26o 



NA TURE 



[January i i, 1900 



horticulture and extend the knowled;;e of beautiful flowers, 

 shrubs and trees, and of the best ways of dealing with them. 

 Botanists, horticulturists, and all lovers of plants should see 

 the number which commences the new series. Among the 

 articles we notice one on the Royal Gardens, Kew, illustrated, 

 as are the other contributions, with several instructive half-tone 

 pictures. 



Astronomy figures prominently in the January number of 

 Knowledge. Mr. A. Fowler contributes an article on the con- 

 stituents of the sun, in which he summarises the researches and 

 conclusions of modern solar physics. Mr. E. W. Maunder 

 commences a series of articles on astronomy without a telescope, 

 and the Rev. J. M. Bacon describes the balloon ascent made by 

 him with the object of observing the Leonid meteors. Among 

 other subjects of articles are plants and their food, by Mr. H. 

 H. W. Pearson, and the natives of Australia and their origin, 

 by Mr. R. Lydekker, F.R.S. 



Our contemporary, Science Gossip, is doing good work in 

 publishing a series of papers, by competent naturalists, dealing 

 with different groups of the British invertebrate fauna, in the 

 form of popular monographs. Portions of three memoirs of 

 this series appear in the January number — namely, one, by Mr. 

 Sopp, on dor-beetles ; a second, by Mr. Soar, on freshwater 

 mites ; and a third, on spiders, by Mr. F. P. Smith. By the 

 quotation from Antony and Cleopatra, the author first named 

 seems to have proved beyond cavil that the Shakespearian term 

 shards refers to the elytrse of the dor-beetle. While thus keep- 

 ing in the main to the British fauna, the editor has admitted 

 one descriptive paper dealing with a wider area — to wit, a con- 

 tribution, by Dr. H. C. Lang, describing the Patearctic butter- 

 flies, of which the present section is devoted to the numerous 

 species of the beautiful genus Parnassius. 



The fubelband of the Zeitschrift fiir physikalische Cheinie 

 contains an interesting memoir by Dr. T. Estreicher upon the 

 solubility of argon and helium in water. The value given by 

 Prof. Ramsay in his preliminary note in 1895 for the solubility 

 coefficient of helium ('0073 at 18° "2) would make helium the 

 least soluble of gases, a conclusion borne out by its exceedingly 

 low critical point : but from the experiments of Dr. Estreicher 

 it would now appear that the true value of the coefficient is 

 about double this preliminary value. The apparatus used was 

 identical in principle with that of Ostwald, but was impro%'ed in 

 two important points : the use of a glass spiral connecting the 

 measuring and absorption vessels, enabling the apparatus to be 

 made wholly of glass, and the immersion of the whole apparatus 

 in water. This water jacket rendered accurate determinations 

 of the solubility coefficients possible at temperatures between 0° 

 and 50° C. The results are plotted in the form of curves, 

 nitrogen being also shown on the same scale for the sake of 

 comparison. The solubility curve of argon is of the usual type, 

 decreasing with rise of temperature from "0578 at 0° to "02567 

 at 50°. The solubility of helium varies very slightly with 

 temperature, the curve exhibiting a minimum at about 25° C, 

 the values being -015 at 0°, •01371 at 25', -01404 at 50°. 

 The nitrogen and helium curves intersect *at 30°, where their 

 solubilities are the same ; above this temperature nitrogen has 

 a smaller solubility than helium. The authoT points out that 

 although the occurrence of a minimum of solubility is peculiar, 

 it is not unique, since Bohr and Bock found a minimum of 

 solubility for hydrogen at about 60°. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 ipast week include a Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana) from 

 West Africa, presented by Mr. S. W. Thompston ; a Common 

 Tern {Sterna fluviatilis), European, presented by Mr. J. 

