May 29, 1919] 



NATURE 



245 



Messrs. Newton and W'KiGin deserve great credit 

 for their pertinacity in endeavouring to convince the 

 British medical world of the particular merits of the 

 Snook transformer. There is little doubt that, apart from 

 :4ratifying the conservatism of a considerable section 

 uf their customers, most British coil manufacturers 

 will presently be found concentrating their efforts on 

 some tvpe of interrupterless transformer. 



The induction coil is no longer the best equipment 

 for the X-ray operator. It is essentially inefficient, 

 and, in addition, is often badly served by the (mercury) 

 1)reak. It has been pointed out to me that I made no 

 mention in my article of Prof. Taylor Jones's admir- 

 able work on the induction coil. This was far from 

 my intention. My concern would rather be with the 

 extent to which his published results have affected the 

 designs of the British coil manufacturer. Dr. N. R. 

 Campbell recounts further interesting work on the 

 subject in recent issues of the Philosophical Magazine. 



The future does not lie with the induction coil, but 

 rather with the closed-circuit A.C. transformer and 

 some varietv of hot-cathode valve (somewhat the same 

 as in wireless telegraphy). This arrangement requires 

 neither interrupter nor commutator, and the resulting 

 simplicitv will undoubtedly appeal to the medical man. 

 Unless British manufacturers "get busy" on some 

 such lines, the American manufacturer will have it 

 all his own way in the future, certainlv for overseas 

 trade. 



An effective association of British manufacturers 

 might result in this country taking the lead in X-ray 

 matters instead of deveIo[)ing American inventions. 



G. W. C. K.AYE. 



Wasps. 



A MODERATELY sizcd Underground nest of the 

 common wasp {Vespa vulgaris) examined by me on 

 July 27, 1915, in Selkirkshire, was 8 in. in diameter, 

 and contained an adult population of 417 workers and 

 the queen. In addition, the six cell-flats of the nest 

 -contained H59 eggs, 1216 larvae, and 1076 pupae, all 

 of the first brood ; 288 eggs, 248 larvae, and 144 pupae 

 -of the second brood ; and 42 eggs, 30 larvae, and 

 14 pupae of the third brood. The actual living total 

 at the time of examination, including eggs, larvae, 

 pupas, and adults, was therefore 4635. In addition, 

 there had apparently hatched from the cells then 

 occupied by second and third broods 852 individuals, 

 of which only 417 were accounted for when the nest 

 was exterminated ; the surplus brings the total to 

 more than 5000. This was a nest which, when it 

 was destroyed, had completed only the least active 

 half of the wasp season. 



A full account of the distribution of the different 

 stages within the nest, and the deductions drawn 

 therefrom as to the rates of egg-laying, cell-building, 

 hatching, and mortality, appeared in the Scottish 

 Naturalist for November, 1915. 



In the same paper will be found particulars of the 

 inmates of two other nests of the same species : one 

 examined by Mr. A. Macdonald in September, 1915, 

 in Kincardineshire, contained 1197 adults, 652 larvae, 

 and 680 pupae, while the remainder of 5321 cells either 

 (intained eggs or were empty; the other, examined 

 n October, 1912, by Mr. W. Evans in Midlothian, 

 was found to contain 11,560 cells, and was estimated 

 to have produced no fewer than 25,000 wasps in the 

 course of the season. James Ritchie. 



Edinburgh, May 12. 



During the year 1909 I destroyed 1 13 wasp-nests, also 

 87 in 1911, carefully took out the combs unbroken, and 

 counted all the wasps that I could find (all wasps 

 previously able to fly). They were mostly Vespa vtd- 



NO. 2587, VOL. 103] 



garis, V. ^ertnatiica, and a very few V. rufa and 

 V. sylvestns. During 19 10 I could find only one nest 

 of V. rufa. Subjoined are a few records. 



Wasp Records. 



1909 I 9 at least in all nests. 



July 21 ... 6 combs, 547 ? ? No l.irge cells in comb. 



., 23 - 9 .. M75 ,. 



„ 24 - 3 .. 46 „ 44 99,67 ,i<J. r.ru/a. 



„ 25 - 5 I. 396 M 



,, 26 ... 7 ,, 1000 ,, 



„ 26 ... 4 „ 389 „ 106 6 6, 29 99. 



,, 29 ... 6 ,, 47a ,, Vespa sylvestris. 



,1 29 ... 6 ,, 600 ,, 



M 3° ••■ 9 » 2509 „ 



,, 31 ... 9 ,, 2344 „ One large-celled comb. 



Aug. I ... 9 „ 2.240 ,, Nu ,, ,, 



>. 3 ••• 9 .. 2560 „ 



,, 5 ... 9 ,, 2413 ti Two „ ,, I', gcrmanica. 



„ 6 ... 8 „ 2557 „ One ,, ,, 



II 8 ■•- 10 II 3919 II II II II 



„ 13 ... 3 „ 287 „ 156 9 9- l^- xyhiestris. 



,, 15 ... 10 „ 4287 „ Ooe big-celled comb. y. f^eritiauica. 



1911 



.Vug. 9 ... n ,, 3420 ,, Three ,, „ ,, 



These are a few records from about 300 acres of 

 land here. I should conclude that 5000 ? ? wasps 

 able to fly constitute a strong working nest of V. vul- 

 garis or V. gcrmanica, and perhaps V. norvegica. 

 Richard F. Burton. 



Longner Hall, Salop, May, 9. 



THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 

 OF THE UNITED STATES. 



AS the result of an executive order issued by 

 President Wilson on May 11, 1918, the tem- 

 porary arrang-ement inaugurated two years pre- 

 viously has acquired permanence as the National 

 Research Council of the United States. The 

 history of this organisation is instructive in show- 

 ingf that in time of national stress the Govern- 

 mental authorities appreciate the necessity for 

 active co-operation froiji scientific bodies or in- 

 dividuals who have in peace conditions received 

 but little recognition or support. 



During the War of the Rebellion, Abraham 

 Lincoln caused the incorporation of the National 

 Academy of Sciences, corresponding to the Royal 

 Society, in order to have available, for national 

 purposes, a body of men who were representative 

 in their branches of science. Their duty was to 

 investigate any problem of national importance 

 when called upon to do so by a Government De- 

 partment. The expenses of the work were to be 

 defrayed by the State, but the academy received 

 no compensation whatsoever. In the fifty-three 

 years of peace which followed, the National 

 Academy pursued its course as an ordinary 

 scientific organisation of the highest class, giving- 

 advice to the Government from time to time when 

 called upon to do so. 



After the attack on the Sussex in April, 1916, 

 the National Academy offered its services to the 

 President for organising the research facilities of 

 the country in order to prepare for any eventual 

 active part of the United States in the war. This 

 offer was accepted by the President, and the 

 National Research Council was constituted. In 

 July of that year the success which followed the 

 organisation of research work by the National 

 Academy of Sciences had already been sufficient 

 to call forth the thanks of President Wilson. 



