May II, 1893] 



NATURE 



n 



to promote the study of natural history. Many good writers 

 on natural history contribute to the society's journal, Nature 

 Notes. 



A CAPITAL paper on the manufactures of India was read by 

 Sir Juland Danvers before the Indian Section of the Society of 

 Arts on April 24, and is published in the current number of the 

 Society's Journal. Sir Juland is of opinion that, if all 

 legitimate means are taken for opening the markets of the world 

 to Indian commerce and for stimulating enterprise and energy 

 by developing the country itself, India may become a large 

 manufacturing as well as an agricultural country, and thus be 

 enabled not only to support but to improve the condition of her 

 vast population. The reading of the paper was followed by a 

 most interesting discussion, in the course of which several high 

 authorities expressed their cordial agreement with the views 

 stated by Sir Juland Danvers. Sir C. E. Bernard said that short 

 of vast discoveries of workable gold within her borders India's 

 true and only way out of the silver difficulty that threatens her 

 with bankruptcy is the rapid development of her home industries, 

 especially her cotton and iron manufactures. 



The Trinidad Field Naturalists' Club prints in its Journal for 

 April a valuable preliminary list of the mammals of Trinidad, 

 by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, of the British Museum (Natural His- 

 tory). Mr. Thomas explains that he has prepared the list as a 

 basis on which a complete scientific list of the mammals in- 

 habiting Trinidad may be founded, and to show members of the 

 society how extraordinarily little is definitely known of the 

 mammals of the island. By known, of course, he means 

 scientifically known in the sense of being published to the 

 world, for he has no doubt whatever that many members of the 

 society could off-hand add to the list many animals well-known 

 to them and other inhabitants, but neither hitherto mentioned 

 in scientific publications nor represented by specimens in the 

 British Museum. He earnestly begs that all persons interested 

 in the natural history of Trinidad will do what they can to obtain 

 specimens and to send them home for identification. Every 

 collection made at present is sure, he says, to contain species 

 new to the island, even if not — as in the case of two bats recently 

 received from Trinidad — altogether new to science. 



A lAPER on " Recreation," read by Mr. William Odell before 

 the Torquay Natural History Society, has been printed 

 separately. It contains some very interesting letters from the 

 head masters of public schools as to the effect of athletics on 

 school work, 



Mr. Frederick J. Hanbury and the Rev. E. S. Marshall 

 are engaged in the preparation of a Flora of Kent, which should 

 prove an exceptionally rich county flora, though some districts 

 have as yet been but imperfectly searched. Any assistance will 

 be gladly received by the Rev. E. S. Marshall, Milford Vicarage, 

 Godalming 



Mr. A. T. Drummond has been investigating the colours of 

 1 lowers in Ontario and Quebec in relation to the time of flower- 

 ing, and has contributed to the Canadian Record of Science an 

 interesting paper on the subject. He finds that April, May, and 

 even June and July are remarkable for the prevalence of white 

 floweis, July and especially August of yellow, and September 

 and October of purple and blue. 



Good illustrations of the difiiculty of determining plants or 

 vegetable productions by popular or local names are given in a 

 letter by Mr. B. B. Smyth, of the Kansas Academy of Science, 

 published in the current Quarterly Record of the Royal Botanic 

 Society of London. "The name Nightshade," he says, "is 

 •iiiplied here to Solatium nigrum and S. triflorutn ; the name 



oody Nightshade is applied to S. Dulcamara ; the name Bitter- 

 VO. 1228, VOL. 48] 



sweet is applied to Celastrus scandens, a twining woody plant with 

 clusters of showy scarlet berries ; the name Laurel is applied to 

 the different species of Kalmia ; the names Mock Orange and 

 Syringa are applied (of course misapplied) to Philadelphus ; the 

 name Sarsaparilla is (mis)applied to Aralia ; the name Snake- 

 root is applied to a dozen different species in half as many 

 different orders ; the name Mouse-ear is applied to Gnaphalium, 

 Antennaria, andCerastium." 



We have repeatedly called attention to the fact that the 

 German publisher Engelmann is issuing an important series of 

 small volumes consisting of papers which have marked an era in 

 the history of science. A series of much the same kind has been 

 begun, we are glad to note, by Mr. W. F. Clay, Edinburgh, 

 and Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall and Co., London. The volumes 

 in this series are to be known as " Alembic Club Reprints.' 

 The first volume consists of Joseph Black's paper, entitled, 

 " Experiments upon Magnesia Alba Quicklime, and other 

 Alcaline Substances." 



The Natural History Society of Marlborough College has 

 issued its report for the year ending Christmas, 1892. The 

 high standard of work in the sections is said to have been, on 

 the whole, well maintained ; but an exception is made in the 

 case of the zoological section, the members of which showed 

 "little disposition to e.xert themselves in work conducted on 

 scientific lines." The library of the society is rapidly increas- 

 ing. Among the works added to it during the year were the 

 four splendidly illustrated volumes (privately printed) on exca- 

 vations and archaeological discoveries in or near Wilts, by 

 General Pitt- Rivers. These were presented by the author, to 

 whom special thanks are accorded for his "peculiarly interest- 

 ing and valuable gift." 



Aristotle, it seems, knew almost as much about field voles 

 as is known by those who have lately been studying the mischief 

 done by these creatures in Thessaly and Scotland. In a passage 

 quoted in the current number of the Zoologist itoxa\a5 " Natural 

 History of Animals " he speaks of their power of destruction as 

 " so great that some small farmers, having on one day observed 

 that their corn was ready for harvest, when they went the fol- 

 lowing day to cut their corn, found it all eaten." " The manner 

 of their disappearance also," he continues, " is unaccountable ; 

 for in a few days they all vanish, although beforehand they 

 could not be exterminated by smoking and digging them out, 

 nor by hunting them and turning swine among them to root up 

 their runs. Foxes also hunt them out, and wild weasels are 

 very ready to destroy them ; but they cannot prevail over their 

 numbers and the rapidity of their increase, nor indeed can any- 

 thing prevail over them but rain, and when this comes they 

 disappear very soon. " This passage is quoted in the Zoologist 

 by Mr. A. H. Macpherson. The editor adds a note showing 

 that Aristotle was by no means the only ancient writer to whom 

 the facts were familiar. 



Mr. G. Lewis contributes to the current number of the 

 Entomologist a list of coleoptera new to the fauna of Japan, 

 with notices of unrecorded synonyms. Some of the list are well- 

 known European species ; others have hitherto been known 

 from Siberia only. Mr. Lewis says that some years will elapse 

 before the collection gathered by him in Japan can be com- 

 pletely worked out. 



An interesting paper on mining and ore-treatment at Broken 

 Hill, New South Wales, was re.id at the meeting of the Insti- 

 tution of Civil Engineers on May 2, the authors being Mr. 

 M. B. Jamieson and Mr. J. Howell. From this mine silver 

 and lead of the value of over /'8, 250,000 sterling had been 

 taken within seven years ; and it continued to yield about 



