July 25, 1907] 



NA TURE 



'-97 



variability of ihe minor planets, which has rr-cfnlly become 

 a subject of very great interest, has naturally b'-en investi- 

 gated with the greatest success by the aid of photography, 

 and it is worthy of note that Dr. von Oppolzer's important 

 discovery in this branch of research was established by 

 visual observations. 



\ MEETING of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers will 

 b'- held on July yy-n, in the Mitchell Hall of the Lni- 

 versitv, Aberdeen. The following papers will be read : — 

 Aberdeen Harbour, by Mr. R. G. Nicol ; cableways used 

 on shipbuilding berths, l>y Mr. J. M. Henderson ; portable 

 pniumatic tools, by Mr. H. Bing ; granite quarrying in 

 Aberdeenshire, by Mr. \V. Simpson ; an electrically-controlled 

 single-lever testing-machine, by Mr. C. V.. I.arard ; observ- 

 ations on present-day practice in jute preparing and 

 spinning, by Mr. D. J. MacDonald. 



.'VifER the current year the journal of Aualotny imd 

 I'hysiolofiy will be issued in two independent parts, one to 

 be devoted to anatomical, histological, morphological, and 

 cmbryological subjects, and the other to contain papers on 

 subjects of physiological interest (including physiological 

 histology and physiological chemistry). The acting I'ditor 

 of the anatomical part will be Prof. D. J. Cunningham, 

 with whom will be associated Sir William Turner, K.C.B., 

 Prof. A. Macalister, and Prof. G. S. Huntington. The 

 acting editor of Ihe physiological part will be Prof. E. A. 

 Schiifer, with whom will be associated Profs. F. (jotch, 

 W. D. Halliburton, C. S. Sherrington, and E. H. Starling. 



The Red-Hills Exploration Committee has issued an 

 interim report for 1906. The committee is a joint com- 

 mittee of the Essex Archjeological Society and the Essex 

 Eiekl Club appointed to make a systematic study of the 

 red-hills, of which there are probably several hundreds on 

 (he coast of Essex alone. Work was commenci-d in the 

 parish of Langenhoe, and three mounds have been ex- 

 amined thoroughly, particulars concerning which are given 

 in the interim report. The red-hills vary in size from a 

 few nids to several acres; they date from a remote period, 

 and some at least are prehistoric. By some they have 

 been regarded as salt works ; by others as cattle shelters, 

 human habitations, potteries, or glass factories. The 

 object of the committee is to decide the question of their 

 origin and significance, and an appeal is made for funds. 

 Donations may be sent to Mr. H. Wilmer, .St. .Mban's 

 Crescent, Woodford Green, Essex. 



The seventy-fifth annual meeting of the British Medical 

 .Association will be held at Exeter from July 27 to 

 .\ugust 2. The president. Dr. R. A. Reeve, will deliver 

 his address on July 30. The address in medicine, on " A 

 Plea for Accuracy of Thought in Medicine," will be 

 delivered on July 31 by Dr. W. H. White; that in surgery, 

 on " The Contagion of Cancer in Human Beings, .\uto- 

 innculation," on .August i by Dr. H. T. Butlin ; and the 

 popular lecture, on " Weather, Climate and Health," on 

 August 2 by Sir John W. Moore. There will be thirteen 

 sections, and the names of these, with that of the presi- 

 dent in each case, are as follows : — Pathology, Dr. R. 

 -Moore; medicine. Dr. W. Gordon; diseases of children, 

 Mr. .\. H. Tubby ; psychological medicine. Dr. T. C. 

 Shaw ; electrical section. Dr. H. L. Jones ; tropical 

 diseases, Mr. J. Cantlie ; surgery. Prof. G. .\. Wright; 

 ophthalmology, Mr. I.. H. Tosswill ; larynology, otology, 

 and rhinology. Dr. R. .McKenzie Johnston ; dental surgery, 

 Mr. J. McKuo Ackland ; obstetrics and gynaecology, Mr. 

