284 



NATURE 



[December 28, i«>i 



departing nt tn- ...,,0. i.......K i.-i^idly jjarnered their 



pri'V from ih«' rafters." 



■rhr chapter on "A Plain Man's Philosophy ''almost 

 recalls lo one tlu- musings of Prospcro on a somewhat 

 similar isle; that on •'Silenros" is worthy of R. L. 

 Stevenson; "His Majesty the Sun" brings home to 

 one the peculiar quality of the climate of northern 

 Australia, which makes that re^fion a country suited 

 to the rearinjsr of a white race, and therefore wholly 



of fllverj- lavender iw rather »IIvm- shot with lav<>"i-^^ . -< 

 outlined with purple — and the great anemone i 

 If the finger is presented to any part of th- 

 becomes adherent ; or if the anemone is not in lh« 

 for food, it curls and shrinks away with a r>-| 

 demeanour. But the beautiful fish on the l- 

 retires within the many folds of its host, t-i 

 appearing, presently to peep out again sh>;. ..^ i. 

 intruder. It is almost as elusive as a sunbeam, and mo- 

 diflicult to catch, for if the anemone is disturbed it cor. 

 tracts its folds and shrinks away, off* i 

 ing inviolable sanctuary. If the fish t> 

 dissociated from its host, it soon dir-~ 

 It cannot live apart, though tlv 

 anemone, as far as can be judged froi 

 outward appearances, endures tli' 

 separation without a pang. 



" However, it is safe to assert th. 

 the association between the stoli ' 

 anemone and the painted fish — only ;<■ 

 inch and a half long — is for the;- 

 mutual welfare, the fish attr.nrtir;, 

 microscopic fcKxl to its host. Sx\A v. '■ 

 should one anemone greedily seize ;i 1,-;: 

 and another find pleasure in the com 

 panionship of one of the most beai)- 

 tiful and delicate of the tribe? " 



The account of the development 

 of the B.iiler shell (Melo or Cym- 

 bium) from "a few drops of trans- 

 lucent jelly — as free from earthly 

 •leaven as a dewdrop " to a very 

 large and capacious bowl-shaped 

 shell, emitting egg-clusters sixteen 

 inches long and twelve inches in 

 circumference is most interestingly 

 told. Other chapters of biological 

 value and great literary charm are 

 entitled "Some Curious Bivalves," 

 " Barrier Reef Crabs," " Insect 

 Ways," "Swifts and Eaple«," 

 "Socialistic Birds"; besides li ~ 

 which describe Hamed, the p< 

 fishing .\rab of Jeddah, and the 

 black Australians with their super-^ 

 stitions, their quaint ways anl^ 

 dialect, their fine physical develof 

 ment and naive charm of manner.] 



F !<;. 2—'E^ Cap.sulci of lUiier iUtU. iroiu ■ My Tropii. Isle, 



different from the economic conditions of tropical Asia 

 and Africa. 



We are told much about sea-worms and sea-cucum- 

 bers, marvellous fish, so marvellous, in fact, that if 

 there were not photographic reproductions done from 

 the life to support the descriptions we might think 

 the latter overdrawn. Delightfully described are the 

 interdependent relations between the giant anemone 

 and the painted fish (Amphiprion). 



'' The good fellowship between the daintv fish— re- 

 splendent in carmine, with a broad collar, and' waistband 



NO. 2 200, VOL. 88] 



yiXLARlA IN INDIA. 



IT is usual to preach nowaday- 

 that plain speaking does mof' 

 harm than good ; but I have reason 

 to believe that some ver\- plain 

 statements which have appeared in 

 Nature and elsewhere on the sub- 

 ject of Indian medical research and 

 sanitation have had a converse 

 effect. It is now a great pleaure 

 to learn from the third number of 

 the quarterly publication of the 

 Government of India, called 

 Pahidism, that that Government has 

 set aside the sum of 500,000 rupees 

 (about 33,000/.) for an Iiidian 

 Fund to study medical and sanitary 

 No other Government possesses such 

 a magnificent opportunity to add to the common 

 stock of knowledge on such subjects. It rules 

 an immense population ; it draws a great revenue ; and 

 it is served by hundreds of well-trained medical 

 officers. We are not yet informed as to the details 

 of the allotment, but funds are the sinews of science 

 as of war, and the Indian Government will certainly 

 never regret the step it has taken. 



For a number of years past increasingly good scien- 



Research 

 problems 



