April 13, 1911] 



NATURE 



22 1 



Cape, the animals are being drafted to various ports 

 previous to their shipment for this country. It is un- 

 fortunate that a southern seal recently received at the 

 gardens, which is to be included in the African collection, 

 is alluded to in the article as Ross's seal (Ommatophoca 

 rossi) of the Antarctic, whereas it is really, as pointed out 

 •"v Mr. Pocock in The Field of April i, a young specimen 

 the sea-elephant or elephant seal (Macrorhinus leoninus). 

 I L was obtained from the Crozets, and is the first living 

 example of its kind received in the gardens, and probably 

 in Europe. The young animal is very like Ommatophoca, 

 having a short, blunt muzzle and very large eyes. 



In an article published in The Fortnightly Review for 

 )ril, Mr. F. G. Aflalo records his impressions of the 

 •ndon Zoological Gardens on paying his first visit after 

 ihree years' absence from England. His impressions are 

 ogether satisfactory, and he especially commends the 

 inoval of the society's oflices to the gardens, as the 

 -ult of which the whole establishment is under the 

 lunediate eye and control of the secretary. It is added 

 ihat, " as a result of this new control, we have the 



■ vidences of success on all sides, not merely in the con- 

 ilition and housing of the animals, but also in the higher 

 birth-rate, lower death-rate, and increase in the number 

 of both fellows and visitors to the gardens." Commenda- 

 tion is also accorded to the systematic plan on which the 

 whole laying-out of the gardens is being remodelled, so 

 far as existing buildings will permit, and the erection of 

 new buildings and the construction of new enclosures with 

 the view of a striking and picturesque general effect. 

 ~uch changes must, however, of necessity be slow and 

 i^iadual, as their cost is great. With its distinctly un- 

 favourable conditions of climate and soil, the " New 

 Zoo " cannot hope to rival in all respects similar establish- 

 ments situated under sunnier skies, but, nevertheless, it 

 " has overcome many obstacles, climatic and otherwise, 

 and the result is something of a triumph." 



1 HE annual report for 1909 issued by the director of the 

 Sydney Botanic Gardens and Government Domains con- 

 tains a few illustrations, one of which provides a view of 

 the Centennial Park and another illustrates a clump of 

 trees of Casuarina glauca in the botanic gardens. The 

 cultivation of succulents is receiving special attention, and 

 an extensive planting of palms in the domain is recorded. 

 Among the noteworthy plants under cultivation mention 

 is made of Beilschmiedia Tarairi, a New Zealand silver- 

 l aved tree, analogous to the copper beech ; an Australian 

 natural hybrid, Brachychiton populneo-acerifolius ; and 

 two native plants, a white-flowered composite, Olearia 

 I'lncktoni and Drymophila Moorei (Liliaceae). The publi- 

 itions emanating from the department include parts of 

 Forest Flora and several pamphlets on useful 

 ..astralian plants. 



Partly for the purpose of comparison with the work- 

 in r; of the forests of Pinus longifolia in the North-west 

 I'rovinces of India, a description of the State pine forests 

 "f Landes and Gironde in France is contributed to The 

 Indian Forester (December, 1910). The area of sand dune 

 I verted into forest amounts to 200,000 acres, and, in 

 lition, there is a littoral dune and protective wooded belt 

 one quarter of that area. The dunes are controlled by 

 I ines and plantations of marram grass. Pinus mari- 

 liDia is grown as a pure crop for timber and resin under 



■ I rotation varying from sixty to seventy-five years. The 



cies seeds freely from about an age of twelve years. 



pping for resin begins on trees about thirty-five years 

 < !d, and proceeds until the tree is cut down. Details of 

 ripping, the instruments used, and distillation are given. 



\(). 2163, VOL. 86] 



In plant hybrids raised by crossing CEnoihera biennis 

 and CE. muricata, Prof. H. de Vries has observed some 

 distinct features, which are indicated in a preliminary 

 paper published in the Biologisches Centralblatt 

 (February 15). In the first instance, the reciprocal 

 hybrids bm, mb, are distinct from each other and from 

 their parents, although clearly resembling the parent from 

 which pollen was taken. The two resulting hybrids were 

 then reciprocally crossed, bmxtnb, mbxbrn, when the 

 former lost all traces of the species muricata and the 

 latter all traces of biennis. The conclusions are formu- 

 lated that for these two species the pollen cells bear special 

 characters not shared by the egg cells, and that the 

 characters of the grandfather cannot be transmitted 

 through the mother nor those of the grandmother through 

 the father. Similar results, i.e. dominance of the male 

 parent and elimination of the characters of the female 

 parent, were obtained when either of these species was 

 crossed with allied species. 



It may not be generally known that the annual lists of 

 " Geological Literature added to the Geological Society's 

 Library " (Burlington House, London) can be purchased 

 by the public. The issue for 19 10 includes books and 

 papers received up to December 31 in 1909, and the 

 subject-index enables a reader to refer to the geological 

 work of the whole year under almost any heading that 

 may be in his mind. We see, for instance, that eighteen 

 authors have written on Colorado, ten on laterites, and 

 five on Natica. The list is especially important as an 

 index to the geological journals of the world. 



Mr. P. Macnair has prepared an " Introduction to the 

 Study of Rocks " as a guide to the rock-collections in 

 Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgovi^ (19U1 price 3d.). It is 

 well illustrated by photographs of rocks in the field, in 

 hand-specimens, and in thin slices. The rock-forming 

 minerals are also described, with figures of characteristic 

 forms. Objection may be taken to the description of 

 quartz and calcite as hexagonal, and to ilmenite as a 

 "ferriferous titanite " ; but the notices of the minerals 

 and rocks are clear and adequate. Numerous drawings 

 of sections of Scottish rocks are included in the text, and 

 the book is distinctly attractive as an introduction to 

 petrography. 



For the benefit of teachers of geography in the State, 

 a series of chapters dealing with the geography of Ohio 

 State, by Mr. F. Carney, are appearing in the Bulletin 

 of Denison University. Those treating of transport, 

 glaciation, and the economic mineral products, provide 

 useful summaries of information relating especially to 

 Ohio. 



ProI". Huntington, in the February number of the 

 Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, describes 

 the Karst country of southern Asia Minor, where to the 

 south and west of Konia many of the streams end in dark, 

 deep pools, in which the water sinks slowly underground. 

 Much of the country, and especially the great plain of 

 Axylon to the east of Konia, is too dry to be fruitful 

 unless artificially supplied with water. Considerable work 

 is being done whereby the waters of lake Bey Shehir 

 (Kirili Gol) will be diverted, by means of a canal, from 

 the lower lake of Kara Viren, where much is now lost, 

 and will be carried through the Charsbembeh gorge to the 

 plain below, where it is expected to put about 350 square 

 miles under irrigation when the canal is opened by the 

 end of 1912. 



In the Revue ginirale des Sciences for March 15, M. F. 

 Di^nert discusses the report of the commission which has 



