May 9, 191 8] 



NATURE 



'93 



neodymium chloride. In this way each of Ihe stellar 

 spectra is made to show a narrow artificial absorption 

 line at A 4272, which serves the purpose of a com- 

 parison spectrum from a source at rest. An cxhaus- 

 live test of the accuracy attainable by this method 

 has recently been made by Mr. T. S". H. Graham, 

 making use of a photograph taken at the Harvard 

 College Observatory (Journal R. A. S., Canada, vol. xii., 

 p. 129). Twenty spectra were included in the 

 measures, and four independent sets of measures and 

 reductions were made. The different results obtained 

 from the four series indicate a somewhat greater 

 probable error than the 10 km. per sec. previously 

 estimated by Kapteyn and Campbell. Full and in- 

 teresting details of the procedure are given in the 

 paper, and attention is directed to the various sources 

 of error, of which even the partial elimination would 

 lead to results of great value. 



RECENT MARINE BIOLOGY. 



'X*HE December issue of the Journal of the Marine 

 ■'■ Biological Association contains several papers of 

 exceptional interest. One of these, by Dr. Allen ana 

 -Mr. Sexton, gives a detailed account of experiments 

 with reference to the inheritance of eye-colour in 

 Amphipods, and in a further paper Dr. Allen presents 

 the general results in a very attractive manner. Gam- 

 marus chevreuxi had been maintained in the laboratory 

 aquaria for several years, and, quite suddenly, in the 

 third generation of a family of these animals, a strik- 

 ing mutation occurred. Normally the eye possesses 

 black pigment, beneath which is chalk-white matter, 

 but in some individuals gf this family the black was 

 replaced by red. A pure black-eyed stock which bred 

 true for three years was mated with a red-eyed stock, 

 which again bred true for five generations. Black 

 behaved as dominant, and red as recessive, and the 

 results of further breeding were in very close corre- 

 spondence with Mendelian theory. Thus black hybrids 

 carrying red were mated together, giving 4393 off- 

 spring, and 3327 of these were black and 1066 red. 

 (The expected results are 3294 and 1098). In the course 

 of the experiments a second mutant appeared in which 

 there was neither black nor red pigment in the 

 eve, but only the deeper-lying chalk-white matter. This 

 albino condition was also transmitted in very close 

 correspondence with expected Mendelian results. Yet 

 a third mutant was observed, a condition in which the 

 chalk-white pigment was absent, and this "no-white " 

 variety behaved as a recessive to dominant white and 

 also closely followed Mendelian laws of numbers. 

 Thus there was a gradual loss of factors, and accom- 

 panving the process of albinism there was degenera- 

 tion of the ommatidia of the eye, a tendency towards 

 the production of such a condition as that exhibited by 

 the various blind species of subterranean Amphipods, 



In another paper Dr. Allen gives a general account 

 of experiments with reference to the cultivation of 

 diatoms, describing the methods employed by himself 

 md Mr, Nelson in order to obtain pure cultures. In 

 >ome of these experiments a normal artificial sea-water 

 was employed, as similar in composition as possible 

 to natural sea-water, and made from pure chemicals. 

 The silica necessary for the growth of the diatom 

 frustules was found to be obtainable from the glass in 

 which the cultures were kept. Sometimes this culture 

 fluid succeeded and sometimes it failed, and it was 

 found that it always succeeded if it was inoculated 

 with from i to 4 per cent, of natural sea- water. Some 

 growth stimulant was, therefore, present in sea-water, 

 and it was found that this substance could be replaced 

 NO. 2532, VOL. lOl] 



by a very small amount of an infusion of the green 

 seaweed Ulva. The infusion could be evaporated to 

 dryness and ignited to 200° C. without losing its 

 activity, but if the ash were heated to low red-heat it 

 became inactive. The growth stimulant is therefore 

 some relatively stable, organic substance, and it is com- 

 pared with those materials known as auxetics or vita- 

 mines. Besides these matters of special interest. Dr. 

 Allen's paper deals also, in a very interesting manner, 

 with the ger>eral conditions of productivity of food sub- 

 stances in the sea, and is a good summary of our 

 knowledge with regard to this important series of 

 problems. J. J. 



SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN NEW 

 ZEALAND. 



'T*HE quickening of interest in pure and technical 

 -■• science brought about by the war in our Colonies 

 as well as in this country is shown by the action of 

 the New Zealand Government in publishing a journal 

 entitled the New Zealand Journal of Science and 

 Technology, to appear quarterly under the general 

 editorship of a group of representative scientific men 

 of New Zealand. This is intended to include a number 

 of the shorter and more popular articles on scientific 

 subjects which are likely to interest the general public, 

 and is supplementary to the more detailed and ex- 

 tended reports of the various scientific departments 

 of the Government. In this way it is hoped to interest 

 and instruct the public in scientific questions, and to 

 cause the growtih of a healthy public opinion on the 

 need for the organisation and extension of industrial 

 research in the community. 



The first number of the new journal, containing 

 sixty-five pages, covers a very wide range of topics of 

 genei-al interest, including short articles on ^'arious 

 biological and geological subjects and several papers 

 dealing with mining matters, while an interesting 

 account is given by E. Best on the Maori system of 

 measurement. Special articles are contributed on the 

 history and geology of the Wakamarina valley and 

 goldfield and of the geology of the Waikato valley. 

 Of particular interest is the account by L. Birks of the 

 utilisation of the waters of Lake Coleridge as a source 

 of electric power for the city of Christchurch, sixty-three 

 miles distant. This is the first comparatively' large- 

 scale attempt to utilise the important sources of water 

 power in the New Zealand lakes and rivers. The hydro- 

 electric installation at Lake Coleridge was formally 

 opened in November, 19 14, shortly after the outbreak 

 of war, and has un continuously since March i, 

 1915. In the first year of its operation about 2000 

 kilowatts of power were utilised, and this increased 

 to 4000 in the course of the second year. Six thousand 

 kilowatts are now provided, and to meet further ex- 

 tension another installation of 3000 kilowatts is in 

 course of erection, but has been much delayed owing 

 to the war. This enterprise has proved such a 

 success that it is likely to stimulate the public to 

 make further use in the near future of their great 

 natural resources in water power for general indus- 

 trial purposes. In another article E. Parry discusses 

 the economics of eleotric-power distribution, and em- 

 phasises the importance and economy of a centralised 

 plant for the distribution of electric power for the 

 larger towns. 



Altogether the new journal has made an excellent 

 beginning, and is likely to prove a useful asset in 

 interesting and educating the public in the importance 

 of the application of scientific methods to the needs of 

 a young community. 



