January 31, 1901] 



NATURE 



331 



organism is io a state of activity; bat this could not go on 

 incessantly, and the periodical retraction of the polyps seems to 

 mark intervals of rest. These periods of rest and activity 

 appear to be correlated, not with night and day, but with low 

 and high tides ; and it seems probable that Alcyonium takes a 

 rest at each low tide, that is, twice in every twenty-four hours. 

 Owing, however, to the unsatisfactory conditions obtaining in 

 aquaria, it has not yet been found possible to ascertain the 

 ■duration of these periods of repose in a state of nature. The 

 author adds that in a large fleshy mass like Alcyonium it is 

 obvious that there must be some general system of circulation, 

 and in the absence of rhythmically contractile organs it is 

 equally obvious that such circulation must be maintained by 

 ciliary action. 



Much interesting and important information with regard .to 

 food-fishes is afforded by the Report of the Northumberland 

 Sea-Fisheries Committee for 1900, edited by Mr. A. Meek. 

 The flit- fishes, collectively, give an average of 231 in the 

 " takes," which is a considerable improvement over the previous 

 year ; but this is almost entirely due to an increase in the 

 ■number of dabs, plaice having diminished to a marked degree, 

 while turbot have, unfortunately, become exceedingly rare along 

 the coast. It is, however, gratifying to notice that the catch of 

 soles shows a slight improvement over those of the two pre- 

 vious years. Very few floating eggs were obtained, the ex- 

 planation being that the work was done in harbour during 

 summer, and that the fringe of water near the coast is also the 

 fringe of the great area of water outside where the spiwning 

 and hatching take place. A short statement by Prof. Brady is 

 made with regard to the pelagic fauna obtained with the eggs, 

 while Mr. Bulmin treats of the molluscs, and the editor of the 

 shrimp-like mysids and the curious crustaceans included under 

 the name Cumacea. These latter miy seem to have but a 

 remote connection with fisheries ; bat as they contribute, directly 

 or indirectly, to the food of fishes, crabs and lobsters, their 

 inclusion in the Report is fully justified. The results of the 

 hatching experiments conducted during the early part of the year 

 show that the work of the fertilisation of the ova of ripe fishes 

 caught by the trawlers must be done at sea soon after the 

 capture of the fishes. An experiment in mussel cultivation has 

 been undertaken, the results of which will be published in the 

 next Report. 



A FEW particulars concerning the bird-catching industry in 

 the Faroe Islands are given in the Board of Trade Journal 

 {January 24). Among the various species which make the isles 

 a country of birds, the following may be specially mentioned : 

 the guillemot, the auk, the puffin and the kittiwake. During 

 a certain part of the summer they appear in such numbers on and 

 around the " fowHng cliffs " as to suggest resemblance to a thick 

 snow-storm of living winged creatures. In the Faroe Isles a 

 ''fowling cliff" means a perpendicular cliff", the numerous 

 shelves of which are covered with guillemots and auks. The puffin 

 and the kittiwake are also often found here, but not necessarily 

 always. The " fowling cliffs " all face towards the west— that 

 is, from south-west to north-west. There are also perpendicular 

 cliffs facing towards other points of the compass, but scarcely 

 any birds are found on these. The puffin is the most important 

 bird in the islands, and about 100,000 are caught annually. 

 Twenty-four of these birds yield one pound of feathers. A few 

 years ago a number of grouse were let loose on the islands, and 

 it appears that they hive thriven well on some of the northern 

 isles, wheie several flocks may be seen. 



A TRIPLE horizontal pendulum of the Rebeur-Ehlert type 

 has recently been erected for the study of earthquakes at Him- 

 burg. Dr. R. Schutt, who has charge of the instrument, has 

 NO. 1631. VOL. 63] 



published the first of a series of monthly Mitlheilungen, dealing 

 with the earthquakes registered during October 1900. 



In a short paper contributed to the Roumanian Academy, 

 and published in vol. xxii. of the Analele, Dr. S. C. Hepites 

 describes the Roumanian earthquakes of 1899. They were all 

 of slight intensity, and occurred on January 12, August 6 and 9, 

 October 10, November 13 and December 20. 



Mr. James McEvoy reports on parts of Alberta and British 

 Columbia (Geol. Surv. Canada, Ann. Rep., part D, vol. xi, 

 1900). His observations were made in a traverse of the Yellow 

 Head Pass route from Edmonton, on the North Saskatchewan 

 river, to Tete Jaune Cache. Rocks of Archaean, Cambrian, 

 Devono- Carboniferous, Cretaceous and Tertiary ages are re- 

 corded, as well as Glacial and other superficial deposits. Gold 

 is noted in the Lower Cambrian areas, and some thick seams of 

 coal in the Lower Laramie (Cretaceous) strata. 



Dr. J. F. Whiteaves contributes descriptions of some new 

 and imperfectly-known fossils from the Cretaceous rocks of the 

 Queen Charlotte Islands (Geological Survey of Canada, " Meso- 

 zoic Fossils," vol. i. part 4, 1900). As he remarks, the progress 

 of palaeontological research during the fourteen years which have 

 elapsed since the third part of his work was published, necessi- 

 tates alterations in nomenclature. A fossil was previously 

 identified as Ammonites Beudanti, and placed in the genus 

 Haploceras : since then the Ammonite has been regarded as a 

 Desmoceras, and more recently it has been referred to the sub- 

 genus Puzozia. Dr. Whiteaves deems it prudent to give the 

 Canadian fossil a new specific name, so the Ammonite now 

 stands as Desmoceras {Puzozia) Dxwsoni. This is a good illus- 

 tration of the heartrending though needful changes brought 

 about by the detailed study of fossils. A number of new species 

 of Mollusca and Brachiopoda are now described and figured by 

 Dr. Whiteaves. One British species, Inoceramtis concentricus , 

 is recorded. 



Australia offers a wide field of work for those experienced 

 in the industrial utilisation of vegetable products. Although 

 the practical value of economic botany remains imperfectly 

 understood throughout the Commonwealth, there are not want- 

 ing indications of its approaching recognition as a new and 

 valuable source of national wealth. Recently, in New South 

 Wales, Mr. R. T. Baker, the curator and economic botanist of 

 the Sydney Technological Museum, appeared as a witness 

 before a Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the condi- 

 tion of the western lands of the State. In the course of his 

 examination he produced samples of eucalyptus oil in various 

 stages, extracted from trees in the eastern portions of New 

 South Wales, and stated that the colony now produces eucalyp- 

 tus oil of the highest quality, fully equal to the best in the 

 market. He said that a large amount of research has lately 

 been made in connection with the flora of that part of the 

 parent State, with very valuable results. For instance, myrti- 

 colorin, a new dyeing material, has been obtained from the leaves 

 of the red stringy bark, in addition to the valuable oil extracted 

 from the same source. Out of trees and shrubs in the eastern 

 portion of the State, Mr. Baker has, with the assistance of his 

 staff, extracted camphor, perfumes (such as otto of roses, ionone 

 and cinnamon), dyes, peppermint and cajuput — oils which 

 ought now to be pushed on the market. New South Wales can 

 also compete against India and Bulgaria with its geraniol 

 extract. Mr. Baker's evidence went to show that the vegetable 

 products of the western, or dry country, in New South Wales, 

 possesses an economic value not inferior to those of the eastern 

 or coastal districts. It may be mentioned that there are in the 

 west, as in the east, many millions of eucalyptus trees of various 



