March 7, 1901'] 



NATURE 



W' 



quality of barley, the results of his experiments being con- 

 firmatory of the best agricultural practice,';namely, that thpugh 

 a moderate dressing of soluble phosphate may not have much 

 effect on the yield, it produces a marked improvement on the 

 quality of the grain. ,/(,.' 



The Revue Sdeniifi^ue, contains an article by Prof. Thoulet 

 on the International Congress of Oceanography held at Stock- 

 holm in 1899, A full account is given of the proceedings and 

 conclusions of the Congress, and' Prof. Thoulet expresses prb- 

 found regret at the non-participation of the French Government 

 and at the lack of interest in the .subject in France generally. 

 A number of the physical and chemical points dealt with by a 

 section of the Congress are discussed, and certain questions 

 raiised, particularly with regard to the specific gravity of sea- 

 water t'n sziu, which merit the attention of the Committee 

 appointed by the Congress to report on such matters* . 



-La Giographie contains an account of two scientific expedi- 

 tions on the east and west coasts of Madagascar, by Mr. E. 

 Colin. The work of these expeditions was chiefly topographical 

 and magnetic. From Andevorante, Vatomandry and Mahanoro 

 the coast turns more to the south-south-east than appears on the 

 maps, and the positions of the two last-named towns lie moreHo 

 the south. Combining the magnetic observations of 1892, 1896 

 and 1900 at Tamatave, Ampanotoamaisina, Andevorante, Vato- 

 mandry, Marosika, and Mahanaro, it appears that along the 

 zone of the east coast the declination increases and diminishes 

 alternately in the order of the stations named, the maximum 

 occurring at Andevorante and the minimum at Vatomandry ; 

 and that the declination and dip vary in opposite directions. 



A Report on .the permo-Carboniferous Coal-measures of 

 Clermont, by Mr. ,3. Dunstan, has been published by the 

 Geological Survey of Queensland. In the district described 

 there are several tracts of Coal-measures, the largest area exposed 

 being that of Blair Athol. There are also tracts of granite, of 

 slates and schists with auriferous quartz-reefs, and of Devonian 

 and Tertiary strata. It appears that upwards of 65,000 tons 

 of coal have been obtained from the Blair Athol coal-field 

 during the past ten years, and that more than seven million tons 

 of the best Clermont coal are still available. The coal is well 

 adapted for locomotives, and has been mainly used for them. It 

 is remarked that in the Coal-measures there are strata derived 

 from the auriferous slates and schists, and that therefore there 

 might have been streams entering the old Carboniferous lagoon, 

 which brought gold into channels now hidden by more recent 

 accumulations : hence future developments may lead to the 

 discovery of some of these gold-bearing alluvial deposits below 

 the coal-seams. ii 



The ninth course of public lectures in connection with the 

 Childhood Society, which exists for the Scientific study of the 

 mental and physical conditions of children, will be given in the 

 librs^ry 9f the Sanitary Institute on Thursday evenings during 

 this month. The subjects will be, Food dietaries in relatjpn to 

 school life, by Dr. R. Hutchinson ; Examinations in their 

 relation to mental growth, by Prof. H. L. Withers ; Experi- 

 mental psychology, and the study of childhood, by Dr.W. H. R^ 

 Riv'ers; Observations of children after the meth<>ds of natural 

 history, by Dr. Francis Warner. _ -.. , ,.i, . ;t i 



• In view of the widespread opinion that in future many of the 

 fundamental principles of theoretical chemistry will have to fincJ 

 a place in elementary lectures on inorganic and' analytical 

 chemistry, we note with interest a series of lecture experiments 

 described by Messrs. Noyes and Blanchard in ^^Zeilschrift fiir 

 liO. 1636, VOL. 63J 



physikalische Chetnte, vol. xxxvi. pp. 1-27. .The experiments 

 illustrate various phases of the t"heory of electrolytic dissociation, 

 the laws of equilibrium in soltition and the velocity of chemical 

 reaction. They are well chosen, and the necessary details of 

 manipulation are carefully described. 



