6o 



NATURE 



[July 14, 1910 



" stratosphere," above the troposphere, in which tempera- 

 ture is nearly constant or increases slowly with height, and 

 thfl isothermal planes tend to become vertical. 



Isobars for one-tenth and one-fifth of an atmosphere 

 (o-i megabar and o-2 megabar according to the nomen- 

 clature of the Paris Conference of Physicists, 1900) are 

 shown by beaded lines in the upper parts of the figures. 



Wind-direction observations are indicated by arrows 

 facing the wind, carried on standards. 



The chief points of difference between the two models 

 are the foUowina : — 



Both figures show that the position of the coldest air 

 was at a height of lo-ii kilometres over the most southern 

 portion represented. 



VKlVERSny AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Birmingham. — The chair of accounting vacated bv Prof. 

 .Sidney Dawson has been filled by the election of Mr. 

 Charles E. Martineau. 



Mr. W. B. Grove has been appointed honorary curator 

 of the fungus herbarium in the Botanical Department. 



Prof. R. Saundby has been appointed to represent the 

 University on the General Medical Council for a further 

 period of five years. 



Prof. Bostock Hill is to represent the University at the 

 Conference on School Hygiene to be held in Paris in 

 August. 



The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (.\lderman F. C. Clayton) is 

 presentingto the University a statue of His Majesty King 

 Edward \TI., in commemoration of the opening of the 

 new buildings by the late Sovereign. It is understood 

 that the statue is to stand in the entrance hall of the main 

 building. 



Leeds. — .Arrangements have now been completed for the 

 establishment of a professorship of coal gas and fuel indus- 

 tries at the University as a memorial to the late Sir 

 George Livesey, upwards of 10,500/. having been subscribed 

 to the fund initiated for the purpose by the Institution of 

 Gas Engineers, and an advisory committee has been formed 

 in connection with the work to' be carried out by the holder 

 of the chair. 



Dr. J. K. Jamieson, hitherto chief demonstrator of 

 anatomy, has been appointed professor of anatomy in the 

 University. 



London. — Sir Henry Roscoe has resigned his member- 

 ship as a Crown nominee, and Mr. F. D. Acland has been 

 appointed in his place. 



Mr. F. L. Golla has been appointed honorary demon- 

 strator of chemical pathology and pharmacology in the 

 physiological laboratory of the University, and Mr. A. D. 

 Mitchell, of Sheffield University, has been appointed 

 scientific assistant in chemistry in the University. 



Dr. J. D. CoALEs has been appointed principal of the 

 Wolverhampton Technical School. 



Mr. J. A. Jenkins, for fifteen years registrar of the 

 University College of South Wales,' Cardiff, has resigned 

 that position. 



On July 8, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws of 

 tlip University of Edinburgh was conferred upon Prof. John 

 Chlpne, emeritus professor of surgery in the University ; 

 Prof. Matthew Hay, professor of forensic medicine. Uni- 

 versity of Aberdeen ; and Prof. W. H. Perkin, F.R.S., 

 professor of organic chemistry. University of Manchester. 

 NO. 2124, VOL. 84I 



The increasing popularity of holidaty courses for teachers 

 is an excellent indication of .the growing desire of school- 

 masters and schoolmistresses to acquaint themselves with 

 improved methods of instruction, and to bring their know- 

 ledge up to date by attending during their holidays lectures 

 by experts. The County Council of the West Riding of 

 Yorkshire has arranged a series of vacation courses for 

 teachers, to be held at the Municipal Secondary School, 

 Scarborough, during August next. Among the items in a 

 very attractive programme, we notice a course of ten 

 lectures by Prof. A. Smithells, F.R.S., on solution, and 

 the physics and chemistry of cleansing processes ; twelve 

 lectures on the teaching of general elementary science, by 

 Mr. W. Mayhowe Heller ; and eight lectures on nature- 

 study, by Mr. O. H. Latter. Laboratory work and 

 excursions have been arranged in connection with these 

 courses. There will also be a course in educational hand- 

 work, organised by the Educational Handwork Association, 

 during July and August at the same place, and it is 

 possible for students to take a joint West Riding and 

 handwork course. 



On December 21, 1909, the London County Council 

 decided to make a maintenance grant of Soooi. to the 

 Imperial College of Science and Technology, South 

 Kensington. In return for this grant it secures the 

 privilege of nominating twenty-five students for one year's 

 free instruction at the Imperial College. These are now to 

 be nominated for tlie first time. The instruction will be of 

 an advanced nature, and therefore only advanced students 

 who are qualified to enter on the fourth year of the course 

 should apply. There is no restriction as to income, but 

 intending candidates must be ordinarily resident in the 

 Administrative County of London, and must be students 

 at an institution aided, maintained, or approved by the 

 council. The free studentships do not entitle the holders 

 to any maintenance grants, but cover all ordinary tuition 

 fees. No examination will be adopted for the final selec- 

 tion of the students from the applications received. The 

 free studentships will be awarded on consideration of the 

 past records of the candidates, the recommendations of their 

 teachers, the course of study they intend to follow, and 

 generally upon their fitness for advanced study in science 

 applied to industry. It is quite possible that, in special 

 cases, the free places may be extended to two or more 

 years. AppHcation should be made without delay, as 

 entries will not be considered after July 23. Application 

 forms (T. 2/268) can be obtained from the Education 

 Officer, London County Council, Victoria Embankment, 

 London, W.C. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



I-ONDON. 

 Royal Society, June 30. — Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., 

 president, in the chair. — Prof. .\. D. Waller : A new 

 method for the quantitative estimation of hydrocyanic acid 

 in vegetable and animal tissues. The method is colori- 

 metric, and depends on the reaction between potassium 

 cyanide and picric acid, first studied by Hlasiwetz 

 (Liebig's Annaleii, ex., p. 2S9 [1S59]), and recently applied 

 by Guignard to the detection of minute quantities of 

 hydrocyanic acid [Aniiales Sci. Pharmacol., iqob, p. 415) 

 and by H. E. Armstrong to the rapid detection of emulsin 

 (Proceedings, March 10). The colour-scale is prepared by 

 mixing equal volumes of a recently titrated solution of 

 I'loooo hydrocyanic acid and of picrate mixture (equal 

 volumes of O'S/ioo picric acid and 5/100 sodium carbonate). 

 From this stock solution (T50), after twenty-four hours 

 in an incubator at 40°, a colour-scale is prepared by further 

 dilution with picrate mixture, to contain, e.g., 1, 2, 3, &c., 

 parts of HON per million, of tints T i, T2, T3, &c. The 

 estimation is made by matching the colour of the given 

 fluid or of its distillate into picrate mixture (after suitable 

 dilution if required), with that of the colour-scale. Thus, 

 e.g., if the tint of a distillate from 10 c.c. of blood (dil. X5) 

 into 25 c.c. of picrate is found = T5, and the volume of 

 picrate-l-distillate is 40 c.c, the amount of HCN in the 

 distillate = 5 X 40 millionths gram, i.e. 0-000200. .\ second 

 distillation shows whether or no the whole of the HCN 

 present has been taken over in the first distillate. Results 



