250 



NATURE 



[April 21, 192 1 



Australasian forms of the Neuroptera and Mecoptera, 

 both in the adult and pupal stages, have enabled him 

 to suggest amendments which may be expected to 

 win general acceptance. His insistence on the im- 

 portance of the earliest pupal tracheation, and on the 

 recognition of the longitudinal nervures by the presence 

 of characteristic strong bristles (the macrotrichia), 

 which are absent on the cross-nervules, and the scars 

 of which can be distinguished in fossil wings, is par- 

 ticularly weighty. 



The three extinct orders mentioned above are 

 regarded by Dr. Tillyard as arising collaterally with 

 the Mecoptera and Neuroptera in Permian times, one 

 Permian fossil (Permochorista) from the coal-beds of 

 New South Wales being definitely referred to the 

 Mecoptera, and another (Belmontia) from the same 

 beds to the new order Paramecoptera (see Proc. Linn. 

 Soc, N.S.W., vol. xliv., part 2, 1919); while Proto- 

 p^chopsis and Archepsychops from the Upper Trias 

 of Queensland are classed with the planipennian 

 Neuroptera, the Lower Triassic Triadosialis — a 



European (German) fossil— standing near the base of 

 the megalopteroid group. The extinct Paramecoptera 

 are believed by Dr. Tillyard to be ancestral to both 

 the Trichoptera and the Lepidoptera, while Upper 

 Triassic fossils from Queensland (Aristopsyche, etc.) be- 

 longing to the Paratrichoptera suggest that this latter 

 order gave rise to the Diptera (see t.c, part i, 1919). 

 From this summary it will be realised that all the 

 principal orders of metabolous insects (the Endopterv- 

 gota of Sharp), with the exception of the Coleoptera 

 and the Hymenoptera, are brought into a series of 

 reasonably probable relationships. Even if later dis- 

 coveries may compel some modifications in the details 

 of Dr. Tillyard's genealogical scheme, it seems im- 

 possible to doubt that he is on the track of real 

 affinities, and that the other two great metamorphic 

 orders, the beetles and the Hymenoptera, will ulti- 

 mately be shown to have such relationship to this 

 " Panorpoid complex " that the whole endoptervgote 

 assemblage cannot but be regarded as forming a 

 natural monophyletic group. G. H. C. 



Oil in Western Sinai. 



Bv H. B. MiLNER. 



THE opening up of a new petroliferous region in 

 any country is usually a matter of more than 

 ordinary interest, not only to oil technologists, but 

 also to the general business public. In Western Sinai 

 we recognise one of the latest developments of oilfield 

 enterprise, and from our knowledge of the Egyptian 

 fields (to which this new region is geologically 

 similar), as well as from the data published by the 

 Petroleum Research Expedition of Egypt in a Pre- 

 liminary General Report on Western Sinai (Cairo : 

 Government Press, 1920), the prospects in this part 

 of the peninsula would seem to be exceedingly 

 promising. 



For some time past it has been known from surface 

 and other indications that the tract of country stretch- 

 ing southwards from Suez along the western coast of 

 Sinai is petroliferous in many places, but it has re- 

 mained for Dr. Hume and his stafT of geologists to 

 carry out the necessary geological investigations in 

 elucidation of the structure of the country and for the 

 selection of the most favourable localities for drilling 

 test wells. 



The actual belt of country examined lies between 

 Suez and El Tor, a distance of about 220 km. along 

 the coast. Of the various localities at which oil 

 indications are promising those of Abu Durba and 

 Gebel Tanka seem to be pre-eminent, and in the 

 former instance a well-site has already been fixed ; 

 in the Gebel Tanka area there are three separate oil 

 prospects which have received attention, and two sites 

 for deep test wells are indicated at present. 



With regard to the relative geological positions of 

 the various oil horizons within the belt, from the 

 information supplied in the report it is evident that 

 there are at least two of these, an upper situate 

 between the Middle Eocene limestones and Lower 



Miocene marls and a lower occurring at the junction 

 of the Cretaceous beds with the underlying Nubian 

 sandstones. In the Gebel Tanka area both the upper 

 and lower horizons are present, but drilling to the 

 lower oil-bearing strata is advocated, as the Eocene 

 limestones are not deemed here to be profitable com- 

 mercially. In the Abu Durba area only the lower 

 horizon is present, but drilling would not be to such 

 a depth as in the former case, as the Tertiary beds 

 are absent. 



Tectonically, so far as present evidence shows, two 

 definite systems of folding have been established within 

 this region, one known as the Hammam Faraun- 

 Useit anticline and the othdr as the Gebel Araba 

 anticline. The former is the more important feature 

 from the oil point of view', since many of the 

 reported indications (including those of the Gebel 

 Tanka area) are associated with it. The latter is 

 more doubtful in this respect, as the surface indica- 

 tions are less numerous, but it is evident that with 

 progress in mapping a great deal more information 

 will be obtained which should define the system with 

 more precision, and thus indicate the chances of 

 future exploration for oil in the sediments aflfected 

 thereby. • 



Not only has the Petroleum Research Expedition 

 done valuable work in reporting on the oil potentiali- 

 ties of this region ; it has also made an important 

 contribution to our geological knowledge of Western 

 Sinai which, even if the oil prospect prove unfavour- 

 able, well warrants the survey made. Two other 

 reports of the expedition (Bulletins 3 and 4) deal in 

 greater detail with the oil occurrences at Gebel Tanka 

 and Gebel Nezzazat (Sinai), and should be read in 

 conjunction with the general report (Bulletin 2) 

 described above. 



Genetics of Cereals. 



O INCE the well-known experiments of Biffen, in 

 •^-^ which the rust resistance of wheat to Puccinia 

 glumarum was shown to behave as a simple Men- 

 delian recessive character, numerous amplifying 

 investigations have taken place. In Swedish experi- 

 ments Nilsson-Ehle obtained less regular results, 



NO. 2686, VOL. 107] 



finding usually a lack of dominance and segregation 

 in indefinite ratios. In the meantirne, extensive 

 studies have been made of the black stem-rust, 

 Puccinia graminis tritici, which causes enormous 

 losses in American wheat crops. It has been shown 

 that numerous biologic forms of this fungus exist 



