July i8, 1895] 



NA TURE 



269 



Lord Kelvin and other members of the Royal Society, l)ut I 

 •only received it this morning, as I was away from home. I ob- 

 serve that most of those who have signed it are (as they them- 

 rselves say) not members of Convocation, and consequently not 

 ■constituents of mine. Still, I should welcome any opportunity 

 of co-operation with such high authorities in the promotion of 

 those interests which we all have at heart. I regret, however, 

 that before publishing the letter they did not give me an o|)por- 

 tunity of conferring with them, in which case, I think, I could 

 have given good reasons for what I have said in my letter to 

 Prof. Foster. I am glad to observe that the only jioint objected 

 to is the reference of any new charter to Convocation. In this, 

 however, I am not asking that any privilege which they do not 

 at present possess should be conferred on my constituents, but 

 only supporting what is now their legal right. As the law now 

 stands no change can be made in the charter without the consent 

 of the graduates. This right I know they highly value, and it 

 is surely natural that, as their representative, I should do my best 

 to preserve it. Moreover, in view of the difficulty of passing a 

 Bill strongly opposed, as any Kill would be, which seeks to 

 abrogate the present right of veto possessed by Convocation, I 

 can imagine nothing more likely to wreck any scheme such as 

 you desire than to link it, quite unnecessarily, with an attack on 

 that right. Your objection to the reference to Convocation im- 

 plies the belief that a Statutory Commission would arrange a 

 wise charter for the University, and that the graduates would 

 reject it. But why should it be assumed that the} woidd do so ? 

 It has been my proud boast that I represent a constituency 

 second to none in education and ability, and I am sure you will 

 not, on reflection, be surprised if I have every confidence that 

 when any new charter is submitted to my constituents, they will 



■ exercise the rights well and wisely, and with an earnest wish to 

 further the interests of Learning and Education. 



" I am, yours very sincerely, 



"John Lubbock." 



I must also ask you to let me say a few words on your own 

 article. 



In the first place, I have not "accepted the views" of those 

 Avho altogether oppose the Reorganisation Scheme. Some, 

 indeed, of the modifications suggested seem to me important 

 improvements, but that is a very different thing. 



You .say that Convocation is only one of the bodies affected. 

 In the case of the Colleges and Medical Institutions certain 

 privileges are granted, but the University is the only body whose 



■ constitution it is |>roposed to change. 



-At present, this cannot be done without the consent of Con- 

 vocation, and you blame me ff>r endeavouring to maintain that 

 right. \'(jur whole article assumes that the Cf>mniissioners will 

 make a wise scheme, and then you allege that a reference to 

 Convocation would wreck it. This, liowever, is an attack on 

 my constituents and not on me. John Li;bbock. 



High I'^lms, July 15. 



The Density of Molten Rock. 



In a review of Lord Kelvin's " tieology," in N..\TURE, July 

 26, 1894, vol. I. p. 292, the question of whether solid rock sinks 

 or swims in molten rock was left open for further experimental 

 evidence. 



My impression is that this was in accordance with the views 

 ■ of the writer of the book ; but if I had had proper acquaintance 

 with the work of Mr. Carl Barus, of the .Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, Washington, I should at lea.st have referred to it. Permit 

 me to do so now, and to give the references : — Am. Journ. of 

 Science, 1893, vol. xlv. p. i ; Pliil. Mag., 1893, vol. xxxiv. 

 p. I ; vol. XXXV. pp. 173 and 296 ; also certain Hullctiits of the 

 U.S. Geological .Survey, particularly No. 103, which contain 

 the most complete account. Oi,ivI';k |. Lodc.k. 



\ 



The Earliest Magnetic Meridians. 



In Nati-rk of June 6, p. 129, Captain E. \V. Creak, F.R.S., 

 questions a statement of mine with regard to this subject, as 

 "Published in NATt'KE of May 23, p. 80. I there credited 

 k'eates instead of Duperrey with the first construction of the 

 magnetic meridians for the whole earth. I was careful not to 

 say thai Yeates originated the idea of magnetic meridians. 



