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A rotational analysis of the four bands (0, 1), (0, 2), (0, 3), and (0, 4) of the near ultraviolet system of BiO in the region λ 3 860–λ 3 130 Å has been carried out. The bands have been excited in a high-frequency discharge and photographed in the first order of a 21-ft concave-grating spectrograph (30 000 lines per inch) with a dispersion of 1.25 Å/mm. The analysis has shown that the bands arise from a case (c) 1/2(2Π1/2)–1/2(2II1/2) transition. The rotational constants of the upper and lower states have been determined.

In a paper entitled ‘On some Ceremonies for Producing Rain,’ which I published in the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay, I gave a short description of the Har Paraurī, or the “Behāri Women's Ceremony for Producing Rain,” to the following effect:—“The other day I came across another curious custom, peculiar to this part of the country, the observance whereof is supposed to bring down rain. It was at about ten o'clock in the night of Saturday, the 25th June last (1892), as I was about to retire to bed, I heard a great noise made by the singing, in high-pitched tones, of some women in front of our house (at Chupra). I thought that the women were parading the streets, singing songs, as they often do before some marriage takes place in a family. But, on making inquiries next morning, I came to learn that the previous night's singing formed part and parcel of a rainbringing ceremony, known, at least in this district (Saran), as the Har Paraurī, and that some women of the locality had formed themselves into a little band and paraded the neighbouring streets, singing certain songs, which they superstitiously believed would surely bring down showers. Curiously enough, a tolerably good shower of rain fell during the afternoon of the following day.”

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Blood coagulation time was determined in five genetically diverse lines of chickens by the capillary tube method. Significant differences were found among lines for coagulation time suggesting genetic influences on this characteristic in chickens. Heritability of blood coagulation as estimated by paternal half-sib correlations was 0.13. The significant difference among lines and the low heritability of this trait indicated that a study of specific coagulation factors was warranted. Prothrombin time, thrombocyte concentration and plasma fibrinogen concentration was investigated in two of the most diverse lines to determine their relative contribution towards variation in coagulation time. Highly significant differences between lines were observed for prothrombin time and concentration of thrombocytes. Differences between lines for concentration of fibrinogen was not significant. The coagulation time and prothrombin time were positively correlated, where as the correlation was negative between coagulation time and thrombocyte concentration and between prothrombin time and thrombocyte concentration, The correlation coefficients between coagulation time and fibrinogen concentration were not significant. The percentage variation in coagulation time attributed to these three coagulation factors was 33 for females and 35 for males, Prothrombin time was the major source of variation in females while the contribution of each of these factors were comparable in males. M.S.

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