712 

including Ireland, the rainfall for the quarter was 
75 per cent. of the average, the percentage ranging 
from 69 in the north of Ireland to 88 in South Wales 
and the south-west of England. The mean tempera- 
ture was 1° above the average in the south of Ireland, 
whilst in all other districts the departure from the 
average, plus or minus, did not amount to Osce ebe 
duration of bright sunshine over the eastern districts 
was Iog per cent. of the average, whilst in the western 
districts it was 105 per cent. The only districts with 
a deficiency of sunshine were the south-west of Eng- 
land, the south of Ireland, and the English Channel; 
in the latter district the duration was only 82 per cent. 
of the average. 
Tue rainfall table for July in Symons’s Meteorological 
Magazine shows the month to have been very wet in 
nearly all parts of the British Isles. The data are 
only for a few stations in comparison with those 
which will be given later by the British Rainfall 
Organisation. At Mickleover Manor in Derbyshire 
the fall was 250 per cent. of the average, the actual 
excess of rain being 3-84 in. At Hull the rain was 
240 per cent. of the average, and at Geldeston it was 
233 per cent. The only stations in the table with a 
deficiency are Newcastle, Aberystwyth, and Wick. In 
the Thames -Valley, where the rainfall is graphically 
shown by the usual monthly map, the measurement 
exceeded 5 in. over a fairly large area. Over the 
British Isles the rainfall was 148 per cent. of the 
average, the fall in the different parts of the kingdom 
being, England and Wales, 155; Scotland, 125; and 
Ireland, 158 per cent. 
La Nature (July 31) contains a highly interesting 
article on the manufacture of shells, the various pro- 
cesses being illustrated with excellent diagrams and 
photographs. The author points out that the war has 
already radically changed our conceptions on many 
points; that no longer does success depend so much on 
the number of combatants as formerly, and that vic- 
tory is more assured to that adversary which is capable 
of expending most shells in the least space of time, and 
it is therefore towards the factories that all considera- 
tions converge. Reference is made to the return to 
the factory of munition workers from the front, there 
having been a steady exodus in this direction in France 
since the first months of the war, but necessarily the 
reorganisation of the factories has had to precede the 
recall of the workmen. After a lucid description of 
the various processes through which the shells for the 
celebrated 75 mm. gun pass, the question of inspection 
is detailed. Out of every thousand, twenty are 
examined; if one is defective another twenty are 
selected, and if another fails the whole batch is 
examined one by one. Finally, twelve are taken and 
tested on the firing ground, being afterwards examined 
for any deformation they have undergone. 
Engineering for August 13 has an article on the 
Port of London Docks and traffic. Important work 
is being done for the extension of the Royal Albert 
Dock southwards. The plans of the new work have 
been altered. The dry dock is now to be made 750 ft. 
long, and the main dock is to be increased in depth 
from 35 to 38 ft. The entrance-lock, 800 ft. long by 
NO. 2391, VOL. 95] 
NATURE 

[AuGuUST 26, 1915 

too ft. wide by 45 ft. depth below Trinity high water, 
is making very good progress; the wall on the north 
side is completed, and 650 ft. of the south wall is 
built almost to coping level. The main basin is to 
have an area of 65 acres, and more than two-thirds 
of the excavations have been made. The south quay 
has been practically finished, and 670 ft. of the north 
quay is nearing completion., The trench excavations 
for the north wall of the dry dock have been made 
for a length of 580 ft., and a length of 230 ft. of 
concrete walling is in progress. The passage con- 
necting the new and the old docks is progressing. 
The lock-gates, caisson, and bascule and swing- 
bridges are being constructed by Sir William Arrol 
and Co., Ltd., of Glasgow. 
ALTHOUGH amongst the ordinary chemical elements 
potassium and rubidium are the only ones which have 
shown a measurable amount of radio-activity, it has 
not yet been proved conclusively that the small 
amount of §-radiation observed in the case of these 
substances has not been due to radio-active impuri- 
ties. The most satisfactory proof of the radio- 
activity of these elements would be to trace their 
radio-active products. According to the laws that ex- 
pulsion of an a-particle decreases the atomic weight 
by 2, and removes the product two places to the left 
in the periodic table of elements, while expulsion of 
a B-particle, while producing no appreciable change 
in the atomic weight, moves the product one place to 
the right, potassium should produce an element with 
the chemical properties of calcium, but with atomic 
weight 39:15, and rubidium an element like strontium, 
but with atomic weight 85-45. An _ investigation 
directed towards the detection of these new elements 
has been proceeding for some time at the radiological 
laboratory of the Scientific Society of Warsaw under 
Dr. H. Lachs, and a preliminary communication on 
the subject was made to the society at the meeting 
on March 4, but no definite conclusion had at that 
date been reached. 
AN interesting new method of standardising normal 
and decinormal solutions of acid used in volumetric 
analysis is described by Mr. Francis D. Dodge in the 
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 
(vol. vii., No. 1). The article is reprinted in the 
Chemical News (August 6). Use is made of 
potassium hydrogen phthalate, which is easily pre- 
pared in a pure state by dissolving phthalic anhydride 
in aqueous potassium hydroxide and recrystallising the 
product. The salt, when dried at 110°, is anhydrous, 
C,H,O,.HK, and behaves like a monobasic acid, the 
end-point in the titration being remarkably sharp. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
Tue AuGcust PERsEIDS.—One result of the recent 
observations of this shower will be the determination 
of a large number of real paths of meteors not 
belonging to the Perseid swarm. The minor radiants 
visible between August 10-20 were very numerous 
and interesting. In several cases, however, the 
meteors doubly observed do not work out very well, 
and these await further investigation. Some of the 
other observers have not yet sent in their results. 

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