June 30, 1892] 



NATURE 



201 



subject in my recent lecture at the Royal Institution, and which 

 was reprinted in your columns of the 9th inst. Mr. Warington 

 complains that I have attributed to Winogradsky, and not to 

 himself, the separation of the nitric ferment ; I think, however, 

 that Mr. Warington does not correctly understand the sense in 

 which I employ the word "separate,' or rather "isolate" 

 (that is the exact word which I did use), for it does not appear 

 to me that Mr. Warington has ever claimed to have isolated this 

 ferment ; thus, on referring again to his most recent publication 

 on this subject, I read, "An attempt to isolate the nitric 

 organism by the dilution method failed, but apparently only one 

 other organism — a stout bacillus, growing on gelatin — was 

 present in some of the cultures" (Chem. Soc. Journ., July 

 1891). In an exhaustive memoir, due reference to the above 

 attenipt of Mr. Warington's would, of course, have been made ; 

 but in the impressionist sketch, which is alone possible in a 

 Friday evening discourse at the Royal Institution, I take it that 

 a lecturer must be allowed to use his own discretion as to what 

 does and what does not fit into the small frame of sixty minutes 

 without laying himself open to the imputation of having unjustly 

 neglected or emphasized the work of individual investigators. 



before, though I do not recollect to have seen any account of 

 it. I have been noticing the great contrast between the aspect 

 of a large elder-tree in full blossom, visible from my study 

 window, presented yesterday and to-day. To-day, which is 

 warm and sunny, every inflorescence is in its normal position, 

 with the flat surface nearly horizontal, so as to get as much sun 

 as possible. Yesterday was cold and very wet, and in every 

 one of the inflorescences the upper part of the stalk was so 

 curved as to bring, as far as the foliage would permit, the sur- 

 face of the inflorescence to an angle of very nearly 90' with the 

 horizon, so that the rain ran off, and scarcely any of it reached 

 the interior of the flowers. 

 June 24. Alfred W. Bennett. 



THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, APRIL 15-16, 



1893. 

 'T^HE total eclipse of the sun, which will take place 

 ■*■ during the month of April next year, will most prob- 

 ably be very widely observed, not only because the 



Fig. I.— Showing the general trend-of.the line of totality. 



Mr. Warington's name is so indissolubly connected with the 

 subject of nitrification that it is the more surprising to me that 

 he should have taken exception to the passage in question of my 

 lecture. Percy F. Frankland. 



University College, Dundee, June 21. 



Protection against Rain in the Elder, 

 It is quite possible that the mode in which the flowers of the 

 elder protect themselves against the rain has been described 



NO. I 183, VOL. 46] 



shadow of the moon passes over such a great stretch of 

 land, but because the phenomenon occurs at the period 

 when a sun-spot maximum is approaching, at which time, 

 of course, the disturbed state of the atmosphere of the 

 sun is on the increase. The maximum time of totality is 

 also in this case considerable, amounting to as much 

 as 4m. 46s. 



Pai/t of Shadow. — The general trend of the path of the 

 shadow will be gathered from the accompanying diagram 

 (Fig. i). This track cuts through Chili, passes to^the 



