by Mrs. K. Truelove : 

 Training of th School Girl in Infant Care. 



Chemical Society at 8. 



J!-R /DAY, -Makch 31. 

 Royal Institution, at 5.30.— Prof. W. W.' Watts : Fossil Landscapes. 

 In.stitution of Mechanical Engineers. at6.— H. C. Armitage : Jigs, 



Tools, and Special Machines with their Relation to the Production of 



Standardised Parts. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8, with Royal Society of 



Medicine (Klectrical Section),— R. S. Whipple : (1) Electrical Methods of 



Measuring Body Temperatures ; (2) The Electro-cardiograph. 

 SA TURD A Y. March 22, 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Sir J. J. Thomson : Spectrum .\nalysis and its 



Application to Atomic Structure. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Biological Problems . 21 



Genetics for the Botanist 21 



Natural History in the New World 22 



Our Bookshelf 23 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The Directorship of the Natural History Museum. — 



Sir G. Greenhill, F.R.S. ... 24 



Absorption of Gases by Charcoal. — Sir William A. 



Tilden, F.R.S 24 



The Profession of Chemistry.— Dr. M. O. Forster, 



F.R.S . . 24 



Graphical Methods in Nautical Astronomy. — Dr. A. 



Hutchinson . 25 



Curious Markings on Chalk.— Dr. Chas. W. Andrews, 



F.R.S 25 



Globular Clusters, Cepheid Variables, and Radiation. 



— Dr. Harlow Shapley 25 



Research and University Education. By F. S. . . . 27 



Prof. E. C, Pickering, For.Mem.R.S 28 



Lt.-Col. W. Watson, CM. G., F.R.S 29 



Notes 30 



Our Astronomical Column -. — 



The Reform of the Calendar 34 



Dark Markings on the Sky 34 



The Astrographic Catalogue , 3,4 



A Suggested Government Chemical Service .... 34 



Roger Bacon (1214-94). By Dr. Charles Smger . . 35 

 The American Association for the Advancement of 



Science 3^ 



University and Educational Intelligence 37 



Societies and Academies 37 



Books Received 39 



Diary of Societies 4° 



ST. 



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