December 16, 1922] 



NA TURE 



821 



a similar kind is necessary if French chemical factories 

 are to remain in operation and French chemists in 

 employment. 



The Bibliographic Institute for Auxiliary Scientific 

 Work (ia Longridge Road, London, S.W. 5), estab- 

 lished in 191 7, affords assistance in the work of 

 31 1. ntific research by supplying bibliographies upon 

 subjects of any kind. The cost of such bibliographies 

 depends entirely upon the range of work comprised 

 in the special subject stated. Further information 

 can be obtained from the English representative of 

 the Institute at the above address. 



A memorial window in Westminster Abbey in 

 remembrance of Sir J. YY. Wolfe Barry, past president 

 of the Institution of Civil Engineers, was dedicated 

 on December 7 by the Dean of Westminster. The 

 window, uhich is in the nave, contains the figures of 

 two angels holding tablets on which are inscribed the 

 words " In Memory of John Wolfe Barry, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S., Civil Engineer. Born 1836. Died 1918." 

 Below the tablets are shields showing, among others, 

 the arms of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of the 

 University of London, and Sir John Wolfe Barry's 

 personal arms. 



The annual meeting of the Mathematical Associa- 

 tion will be held on Monday, January 1 , and Tuesday, 

 January 2, at the London Day Training College, 

 Southampton Row. At the Monday meeting, which 

 is to be at 5.30, Dr. S. Brodetsky will read a paper 

 on " Gliding." On Tuesday there will be two 

 sessions, one at 10 and the other at 2.30. At the 

 first, a statement respecting the forthcoming leport 

 of the Sub-committee on the Teaching of Geometry 



will be made by Prof. E. H. Neville, and the 

 following communications will be read: "The Uses 

 of Non-Euclidean Geometry to Teachers," W. C. 

 Fletcher; "Simple Geometrical and Kinematical 

 Illustrations of the Plane Complex," Prof. R. W. 

 Genese ; and "A Certain Dissection Problem," 

 J. Brill. At the afternoon meeting Sir Thomas L. 

 Heath will deliver his presidential address, taking 

 as his subject " Greek Geometry, with Special 

 Reference to Infinitesimals " ; and Prof. A. Lodge 

 will read a paper on "Differentials as the Basis for 

 Teaching the Calculus." 



A 1 seful Catalogue (New Series, No. 5) of second- 

 hand books on sale by Messrs. Wheldon and Wesley, 

 Ltd., 2 Arthur Street, W.C.2, has just been issued. 

 It contains upwards of 1200 titles of works dealing 

 with geology, mineralogy, mining, coal gas, water, 

 building materials, metal manufactures, etc. 



Messrs. Dulau and Co., Ltd., 34 Margaret Street, 

 W.i, have just circulated a short, but choice, catalogue 

 (No. 98) of Early Botanical Books. It is arranged 

 under the headings " Herbals and Materia Medica," 

 and " Early Agriculture and Gardening : Flora, 

 Fungi, Orchids, Serial Publications, etc." Among 

 the 356 works listed many are scarce. 



The Institute of Metals, 36 Victoria Street, London, 

 S.W.i, has issued a name and subject index of the 

 Journal of Institute (vols, i.-xxv.). The volume 

 contains more than 20,000 entries and covers metal- 

 lurgical work done during the period 1909-21. 

 Copies can be obtained through booksellers or direct 

 from the Institute of Metals. 



Our Astronomical Column. 



The REroRTED Nova in Lyra. — In this column last 

 week reference was made to the announcement of 

 the appearance of a new star near the constellation 

 of Lyra. The weather conditions for observing the 

 object were not favourable, in this country at least, 

 until the night of December 6, when observations 

 were made at Greenwich, the Norman Lockver 

 Observatory in Devon, and at Armagh. All the 

 observers reported that no bright star existed in the 

 region of the supposed nova ; in fact, photographs 

 of the spectra of stars in that region down to the 

 sixth magnitude, taken at the Norman Lockyer 

 Observatory, did not reveal the presence of any star 

 giving the characteristic spectrum of a new star. 

 That a star of the first magnitude should dim so 

 quickly in such a short period of time would be 

 quite unique in the records of novae, so it must be 

 assumed that the observer was mistaken or the 

 announcement incorrect. 



Dr. A. C. D. Crommelin writes : " Widespread 

 cloud prevented the announcement of the discovery 

 of a Nova in Lyra from being tested at once, and it 

 was thought advisable to circulate it with a caution, 

 so that advantage might be taken of any clear 

 intervals to search for it. December 6 was fairly 

 clear at Greenwich, and it was quickly found that 

 there was no strange orb visible to the naked eye 

 in the neighbourhood of the given spot. Telescopic 

 comparison was made with the B.D. chart for an 

 area of 4 square degrees round the position without 



NO. 2772, VOL. I 10] 



success. This search was conclusive, at least down 

 to magnitude 7. Dr. Lockyer, Mr. Ellison (Armagh), 

 Prof. Stromgren, and Dr. W. H. Steavenson also 

 searched without success. The Daily Mail cabled 

 to Bucharest and learnt that the Astronomical 

 Society there knew nothing of the discovery. There 

 is therefore practically no doubt that the announce- 

 ment was the result of some mistake, the exact 

 nature of which it is useless to conjecture." 



Large Fireballs.— Mr. W. F. Denning writes :— 

 "A large fireball appeared on November 24 at 6.40 

 p.m. which was seen from London, Manchester, and 

 other places. It caused considerable flare in the 

 :..r several seconds, and threw off a train of 

 sparks at the later period of its flight. Comparing 

 the various observations the radiant point is indicated 

 at s- +34° and the meteor fell from a height of 71 

 to 26 miles. Its length of path was about 124 miles, 

 and velocity 25 miles per second. It passed over the. 

 earth from the region about 12 miles west of Grimsby 

 to Shrewsbury. The radiant point near Theta Aurigae 

 is a fairly well-known centre of a minor shower 

 observed during the last half of November." 



Another great fireball appeared at about midnight 

 on December >> and caused a surprising illumination 

 in the region of north Lincolnshire. A noise like 

 thunder was heard two minutes after the disappear- 

 ance of the meteor. The flight of the meteor was from 

 1 1 west, but details of an exact nature are lacking. 



