Dec. 5, 1878] 



NATURE 



97 



cannot be thus seen, then it appears to me that all time 

 spent in their search in the sun's vicinity, except during a 

 total or very large partial eclipse, would be time lost. 

 Kochester, N.Y., November 8 Lewis Swift 



Colour- Variation in Lizards. — Corsican Herpetology 



In a communication sent to you by my friend Mr, Wallace, 

 under the title, " Remarkable Local Colonr-variation in 

 Lizards," published in Nature, vol. xix. p. 4, mention is 

 made of the well-known case of Laceria (Podarcis) muralis, 

 var. faragltottensis, only found on the Outer Faraglione of Capri, 

 but there are many similar cases to my knowledge, and I add 

 a note of them, for the fact, although unexplained, is one of 

 great interest. During the last two years, while engaged in 

 forming a complete series of the Italian vertebrate animals, I 

 have visited and explored most of the Mediterranean islands 

 included in the Italian sub-region, and I have invariably found 

 that our common lizard (Podarcis muralis) constantly presents dark 

 varieties on islets adjoining small islands : this is the case on the 

 Scuola, near Pianosa, on the Scoglio di Mezzogiomo, off Pal- 

 marola (Ponza), on S. Stefano, off Ventotene, on the Toro, off 

 Vacca (Sardinia), on Lisca nera, Lisca bianca, and Bottaro, off 

 Panaria (Lipari), on Filfla, off Malta, and on Linosa, near Lam- 

 pedusa. The extreme cases are those of the Faraglione off 

 Capri and Filfla, where a nearly intense black is obtained; 

 next comes Toro, and next Linosa ; only the latter case might 

 be explained by the "struggle for existence " theory, for the 

 lava rocks of Linosa are black ; but such is certainly not the 

 case with the other islets, and, pace Dr. Eimer, the Faraglione 

 is gray, while Filfla — on which I spent a pleasant day in October 

 last — is painfully white in the glaring Maltese sun, so that its 

 black lizards are most conspicuous. I may add that few 

 creatures I know vary more in colour than Podarcis muralis, even 

 in the same locality ; two most distinct varieties occur promis- 

 cuously on the small flat islet Formica di Grosseto. 



Going over my Mediterranean herpetological notes reminds 

 me_ of an interesting discovery I made last summer in Corsica, 

 an island of great interest, which, strange to say, is rarely trodden 

 by naturalists. Most of your zoological readers will be aware 

 that, in 1839, Prof. Savi, of Pisa, described two new species of 

 Italian Urodela, both from Corsica, viz., Salamandra Corsica 

 and Megapterna montana. The former has been quite neglected 

 by modern herpetologists, or else placed among the synonyma 

 of .S". maculosa, simply because no one had Corsican specimens 

 to compare. Now it is evidently nearly allied to the Continental 

 form, but quite distinct, as the specimens I collected testify, 

 all of them presenting the distinctive characters pointed out by 

 Savi forty years ago. A nearly similar lot befell Megapterna 

 montana, which Savi described nearly contemporaneously with 

 Gene's description of Euproctus Rusconii, from Sardinia. Buona- 

 parte, in his " Fauna Italica," united the two under the name of 

 Euproctus platycephalus, given by Gravenhorst in 1829 to a newt, 

 sinepatria, preserved in the Breslau Museum ; and most natural- 

 ists have followed Buonaparte, especially later writers on the 

 subject, as Stranch, De Betta, and Schreiber, whilst others, 

 actir^ more wisely, stuck to Gene's name. I believe that since 

 Savi's day no one has studied the Corsican form, whoje essential 

 characters pointed out by the Pisan naturalist, who had only two 

 specimens to work on, were overlooked even by his contemporary, 

 the Prince of Canino ; this explains all. Last year I rambled 

 and collected all over Corsica, and found Savi's newt quite 

 common in all the mountainous districts; I secured about 150 

 specmiens of both sexes and all ages, even larvae, and on my 

 return to Florence was much surprised to find them (juite 

 distinct from the Sardinian Euproctus I possess ; this made me 

 refer to the original descriptions, and thus I found that Savi and 

 Gene had described two very distinct species, and described 

 them well. The two Italian species of Euproctus may be thus 



E. Pusconii, Gene : Parotids wanting. Skin smooth, with 

 !r V ^ J tubercles scattered, especially about the sides of 

 meliead and neck. Female with a small conical pointed fibular 

 tubercle, very hke a rudimentary finger. Hind fingers slender 

 and cylmdncal. Irregular dark blotches on the throat. Size 

 somewhat lai^er than the succeeding species. Hab. Sardinia. 

