33^ 



NATURE 



[June 15, 1916 



published a paper in the society's Transactions, 191 1, 

 upon the Newcomb operators used in the algebraical 

 development of the elliptic perturbative function. The 

 present paper deals with a further extension of the uses 

 of these Newcomb operators. — P. A. Wagner : A con- 

 tribution to our knowledge of the " national game " 

 of Africa. Among most of the native races 

 of Africa there is played in one form or another, either 

 in rows of holes scooped out of the ground or on 

 wood, stone, or even ivory boards, a peculiar game of 

 skill, that from its wide distribution over the continent 

 has been appropriately styled "the national game of 

 Africa." The game is described by the author, and is 

 essentially a war game. Two players or sides direct 

 a contest between armies of equal strength, the object 

 in view being the capture or " Idlling" of "men " who 

 are represented by small stones, seeds, shells, or frag- 

 ments of dry cow-dung. — J. Hewitt : A survey of the 

 Scorpion fauna of South Africa. The main features 

 of the Scorpion fauna of South Africa have been 

 known for some years, though up to the present time 

 no complete lists or descriptions of the fauna as a 

 whole have been available. In this paper an attempt 

 has been made to provide a trustvvorthv synopsis of 

 the main distinguishing characters of all the species 

 and varieties known to inhabit South Africa.— S. 

 Schonland : Note on a petiole and portion of the lamina 

 of Cotyledon orbiculata functioning as a stem. The 

 author describes a case of the formation of adventi- 

 tious roots on a leaf of Cotyledon orbiculata, which 

 remained attached to its stem for seven months after- 

 wards. The roots grew considerably, the petiole and 

 the lower part of the leaf thickening and resembling 

 the stem in outward appearance. So far as examined, 

 the petiole retained the external structure character- 

 istic of such an organ, and did not turn into a stem 

 as was expected, although it had to perform stem- 

 functions for such a long time. In analogous cases 

 in other plants radical changes have been observed. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Harper's Hydraulic Tables for the Flow of Water, 

 in Circular Pipes under Pressure, Timber Flumes, 

 Open Channels, and Egg-shaped Conduits, with much 

 Accessory Information. By J. H. Harper. Pp. 192. 

 (London : Constable and Co., Ltd.) 85. 6d. net. 



The Principles of Apprentice Training, with Special 

 Reference to the Engineering Industry. By A. P. M. 

 Fleming and J. P. Pearce. Pp. xiii + 202. (London : 

 Longmans and Co.) 3s. 6d. net. 



Chemistry in the Service of Man. By Prof. A. 

 Findlay. Pp. xiv + 2S5. (London : Longmans and 

 Co.) 55. net. 



Revista de la Academia de Ciencias Exactas. Fisico- 

 Quimicas y Naturales de Zaragoza. Tomo i. 

 Numero i. Pp. 72 ; Academia de Ciencias Exactas. 

 Fisico-Quimicas y Naturales de Zaragoza. Discurso 

 leido por su presidente. Dr. Z. G. de Galdeano, en la 

 sesion inaugural celebrada el dia 28 de Mayo de 1916. 

 Pp. 32. (Zaragoza : G. Casanal Coso.) 



Coal-Tar and Ammonia. By Prof. G. Lunge. 

 Fifth and enlarp-ed edition. Part i., Coal-Tar. Pp. 

 xxix + 527. Part ii., Coal-Tar. Pp. xi4-53i to 1037. 

 Part iii., Ammonia Pp. xvi+1041 to 1658. (Lon- 

 don : Gumey and Jackson.) The three parts, 3Z. 35. 

 net. 



Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. 

 Bulletin No. xxxvi. Education Series. No. 4 : The 

 Physical Geography of Wisconsin. By Dr. L. Mar- 

 tin. Pp. xxii + 549- (Madison, Wis.) 



The Science of Musical Sounds. Bv Prof. D. C 

 Miller. Pp. viii + 286. (New York: The Macmillan 



NO. 2433, VOL. 97] 



Co.; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) 105. 6d. 

 net. 



Anthropological Report on Sierra Leone. By N. W. 

 Thomas. Part i. Law and Custom of the Timne and 

 other Tribes. Pp. 196. Part ii. Timne-English Dic- 

 tionary. Pp. 139. Part iiL Timne Grammar and 

 Stories. Pp. xxx + 86. (London : Harrison and 

 Sons.) 



Specimens of Languages from Sierra Leone. By 

 N. W. Thomas. Pp. 62. (London : Harrison and 

 Sons.) 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



MONDAY, June 19. 

 RovAL Geographical Societ\% at 8.30. — The Gold Coast : Some Con- 

 siderations of its Structure, People, and Natural History: A. £. Kitson. 



TUESDAY, June 20. 



Royal Statistical Society, at 5.15 — Annual General Meeting. 



Mineralogical SociETV, at 5.30. — The Relation-; of Kquivalent Twinning 

 Operations : Dr. J. W. Evans. — (i) The Meteorites of Khairpur and Soko- 

 I5anja ; (2) The Classification of Meteorites : Dr. G. T. Prior. — Note on a 

 New Occurrence of Gold from Cornwall : Lieut. A. Russell. — Volcanic 

 Rocks from Angola : A. Holmes (with analyses by Dr. H. F. Harwood). — 

 A New Zinc Phosphate from British Columbia : Prof. T. L. Walker. 



IVEDNESDAY, June 2t. 



RovAL Meteorological Society, at 4.30. — Report on the Phenological 

 Observations (or 1915 : J. E. Clark and tl. B. Adames. — Audibility of the 

 Gun Firing in Flanders over the South-east of England, September, 1914 

 — April, 1916 : Miller Christy and W. Marriott. — The Relation between 

 Atmospheric Pressure and Rainfall at a Single Station : Lieut. E. H. 

 Chapman. 



THURSDAY, June 22. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Croonian Lecture: Evolution and Symmetry in 

 the OrJer of the Se;»-pens : Prof. S. J. Hickson. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Position and Prospects of Chemical Industry . . 317 

 Lamb's Hydrodynamics. By Lord Rayleigh, O.M., 



F.R.S . 318 



Prehistory in India. By W. M. F. P 319 



Women and the Land. By E. J. R 320 



Our Bookshelf 320 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Gravitation and Temperature. — J. L 321 



A Plague of Caterpillars. — ^J. Compton Merry- 

 weather ... . . 321 



The Black-eared Wheatear : A New Bird for the Irish 



List.— Prof. C. J. Patten 321 



Experimental Biology. ByJ. A. T . . . 322 



The Great Canadian Reflector 323 



Sir Frederick Donaldson, K.C.B 324 



Mr. Leslie S. Robertson 324 



Notes 325 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Comet 1916/5 (Wolf) •• ... 328 



The Solar Activity 328 



The New Draper Catalogue 328 



The Spectrum of Coronium 328 



The Visibility of Stars in Daylight 328 



Geology of South-west Africa. ByG. A.J. C. . . 329 



Antarctic Hydrography . ... 329 



Portland Cement. (Hhcstrated ) By J. A. A 329 



The Soil and the Plant. {With Diagram.') By Dr. 



E. J. Russell 331 



University and Educational Intelligence 333 



Societies and Academies 334 



Books Received 336 



Diary of Societies 336 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 

 MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd., 

 MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C. 



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Advertisements and business letters to be addressed to the 

 Publishers. 



Editorial Communications to the Editor. 

 Telegraphic Address: Phusis, London. 

 Telephone Number : Gerrard 8830. 



