274 



NA TURE 



[July 19, 1900 



•negative is developed, an image of equal density throughout, if 

 -the sensitive plate and colour screen are properly adjusted to 

 •«ach other. 



The U.S. Weather Bureau has published a Bulletin (No. 29), 

 entitled "Frost fighting," by Mr. A. G. McAdie. A bulletin 

 on the same subject was recently issued by the Bureau, but it is 

 believed that the more recent experiments made in California 

 -are sufficiently valuable to extensive fruit interests to justify this 

 ■second publication, and that the loss due to frosts in that State, 

 hitherto considered unavoidable, can be prevented. The prob- 

 lem is of a two-fold nature : accurate forecasting of the frost 

 period, and efficient methods of raising the temperature at 

 ■critical times. The various protective methods, based on irriga- 

 tion, the production of cloud or fog, and devices for screening 

 the fruit trees are photographically illustrated. Of all the 

 methods proposed, with the exception of the use of wire screens, 

 lirrigation has the largest amount of evidence in its favour ; hot 

 water from a boiler is forced through a number of furrows, and 

 'the temperature of the air is heated by the rising of the water- 

 vapour. 



We have received from the Rev. W. Sidgreaves a copy of 

 'the results of meteorological and magnetical observations at 

 Stonyhurst College Observatory, near Blackburn, for the year 

 1899. This observatory is fully equipped with self-recording 

 instruments, and has for many years published valuable ob- 

 -servations both independently and in connection with the 

 Meteorological Office. During the past year a special report 

 •of hourly rainfall from 1891 to 1898 was prepared for that 

 office. Much attention is given to solar observations and to 

 ■the connection of sun-spots with terrestrial phenomena. The 

 movements of the upper clouds, and the determination of the 

 -magnetic elements, also occupy the special attention of the 

 small available staff of the observatory. An appendix contains 

 observations taken at St. Ignatius College, Malta. 



In a paper on malformed specimens of the common pond- 

 mussel, published in the last issue oi\\vQ Journal of Malacology^ 

 Mr, H. H. Bloomer shows that in certain instances this mollusc 

 >is able to repair severe injuries to the mantle-lobes, but cannot 

 -make good damage inflicted on the gills. 



Dr. II. L. Bruner communicates to vol. xvi. No. 2 of the 

 Journal of Morphology the results of observations on the hearts 

 of lungless salamanders, in which it is shown that with the 

 .lungs disappears also the septum between the auricles of the 

 heart. Since, however, the normal circulation is not yet fully 

 ■understood, it would be premature to discuss the reason for this 

 •loss. 



In the June issue of the American Naturalist^ Miss Rathbun 

 •continues her invaluable illustrated synopsis of North American 

 .invertebrates, dealing in this section with certain groups of crabs. 

 It may be hoped that, when complete, this synopsis will be 

 reissued in book-form. 



The phylogeny of the butterflies of the family Pieridse (best 

 •known by the ordinary British " whites ") is discussed by Mr. A. 

 ^. Grote in No. 161 of the Proceedings of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society. The author is of opinion that the family is an 

 offshoot from the Hesperiidae, or skippers, which is itself related 

 to the Nymphalidas, and that the "blues" may likewise be 

 •another offshoot from the same stock. From the scant evidence 

 ■afforded by fossil forms, it further seems evident that the blues 

 -and the whites are modern types of butterflies, while the skippers 

 -and the nymphalids are of greater antiquity.— Anthropologists 

 will find considerable interest in a paper on the divisions of the 

 South Australian Aborigines, ■^by Mr. R. H. Mathews, which 

 appears in the same serial. 



NO. 1603, VOL. 62] 



In a paper published in the Coinunicaciones of the Buenos 

 Aires Museum (vol. i. No. 6) Dr. F. Ameghino describes and 

 figures certain mammalian remains from the areniscan formation 

 of southern Patagonia. These remains are stated to be found 

 in association with those of dinosaurs as well as of fishes of the 

 genera Synechodus, Lepidotus and Ceratodus, and the formation 

 is accordingly correlated with the lower Cretaceous of Europe 

 and the United States. The. mammalian remains are, however, 

 of such a highly specialised type that it is almost impossible to 

 believe they can be of such great antiquity; and it seems 

 probable that some other explanation of their alleged association 

 with Cretaceous types will have to be found. 



We learn from the Ai/ierican Naturalist that a school of 

 applied agriculture and horticulture will be established near 

 New York City, to open in September, for study and practical 

 training. Students will have the use of the laboratories and of 

 the extensive collection of plants in the museum and conser- 

 vatories and in the grounds of the New York Botanic Garden. 

 The work will be under the direction of Mr. George T. Powell, 



The following facilities for the practical study of biology 

 during the summer vacation are offered in the United States, in 

 addition to those already announced. The Biological Labora- 

 tory of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences at Cold 

 Spring Harbour, Long Island, will be open from July i to 

 August 25, under the guidance of Prof. Davenport. The Lake 

 Laboratory of the Ohio State University at Sandusky, Lake 

 Erie, will be open for eight weeks from July 2. Four courses 

 of lectures will be given in zoology, and three in botany. The 

 Rhode Island summer school for nature study is holding its 

 session at Kingston, R. I., from July 5 to 20. Beloit College, 

 Wisconsin, will hold a summer school on Madeline Island, Lake 

 Superior, from July 26 to Aug. 30. The natural science camp 

 for boys will hold its eleventh session at Canandaigua, N.Y., 

 under the management of Mr. Albert L. ArCy. Instruction will 

 be given ih biology, entomology, taxidermy, and photography. 



The Biologisches Centralblatt for June 15. and July i contains 

 a detailed biography of the late eminent diatomist, Comte 

 Abbe F. Castracane, together with a complete bibliography of 

 his very numerous contributions to botanical literature. 



Bulletin No. 10 (February 1900) of the Michigan State Agri- 

 cultural College Experiment Station (Agricultural Depart- 

 ment), is devoted entirely to investigations in the cultivation of 

 the sugar-beet, by Mr. J. D. Towar, chiefly in relation to the 

 advantages of different soils and manures. 



Prof. L. Erreka reprints from the Revue de F Universite 

 de Bruxelles a paper on spontaneous generation, one of a series 

 of essays on botanical philosophy. After a historical account of 

 the controversy, he sums up thus: — "Si done la generation 

 spontanee est encore irrealisee dans nos laboratoires, rien ne 

 prouve qu'elle soit a jamais irrealisable." 



We have received the Transactions of the British Myco- 

 logical Society for the season 1898- 1 899. It contains the 

 address of the President, Dr. C. B. Plowright, on the recent 

 additions to our knowledge of the Uredinese and Ustilaginese, 

 with special reference to British species, a report of the New 

 Forest fungus foray, and five papers on new or rare fungi. 



The economic geology of the United States is very amply 

 dealt with in the larger reports of the Geological Survey, while 

 individual States publish reports on particular subjects. One of 

 these on the clays of Alabama, by Dr. E. A. Smith and Dr. H. 

 Ries, has just reached us. The State yields china clay, fire clay, 

 pottery clay, and brick clay, all of which are very fully described 

 with regard to their characters.geological age and distribution, and 

 a number of analyses are given. In addition to the local account, 

 there is also a general discussion of clays, their chemical, physi- 

 cal and mineral characters, such as will be of great use to any 



