June 29, 191 1] 



NATURE 



599 



Philip Rau in vol. xix., No. 2, of the Transactions of the 

 Academy of Science of St. Louis. The cecropia resembles 

 the emperor and lappet moths, which belong to the same 

 family, in taking no nourishment in the adult condition, 

 but whereas the females of the two latter die immediately 

 after ovip>osition, while the males perish in the act of 

 sexual intercourse, this is not the case with the cecropias, 

 the males living, on an average, a little more than nine 

 days after separating from the females, although the 

 majority of the latter die before all the eggs are deposited. 

 Moreover, unlike those of the European species, the 

 female cecropias do not remain in a torpid condition for 

 days or weeks previous to fertilisation. As the prolonga- 

 tion of the life of the males after sexual intercourse is use- 

 less, it cannot be an adaptation for the good of the species, 

 and it is therefore suggested that such longevity may be 

 a survival from a time when it was beneficial. 



The inheritance of polymorphism in the American yellow 

 butterfly, Colias philodice, is discussed by Prof. J. H. 

 Gerould in the May number of The American Naturalist. 

 In this species the female is dimorphic, the ground-colour 

 of the wings being either yellow or white ; the yellow 

 phase is in most places the more abundant, although the 

 albinistic phase is dominant in inheritance. Males differ 

 by the narrower black marginal band on the fore-wings, 

 which is usually free from light spots. Since the colour- 

 pattern of the female obtains in those species of the genus 

 where there is no sexual difference in this respect, it is 

 inferred that this represents the primitive type, which 

 seems to survive in the northern C. nastes, the ground- 

 colour of which is dull greenish-yellow suffused with 

 brown. In the author's opinion, " the yellow ground- 

 colour and the solid black marginal band [of philodice] 

 probably arose by mutation in an undifferentiated nastes- 

 like or white stock, and at once became dominant in the 

 male, while the original colours and colour-pattern re- 

 mained dominant in the female." Passing southwards 

 and westwards, we enter the realm of C. eurytheme, a 

 species with an orange ground-colour and very compli- 

 cated polymorphism, which probably represents the supreme 

 degree of specialisation. 



Two species of Thysanura — a Mediterranean bristle-tail 

 (Thermobia domestica) and an apparently new spring-tail 

 (Protsofoma tiltonica) — are added to the fauna of Ireland 

 bv Prof. G. H. Carpenter in The Irish Naturalist for May. 

 The Rev. F. D. Morice continues his notes on British 

 saw-flies (Tenthredinidfc, tkc.) in the May issue of The 

 Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 



The division of labour among ants, with special refer- 

 ence to the view that the smaller forms of workers are 

 more active than their larger brethren, is discussed by 

 Miss E. N. Buckingham in vol. xivi.. No. 18, of the 

 Proceedings of the American Academy of .Arts and 

 Sciences. As the result of observation, it has been found 

 that in the case of Camfionotus americanus the males do 

 not perform the chief duties of the nest, but that the 

 queens may take a share of such duties when the colonies 

 are small. The great bulk of the labour is, however, 

 performed bv the small and medium-sized workers. In 

 the genus Pheidole, where the intermediate forms have 

 probablv been eliminated, all the work is done by small 

 ants. .As a general rule, it appears that big ants, like 

 Queens, are more active in small than in large colonies. 

 The general inactivity of the big workers and soldiers is 

 an advantage to the colony, as thev are not exhausted 

 bv labour, and are thus always available for purposes of 

 defence. 



Dr. E. Goeldi is communicating a very interesting series 

 of articles on ant-colonies to Himmel und Erde. In the 

 Mav number he illustrates the manner in which the various 

 kinds of ants inhabiting the flooded lands of Amazonia 

 make their nests in trees, so as to be above the water- 

 level, figuring the long, pendant, skein-like nests of .Asteca 

 barhifex, the torpedo-like structure formed bv a species of 

 Camponotus, and the sheet-like pahier-macht' nest of .4. 

 trigona. Fungus-growing ants are likewise df'scribed, with 

 striking illustrations of the crnter-like elevations, leading 

 to the subterranean chambers, to be seen in sandy districts 

 of certain parts of America. To these the ants bring frag- 

 ments of leaves from long distances, and, after storing 

 them in the subterranean chambers, use them as hot-beds 



NO. 2174, VOL, 86] 



for the cultivation of the mycelium stage of the fungus 

 Rhozites gongulophora. Whether the fungus, in its fully 

 developed state, ever reaches the surface through one of 

 the entrance-tubes is a moot point. 