 E. H. Tweedy; State medicine. Dr. A. Newsholme ; and 

 naval and military. Dr. J. Porter. 



On Friday last, July rq, the new laboratory buildings 

 erected by the Royal Horticultural Society in their gardens 

 at Wisley, Surrey, were declared open by Lord Avebury in 

 the presence of a large and distinguished assembly 

 interested in the development of horticulture and in horti- 

 cultural education in this country. The company war 

 entertained to luncheon in the gardens by the council of 

 the society, and the speakers after lunch included, in 

 addition to I.ord Avebury, Sir Trevor Lawrence, K.C.V.O. 

 (president of the society), Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Sir 

 William Chance, Sir Thomas Elliott, K.C.B., Prof. 

 .Michael Sadler, Sir \\ illiam \'incent, and Sir John T. 

 Dillwyn-Llewelyn. The lalniratory buildings, which are 

 the first in this country i-recied for the specific purpose of 

 prosecuting research in horticultural science, include a 

 research laboratory, a greenhouse for experimental work. 

 a photographic dark-room, an office and store-rootii, and 

 a students' laboratory accommodating twenty-four students 

 at a time. The latter is equipped with all the necessary 

 appliances for the study of plant life and its relationships 

 to external conditions, and is excellently lighted and 

 furnished with water and acetylene gas supply to the 

 benches, &c. The subjects upon which the first researches 

 are to be carried out are soil sterilisation and the etherisa- 

 tion of plants. The director of the laboratory is Mr. F. J. 

 Chittenden, who was until recently a staff instructor in 

 biology at the technical laboratories at Chelmsford. 



The following additional papers have been promised for 

 reading befori- Section A of the British Association at the 

 Leicester meeting : — On Ihe inotions of ether produced by 

 collision of atoms or molecules, containing or not contain- 

 ing electrons. Lord Kelvin ; on variability in the products 

 resulting, from changes in radium emanation. Sir W. 

 Ramsav, K.(".B. ; on the production and origin of radium. 

 Prof. E. Rutherford ; the effect of high temperature on 

 the activitv of the products of radium. Prof. E. Rutherford 

 and Dr. J. E. Pelavel ; Helium and radio-activity in 

 common ores and minerals, Hon. R. J. Strutt ; the trans- 

 mission of the active deposit from radium emanation to 

 anode, S. Russ ; the absorption of ga«es hy charcoal. Miss 

 I. Homfray ; on a theoretical method of attempting to 

 detect relative motion between the ether and the earth, 

 A. O. Rankine ; the ultimate efficiency of illuminants, 

 C. v. Drysdale ; the variability in light of Mira Ceti and 

 the temperature of sun-spots. Rev. A. L. Cortie ; (i) on 

 improving the plate constants of ihe aslrographic cata- 

 logue, (2) on Ihe determination of periodicity from a broken 

 series of maxima. Prof. H. H. Turner; (1) some new 

 results in the theory of functions of a real variable, (2) on 

 the introduction of the mathemalical idea of infinity, 

 W. H. A'oung ; the teaching of the elements of analysis, 

 C. O. Tuckey. 



In the Straiiil Magazine for June, Mr. J.J. Ward, with 

 the aid of numerous excellent photographs, tells the life- 

 history of the goat-moth in a remarkably graphic manner. 



Is the report of the Rugby School Natural History 

 .Society for the past year, attention is directed to the gift by 

 Miss Lovedav of a large collection of shells. Although 

 these have been safely stored, the society lacks a 

 conchologist capable of arranging the specimens in proper 

 order. 



The second number of British Birds contains, as frontis- 

 piece, a striking portrait of the late Prof. Alfred Newton, 

 reproduced from a photograph by Mayall. The publishers, 

 .Messrs. Witherby and Co., have also issued this photo- 

 gravure in a largi' size suitable for framing. Mr. P. H 



NO. 1969 \OL 76J 



