May 31, 1906] 



NA TURE 



bi- allowi-d ti) drop, ;iiid llKit iIip cx.unple set by the London 

 Lnivrrsitv will bi- lollowcd by other institutions. The 

 ^iibji-fts specially di;.-ilt with in this last lecture were the 

 variations in the several elements from year to year, the 

 relation of the yield of wheat lo rainfall in the British 

 Isles, and illustrations of sequences in seasonal variations 

 in various parts of the globe. Some slides lent by Dr. 

 Lockyer showed very clearly the opposite variations of the 

 jjr.ssure curves for different localities, and the similarity 

 ■between the march of rainfall and inverted pressure curves. 

 The lecturer pointed out that several such relations were 

 beginning to be detected, but that more work was wanted ; 

 some of the results could only be considered as temporary 

 at the present time. Some very remarkable illustrations 

 were given of the apparent dependence of the yield of 

 wheat on the rainfall of the previous autumn, although 

 •other factors, e.g. temperature and spring rainfall, un- 

 doubtedly exert an influence on the general result. The 

 values seemed to show an unmistakable relation to an 

 eleven years' periodicity. Diagrams were also shown e.\- 

 hibiting an apparent notable connection between the south- 

 east trade wind velocity in the Atlantic and English rain- 

 fall (see also Nature, December 21, 1905). 



The Maryland Geological Survey has established a per- 

 manent .State mineral exhibit in the old House of Re- 

 presentatives at Annapolis. We learn from Science that 

 the materials forming this exhibit have been gradually 

 collected by the survey during the last few years, the 

 nucleus being the Maryland mineral exhibit at Buffalo in 

 iQoi. This was materially added to in the preparation 

 ■of the State's exhibit at Charleston the following winter, 

 and was still further increased for the Maryland exhibit 

 for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 

 1904. The latter display has again been much enlarged 

 for the present purpose, and is intended to illustrate 

 thoroughly the mineral resources and industries of the 

 State. 



We have received a copy of the report issued by the 

 Home Office (Cd. 2911, price \s. <)d.) on statistics relating 

 to persons employed, output, and accidents at mines and 

 <iuarries in the British colonies and in foreign countries in 

 1904. The number of persons employed at home and 

 abroad was about five millions, of which one-fifth were 

 employed in the L'nited Kingdom and one-third in the 

 British Empire. More than half the total were employed 

 in getting coal, of which the world's production was 886 

 million tons, valued at 295 million pounds sterling. Of 

 the world's gold output, 16,593,856 oz., valued at 

 67,000,000/., the British Empire supplied 60 per cent., the 

 Transvaal contributing 22f per cent., Australia 222 per 

 cent., and Canada 4J per cent. The United States con- 

 tributed 23J per cent. In coal mines the death-rate from 

 accidents per 1000 employed was 1-24 in the United King- 

 dom, 1-24 in the British Empire, 1-90 in Germany, and ,V35 

 in the United States. 



The Pioneer Mail states that the establishment of per- 

 ■manent wireless telegraph stations at Frasergunj and 

 Akyab is now under the consideration of the Government 

 of India. 



The ."Xpril and May numbers of the Journal of the 

 Franklin Institute are devoted almost entirely to a report 

 of the proceedings on the occasion of the 200th anni- 

 versary of Franklin's birth. An address delivered by 

 Prof. Edwin ]. Houston, on Franklin as a man of science 

 and an inventor, is printed in full, and gives an extended 



NO 1909, VOL. 74] 



account of the life-work of ihe great discoverer. An 

 account is also given of ih.- Benjamin Franklin trust 

 funds to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia. The 

 Journal of the Society of Arts for April 27, referring to 

 the bicentenary celebration, of which an account was given 

 in N.\TtKE of .May 10 (p. 36). provides interesting par- 

 ticulars of Franklin's relations with the Society of Arts. 



Mkssrs. Dickinson ano Shields, .\lliance Mills, Stoke 

 Newlngton, have sent us a short pamphlet with respect 

 to their bubble fountain, the chief fault of which is that 

 it does not contain any description of how the bubble 

 fountain is formed. However, assuming it to be formed, 

 the bubble fountain consists of a series of soap bubbles, 

 made even at the rate of 20,000 per minute, which may 

 be blown with coal gas, and sent up by day or by night, 

 when, if illuminated by the sun or artificially, it affords 

 an interesting and beautiful phenomenon. .'\t night, further 

 interest may be given by firing the fountain, when the 

 flame will run up the stream of bubbles. Intermittent 

 groups of bubbles arc suggested as an e.xcellent target for 

 gun practice, cheaper than glass or clay, and obviously 

 it is more humane than the murder of live pigeons. It 

 is stated that a large example may shortly be seen at the 

 Crystal Palace. 



On the British .\ssociation journey to and from South 

 Africa a careful watch was made by many members of the 

 partv for the " green ray " visible for an instant just at 

 the time of disappearance of the setting sun below a clear 

 horizon. A note has been contributed on this subject to 

 Symons's Meteorological Magazine for March and April 

 by Prof. Rambaut, F.R.S., who was one of the party. 

 Prof. Rambaut finds that the phenomenon can be entirely 

 accounted for by the generally received view of the 

 chromatic dispersion of the atmosphere combined with 

 selective absorption. It is not necessary to make elaborate 

 experiments or to go a sea voyage in order to observe 

 the "green ray." By fixing a screen half covering the 

 focal plane of a telescope, or, better still, a diaphragm 

 with a narrow diametral slit, a green or blue flash can 

 be seen at the top of the sun's disc and a red fringe at 

 the bottom any time that the sun is near the horizon, and 

 the observation can be repeated as often as desired. 



" The Grape Curculio " is the title of the 100th Bulletin 

 of the West Virginia University .Agricultural Experiment 

 Station at Morgantown. in which Mr. F. E. Brooks deals 

 with the damage inflicted on vineyards by the weevil 

 Craponius inaequalis. For several years past complaints 

 have come from vine-growers in \'irginia in regard to 

 insects that "sting" grapes, causing them to become 

 " wormy " and to drop from the vines while unripe. The 

 insect is the above-named weevil, and careful experiments 

 have been conducted with the view of mitigating the 

 damage caused by its attacks. Spraying and protecting the 

 clusters by enclosure in bags are recommended as the most 

 effectual remedies. 



The first division of the third part of the catalogue of 

 the Indian decapod Crustacea in the collection of the 

 Indian Museum has been received. Part iii. deals with 

 the Macrura, and in the section just issued Dr. A. .\lcock, 

 F.R.S., describes the prawns of the Peneus group. 



In the notice of the okapi in our last vi-eek's issue 

 (p. 88) the description of the animal's habitat should have 

 been attributed to Captain Gosling instead of to Captain 

 Alexander. 



Messrs. Philip Harris and Co., Ltd., have just issued 

 an illustrated catalogue of instruments for practical work 



