November 6, 1902 J 



NATURE 



Dr. H. S. Garslaw has been appointed professor of pure 

 and applied mathematics in the University of Sydney. He was 

 fourth wrangler (bracketed) in 1894, and is lecturer in 

 mathematics in the University of Glasgow, and Fellow of 

 Emmanuel College, Cambridge. 



The Vienna correspondent of the Times states that accord- 

 ing to a communication from St. Petersburg, the Russian 

 Ministry of Agriculture has just decided to found an agricultural 

 high school for women. Students at the school will receive a 

 general training as agriculturists, or will be permitted to restrict 

 their attention to special branches of agriculture, such as dairy 

 farming, gardening, bee culture, poultry keeping and cattle 

 and sheep breeding. The course has been fixed for three year? 

 and will include practical occupation on a model farm in 

 addition to study and laboratory work. Although the date 

 on which the new institution will be opened has not yet been 

 decided upon, 325 women who have had an intermediate educa- 

 tion have announced their intention to follow the course. 



A research scholarship of the annual value of 200/. for the 

 study of the thymus and other ductless glands has recently been 

 founded by Mr. J. Francis Mason, of Freeland Lodge, Wood- 

 stock, Oxfordshire. The scholarship is tenable for two years, but 

 the period may be extended to three years. The medical papers 

 announce that on the recommendation of Prof. G. Sims Wood- 

 head, of Cambridge, and Dr. T. F. S. Caverhill, of Edinburgh, 

 Dr. Swale Vincent, lecturer on histology at the University 

 College, Cardiff, has been appointed the first scholar. In 

 addition to the foundation of the scholarship, Mr. Mason has 

 made a donation of 200/. to the laboratory of the Edinburgh 

 Royal College of Physicians to enable the medical superin- 

 tendent, Dr. Noel Paton, to carry out a combined research on 

 ductless glands. 



The chief of the circulating department of the New York 

 Public Library has recently undertaken an inquiry into the kind 

 and amount of the reading of scientific subjects which takes 

 place in connection with the eleven branches of the New York 

 Library. During May, 1901, the total home circulation of 

 books from the eleven branch libraries was 131,700, and 

 that of books of science 8553, or 6'5 per cent. The most 

 popular subjects of science during the month concerned were, 

 in order, zoology, mathematics, physics and botany, the least 

 popular of the ten sciences tabulated being paleontology, on 

 which subject there were only twenty-four books in all the 

 libraries put together, and of these only four were borrowed 

 during the month. But a month is too short a time for the 

 investigation, and little importance can be attached to the 

 results. 



The report of the Somerset County Education Committee 

 for the year ending March 31 last shows that very few changes 

 were made during this period in the system of technical edu- 

 cation existing in the county of Somerset. The committee 

 continues to encourage agricultural research. For instance, 

 a grant of 100/. a year for three years has been made to the 

 Bath and West and Southern Counties' Society in aid of a 

 research by Mr. F. T. Lloyd into the causes of production of 

 flavour in dairy produce, the Board of Agriculture contributing 

 200/. per annum and the Bath and West Society 150/. per 

 annum for the same purpose during the same period. A grant 

 of 25/. has also been made in aid of the expenses of experi- 

 ments on the influence of the manuring of pastures on the 

 growth of sheep fed thereon, to be carried out on Lord 

 Ebrington's estate on Exmoor. 



We have received from Sir Philip Magnus the report, for the 

 session 1901-2, on the work of the department of technology of 

 the City and Guilds of London Institute. Among other matters 

 described are the steps by which arrangements have been made 

 for coordinating the technological work of the Institute with 

 that of the Board of Education for England and Wales and 

 of the Scotch Education Department. These arrangements 

 are to be welcomed as helping to systematise technical instruc- 

 tion and as tending to prevent the overlapping of effort which, 

 in educational matters, has generally led to waste and ineffi- 

 ciency. They mark another step towards the unification of 

 different educational activities under a central board. The work 

 of the department of technology of the Institute continues to 

 grow steadily. During the session, the number of classes 

 registered by the Institute increased from 2222 to 2320, and the 

 number of students in attendance at these classes from 34,246 to 

 36,189. The total number of candidates for examination in 

 Great Britain and Ireland was 16,580, showing an increase of 

 1023 on the number presented in 1901. 



NO. 1723, VOL. 67] 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Entomological Society, October 15. — Prof. E.B. Poulton, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. —Mr. A. J.Chitty showed an 

 entirely black specimen of Metoecus paradoxus as tending to dis- 

 prove the mimicry suggested by him at the meeting on October 1. 

