December 15, 192 1] 



NATURE 



513 



analysis of precipitation in relation to wind direction. 

 Southerly and south-easterly winds have the highest 

 relative frequency, while south-south-westerly and 

 west-north-westerly winds are the wettest; easterly 

 winds are the driest. The mean annual temperature 

 at Trondhjem for the 30^ years is 48° C. (=41° F.). 

 The average for Januar\- and February- is about 

 — 2\° C. ( = 27^° F.), and for July, the warmest month, 

 13-8° C. ( = 57° F.). There is a good range of vari- 

 abilit>-, —26-1° C. ( = — 15° F.), having been recorded , 

 in Februarj-, 1899, and -1-35° C. ( = 95° F.) in July, 

 1901, the latter a remarkable value for the latitude. 



(3) " Oversigt over Luftens Temperatur og Nedboren 

 i Norge (1918). " This paper contains mean tempera- 

 ture and rainfall tables for the year 1918 for Norway. 

 January is shown to have been abnormally cold, 

 especially in the North, where Karasjok was 8-8° C. 

 and Alten 72° C. on the average below normal. June, ' 

 except in the North, and September, were also cool, 

 but temperatures for other months and also for the 

 whole year, were generallv above normal. The rain- ■ 

 fall at Floro amounted to 2617 mm. (=103 in.) ' 

 during the year. 481 mm. in excess of normal. Karas- 

 jok, however, with a toral of only 224 mm. ( = 9 in.) 

 was 161 mm. below the normal. 



(4) ■' Om betydningen av, at der i Skandinavien 

 oprettes aerologiske stationer," bv Th. Hesselberg. 

 In this paper the director of the Norwegian Meteoro- 



logical Institute gives a brief survey of the present 

 position and importance of aerological research, and 

 urges the need for the establishment of aerological 

 research stations in Scandinavia to take part in inter- 

 national investigations. He advocates a departure, 

 however, from the present custom of observing on 

 certain fixed days in the year, and proposes to make 

 ascents only during the prevalence of interesting types 

 of pressure distribution. Such an arrangement is 

 certainly desirable, but likely to be difficult in practice. 

 (5) " Aarsberetning (1919-1920)." Much of the in- 

 formation contained in this annual report relates to 

 purely administrative work. There is an account of 

 the opening of a geophysical obser\atory on Spits- 

 bergen and of the destruction caused by a severe 

 storm. There is also a note on a comparison which 

 was made at the end of 1919 between spectro-helio- 

 graph observations at Meudon (near Paris), and simul- 

 taneous magnetic observations at Haldde (N. Nor- 

 way), and it appears that a connection was traced 

 between calcium flocculi and the electric radiation 

 occurring in aurora borealis and magnetic ■ storms. 

 .Although the general cause of these phenomena re- 

 mains unknown, the writer of the report expresses the 

 \'iew that terrestrial magnetic storms are a far more 

 delicate test of solar activity than any solar pheno- 

 menon which can be studied bv direct observation of 

 the sun. J. W. 



The Preservation of our Fauna.^ 



Bv T. k. Coward. 



'X* HE preser\-ation of a fauna or flora is a national 

 -»- and international duty. The main arguments 

 : r protection are : (a) economic — the argument of 

 the commercial mind and of the Board of .\griculture ; 

 (&) aesthetic — mainly used in support of bird protec- 

 tion ; (c) humanitarian — the argument against cruelt)' 

 and the wastage of life ; and id) scientific- — the desire 

 to preserve all species or forms rather than indivi- 

 duals from extinction. The last, though the most 

 difficult position to demonstrate logically, is the one 

 which should carr\- most weight with the biologist. 



Man is a competing animal, and in that aspect is 

 justified in interfering with natural laws so far as 

 is necessary for his welfare. But all such influence 

 should be ordered by scientific and unprejudiced in- 

 vestigation of the inter-relation of animal life. Legis- 

 lation and personal influence are the best methods 

 of retarding or stopping the destruction of the fauna, 

 but either without the other fails in its purpose. 

 Public opinion, the aggregate of personal influences, 

 is the creator and upholder of legislation. Protective 

 measures have in the past frequently been framed 

 for selfish ends, not for the sake of the object to be 

 protected, hence the confusioa in the legislation of 

 to-day. 



Normally, without the influence of man, a natural 

 numerical ratio of individuals and species is main- 

 tained, for convenience termed the balance; famine 

 or other causes adjust this balance in time of over- or 



J 'J't^'ract of the presdential address delivered to the Manchester L terary- 

 «nd Philosophical Society on Octofcer 4. 



under-population. Man by cultivation and domesti- 

 cation has so dislocated natural conditions that such 

 balance is impossible. But there is, especially in 

 civilised lands, an artificial "natural balance," in 

 which man is one of the competing factors. Ttus 

 balance is constantlj- overthrown by man or his com- 

 petitors ; it should be readjusted whenever possible 

 in so far as readjustment is in accordance with ad- 

 vance. Unwise or over-cultivation, as exemplified 

 during the food shortage, caused certain unexpected 

 results ; the temporan." cessation of checks to the 

 natural increase of certain species, as shown during 

 the absence of many men during the war, produces 

 a surprising alteration in the status of many forms. 



Man, by his ven,- abundance, encourages the in- 

 crease of such forms as depend upon him ; manv of 

 these are inimical to his welfare and therefore must 

 be combated. In his attitude towards the larger 

 animals, especially where he treats them as legiti- 

 mate objects for the increase of wealth or for the 

 enjoyment of sport, he may easily destroy the very 

 creatures he wishes to exploit. The artificial intro- 

 duction of animals alien to any countrv- is always - 

 dangerous, and has in the past been the cause of 

 the crowding out or destruction of native forms; 

 in the interests of a fauna this practice should be 

 stopped. The unintentional introduction of many 

 ■■pests " is almost entirely due to commerce; these 

 hangers-on of civilisation should, so far as is possible, 

 be controlled, as their presence is alike a danger to 

 the human race and to other creatures. 



Researches on Food. 



'X'HE Report of the Food Investigation Board for 



-*■ 1920 ' records a considerable amount of research 



work of scientific interest and immediate practical 



value. The Engineering Committee of the Board has 



1 Report of the Food Investigation Board for 1020. (H M S O 



1921.} If » X 1 



NO. 2720, VOL. 108] 



shown that of the two channels of heat loss through 

 an insulator, the solid itself and the air enclosed in the 

 spaces of the solid, the latter is far the more impw- 

 tant. The specific conductivity of any particular sub- 

 stance, e.g. cork, depends much more upon the form 

 and size of its air spaces than upon the specific con- 



