July 21, 1898] 



NATURE 



279 



when the report before us was drawn up, for the elaboration of 

 anti-venomous serum, as well as an anti-toxin for tetanus. The 

 staff is, the Director points out, lamentably insufficient to carry 

 on even the work at present undertaken by the Institute, and 

 the appeal for more assistance is certainly amply justified by the 

 record of what has been already done by the Department. 



In the part of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 

 issued on April 14, Mr. Frank Finn, of the Indian Museum, 

 brings to a conclusion his series of four papers entitled "Con- 

 tributions to the Theory of Warning Colours and Mimicry." 

 The paper in question deals with experiments with various birds, 

 from a consideration of which the author draws the following 

 conclusions: (i) That there is a general appetite for butter- 

 flies among insectivorous birds, even though they are rarely seen 

 when wild to attack them. (2) That many, probably most 

 species, dislike, if not intensely, at any rate in comparison with 

 other butterflies, the " warningly-coloured " Danaince, Acrcea 

 z'iohe, Delias eucharis, and Papilio aristolochicc ; of these the 

 last being the most distasteful, and the Danaitnz the least so. 

 (3) That the mimics of these are at any rate relatively palatable, 

 and that the mimicry is commonly effectual under natural condi- 

 tions. (4) That each bird has to separately acquire its experience, 

 and well remembers what it has learned. That therefore, on the 

 whole, the theory of Wallace and Bates is supported by the 

 facts detailed in this and the author's former papers, so far as 

 they deal with birds (and with the one mammal used). Prof. 

 Poulton's suggestion that animals may be forced by hunger to 

 eat unpalatable forms is also more than confirmed, as the un- 

 palatable forms were commonly eaten without the stimulus of 

 actual hunger — generally without signs of dislike. 



The most recent number of Malpighia (Anno xii. fasc. 3, 

 4) contains a description by Prof. Mattirolo of the Ntiova sala 

 Aldrovandi ionwAtd in honour of the Italian botanist (1549- 

 1605), in connection with the University of Bologna, and 

 opened in December 1897. It comprises a museum, a library, 

 and a herbarium founded on that of Aldrovandi. The account 

 is accompanied by a portrait and a drawing of the library. 

 In the same number is a portrait and a brief sketch of the 

 botanical work of Zannichelli, 



The geology of the Bacau Car[iathians forms the subject of 

 an essay by Dr. W. Teisseyre {/ahrb. der k,k. geol. Keichs., 

 Bd. 47, 1898). The strata comprise various members of the 

 Tertiary system, highly inclined, folded, inverted, and over- 

 thrust ; and sundry drift and alluvial deposits. The district is 

 noted for its oil-springs and mineral waters, and also for its 

 salt-deposits, which occur in both Palaeogene ( Eocene- Oligocene) 

 and Miocene formations. 



The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales is an admirable 

 journal, and contains a mass of most useful articles which are 

 not only well written, but, in many cases, carefully illustrated. 

 It is issued monthly, and contains in each part notes on fruit, 

 vegetable, and flower culture for the month, besides a number 



f articles by experts on matters of special interest to the 

 igriculturist. Particular prominence is given to bee-larming, 

 and, in addition to the regular bee calendar, a series of articles 



n "Bees, and how to manage them" is contributed by Mr. 

 Albert Gale, and the practical and scientific staff attached to 

 :!ie Gazette now undertake to investigate bee diseases with a 

 view to reporting on their cause, prevention and cure. The 

 Gazette is written by practical men, and is intended for the use 

 of practical men, and should prove of great value to all engaged 

 in agricultural pursuits. 



The results of an investigation of the catalytic influence of 

 various gases and vapours on the oxidation, of phosphorus are 

 published by Herr Centnerszwer in a recent number of the 

 NO. 1499, VOL. 58] 



Zeitschrift fiir physikalische Chemie. The fact that the lumin- 

 osity of phosphorus in air is increased by small quantities of 

 certain gases and inhibited by others has long been known, and 

 was in particular investigated by Thomas Graham. According 

 to Graham, one part of turpentine in 4440 of air by volume 

 destroys the luminosity at the ordinary temperature. At a later 

 period Joubert finally established the fact that luminosity and 

 oxidation go hand in hand, and that inhibited phosphorescence 

 could be, as in the case of pure oxygen, resuscitated by a reduc- 

 tion of pressure. The experiments of Herr Centnerszwer have 

 extended over a large range of organic substances. It is found 

 that their specific influence admits of certain general conclusions. 

 Thus it increases in a homologous series as the number of carbon 

 atoms increases ; it is approximately the same for isomers ; it is 

 increased by a double linkage of carbon atoms ; it is not greatly 

 affected by the substitution of chlorine or bromine for hydrogen, 

 but is increased in a high degree by the replacement of hydsogen 

 by iodine. The results have, however, not given any clear 

 insight into the mechanism of the process by which the 

 oxidation is suspended. 



The preparation of sodium perborate NaBOg-f 4HjO, corre- 

 sponding to an oxide BjO,, is described by M. Tanatar in the 

 Zeitschrift fiir physikalische Chemie. The salt is prepared by 

 the electroly.sis of a concentrated aqueous solution of sodium 

 orthoborate, or by oxidation of sodium orthoborate by means of 

 hydrogen peroxide. The corresponding ammonium salt, with 

 one molecule of water, may be prepared in the same way. The 

 perborates are described as powerful oxidising agents, but as 

 quite stable per se. 



The Engineering Magazine sustains its reputation as one of 

 the best illustrated and most varied in contents of the magazines 

 devoted to trade interests. The July part has just reached us, 

 and contains, among other items, papers on " Sea Power at the 

 end of the Nineteenth Century," " Some Features of Indian 

 Railways," " The Cyanide Process as applied on the Rand," 

 "Applications of Electro-Chemistry," and "Architectural 

 Wrought Iron Ornament." The excellence of the illustrations 

 in the second and last-named articles call for a special word of 

 praise. 



A NEW edition — the fifth — of Prof. Schafer's " The Essentials 

 of Histology " has reached us from the publishers, Messrs. 

 Longmans and Co. The book is so well known that we need do 

 no more than call attention to the appearance of this its latest 

 edition. 



Mr. H. K. Lewis has just brought out the second edition of 

 "Practical Organic Chemistry" by Dr. Samuel Rideal. It 

 differs from the first issue in the addition of several organic sub- 

 stances which have recently been included in the schedules for 

 various examinations, and a few other compounds which are of 

 general interest. 



Notices have appeared from time to time in these columns 

 of the monthly issues of the Journal of the Essex Technical 

 Laboratories, and it is now not necessary for us to do more than 

 announce that the third volume of the work has just been pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Durrant and Co. , Chelmsford, and that it is 

 full of information of value to farmers, horticulturists and others. 



Science Progress for July contains, among other contributions, 

 the interesting lecture on " The Fall of Meteorites in Ancient 

 and Modern Times," which was delivered at Oxford in February 

 last by Prof. H. A. Miers, F.R.S. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Chacma Baboon ( Cynocephalus porcarius, 6 ) 

 from South Africa, presented by Dr. Suflield ; a Brown 

 Capuchin ( Cedus fatuellus) from South America, presented by 



