May 27, 1915| 
NATURE 361 

curvature of the wings may have a considerable 
influence in the problems of this class. 
(7) A third kind of ‘inherent controllability" is 
only possible when portions of the wing surface are 
in front of or behind the rest; and a possible solution 
exists in the form of a system suggested by the lec- 
turer in the Aéronautical Journal, with front and rear 
planes, one set being turned upwards and the other 
downwards. 
It appears, however, from the analysis that the 
necessary conditions cannot be satisfied in the case 
of surfaces of uniform breadth bent up into a plane 
dihedral angle at the centre or bent into a trihedral 
angle at some points intermediate between the centre 
and tips. They can, however, be readily satisfied by 
suitably curving the wings or by varying their shape 
so as to make them as a rule broader towards the 
tips than near the base. The present arrangement 
has the further advantage that the system would 
not tend to turn round sideways if struck by a side 
gust of wind, and this should be worth trying experi- 
mentally. 
(8) Although no attempt has been made to discuss 
the analytical conditions of inherent stability further 
than has been done in “Stability in Aviation,’’ it 
appears from general considerations that the rudder 
plane at least in an inherently controllable system 
should be placed on the opposite side of the centre of 
gravity to the turning point, and that difficulties, 
probably instability, must necessarily occur if the 
rudder is between the centre of gravity and the turn- 
ing point. It seems almost certain that the best 
position for the rudder is when it and the turning 
point are in the relative positions of the centres of 
suspension and oscillations of the system when treated 
as a compound pendulum. 

EARLY RECOGNITION OF THE PHASES 
OF THE PLANET VENUS. 
Pe the April number of the Journal of the Royal 
Asiatic Society there is an article by Mr. Joseph 
Offord, entitled ‘“‘The Deity of the Crescent Venus 
in Ancient Western Asia,’ which is of interest to 
astronomers as well as to archzologists, because it 
shows that the phases of this planet were undoubtedly 
detected at a very early era indeed. 
The evidence adduced commences with a cuneiform 
inscription from Babylonia, of the time of Assur- 
banipal, which refers to the horn of the star, and 
another similar sentence is added from an undated 
tablet. Mr. Offord then proceeds to consider many 
statements, chiefly made in ancient inscriptions, as 
well as in the fragments of classic, Syrian, and 
Egyptian literature referring to the characteristics of 
Venus as a stellar goddess, which indicate that the 
crescent form of the planet at certain intervals was 
recognised and clearly set forth by the titles, myths, 
and observances connected with her as a deity. As is 
well known, Venus, the Asiatic Ishtar, Ashteroth, or 
Astarte, wore a horned headdress, and was called in 
consequence Ashtoreth-Karnaim—the Ashtoreth of the 
horns. The Chaldeans made her the daughter of Sin, 
the moon-god, because of her similar crescent phases 
to the moon. 
Much of the confusion concerning the titles and 
attributes of Venus, as a deity, arose from different 
names being assigned to her as morning and evening 
star, whilst the classics sometimes erroneously 
ascribed any stellar goddess said to have crescent 
form to the moon, because they were unaware that 
the planet Venus possessed the same characteristic, 
although the Assyrians and other Semites had recog- 
nised this. 
NO. 2378, VOL. 95] 



That Astarte of the Greeks, and Asheteroth of the 
Phoenicians was Venus is certain, and that she was 
only another name for the Chaldean Ishtar Mr. Offord 
shows definitely. That Ishtar was the morning star 
the cuneiform texts confirm in many ways. One of 
her titles, Dilbat, ‘‘the Announcer,’’ is cogent in the 
case; also in a myth when seven evil spirits were said 
to have worsted the moon, temporarily (i.e. an eclipse), 
Ishtar became queen of heaven, because the moon’s 
light having vanished, Venus had no rival in_bril- 
liancy. Moreover, Ishtar had titles such as Simua 
(horned) and Timua (curved), and is depicted as a 
cow. The exvotos in many Astarte temples were also 
cow-heads with large horns. 
In the clear air of Mesopotamia it was possible to 
detect the phases of Venus, as Dr. Gretschel has 
shown is the case in Persia and Peru; and so Ishtar- 
Venus, the later Ashtoreth-Karnaim, is like so many 
other primitive concepts, a reasonable expression of 
astronomical symbolism, the horned emblem upon 
figures of the deity indicating the star associated with 
her name. 

UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Bristot.—Mr. G. A. Wills, and his brother, Mr. 
H. H. Wills, have just made an additional gift of 
40,0001. to the University. Originally they gave 
180,o0ol. for the purpose of erecting additional build- 
ings, but as the accepted tender greatly exceeds that 
amount, they have now added 40,oool., making a total] 
benefaction of 220,000l. The council has decided, 
therefore, to proceed forthwith with the erection of the 
buildings. 
CamBripGe.—The late Dr. W. Aldis Wright, vice- 
master of Trinity College, bequeathed the sum_of 
soool. for the use of the University library. The 
late Lady Margaret Huggins left toool. to the 
City of London School for the endowment of a scholar- 
ship in astronomy, tenable at Cambridge, to be called 
the “Sir William Huggins” scholarship. 
Mr. A. E. Dixon has been reappointed assistant to 
the Downing professor of medicine, and Mr. R. H. 
Rastall has been reappointed additional demonstrator 
of geology. 
Lonpon.—Her Majesty the Queen has given the 
sum of 2s5o0l. to pay for the training and expenses of a 
student at the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of 
Medicine for Women for a five years’ course. The 
money is part of a gift to the Queen from the wives 
of Freemasons, to help members of the professional 
classes who’ may be in difficulties owing to the war. 
The council will award the scholarship in July, 1915, 
to a student who intends to begin a course of study in 
the October following. The scholarship will be of the 
value of sol. a year for five years, subject to the 
student pursuing her course to the satisfaction of the 
council. 
At a meeting of the Senate on May 19, it was 
decided to close the science department of Goldsmiths’ 
College at the end of the present session. 
Dr. A. E. Boycott, F.R.S., has been appointed 
director of the Graham Research Laboratory in suc- 
cession to Dr. Charles Bolton. 
The D.Sc. in chemistry has been granted to Mr. 
Percy May, of University College. 
There are few changes in the personnel of the 
Senate as the result of recent elections. Dr. H. B. 
Workman succeeds Dr. T. L. Mears as one of the 
representatives of arts graduates, and Dr. W. P. Ker 
succeeds Dr. Pollard as one of the representatives of 
the faculty of arts. Mr. J. L. S. Hatton and Dr. 
