532 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



It was suspected that tlie plague had affected rats in this vicinity. An examination of 

 rats which had died of the disease disclosed the presence of a large number of T)ac- 

 teria in the blood, liver, and spleen. These organisms, however, differed decidedly 

 from those of the bubonic plague, and inoculation experiments showed that the dis- 

 ease which was destroying rats was not the same as the Ijubonic jilague. These 

 experiments showed that the disease could be transmitted to guinea pigs Vjut not to 

 rabbits. 



Morphological and experimental researches on Trypanosoma of rats (T. 

 lewisi) , A. Laverax and F. Mesxil {Ami. Inst. Pasteur, 1.5 [1901), Xo. 9, pp. 

 673-714, ph. 2, jigs. 17). — The literature on the subject is reviewed in connection 

 with bibliographical references. The authors discuss the frequence of natural infec- 

 tion by Trypanosoma and the technique of morphological study of this organism in 

 fresh and preserved conditions. A detailed description is given of the minute struc- 

 ture of the organism, including differences in the structure of various individuals 

 and the methods of multiplication. In studying the phenomena of agglutination of 

 Trypanosoma it was found that normal rat serum exercised no agglutinating action. 

 The serum acquired such power after successive inoculations with blood from infected 

 rats. One of the most striking features in connection with the agglomeration of 

 Trypanosoma is the fact that the organisms remain mobile after agglomeration has 

 taken place. The conclusion was drawn from this fact that the paralyzing and 

 agglutinating properties of blood are due to distinct substances. A detailed descrip- 

 tion is given of the progress of infection of rats and guinea pigs by Trypanosoma, 

 and the symptoms which characterize the various stages of infection. In studying 

 the problem of immunity to infection by Trypanosoma it was found that the destruc- 

 tion of these organisms begins in the case of rats in the l)ody cavity. The white blood 

 corpuscles of immunized rats surround andjlevour- the Ti'ypanosoma. 



Natural history of the Q,ueen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia; natu- 

 ral history of the Cook Inlet region, Alaska, W. H. Osgood ( U. /V. Dept. Agr., 

 Division of B'tologirul Survey, XortJi Amerirun Fainut Xo. 21, pp. 87, pis. 7, fig. 1). — This 

 report contains an account of the physiography, flora, fauna, and life zones of Queen 

 Charlotte Islands and the Cook Inlet region. A bibliography is given of the litera- 

 ture of these countries, and notes are presented on the birds and mammals which were 

 found during the course of investigations. 



Digest of game laws for 1901, T. S. Pal.mer and H. W. Olds ( V. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Division of Biological Survey Bui. 16, pp. 152, p)ls. 8). — ^In this bulletin a discussion is 

 given of definitions of game; restrictions as to time of killing game, methods of hunt- 

 ing, purposes for which game may be killed; and shipment of game within a single 

 State or from one State to another. In addition to this general discussion, abstracts 

 are given of federal laws, State laws, Canadian export laws, and provincial laws of 

 Canada regarding the killing and transportation of game. At the end of the report 

 tables are given showing the close seasons for game in the United States and Canada, 

 and especially for game in Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, and North 

 Carolina. 



WATER— SOILS. 



Investigations on the action of various calcium and magnesium com- 

 pounds, D. Meyer {Lcvndiv. Jahrh., 30 {1901), Xo. 4, pp. 619-631, ph. 2; ahs. in Chem. 

 Ztg., 25 {1901), Xo. 74, EeperL, p. 266). — In continuation of previous investigations 

 (E. S. R., 12, p. 1020), the author made a series of experiments in pots of 6,000 gm. 

 capacity containing mixtures of sand and peat (2.} per cent) and of sand and loess 

 loam (10 per cent). The plants grown were oats, potatoes, horse beans, vetch, and 

 a mixture of equal parts of perennial rye grass {Lolium perenne) and alfalfa. Lime 

 was applied in form of gypsum, carbonate, and phosphate, and magnesia as i-arbon- 

 ate, in various combinations with each other and with potash (sulphate and phos- 



