62 



NATURE 



[November 17, 1892 



at the ordinary monthly meetings. The first of these special 

 meetings assembled on August 22 in the Royal Society's Hall, 

 Melbourne. We learn from the Club's journal that there was a 

 good attendance of members, those interested in microscopic 

 work being principally represented. No fewer than twenty-four 

 microscopes were set up. Mr. J. Shephard undertook to give a 

 slight sketchof some interesting forms amongst the rotifera. A 

 typical form was first described, the chief points in its structure 

 being made clear by good diagrams, and then variations in the 

 various orders from this type were briefly referred to — special 

 allusion being made to the modifications in the ciliary wreath 

 and the foot. Mr. Shephard had fortunately met with a large 

 number of the Australian member of the rhizotic group (Z^rtaww- 

 laHa pedunculata), and at the conclusion of his remarks a slide 

 of mounted individuals was handed to each member for careful 

 examination under the microscope. Half an hour was profitably 

 spent in the endeavour to make out all the points of detail 

 in the specimens, during which time Mr. Shephard also supplied 

 full information as to the best methods of mounting and examin- 

 ing these interesting organisms. Some four or five entomologists 

 had a quiet corner to themselves, where they compared speci- 

 mens and talked over some plans for future operations. 



At the ordinary monthly meeting of the Field Naturalists' 

 Club of Victoria, on September 12, the feather boots of a native 

 rain-maker from M'Donnell Ranges were exhibited. It is be- 

 lieved among the natives of certain tribes in Central Australia 

 that droughts are caused by the swallowing up of all moisture by 

 a rain-devil. If this personage can be captured and made to 

 disgorge, rain follows at once. The feather boots are worn by 

 the native rain-maker in order that he may steal noiselessly and 

 unawares on the author of the drought and consequent misery. 

 Mr, A. W. Howitt is having drawings made of these boots, 

 which he considers to be one of the most valuable and interest- 

 ing additions to aboriginal ethnology yet brought to light. 



An interesting paper on the anthropology of Spain, con- 

 tributed to the "Anales " of the "Soc. espanola de Histoiia 

 Natural " by Luis de Hoyos Sainz and Telesforo de Aranzadi, 

 has now been published separately at Madrid. The paper is 

 accompanied by three excellent maps, in which, by means of 

 various degrees of shading, the authors bring together a number 

 of most interesting conclusions. One of these maps shows the 

 cranial types which prevail in diflferent parts of Spain. 



In the November number of the Medite7-ranean Naturalist, 

 Mr. John H, Cooke gives an interesting account of his recent 

 discovery of Ursus arctos in the Malta Pleistocene. The late 

 Admiral Spratt and the late Prof. Leith Adams found among 

 the cavern deposits of the Maltese Islands a remarkable land 

 fauna, including elephants, hippopotami, land tortoises, gigantic 

 dormice, and aquatic birds. From the fact that many of the 

 remains of elephants presented the appearance of having been 

 fiercely gnawed, it was concluded that carnivorae had lived 

 in the district ; but, notwithstanding the most diligent search 

 extending over a period of twenty years, the only tangible 

 evidences in support of the inference were these gnawed bones. 

 Mr. Cooke has now solved the problem. His discovery was 

 made in the spring of the present year, when, with the aid of a 

 money grant from the Royal Society, he carried out some ex- 

 cavations in the Har Dalam cavern, a subterraneous gallery 

 situated in a gorge of the same name in the eastern extremity of 

 Malta. After having excavated six large trenches and obtained 

 some hundreds of bones of Hippotamus pentlandi, Elephas 

 mnadraensis, Cei'vus barbarkus, and numerous other animals, 

 he had the satisfaction of discovering an entire ramus of the 

 lower jaw of a bear, Ursus arctos with its canine and molars in 

 situ, as well as five other canines belonging to other individuals 

 of the same species. Afterwards four other canines were dis- 

 NO. 1203, VOL. 4.7I 



covered, each of which was in a fairly perfect state of preserva- 

 tion. One of these Mr. A. S. Woodward has determined as 

 belonging to the left side of the mandible of a species of Canis 

 equalling a wolf in size. Associated with these remains were 

 found several vertebrae and fragments of limb-bones of hippo, 

 and vertebrae and portions of horns of stags ; but none of them 

 presented any evidences of having been gnawed. 



There is some difference of opinion as to whether the process 

 of digestion is promoted or hindered by bodily exertion. Hen- 

 Rosenberg recently made some experiments on a small dog with 

 reference to this point {PJliiger's Archiv.). The animal was fed 

 once daily with a certain quantity of lean horseflesh, lard, and 

 rice, and the amount of nitrogen and fat daily absorbed was de- 

 termined by an examination of the excreta. There were five 

 series of experiments, each consisting of a rest period of several 

 days, followed by a working period of several days, 

 the dog being made to work in a kind of treadmill. In 

 some cases these eff"orts were made during stomachic diges- 

 tion, in others during intestinal. In both series of experiments 

 the differences observed lay within the limits of physiological 

 variations, the inference being, accordingly, that in a healthy dog 

 the utilization of food is quite independent of whether the 

 animal re^ts during digestion or is energetically at work. 

 Whether this applies to man could only be determined by 

 direct experiment. Herr Rosenberg thinks it probable, how. 

 ever, as observations on people with heart disease appear to 

 show that the absorption of food is to a certain extent indepen- 

 dent of the circulation and distribution of the blood. 



The characteristic mantle of ascidians, consisting of a ground 

 mass with cellulose and embedded cells, has been much 

 studied, especially with regard to the origin of the cells. The 

 most favoured view is that it is produced by the ectoderm, that 

 it is a thickening of the outer epithelium. Recent researches 

 by Kowalevsky, however (described to the St. Petersburg 

 Academy) give reason for believing that the mantle-cells are 

 from the mesoderm. Studying the metamorphosis of Phallusia 

 mamiUata, he observed certain mesoderm-cells applying them- 

 selves to the ectodermal epithelium, penetrating it and entering 

 the mantle, which (secreted from the ectoderm) was before 

 quite transparent. These cells also move freely about in the 

 mantle, and this aoaoeboid movement is further in favour of 

 their mesodermal nature. A similar process occurs in verte- 

 brates, viz., the passage of lymph-cells (leucocytes) through 

 epithelium to the surface of a mucous membrane, or the surface 

 of the body (in fishes) ; the mucous layer is comparable to the 

 ground mass of the mantle. But in vertebrates the cells at 

 length disappear ; whereas in ascidians they persist. Besides 

 their share in the growth of the mantle, they have an important 

 function as phagocytes. In compound ascidians certain indi- 

 viduals are every now and again perishing, and these dying 

 parts are known to be absorbed by the mantle-cells. Also, in- 

 coming foreign bodies, such as bacteria, the cells attack and 

 seek to destroy. Numerous bacteria are always present in the 

 mantle of tunicata. Moreover, experiments were made by 

 introducing bacteria through fine glass tubes inserted in the 

 mantle ; the mesoderm-cells collected round these tubes, entered 

 them, and fought with the bacteria, Kowalevsky attaches 

 great importance to this function, and supposes the above-men- 

 tioned passage of wandering cells to the surface of epithelia to 

 be explained as a means of protection against the intrusion of 

 agents of disease. 



Mr. L. Stejneger gives in the fifteenth volume of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the U.S. National Museum an interesting preliminary 

 description of a new genus and species of blind cave salamander 

 from North America, The discovery of a blind cave salaman- 

 der in America is regarded by .Mr. Stejneger as "one of the 



