September 29, 1892J 



NA TURE 



523 



Thus one pound of impure tin dioxide requires 2500 pounds of 

 •weathered rock. The rock is traversed by a series of parallel 

 veins of white quartz indicating the origin of all the white quartz 

 pebbles in the tin-bearing gravels, these gravels being nothing 

 but the accumulation, during probably thousands of years, of 

 the washings from the ele/ated outcrops of tin-bearing eruptive 

 rock. The original tin-bearing deposit of weathered rock has 

 been washed daring a good many years. It requires a very 

 good supply of water and very large deposits, otherwise the 

 labour would be far too great and such works could not com- 

 pete with those in the gravels. Among the rock specimens 

 of the district are also grey limestones from Mount Tampra, 

 three days' canoe journey from Lenya. This mountain Mr. Warth 

 found fringed with caves which most likely owe their origin 

 to the action of the sea. As they are now 160 feet above 

 the sea, it appears that the land has been raised that much in 

 comparatively recent time. If so, then the time during which 

 most of the tin gravels formed was also comparatively limited. 



The third part of the tenth annual report of the Board of 

 Fishery for Scotland has just been issued. It deals with the 

 scientific investigations carried on during 1891. First there is 

 a general statement of the results achieved ; then comes a series 

 of general reports ; and these are followed by papars recording 

 biological investigations. Finally, Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton 

 gives an account of contemporary scientific fishery investigations 

 in this and other countries. The following are the papers 

 dealing with biological investigations : On the food of fishes, by 

 W. R. Smith ; observations on the reproduction, maturity, and 

 sexual relations of the food fishes, by Dr. T. W. Fulton ; addi- 

 tions to the fauna of the Firth of Forth, part iv., by Thomas 

 Scott ; contributions to the life-histories and development of the 

 food and other fishes, by Prof. Mcintosh, F.R.S. ; on two large 

 tumours in a haddock and a cod, by Prof. Prince and Dr. J. L. 

 Steven. We may note that the volume is enriched with many 

 admirable plates. 



Messrs. R. Friedlander and Son, Berlin, have just issued 

 the sixth annual report (for 1890) of the ornithological stations 

 of observation in the kingdom of Saxony. The report has been 

 prepared by A. B. Meyer and F. Helm, who have evidently 

 spared no pains to make their work thorough and accurate. In 

 an appendix observations relating to other animals in Saxony, 

 besides birds, are recorded. There is also a list of the birds 

 which up to the present time have been observed in that country, 

 with notes as to their geographical distribution elsewhere. 



The Clarendon Presshas reprinted Mr. J. G. Baker's " Sum- 

 mary of New Ferns discovered or described since 1874." 



A WORK on " The Great Barrier Reef of Australia, its Pro- 

 ducts and Potentialities," by Mr. W. Saville-Kent, is to be 

 issued by Messrs. W. H. Allen and Co. The barrier reef of 

 Australia, represented by a vast rampart of coral origin, extends 

 for no less than twelve hundred miles from Torres Straits to 

 Lady Elliot Island on the Queensland coast. Between its outer 

 border and the adjacent mainland it encloses a tranquil ocean 

 highway for vessels of the heaviest draught. To the naturalist, 

 and especially to the marine biologist, the entire barrier is 

 ■described as "a perfect Eldorado, its prolific waters teeming 

 with animal organisms of myriad forms and hues, representative 

 of every marine zoological group." The author's object 

 will be to render an account, in clear and popular language, 

 both from a commercial and from a biological standpoint, of 

 the most attractive subjects connected with the barrier 

 region. There will be sixteen plates in chromolithograph, 

 with grouped illustrations produced from original water-colour 

 drawings by the author, and forty-eight plates in photomezzo- 

 iype from original negatives. 



NO. II 96, VOL. 46] 



The New Zealand Institute has published its Transactions 

 and Proceedings during 1891 (vol.xxiv., seventh of new series). 

