NATURE 



[September 7, 191 1 



pile of abstracts and papers just received from them. 

 These form part of the volumes issued under the title of 

 " Miscellaneous Papers of the University Observatory, 

 Oxford," and include important papers on the measure- 

 ment of star photographs, eclipse work, variable star dis- 

 cussions, and mathematical astronomy. 



In his report of the work during the year ended April 30, 

 Prof. Turner states that the work of replacing defective 

 plates in zone 25° (the last Oxford zone) was completed, 

 and the volume of measures ready for immediate publica- 

 tion. The question of making differential measures by 

 photographic means of the places of the reference stars has 

 long been under consideration, and an apparently satis- 

 factory method is to be given an extensive trial. 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS AND YEAR- 

 BOOKS. 

 TSIENNA Central Meteorological Office (1908).— The 

 forty-fifth year-book (new series) of this important 

 service appears in the same form as heretofore ; it includes 

 daily observations and monthly and yearly results in the 

 international form for a number of stations, hourly observa- 

 tions for Vienna, and temperature and rainfall observations 

 at other stations. Purely rainfall statistics are published 

 by the Hydrographic Office, and observations in Hungary 

 and elsewhere are also separately published. Observations 

 of the upper air are actively carried on by manned and 

 registering balloons. Weather forecasts were sent free to 

 all post and telegraphic offices between April and November, 

 in addition to the daily publications of the usual weather 

 report (with chart). A separate appendix issued with this 

 volume contains the results of thunderstorm observations in 

 Lower Austria in 1902-5, by Dr. A. Defant. These include 

 two maps showing the districts of the first appearance and 

 final disappearance of the storms. The greater elevations 

 of ground are seen to offer favourable conditions for the 

 formation of the storms, and to promote their development 

 in a remarkable manner. Very few storms originate in the 

 more level districts ; these check their development, and 

 become the places of dissolution of the storms which 

 approach from other parts. 



Meteorological Office (1910). — Summaries of the results 

 have been published of the geophysical and meteorological 

 observations in continuation of the reports of the observa- 

 tory department of the National Physical Laboratory, in 

 accordance with arrangements made between H.M. 

 Treasury and other authorities. The tables in this volume 

 are given in the usual form, and include observations for 

 Eskdalemuir, magnetic results for Falmouth and Valencia, 

 and the customary table of recent magnetic values for 

 observatories in all parts of the world. In the year 191 1 

 Eskdalemuir will replace Kew with regard to magnetic 

 observations. The following data for Kew are extracted 

 from interesting notes drawn up by Dr. C. Chree : — mean 

 westerly declination, 16° 3-2'; inclination, 66° 58-7'; hori- 

 zontal force, 0-18503. Solar radiation observations with 

 an Angstrom pyrheliometer made between nh. 30m. a.m. 

 and 12I1. 30m. p.m., expressed in gram-calories per square 

 centimetre per minute, ranged from 1-105 m August to 

 0575 in December ; the absolute values were 1-296 in May 

 and 0484 in December The largest seismograph disturb- 

 ances occurred on January 22, amplitude (E.-W. displace- 

 ment)>!7 mm.; June 24, 11 mm., and December 13, 

 7-5 mm. Dr. Shaw states that the considerations of the 

 most suitable forms for the future publication of the results 

 obtained at the associated observatories, in view of inter- 

 national relationships, is now occupying attention. 



boot Observatory (1910). — The report of this valu- 

 Institution, maintained in great efficiency by the Mersey 



Docks and Harbour Board, appei the ame form as 



in previous years (Nature, October 27, 1910). The annual 

 means of the principal meteorological elements were practic- 

 ally normal ; absolute maximum temperature, 77-3° in June 

 (u-8° below the highest record); minimum, —5-9° in 

 January (7-2° above the I d). \n interesting 



experiment was made in the autumn, in connection with 

 the determination of time, by observing the signals sent 

 out by radio-telegraphy from tli fower and from 



the German station at Merddeich ; the signals were received 

 at Waterloo station with great clearness. The amplitudes 

 and other details of the seismological disturbances of 

 January 22, June 24, and December 13 agree closely with 

 those recorded at Kew ; in the first case the amplitude 

 exceeded the width of the paper. 



