Dec. 8, 1887] 



NA TURE 



139 



off, until at the end of June 18S6 there were only six remaining, 

 lie then placed near the door of the nest some pupa: oi Formica 

 u-a, th£ slave ant. These were at once carried in and soon came 

 maturity. The mortality among the mistresses at once ceased, 

 1 from that day to this only two more have died. This seems 

 ,,i show that the slave-; perform some indispensable function in 

 the nest, though what that is still remains to be discovered. As 

 regards the longevity of ants, he said that the old queen ant, 

 which had more than once been mentioned to the Society, was 

 still alive. She must now be fourteen years old, and still laid 

 fertile eggs, to the important physiological bearing of which 

 fact he called special attention. He discussed the observations 

 and remarks of Graber as regards the senses of ants, with special 

 reference to their sensibility towards the ultra-violet rays, and 

 referred to the observations of Forel, which confirmed those he 

 had previously laid before the Society. Prof Graber had 

 also questioned some experiments with reference to smell. 

 He, ho wever, maintained the accuracy of his observations, and 

 pointed out that Graber had overlooked some of the precautions 

 which he had taken ; his experiments seemed to leave no doubt 

 as to the existence of a delicate sense of smell among ants. As 

 regards the recognition of friends, he repeated some previous 

 experiments with the same results. He took some pupae from 

 one of his nests (A) and placed these under charge of some ants 

 from another nest (B) of the same sjjecies. After they had come 

 to maturity, he placed some in nest A and some in nest B. 

 Those placed in their own nest were received amicably, 

 those in the nests of their nurses were attacked and driven out. 

 This showed that the recognition is not by the means of a sign 

 or password, for in that case they would have been recognized in 

 nest B and not in nest A. Dr. Warsmann had confirmed his 

 observations in opposition to the statement of Lespis, that white 

 ants are enemies to those of another nest, even belonging to the 

 sume species ; the domestic animals, on the other hand, can be 

 transferred from one nest to another, and will be amicably re- 

 ceived. In conclusion, he discussed the respective functions of 

 the eyes and ocelli, and referred to several other observations 

 on various interesting points in the economy of the Social 

 Hymenoptera. 



In an interesting paper read the other day before the National 

 Academy of Sciences, New York, Prof W. P. Trowbridge gave 

 an account of a discovery which had lately been made by his son. 

 This discovery is that birds of prey and some others have the 

 power to lock securely together those parts of the wing holding 

 the extended feathers, and corresponding to the fingers of the 

 human hand. The action of the air on the wing in this condition 

 extends the elbow; which is prevented from opening too far by a 

 cartilage, and the wings may keep this position for an indefinite 

 length of time, with no muscular action whatever on the part of 

 the bird. While resting in this way, the bird cannot rise in a 

 still atmosphere ; but, if there be a horizontal current, it may 

 allow itself to be carried along by it, with a slight tendency 

 downward, and so gain a momentum by which, with a slight 

 change of direction, it may rise to some extent, still without 

 muscular action of the wings. Prof Trowbridge also believed it 

 quite possible for a bird to sleep on the wing. In discussing 

 this paper, Prof J. S. Newberry said that he had once shot a 

 bird which came slowly to the ground as if still flying, but reached 

 it dead. He believed that it had died high in the air ; but he had 

 never been able to account for the manner of its descent till 

 now, when he found an explanation in the statement of Prof 

 Trowbridge. 



The cultivation of oysters in France appears to have greatly 

 increased of late. Thus, while in 1885 the number exported was 

 30,000,000, 35,000,000 have been exported in the first eight 

 months of 1887 (twice as much as in the corresponding part of j 



1886), and the total for the year will probably be about 

 52,000,000. At the same time the importation into France from 

 Portugal has been declining. Thus, from 154,647 kilogrammes 

 in 1883, it had fallen to 1500 kilogrammes in 1885, and no 

 figures are forthcoming for the first eight months of 1887. 



In his Report for 1886-87, presented to the Parliament of 

 Tasmania, Mr. Saville-Kent speaks of the oyster-fisheries on 

 the Tasmanian coast-line. The results obtained during the past 

 year, from the series of Government oyster- reserves established 

 in accordance with Mr. Saville-Kent's recommendations, seem 

 to him to justify the opinion that, with an extension of the same 

 system, conducted on scientific principles, the produce of these 

 reserves, combined with that raised on the private beds, will be 

 su(Ticient within the course of a few years to establish once 

 more a lucrative oyster trade in the colony. At all of the 

 several reserves there has been an abundant fall of spat, but 

 more especially in those of the Spring Bay district. This 

 locality, Mr. Saville-Kent anticipates, will, as in former years, 

 become the chief station of the Tasmanian oyster-fishery. The 

 number of breeding-oysters at present laid down upon the 

 various Government reserves maybe reckoned at about 150,000 ; 

 to these may be added, as the produce of the past year's spatting 

 season, at least an equal number of young brood. A further 

 supply of 100,000 adult stock, for placing on the additional 

 reserves projected or in course of construction, will be obtained 

 from the natural beds during the current year. 



Mr. Harry Page Woodward (eldest son of Dr. Henry 

 Woodward, F. R.S.), who had served for more than three years, 

 under Mr. H. Y. Lyell Brown, as Assistant Government 

 Geologist in South Australia, has, by the advice and upon the 

 recommendation of Dr. A. Geikie, F. R.S., Director-General of 

 the Geological Survey of Great Britain, been appointed by the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies to the post of G jvernment 

 Geologist for Western Australia. Mr. W^oodward sailed for 

 King George's Sound in the P. and O. steam-ship Shannon on 

 the and inst. 



A PECULIAR phenomenon is being noticed in the large lakes 

 near the village of Mazuren (near Gumbinnen, Prussia). The 

 level of the water is continually decreasing ; during the last ten 

 years it has fallen i metre annually, so that many of the islands 

 in the lakes have now become peninsulas. 



The People's Lectures, begun under the auspices of the 

 London Society for the Extension of University Teaching, have 

 attracted large audiences, and there is no reason to doubt that 

 the success hitherto achieved will be maintained. Yesterday 

 evening. Prof H. G. Seeley, F.R.S., delivered, at the Great 

 Assembly Hall, Mile End Road, the first of a course of three 

 lectures on " Glimpses into Nature's Workshop." The special 

 subject of this lecture was " Water, the Earth Leveller." The 

 next two lectures of the course — "Ice, the Earth Engraver," 

 and " Underground Heat, the Earth Moulder and Modeller" — 

 will be delivered on December 14 and 21, at the Memorial 

 Hall, London Street, Bethnal Green. 



Another series of lectures at the Memorial Hall, London 

 Street, Bethnal Green, is likely to be of good service. It is 

 intended especially for working lads, and the lectures are called 

 "Science Talks." Last Thursday, Dr. Gerard Smith delivered 

 a lecture on "The Structure of Trees and Plants" ; and this 

 evening he will lecture again, taking as his subject " Microscopic 

 Life in the Sea." On December 15, Mr. C. A. Newton will 

 lecture on " The Wonders of the Heavens." 



A Conference on Technical Education will be held at the 

 Royal Victoria Hall, Waterloo Bridge Road, on Wednesday, the 

 14th inst. Sir Henry Doulton will take the chair. Two short 

 papers — one by Dr. Fleming, of University College, the other 