 Dr. Chapman said that in his experience one out of every six 

 specimens of this species was black. Mr. Donisthorpe stated 

 that out of about one hundred specimens he had never caught 

 or bred a black Metcecus. — Air. E. P. Pickett exhibited a 

 variety of the female of Argynnis aglaia, varieties of Satyrus 

 janira, and a long series of Lycaena corydon taken near Folke- 

 stone and Dover in August last, including four males of the 

 last-named species, with the black band on the edge oi the fore- 

 wings much deeper than usual ; also twelve dwarf male speci- 

 mens of this species, four dwarf females and many other 

 aberrant forms. Mr. Goss said this dwarf form of L. corydon 

 occurred constantly in one valley about two miles east from 

 Dover, but he was unaware of its occurrence elsewhere in this 

 country. He remarked that a dwaYf form of L, avion occurred 

 everywhere where the type was found, both in Gloucestershire 

 and Cornwall. Dr. Chapman and Mr. Sloper also remarked on 

 the dwarf form of L. corydon. — Dr. Chapman exhibited speci- 

 mens of Notodonta (ffybocampa) dryinopa from (Queensland. 

 It was remarkably similar in appearance, structure and habits to 

 Hybocampa milhauseri. He stated that the pupa with a similar 

 spine to that of H. milhauscri does not cut out a regular oval lid 

 from the cocoon like that species, but by a stabbing process 

 pierces it with a number of holes, so that a piece is more easily 

 pushed off. The cocoon being covered with bits of bark, stone, 

 &c. , a cutting process would be impossible, whereas the cocoon 

 of H. milhauseri was of pure gum-like silk. He pointed out 

 that the larva much resembled that of //. inilhauseri, but the 

 hinder segments were more like those of Sfauropus fagi. He 

 also exhibited living eggs, larvae and imagines of Orina tristis, 

 var. smaragdiua, from Pino, Lago Maggiore. The beetles were 

 taken on May 30, and had laid many eggs. Dr. Chapman said 

 that the embryo, ready to hatch, might be seen within some of 

 the eggs and its hatching spines observed. — Mr. Sloper ex- 

 hibited a specimen of Lycaena hylas, caught at Dover on 

 September 7. — Mr. Martin Jacoby communicated a paper 

 entitled " A Further Contribution to our Knowledge of African 

 Phytophagous Coleoptera." — Mr. Malcolm Burr read a com- 

 munication from Hofrath Dr. Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl 

 entitled " Observations sur le nom generique Acrida." 



Manchester. 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, October 21. — Mr. 

 Charles Bailey, president, in the chair. — Mr. C. E. Stromeyer 

 exhibited specimens of boiler scale which both internally and 

 externally resembled volcanoes, and he thought might with 

 advantage be studied with the object of gaining a knowledge of 

 volcanic eruptions. — The president read a paper on the adventi- 

 tious vegetation of the sandhills of St.Anne's-on-the-Sea, in which 

 he remarked on four aliens found in that locality, viz. CEnothera 

 biennis, Linn., Sisymbrium pannonicum, Jacq., Ambrosia 

 aitemisiaefolia, Linn., and Vicia villosa, Roth. Although the 

 latter plant is distributed throughout Europe, this is probably 

 the first record of its occurrence in Britain. Ambrosia 

 arlemisiacfolia is also a noteworthy addition, as it is a rare 

 casual in the few places in England where it has previously been 

 found. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, October 22. — M. Bouquet de la Grye ' 

 in the chair. — Demonstration of the absolute irreducibility of the 

 equation y" = 6y- + x, by M. Paul Painleve. — Synthesis of 

 the alkaline hyposulphites and of the hyposulphites of the alka- 

 line earths in an anhydrous condition, by M. Moissan. The 

 hydrides of the alkalis and the alkaline earths when acted upon 

 with sulphur dioxide under reduced pressure give pure hypo- 

 sulphites, the hydrosulphites of Schutzenberger. From the fact 

 that hydrogen is given off in this reaction, it is shown that the 

 formula given by Bernthsen, Na 2 S„Oj, is correct, and that the 

 original formula of Schutzenberger, in which these substances 

 are represented as containing hydrogen, is not in accordance 

 with fact. — The culture of wheat at the experimental field at 

 Grignon in 1902, by MM. Deherain and C. Dupont. Chiefly 

 owing to the rains in the month of May, the yield of wheat in 

 this experimental station has been exceptionally good. The 



