325 
expanded from a semi-popular lecture, and it gains 
materially in interest from the fact that the author 
largely describes his own work, including some 
results published for the first time. 
Mr. R. S. Adamson, of Cambridge University, has 
published an interesting and detailed ecological study 
of a small woodland area at Gamlingay, near Cam- 
bridge. The distribution of the vegetation itself is 
correlated with observations on climate, composition 
and water-content of the soil, evaporation, light 
intensity, and other factors of the habitat. The wood 
is situated on Boulder Clay, above Gault and Lower 
Greensand. The clay gives rise to two very distinct 
types of soil—a heavy calcareous clay and a non- 
calcareous loam. The vegetation of these soils is 
quite different, the calcareous soil supporting an oalx- 
and-ash association, and the loam a pure oak associa- 
tion, each with its own characteristic plant-societies. 
Six plates accompany the paper, which appears in the 
Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. xl. (January). 
In the Jahres-Berichte und Mitteilungen des Ober- 
rheinischen geologischen Vereines for 1912, Heft ii. 
(1.50 marks), various writers combine to furnish a 
geological guide to the interesting district between 
Bale and Laufenburg on the Rhine. The occasion 
for these papers was the meeting of the society in 
April at Rheinfelden, one of those beautiful old-world 
centres from which much of Switzerland and of the 
Black Forest may be visited. South of Bale, again, 
lie picturesque ravines and ridges in the Juras, where 
the strata are happily fossiliferous. At Laufenburg, 
of which many travellers to Constanz catch some 
glimpse from the railway, the floor of ancient gneiss 
comes to the surface from beneath Permian and 
Triassic strata, and the Rhine forms picturesque rapids 
across the obstacle. Those in search of a field of 
study where a variety of rocks and a variety of physio- 
graphic features are conveniently combined, and where 
even the villages retain a medizval character, may 
well turn, under such guidance, towards the Upper 
Rhine. 
Amone the various contributions of interest and 
importance to the first volume of the ‘‘ Records of the 
Survey of India, 1909-10" (Calcutta, 1912), there is 
one from the pen of the Surveyor-General himself, 
Colonel S. G. Burrard, which, though occupying 
barely a single page, foreshadows the establishment 
of a branch of the worlxs which will be of peculiar 
value to physical geographers. ‘‘It is intended in 
future,” he says, ‘‘to maintain a record of all changes 
that may be noticed to have occurred or to be now 
occurring in the form and features of the land- 
surface.” The beginning of the new topographical 
survey offered the opportunity for this. Instructions 
have been issued which indicate, by way of example, 
various directions in which changes may be looked 
for. Thus it is known that the sands of the 
Rajputana desert are advancing  north-eastward 
under the influence of prevalent winds; it is desired 
to specify with precision how far they have done so, 
and whether there is a compensating retreat along 
the opposite fringe of the desert. The advance of 
the sand is known to have changed the course of 
NO. 2222, VOL. 89| 
NATURE 
[May 30, 1912 
Punjab rivers; it is desired to ascertain whether it is 
still doing so. The changes in river-courses gener- 
ally, in the low plains, are to be observed with par- 
ticular reference to the question whether their move- 
ment is always in a particular direction or not. The 
growth of deltas and the effects of irrigation works 
upon it, coastal changes, and the desiccation of 
formerly cultivated lands, are other important points 
to be noticed. 
AN interesting paper discussing the results of a 
careful survey of the Girdle Stanes—a standing stone 
circle in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire—is published by 
Mr. G. R. Goldsbrough in part iii., vol. iv., of the 
Proceedings of the University of Durham Philo- 
sophical Society. Working on the orientation theory 
as enunciated by Sir Norman Lockyer, Mr. Golds- 
brough finds convincing evidence that the foundation 
of the Girdle Stanes had an astronomical basis. A 
feature of the sight-lines is that two natural land- 
marks are employed, as at the Keswick Circle, 
according to Dr. Morrow, and this at first sight 
would appear to be rather a difficult condition to 
fulfil; but correspondence with Mr. Goldsbrough 
elucidates the demonstration that at the Girdle Stanes 
it was quite a simple matter to place the circle so 
that these two existent features might serve as 
azimuth marks. Mr. Goldsbrough finds evidence that 
the sunrise of the first and second quarter days of 
the May-year was marked, and that clock stars and 
warning stars were probably used at the Girdle Stanes 
about 1300 B.c. 
Tue volcanic eruptions in the Philippine Islands 
have been attended with serious loss of life on two 
occasions, one of Mayon in 1814, the other of Taal 
in rg11. In order to determine whether this loss 
might have been averted or lessened, the Rev. M. 
Saderra Maso, assistant-director of the U.S. Weather 
Bureau, has examined the phenomena preceding the 
eruptions (twenty in number) of these volcanoes 
during the last two centuries. He finds that both the 
explosive eruptions of Taal and the lava eruptions of 
Mayon have invariably increased from a mild begin- 
ning, indicated by earthquakes or subterranean noises, 
to a maximum intensity which followed generally 
after a few days, and but rarely a few hours later, 
thus allowing sufficient time for most persons to 
escape. An interesting result of the inquiry is that 
the earthquakes which have nearly always accom- 
panied and followed the great eruptions of Taal cannot 
be ascribed to vibrations caused by the violent escape 
of the ejecta, but are due to movements of the fault 
on which the volcano is situated. This is shown by 
the persistence of the tremors after the volcano has 
returned to its normal state and by the migration of 
the seismic foc] to the north-north-east and south- 
south-west of the volcano. 
Tue possibilities of an industrial development in 
the Highlands, from the utilisation of the water- 
powers, is foreshadowed in a paper read by Mr. A. 
Newlands, assistant engineer of the Highland Rail- 
way, before the Inverness Scientific Society, and now 
obtainable in pamphlet form from Messrs. Carruthers 
and Sons, Courier Office, Inverness. Nothing has 
