NA TURE 



[May 7, 1896 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressed by his Correspondents Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of rejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of Naiure. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous coniniunications."\ 



A Biological Application of Rontgen Photography. 



The accompanying Rontgen radiograph of Astrospecten irregu- 

 laris was made in the physical department of this college, .for a 

 popular lecture on the new photography given by Prof. H. Stroud. 

 It will be seen that not only are the ossicles of the oral surface 

 fairly successfully shown through the thickness of the body and 

 arms, markedly the first of the series of adambulacra, but cer- 

 tain striking and unlooked-for objects appear as well. On dis- 

 section the dark conical body to the right proves to be a large 

 piece of the shell of Dentalium lying in one of the cxca. of that 

 arm. The oval bodies, one in each of the CKca of the opposite 

 arm, are masses of sand and indigestible material enclosed in the 

 thinned shells of molluscan victims. These are made by the 

 action of the cilia, and form a convenient way of getting rid of 

 the useless matter by way of mouth. The minute anus, indeed, 



A strofec ten iircgiila r/s. 



is quite inadequate, and is doubtless used more for fluid than 

 solid evacuation. The madreporite plate and stone canal are 

 seen in the inter-radius below and between the bodies referred 

 to ; and the position of the stone canal was in fact the 

 guide in determining their position. The darkish mass in the 

 CKCum to the left of the stone canal consists mainly of broken 

 and whole shells of young Cardia. The stomach was filled 

 with a whole common mussel (Mytilus edulis), minus the shell, 

 and this is quite transparent. The paxilte will be seen to occur 

 as dots all over the body and arms. A block of wood, which 

 was laid over part of the star-fish, has evidently only made a 

 part of the picture lighter. 



A radiograph o( Solaster papposus, with the young Cribella, 

 is enclosed for comparison. Though interesting also in regard 

 to the skeletal parts shown, there is nothing calling for further 

 note here, and they were not dissected. 



NO. I 384, VOL. 54] 



.Ml three were spirit specimens, and were got at St. Andrews 

 some years ago. Alexander Meek. 



Durh.am College of Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne, .\pril 25. 



Barisal Guns. 



In the correspondence on this subject I have not noticed any 

 reference to the poises said to be heard in the mountains of the 

 peninsula of Sinai. In his "Sinai and Palestine" (ed. 186S, 

 pp. 13-14), the late Dean Stanley refers to "the mysterious 

 noises which have from time to time been heard on the summit 

 of Jebel Musa, in the neighbourhood of Um Shaumer, and in 

 the mountain of Nakus or the Bell, so called from the legend 

 that the sounds proceed from the bells of a convent enclosed 

 within the mountain. In this last instance the sound is sup- 

 posed to originate in the rush of sound down the mountain side. 

 ... In the case of Jebel Musa, where it is said that the monks 

 had originally settled on the highest peak, but were by these 

 strange noises driven down to their present seat in the valley, 

 and in the case of Um Shaumer, where it was described to 

 Burckhardt as like the sound of artillery, the precise cause has 

 never been a.scertained.'' 



Burckhardt (" Travels in Syria and the Holy Land," 1822, 

 p. 591) refers to these noises and says : "The wind and weather 

 are not believed to have any effect upon the sound." 



Failand, April 30. Ki>w. Fry. 



The New Education Bill and Libraries, Museums, 

 and Art Galleries. 



Kei-errim; to the letter by "C." in Nature for April 23, 

 p. 580, 1 would urge the importance of his suggestion, but would 

 go further and suggest that all institutions in England and Wales 

 supported out of a rate raised under the Public Libraries Acts 

 or the Museums and Gymnasiums Act, should be put under the 

 management and control of the same local authority as may be 

 appointed for elementary, technical and secondary education. 



The management of educational institutions cannot be unified 

 so long as such essentially educational work as that done in 

 public libraries, museums, and art galleries does not come 

 under the purview of the local education authority. There 

 should, of course, be conditions inserted in any Bill having the 

 object suggested to secure the expenditure of the rates received 

 under the special Acts referred to, on the support of libraries, 

 museums, art galleries and gymnasiums. 



At present the Public Libraries Acts may be adopted and a 

 rate levied, not one penny of which goes to the support of a 

 library or museum. A certain Lancashire local authority applies 

 the rate for purposes which would have been equally covered by 

 the adoption of the Technical Instruction Acts. On the other 

 hand, some public libraries and museums obtain subsidies out 

 of the funds received by corporations under the Local Taxation 

 (Customs and Excise) Act, though usually on condition that 

 .strictly educational books or objects are purchased out of the 

 grants given. 



I hope this subject will receive due consideration from such 

 parliamentary advocates of scientific education as .Sir John 

 Lubbock and the members who act with him. 



In conclusion, may I refer all who are interested in this sul)- 

 ject to a paper entitled " The Relationship of the Pulilic Library 

 Committee to other Educational Bodies," published in the 

 I.ibrarv (vol. \\\. p. 129), the organ of the Library .Association 

 of the'United Kingdom. ^ Joh.n J. Ogle. 



Free Public Library, Museum, and Technical School, 

 Bootle, .\pril 28. 



Magical Growth of Plants. 

 I notice in Nature of April 9 that mention is made of the 

 experiments of M. Ragonneau in connection with what is termed 

 the magical growth of plants. At the time whenM. Ragonneau's 

 statements were first brought under my notice, I endeavoured as 

 nearly as might be to repeat his experiments. I first used formic 



; acid diluted i '5000, the strength stated by M. Ragonneau as 

 being that most successfully used by him. The soil was thoroughly 

 dried, and was some which I had carefully prepared for growing 

 Begonia seed. The seeds used were those of the Scotch thistle 

 (Onopordiun Acanthiiiin). a soft and easily-grown seed. The 

 experiments were carried out in an ordinary greenhouse with 

 temperature ranging from 55° F. to 75° F. ; and although I 



I took every precaution to avoid mischance, the seeds have not to 



