December 28, 191 1 1 



NATURE 



289 



row exhibited is estimated at 42,000/. In recording the 

 loan of a collection of big-game heads from British East 

 Africa, the compiler of the report includes in the list the 

 w hitf-railr-d i^nu and the blesbok, both of which are 

 • xclusively southern species. Possibly the first name may 

 be a mistake for the white-bearded gnu, but it is difficult 

 ti) i^iKss what species has been mistaken for the blesbok. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1902 

 Mr. R. Shelford recorded the mimicry of wasps belonging 



two distinct genera by Bornean longicorn beetles of the 

 .^••nus Nothopeus, the imitation extending not only to form 



iiid colouring, but likewise to habits, and being so close 

 that native collectors could with difficulty be induced to 

 latch the beetles. A third instance of such mimicry has 

 1 in described in West Africa in the case of a beetle allied 

 lo Nothopeus, the mimicked wasp being a fossorial species. 



1(1 thf so instances Mr. C. Ritsema (Notes Leyden Mus., 

 vol. xxxiv., part i.) adds a fourth, in which the widely 

 sprcid -V. hemiptenis imitates in Nias Island the fossorial 

 wasp Macromeris splendida, both insects being black with 

 a pronounced metallic-blue sheen, especially on the wings. 

 The author suggests that each of the eight species of 

 Nothopeus mimics a wasp. 



In 1882 Sir R. Owen described the remains of a turtle 

 from the Cretaceous of Queensland as the type of a new 

 genus and species under the name of Notochelys costata, 

 the generic name being subsequently changed, on account 

 of preoccupation, to Notochelone. Until quite recently 

 nothing more has been known of this reptile ; but in No. 10 

 of the Annals of the Queensland Museum Mr. C. W. 

 de Vis provisionally refers to it two imperfect skulls from, 

 presumably, the same horizon in another part of the 

 country. The larger and less imperfect of these indicates 

 a turtle apparfiiily niTirly allied to existing forms, the 

 symphysis of the lower jaw being short, and thereby 

 indicating that the suggested affinity with the Eocene 

 Lytoloma (Cat. Foss. Rept. Brit. Mus., part iii.) is 

 invalid. In describing the second specimen, which he re- 

 gards as an immature skull, Mr. de Vis states that " the 

 sclerotic plates are in place," thereby unconsciously show- 

 ing, if the identification be correct, that it is not chelonian 

 at all. Mureovi 1 , ih" tooth-like projections on the 

 margins of the jaw described as " pseudodonts " appear 

 from the figure to be true teeth, recalling those of mosa- 

 saurians. \\'hati\ir may be the nature of this problem- 

 atical s|)i ciiiii n, it (crtainly does not justify the assertion 

 that \(.io< It lorn is a gcnoralised type which cannot be 

 incliidid ill :my .-xisting faniilv. 



Dk. C. (ioRiNi, writing in tiie Atti dci Lincei, xxi. (2), 6, 



de>(ril)'-^ --OUT- int' resting observations on thf" microbiology 

 of ( li'-csc. It -ipp'-.-irs that certain .-h idopre^.-nni^i nous and 

 ;(( idi.pnili'olv li, !,;:( |..ri:i n;-- . :''()( .-xl-iinc^ at -ucli low 

 tempfratun ■, ;i. k. id -- '1 thus the ripening of 



cheese can take place duritig wmfr stora-e. Mdi.civei-, 

 the enzymes of these bacteria continue to ;irt ;.i exen \nwv 

 temperatures. 



A SHORT flora of Cambridge foriris the suhjeri of part iii., 

 vol. xvi., of the Camhri<lge IMiih.-c.phii al Sim iei\ \ i'mceed- 

 ing';, the author being Mr. '^ '' Ivans, of Clare College. 

