I i3i 19 19] 



NATURE 



473 



would depend upon the quality of the anaesthetic sub- 



[ ; and ii is good to know thai steps 

 taken bj systematic chemical analyses to ensure thi 



sion "i sattsfai ton supplies, rhe 1 emaim 

 the medical articli I ol phenacetin, 



asp si h as quinini 



hypodermal injection or 

 ophthalmic usi - 



instructional activities ol our naval ai 

 Sei \ ices are re flee ti d in the repoi 



mini il for th 1 on- 



metals anah si d foi thi I 

 11 tment, w hilsl from the Air Board 1 

 thous; -. ni chieflj alloys. A 



ubstitute fin platinum examined 

 fin thi Ministry of Mun an alio) of 



hromium, ai 



trading, ni 

 ions wei 1 submitti d to the 



I >epartment, the Fori . the 



.■ j Solicitoi . and ili' Admirali y Marsh 

 the two last-named officials 396 samples were analysed 

 ■ 1 i.il- seizi d as prize, 01 which 

 were the subject of Prize Court proceedings. They 

 included such varied substances as thorium n 

 iu-'-<l in making . colours, resins, 



eh ugs, and - 



loes nol allow of more than a passing refer- 

 to ili'- analyses made for the Board ol Vgricul- 

 ture, Home Office, Posl Office, Board of Trade, 

 and other Departments. The reporl shows thai a 

 largi amount of chemical work, having prime import- 

 GoVernmenl administrative requirements, has 

 lished during the period in question. 



MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS DURING I 

 SOLAR ECLIPSE. 



'T'lIK September issue of Terrestrial Magnetism 

 A and Atmospheric Electricity is mainrj devoted to 

 magnetic observations taken during the total solai 

 eclipsi of June 8, 1918. Dr. Bauer, thi head of the 

 magnetic department ol the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington, has interested himself in similar work 

 during previous eclipses, and in March, 1918, hi 

 issued am appeal for co-operative effort on t )k ■ occa- 

 sion of the June eclipse. As a result, observations 

 were taken ai a number of stations Seven ol these, 

 in different pari- ol the United States, were within 

 the belt of totality. There were, besides, eight special 

 held station^ in the United Slates and Canada out- 

 side the belt of totality, while observations were taken 

 at twelve ordinan observatories. Dr. Bauer himself 

 Ii 1, 1 station 1 1 ,800 Ft 

 sea-level. 

 The sjemra! schemi recommended included, in the 



idings, observations at one-minute 

 intervals during six consecutive hours, the interval 

 being reduced to thirtj seconds at stations within the 

 belt of totalitj from ten minutes before u> ten minutes 

 after totality, [n the tables of observational results 

 1 readings are not given, but five-minute 

 given for decimation at the field stations 

 of the Carnegie Institution. Similar declination data 

 for the field stations of the United States Coast and 



are given in a separate communica- 

 tion by Mr. I>. L. Hazard, who also includes readings 

 from the declination, horizontal force, and vertical 

 curves of the five (oast ami Geodetic magnetii 

 ■ h-.-rvatories. Sir Frederick Stupart deals in anothei 

 communication with results from Vgincourl and 

 Meanook, the two magnetic observatories of the 

 Canadian M al Service, and corresponding 



results from the magnetic observaton at Antipofo, 



NO. 2572, VOL. I02] 



Manila, an- contributed In the magnetii observer of 

 the W. athei Bureau. 



A number of thi n results b> fore, during, 



and aftei thi ei lips* ai 1 show n graphically on p. 1 10, 

 forming part n of the phenomena bj 



uchlj . I li 

 of theii discussion « ill pi 1 sumabh appeal in thi 

 ol the journal. I he daj . though compara 

 quiei magneticalh , was neans free from 



irregular movements. Also N"i can sta 



til listurbed h 



; ■• before Mi 



Han. 1 , Fisk, and Maui hh of dis< my 1 



distui bin- effei ts is 51 ai 1 • I3 likelj 



to be eas O ei ious 



eclipses have shown ih.ii the eclipsi effect, '< th ri t- 



l hus, nulls, .nun tra 1 '.. 



lised as common to a numbei of eclipses, ii will 



. 1 -ii ix 11 iii ion. This 



doubtless explains whi the Department of Terrestrial 

 with what has bi en doni 

 during loi.s, has alread\ arranged to send two expedi- 

 tions to place, favourabli for observations during thi 

 ensuing solai eclipse on May. 29 next. Those 



organising similar exped ted to com- 



with Dr. Bauer. 

 Amongsl the other contents ol the volume there is 

 an interesting comparison by Mr. W. E. W. Jackson 

 of rhe magnetic declination results obtained during 

 1017 al Agincourt (Toronto) and the new magnetic 

 at Meanook, Vlberta (54 37' N-, 

 113° :t W.i. As might be expected from its geo- 

 graphical position, Meanook is a much more dis- 

 turbed station than Agincourt. Also, as is common 

 with North American stations, it is much more dis- 

 turbed than European stations in similar latitudes. 

 The mean absolute diurnal variation was 22-6' even 

 in December, and 78-6' in August. The regular diurnal 

 ion is anah. sed by Mr. Jackson in Fourier waves. 

 The wave of twenty-four-hour period is found to 

 have a considerably greater relative importance at 

 Meanook than al Agincourt. The station possesses, in 

 fact, characteristics thai recent Antarctic expeditions 

 have shown to exist in high magnetic latitudes. 

 Apparentlv as vet onlv declination is recorded at 

 Meanook. Ir is scarcely necessary to say that the 

 addition of horizontal force and vertical force magneto- 

 graphs at a station presenting such interesting features 

 is mm b in be desired. C. Chrf.e. 



METEOROLOGY AND I VI 17 TON. 1 



THE future development of meteorology will almost 

 certainh be closelt associated with thai of com- 

 mercial aviation. On one hand, an accurate know- 

 ledge .it the conditions of wind and weather over a 



wide area for at bast twelve hours in advance will 



be essential to aerial navigation; while, on the other, 



aeroplanes providi a means of obtaining information 



value 10 meteorologists, particularly with 



I I. . clouds, 



Clouds an- frequentlj in the form of horizontal 



sheets, and these are important from the point ol 



view of aerial navigation when they occur at low 



altitudes. A fairly good example of the upper surface 



of such .t sheei is shown in Fig. 2, but much flatter 



sh., 1- an sometimes seen. The clouds are caused 



mainly b\ thi cooling by expansion ol watei 



ompanying illustrations are from a paper entitled" 

 \,, e Impn io Gained by Flying.' contributed to tl,e Journal of 



! i g ical Society (vol.'xviii., No , We indebtetlto 



the society for the loan of the Mocks. The photographs and observations 

 were obtained while flying in France in co-operation with the Meteoro- 

 logical Section K.K., and the author is indebted to the Commandant Tor 

 facilities in ob'aining them and for permission to reproduce them 



