558 
NATURE 
[Aucust 8, 1912 
line and the stigmatic pattern, with photographic illus- 
trations of the flowers, fruits, and seeds, and maps 
indicating the distribution of the species. In addition 
there are five beautiful plates showing the plants 
photographed in their natural surroundings, which 
add greatly to the attractiveness of this admirable 
publication. 
THOsE who have travelled in Italy and have observed 
the way in which small birds of every kind are shot 
for sport will be pleased to read a short note by 
Prof. Giacinto Martorelli in the Rendiconto del R. Istt- 
tuto lombardo, xlv., 9. The author considers that the 
laws in force for the protection of wild birds are 
inadequate to stop the extermination of the large 
number of migratory species that traverse the Italian 
mainland twice a year. The object of the paper, 
generally speaking, is to urge that the close season 
should commence much earlier than it does at present. 
He considers that there is no reason for continuing 
the close season later than August 15, but observes 
that the laws are not strictly adhered to in practice. 
Tue results tor the year 1911 of the observations 
made under the superintendence of the Norwegian 
Meteorological Institute are given in two large 
volumes, as in previous years. An _ outstanding 
feature of these valuable data, which extend so far 
north as latitude 71°, is the very large amount of 
precipitation as rain or snow on the exposed. and 
rugged western borders of the country. A glance at 
the Daily Weather Charts issued by our own Meteoro- 
logical Office shows that the majority of the baro- 
metric depressions which arrive from the North 
Atlantic merely skirt our northern shores and expend 
their energy on the Norwegian coast. On a map 
which accompanies the rainfall volume, the yearly 
isohyets are drawn for each 200 millimetres, and 
show that in several coastal districts the amounts 
reach 2000 and even 3000 mm. (about 118 inches). 
But the vapour-laden currents lose most of their 
moisture on the windward side of the mountains; 
the districts on the Swedish borders receive an annual 
rainfall of only 600 or even 4oo mm. (15% in.). The 
number of rainfall stations is at present about 500 
(one station for each 673 km.”), which compares poorly 
with that of some other countries, e.g., the British 
Islands (one station for about each 70 km.*). The 
careful publication of this large amount of data so 
nearly up to date reflects much credit upon the 
director and small staff of the institute in 
Christiania. 
In the Mededeelingen en verhandelingen issued by 
the Royal Meteorological Institute of the Netherlands 
(No. 13a), Dr. J. P. van der Stok has commenced an 
important discussion of the’ climate of the south- 
eastern part of the North Sea, based on observations 
made on board the five Dutch lightships. The work 
is to consist of two parts: (1) the results and discus- 
sion of the observations for each separate locality, and 
(2) summaries of the aggregate results and climato- 
logical constants giving a general view of the climate 
of the whole area. We have received the first instal- 
ment of part i., containing the results of twenty-five 
NO. 2232, VOL. 89] 
vears’ observations at the Terschellingerbank light- 
ship, moored about 123 miles, and of twenty years’ 
observations at the Haaks lightship, moored about 
17 miles off the coast, and embracing together no 
fewer than ninety-four tables. From the thoroughness 
with which the work is being carried out we may 
look forward to some valuable meteorological results. 
A NEW geographical magazine has appeared, the 
Bulletin de la Société Serbe de Géographie. As 
Servian is a language little read outside the country, 
abstracts of the articles are given in French, German, 
or Italian. Among the articles in the first number 
are a discussion of the influence of economic condi- 
tions on settlement, a tectonic sketch of the environs 
of Belgrade, the glaciation of the Sarplanina and the 
Korab, and on the displacement of the coast line in 
Croatia and Dalmatia within historic times. In the 
last the author, A. Gavazzi, of Agram, controverts 
from personal observation the view frequently ex- 
pressed that the coast has sunk in the past 2000 
years. 
Pror. J. C. BRANNER, in a paper read before the 
Seismological Society of America (Bulletin, vol. ii., 
pp. 105-117), shows that Brazil is not so free from 
earthquakes as is often supposed. He gives a list of 
more than fifty recorded shocks, the first of which, 
of somewhat doubtful authenticity, occurred in 1560. 
The majority were of slight intensity, only two attain- 
ing a strength sufficient to cause slight damage to 
buildings. Prof. Branner indicates six small districts, 
which are occasionally visited by earthquakes. As the 
country is larger than the United States, covering 
more than three million square miles, it would seem 
probable that no other portion of the globe of equal 
area is so rarely shaken by earthquakes. 
A coop deal has been recently heard about ‘holes 
in the air’’ in connection with sudden collapses of 
flying machines. Prof. W. J. Humphreys, of the 
Washington Weather Bureau, writing in The Popular 
Science Monthly for July, classifies the eight different 
types of atmospheric disturbance as follows :—A ver- 
tical group, including aérial fountains, aérial cataracts, 
aérial cascades, and aérial breakers, and a horizontal 
group, including wind layers, wind billows, and aérial 
torrents; in addition wind eddies fall under both 
groups. Holes in the sense of vacuous regions do not 
exist. 
Tue International Association for promoting the 
Study of Quaternions and allied systems of mathe- 
matics has issued its report for June, 1912 (New Era 
Press, Lancaster, Penn., U.S.A.). In addition to the 
usual bibliography, a useful purpose is served by Dr. 
James Byrnie Shaw’s table of comparative notation 
for vector expressions, which will be extremely handy 
for reference, and in particular for non-specialists in 
quaternions when they are reading papers where these 
are used. A system of notation is also proposed by 
Dr. Alexander Macfarlane, the president, with a dis- 
cussion of the underlying principles. M. G. Combe- 
biac gives a notice of the late Captain F. Ferber, 
better known in connection with aeroplanes than with 
vectors. 