Bulletin No. 89 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Office 

 of Experiment Stations) consists of a report of experiments on 

 the effect of muscular work upon the digestibility of food and 

 the inetabolism of nitrogen, carried out at the University of 

 Tennessee by Prof. C. E. Wait. Although the effect of muscular 

 work has been considered already in numerous dietary studies, 

 yet up to the present very little information in this special con- 

 nection has been obtained. As a result of sixteen detailed ex- 

 periments it is foqnd that, comparing the elimination of nitrogen 

 in the urine during the periods of little muscular activity and 

 normal diet with that during periods of increased activity and a 

 diet furnishing energy largely in excess of the heat equivalent of 

 the measured work performed, there is a slight decrease under 

 the latter condition. This is true even when the possibility of a 

 lag of considerable duration between the breaking down of nitro- 

 genous material within the body and the excretion of nitrogen 

 in the urine is admitted. , 



Among the recent captures made at Plymouth by the Marine 

 Biological Association the most noteworthy are the polychaete 

 Bispira volula-cornis, the Crustacea Galathea strigosa and Piri- 

 tnela denticulata, the mollusca Lima hians, of which many speci- 

 mens were found in a small patch of muddy stones, making their 

 nests in the crevices between the stones, Pinna pectinata and 

 Scalaria communis, and the Blenny Blennius galerita, of which 

 a small specimen was found between tide-marks. The following 

 animals, among others, are breeding : — Crustacea : Galathea 

 squamifera, Eurynome aspera, Pirimela denticulata, Gnathia 

 maxillariSf Dynamene rubra. Mollusca : Lacuna vincta, L. 

 pallidula. Purpura lapillus. Pisces : Cottus bubalis. An in- 

 creasing number of larval forms is shown by the tow-net cap- 

 tures, especially of Trochospheres, Veligers, Nauplii and 

 ZoKse. It is to be feared that the octopus {Octopus vulgaris) 

 will again be in evidence this summer, as there are already 

 records of its appearance at Plymouth and Mevagissey. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Sooty Mangabey ( Cercocebus fuliqinosus) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mr. W. Field ; a White-fronted 

 Capuchin {Cebiis albifrons) from South America, presented by 

 Mr. E. P. Rickcord ; a Sykes's Monkey {Cenopithecus albigU' 

 laris) from East Africa, presented by Mr. Geo. Smithers ; a 

 Blotched Genet ( Genetta tigrind) from Africa, presented by 

 Captain R. L. Haddock ; a Slender-billed Cockatoo [Licmetis 

 nasica) from South Australia, presented by Lady Gertrude 

 Lawford ; a Virginian Colin [Ortyx virginianus) from North 

 America, presented by Mr. B. N. H. Jones ; a White-collared 

 Teetee (Callitkrix torquatiis) iiom i3razil, a Pig- tailed Monkey 

 {Mdcdcus neinestrinus) from the East Indies, a Red-bellied 

 Thrush ( Tardus rubriventris^, a Blue-fronted hxa2a.on{Chrysotis 

 aestiva) from South America, a Rose-coloured Pastor {Pastor 

 roseus) from India, two Fox Sparrows (Passerella iliaca)i two 

 Chippinfj Sparrows {Spizella socialis), two Snow Birds {Tunco 

 hyemalis), tvyo Whrte-thrpated Spng-Sparrows {Zonotrichia 

 a/d«V^//i>} from North America, two Undulated Grass Parrakeets 

 {Melopsittacus undulatus) from Australia, .a Sclater's Cassowary 

 {Casuarius philipi) from; New Guinea, j^hree Toco Toucans 

 {Ramphastos toco) from Gxiiana, an AUett-s Pbrphyrio {Hydrornia 

 alleni) ftoni 'West Africa, deposited ; two Emus {Dromaeus 

 novae-hoH'ahdiae). 'frpm., Australia, ; purchased ; four' Chinese 

 •Bulbuls {Pycnajfotitf sinensis) Jrom ChiQa, received, in. ex- 

 change. . -iiiii;! ..i:; I .^i i. ■. 



