262 
NATURE 
[JANUARY 14, 1904 
the Cephalopoda, deals with the initial chamber of the 
Nautiloidea, especially in the genus Orthoceras. Dr. 
Richard Johann Schubert and Dr. Lukas Waagen give an 
account of the Lower Silurian phyllopod genus Ribeiria, 
and establish a new genus, Ribeirella, for the species 
R. Sharpei, Barr. The remains of a male sheep’s skull 
(Ovis Mannhardi) from the neighbourhood of Eggenburg are 
described by F. Toula, and carefully compared with recent 
and fossil forms; the paper is illustrated by a plate showing 
three views reproduced by photography and by three text 
figures. Dr. W. Hammer gives an account of the minute 
structure of porphyrite and diorite rocks from Ultenthal, 
giving six excellent photographic reproductions of micro- 
scopic sections. Dr. O. Able, in a memoir of some 50 
pages, treats of the Tertiary marls and sandstones of the 
Tulln basin from both stratigraphical and physical stand- 
points, and comes to the conclusion that they begin with 
the Lower Oligocene and continue in unbroken series to the 
base of the Oncophora sands (Middle Miocene). Four 
sections across the valley are given to show the folding of 
the beds. Dr. Karl Alphons Penecke, in a paper of a dozen 
pages, describes a number of Upper Devonian corals 
obtained by Dr. Franz Scaffer from Hadschin, Antitaurus, 
during his journey in Asia Minor. Three new species are 
named. These corals are finely reproduced by photography 
on four double plates. In the last paper of this part Dr. W. 
Petrascheck describes some Inocerami from the Chalk of 
Bohemia and Saxony, giving the names Ino. hercynieus 
and Ino. crassus to two new species. This troublesome 
genus needs a thorough revision, and it is hoped that ere 
long someone will be found to undertake this useful piece 
of work, at least for the Cretaceous species. 
ATMOSPHERIC ABSORPTION AND EMISSION 
OF THE EXTREME ULTRA-VIOLET RADI- 
ATIONS. 
N2: 1413 of the ‘‘ Smithsonian Contributions to Know- 
ledge ’’ is devoted to a papef by Dr. Victor Schumann, 
of Leipzig, in which he minutely describes the apparatus 
used and the results obtained by him in spectroscopically 
determining the absorption and emission of air and _ its 
constituents for light of wave-lengths between 250 wu and 
100 wu. He obtained the photographic spectra of N, O, 
CO,, CO, aqueous vapour and hydrogen by means of an 
ingeniously constructed spectroscope, from which he could 
exhaust all the gas except that on which he was experi- 
menting, and this he introduced, in layers of definite thick- 
nesses, after repeated purification. All the optical parts of 
the apparatus were made of white fluorspar, which is the 
most transparent substance, for these extreme ultra-violet 
rays, yet known. 
Dr. Schumann found that nitrogen is very transparent 
even beyond 162 wu, but absorbs particular wave-lengths 
very energetically ; the emission spectrum extends beyond 
162 mu. Oxygen absorbs the radiations near to 185 pu 
in a series of clearly resolved groups of lines, fourteen in 
number, complete absorption taking place beyond the most 
refrangible group of the series. This absorption is believed 
to be the cause of the atmosphere’s opacity for radiations 
more refrangible than 185 wu. The absorption spectrum of 
CO, is similar in appearance to that of oxygen, but extends 
to much shorter wave-lengths; the persistent presence of 
bands due to carbon monoxide—which is one of the greatest 
difficulties Dr. Schumann has had to contend with in all 
his experiments, because their photographic action is ex- 
ceedingly energetic and they extend far beyond 162 pu— 
has prevented the exact determination of the more re- 
frangible limit of the CO, spectrum, which is exceedingly 
rich in lines. Carbon monoxide absorbs the more re- 
frangible rays a little less than CO,. The results of the 
experiments on the spectrum of aqueous vapour are rather 
uncertain owing to the formation of dew, but it chiefly 
consists of the hydrogen spectrum, the strong oxygen maxi- 
mum at 185 wu, and a number of other lines the origin of 
which is at present unknown. The results, however, lead 
to the conclusion that a regular dissociation of the water 
NO. 1785, VOL. 69 | 
vapour, accompanied by a simultaneous recombination, 
takes place. The results obtained with hydrogen are ex- 
ceedingly interesting, and are discussed in extenso by Dr. 