Norwegian Meteorological Institute (1910). — These valu- 

 able observations are published in two volumes, as in 

 previous years : — (1) the year-book containing daily observa- 

 tions with monthly and yearly summaries according to 

 the international scheme, and hoilrly readings for 

 Christiania ; (2) daily amounts of rain and snow with 

 summaries, and normal percentages for as many years as 

 are available. This volume is accompanied by maps show- 

 ing the annual isohyets for each 200 mm. These give a 

 clear idea of the great variation according to geographical 

 position (see Nature, July 28, 1910) which it is difficult 

 otherwise to obtain from the great mass of tables. They 

 clearly show the influence of the rain-bringing winds of the 

 Atlantic, and of the configuration of the land. One of the 

 tables, giving the values at selected stations in 1910 in 

 percentages of the normal amounts, shows yearly differ- 

 ences ranging from 59 to 169 per cent, of the normal. We 

 have also received a " summary of air-temperature and 

 rainfall for 1909 " in a very handy form, being an excerpt 

 from a periodical publication. 



Toronto Observatory (1909). — The results of this valu- 

 able series of meteorological observations are given for 

 each month and the year, together with the average for 

 the past seventy years : mean temperature, January, 1909, 

 26-5°; July, 67-8°; year, 45-9° (average, 45-1°); absolute 

 maximum, 95-8°, in August (highest on record, 992°) ; 

 minimum, — S7 , on February 1 (lowest on record, 

 — 26-5°). Depth of snow, 69-1 inches (mean 660 inches) ; 

 rainfall, 2601 inches (mean, 26-86 inches). The sunshine 

 during the year was 2068 hours, 44 per cent, of the possible 

 amount. Mean westerly declination was 6° 59-4' ; inclina- 

 tion, 74 37-5'; horizontal force, 0-162988 dyne. 



Bremen Observatory (1910). — The observations are pub- 

 lished in the same form as in previous years (Nature, 

 October 27, 1910) as one of the valuable series of German 

 meteorological year-books; it contains, in addition, results 

 for the lustrum 1906-10, and for the thirty-five years 1876- 

 1910, with hourly means for twenty years. The following 

 data are for the 35-year period : — mean temperature : 

 year, 47-7°; January, 32-9° j July, 62-6°; mean of absolute 

 maxima for July, 829°; of minima for January, 11-3°. 

 Rainfall : annual amount, 27-23 inches ; maximum in 

 twenty-four hours, 3-39 inches. Results of observations 

 with pilot balloons are exchanged daily by telegraph with 

 the aeronautical observatory at Lindenberg. 



77/ A' AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES. 



T^HE admirable volume referred to below ' forms the first 

 * portion of a systematic account of the American 

 Indian languages. It has been in preparation for many 

 years, and has grown out of an attempt to prepare a 

 revised edition of Major J. W. Powell's " Introduction to 

 the Study of Indian Languages." The filling of the 

 schedules contained in the " introduction " caused an 

 accumulation of much linguistic material without throwing 

 much light upon the morphology, the phonetics, or the 

 psychological basis of the languages. In this new work 

 special emphasis is placed upon the importance of an 

 analytical study of the languages. The work has been 

 rendered possible by the cooperation of numerous investi- 

 gators under the auspices of various institutions, particu- 

 larly the American Museum of Natural History and the 

 University of California. 



The subject is introduced by Dr. Franz Boas in a very 

 able exposition of the principles of linguistics as applied to 

 ethnological problems. Though written with especial refer- 

 ence to the pri ms o) American ethnology, this will be 

 found of much value to the general student. In dealing 

 with the three factors of physical type, language, and 



I " Handbook of Am 

 Pp vii4-i, 

 (Smiibsooi in Iniiitul 



! BonR. Part i. 



; 

 lurei 1 Amerii an Ethnology, Bulletin No. 40.) 



NO. 2184. VOI 



