272 



NA TURE 



[January 23, 1902 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



yrhe Editor does not hold himself 7'espoiisilile for opinions ex- 

 pressed by his eorrespondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to cot respond with the ■writers of, rejedei 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of NATURE. 

 No notice is taken of anon vinous communications.'^ 



The Quadrantid Meteors, 1902. 

 On the night of January 3 some fine meteors were observed 

 here. It is doubtful, however, if any of them were directly 

 connected with the radiant that has given this early January 

 shower its name. Possibly the first meteor observed shortly 

 before ten o'clock may have issued from the neighbourhood of 

 Boiites, as it shot upwards from the direction of the (Ireat Bear 

 with a brilliancy sufficient to attract attention in a lighted 

 thoroughfare, from where, however, its starting point could not 

 be clearly ascertained. During a watch kept under more 

 favourable conditions for observation, between 10.30 and 11.30 

 G. M.T. , four or five shooting stars were observed, the bright- 

 est of which scarcely equalled a second magnitude star, its path 

 extending from (Gemini to the east of Ursa Major. The others 

 were seen flashing to the east of the latter constellation with no 

 well-defined centre of radiation. It should have been stated 

 that in a ten minutes' watch between 10 and 10.30 a stationary 

 meteor more brilliant than a first magnitude star appeared for 

 about half a second midway between the Quadrantid radiant 

 and Ursa Major. This was the only meteor seen that may 

 perhaps be regarded as comformable to the radiant proper, 

 though almost exclusive attention was given to that part of the 

 sky. Though occasionally a look out was kept from 12 to i 

 a.m., no shooting stars were seen, but in an lunbroken watch 

 from 1. 15 to 1.45 a.m. a brilliant bolide was observed at 1.40 

 gliding down evidently from the neighbourhood of Gemini 

 towards the Great Bear, and throwing off several fragments 

 near the end of its path. It was the brightest meteor seen 

 during the night. The night of the 3rd was very fine here, 

 though a few clouds interfered somewhat with observation 

 between 10 and 10.30. 



Similar atmospheric conditions obtained in the first half of 

 the night of the 4th, and an early watch for Qaadrantids was 

 maintained between 10 o'clock and midnight. Six or seven 

 meteors were observed during this period. The first seen at 

 10 p.m. shot down through Orion at a great rate from some 

 point considerably higher up, the exact whereabouts of which 

 could not be known, as the meteor was only accidentally 

 glimpsed. It must have been of a magnitude equal to Sirius. 

 Another meteor (second magnitude) passed from a little below 

 Gemini to Ursa ^lajor at 10.45, ^^^ V^' another from the same 

 radiant centre to Leo at 11.45, 'he latter being of more than 

 first magnitude brightness. This upper radiant must have been 

 at the least fairly active, as the above meteors were only acci- 

 dentally seen, persistent observation lieing maintained towards 

 Bootes, which, however, as yet met with scant success, only a 

 few meteors having been noticed, all below the second magni- 

 tude with the exception of one in the form of a brilliant flash, 

 which shot straight from the direction of Bootes, but made its 

 first appearance considerably to the east of that constellation, 

 its course being parallel to the horizon. No definite centre of 

 divergence could be assigned to the rest. 



During a subsequent watch held between 12.45 and 1.15 

 there seemed to be a period of meteoric quiescence, but when 

 the outlook was resumed at 1.30 a distinct change had evidently 

 taken place in the interval. Bright meteors were shooting 

 steadily from the last two stars in the tail of Ursa Major. The 

 radiant seemed very accurately defined there at a point midway 

 between the stars in question and very slightly to the east. 

 Froin 1.3010 1.4s five meteors issued from this centre ranging 

 between the second and third magnitudes. During the same 

 time also three second magnitude shooting stars came down 

 towards Ursa Major, evidently from the upper radiant, whose 

 activity had drawn attention to it earlier in the night, and which 

 w.as now in active cooperation with the radiant centre lower 

 down. Further observations, however, could not be obtained 

 as -regards the progress of the display, as light clouds at 1.45 

 a.m. began to obscure the sky, obliterating all but the brightest 

 stars, which continued to shine dimly for a while, during which 

 an occasional flash of a meteor was seen ; but eventually the 

 heavens became a starless blank, and the watch had to be 

 abandoned. Whether, therefore, the radiant proper of this 

 shower developed any symptoms of activity as the night wore 



NO. 1682, VOL. 65] 



on and the time of the expected maximum drew near could not 

 be ascertained here. In view, however, of the sudden appear- 

 ance of the radiant in the tall stars of Ursa Major, this may not 

 have been improbable, the more especially as there are reasons 

 for believing that the maximum of the shower may have occurred 

 one or two hours later than that fixed at 3.30. 



