April 27, 1905] 



NA TURE 



617 



the alcohols, &c. , do not produce coagulation, and the 

 phenomenon seems to be rnitiated solely by the presence of 

 the positive ion of an electrolyte. The negative ion appar- 

 ently is quite without influence on the rate of coagulation ; 

 equivalent quantities, for instance, of sodium chloride, 

 sodium nitrate, and sodium sulphate cause coagulation to 

 occur at exactly the same rate. The nature of the positive 

 ion, on the other hand, exercises great influence on 

 coagulation ; in the case of the alkali metals the rate 

 depends on the atomic weight, there being a regular 

 sequence in the order lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, 

 cfesium, the metal of greatest atomic weight bringing 

 about coagulation, most rapidly. Traces of acids and of 

 acid salts, however, inhibit coagulation, an abnormal 

 behaviour of the hydrogen ion being thus indicated, whilst 

 alkalis always increase the rate of formation of a 

 coaguluni. 



Messrs. Bltsgoyne, Burbidges and Co. have recently 

 sent us a new edition of their price list of pure chemicals 

 and reagents manufactured by them. Part ii. of the cata- 

 logue contains a list of chemical and physical apparatus 

 for laboratory or lecture purposes. 



We have received the May issue of the Stonyhurst 

 Magazine, an excellent example of an illustrated college 

 magazine. The " science notes," which are entirely astro- 

 nomical, are illustrated by drawings made at Stonyhurst 

 Observatory of the great sun-spot of February. There is 

 also a collection of notes on the bird-life of the college 

 district. 



The Cambridge University Press has published the first 

 supplement of the second volume of " The Fauna and 

 Geography of the Maldive and Laccadive Archipelagoes, 

 being the Account of the Work carried on and of the 

 Collections made by an Expedition during the Years 1899 

 and 1900," which is being edited by Mr. J. Stanley 

 Gardiner. An index is in course of preparation, and will 

 be published shortly. 



Prof. J. J. Thomson's work on " Electricity and 

 Matter," containing six lectures delivered by the author 

 at the University of Yale in 1903, has been translated into 

 Italian by Prof. G. Fa^, and published as one of the 

 Hoepli manuals. In the opening paragraph of a short 

 introduction to the work. Prof. Fa^ quotes the remark 

 made by Sir Oliver Lodge in our columns that the volume 

 is " Altogether a fascinating and most readable book for 

 students of physics and chemistry." 



We have received from Messrs. Taylor, Taylor and Hob- 

 son, Ltd., of Leicester, a very neatly got up catalogue of 

 their photographic lenses. These, as is well known, are of 

 many varieties, and the particular features are that they 

 are composed of three thin glasses, uncemented, and 

 accurately adjusted to produce with full aperture sharp 

 definition evenly throughout the plate. The principles of 

 the action of a lens are clearly described and illustrated 

 by Mr. William Taylor, and an interesting series of illus- 

 trations is given showing the manipulation of the glass in 

 their works from the rough blocks to the finished lenses. 



The 1905 issue of the " Statesman's Year-book " has 

 now been published by Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Ltd. 

 The statistical and other information in the new issue has 

 been brought up to the latest available date, in some cases 

 to the end of 1904. Much alteration has been involved by 

 the Anglo-French Convention of 1904 and by the adminis- 

 trative re-arrangement of French West African possessions. 

 The space devoted to Germany as a whole, especially 

 education, has been increased ; Bulgarian statistics have 

 been much extended ; the Philippine Islands have been 

 treated more fully ; and numerous other sections have 

 NO. 1852, VOL. 71] 



been largely re-written and thoroughly revised. Two 

 interesting tables are included, one showing the losses 

 sustained by the Russian and Japanese forces in the pre- 

 sent war, and the other showing the penetrative power 

 of the projectiles used. As usual, the maps and diagrams 

 are numerous, well executed, and of great value — among 

 them may be mentioned one showing the new naval 

 distribution scheme, and one illustrating the British meat 

 imports from abroad. The " Statesman's Year-book " is 

 likely long to retain the high place it has held for many 

 years among books of reference. 



The annual report of the Board of Scientific Advice for 

 India for the year 1903-4 has been received. With the 

 exception of that part of the report relating to the work 

 of the Survey of India, it is based upon the departmental 

 reports for the year under consideration. The information 

 included is arranged under the following headings : — 

 trigonometrical survey, topographical survey, forest survey, 

 cadastral and traverse survey, geographical surveys and 

 reconnaissances, total outturn, geodetic, marine survey, 

 astronomical work, meteorology, geology, zoological 

 survey, veterinary science, botanical survey, applied botany, 

 and chemistry. It is worthy of note that the report con- 

 tains no list of names of the men cf science constituting 

 the Board of Scientific Advice, nor are there reports of 

 any meetings of the Board. The portion of the report 

 relating to the work of the Survey of India is based on 

 the report of that department for 1902-3 published in 1904, 

 and certain other items embodying information of later 

 date than the period covered by any of the other reports. 

 The publication as a whole may be described as a 

 risumi of individual 'departmental reports ; it contains 

 scarcely anything in the way of recommendations for the 

 future guidance of departmental work, and little that is 

 to be identified as the special function of a Board of Scien- 

 tific Advice. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in May : — 

 May I. Vesta 6° S. of 8 Leonif. 

 ,, 2. gh. 3Sm. Minimum of Algol {P Persei). 

 ,, 2. 6h. Epoch of Aquarid meteoric shower (Radiant 



338°-2°). 

 ,, 3. i8h. Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun. 

 ,, 6. 5h. 28m. to 6h. 30m. Moon occults a Tauri {Alde- 



baran). 

 „ 8. 8h. Mars in opposition to the Sun. 

 ,, 12. 8h. 46m. to 9h. 53m. Moon occults A Leonis (mag. 



46). 

 ,, 15. Venus. Illuminated portion of disc = o'loo ; of Mars 



= o'997- 

 ,, 17. loh. Mars in conjunction with Moon, Mars 5° 10' S. 

 ,, 20. 23h. Mercury at greatest W. elongation, 25" 26'. 

 ,, 22. Ilh. 20m. Minimum of Algol {$ Persei). 

 ,,24. Saturn. Outer major axis of outer ring = 39"-5o; 



minor axis of outer ring = 5""88. 

 ,, 25. I3h. Saturn in conjunction with Moon, Saturn 1' 39' S. 

 Elements and Ephemeris for Comet 1905 a (Giacoeini). 

 —A set of elements and an ephemeris (April 6-30) for comet 

 1905 a have been comiTiunicated, by General Bassot, of 

 the Nizza Observatory, to No. 4010 of the Astronomische 

 Nachrichten. These 'were computed from observations 

 made at Nice on March 26, 28, and 30, and the elements 

 agree closely with two other sets computed at Harvard 

 and Paris respectivelv, and published in the same journal. 

 The elements and an extract from the ephemeris are here 

 given : — 



Elements. 

 T =1905 April 4-141 (Paris M.T.) 



00 =358 l8'o"\ 



a = 157 7-1 -igos'o 



i = 40 24'S J 

 log (/ =0 04836 