 Uewton ; a Tawny Owl [Syrnium aluco), British, presented by 

 NO. 1576, VOL. 61] 



Madam de Bunsen ; Moor Macaque ( il/ataf/w wa«;-«i) from the 

 East Indies, a Crested Porcupine {Hystrix cristata) from West 

 Africa, two Crossbills (Loxia curvirosfra), European ; three 

 Serrated Terrapins {Chtysemys scripta), a Prickly Trionyx 

 (Trionyx spinifer),a.'&\i\\ ¥rog (Rana catesbiana) horn North 

 America, deposited ; two White-eyebrowed Wood-Swallows 

 {Artainus siiperciliosns), two Masked Wood-Swallows (^r/a'««j 

 pcrsonata) from Australia, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Central Star of Ring Nebula l\ Lyra. — M. W. 

 Stratonoff^, of the Tashkent Observatory, has been engaged in 

 measuring the brightness of the central star of the annular 

 nebula in Lyra, and has communicated his results to the 

 Astrouoiiiische Nachrichten, Bd. 1 5 1, No. 3607. A considerable 

 number of photographs of the nebula have been obtained with 

 the large telescope of 08301. aperture, extending over the period 

 September 8, 1895, to September 15, 1899, the exposures 

 varying from 30 to 90 minutes. From his measures of the 

 brightness of the central star as compared with the magnitudes 

 of 30 neighbouring comparison stars, ^L Stratonoff shows that 

 the magnitude varies from I3'i to 9-5. A special series of 

 photographs taken with extra long exposures, ho.wever, renders 

 the question of variability, as measured from photographic 

 impressions, somewhat doubtful. On a plate exposed for any- 

 thing between 22m. and ih. 23m. the mean magnitude of the 

 star was 11 "6.' On a plate exposed for 10 hours, the magnitude 

 was lO'i ; while on exposing for 20 hours, the measured 

 magnitude was 3 '6. The author suggests, as explanation 

 of this, that the star may really be simply a condensation of 

 part of the whole nebulous matter, and the effect of long 

 exposure will be to lessen the contrast between the condensed 

 centre and the outlying fainter matter. 



THE INDIAN UNIVERSITY OF RESEARCH. 

 A Conference was held at Simla at the end of October last to 

 ■^ consider the Tata scheme for a Research University for 

 India. A full report of the Conference is in the Madras 

 Educational Review, from which the following particulars have 

 been derived : — 



The gentlemen invited by the Government of India to meet 

 in conference with Mr. J. N. Tata regarding the proposed 

 University were as follows : — The Hon. Mr. T. Raleigh, 

 presiding, Mr. Jamsetji N. Tata (with his Secretary, Mr. 

 Padshah), the Hon. Mr. Justice Ranade, Surgeon-General 

 Harvey, the Hon. Dr. Duncan, Director of Public Instruction, 

 Madras, Prof. Pedler, F.R.S., Director of Public Instruction. 

 Bengal, Mr. Sime, Director of Public Instruction, Punjab, 

 Principal MacMillan, Bombay, Mr. A. H. L. Eraser, Offici- 

 ating Home Secretary. 



The Conference first discussed fully the manner in which the 

 scheme should be launched, so as to keep in view the ultimate 

 ideal and at the same time make progress as funds permit. 

 The Conference were of opinion that it is an essential feature 

 of the scheme to have a central institution for research, as well 

 as a central authority to control the operations conducted under 

 the scheme. And they were of opinion that there is ample 

 room, and indeed a clear necessity, for such a central insti- 

 tution. 



At the same time they realised the necessity for taking ad- 

 vantage of existing facilities for research, whether in the shape 

 of special local facilities (as of trade, products, &c. ), or in the 

 shape of good laboratories or museums, and men qualified for 

 scientific research. They acknowledged that even in the 

 unfavourable circumstances hitherto existing, students had 

 shown in certain instances distinguished aptitude and capacity 

 for research ; and they believed that much good would be done 

 by the grant of studentships, and also, where necessary, by 

 assistance to the teaching and supervising staff'. While, there- 

 fore, recognising that a central institution is necessary, and 

 that there are certain departments of research (such as Technical 

 Chemistry), which must even from the very first be provided 

 for at that central institution, they recommended that at the 

 outset every eff"ort should be made to utilise existing facilities 