It may be ob.served that the multiple character of the radiant 

 of the meteors of January 2 was particularly noticeable in 1872 

 (British Association Report, " Luminous Meteors," 1S72), when 

 radijint centres roughly corresponding with those on the present 

 occasion furnished more than 50 per cent, of the meteoric 

 shower observed in that year. John R. Hrnry. 



Dublin. 



Sir Walter Raleigh and Evolution. 



I HAVKrecently come across a passage in Sir Waller Raleigh's 

 '* History of the World "' which seems to me sufficiently remark- 

 able for the author to deserve a notable place among those early 

 naturalists who anticipated in some measure the modern views 

 on evolution. In the historical sketch at the beginning of the 

 "Origin of Species" Darwin quotes Buffon, who was born a 

 century and a half later than Raleigh, as "the first author who 

 in modern limes has treated the subject in a scientific spirit " ; 

 but although, scientifically, Raleigh cannot be compared with 

 Buffon, the fact of his having penned at such an early date the 

 words I am about lo quote possesses some interest. The 

 passage I refer to is to be found in the 1621 edition (part i., 

 book i., chap vii. , § 9, p. 94). Speaking of the days of the 

 Flood, he says : " But it is manifest, and undoubtedly true, that 

 many of the Species, which now seeme differing, and of several! 

 kindes, were not then in rerum natiira. For those Beasts 

 which are of mixt natures, eyther they were not in that age, or 

 else it was not needfuU to preserve them, seeing they might be 

 generated againe by others : as the Mules, the HyuncCs, and the 

 like ; the one begotten by Asses and Mares, the other by Foxes 

 and Wolves. And whereas by discovering of strange Lands, 

 wherein there are found divers Beasts and Birds differing in 

 colour or stature from those of these Northerne parts ; it may 

 be supposed by a superficiall consideration, that all those which 

 weare red and pyed .Skinnes, or Feathers, are differing from 

 those that are lesse painted, and were plaine russet or blacke ; 

 they are much mistaken that so thinke. And for my owne 

 opinion, I find no difference, but onely in magnitude, betweene 

 the Cat of Europe, and the Ownce of India ; and even those 

 Dogges which are become wilde in Hispagniola, with which the 

 Spaniards used to devoure the naked Indians, are now changed 

 to Wolves, and begin to destroy the breed of their Cattell, and 

 doe also oftentimes teare asunder their owne Children. The 

 common Crow and Rooke of India is full of red feathers in the 

 drown'd and low Islands of Carihana ; and the Black-bird and 

 Thrush hath his feathers mixt with blacke and carnation, in the 

 North parts of Virginia. The Dog-fish of England is the 

 Sharke of the South Ocean : For if colour or magnitude made 

 a difl'erence of Species, then were the Negro's, which wee call 

 the Blacke Mores, non animatia rationalia, not Men, but some 

 kind of strange Beasts : and so the Giants of the South America 

 should be of another kind, than the people of this part of the 

 World. We also see it dayly, that the natures of Fruits are 

 changed by transplantation, some to better, some to worse, 

 especially with the change of Clymate. Crabs may be made 

 good Fruit by often grafting, and the best Melons will change 

 in a yeere or two to common Cowcummers, by being set in a 

 barren Soyle." Agnes Robertson. 



The Old Hall, Newnham College, Cambridge, January 13. 



The Teaching of Mathematics. 

 PrOBAHI.y every experienced teacher of mathematics quali- 

 fied by a sufficiently thorough acquaintance with the relations 

 of his subject to the physical sciences and practices will have some 

 sympathy with the document which appeared under this heading 

 in your last issue (p. 25S). I do not desire to discuss the changes it 

 suggests, I merely wish to describe as a contrast to that or any 

 other rational scheme the work that year by year the public 

 purse pays some of us to attempt. Protests against South Ken- 

 sington teaching and the South Kensington scheme of work are 

 frequent, but I do not remember seeing any detailed criticism of 

 any part of the course, Here is the work that I and hundreds 

 more teach yearly in what is known as the second stage of 

 mathematics. 