Schumann. They show that hydrogen: is intensely trans- 
parent, but the limit of transparency is not yet definitely 
determined. Twenty-fold enlargements of the hydrogen: 
spectrum—having a total length of 1-4 metres—are repro- 
duced in the paper, and show about 1500 lines between 
185 we and 127 wu. Dr. Schumann states, however, that 
this latter value is rather uncertain, and is probably not — 
the inferior limit of the true hydrogen spectrum as photo-— 
graphed by him. He also believes that between 185 py and 
369-9 wu the hydrogen spectrum is continuous. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Mr. S. A. F. Wuive, demonstrator in natural philosophy | 
in King’s College, London, since 1895, has been appointed — 
professor of mathematics in succession to Prof. Hudson. f 
Dr. W. A. OsporneE has been appointed to the professor- 
ship of physiology and histology in the University of 
Melbourne in succession to Dr. C. J. Martin, F.R.S., now — 
director of the Lister Institute. 
Tue Technical Education Board of the London County | 
Council has arranged for two courses of free lectures for 
teachers to be given at the Horniman Museum, London 
Road, Forest Hill, S.E., on Saturday mornings from 
January 23 to May 26. Prof. Geddes will lecture on the 
natural history of plants, and a course of lectures on the 
natural history of man will be given by Prof. Alfred C. 
Haddon, F.R.S. 
THE annual meeting of the Association of Public School 
Science Masters will be held at Westminster School on 
Saturday, January 16, beginning at 1.45 p.m. Prof. W. A. — 
Tilden, F.R.S., president of the Association, will be in the 
chair. Mr. R. E. Thwaites will read a paper on the possi- 
bility of fusing the mathematical and science teaching of 
public schools ; and a discussion on science in the certificate 
examination will be opened by Mr. W. A. Shenstone, F.R.S.,_ 
and Mr. M. D. Hill, who will deal with the chemical and 
biological parts of the examination respectively. Mr. O. H- 
Latter will read a paper on nature-study. 
Tue eleventh annual general meeting of the Association 
of Technical Institutions will be held on Friday, January 29, 
at the Leathersellers’ Hall, London, E.C., the president, 
Sir John Wolfe Barry, K.C.B., F.R.S., in the chair. Sir 
John E. Gorst, K.C., M.P., has consented to be nominated 
president of the association for the year 1904. Among other 
subjects to be brought before the meeting are :—Report as 
to the constitution of the advisory committee for the leather’ 
| trades industries, in connection with the City and Guilds 
of London Institute, Prof. Wertheimer; the differences 
between the curricula and methods of staffing in British and 
American higher technical institutions, Dr. Walmsley; the 
consultative committee of the Board of Education and_ 
teachers’ registration council, Principal Wells and Dr. 
Sumpner; and leaving certificates for secondary schools, 
Prof. Wertheimer and Principal Gannon. { 
AN interesting essay by Dr. Walther Schoenichen om 
““The Evolution Theory in Schools’? (Die Abstammungs- 
lehre im Unterrichte der Schule) has been published by the 
firm of Teubner (Leipzig and Berlin). The author shows 
that school instruction in botany and zoology has already 
passed through several phases—encyclopadic, systematic, 
analytic, and ethological—and maintains that the time has 
come for making it frankly evolutionary. This is necessary 
for scientific reasons and desirable for educational reasons, 
and, according to the author, it is also quite feasible. He 
argues that it will be useful ethically and will not endange 
religion. The essay is wise and temperate, and many of 
the practical hints are very suggestive, e.g. the diagrams 
contrasting the multiplication of the hare and the elephant, 
the evolution of the kohl-rabi cabbage, and the origin of 
light-coloured from dark-coloured mice by selection. 