 It i- prefaced by a shor! 1 account of the chief 



Cambridgeshire botanists, i. miKe Babington, the author 

 classifies the districts of the county according to their geo- 

 In-'r' f "!^^a^ion. In addition to phanerogams, ferns, and 

 ' 'lie 111. 1.1 idniain- li>ts of mosses and lichens by 



til- ixi •. , I'. ( ,. M. Rlimi ' , , • ' '• ; diatoms, by 



Dr. (.. -^ W.-.i : ;,i:.l fill,: .mK-^. 



We have received the current number of the National 

 Poultry Organisation Society, which deals with several 

 minor but important problems in connection with the 

 poultry industry, especially with the cooperative aspects, 

 which it aims at fostering. The value of our imports of 

 eggs and poultry continues to increase, and during the first 

 eight months of this year amounted to nearly 4! million 

 pounds sterling, nearly half of which came from Denmark. 



Only a short time ago we had to chronicle the founda- 

 tion by the Americans in the Philippines of an agricultural 

 college and a journal. The Philippine AgricuUuralist and 

 Forester. The first numbers contained articles of local 

 interest only, but No. 5, now to hand, already contains 

 a very presentable investigation into the effects of gome 

 stimulants upon rice. The additions to soil cultures of 

 small quantities of borax, manganese sulphate, mercury 

 chloride, ferrous sulphate, nickel sulphate, zinc sulphate, 

 and aluminium sulphate produced favourable effects, whilst 

 copper sulphate was harmful. 



Three years ago the Behar Planters' Association ap- 

 pointed an expert to conduct experiments for the purpose 

 of ascertaining whether flax could be profitably grown and 

 manufactured on Indian estates, the buildings and vats of 

 which could be utilised for retting and scutching. A report 

 has now been issued showing the financial returns during 

 the past season, and thus putting the planters in a position 

 to judge whether the new crop is as profitable as indigo. 

 The quality of the flax is satisfactory, good prices being 

 also obtained for the seed. The report forms Bulletin 25 

 of the Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa. 



The current number of The Agricultural Journal of the 

 Union of South Africa contains the unpleasant news that 

 the much-dreaded San Jos^ scale, Aspidiotus perniciosus, 

 Comstock, has found its way into the Transvaal. The 

 discovery was made by Mr. J. W. Moore, of Potchef- 

 stroom, in working up a collection, and steps were at once 

 taken to exterminate the pest. In the same journal an 

 account is given of a new and very promising breed of 

 maize picked out from a crop of Hickory King that had 

 grown alongside Virginia horsetooth. Hitherto the yield 

 has proved exceedingly good. 



.\mong the sclerophyllous woodlands recognised by Dr. 

 Schimper as a feature of those regions situated in the 

 warm temperate zone where the rainfall coincides with 

 winter is the chaparral, or dwarf forest of southern Cali- 

 fornia. An account of this formation by Mr. F. G. 

 Plummer, published by the United States Deparmi nt of 

 Agriculture as Bulletin 85 of the Forest Scr\ i( e, imliratos 

 tiiai it i^ a truly natural type, occurring between tiie alti- 

 tudes of sea-lcvi.-l and 8000 feet, and confined to tlie littoral 

 district from Monierev id S.-in Die^d. Ini.' chaparral 

 consists primarily of dwarf trees — not shrubs— stunieil l>y 

 reason of an insufficient rainfall. It is economii allv 

 important as a ground cover for the water-h'd whem e ihc 

 water supply is obtained for in i;;.ii ieii ,ir,il municipal jiui- 

 poses. About forty different ; trees are combined 



in the formation ; the most d re those which pro- 



duce good shade, an- not infl.nnn - ' dious 



growth, such as A'/n/v loiirinn, / /'TO- 



meles arh- ' ' rable, 



but domiii.. 'iiins. 



The fifteenth volume of Trans: 



Uitrrnrv and PhiIo< ■■-'"'■'■' '^oet,.!, ,., ;,.;,. .; | , 



Mr. II. (Juiller -i; on of the pr^ --. lu e 



of Sambucus Ebulu., :,. ^ ..v...;, or Danewoit, in 



Leicestershire, and perhaps in Great Britain generally. It 



NO. 2200, VOL. 88J 



