September io, 19 14] 



NATURE 



Z':> 



Particles of stone build up the mountains, and 

 these, again, break down into stones and sand. 

 But on this live the plants, each springing from 

 a tiny seed, and growing from mould, with a 

 little water and air, to such a wonder-work as all 

 the artists of the world cannot rival. They 

 bloom and seed and perish, but meanwhile they 

 shelter and give food to all kinds of animals. 

 And the animals, they too spring each from a 

 little seed ; and earth, air, and water are com- 

 pounded to form that masterpiece which every 

 animal is. Yet the animals feed, not on mould, 

 but on the plants ; and all animals in their turn 

 serve the needs, the nourishment, or the pleasure 

 of mankind. And so comes the conclusion : all 

 is fashioned for the sake of man. Earth, herb, 

 beast, and man ; further the metamorphosis can- 

 not go. But why is this great world created for 

 man? Is not he, too, a thing of naught? What 

 mighty attributes has he? This, this is his 

 peculiar property : that not only can he see, hear, 

 smell, taste, feel things, but that he can also 

 contemplate the marvellous construction of all 

 natural bodies, fathom their peculiar qualities, 

 and reason therefrom to their high and skilful 

 Master. 



Love of life forces every creature to seek the 

 necessaries of life. Man goes out with the rest, 

 and so he must note and admire the work of the 

 Creator. Some rich men, indeed, with all needs 

 ready supplied, are little better than savages who 

 sit in the sun and let fruit drop into their mouths ; 

 but the poor, who must earn food with toil and 

 sweat, learn better to thank God therefor. 



The true inquirer into nature's works must 

 observe with accurate attention, seek out origins, 

 follow generation and growth, unravel use and 

 harm, and finally note change and decay. He 

 looks not on the rowan-berry with the eyes of the 

 raven, tastes not the herbs with the tongue of an 

 ox, nor sports with doves after the manner of 

 the hawk. Not hastily, not upon one or even 

 upon many journeys, but ceaselessly and diligently 

 must the inquirer mark and ponder on the natures 

 and causes of things, on their relations both to 

 themselves and to their surroundings, seeing that 

 no natural thing lives or dies to itself alone. 



Some object that natural history is but a heap 

 of useless names. True, to know a heap of names 

 and nothing more is no learning. But it were as 

 easy to become a scholar without the alphabet, as 

 a naturalist w^ithout names. Describe me a thing 

 precisely as you will, I can make no use of it 

 without a name ; only by names can such know- 

 ledge be passed on, since the object cannot always 

 ; accompany the description. Names are the 

 [ alphabet of natural knowledge ; and that is a true 

 science, one that should be taught in all schools 

 ifor the sake of its practical service to our 

 [country. . . . 



Throughout the course the points here em- 

 phasised find abundant illustration, and often 

 throw a curious light on the customs, the rural 

 ■economy, the medicine, and the philosophy of the 



NO. 2341, VOL. 94] 



day. It would have been easy to pick out some 

 delicious plums, but it seemed better to give, so 

 far as might be in the words of Linnaeus himself, 

 the principles that guided him, and may still 

 inspire us, in the illimitable study of nature. 



F. A. B. 



NOTES. 

 A GIFT of 2o,oooZ. has been promised to London 

 Hospital by Mrs. E. S. Paterson for cardiac research 

 work. 



Once again the Arctic claims its toll. The Times 

 correspondent at Petrograd (St. Petersburg) reports 

 j that Lieut. Sedoff, the leader of a Russian attempt 

 on the north pole, was taken ill at Hooker Island, 

 Franz Josef Land, in September, 1913. The party was 

 in dire straits in winter quarters, as the coal was all 

 burnt and even parts of the ship were used for fuel. 

 During February, 1914, a dash was made polewards ; 

 but, in March, Lieut. Sedoff, who had not recovered 

 from his illness, died between Franz Josef Land and 

 Rudolf Island. He had set out accompanied by two 

 sailors and twent}'-four dogs. The sailors buried the 

 body, abandoned the dogs, and returned. The Foka, 

 Sedoff's ship, had previously, in August, 1913, been 

 useful in the rescue of two members of the Brousiloff 

 Expedition. M. Brousiloff, with half the expedition, 

 is reported still in his ship, the St. Anna, hoping that 

 the current will carry the ship north of Spitsbergen, 

 so that he can break through southwards. In conse- 

 quence of the privations they had endured on the 

 voyage from the Kara Sea, eleven members of the 

 expedition left the ship; of these all perished but the 

 two rescued by the Foka. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has received 

 the following from the Agricultural Consultative Com- 

 mittee : — Milk-sellers or others who have a surplus of 

 milk to dispose of are strongly urged to take steps 

 to have it converted into cheese either in their own 

 dairies or cooperatively. This method of dealing with 

 surplus milk beyond what is required for immediate 

 consumption will not only be found more remunerative 

 than separating the milk and making the cream into 

 butter, but will also be a useful means of contributing 

 to the conservation of the food supply of the nation. 

 The types of cheeses most suitable for manufacture 

 in the circumstances are Cheddar, Cheshire, Derby, 

 Leicester, and Gloucester, or such other varieties as 

 do not deteriorate under reasonably prolonged storage. 



In the medical papers and in the Times the value 

 of, and necessity for, anti-typhoid vaccination for all 

 branches of the Army have been urged by Sir William 

 Osier, Sir Lauder Brunton, and Sir William Leish- 

 man. Figures quoted by Sir William Leishman are 

 eloquent as to the efficiency of the vaccination for the 

 prevention of t>'phoid fever : in India, where formerly 

 this disease among the British garrison cost us from 

 300-600 deaths annually, was last year responsible for 

 fewer than twenty deaths, 93 per cent, of the men 

 now being inoculated. Large supplies of the vaccine 

 have been prepared at the Royal Army Medical Col- 

 lege, while the department for therapeutic inoculation, 

 St. Marv's Hospital, Paddington, has furnished nearly 



