JUNE 24, 1915] 
NATURE 
461 

Shuler on a new Ordovician Eurypterid, Stylonurus 
alveolatus, from south-western Virginia. The species 
occurs in marine strata, and confirms Laurie’s view 
that the habits of Stylonurus were littoral. 
Ir is especially appropriate at the present time to 
direct attention to Mr. W. Versfeld’s illustrated thesis 
on ‘The geological structure. of portions of German 
South-west Africa,’ which occupies nearly the whole 
of the March number (vol. xi., 1915) of the South 
African Journal of Science. The region studied extends 
from the Orange River south of Warmbad to the 
dolerites and Karroo Beds of Keetmanshoop in latitude 
26° 30’ S. A sedimentary origin is assigned to the 
gneisses near the Ham River, which consist of very 
distinct layers, now highly quartzose, now dark with 
hornblende. Although a ‘‘passage”’ into granite is 
observable, the author hesitates to regard this as 
an igneous contact. The Dwyka conglomerate is 
clearly recognised near Dreihoek, though no striated 
pebbles have yet been found in it. 
AN article on ‘‘ The European Winter and the War,” 
by Prof. Robert De C. Ward, of the Harvard Univer- 
sity, has been reprinted in pamphlet form from the 
Journal of Geography, vol. xiii. It deals chiefly with 
the period from November 1 to January 31, and is the 
continuation of a previous article by the same writer 
entitled ‘“‘The War and the Weather during the First 
Three Months of the Fighting,’ noticed in Nature of 
February 4 (p. 625). Referring to the western and 
eastern theatres of war in winter, the author states 
that both have advantages and both have disadvan- 
tages from a military point of view, the western 
having higher temperatures, and consequently more 
rain, mud, and ‘slush,’ whilst in the eastern war 
zone there is the disadvantage of greater and more’ 
continuous cold, but the advantage of somewhat more 
settled weather. It is mentioned that it is in the 
eastern war zone that there has been the greatest 
suffering on account of the cold, and there the winter 
weather controls have been most marked. In the 
eastern zone mild weather spells have been accom- 
panied by an immediate slackening of military opera- 
tions owing to the difficulty of transport. The author, 
writing from the other side of the Atlantic, says :— 
“The fact that this war is being fought in the winter 
means hundreds of thousands of dollars to the manu- 
facturers of winter supplies in the United States.” 
Attention is directed to the greater importance of the 
weather on warfare to-day than in the past, and the 
matter of aeroplanes and airships is instanced. 
In the Proceedings of the Tokyo Mathematico- 
Physical Society for 1909 and 1913 Prof. Terada and 
Dr. Hasegawa discussed the possibility of the baro- 
metric gradient over a region subject to earthquakes 
being one of the contributory causes of their produc- 
tion. The latter also showed that in one such district 
in Japan when an earthquake occurs the barometric 
gradient is perpendicular to the line of a certain 
geological fault. In the Proceedings for March and 
April, 1915, Dr. Nakamura shows that in the case of 
fifty slight earthquakes which occurred in another 
district in 1904, the barometric gradients were nearly 
NO. 2382, VOL. 95] 
:predominating part. 

perpendicular to the line of seismic weakness pre- 
viously calculated by Prof. Omori by grouping the 
epicentres. The relation between the barometric 
gradient, the stress it produces in the earth’s crust, 
and the occurrence of. earthquakes seems npw well 
established. 
A CONTRIBUTION to the theory of the gyroscope is 
communicated to the Proceedings of the Royal Society 
of Edinburgh, xxxv. (2), 14. | Prof. Lamb’s object 
is to obtain briefly the intrinsic equations of the gyro- 
scope, and to show how they lead immediately to the 
solution of a number of problems. Apart from their 
uses as a basis of calculation, they have a simple 
interpretation which enables the author to foresee the 
general character of the motion in cases where the 
actual calculation would be difficult. It is, however, 
to be hoped that Prof. Lamb, in addition to the appli- 
cations to the gyrostatic compass and the steadying 
effect on ships, will bear in mind that aeroplanes 
present pressing demands for systematical study. Even 
gyroscopic action of propellers opens up a wide field 
for research. It must be admitted that Prof. Lamb’s 
interpretations are very neat and simple, and to the 
point. A study of the paper might enable an 
average student to attack an examination question on 
the subject in an intelligent manner. With the exist- 
ing treatment such questions as a rule are only 
answered by copying. 
Science for May 7 contains an interesting article by 
Dr. B. C. Hesse on the part played by the chemist in 
the industrial development of the United States. Dr. 
Hesse emphasises the fact that although public atten- 
tion has since the beginning of the war been centred 
on the chemist mainly in connection with coal-tar dyes, 
the industry of these dyes forms only a very small part 
of the total manufactures in which chemistry plays a 
The entire consumption of dyes 
in the United States represents only about fifteen 
million dollars, whilst other true chemical industries 
represent nearly 2500 millions of dollars of produce 
per annum. If several others be included which are 
not exclusively chemical, but rest largely on a chemical 
basis—for example, the steel and iron industries and 
petroleum refining—the value of this produce is more 
than doubled, and the total number of wage-earners 
engaged increased to nearly 6 millions. The part 
played by the chemist in the United States has been 
a very great one, and at the present time there are 
nearly ten thousand chemists in the country. If he has 
not done more ‘‘the fault largely rests with those in 
charge of many of the industrial enterprises requiring 
chemical knowledge in their exploitation, who fail 
absolutely in a chemical understanding of their own 
products, and-are devoid of any sympathetic Comes 
with chemistry and with chemical points of view. 
From several agricultural stations in the country 
publications have recently been issued showing how 
the deficiency of potash supplies can to some extent 
be met by the farmer. It was shown at Rothamsted 
that the ashes of hedge trimmings were practically 
as rich as kainit, and could be used in its stead. 
MrsiGe dl: Connie eee of the Horticultural Re- 