 J., montanus, Savi : Parotids small but distinct. Skin rough 

 r,?k»,^ • .Female with a large, obtuse, compressed fibular 

 uiDercle, more like a ridge or crest, than anything else. Hind 

 nngers stout, broad, and flattened. Throat uniform, rusty, 



without blotches ; often a red or yellov/ dor.al stripe, Hab. 

 Corsica. 



As to Euproctus platycephalus, Gravenh. , only a careful examina- 

 tion of the type-specimens, if yet existing in the Breslau Museum, 

 can settle to which form it ought to be referred, but if their 

 locality is unknown, I believe it better to suppress the name. 

 Euproctus platycephalus is said to be found in Spain, but as I 

 have no Spanish specimens, I cannot give any opinion on that 

 form. In conclusion, I may add that Buonaparte was perfectly 

 right in separating from the former the North African species 

 T. Poireti, which is very distinct from our Italian Euproctus, in 

 the shape of the head and body, and in the complete absence of 

 any fibular tubercle in the female ; it ought to be called 

 Glossoliga Poireti. Henry Hillyer Giglioli 



Florence, November 16 



Commercial Crises and Sun- Spots 



Referring to Prof. Stanley Jevons's article upon "Com- 

 mercial Crises and Sun-spots " in Nature, vol. xix. p. 33, I 

 beg to draw your attention to the inclosed circular which I issued 

 to my subscribers in April last. 



The figures relating to the " Failures in England and Wales," 

 Mere compiled by my clerks, under my own direction ; those 

 relating to the failures in the United States and Canada were 

 supplied by Messrs. R. G. Eun and Co., of New York and 

 London, and it may be observed how nearly they agree (ue., the 

 failures in England and Wales, and those in the United States 

 and Canada) in their fluctuations, and that there is an agreement 

 between both sets of figures and the sun-spot period. 



I have not been able to obtain similar figures for continental 

 states, but I have observed that the complaints of depression in 

 trade there agree, in substance and in time, with those in this 

 country and North America. I have also noticed similar com- 

 plaints from the southern hemisphere, especially New Zealand. 



I refer to Dr. Hunter's suggestion of an Indian famine period 

 in my circular, but I do not find that the famine period in India 

 agrees, in point of time, with the depressions in the temperate 

 zones ; it is very probable that the excess of sunshine which 

 produces drought and famine in India has an opposite effect on 

 the prosperity of England and all other countries lying between 

 the same isothermal lines, and that the more moderate degree of 

 sunshine which may suit the Indian cultivator is insuflicient to 

 properly ripen English wheat and other produce (oats excepted). 



Since April last I have taken several opportunities of ascer- 

 taining from agriculturists the effect of the variations in the sun- 

 spots upon their yield of wheat, &c., and I find an agreement be- 

 tween them that during these years of minimum sun-spots the yield 

 has proved bad when thrashed out, in conseo^uence of the kernels 

 being much smaller than in other years, I do not know whether 

 the test has ever been tried or not ; if not, I would suggest that 

 some scientific observer should weigh an ounce, or a few ounces, 

 of the kernels of each kind of grain grown in England every 

 year, and count the number of them. I think it would be found 

 that in years of maximum sun-spots wheat and barley kernels 

 weigh their heaviest and oats their lightest, and that these pro- 

 portions would be reversed in the years of minimum sun-spots. 

 The difference in each kernel or in an ounce of them may, taken 

 alone, appear trifling; but if it is an indication of the differ- 

 ence in the yield of the harv'est throughout the whole kingdom, 

 it may be a fact of the greatest importance as showing the cause 

 of the cyclical variations in the prosperity of the country, and it 

 may be of great value to land-owners and agriculturists gene- 

 rally as a guide in the rotation of crops and in allowing fields to 

 lie fallow. 



It is in this direction that I look for the causes of commercial 

 depression. The whole of our "home" trade is i dependent 

 upon internal prosperity, and likewise a lai^e proportion of our 

 "foreign" trade. Other causes may have some effect upon 

 either or both, such as peace or war, trade-unionism, bank- 

 management, and the like ; but the influence of the sun is too 

 far-reaching and too powerful to be checked thereby. Man, by 

 studying the working of its influence and power upon his daily 

 life, may learn how to guard against much of the distress which 

 periodically recurs. JOHN Kemp 



Aspley Guise, November 16 



''London, April, 1878 

 "Failures in England and Wales 



"We append a Summary of the failures in England and 



