October i8, 1894J 



NA TURE 



bQ- 



dark in one case and light in the other, as was also the later 

 manuscript. The latter therefore was imperceptible. But the 

 I.ier manuscript was dark in both cases, so that it appeared 

 Jone in the combination as an intensely black writing on a 

 haded ground. The greatest difficulty met with was that of 

 il)taining two perfectly congruent negatives. An apparatus 

 suitable for this purpose, in which the object and the camera 

 were fixed in a definite position in an iron stand, was provided 

 by Herr H. C. Vogel at the Potsdam Astrophysical Labora- 

 tory. But perfect coincidence was only obtained on taking the 

 second negative through a glass plate of the same thickness as 

 the yellow glass used for the first. 



The calendar of the University College, Nottingham, for the 

 fourteenth session, 1894-95, f'*^ been published ; and also the 

 calendar of the University College of North Wales. 



Part iii. of vol. vii. of the Proceedings of the Bristol 

 Naturalists' Society has just been issued. It contains some of 

 the papers read before the Society during the session 1893-94, 

 and a portrait and short biographical notice of Dr. John 'ieddoe, 

 F.R.S. 



Prof. Frank Clowes and Mr. J. Bernard Coleman, of 

 University College, Nottingham, have written a new work on 

 ''Elementary Ojalilative Analysis," specially for the use of 

 beginners. The book will be published by Messrs. Churchill, 

 early in December. 



Messrs. Lo.vgm ans and Co. have just published " A Shilling 

 .\rithmetic," by J. Hamblin S.tiith, which is suitable as an 

 introduction to the same author's "Treatise on Arithmetic." 

 I'he b:>ok contain; short explanations of arithmetical processes 

 and a large number of simple examples. 



Messrs. Macmili.an have in preparation a " Popular 

 History of Celestial Photography," by Mr. R. A. Gregory and 

 .Mr. Albert Taylor. The book will be divided into twelve 

 sections, each of which will trace the development of the appli- 

 cation of photography to a particular branch of astronomical 

 inquiry. 



The Electrician Printing and Publishing Co. has lately 

 published the substance of the lecture on " The Work of Hertz," 

 delivered by Prof. Oliver Lodge at the Royal Institution on 

 June I, and fully reported in these columns on June 7. Twenty- 

 three illustrations have been introduced into the text, and 

 abstracts of the work of some of Hertz's successors are given 

 in appendices. 



A MONOGRAi'H of the land and freshwater mollusca of the 

 British Isles, by Mr. J. W. Taylor, is in the press, and will 

 shortly be issued. There will be two volumes, the first of 

 which will be devoted to a general treatment of the subject, 

 and the second to the treatment of specie; individuilly. Intend- 

 ing subscribers should communicate with Messrs. Taylor Bros., 

 Sovereign Street, Leeds. 



The physical properties of soils are very inadequately 

 described in most textbooks. With a view of enabling teachers 

 of agricultural classes to do fuller justice to this part of their 

 subject, Prof. R. Warington, F. R.S., has drawn up a few 

 " Brief Notes on the Physical and Chemical Properties of 

 Soils" (Chapman and Hall). The notes will doubtless prove 

 of great assistance to the science teachers for whom they are 

 intended. 



Messrs. George Newnes (Limited) announce that they 

 propose to issue a series of little bmks dealing with various 

 branches of scientific knowledge, and treating each subject in 

 clear concise language, as free as possible from technical words 

 and phrases. The following three volumes will be issued 



I NO. 1303, VOL. 50] 



immediately: — "The Story of the Stars," by Mr. G. F. 

 Chambers ; " The Story of the Eirlh," by Prof. H. G. Seeley, 

 F.R.S. ; "The Story of Primitive Man," by Mr. Edw.ard 

 Clodd. 



Students of human anatomy should find Mr. Gndon 

 B.-odie's "Dissections Illustrated," the third part of which has 

 just been published by Messrs. Whiltaker and Co., an in- 

 valuable handbook. The dissections illustrated and described 

 in the new part refer to the head, neck, and thorax. There 

 are twenty remarkably fine coloured plates, drawn and litho- 

 graphed by Mr. Percy Highley, and eight diagrams. The 

 plates are drawn so clearly, and they are so large (five are full 

 size and the rest two-thirds natural size), that the muscles, 

 vessels, and nerves of each dissection can be found without any 

 difficulty. 



Shortly before the fifth international congress of geologists, 

 a "Geological Guide-book for an Excursion to the Rocky 

 Mountains " was prepared by a number of geologists familiar 

 with the different parts of the region visited, and was edited by 

 Mr. S. F. Emmins. This bjok his been extracted from the 

 Comple rendu of the congres-, and is now publish;d separately 

 by Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, Tniiner, and Co. \ number 

 of illustrations have been added to the original, and also many 

 bibliographical references. The result is a capital account of 

 the chief points in the geology of one of the most interesting 

 regions of the world. 



A REPORT on mateorological observations in British East 

 Africa for 1893, by Mr. E. G. Ravenstein, has been received. 

 The meteorological records, of which a summary is presented 

 in the report, refer to seven stations on or near the coast, 

 and two in the interior. .\t all these stations the temperature, 

 rainfall, and other climatological factors have been recorded, 

 and in the case of five of them the records embrace at least one 

 year. Observations of the rainfall only have been recorded at 

 four other stations. Mr. Ravenstein recognises that the obser- 

 vations are as yet far too scanty and imperfect to enable the 

 true means of the temperature, rainfall, and humidity to be 

 deduced. 



Dr. Harrison Ali.e.n has revised and brought up to date 

 his valuable ".Monograph of the Bats of North .Vmerici." 

 The original work was issued nearly thirty years a^o by the 

 Smithsonian Institution, and has remained the only work on the 

 subject. The progress made in systematic zoology since that time, 

 however, rendered it desirable to prepare a new edition. The 

 monograph just distributed by the Institution is essentially new. 

 Dr. Allen has added to the species, elaborated the descriptions, 

 and introduced several novel features. These changes have 

 increased the usefulness of a very important work, and they 

 will be welco.Tied by students of what is recognised to he a 

 difficult group of animals. 



Mr. Gisbert Kapp has revised and largely rewritten his 

 work on the " Electric Transmission of Energy" (Whittaker 

 andCo. ), the fourth edition of which was published last week. 

 Changes were rendered necessary on account of the enormous 

 developments which have taken place in every branch of electric 

 power transmission since the third edition was published. The 

 author has omitted a large amount of the descriptive matter, 

 and has given a greater amount of space to the theoretical part 

 of his subject. Among the omissions are ' ' the historical account 

 of power transmission, detailed descriptions of plants, com- 

 parison of electric with other systems of transmission, under- 

 ground cables, electric tramways, and telpher lines." Altogether 

 the book, as at present constituted, is more scientific, and less a 

 trade catalogue than formerly. 



