December 13, 1900] 



NATURE 



161 



shallow water forms side by side with deep water forms. It was 

 very remarkable to dredge up, from depths of 500 to 13CX) 

 fathoms, Yoldia arctica, which now lives at Spitsbergen and in 

 the Kara Sea at depths from 5 to 100 fathoms. Dr. Reusch 

 suggests that these remains of Arctic life-forms cannot have 

 been carried there by drifting ice, but that the sea-bottom, in 

 comparatively recent times, during the Ice age, must have been 

 much nearer the sea-level than now. At that time the Arctic 

 shallow water forms must have lived there in situ, then a sinking 

 of the sea-bottom has taken place which can be estimated at not 

 less than about 2500 metres. It is easy to see that these results 

 of the Danish naturalist have an important bearing upon the 

 phenomena of the Ice age. 



Electro-chemical sciences and industries will shortly have 

 their own technical journal. The Electro- Chemist and Metal- 

 lurgist will make its appearance on January 15, 1901, and wilt 

 do its best to keep chemists and manufacturers informed as to 

 the progress of knowledge of electro-chemistry and practical 

 developments. The journal will be published monthly by 

 Messrs. Sherard Cowper-Coles and Co., Ltd., Westminster. 



A MONTHLY record of the progress of anthropological 

 science is about to be established by the Anthropological Insti- 

 tute, and will appear under the title of Man. Its contents will 

 include contributions to physical anthropology, ethnography 

 and psychology ; the study of language, and the earlier stages 

 of civilisation, industry and art ; and the history of social insti- 

 tutions and of moral and religious ideas. These various branches 

 of study will be treated more fully, in proportion as they are 

 less adequately provided for in existing periodicals. Special 

 note will be taken, throughout, of investigations which deal 

 with the origins and the earlier stages of those forms of civil- 

 isation which have eventually become dominant, and of the 

 races among which they have arisen and developed. 



At a meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, on December 4, a curious "Weeping 

 Chrysanthemum " was shown. The plant was one of eleven 

 seedlings from a cross raised by Mr. Austen, Ditting Court, 

 Maidstone. The peculiarity of all eleven plants consisted in the 

 downward geotropic direction of the branches, which were bent 

 like those of a Weeping Ash, but upturned heliotropically at 

 the ends, where flowers are produced. Dr. Masters showed a 

 drawing of seedlings of Leucodendron raised by him and pre- 

 senting a curious outgrowth from the caulicle (hypocotyl), similar 

 to that in the Pea. 



The U.S. Monthly Weather Review for July last con- 

 tains an interesting article on fog studies on Mount Tamalpais, 

 a little to the north of Sgin Francisco, by Mr. A. G. 

 McAdie. The paper is accompanied by photographic illus- 

 trations of (i) fog over the Golden Gate, taken from the Weather 

 Bureau Observatory on the above mountain ; (2) fog stream- 

 ing in from the Pacific ; and (3) valley fog, originally sea fog, 

 but augmented by radiation about sunset. The locality is well 

 chosen for the study of the formation of fog ; from May until 

 September, during which time scarcely any rain falls, great 

 banks of fog invade San Francisco with clock-like regularity 

 every afternoon, while it is known that at some 1500 feet above 

 the air is clear, and 20° or 30° warmer. The mean relative 

 humidity on the mountain is 59 per cent., while at San Fran- 

 cisco it is 83 per cent. It is worthy of note that during the 

 summer of 1899 a difference of temperature of 44° was recorded 

 within so short a distance as 25 miles between Mount Tamal- 

 pais (the warmer station) and Point Reyes. The Weather 

 Bureau maintains a regular fog service at San Francisco, and 

 the extent and character of the fog in the roadstead and 

 neighbouring localities are made known by means of frequent 

 reports. 



NO. 1624, VOL. 63] 



We have received a copy of the Report of the Meteorological 

 Commission of the Cape of Good Hope for the year 1899. 

 There have been in operation during the year (or some part of 

 it) about 450 stations, including the observatories at the Cape 

 and at Kenilworth, near Kimberley ; of this number 364 

 stations observe rainfall only. About 23 per cent, of the 

 returns are incomplete, owing chiefly to the effects of the war. 

 The observer at Kenilworth (Mr. Sutton) continued his obser- 

 vations all through the siege of Kimberley, although this station 

 was situated outside the lines of defence, and, owing to his 

 coiirage, the important records for the year are unbroken. It 

 has been found that the old pattern Stevenson thermometer 

 screen formerly used in this country does not sufficiently protect 

 the instruments from the intense radiation in that part of the 

 world, and that, except during strong winds, any two spots 

 inside the screen seldom had the same temperature. The screen 

 adopted is an enlarged one, designed by Mr. C. L. Wragge ; it 

 is, like the new pattern Stevenson screen, provided with a 

 double roof, with three overlapping boards in the base of the 

 screen, and it appears to be much better adapted to the 

 conditions prevailing in South Africa. Some interesting notes 

 from the Report of inspection of the stations are given by 

 Mr. C. Stewart, Secretary to the Commission. 



In the annual report of the Imperial Bacteriologist of 

 India (Mr. Lingard) for 1899-1900, we regret to learn that a 

 large portion of the valuable laboratory specimens, records and 

 library was destroyed by fire last year. An outbreak of a 

 disease clinically resembling glanders, but differing from the 

 latter (a) in not reacting with mallein,'and (b) in the absence of 

 the Bacillus mallei, is described and identified as " lymphangitis 

 epizootica " of Rivolta, due to a protozoon parasite. The greater 

 portion of the report deals with experiments conducted with re- 

 gard to rinderpest. Animals vaccinated by injections of blood 

 and of bile of diseased beasts were found to be fully protected 

 nearly two years after the inoculations. Animals may be inocu- 

 lated with increasing amounts of virulent blood, and then yield 

 a serum which will protect against rinderpest, and a rapid 

 method of immunising is described. The immunity produced by 

 an injection of serum is, however, transient ; and in order to 

 produce a lasting or "active" immunity, recourse must be had 

 to inoculation with virulent blood. But this is a risky operation, 

 a considerable proportion of the beasts so inoculated dying ; and, 

 in order to avoid this, a preliminary injection of the immunising 

 serum is given followed by the virulent blood. The amount of 

 the serum used must be small, sufficient to ward off serious 

 symptoms but not to prevent a transient illness ; otherwise the 

 immunity would be " passive," and not a lasting one. 



A NOTABLE instance of " discontinuous distribution " is 

 recorded by Prof. W. M. Wheeler in the American Naturalist 

 for November. It appears that in 1886 a very remarkable 

 and aberrant arachnid was described from Sicily under the 

 name of Koenenia mirabilis ; this creature showing a super- 

 ficial resemblance to the whip-scorpions, although representing 

 an entirely distinct group by itself. During the past spring 

 Prof. Wheeler collected in Texas an arachnid which, on 

 examination, proved to be specifically identical with the 

 Sicilian form. In Sicily, Koenenia was found in association 

 with species of the genera Japyx, Campodea, Scolopendra, and 

 Pauropus ; and, with the exception of the last, it occurs in 

 Texas in company with representatives of the same genera. 

 The European and American species of these genera are, how- 

 ever, distinct. Prof. Wheeler cannot admit that the Koenenia 

 was introduced, and he regards it as the survivor of a very 

 ancient fauna. An analogous case is presented by the occur- 

 rence of Proiapyx stylifer, a primitive thysanurid insect, in 

 Liberia and Argentina, 



