458 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



been observed in all homoiothermal animals, Wetmore supported the work of 

 previous observers, which had shown that the temperature of birds is highest 

 during the day and lowest at night, the exception being nocturnal birds, 

 such as owls, where this rhythm is reversed. 



In Nature, E. W. Gudger endeavours to give an explanation of the 

 miraculous draught of fishes in the Gospel according to St. John. The 

 twenty -first chapter of this gospel says : " Simon Peter saith unto them, I go 

 a fishing. They say unto him. We also go with thee. They went forth, 

 and entered into a ship immediately ; and that night they caught nothing. 

 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore. Then Jesus 

 saith unto them. Children, have ye any meat ? They answered Him, 

 No. And He said unto them. Cast the net on the right side of the ship, 

 and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw 

 it for the multitude of fishes." 



It appears from the accounts of various observers that the fishes in the 

 Sea of Galilee, which are mainly perch-like in form and affinities, are in the 

 habit of going about in shoals even over an acre in extent, so closely packed 

 that it is impossible for them to move freely. Dr. Gudger believes that Jesus 

 was on high ground overlooking the lake, and from this position was able to 

 point out a school to the fishermen, who cast their nets, and were able to 

 draw them up full to the breaking point. 



Theophilus S. Painter, in a recent volume of the Anatomical Records, 

 gives a short account of his work on human spermatogenesis. As is well 

 known, Weiman, in the American Journal of Anatomy, 191 7, believed that 

 he had shown that the number of chromosomes in man was 24. Weiman 

 showed that they were two heterotypic chromosomes, the usual XY complex ; 

 in the maturation divisions the X and the Y were separated out, and sex 

 determination in man was brought about by an XY chromosome mechanism. 

 According to Painter, the number of chromosomes in man is 48, and not 24, 

 as previously claimed by Weiman. It is evident that in the case of Weiman's 

 material either unsuitable or delayed fixation has produced a fusing of the 

 chromosome pairs. It may be taken as established that the number of 

 chromosomes in man is 48, and that in all probability the sex is determined 

 during fertilisation, and at no period either before or after fertilisation, as 

 has been claimed by some workers. 



Nevertheless, we think it would be injudicious for anyone to say that the 

 sex chromosome hypothesis suf&ces to explain all the facts in sex determina- 

 tion and sex change. 



An interesting pamphlet, " Research Work in Progress," has just been 

 issued by the British Non-ferrous Metals Research Association, of 71 Temple 

 Row, Birmingham. The investigations in hand cover many important 

 problems of the Copper, Brass, Aluminium, Nickel, and Lead industries, as 

 well as subjects of importance to all users of such metals. The support 

 given to this association by the leading firms seems to be most encouraging, 

 but the field covered is very wide, and many of these researches, such as those 

 on the improvement of brass, on metal polishing, and on soldering, should 

 attract the attention and support of many other sections of industry. The 

 user is apt at first sight to overlook the fact that he is even more interested 

 in the improvement of quality of his raw material than the manufacturer of 

 the metal. In the case of failure, however, it is the user who always bears 

 the greater loss, since he sacrifices all the time and workmanship which has 

 been expended on the article being manufactured. 



The Bureau of Information of the association also seems to be doing 

 excellent work in distributing to members reports of the results of the 

 experimental researches and acting as a live intelligence service collecting 

 and distributing information likely to be of use to the industry and from 

 the far corners of the world. 



