





































May 5, 1923] 
under water, Mr. Edgar Chance’s account of the egg- 
laying habits of the cuckoo, and Dr. Landsborough 
Thomson’s articles on birds. The illustrations, in 
colour, photogravure and half-tone, are excellent on the 
whole. Particularly charming are four studies of the 
feeding of a cuckoo by its foster-parent, a meadow pipit, 
the work of Mr. T. M. Blackman. The reproductions 
of the photographs illustrating Mr. Chance’s article, 
however, scarcely do justice to the originals. 
The general editor, Dr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, in a 
short introduction, makes a strong appeal for the wider 
study of Nature in the field. This publication should 
go far to stimulate such study and to fulfil his hopes 
“to turn all our readers into watchful lovers of Nature.” 
Chambers’s Encyclopedia: a Dictionary of Universal 
Knowledge. New edition, edited by Dr. David 
Patrick and William Geddie. Vol. 1: A to Beatty. 
Pp. vi+824. (London and Edinburgh: W. and R. 
Chambers, Ltd.; Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott 
Co., 1923.) 20s. net. 
_A NEW edition of this work is welcome, for in spite of 
the many encyclopedias now available, Chambers’s still 
holds its place. It is not exhaustive and does not 
claim to be a compendium of all knowledge, but at the 
same time it would be difficult to find any subject of 
general interest that finds no place in its volumes. 
The work has the further merit of easy reference, the 
subdivisions of the larger subjects being arranged in 
their respective places in the alphabet. The form and 
appearance of the pages which have been familiar to 
several generations are unchanged, but the matter has 
been revised, new articles being given where necessary 
and others brought up-to-date. New coloured maps, 
mostly by Bartholomew, have been added. That of 
‘North America needs a little revision in the north of 
Greenland, but for all general purposes they are 
excellent. The illustrations would appear to be mainly 
the woodcuts of earlier editions. 
In one respect we might suggest an improvement in 
this useful work. Some geographical articles still con- 
in descriptive matter that is unworthy of the advances 
in modern geography. Without any greater demands 
on space the descriptions of many countries could be 
‘made far more explanatory and graphic than is the 
‘ease. Thus, in the article on the Balkans certain 
Striking features, such as the central plateau, the fold 
ranges parallel to the sea, the two great corridors, and 
the gateways to the sea should be emphasised as being 
keys to many Balkan problems. The article as it 
stands is full of accurate information which might be 
better displayed. The same criticism is applicable to 
Albania and other articles. The low price of the 
encyclopedia is noteworthy. 
Wind and Weather. By Prof. Alexander McAdie. lege} 
82. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1922.) 
1,25 dollars. 
Pror. McAnie’s little work is more historical than a 
current discussion of wind and weather. Much of the 
work is a dissertation on ‘‘ The tower of the winds,” 
which has been standing at Athens for the past twenty- 
‘two centuries. The allegorical figures of the winds given 
are reproductions copied from the frieze of the tower 
and the author has extemporised on them. Boreas, the 
NO. 2792, VOL. 111 | 
NATURE 
597 
north wind, is referred to as a cold and boisterous wind 
from the mountains of Thrace ; Kaikias, the north-east 
wind, who carries in his shield an ample supply of 
hailstones, is supposed to be ready to spill them on 
defenceless humanity ; Apheliotes, the east wind, is 
styled a graceful youth, with arms full of fruit and 
wheat ; Euros, the south-east wind, is depicted as a 
cross old fellow, intent on the business of cloud making ; 
Notos, the south wind, is the master of the warm rain; 
Lips, the mariners’ wind, the south-west, said to be 
favourable for bringing the ships speedily into harbour ; 
Zephyros, the west wind, is represented as a graceful 
youth, scantily clad, with his arms filled with flowers, 
while Skiron, styled lord of gusty north-west gales, 
carries with him a brazen fire bucket and is said to spill 
a generous stream of hot air on all below. 
The latter part of the book is more practical and deals 
with the weather map and current meteorology, although 
in an elementary way, and this part seems to suggest that 
the author had American weather in mind rather than 
the weather in other parts of the world. Cals 
Text-Book on Wireless Telegraphy. By Dr. Rupert 
Stanley. Vol. 2: Valves and Valve Apparatus. 
Second edition. Pp. xi+394. (London: Long- 
mans, Green and Co., 1923.) 15s. net. 

In this edition a new chapter has been added describing 
high-speed signalling, recorder reception, short-wave 
signalling, and directional apparatus. In the author’s 
opinion the two outstanding problems for research 
work are the elimination of atmospherics and the inven- 
tion of a cheap system of high-speed reception able 
to withstand ordinary wear and tear. We agree with 
him that the well-established term “ valves ” should be 
used to designate the special vacuum tubes used in 
radio signalling. 
In his preface the author points out that the develop- 
ment of radio signalling since 1918 has been much 
hampered owing to doubts about the validity of the 
patents of many of the methods and types of apparatus 
which were used in the War. The tedious delay in the 
establishment of broadcasting stations in Britain was 
largely due to disagreements between manufacturing 
firms on this question. 
The Year-Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, 
1923. (Edition for Amateurs.) Pp. xcv+824. 
(London: The Wireless Press, Ltd., 1923.) 6s. net. 
THE progress in the art of radio communication is so 
rapid that a new “ Year-Book”’ is a necessity for all 
who wish to keep abreast of the times. We learn that 
in the United States nearly two hundred broadcasting 
transmitting stations are now in practically continuous 
operation and that the number of listeners is nearly a 
million. Canada comes next with fifty-three broad- 
casting stations, twelve of which are in Toronto alone. 
In France great progress has been made in perfecting 
high-frequency alternators. It is now possible to get a 
500-Kilowatt 15000-frequency alternator which will have 
an over-all efficiency of 85 per cent. Latour has also 
shown how, by means of a 100,000-volt transformer and 
using two electrode valves as rectifiers, a pressure of 
200,000 volts direct current can be easily and com- 
paratively cheaply obtained. These high pressures are 
of great value as they open up new fields for physical 
research. 
