November 22, 1900] 



NATURE 



91 



the northern part of the Usk inlier of Silurian rocks confirms 

 the opinion that a well-defined plane of division separates these 

 strata from the Old Red Sandstone. A small portion of the 

 Black Mountains, with the Old Red Sandstone Sugar Loaf, and 

 the fine escarpment of the Blorenge, formed of Old Red Sand- 

 stone and Lower Carboniferous rocks, come in for description, to 

 which Mr. J. R. Dakyns contributes. The Carboniferous 

 Limestone displays the phenomenon of dolomitisation with un- 

 usual clearness, and notes on microscopic sections of the rock 

 are contributed by Prof. W. W. Watts. Special attention is 

 naturally given to the Coal-measures, and it is pointed out that 

 while the coals are more extensively worked than formerly, the 

 iron-ores are now hardly worked at all. The Glacial Drifts 

 present many features of interest, notably in the case of a trans- 

 ported mass of Carboniferous grit, which forms a small hill 

 upwards of 200 yards in length, and rests on Boulder Clay. 



In the October issue of the American Naturalist , Prof. H. F. 

 Osborn reconsiders the evidence in favour of the existence in the 

 Permian of a common ancestral stem from which have diverged 

 dinosaurs and birds. It is argued that many of the resemblances 

 between these groups are adaptive rather than genetic, while the 

 apparent close correspondence in the structure of the pelvis be- 

 tween adult birds and the herbivorous dinosaurs (which are 

 specialised types) is due in a considerable degree to a misinter- 

 pretation of the homology of some of their elements. Neverthe- 

 less, the resemblances between the two groups are so numerous 

 as to justify the belief of kinship. And special importance at- 

 taches to the opinion that some sort of bipedalism was a common 

 character of all dinosaurs, the suggestion being countenanced that 

 certain forms, like Stegosaurus, have reverted from a bipedal to 

 a quadrupedal mode of progression. Our present knowledge, 

 therefore, justifies us in saying that "in this bipedal transition, 

 with its tendency to form the tibiotarsus, the avian phylum may 

 have been given off from the dinosaurian. This form of the 

 Huxleyan hypothesis seems more probable than that the avian 

 phylum should have originated quite independently from a 

 quadrupedal proganosaurian reptile, because the numerous paral- 

 lelisms and resemblances in dinosaur and bird structure, while 

 quite independently evolved, could thus be traced back to a 

 potentially similar inheritance." 



Volume II., part 3, of the Annals of the South African 

 Museum is occupied by the continuation of Sir George Hamp- 

 son's synopsis of the moths of South Africa. 



The interest attaching to the great skua gull, on account of its 

 narrow escape from extermination in the Shetlands, will cause 

 many ornithologists to hail with satisfaction the account of its 

 habits in the southern hemisphere, published by Mr, R. Hall in the 

 October number of the Victorian Naturalist. The extent of 

 the geographical range of this bird — from the Shetland Islands 

 past Kerguelen's Land to New Zealand, and sparingly between 

 the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon and Southern Australia — is 

 very remarkable. 



The latest issue of the Morphologisches Jahrbtuh (vol. xxix. 

 part i) contains the results of an elaborate investigation by 

 Dr. O. Grosser into the anatomical structure of the nasal cavity 

 and throat of the species of bats indigenous to Germany. In 

 the same number Prof. L. Balk describes and figures a human 

 vertebral column presenting the rare abnormality of only six 

 (instead of seven) cervical vertebrae. The comparative anatomy 

 of the eye-muscles forms the subject of a communication by 

 Herr H. K. Corning ; while the nature of the partition between 

 the pericardiac and peritoneal cavities engages the attention of 

 Ilerr F. Hochstetter. 



NO. 162 1, VOL. 63] 



The first three parts of a lavishly illustrated work on the 

 ' ' Living Races of Mankind " have been published by Messrs. 

 Hutchinson and Co. The work is by the Rev. H. N. Hutchin- 

 son, the author of "Extinct Monsters" and other works of 

 popular natural science, assisted by Prof. J. W. Gregory and Mr.R. 

 Lydekker, F.R.S. There will be eighteen parts, published at 

 fortnightly intervals, and when complete the work will he an 

 attractive, as well as instructive, account of the customs, habits, 

 pursuits, feasts, and ceremonies of the peoples of the world. 

 Much care and trouble have been expended in collecting the 

 photographs to illustrate the text, and it is to be hoped that the 

 enterprise, will meet with success. It is highly important that 

 the British public should be interested in the study of ethnology, 

 and the work now in course of publication will assist in attaining 

 this end. 



A FEW weeks ago Sir William White, the president of the 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, brought before the Institu- 

 tion a letter from the Association of German Engineers suggest- 

 ing that scientific and technical societies in the United States, 

 France, Germany and England should unite in the preparation 

 of an English, French and German technical dictionary. It 

 was decided not to officially take part in the scheme, but the 

 members of the Institution were invited to assist in the work. 

 We are reminded of this by the appearance of the second 

 volume of a " Practical Dictionary of Electrical Engineering 

 and Chemistry, in German, English and Spanish," by Mr. Paul 

 Heyne, which has just been received from Messrs. H. Grevel 

 and Co. The dictionary is published in three volumes, one 

 with German words alphabetically arranged, and their English 

 and Spanish equivalents in parallel columns, and the two other 

 volumes with English and Spanish words alphabetically 

 arranged. The dictionary should be of value in manufactories 

 and business houses concerned with engineering work. 



The second volume of " A Hand-List of the Genera and 

 Species of Birds," by Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, has been issued 

 by the Trustees of the British Museum. This volume contains 

 the parrots and those birds commonly known as " Picarians," 

 thus leaving the Passerines for the third volume. We propose 

 to postpone a detailed notice of this useful work till the issue of 

 the last volume. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Bonnet Monkey (Macacus sinicus) from 

 India, presented by Mr. D. Nagle ; a Barbary Ape ( Macacus 

 inuus) from North Africa, presented by Mr. Thomas Pink ; a 

 Common Squirrel {Sciurus vulgaris), British, presented by Mr. 

 C. W. Labarte ; two Black Kites {Milvus migrans) from East 

 Africa, presented by Mr. Campbell Hansburg ; two Auriculated 

 Doves [Zenaida auriculata) from South America, presented by 

 Mrs. Aston ; a Redbreast {Eritkacus rubecula), British, pre- 

 sented by Canon Wilberforce ; a Common Fox ( Canis vulpes), 

 British, presented by Mr. W. B. Spiers ; a Horned Lizard 

 {Phrynosoma cornuttim) from California, presented by Mr. H. 

 L. Brackenbury ; a Common Chameleon ( Chamaeleon vulgaris) 

 from North Africa, presented by Mr. Small ; two Brown 

 Hysenas {Hyaen(^ brunneus, $ 9 ) from South Africa, a 

 Common Wolf {Canis lupus, white var. ), European, a Crab- 

 eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) from South America 

 two Rosy Parrakeets ( Palaeornis rosa, 6 9 ) from Burmah, two 

 Vernal Hanging Parrakeets {Loriculus vernalis) from the East 

 Indies, a Malabar Mynah {Poliopsar tnalabaricus from Hindo- 

 stan, a Grey Monitor ( Varanus griseus) from North Africa, 

 three Giant Toads [Biifo marinus) from South America, 

 deposited ; an Indian Cobra (Naia tripudians) from the East 

 Indies, purchased. 



