714 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 592. 



just as in the ordinary method for the prepa- 

 ration of ether. The essential condition for 

 success consists in maintaining the mixture 

 under experiment at a temperature of 100°, 

 thus quickly removing the water which is 

 continuously formed in the reaction. The 

 directions for the preparation of ethyl acetate 

 will serve to illustrate Wade's process: Three 

 volumes of alcohol are mixed with two volumes 

 of acetic acid, and two volumes of this 

 mixture are added to one volume sul- 

 phuric acid, in an Erlenmeyer flask which 

 is immersed in a water-bath. As soon as dis- 

 tillation commences, more of the mixture of 

 alcohol and acetic acid is added by means of 

 a funnel with a fine stem. Most of the excess 

 of alcohol is recovered from the distillate. 

 The process may be interrupted at any time 

 without detriment, and there is no delay in 

 restarting once the materials have regained 

 the necessary temperature. 



In the case of esters having boiling points 

 above 100° the operation is conducted under 

 reduced pressure. The presence of a strong 

 mineral acid is essential to the success of the 

 process, but more than a small proportion is 

 detrimental. Charring seldom takes place. 



J. EisHOP Tingle. 

 Johns Hopkins Univebsity. 



CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 



MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 



The number of journals devoted to the dif- 

 ferent branches of science has become so 

 large that most men of science can with diffi- 

 culty, if at all, keep up with the periodical 

 literature of their specialties. Yet there are 

 none of us who do not frequently, or at any 

 rate occasionally, wish to refer to some note 

 or article, published in some journal devoted 

 to another science than our own. It is con- 

 venient, for that reason, to have brought to 

 our attention from time to time the more 

 important articles, or at least the articles of 

 most general interest, which are appearing in 

 the various scientific periodicals of the world. 

 It is with this feeling in mind that the com- 

 piler of these ' Current Notes on Meteorology ' 

 attempts to point out, from time to time, what 



there is of interest to scientific men in the 

 meteorological publications of the various 

 countries. It is impossible to devote much 

 space in Science to these notes, for they ob- 

 viously concern primarily only a single sub- 

 ject. But they may, perhaps, serve to help a 

 fellow scientist, now and then, to learn of 

 some meteorological publication which he has 

 not seen or heard of, and which he may, at 

 some time, find useful in his own work. 



The Monthly Weather Review of our own 

 Weather Bui-eau becomes more valuable with 

 each succeeding year, as a meteorological 

 journal covering a wide field, and essentially 

 of a ' popular ' nature. So prominent has the 

 portion of the Review devoted to articles and 

 notes become that with the first number for 

 1906, these articles occupy the first pages, 

 instead of following, as they have done, sum- 

 maries of climate and crop conditions, and 

 accounts of the forecasts and storm warnings 

 of the month. The last three numbers of the 

 Review (November, December, 1905, January, 

 1906) contain the following articles of general 

 interest : 



' The Eainfall of China and Korea,' by T. 

 Okada; reprinted from the Journal of the 

 Meteorological Society of Japan; an impor- 

 tant study of the climatic conditions of a 

 region which is analogous in many respects 

 to the eastern coast of North America. 



' The Development of Meteorology in Aus- 

 tralia,' by Andrew Noble; prepared at the re- 

 quest of Professor Cleveland Abbe, under the 

 direction of the acting meteorologist of New 

 South Wales. 



' Indian Summer,' a note in which the sound 

 and sane statement is made : " Indian summer 

 is an extremely indefinite season as to its 

 date and its character. There has never been 

 any determination of its average date and 

 duration so far as we know. It is often de- 

 scribed as a warm, dry, hazy period after the 

 first severe frost in autumn, but it often fails 

 to come at all." 



' A Mistake about Atmospheric Dust ' ; com- 

 menting on a statement which is going the 

 rounds of the newspapers to the effect that 

 ' rays of light go straight through all kinds 



