— eS 
DECEMBER II, 1913] 
News is to hand, through the Rome correspondent 
of The Times, of the successful initiation of the gravi- 
metric, magnetic, meteorological, and aérological 
work of the Italian Expedition to the western Hima- 
laya and Karakoram, under Dr. F. de Filippi. Pre- 
liminary observations were made and work done at 
the Royal Hydrographical Institute in Genoa, and, on 
arrival in India, at Simla and at Dehra Dun, the 
headquarters of the Indian Survey. The expedition 
has a wireless telegraphic equipment, and has already 
successfully made use of it for time signals, not only 
between Simla, Delhi, and Lahore, but also between 
Skardu, in Baltistan, and Lahore. This indicates the 
utility of this method for field work, even though the 
receiving station be situated near high mountains, 
and the determinations of differences of longitude 
based on these signals, together with latitude observa- 
tions, will enable observations to be made for the 
deviation of the plumb-line. When the expedition is 
at work in districts previously unworked, these signals, 
if equally successful, will be of high value. The in- 
vestigation of the upper atmosphere has been begun 
by means of balloons and theodolite observations on 
them. A station has been established on the Deosai 
plateau at a height of 14,000 ft., where pendulum and 
magnetic work will be done, and solar radiation 
investigated. Geological excursions are also being 
made: The expedition will winter, carrying on such 
work as is possible, at Skardu. 
A summary of the weather for the past autumn, 
issued by the Meteorological Office, shows the pecu- 
liarities of the season. The mildness of the weather 
was the chief peculiarity, and the quiet character of 
the wind and absence of gales was very striking 
considering that the temperature was so persistently 
high, due solely to the prevalence of southerly and 
south-westerly winds from the Atlantic. The mean 
temperature for the whole period of the three months 
—September, October, and November—was 4° in 
excess of the average in the east of England and in 
the midland counties, and it was 2° or 3° in excess of 
the average in all other districts of the United King- 
dom. The maximum temperature was 79° in the 
north-east and north-west of England, and in the 
midland counties, and the minimum temperature was 
22° in the midland counties and in the east of Scot- 
land. The rainfall was in excess of the average in 
Ireland and over England, except in the north-eastern 
and north-western districts. The largest rainfall was 
1471 in. in the north of Scotland, and the least fall 
in any district was 6-58 in. in the north-east of Eng- 
land. The highest percentage of rain was 129 per 
cent. of the average in the south of Ireland, and in 
the south-east of England the aggregate rainfall was 
1g per cent. of the average. In the east of Scotland 
the rain was only 78 per cent. of the average, and in 
the west of Scotland 80 per cent. In the midland 
counties the rainfall was 110 per cent. of the average, 
and in the east of England 106 per cent. 
The rainy days were in excess of the average 
in England and Ireland. The. duration of 
bright sunshine was generally in fair agree- 
ment with the normal. At Greenwich the mean tem- 
NO. 2302, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
431 
perature for the autumn was 54°, which is 3° above 
the average. There were seventy days out of ninety- 
one with the temperature above the average, and frost 
occurred on only one day. The bright sunshine was 
seventy hours more than the average. 
THE annual general meeting of the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society of England was held on December to at 
the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington, From the 
report of the council of the society presented on this 
occasion we notice that the work at the Woburn 
Experimental Station continues to expand. This has 
so far been recognised that a grant of 500]. was made 
during the year from the Development Fund in aid 
of the experimental and research work carried on. 
As regards the field experiments, in addition to those 
on continuous wheat barley, the rotation and green- 
Mmanuring experiments have been further carried on, 
as well as work on varieties of oats, varieties of 
lucerne, clover, and grass mixtures, linseed, soya 
bean, &c. At the pot-culture station, in addition to 
a continuation of the work on lime and magnesia, the 
principal fresh research was on the action of copper, 
zinc, and manganese salts on the wheat plant, and 
of lithium salts on tomatoes. The practical demon- 
stration of the eradication of wild onion by the grow- 
ing of deep-rooting grasses and plants was clearly 
shown at Chelsing, Herts, the results of the system 
adopted being this year very marked. During the 
year 196 complete analyses, that is for purity and 
germinating capacity, and seventy-four rough 
analyses and comparisons of bulks with samples, were 
made. Eight prescriptions for mixtures for the forma- 
tion of permanent pasture were drawn up, and three 
analyses of mixtures made. One of these mixtures, 
said to be a cheap one, was found to contain about 
I per cent. of seeds useful for the purpose, the re- 
maining being weeds and the screenings of a wheat 
crop. The experiments which were begun at Woburn 
early in rg1r for the purpose of demonstrating that 
by means of ‘isolation it is possible to rear healthy 
stock from tuberculous parents have been brought to 
a close. One of the experimental animals was killed 
in December last and the others in the course of the 
present year. After slaughter a searching _ post- 
mortem examination was made, but no evidence of 
tuberculosis was found in any case. A full account of 
the experiments will be published later, 
Puystcat anthropologists are unwearied in their 
search for anatomical characteristics which may serve 
as tests of race. The last essay of this kind is that 
of Mme. Bertha de Vriese, under the title of ‘‘ La sig- 
nification morphologique de la rotule basée sur des 
recherches anthropologiques,” published in Bulletins et 
Mémoires de la Société @’Anthropolgie de Paris (6th 
series, parts 3-4), in which the writer has collected 
numerous measurements of the patella among various 
races. The article commends itself as an important 
contribution to comparative anatomy. 
In the November issue of Man Mr. J. W. Scott 
Macfie describes a collection of curiously carved 
wooden staves from West Africa. They are 
used in the cult of Shongo, god of thunder and light- 
