Marcu 24, 1904] 
INGAT ORE 
485 
ticular item of information required. Our author has 
a breezy style of expression which adds largely to the 
pleasure of reading the book. Take, for instance, his 
treatment of that all-important worry of the motorist, 
the ‘‘ police.” Mr. O’Gorman says, ‘‘to pass un- 
challenged at a speed in excess of the legal limit—a 
thing which is daily accomplished by carts, hansoms, 
and even by the London omnibuses on almost every run 
when the gradients favour them—and by almost every 
other wenicle everywhere—remember that by sitting 
upright with a calm face (on a quiet car) you produce 
no impression of speed except on turning a corner. If 
you turn a corner without being able to see down the 
road you are entering at over 20 miles per hour you 
deserve to be punished. If, however, you stoop forward 
{this gives the impression that you are withstanding 
and endeavouring to avoid a high wind pressure), jamb 
your hat over your eyes, screw up your face, stare in- 
tently and anxiously, do a great deal of steering with 
visible swinging of your body, blow your horn in 
such a manner as to say ‘ Get out of my way’ fre- 
quently, instead of pressing it slowly and peaceably, 
you will invariably be arrested. I think a couple of 
good actors could safely wager to be stopped by an 
otherwise inoffensive constable at a pace of 10 miles 
per hour, especially if mounted on a machine the teeth 
of whose gear ‘ gave tongue’ like a siren, after the 
manner of certain makes, they would as surely be 
fined.” 
The above description is quaint but true, as every 
motorist knows. On the other hand we find admirable 
descriptions and explanations of the all-important de- 
tails of car management, design, &c. Our author’s 
treatment of electric ignition is excellent, the accom- 
panying diagrams being particularly clear. On the 
subject of accumulators we find much useful inform- 
ation, and, generally, the work contains those hundred 
and one wrinkles the knowledge of which goes to con- 
stitute the successful and trustworthy driver of a motor 
car, and we cordially recommend to all such the 
possession and careful perusal of this pocket-book. 
INS. Vode 
Pre- 
Chief 
Pp. 
Government Printing 
Weather Folk-Lore and Local Weather Signs. 
pared under the direction of Willis L. Moore, 
U.S. Weather Bureau, by Edward B. Garriott. 
153- (Washington, U.S.A.: 
Office, 1903.) Price 35 cents. 
Tats volume is divided practically into two parts, the 
first dealing solely with weather follx-lore gathered 
from many available sources, the second with 
summaries of local weather signs as based on special 
reports of observers to the chief of the U.S. Weather 
Bureau. The latter are arranged alphabetically as re- 
gards the names of the towns from which these reports 
are received, and deal for the most part with the pro- 
spect of fair or foul weather as indicated by the 
appearance of clouds, direction of wind, movements 
of barometer, &c. In fact, weather-follk-lore, as such, 
is naturally conspicuous by its absence. This portion 
of the worl: will not be of much interest to Britishers, 
as the signs only hold good for the particular parts of 
the country in question. The first portion, on the 
other hand, is of more general interest, as many of the 
quaint sayings were, so far as can be judged, the 
results of observation of long experience. The subject 
is subdivided under several different titles, according 
as the weather was foreshadowed by wind, barometer, 
clouds, humidity, temperature, &c., or by the peculiar 
effects of these on objects animate or inanimate. 
Many curious sayings, probably unfamiliar to British 
readers, are here collected, but one, with regard to the 
effects of atmospheric moisture that precedes rain, is 
NO. 1795. VOL. 69] 
rather gruesome. ‘* When the locks turn damp in the 
scalp house surely it will rain ’’ (American Indians). 
Reference is also made to the moon as a weather 
prophet, to many weather proverbs of a miscellaneous 
kind, and to recent work on possible long-range 
weather forecasting. 
The book concludes with a series of charts which 
illustrate the local weather signs as observed at 
regular stations of the Weather Bureau. 
Maye Ss en 
By Herbert A. Garratt. 
Edward Arnold.) Price 
The Principles of Mechanism, 
Pp. viiit+166. (London: 
3s. 6d. 
In this book the author has brought together his notes 
of lectures delivered in connection with a course of in- 
struction in mechanism at the Northern Polytechnic 
Institute, Holloway. The work is divided into two 
parts, dealing re spectively with the kinematics and the 
dynamics of machines. 
These notes are no doubt valuable to the compiler 
and useful to the students under his charge, but they 
seem too fragmentary to be of much service to the 
general reader. The descriptions of the various 
mechanisms are concise and to the point, but the 
mathematical treatment, where given, is often unsatis~ 
factory. Moreover, there is sometimes a want of per- 
ception of the relative importance in the several items 
which have been introduced. Thus in the second 
chapter, dealing with circular and straight line motion, 
the fundamental subject of simple harmonic motion 
is not properly defined, and is dismissed with a meagre 
treatment extending only over one page, whilst nearly 
three pages are devoted to the comparatively un- 
important problem of finding the cranlx position which 
corresponds with the maximum piston velocity in a 
steam engine, answers being given in degrees, 
minutes and seconds. Special constructions for veloci- 
ties and accelerations such as Mohr’s and Klein’s are 
given, but these are not well explained, and the reason- 
ing is difficult to follow; the author seems to be un- 
aware of the fact that he is here dealing with vector 
quantities. 
In chapter iii. the treatment of wheel teeth seems 
unsound. The chapter is somewhat redeemed by de- 
scriptions of gearing chains for cycles, and modern 
machines for cutting worm wheel teeth and bevel 
wheel teeth. A number of valve gears are described 
in chapter iv., with some applications of the Zeuner 
valve diagram. 
Part ii. opens inauspiciously, for in the first chapter. 
which enunciates the general principles that are to 
guide the student, power and worl are confused with 
one another, and an equation of energy is written 
down which involves the addition of power and kinetic 
energy as if they were quantities of like lind. This 
part includes a casual treatment of speed regulation 
as affected by fly wheels and governors, one or two 
problems on balancing, water motors, and _ friction. 
Two useful examples of axial flow ‘turbines, with 
numerical data and good diagrams, are given, the 
information being supplied to the author by Messrs. 
Gtinther and Sons, of Oldham. ; 
Calculating Scale, a Substitute for the Slide Rule. By 
W. Retoo les, BA; B:Sc. IPD). AG): (London : 
E. and FE. Ne Spon, Ltd.; New York: Spon and 
Chamberlain, 1903.) Price 1s. net. 
In this book the author provides and explains the use 
of two graduated scales, placed adjacent to each other 
for comparison and fixed together, on one of which 
numbers can be read off, and on the other - the 
logarithms of the numbers, or vice versd. This com- 
pound scale is 100 inches long, and is cut up into 
