442 
end. The current is then turned on, and the metal becomes 
brighter and brighter until the weld is completed, after which 
the current is turned off and the pressure increased to about 
thirty-five tons. While under this pressure the weld is allowed 
to cool, after which the car is moved back about six inches and 
the jaws applied to the other end of the bar, where the process 
is repeated. The other end is treated in the same manner. In 
other words, the centre weld is made first, and ther the end 
welds. Artificial means of cooling are used, and as the bars 
cool they exert a powerful influence in bringing the rail ends 
close, so as to make a tight joint. The current for the oper- 
ation of the plant is taken from the regular trolley wire service. 
It would be expected, from considerations of the action of heat 
upon metals, that rails welded in this way would buckle when 
they experienced a considerable rise of temperature, or snap 
when the temperature was very low, but, asa matter of fact, 
welded rails neither buckle nor break. By applying immense 
pressure to the material during welding, the length of a con- 
tinuous rail made by this process is said to have no limit except 
that of the line itself. 
Dr. FRANz Boas has made a mathematical study (Amerzcan 
Anthropologist, N.S., i. p. 448) of the biological significance of 
the cephalic index on the lines suggested by Mr. Francis Galton, 
and fully developed by Prof. Karl Pearson. His conclusion is 
that while the cephalic index is a convenient practical expression 
of the form of the head, it does not express any important 
anatomical relation. On the other hand, the relation between 
capacity and head diameters is found to be of fundamental im- 
portance, and among these the relation between the transverse 
diameter and capacity is most significant. Since in measure- 
ments on the living we are unable to measure capacity of the 
head, it is necessary to find a substitute. It would seem that 
circumferences are the most available means for judging cranial 
size. Therefore such circumferences should be included in all 
anthropometrical schedules designed to investigate racial 
characters. 
From the Field Columbian Museum we have received Nos. 
3 to 6 of the first volume of its ‘‘ Geological Series” (Chicago, 
1899). No. 3 treats of the ores of the South American Re- 
public of Colombia, the specimens being described by Mr. 
H. W. Nichols, from a collection made by Sefior F. Pereira 
Gamba. The ores were obtained from the mountainous western 
portion of Colombia, in which the Andes entering from the 
south divides into three chains known as the eastern, central 
and western Cordilleras. Gold was first mined by Europeans 
in Colombia in 1537, and during the sixteenth and seventeenth 
centuries the country was the great gold producer of the world ; 
now it is said to rank ninth in importance. Iron ore is worked 
and smelted at Amaga. The authors observe that the gold and 
silver ores occur either in the acid lavas, which have been 
erupted at intervals from the close of the Tertiary period to 
the present time, or in adjacent Archzean schists. In the early 
days of mining, the superficial weathered rocks, which are the 
richest, were worked with signal success ; the mines are now 
sunk below this zone. The ores are found in quartz as fissure- 
veins in the schists, and also as segregations from the surround- 
ing lavas. In the latter case, they appear to have come to the 
surface in the lavas, from which they have to some extent been 
deached by hot solfataric waters and by tropical rains. 
Messrs., NEWTON AND Co. inform us that the whole of the 
Jantern exhibitions at the forthcoming meeting of the British 
Association at Dover are to be carried out by them. 
Messrs. PHILIP HARRIS AND Co., Birmingham, have just 
published a diary which should be of service to science teachers. 
The diary covers the year from September 1, 1899, to August 
NO. 155, VOL. 60] 
INGOT: 
[SEPTEMBER 7, 1899 
31, 1900; and, in addition to the usual blank pages, contains 
seventy-six pages of tables and definitions frequently required in 
physical and chemical laboratories. The book is thus similar to 
an engineer’s pocket-book, and its publication in the form of a 
diary will make it a constant companion of many science 
teachers. 
Messrs. R. FRIEDLANDER AND Son, Berlin, have issued 
ina single volume the numbers of Watezrae Novztates published 
by them during 1898. It is well known to collectors of scien- 
tific books that Messrs. Friedlinder’s publication contains a 
useful classified list of current literature on all branches of 
science, compiled from catalogues in many languages. It is 
convenient to have these bibliographical lists in volume form, 
and a full index at the end increases their value. — 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Sykes’s Monkey (Cercopithecus albigu- 
farts, 8) from South Africa, presented by Mr. W. P. Peyton ; 
a Common Camel (Camelus dromedarius, 6) from Mogador, 
presented by Mr. F. G. Aflalo; a Stone Curlew (Oedicnemus 
scolopax), European, presented by Mr. S. M. Sargant; a 
Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor) from Barbados, deposited. 
Errata.—Lord Kelvin asks us to notify the following errata 
in the MS. of his letter on the ‘f Blue Ray of Sunrise over 
Mont, Blanc,” published last week (p. 411) :—Line 1, for 5 
o'clock read 4 o’clock ; line 7, after ‘‘light’’ insert ‘‘ of sunrise.” 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
HoutMeEs’ CoMET 1899 @ (1892 III.).— 
Ephemerts for 12h. Greenwich Mean Time. 
1899. - R.A, Decl. Br 
onlay Se 4 u 
Sept. 7. 2 6 50°14 tar 41 40'0 
8 7 15°57 41 55 35°5 
9 7 39°02 42 9 25°93 O'I8I4 005435 
10 8 045 42 23 8'0 
3 
II 8 19°34 42 36 43'8 
12 8 37°16 42 50 12°4 
13 8 52°40 43 3 33°5 9°1795 005538 
14 2 9 5'5r +43) 16 46'9 
During the week the comet passes through the north-west of 
Andromeda, being a few degrees west of y Andromede on the 
11th. It is in a good position for observation, but is reported 
as extremely faint. 
In Popular Astronomy (vol. vii. pp. 340-342) Prof. C. D. 
Perrine describes the circumstances of his rediscovery of this 
comet on June I1 of the present year. The observation was 
made in the early morning with the 36-inch Lick refractor, the 
atmospheric conditions being very good. The comet appeared 
asa round nebulous mass about 30” in diameter, very faint and 
with but little central condensation, The orbit is more nearly 
circular than that of any other known comet, lying wholly be- 
tween the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, thus suggesting a possible, 
but as yet unproved, connection with the asteroids also occupy- 
ing that position, 
THe New ALGOoL VARIABLE IN CyGNus.—The following 
are the predicted minima of this newly-discovered variable, 
which will admit of observation during September :— 
Gbi 35 oo 
1899, September ae 12 11 58G.M.T. 
Zi e5) 27 
Mr. J. A. Parkhurst gives (Popular Astronomy, August 1899, 
vol. vii. p. 380) two charts of the stars in the neighbourhood, 
which will greatly facilitate the detection of the variable. 
Observations may be satisfactorily made with telescopes of 
3 inches aperture. The position is about 1° south preceding 
the 5th mag. star o! Cygni. 
HARVARD COLLEGE OBSERVATORY.—Prof. Pickering has 
recently issued the second part of vol. xxiv. of Annals of 
Harvard College Observatory, containing an exhaustive discus- 
. 
= be 