 The volume is edited by Sir James Hector, and contains many 

 papers of considerable interest and value. The papers presented 

 in the Transactions are grouped under the headings of Zoology, 

 Geology, Botany, and Miscellaneous. The Proceedings include 

 those of the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Auckland 

 Institute, the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, the Otago 

 Institute, the Westland Institute, the Hawkes Bay Philosophical 

 Institute, and the Nelson Philosophical Society. 



The Journal of BotanyAox September gives an account of 

 the results of M. J. Bornmiiller's' botanical exploring expedi- 

 tion in Persia. The flora of the district visited is a very abun- 

 dant one, but not many new forms were gathered. The moun- 

 tain sides of Kuh Jupar, at a height of between 2900 and 3CXX) 

 metres, were covered with dense forests of an undescribed 

 species of Ephedra. 



The number of the Oesterreichische Botanische Zeitschrift for 

 September is almost entirely devoted to the discussion of the 

 question of botanical nomenclature, and the opinions on the 

 various disputed points, of the leading English and Continental 

 botanists. 



Messrs. Crosby Lockwood and Son announce the fol- 

 lowing works : — " The Microscope : its Construction and Man- 

 agement," by Dr. Henri von Heurck, Director of the Antwerp 

 Botanical Gardens, translated from the French by Mr, Wynne 

 E. Baxter, F.R. M.S. ; " Electric Ship- Lighting : a Practical 

 Handbook for Electrical Engineers and others," by J. W. 

 Urquhart ; "Toothed Gearing: a Practical Handbook for 

 Office and Workshop," by a Foreman Pattern Maker, author 

 of " Pattern Making," &c. ; "The Mechanics of Architecture : 

 a Text-book for Students," by E. W. Tarn ; " The Visible 

 Universe : Chapters on the Origin and Construction of the 

 Heavens," by J. E. Gore; "The Health Officers' Pocket 

 Book : for Medical Officers of Health, Sanitary Inspectors, 

 Members of Sanitary Authorities, &c.," by Edward F. Wil- 

 loughby, M.D. (Lond.) ; "The Art and Science of Sail 

 Making," by Samuel B. Sadler, practical sail maker; 

 " The Complete Grazier and Farmers' and Cattle Breeders' 

 Assistant : a Compendium of Husbandry, originally written by 

 William Zouatt, thirteenth edition, entirely re-written, consider- 

 ably enlarged, and brought up to the present requirements of 

 Agricultural Practice," by William Fream, LL.D, ; " Farm 

 Live Stock of Great Britain," by Robert Wallace, professor 

 of Agriculture and Rural Economy in the University of 

 Edinburgh, third edition, thoroughly revised and considerably 

 enlarged; "Tramways: their Construction and Working," by 

 D. Kinnear Clark, M.Inst.C.E., new edition, thoroughly 

 revised, in one volume ; " The Wood-worker's Handy Book : a 

 Practical Manual embracing information on the Tools, Materials, 

 and Processes employed in Wood-working," by Paul N. 

 Hasluck ; " The Metal-worker's Handy Book : a Practical 

 Manual embracing information on the Tools, Materials, and 

 Processes employed in Metal-working," by Paul N. Hasluck ; 

 "Practical Lessons in Roof Carpentry," by Geo. Collings ; 

 "The Steam Engine: a Practical Manual for Draughts- 

 men, Designers, and Constructors, translated from the German 

 of Herman Haeder, revised and adapted to English Practice," 

 by H. H. P. Powles. 



Messrs. Bell and Sons are about to publish the following 

 books : — " The Student's Hand-book of Phy.'ical Geology," by 

 A. J. Jukes-Brown, with numerous diagrams and illustrations, 

 second edition, revised and much enlarged (B.^hn's Scientific 

 Library) ; " Sowerby's English Botany," Supplement by N. E. 

 Brown, of the Royal Herbarium, Kew (to be completed in eight 