In No. 1830 of the Proceedings of the U.S. National 

 Museum, Mr, J. C. Crawford continues his descriptions of 

 new Hymenoptera. The types of several of the fifteen 

 species named were forwarded by correspondents of the 

 Bureau of Entomology, and as these species are of interest 

 in connection with economic entomology, the descriptions 

 were published at the earliest possible date. 



Attention may be directed to the description by Mr. 

 J. H. Keys in the June number of The Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine of a new species of British weevil 

 (Barypithes duplicatus), on account of the apparent absence 

 of any allusion as to what constitutes the type. It is 

 even left uncertain whether a spot between Broadstairs 

 and Margate, Blean Woods, Kent, or some other place is 

 the type-locality. 



R. L. 



THE ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENT STATION. 



'T'HE Society for Extending the Rothamsted Experiments 

 met at Harpenden on "June 16, and has issued the 

 following report : — 



During the past year the work of the Rothamsted Experi- 

 mental Station has been considerably extended, more 

 particularly in its investigation of the effect upon the 

 fertility of the soil of heating and treatment with anti- 

 septics which destroy the larger organisms there present. 

 A special assistant has been retained to deal with the 

 investigation of greenhouse soils, which, despite their 

 richness in manure, have become " sick " and unable to 

 carry crops. The same factor appears to be concerned in 

 the sickness of the soils of sewage farms, and this question 

 is also under investigation. The examination of the life- 

 history of the larger organisms in the soil has been under- 

 taken in the Rothamsted Laboratory by Mr. T. Goodey, 

 who was appointed for that purpose to a Mackinnon 

 studentship by the Royal Society. 



Papers on this question have been published during the 

 year, also on the ammonia content of the atmosphere, on 

 the weeds of arable land in relation to the soils, on the 

 nutrition of plants by non-nitric sources of nitrogen, and 

 on the experimental error attaching to field trials. The 

 Board of Agriculture has also published on behalf of the 

 station an exhaustive report (207 pp. plus 56 maps and 

 figures) on the soils and agriculture of the south-east of 

 England. 



Through this additional work the expenditure of the 

 station has exceed(>d its income by 1000/., and a deficit of 

 1300/. has now accumulated. 



The Development Commissioners have promised, through 

 the Board of Agriculture, a grant of 2000Z. for the current 

 year's work, and it is hoped that some such assistance of 

 the kind will be continued in order to provide for the 

 further extension of the work of the station. 



To this end it has become necessary (i) to take a lease 

 of the home farm ;md so secure further land for experi- 

 ment, (2) to erect additional laboratory accommodation. 



It is estimated that (1000/. will be required for these 

 purposes, and on the appeal of the society the following 

 subscriptions have already been received or promised : — 

 Duke of Devonshire. P.C.', 300/. ; Lord Iveagh, 200/. ; Mr. 

 A. Brassev, looZ. ; Sir J. T. Brunner, Bart, P.C, 300/. ; 

 Mr. E. H. Carlile. M.P., 52Z. \ns. : Mr. J. F. Mason, 

 M.P., 500/. ; Mr. R. Mond. 200/. ; Capt. J. .\. Morison, 

 M.P., 500Z. ; Mr. W. Morrison, 100/. ; Dr. Hugo Muller, 

 F.R.S., 100/. ; Sulphate of Ammonia Committee, 50/. ; Sir 

 J. Wernher, Bart., 250/. ; Mr. J. Martin White, 100/. ; Sir 

 A. Henderson. Bart., 10/. io.v. Total. 2763/. 



At this critical period in the development of agriculture 

 and agricultural science, the .Society for Extending the 

 Rothamsted Experiments appeals most earnestly for further 

 assistance to equip Rothamsted— the pioneer among the 

 experimental stations of the world, with a .seventy-year 

 historv of continuous experiment upon the same land, an 

 institution also which has hitherto been entirely dependent 

 upon private generosity — in a manner adequate io deal with 

 its new responsibilities. 



