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NATURE 



[October ii, 1900 



In an exhaustive paper read before the Manchester Literary 

 and Philosophical Society {Memoirs, vol, xliv. Pt. 4, pp. 1-8), 

 Mr. Thomas Thorp describes his modification of the diffraction 

 process of colour photography, first put forward by Prof. Wood. 

 The difficulty of determining the correct degrees of rulings 

 necessary for giving certain colours by Prof. Wood's arrangement is 

 obviated by adjusting several copies of a grating having the same 

 spacing at angles to each other, the angles giving the best colour 

 combinations being found by experiment. Full details are given 

 oif the method of obtaining the celluloid copies from an original 

 metal reflection grating. A diagram is included to illustrate the 

 procedure for obtaining stereoscopic views with the apparatus. 



In the A sir ophysical Journal (vol. xii. pp, 30-48), Herr J. 

 Hartmann, of the Astrophysical Observatory at Potsdam, gives 

 a useful and interesting series of suggestions on the design and 

 critical adjustments of photographic spectrographs intended for 

 observational work of a high degree of accuracy. 



In Science for September 28 is to be found an article on the 

 *' International Catalogue of Scientific Literature " from the pen 

 of Sir Michael Foster, in which it is stated that more than forty- 

 five complete sets of the work have already been subscribed for 

 in the United States, and that, therefore, the catalogue will be 

 begun at once. 



Many of our readers will be pleased to know that the 

 recently delivered Huxley lecture of Lord Lister is tobe had in 

 extenso in both the Lancet and the British Medical Journal for 

 Saturday last. 



The last part published (vol. xii. Part 4) of the Journal of 

 the College of Science, Tokyo, gives evidence of the continued 

 activity of the Japanese University in zoological research, in two 

 valuable papers : — Further observations on the nuclear division of 

 ISioctiluca, by C. Ishikawa ; and Notes on some exotic species 

 of Ectoparasitic Trematodes, by Prof. S. Goto, both well illus- 

 trated. This number also contains the commencement of an 

 enumeration, by T. Ito and Prof. J- Matsumura, of the flowering 

 plants of the Luchii Islands, the rich and interesting flora of 

 which is at present but imperfectly known. 



The second volume of the elaborate " Cyclopedia of 

 American Horticulture," by Prof. L. H. Bailey, Dr. W, Miller 

 and others, has been published by Messrs. Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd. The volume extends from E to M, and is to be followed 

 by two others. There will be more than two thousand original 

 illustrations in the complete work, and the text will be on a pro- 

 portionally large scale. The scope of this remarkable under- 

 taking may be judged, from the sub-title, which certifies that 

 the complete work will comprise " suggestions for cultivation of 

 horticultural plants, descriptions of the species of fruits, vege- 

 tables, flowers and ornamental plants sold in the United 

 States and Canada, together with geographical and biographical 

 sketches." Our review of the work will be deferred until the 

 appearance of the final volume. 



-New editions of several established works have been 

 recently received. The fifth edition of " Quantitative Chemical 

 Analysis," by Dr. Frank Clowes and Prof. J. B. Coleman, 

 has been issued by Messrs. J. and A. Churchill. The book 

 provides a sound course of work both in manipulation and 

 analysis, and is well in touch with modern methods. Among 

 the additional matter we notice a description of a new and 

 ingenious method of determining melting-points, a special 

 apparatus for the rapid filtration and ignition of precipitates, 

 and an improved form of condenser for use in the distillation of 

 liquids.— The principles and practice of paper manufacture are 

 presented in a form suitable for students in " A Text-book of 

 Paper-Making," by C. F, Cross and E. J. Sevan (E. and F. N. 

 NO, 1615, VOL. 62] 



Spon). The second edition of the book has just appeared. — 

 Another second edition is " Agricultural Zoology," by Prof. J. R, 

 Bos, translated by Prof. J. R. Ainsworth Davis. An appendix 

 has been added, containing an instructive statement of con- 

 ditions \yhich determine the appearance of harmful animals ; 

 also the general "principles as to the means to be employed 

 against them, and lists of pests classified according to their 

 habitat, A full index has also been added. — Now that attention 

 is being given to nature study in rural schools, Mrs. Brightwen's 

 writings upon animal and plant life should receive additional 

 admirers. Her books are of a kind that cannot be too widely 

 known, so we are glad to see that Mr. Fisher Unwin has just 

 issued new editions of " Wild Nature Won by Kindness " and 

 "Glimpses into Plant Life." 



The." Memoirs and Correspondence of Lyon Playfair " was 

 fully noticed in our issue for December 7 last, so that it is novv 

 unnecessary for us to do more than to state that a " popular " 

 edition of the book has just been issued by Messrs. Cassell and 

 Co., Ltd. 



The new issue of the Journal of the Royal AgriculluraJ 

 Society of England, contains, as usual, a number of interesting 

 and valuable articles, among which may be mentioned an 

 account, by Dr, Fream, of the York meeting of the society^ 

 " The Trials of Steam Diggers at York," and an obituary notice 

 (with a page portrait after Herkomer) of Sir John Bennet 

 LaweS. 



Nature Notes for October mentions that aq avocet was shot 

 near Penzance in the spring. 



In the October number of the Journal of Conchology, Mr. 

 A. G. Stubbs concludes his synopsis of the freshwater and land 

 molluscs of the Tenby district. 



In the last annual "General Report of the Geological Survey 

 of India," a voluminous book of 258 pages, the results of much 

 industrious labour by the officers of the Survey are summarised. 

 Considerable activity is being displayed in the prosecution of 

 chemical and palaeontological research, and the field-work has. 

 been directed towards elucidating economic questions as well as 

 others purely geological. Part iii. of this work contains indi- 

 vidual "progress reports" by various officers of the Survey, 

 which consist of papers dealing, not only with economic matters 

 such as auriferous reefs and coal-fields, but also with various 

 questions of considerable geological interest. 



Under the title of " A List of Works on North American 

 Entomology," the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Division of 

 Entomology, have issued, as No. 24 of the new series of their 

 Bulletin, an extremely useful classified index to the most im- 

 portant publications relating to the various orders and families 

 of North-American insects. It has been compiled under the 

 direction of the entomologist, Dr. L. O. Howard, by his assis- 

 tant, Mr. Nathan Banks. The idea is excellent and might well 

 be adopted for other publications of a similar character respect- 

 ing the insects of other countries. Such an index cannot be 

 complete, but so many of the most important works on the 

 subject are included that it will be easy for a student taking up 

 the study of any special branch of North American insects to 

 feel his way by this bibliography at the commencement and to 

 enlarge his knowledge on a good foundation as he progresses. 



The latest part of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of 

 Bengal (that issued on July 9) is wholly taken up wich Sir 

 George King's " Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Penin- 

 sula," a portion of which has been written by Dr. O. Stapf, of 

 Kew. 



