122 



NATURE 



[September 23, 1920 



weak solutions of most disinfectants. On the other 

 hand, they maintain their vitality for a considerable 

 time in pure glycerin. They are infectious only by 

 direct contact or by inoculation, and never by water, 

 air, soil, or fomites. The pathological lesions are 

 also similar, and characterised by cell-" inclusions " 

 and alterations of the cell-nuclei. 



A TYPICAL instance of the deplorable methods of the 

 "oologist" is given in the September issue of British 

 Birds by Mr. Thomas Lewis, who set himself the 

 task of recording the breeding habits of a colony of 

 lesser terns newly established last year "on the 

 southern part of the Norfolk coast." .\t one period 

 there were more than forty nests on the beach. Then, 

 on June 19, the colony "was almost completely 

 destroyed by an egg-collector who swept three-fourths 

 of the eggs, most of them far gone in incubation and 

 some actually chipping, from the beach." Instances 

 of this kind are, unhappily, far too common, *nd 

 while this state of affairs continues the "oologists" 

 can scarcely complain when they are reminded that 

 between "egp-collecting " and scientific ornithology 

 there is a wide gulf. This abominable raid made a 

 complete survey of the breeding habits of this bird 

 impossible; but the author fortunately succeeded in 

 making a series of very valuable observations on the 

 courtship and incubation periods, and in taking a 

 number of remarkably fine photographs which accom- 

 pany his essay. 



The latest report of the Industrial Fatigue Research 

 Board (No. 8), by Messrs. S. Wyatt and H. C. Weston, 

 is concerned with a preliminary study of some of the 

 problems connected with bobbin-winding. The authors 

 give a description of the conditions prevailing in the 

 bobbin-winding department of a mill where the owners 

 are enlightened enough to appreciate the value of 

 attention to labour-saving devices and to the welfare 

 of the workers. It was found that the conditions of 

 labour were generally satisfactory except for the 

 length of one of the working periods, which was of 

 four and a half hours; such a period is probably too 

 long for monotonous work, and might advisably be 

 broken up by rest-pauses. The marked individual 

 differences in efficiency which were noticed suggest 

 that a more careful selection of 'the workers would 

 be advantageous. The liability to accidents was very 

 slight and the labour wastage almost negligible, so 

 neither of these could be utilised as data for fatigue. 

 In so far as it was possible to use output as an 

 indication of fatigue, no signs of undue fatigue were 

 evident, although the authors are very careful to 

 emphasise the complex nature of the processes in- 

 volved, and therefore the difficulty of taking such 

 negative results as final. .Although the data obtained 

 do not permit of generalisation, yet it is clear that 

 before confident conclusions on the fatigue resulting 

 from industrial conditions can be reached, very 

 many studies of this nature extending over years must 

 be made in this and other trades, so that an abund- 

 ance of evidence may be available as a foundation 

 for future work. Such reports are valuable as correc- 

 tives to the tendency, only too noticeable at the present 

 time, to use science unscientifically. 

 NO. 2656, VOL. 106] 



Mr. W. H. Dall, in reviewing " Pliocene and 

 Pleistocene Fossils from Alaska " (U.S. Geol. Surv., 

 Prof. Paper 125-C, 1920), points out that evidence 

 accumulates against the view of a late Cainozoic 

 bridge whereby land animals could cross in the Bering 

 Strait region from .Asia to America. The ice of 

 glacial times afforded the only admissible means of 

 communication. The Pliocene fossils of England and 

 Iceland, investigated by Mr. F. W. Harmer, indicate 

 a more free connection than now exists between the 

 Bering Sea and North Atlantic waters. 



The older rocks of Mysore are receiving detailed 

 study from the State Department of Mines and Geo- 

 logy. In the Records of this Department, vol. xvii., 

 p. 67 (1920), Mr. B. Jayaram shows how some of the 

 limestones of Mysore have originated from the altera- 

 tion of calciferous igneous bands, while many actually 

 replace quartz-felspar rocks of the granite and gneiss 

 series. In Bulletin No. 9 (1920), Mr. P. S. Iyengar 

 treats of the acid rocks of the State in generaL As in 

 so many areas, the gneisses have proved to be younger 

 than a schistose series (here the Dharwars), the rela- 

 tions being those already pointed out by Drs. Smeeth 

 and Fermor over a wider field. Mr. Iyengar is firm, 

 and we think thoroughly justified, in his assertion that 

 the Peninsular gneiss is an intrusive rock that has 

 replaced the formation invaded by it. 



"The Use of the Panoramic Camera in Topo- 

 graphical Surveying," by Mr. J. W. Bagley, is a 

 useful publication of the United States Geological 

 Survey (Bulletin 657). In comparison with other 

 methods of survey, the panoramic camera has certain 

 advantages. Its use reduces very considerably the 

 time required to be spent at each station in a plane- 

 table survey. It follows that in the case of recon- 

 naissance surveys a larger number of stations and so 

 greater detail are possible with the help of a 

 panoramic camera than without it. It is also found 

 that with this camera and the plane-table the topo- 

 grapher is better equipped for country of both high 

 and low relief than with the theodolite and plate- 

 camera. Considerations of weight owing to the use 

 of films instead of plates, and of cost as reflected 

 in speedier work, are claimed to show other advan- 

 tages. Full details are given of the camera and the 

 methods of using it. The largest scale of surveys in 

 which this camera has been used is i : 48,000, but this 

 is by no means the limit of its use, which is 

 decided by the degree of accuracy necessary in 

 determining elevations — that is, roughly, by the con- 

 tour interval. The bulletin also contains some useful 

 notes on the application of photogrammetry to aerial 

 surveys. 



Messrs. Negretti and Zambra, of Holborn Viaduct, 

 have issued a catalogue and price-list of meteorological 

 instruments. The publication is well illustrated, and 

 a detailed description is given of the several instru- 

 ments. Each section is prefaced by an historical 

 sketch of the separate branch of observation, which 

 will prove of considerable interest to an observer, and 

 supplies an easy method of valuable information 

 being acquired. The catalogue in our hands is not 



