20S 



NATURE 



[October 22, 1914 



fowl cholera micro-organism were found to be pro- 

 tective to rabbits against certain virulent strains of 

 the organism, either singly or in combination. 

 Attempts are now being made to produce a corre- 

 sponding protection among poultry, for fowl cholera is 

 a disease which frequently causes considerable loss to 

 the poultry farmer. 



In the report of the Leyden Museum of Natural 

 History for the vear ending September i, 1914, Dr. 

 E. D. Van Oort, the director, pays a well-deserved 

 tribute to the work of his predecessor, the late Dr. 

 Jentink. The additions to the collection were 

 numerous, and the number of visitors during the year 

 3134- 



Recruits of the Transport Corps are receiving in- 

 struction from their officers in the north hall of the 

 British Museum (Natural History) on the external 

 characters and osteology of the horse. For this pur- 

 pose a mounted skin and a skeleton of the horse have 

 been removed from their cases and placed on the floor 

 of the hall, from which the general, public are excluded 

 during the periods of instruction. We understand that 

 the officers of the Veterinary . Department, aided by 

 the Transport Corps, have succeeded in rendering a 

 large number of wounded or otherwise injured horses 

 at the front fit for further service ; such horses Include 

 many taken from the Germans. 



In an editorial article on eugenics and war in the 

 October issue of the Eugenics Review, it is pointed 

 out that "the British Empire, by reason of maintain- 

 ing her army on a voluntary basis, must inevitably 

 suffer racially more than other nations. The battle 

 <ieath-rate must strike her unevenly and reduce the 

 number of her males amongst the class from whom it 

 is most desirable that she should produce the stock of 

 the future. In the countries with universal compulsory 

 service, the reduction in effective males will be spread 

 over the entire population ; good and bad will alike be 

 reduced. In this country the types which are physic- 

 allv and mentally superior will volunteer for active 

 service. . . . The sample of those killed will not be 

 thft' average of the race, but the best type of the race. 

 . . . Although the system may give victory and 

 national prestige, the racial effect must be injurious." 



The contents of Nos. 3 and 4 (issued in a single 

 cover) of vol. xxxvi. of Notes from the Leyden 

 Museum consist exclusively of papers on invertebrates, 

 the longest of which is a continuation of Dr. R. Van 

 Eecke's "Fauna Simalurensis," dealing with Indo- 

 Australian Lepidoptera. Dr. J. H. Vernhout also con- 

 tributes a further instalment of the results of his study 

 of the land and fresh-water molluscs of the Dutch 

 American colonies, discussing in this instance those of 

 Curagao. It would be natural to expect that the land- 

 snails of the Curagao group of islands should exhibit 

 a close affinity with those of Venezuela ; as a matter 

 of fact, this is far from being the case, only seven out 

 of twenty-five species recorded from the three islands 

 being common to the mainland. Nor is this all, for 

 many even of the genera are quite unknown on the South 



NO. 2347, VOL. 94] 



American continent, but are more nearly related to 

 or identical with Central American and Jamaican 

 types. 



In these columns (October 2, 1913) reference was 

 made to the regional survey undertaken by the Croy- 

 don Natural History and Scientific Society. In the 

 1913-14 volume of the society's Proceedings and 

 Transactions, which we have received, an account of 

 the general progress of this survey is given in the 

 form of a report by the survey committee. The 

 scheme has aroused much interest, both within and 

 outside the society, has caused the revival of the 

 photographic section, and increased activity in the 

 botanical, zoological, and archaeological sections, and 

 has brought about closer co-operation between all the 

 sections of the society. Mr. C. C. Fagg, secretary 

 of the regional survey committee, contributes an intro- 

 ductory paper on the mineral and agricultural indus- 

 tries of the survey area, dealing with these from the 

 geographical point of view, with plates and a geo- 

 logical (drift) map of the Croydon area. 



We have received the report of the Botanical Survey 

 of India for the year 19 13-14, In which the officiating 

 director of the survey, Mr. C. C. Calder, summarises 

 the extensive and valuable work done during this 

 period. Under the heading of systematic work, refer- 

 ences are made to the results, published in the 

 records of the survey and in other journals, 

 of the field investigations made by members 

 ' of the survey staff and others, and It is in- 

 : teresting to note that In many cases these results 

 include not only lists of species collected, but studies 

 of the vegetation In various aspects, the distribution 

 of the species being correlated with the adaptations 

 of the plants to their environment and their aggre- 

 gation into plant communities. This ecological side 

 of field work In botany has not hitherto figured largely 

 In Indian botanical publications, but as the systematic 

 survey proceeds It will doubtless be accompanied by 

 further and more intensive distributional and 

 ecological study. The chemical part of the work 

 hitherto undertaken at the Indian Museum, Calcutta, 

 has now been transferred to other departments, whil' 

 the newly appointed economic botanist to the survey. 

 Dr. H. G. Carter, has begun the collection of mate- 

 rials necessary for the compilation of the work on 

 Indian plants of economic Importance urged by the 

 Royal Society some years ago. There is also in active 

 preparation an index to all species of Indian plants 

 not included In Hooker's " Flora of India " ; this index 

 already contains nearly 900 species, and will be pub- 

 lished as a single number of the records of the sur\'ey. 



The report for the past year of the New Zealand 

 Department of Scenery Preservation states that 3000 

 acres were reserved, bringing the total area of scenic 

 reserves in the Dominion to 214,000 acres, comprised 

 in 363 different reserves. It is pointed out that the 

 great bulk of this land is unsuitable for settlement, 

 while it assists to conserve water, protect soil, and 

 prevent denudation. Private residents have shown 

 remarkable munificence In presenting areas to the 



