August 7, 19 19] 



NATURE 



453 



The new list of announcements of Mr. John 

 Murray includes the following: — "Travels in 

 Egypt and Mesopotamia in Search of Antiquities, 

 1886-1913," Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge, 2 vols., 

 illustrated; "Conifers and their Characteristics," 

 C. C. Rogers; three additions to the Imperial 

 Institute Monographs on Mineral Resources, viz. 

 •Manganese Ores," A. H. Curtis; 'Tin Ores," 

 G. M. Davies, and "Tungsten Ores," R. H. Rastall 

 and W. H. Wilcockson ; " Industrial Problems and 

 Disputes," Lord Askwith ; and new editions of 

 '■ Hydrographical Surveying : A Description of the 

 Means and Methods Employed in Constructing Marine 

 Charts," the late Rear-Admiral Sir W. J. L. Wharton, 

 revised and brought up to date by .Admiral Sir Mostyn 

 Field; "Microscopy: The Construction, Theory, and 

 Use of the Microscope," E. J. Spitta ; "Principles 

 and Methods of Taxation," Dr. G. Armitage-Smlth ; 

 and " Economic Statesmanship : The Great Industrial 

 and Financial Problems Arising from the War," J. 

 Ellis Barker. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The August Perseids. — Some of the earlier 

 members of this rich annual shower were visible on 

 July 30 and August 2, and, from the numbers seen, 

 it is probable that the return this year will be an 

 unusually abundant one. At Bristol on .August 2, 

 during a watch of the heavens extending over 

 2| hours, forty-one meteors were seen, of which 

 eighteen belonged to the special display of Perseids. 

 Their radiant point was at 38°+ 55°, and it was not 

 a sharply defined centre, but an area extending over 

 about 7° in diameter. This marked diffusion is 

 rather greater than what is usually observed, for the 

 shower radiant is often rather small and definite. 

 The maximum of the shower may be expected on 

 August II and 12, but it is unfortunate that on these 

 dates the moon will be nearly at the full, and will 

 hide a considerable number of the smaller meteors. 

 The Perseids. however, are a shower yielding a large 

 proportion of brilliant meteors, so that even in strong 

 moonlight the event is likely to present a conspicuous 

 aspect. 



Kopff's Periodic Comet. — The following search 

 ephemeris for comet 1906 IV., period 6-6 years, which 

 was not seen in 1913, is published by M. Ebell. 

 For Greenwich Midnight. . 



R.A. S. Decl. Wag. 



h. m. o 



July 20 19 152 II 346 IO-2 



August 21 ... 19 179 9 38 107 



September 22 ... 19 492 8 307 11-5 



October 24 ... 20 384 7 239 12-3 



An observation by Dr. Wolf on July 30 gives 

 R..\. II minutes greater than, and declination 1° 14' N. 

 of, the place shown by this ephemeris. 



MiRA Ceti. — Observations of this variable star about 

 the time of its maximum in 1918, made by members 

 of the Soci^t^ Astronomique de France, are given in 

 the Bulletin of that society for July. The dates esti- 

 mated by the different observers at or between which 

 the maximum may have occurred are as follows, the 

 magnitude being added in brackets : — October 5 (3-3), 

 September 23 (30), September 2-October 11 (about 

 3-9). September 21 (3-3), and September 25 (3-2); 

 whilst another observer also records a double maxi- 

 mum on September 10 (3-65) and October 5 (3-85). 

 Noting that the observer whose estimate is October 5 

 made no observation between September 1 1 and 26, 

 It mav be reasonably inferred that Mira Ceti was at 

 maximum about September 23. 1918, when it was at 

 least as bright as magnitude i-^. According to similar 



NO. 2597, VOL. 103] 



observations made in the previous vear, the maximum 

 occurred about October 5, 19 17. 'The length of the 

 mean period generally adopted for the variation of 

 this star is 331 days, which, applied to the date 

 September 23, shows that maximum should happen 

 this year about August 20. M. Flammarion's Annuaire 

 names August 23 as the date. Mira has been com- 

 paratively faint at recent maxima, not having been 

 brighter than third magnitude. It was practicallv of 

 j the second magnitude in 1906. 



I Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. — Prof. Sampson's 

 I report for the year ending March 31 last has again 

 I to record a restriction of work owing to the absence 

 I of the two senior assistants on important Admiralt) 

 service. In these circumstances the attention of the 

 I .Astronomer Royal for Scotland appears to have been 

 j given largely to the time service and to the study of 

 improvement in clocks. A 24-in. mirror is being made 

 by Mr. George Calver to take the place of one of the 

 same size on an existing telescope, the figure of which 

 is considered imperfect, and with the instrument thus 

 improved it is proposed to determine stellar magni- 

 tudes by "the photo-electric method, the process of 

 which is being studied. 



PATENTS IN RELATION TO INDUSTRY. 



A N important conference on " Patents in Relation 



I -^"^ to Industry " was held, under the presidency of 



* Lord Moulton, in connection with the British 



I Scientific Products Exhibition, organised bv the 



j British Science Guild at the Central Hall, 'West- 



I minster, on July 31, when some of the main features 



I of the Patents and Designs Bill now before the House 



i of Commons came under review. Sir Robert Had- 



I field, who opened the discussion, mentioned that those 



I who had been trying to get changes introduced into 



the patent law were, at this juncture, being strongly 



I supported by the Federation of British Industries and 



the British Commonwealth Union. These two im- 



; portant bodies intended, he said, to press for (a) an 



extension of the present term of fourteen years; 



! (b) the introduction of the American file-wrapper 



system into this country ; and (c) the appointment of 



a judge possessing special scientific knowledge as 



president of the court that had to deal with patent 



I matters. Messrs. W. W. Reid. Hunter Gray, K.C., 



I D. Leechman, and James Swinburne, and Sir G. 



i Croydon Marks also took part in the discussion. 



The remarks of the sp>eakers made it evident that 



, there exists a widespread feeling that the patent law 



of this country is inadequate for the present needs of 



j industry, and, moreover, that it fails to afford the 



inventor suitable encouragement. Although the modi- 



I fications of the law proposed in the 1919 Bill will, it 



is agreed, introduce desirable changes, a feeling 



appears to exist that in this Bill are repeated many 



; of the weaknesses of the Bill withdrawn last year. 



Very general agreement exists on the point that 



'. renewal fees should be considerably reduced ; such 



reduction, it was pointed out, can be effected at once 



without anv fresh legislation, as the Treasury and the 



Board of Trade already t>ossess the necessary powers 



to afford the inventor the relief required by him in 



this matter. 



Lord Moulton, in bringing the discussion to a close, 



stated that, however excellent may be the case for 



obtaining a modification of the patent law, no pro- 



: gress will be made in the matter unless and until it 



' is realised that the first thing essential to be done is 



for those who desire reforms to . convince the Press 



: and the people of the country that it is from the point 



of view of the public interest that questions affecting 



