350 



NATURE 



[November 25, 1915 



homogeneous and not to act on matter, and that 

 matter is to move about in space, can we construct 

 a sv>i(>m of physics which assumes Euclidean geo- 

 m( irv for space and enables us to deal adequately 

 and consistently with all the data that men of sci(nr<> 

 agree to be most worthy to be taken into accoimi ? 



Ix the Annals of the South African Museum (vol. xv., 

 part ii.). Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing publishes part 8 of 

 his account of South African Crustacea, enumerating 

 twenty-two species of macrurous Decapoda, half of 

 which are described as new. In the family Hippo- 

 IvtidcB a new genus is founded, the name of which is 

 the last term in a curious series of word-buildings. 

 Risso established Lysmata, Stimpson founded Hippo- 

 lysmata, and now Mr. Stebbing gives us Exhippo- 

 lysmata for a species taken off the mouth of the 

 Tugela River. 



Amoeba proteus has been described and discussed in 

 biological laboratories more fully perhaps than any 

 protozoan. Yet Miss L. A. Carter finds several new 

 and interesting points in its cyst, which arc described 

 and figured in the Proceedings of the Royal Physical 

 Society of Edinburgh (vol. xix.. No. 8). The cyst 

 consists of two membranous walls outside which is an 

 envelope formed of cemented fragments. In the repro- 

 duction of encysted individuals from seventy-five to 

 one hundred young Amoebae were formed by the fami- 

 liar division-process. 



Australian cattle may be affected by nodules btlow 

 the skin caused by the presence of "nests" of small 

 nematode worms (Onchocerca gibsoni). Dr. Georgina 

 Sweet has lately investigated the occurrence elsev.'here 

 of such parasites (published by the Ministry of Trade 

 and Customs, Melbourne). She finds that the identical 

 species is present in cattle in the Malay countries, 

 while other species of Onchocerca afflict Bos indicns 

 and B. bubalis in India. The original host is believed 

 to be the Indo-Malayan Gaur (B. gaurus), whence the 

 parasites have been passed to cattle in the Malayan 

 and Australian regions. Unfortunately the mode of 

 transmission is still unknown. 



Some valuable notes on the reptiles of the Oke- 

 finokee .Swamp of Florida appear in the Proceedings 

 of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 

 (vol. Ixvii., part i.) by Messrs. A. H. Wright and 

 W. (.. Funkhouser. Their notes on the alligator 

 {Alligator mississippiensis) are profoundly interesting. 

 These animals are hunted for the sake of portions of 

 their hides, and are decoyed to their doom at night 

 by means of the glare from a lamp. As they rise 

 to the surface, attracted by the light, they are shot. 

 Particular attention is directed to the coloration of 

 the young, which at first are transversely banded 

 with bright yellow; these bands, however, slowly 

 fade, and in the adult are wanting entirely. On the 

 other hand, the dorsal tubercles of the neck are 

 absent in the very j'oung specimens. The notes on 

 the habits of the lizards and snakes and the colour 

 variation they present are no less valuable. Many 

 features worthy of note are also recorded of the 

 Chelonia of this swamp. 



NO. 2404, VOL. 96] 



The Museums Journal for November gives an 

 admirable account of the newly-opened Boiling Hall 

 Museum of Bradford. Until recently a private resi- 

 dence, the oldest portions of which date from the 

 fourteenth century, it passed into the possession of 

 I lie city of Bradford as a free gift from its owner, 

 Mr. G. .\. Paley. Much renovation has been done 

 since the building came into the possession of the 

 Corporation. Oak panelling of the seventeenth cen- 

 tury had been painted over, ornamental ceilings were 

 underdrawn with lath and plaster, elaborately-wrought 

 mantelpieces had actually been covered to a dead 

 surface with cement and painted to simulate stone- 

 work, while the original rooms had been subdivided 

 till they were little more than cupboards. No more 

 fitting home for a museum of archaeology could be 

 found than this, which has the further charm of 

 standing in beautiful grounds. In this same number 

 Mr. W. H. Mullens concludes his most readable his- 

 tory of the old Leverian Museum. His account of 

 the dispersal of the collections contains some valuable 

 facts not otherwise accessible. 



Two West African cereals of some importance, 

 known by the native names of Iburu and Fundi, are 

 described and figured by Dr. Stapf in Kew Bulletin 

 No. 8. Iburu, Digitaria iburua, is grown as a field 

 crop in the Hausa States, N. Nigeria. The spikelets 

 are densely packed, and a single head may contain 

 1000-2000 grains, which only w-eigh 0-7 mgr. each, 

 and more than 40,000 go to one ounce. Fundi, Digi- 

 taria exilis, has been known for some time as a culti- 

 vated cereal ; the heads of grain are smaller than in 

 Iburu, and the seeds lighter, as about 53,000 seeds 

 weigh an ounce. Fundi, however, is in much more 

 general use by the natives. It is cooked by being 

 thrown into boiling water or used like porridge, ft 

 seems probable that it might be appreciated as a light 

 farinaceous food if exported to this country. 



Forest Bulletins, Nos. 27, 28, 29, contain notes 

 on blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia), dhauri (Lager- 

 stroemia parviflore), and sundri (Heritiera minor) 

 respectively. In each bulletin a section of the timber 

 is mounted to show the character of the wood. The 

 text comprises details as to the general distribution 

 of the trees and particulars of their locality and habit 

 in India. Then follow a description of the properties 

 and uses of the timber, an account of the natural 

 reproduction and rate of growth of the trees, notes 

 on the distribution in the different provinces in India, 

 methods of extraction, etc. Sundri is a valuable 

 timber somewhat displaced bv teak. Since the sundri 

 and teak forests are not in the same ar<'as, the former 

 timber has escaped the notice of traders, but if 

 extracted it would appear, from a trial sale in Cal- 

 cutta, to offer prospects of a lucrative business. 



The forests of Victoria, Australia, form the sub- 

 ject of an interesting paper by Mr. A. W. Hardy, 

 read before the Field Naturalists' Club, Victoria, the 

 first part of which is published in their journal. The 

 Victorian Naturalist, vol. xxxii.. No. 5, 1915. In the 

 opening historical survey it is pointed out that there 

 was little exploitation of the forests until about the 