Luler, to my knowledge, about the middle of last century, 

 appears to have first appreciated the importance of those lines 

 from a theoretical standpoint. He defines them as those curves 

 on the earth's surface, the tangents to which mark out the 



NO. 1342, VOL. 152] 



actual direction of a comjiass needle. He did not actually 

 construct them, however, if I remember correctly.' 



It was my belief then that \'eates first drew these curves, as 

 based upon observations. Captain Creak, however, thinks that 

 John Churchman deserves this honour. 



So far as I know. Churchman published but two magnetic 

 charts or atlases, one in 1 790, the other in 1794. The chart 

 referred to by CajHain Creak is the earlier one, if I mistake not. 

 A text to this chart was also published, called " An Explana- 

 tioii of the Magnetic Atlas," Philadelphia, 1790. It was my 

 belief that this was an isogonic chart — a chart giving the lines 

 of equal variation— not a chart of the magnetic meridians. 

 Churchman's later work, " The Magnetic .•\tlas or Variations 

 Charts,"' London, 1794, contains charts which, according to Prof. 

 Hellmann, are more theoretical. Prof. Ilellmann mentions and 

 briefly describes both of Churchman's charts, and gives the 

 impression that they are isogonic charts.'- 



-As I have no means at present of verifying this matter, may 

 I ask Captain Creak to make further examination, and state if 

 Churchman's magnetic meridians are based upon observation ? 



L. A. Bauer. 



The University of Chicago, June 29. 



Curious Habit of the Spotted Flycatcher. 



I IIAVR been watching, at intervals during the last week, 

 a pair of Spotted F'lycatchers feeding their young in 

 a nest on a ledge of the wall of this house. The nest is 

 embowered by a very free blossoming white rose. I noticed 

 to my surprise the parent birds again and again, after taking food 

 to their offspring, plucking off the petals of the rose near the nest, 

 and transporting them to an acacia tree about ten yards distant, 

 where they let the petals drop upon the ground. The rose 

 blossoms are now quite cleared away from the neighbourhood of 

 the nest, and the lawn beneath the acacia thickly strewn with 

 them. 



The rose flowers do not obstruct the approach to the nest, to 

 which the birds have access by running a short distance along 

 the ledge. It is also difficult to suppose that the object of the 

 birds is to admit more air and light to the nest, which is more 

 open to the sunlight than very many nests of this species which 

 I have found. Moreover, the birds take no trouble to remove 

 any of the dead leaves which are near the nest, having aniibjec- 

 tion, as it appears, only to the blossoms of the rose. "l can 

 offer no- explanation of this curious conduct of the flycatchers. 



W. Clement Lev. 



Tellack \'icarage, Ross, Herefordshire, July 11. 



A Brilliant Meteor. 



On Sunday, July 7, about 10.45 P-m., I observed a meteor of 

 rather peculiar character. Contrary to the general method of 

 appearance of these objects, it came into view very gradually, 

 and its motion was so uniform and slow that its form could be 

 clearly discerned. 



The meteor was double, the two components being about \' 

 apart, but travelling together, the smaller one being ahead of 

 the larger. The combined magnitude was probably equal to 

 that of Venus as .seen earlier on the same evening. 



Some trace of trail could faintly be made out, but this was 

 rendered uncertain • by the sky being very luminous in conse- 

 quence of the moon's jiosition near the meridian at the time. 



While visible the meteor travelled about 20° in a path approxi- 

 mately parallel to the horizon, and a rough estimate of its 

 position would be : 



R A. Decl. 



Appearance ... ... Ijh. ... -(- 20° 



Disappearance ... iih. 30m. ... +35° 



No explosion of any kind was noticed, nor any accompanying 

 sound. Ciiari.es P. Buti.er. 



Royal College of Science, July 9. 



Newton and Huygens. 

 UroN Newton's conception of the universe, space is con- 

 sidered to be void. .-V fluid or gas would oppose resist- 

 ance to the motion of the planets, and however small 

 this resistance might be, it wotdd cause a diminution of 

 the linear velocity of the planets. The central attr.action being 

 unchanged, a diminution of the linear velocity of the earth 



J See tJehlcr's " Physik.-iiisches Woertcrbuch," article " Magnetismus." 

 - '* Neudrucke von Schriftcn und K.-utcil iiber Alcteorologie und Erd- 

 m-ignctismus," No. 4, p. 22, 



