June i6, 1898] 



NATURE 



159 



land, and a steam trawler was chartered to test the possibility of 

 increasing the fishing industry. The operations and results are 

 described by Mr. J. E. Duerden, Curator of the Jamaica 

 Museum, in the Daily Gleaner of April i6, and from them it 

 appears that the endeavour to establish a fishery industry in 

 Jamaican waters on the large scale attempted will not meet with 

 success ; firstly, on account of the coral nature of the greater 

 jiart of the sea-floor rendering the use of a trawler impossible ; 

 secondly, and more important, because of a general scarcity of fish. 

 It is a curious fact that fish from deep water, on being brought 

 to the surface, are nearly always so distorted by the expansion 

 of the gases within them as to be rendered useless for market 

 purposes. With regard to the scientific results of the experiments, 

 an abundance of material other than fish was obtained, some of 

 which has been presented to the Museum of the Institute of 

 Jamaica, and is briefly described by Mr. Duerden. Perhaps the 

 most remarkable feature of the hauls from a depth of about ten 

 fathoms is the variety, abundance, and size of the sponges. A 

 large, black, massive, almost spherical form occurred in great 

 quantity ; specimens 5^ feet round and 20 inches high wei'e 

 often dredged. The small pores were thickly inhabited by a 

 small species of the Crustacean Alphaus. Special interest 

 attaches to the re-discovery of the peculiar West Indian genus 

 Bergia, concerning the exact scientific position of which there is 

 much doubt. The corals met with in greatest abundance by 

 the trawl were the various species of Madrefora. Sometimes 

 large pieces would be brought up, but usually only the small 

 iiiore fragile branches remained entangled in the net. A few 

 other species of corals not obtainable from shallow water were 

 also secured. 



The South-eastern Union of Scientific Societies recently held 

 its third annual congress in Croydon, the Mayor and Corpora- 

 tion having placed the Town Hall at the service of the union for 

 the purpose. The aim of the union is " to win for science such 

 benefits as are found to accrue in manufactures from division of 

 labour ; and in trade, commerce, and finance from co-operation." 

 No attempt, however, is made to secure uniformity among the 

 thirty-one societies affiliated to the union. Last year's presi- 

 dent of the union was the Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing, F.R.S., and 

 the president-elect, who opened the congress, was Prof. G. S. 

 Houlger. In his presidential address Prof. Boulger directed 

 attention to the position of natural history in this country sixty 

 years ago, with special reference to the character of field work 

 and its organisation ; contrasted that position and that character 

 with those of our present-day geology and biology ; traced 

 briefly the cause of the diff"erence, and suggested some lines 

 along which future energies should be directed. The address 

 was very appropriate to the occasion, and an instructive state- 

 ment of the great change which the Darwinian theory had 

 produced in scientific thought. The programme of the congress 

 included papers by Mr. E. Lovett, on "The Folk-lore of 

 Amulets and Charms"; Dr. H. F'ranklin Parsons, on " The 

 nature of the soil in connection with the distribution of Plants 

 and Animals" ; *' Entomology as a Scientific Pursuit," by Mr. 

 J. W. Tutt; "Ancient and Modern Dene Holes and their 

 Makers," and " Natural Gas in Sussex," by Mr. C. Dawson ; 

 '■ ' Place of Geology in Education," by Prof. Lobley ; and 

 * ' Photography in relation to Science," by Mr. J. H. Baldock. 

 There was also a discussion of *' Ideals for Natural History 

 "Societies, and how to attain them." The meeting was well 

 it tended, and should result in increased interest being taken in 

 the study of nature. 



The fifth volume of the elaborate " System of Medicine," 

 edited by Prof. Clifford AUbutt, P\R.S., has just been published 

 by Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Ltd. The contents refer to 

 diseases of the respiratory organs, of the pleura, and of the 

 circulatory system. 



NO. 1494, VOL. 58] 



An interesting address upon "Light and Fire Making," 

 delivered by Mr. Henry C. Mercer, has been issued by the 

 Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. 

 The address contains forty-five illustrations explaining the 

 methods of producing fire by friction of wood, and by striking 

 flint and steel ; they also show some of the forms of lamps, 

 candles, torches, and lanterns used in America and elsewhere. 



Among handy reference volumes must be placed the " Year- 

 book of Scientific and Learned Societies," published by Messrs. 

 Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd. The new volume contains par- 

 ticulars with regard to the constitution and membership of 

 scientific societies in Great Britain and Ireland, lists of papers 

 read during 1897 before societies engaged in fourteen depart- 

 ments of research, and a good index, i 



The fourth edition of Prof. Wiedersheim's "Grundriss der 

 vergleichenden Anatomie der Wirbelthiere " has just been 

 published by the firm of Gustav Fischer, Jena. Since the 

 appearance of the third edition five years have passed, and so 

 much new work in morphology has been done in this period 

 that the book has had to undergo complete revision. Not only 

 has the new material been assimilated, but various changes 

 have been made in the typography, and all references to authors 

 have been placed in the excellent bibliography appended to the 

 volume. Dr. Wiedersheim mentions that the second English 

 edition of his work, adapted from the German by Prof. W. N, 

 Parker, was prepared under his guidance, and the new material 

 in the present German edition was taken into consideration.— 

 The third revised edition of the attractive and exact " Lehrbuch 

 der Botanik fiir Hochschulen," by Drs. Strasburger, Noll, 

 Schenck, and Schimper has been published by Gustav Fischer. 

 The first edition was published only four years ago, and the fact 

 that three editions have now appeared is a testimony to its value 

 and popularity. Botanists who have a difficulty in reading the 

 German text will be glad to see the English translation which 

 Messrs. Macmillan have lately published.— A large number of 

 questions referring to heredity are discussed in the work entitled 

 " La Famille Nevropathique," by M. Ch. Fere, the second edition 

 of which has been published by M. Felix Alcan, Paris. The 

 volume brings together much information on the laws of in- 

 heritance in relation to disease, and the numerous references it 

 contains will be found very valuable by students of heredity. — A 

 second edition of a " Syllabus d er Pflanzenfamilien, " by Dr. Adolf 

 Engler, has been published by the firm of Borntraeger, Berlin. 

 The volume contains brief notes on medicinal and useful plants, 

 and is intended more particularly for use by students of special 

 and pharmaceutical botany. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macacus cynomolgus) 

 from India, presented by Miss Nellie Biggs ; a Dorsal Squirrel 

 {Sciuriis hypopyrrhiis) from Central America, presented by 

 Miss Trelawny; a Ring-necked Pheasant {Phasianns torquattts) 

 from China, presented by Dr. C. Danford Thomas ; a Pin- 

 tailed Whydah Bird ( Vidua principalis) from Africa, presented 

 by Madame Gate ; an Eyed Lizard {Lacerta ocella(a), European, 

 presented by Mr. H. F. Witherby ; an Indranee Owl (Syrniwn 

 indranee) from Ceylon, a Florida Tortoise ( Testtido polypheinus) 

 from North America, deposited ; four Wonga-Wonga Pigeons 

 {Leucosarcia picata) from New South Wales, a Naked-throated 

 Bell-bird {Ckas/norhynchus nttdicollis) from Brazil, a Burrowing 

 Owl (Speotyto cunictilaria) from South America, two Purplish 

 Guans (Penelope purpurascens) from Central America, a Sarus 

 Crane {Grus antigone) from Northern India, a Four- lined Snake 

 {Coluber quatuorlineatus), European ; an Angulated Snake 

 Leptodira annulata) from Tropical South America, four Azaras 

 (Opossums {Didelphys asara) from La Plata, purchased. 



