494 



NATURE 



[august io, 1916 



and the magnetic data are made for intervals of less 

 than a year — a month, for example — the lack of exact 

 synchronism and the lack of proportionality between 

 the two sets of changes become especially noticeable. 

 Fortunately, beginning with 1905, we have a new set 

 of figures, the values of the solar constant, determined 

 with high precision at Mount Wilson, California, by 

 Dr. Abbot. Remarkable fluctuations are shown in 

 these values, amounting at times to 10 per cent, of 

 the value. The present paper makes a comparison 

 between the annual changes in the values of the solar 

 constant for the period 1905 to 19 14, with the irregu- 

 larities in the annual changes of the earth's magnetic 

 constant. It is found that the two sets of data, in 

 general, show similar fluctuations. Also, a closer 

 correspondence is found between these two sets of 

 changes than between either set and that of sun-spot 

 frequencies. In brief, the solar-constant values furnish 

 another index of changes in solar activity which may 

 be usefully studied in connection with rninor fluctua- 

 tions in the earth's magnetism. 



Dr. VV. Patten, "Co-operation as a Factor in 

 Evolution " : — 



The purpose of this discussion is to show that co- 

 operation, or the summation of power, is the creative 

 and preservative agent in evolution, and that the 

 summation of power depends on co-operation in the 

 conveyance of power. Co-operation in the inner life 

 of the individual is a pre-requisite to co-operation in 

 its external life. The larger physical volume and 

 organic power of the individual are the means by 

 which it finds the larger sources of supplies and the 

 better ways of cosmic and social co-operation. What 

 we call " evil " is that which prevents, or destroys, 

 co-operation. " Good " is that which perpetuates and 

 improves co-operation. The " struggle for existence " 

 is a struggle to find better ways of co-operation, and 

 the "fittest" is the one that co-operates best. The 

 same laws which prevail in the inner and outer life of 

 animals and plants prevail in the social life of man. 

 Man's social progress is measured by the degree to 

 which he has extended the mutually' profitable give- 

 and-take of co-operative action beyond himself to the 

 family, tribe, and State, and into the world of life 

 at large. The chief agents of civilisation — language, 

 commerce, science, literature, art, and religion — are 

 the larger and more enduring Instruments of convev- 

 ance, which better enable the part and the whole to 

 avoid that which is " evil " and to find that which Is 

 "good," and which yields a larger surplus for "free- 

 dom." 



Prof. G. H. Parker, "Types of Neuromuscular 

 Mechanism In Sea-Anemones": — 



In the origin of nerve and muscle the sea-anemone 

 has been supposed to represent a step In which a 

 nervous net of very primitive structure could thrown 

 Into prolonged contraction the general musculature of 

 the animal's body. An examination of the body of 

 the sea-anemone shows that its muscular activities 

 are of a much more diverse kind. They include, first, 

 muscles that act under direct stimulation and without 

 the Intervention of nerves ; secondlv, muscles that are 

 stimulated directly, as well as bv nerves ; thirdlv, 

 muscles that are stimulated only by nerves and ex- 

 hibit In these circumstances profound tonic contrac- 

 tions ; and, finally, muscles that react in the same 

 reflex way that those in the higher animals do. This 

 diversity of muscular response has not been fully 

 appreciated by previous workers. 



Prof. E. C. Pickering. " Determination of Stellar 

 Magnitudes by Photography " : — 



An Immense amount of work Is being carried on 

 bv observatories all over the world In determining 

 the photographic magnitudes of the stars. It Is of 



NO. 2441, VOL. 97] 



the utmost importance that all these magnitudes 

 should be reduced to the same scale. Accordingly, in 

 April, 1909, an International Committee was appointed, 

 with members from England, France, Germany, Hul- 

 land, Kussia, and the United States. This committee 

 met in 1910 and 1913, and, after a most amicable 

 discussion, agreed on a system in which all stars were 

 to be referred to a standard sequence of stars near the 

 North Pole. 'Ihe magnitudes of the latter were deter- 

 mined at Harvard by Miss H. S. Leavitt by six 

 different methods, using eleven dllferent telescopes, 

 having apertures from one-half to sixty Inches. All 

 gave accordant results, and were adopted by the com- 

 mittee. A simple method was found for transferring 

 these magnitudes to stars in other parts of the sky, 

 but here extraordinary sources of systematic errors 

 presented themselves. For example, if two equal ex- 

 posures were made on a plate, the second was found 

 to give fainter images ; If, by means of a small prism, 

 exposures were made simultaneously with ditferent 

 ap-.-'ures, the smaller aperture indicated a brighter 

 magnitude than the larger when the stars were 

 bright, and a fainter magnitude when they were faint. 

 The colour equation was found to vary by different 

 amounts, not only for difl^erent instruments, but for 

 different magnitudes. 



Miss A. J. Cannon, "A New Catalogue of Variable 

 Stars " : — 



So great has been the Increase in the number of vari- 

 able stars that a new- catalogue now being compiled 

 contains 4641 stars, of which 3397, or nearly three- 

 quarters of the whole, have been found at Harvard, 

 and 1244 elsewhere, by astronomers in nearly all por- 

 tions of the civilised world. The variable stars are 

 divided Into five classes, dependent upon the character 

 of their variation In light. The periods vary from 

 three hours to 698 'days. Determination of the periods 

 and light curves of these stars constitutes a large piece 

 of work. Much has been done at Harvard in this 

 field, and many observations have been furnished by 

 other astronomers for such determinations. No more 

 suitable place could be found for the preparati6n of 

 this catalogue than the Harvard Observatory, for the 

 rich library of a quarter of a million stellar photo- 

 graphs furnishes the only complete mdte'rial in the 

 world for the studv of these stars during the last 

 twenty-fiVe years. By examining the past history of 

 a star on these photographs, the investigator may 

 far more readily find an answer to such perplexing 

 questions as to whether a star is variable or constant, 

 what Is the length of the period, is the period change- 

 able, what is the colour or the spectrum of the star, 

 th^n bv waiting: months or years to accumulate 

 additional observations. 



During the morning of April 15 the following 

 foreign members were elected : — Dr. F. D. .Adams, 

 F.R.S., of Montreal; Dr. W. L. Johannsen, of Copen- 

 hagen ; and Dr. J. D. van der Waals, of Amster- 

 dam. 



UNTVERSTTY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



The sum of 3000Z. has been bequeathed to the Yale 

 University School of Medicine by Mr. Norman B. 

 Bayley. 



Prof. J. J. van Loghem has been appointed to the 

 newly founded chair of tropical hygiene in the Univer- 

 sity of Amsterdam. 



Dr. R. Armstrong-Jones has resigned, as from 

 September next, after twentv-three years' service, the 

 medical superintendency of Claybury Asylum. 



