78 



NA TURE 



[March i8, 190Q 



about — o''-4 C. to — o°-6 C. per lOo metres. An upper 

 limit- to the humid layer was reached at about looo metres 

 onlv on one day during completely dry weather, but if it 

 persisted afterwards, as the weather changed, it must 

 have been at more than three times that height. In the 

 Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea the experiments were 

 made between' August 24 and September 4. Over the latter 

 the ■ conclusions show that the ■ following conditions 

 obtained : — (1) The velocity of the wind increased appreci- 

 ably with height, and the direction became west at 1800 

 metres, irrespective of the direction of the surface wind. 

 <2) Temperature gradients were very nearly adiabatic up 

 to about 500 metres, and afterwards decreased to , about 

 half .that rate. (3) Absolute humidity remained fairly 

 constant up to 400 metres, and afterwards decreased to 

 quite low values. The results for the Bay of Bengal, so 

 far as they go, indicate conditions similar to those of (2) 

 and (3) ; no question of estimating wind velocity or direc- 

 tion arose, for the air was practically calm at the surface. 



The Physical Review for February contains a paper by 

 Mr. WiUard J. Fisher, of Cornell University, on the varia- 

 tion of the viscosity of a gas with temperature. The gas 

 to be tested is forced to and fro through a capillary tube 

 contained in an electric furnace, the pressures used being 

 read on a mercury manometer, and the temperatures by 

 means of a platinum thermometer. As the result of 

 experiments on air and nitrous o.xide, the author concludes 

 that the viscosity of a gas is proportional to the quotient 

 of the 3/2th power of the absolute temperature by a linear 

 function of the absolute temperature. The constants which 

 enter into the expression of this relation appear to vary 

 from gas to gas, and Mr. Fisher hopes, by determining 

 them for a large number of gases, to establish a connection 

 tietween them and the chemical constitution of the gas. 



The new vessel by means of which the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion of Washington intends to continue the magnetic survey 

 of the world is described in the Scientific American of 

 February 20. In order to render this vessel non-magnetic, 

 she is constructed of timber, white oak, yellow pine, and 

 Oregon pine being extensively used. The fastenings 

 •consist of locust tree-nails, copper and Tobin bronze bolts, 

 and composition spikes. The only magnetic materials used 

 are the thin cast-iron liners of the cylinders and the steel 

 cams for the valves of the si.x-cylinder internal-combustion 

 engine with which the vessel is fitted for manoeuvring 

 purposes, the remainder of the engine, shaft, and propeller 

 being constructed of bronze. The vessel is 128 feet 4 inches 

 long on the load water-line, ' and has a displacement of 

 56S tons with all stores, &c., on board. The auxiliary 

 engine is to be operated by gas from a producer plant 

 using anthracite peas. . The vessel is to have full sail- 

 power with a brigantine rig, and is being constructed at 

 Tebo's Yacht Basin, Brooklyn. 



With the advent of tall buildings, many new problems 

 have had to be considered by the engineer and builder. 

 The solution of some of these problems regarding the 

 foundations of lofty buildings in American practice is dealt 

 with in an exceptionally interesting manner by Mr. Frank 

 W. Skinner in. the Century Magazine for March. In lower 

 New York the rock extends usually 50 feet below the 

 surface, and is covered to a depth of 30 feet or more with 

 water and quicksand. In addition to the responsibility of 

 founding a new building weighing, perhaps, 50,000,000 lb., 

 and of a height of about 400 feet above the pavement, the 

 engineer is held by law in Nevi; York to be responsible for 

 any damage to surrounding property if its foundations are 

 more ■ than 10 feet deep. Very frequently existing build- 



KO. 2055, VOL. 80] 



ings rest on such poor foundations that they must be 

 underpinned. The , recent practice has been to adopt the 

 Breuchaud method of forcing long steel hollow columns by 

 hydraulic pressure right down to bed-rock. These are then 

 filled with concrete, and finally built over and wedged so 

 as to carry the weight of the existing building. . New 

 foundations are often laid on the surface of the sand, which 

 at 30 feet below surface will carry safely 6000 lb. to 

 8000 lb. per square foot. In modern practice such founda- 

 tions consist of a layer of concrete a foot or two thick 

 having rows of steel beams bedded on it, and set closely 

 together. The columns of the structure rest on these 

 beams. Settlement is found to be small. Chicago raft 

 foundations, pile foundations, and caisson construction are 

 also clearly explained and illustrated with many drawings 

 and photographs. 



Bulletin No. 75, part iv.. Bureau of Entomology, U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture, by Dr. G. F. White, deals in 

 a popular manner with diseases of bees, their prevention 

 and treatment. 



We have received a " Selected Bibliography on Sanitary 

 Science and .'\llicd Subjects," by Prof. .Arthur Smith, 

 University of Colorado, which has been prepared with 

 reference to the needs of students pursuing the course in 

 sanitary science at the University. The selection seems to 

 have been carefully made, and includes many British 

 authors (Tfte Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 37, 

 price 80 cents). 



The Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology for 

 February (ii., No. 4), issued by the Liverpool School of 

 Tropical Medicine, contains several important papers. One, 

 by Prof. Moore and Drs. Nierenstein and Todd, deals 

 with the experimental treatment of trypanosomiasis with 

 anilin colours and various combinations of atoxyl with 

 mercury. As a rule, though life may be prolonged in ex- 

 perimental infections with 7V. briicci and Tr. gamhicnse, 

 no method was able to cure a well-established infection. 



A SIXTH edition of the second part of the " Elementary 

 Practical Chemistry " by Dr. Frank Clowes and Mr. J. B. 

 Coleman has been published by Messrs. J. and A. Churchill. 

 This section of the work deals with qualitative and quanti- 

 tative analytical chemistry, and in the present edition 

 additions have been made to the volumetric portion and to 

 the preparation of inorganic compounds. 



Messrs. A. G.^llenkamp and Co., Ltd., have issued a 

 comprehensive catalogue (No. 52) of charts, maps, hygienic 

 and anatomical models, and lantern-slides they are in a 

 position to supply. Both diagrams and slides are avail- 

 able to illustrate most subjects of science, and the detailed 

 summary which the catalogue provides should save teachers 

 much time in looking through the lists of individual 

 publishers. 



The Natural Science Society of Wellington College con- 

 tinues its excellent work in the direction of maintaining 

 the interest of the boys at Wellington in scientific subjects. 

 A copy of the thirty-ninth annual report, which summarises 

 the work accomplished during 1908, has reached us. The 

 majority of the subjects of the Saturday lectures were 

 scientific and refreshingly varied in character. The meteor- 

 ological data recorded are, as usual, very complete, and 

 indicate the useful part public-school boys can take in 

 scientific observation. 



Another example of the thoroughness with which the 

 work in connection with the Carnegie Institution of Wash- 

 ington is done is aft'orded by the recently published " Guide 

 to the Manuscript- Materials for the History of the United 



