May 22, 1902] 
NATURE 
85 
tissues and the skeleton, and in the fact that the mineral 
constituent of the latter is not in the form of calcite. F 
Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S., showed a series of otoliths, 
chiefly of living British fishes, both marine and freshwater, 
showing the various forms assumed in the different genera. 
Prof. W. K. Huntington exhibited (1) a tilting stage for the 
microscope ; (2) optical bench for metallurgical work, 
' Dr. A. Muirhead gave a demonstration of retransmission on 
submarine telegraph cables (cable relaying). 1 
Kite and winding-in apparatus for raising meteorological 
instruments was shown by Mr. W. H. Dines. 
The distribution of electric currents induced in a solid iron 
cylinder when rotated in a magnetic field was shown by Prof. 
E. Wilson. y 
During the evening, demonstrations, by means of the electric 
lantern, were given in the meeting room by Sir Henry True- 
man Wood, on the application of photography to the production 
of pictures in colour, and Dr. R. D. Roberts, on lantern slides 
in natural colours of the Grand Canon of the Colorado, the 
Sierra Nevada, California and the Yeliowstone Park. 
NOTES. 
THE London Gazette announces that Sir William .Turner 
Thistleton-Dyer, K.C.M.G., C.ILE., F.R.S., Director of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has been appointed Botanical 
Adviser to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. 
DuRING the first half of this month the weather over this 
country was very abnormal for the season. The reports issued 
by the Meteorological Office show that in the early part of the 
month a decided depression approached from the north-west, 
the centre advancing over Scotland, travelling to the south-east, 
and causing thunderstorms and hailin many places. The subse- 
quent distribution of pressure, which was relatively high off our 
south-west coasts and over north and south-west Europe, while 
depressions lay in various parts of the intervening regions, 
occasioned persistent inclement northerly and north-easterly 
winds. These continued with little variation until May 14, by 
which time a great change occurred in the type of pressure, 
under the influence of which westerly winds and some rise of 
temperature subsequently occurred, but heavy and sudden down- 
pours of rain continued between the bright intervals. For any 
comparison of the persistent cold spell it is necessary to go back 
tothe year 1879, when, during the first half of May, the mean of 
the daily shade maxima at Greenwich was approximately 54° 
and the minim a 36°, against 53° and 37° in the corresponding 
period of this year. The maximum shade temperature on any 
day has not exceeded 57°°3, but in 1879 the maximum tem- 
perature exceeded 60° on three occasions and reached 66°*2 on 
May 5. On the night of the 13-14th, the exposed thermo- 
meter on the grass registered 22°°6 in the neighbourhood of 
London, and the maximu m of the previous day was about 14° 
below the normal, while in May 1879 the lowest grass tempera- 
ture was 24°. An examination of the Greenwich records 
since 1840 shows that there has been no year, except the present, 
in which the shade temperature has not reached 60° during the 
first half of May. 
In Nature of February 20 (vol. Ixv. p- 367), Mr. A. B, 
MacDowall pointed out that the Greenwich observations of the 
last thirteen years favour a connection between thunderstorms 
and the lunar phases, as has been found for other places. In- 
vestigation of the meteorological records of several observatories 
show that a larger percentage of thunderstorms occur about the 
time of new moon than about full moon, and in the two earlier 
phases than in the two ‘later. M. V: Ventosa writes from the 
Madrid Observatory to say that he has obtained similar evidence 
of this relationship from an examination of observations made at 
that Observatory in the twenty years 1882-1901.’ Classified in 
NO. 1699, VOL. 66] 
four “groups about four lunar phases, the results, are as 
follows :— > 
New First Full Last 
Moon. Quarter. Moon. Quarter. 
Thunderstorms 132 104 99) a ezo. 
Percentage 29°0 22'8 218 26°4 
Mr. MacDowall, to whom we have shown M. Ventosa’s letter, 
remarks :—‘‘ The results are an interesting extension’ of the 
subject. While at none of the stations which have thus been 
compared are the differences between those weekly percentage 
numbers large, the general agreement, in showing, especially, 
more thunderstorms about new moon than about full moon seems 
remarkable, and may (I also hope) incite to further inquiries in 
the same direction, where the requisite data are available.” 
SEVERAL correspondents have sent us references to observa- 
tions of peculiar lunar halos such as that described by Prof. 
Barnard in our issue of May I (p. 5). The singularity consisted 
in the moon being in the centre of one halo and on the circum- 
ference of another at the same time. Mr. H. W. Croome 
Smith directs our attention to a similar appearance observed on 
February 28, 1890, and described in the Bristol Times and 
Mirror of the following day. The moon was then nine days 
old, so that the conditions were very similar to those existing at 
the time of Prof. Barnard’s observation. 
THE last Report of Mr. W. Bell Dawson, C.E., on the 
survey of the tides and currents in Canadian waters contains an 
interesting account of the work that is being carried on in 
obtaining data as to the tides in the St. Lawrence and in the Bay 
of Fundy, and in the preparation of trustworthy tide-tables for 
Halifax, Quebec, St. John’s and British Columbia. The part 
of the Report of most general interest is that relating to the tides 
in the Bay of Fundy. Further observations which have been 
obtained during the past year confirm the statement previously 
made by Mr. Dawson that the range of these tides has been 
greatly exaggerated. The range of spring tides in Noel Bay 
when they are at a maximum is 50} feet and 434 feet at 
neaps; at Horton Bluff, 48 feet and 4o feet; at Cum- 
berland Basin, 45} feet and 38 feet. The difference between 
the level of the highest known tide, the ‘‘ Saxby tide” of 1869, 
and the lowest point to which the water has been known to ebb 
Out is 53 feet. The rise of this tide above mean sea-level was 
29°24 feet, and the level of the lowest known low water below 
mean sea-level was 23°76 feet. The record tide of 1869 rose 
from 2 to 3 feet above the banks which protect the enclosed 
marshes and flooded the country. 
IN our issue of February 13 (vol. Ixv. p. 350), two new forms 
of electric resistance furnace suitable for laboratory work were 
noticed. The Zezts. f. Elektrochentie of April 3 contains details 
of a research carried out by Iferr W. C. Heraeus witha modified 
‘form of this furnace relating to the melting point of manganese. 
The coil of platinum wire was replaced by a strip of very thin 
foil, wound spirally round the porcelain tube. A temperature 
of 1300° C. could be attained in three minutes with a tube 16 mm. 
in diameter having a spiral 15 cm. in length wrapped upon 
it, and by careful attention to the resistance, temperatures 
could be observed to within 5° C. of absolute accuracy. The 
tube employed in the observation of the melting point of 
manganese was provided with an alumina boat to carry the 
small piece of metal used for the determinations—with rubber 
connections by which hydrogen gas was passed through the tube 
during the observation—and with a small telescope by means 
of which the exact moment of melting could be noted. A 
Chatelier thermo-element was used for recording the tempera- 
tures. The mean of six determinations gave 1245° C. as the 
melting point of the metal. Attempts to use nitrogen and 
carbonic acid gas in place of hydrogen failed, since the former 
gas yielded a nitride with the manganese and the carbonic acid 
gas dissociated at 1000°C. The reducing action of the hydrogen 
