6io 



NA TURE 



[April 30, 1896 



Committee, comprising several members of the French Govern- 

 ment, a large number of members of the Institute, and many of 

 the foremost men in science and industry in France. Further 

 information with reference to the congress can be obtained from 

 M. Dupont, 156 boulevard Magenta, Paris. 



The Marine Biological Laboratory at Plymouth has been the 

 scene of more than usual activity during the past month. In 

 addition to the permanent staff' of the laboratory, five botanists 

 and zoologists have been engaged in biological research, and 

 the students' laboratory, recently equipped for the accommoda- 

 tion of vacation parties, has had its resources taxed to the 

 •uttermost. Fifteen students in all— six from Cambridge, five 

 from Oxford, three from the Owens College, Manchester, and 

 one from University College, London — have formed Mr. 

 Garstang's vacation class, and have made full use of the 

 liberal provision made for them by the Director of the labora- 

 tory and his staff". The arrangements for the class have con- 

 sisted of daily expeditions for trawling, dredging, tow-netting, 

 and shore-collecting purposes to various parts of the neighbour- 

 hood, and of daily lectures and demonstrations on the results 

 of the expeditions, and on general topics connected with marine 

 biology. Especial attention has been paid to the life-histories 

 of animals — to their bionomical relations and to problems 

 of use and function — so as to comprise a body of instruc- 

 tion supplementary to the morphological studies of univer- 

 sity laboratories. The class -has admittedly been a great 

 success, and the students have returned to their various 

 universities not only with a store of new facts, but with renewed 

 interest in biological pursuits. A similar class will be formed 

 for August next. The Busy Bee, the new steamboat of the 

 Association, has satisfactorily fulfilled all the tests imposed upon 

 her, and proves to be eminently suitable for the routine work of 

 the laboratory. Among the more interesting of recent captures 

 may be mentioned the discovery of several examples of a species 

 -of the Amphineuran Proneomenia. 



The annual general meeting of the British Ornithologists' 

 Union was held at 3 Hanover Square, on the 22nd inst. In 

 the absence of Lord Lilford, the President, Mr. P. L. Sclater, 

 F.R.S., took the chair. The report of the Committee stated 

 that The Ibis (the journal of the Society) had been regularly pub- 

 lished during the preceding year, and that the Union consisted of 

 269 ordinary members, besides honorary and foreign members. 

 Twenty-nine new ordinary members and one new foreign 

 member, were proposed and elected. Mr. Sclater brought forward 

 a scheme for a new synopsis of the described species of birds, to 

 be arranged in six volumes, corresponding with the six zoological 

 regions of the earth's surface. This was referred to a Committee 

 to report upon. 



We have received a copy of the draft programme of questions 

 proposed for discussion at the International Meteorological 

 Conference to be held in Paris in September next. Numerous 



-questions in general meteorology, terrestrial electricity and mag- 

 netism, and international meteorology are down for discussion. 

 Among these questions and propositions we notice that Dr. P. 

 Schreiber (Chemnitz) will propose that the meteorological day 

 shall be reckoned from 9 p.m. to 9 p.m., and designated by the 

 same number as the civil day, while meteorological extremes 

 and sums, e.g. of rain fallen, shall be measured at 9 p.m. Prof. 

 Willis L. Moore (Washington) will put forward the solar mag- 

 netic period 26'67928 days as the natural mode of classifying 

 solar, physical, and terrestrial meteorological phenomena, and 

 suggest the desirability of its introduction for general use in the 

 year 1901. The Royal Meteorological Society suggests (i.) the 

 desirability of more extended observations on infiltration into 

 the soil, and unifonnity in the same ; (2) the general adoption 



-of a standard anemometer for the determination of the velocity 

 NO. 1383, VOL. 53] 



of the wind ; (3) the general adoption of a uniform system 

 exposure for anemometers; (4) uniformity of conditions urn! . 

 which earth temperatures should be taken. Prof. H. Mohn 

 (Christiania) will introduce the question of determining the 

 pressure of the air by means of the observation of the boiling 

 point of water (the hypsometer) with the accuracy necessary for 

 meteorological purposes ; and also that of the determination of 

 the gravity correction for mercurial barometers by simultaneous 

 observations of the hypsometer and the mercurial barometer. 

 Dr. Billwiller (Zurich) will urge the necessity for the introduc- 

 tion of a uniform method of reduction of barometer readings to 

 the sea-level for the construction of synoptic weather charts. 

 Rev. Father Faura, S.J. (Manilla), will suggest that the time has 

 arrived to settle the question of air motion in cyclones, and to 

 finally disprove the theory of descending currents in these 

 phenomena. Prof. E. Mascart (Paris) will treat of atmospheric 

 electricity and terrestrial magnetism. Prof, von Bezold (Berlin), 

 and Prof. Eschenhagen (Potsdam) will propose that certain 

 general principles should be introduced for the publication of 

 magnetic observations, and should be laid down for magnetic 

 .surveys. They will also suggest that it is desirable that all 

 institutes which publish magnetic charts should give additional 

 tables containing the magnetic elements, and, if possible, also 

 the components for convenient points of intersection of the geo- 

 graphical co-ordinates. Other questions which they suggest for 

 discussion are the distribution of magnetic observatories, and 

 simultaneous international observations. 



The last published Report of the Central Phy.sical Observatory 

 of St. Petersburg gives particulars of the working of the vast 

 and important meteorological service in Russia, and is the last 

 summary which will be prepared under the efficient super- 

 intendence of Prof. H. Wild, who has now retired from the 

 directorship. The number of stations returning regular observ- 

 ations amounted to 642, of which 438 were in Europe, and 

 the remainder in extra-European localities. Before publishing 

 these observations, they have been subjected to careful revision, 

 inter se, and to comparison with synoptic weather charts. 

 Storm-warning telegrams have been regularly issued to the 

 Baltic and Black Seas, as well as to some inland seas, for which 

 a success of 72 to 78 per cent, is claimed. Special attention 

 is also paid to daily weather forecasts ; the results are published 

 for each separate element and for each month, the aggregate 

 success being over 74 per cent. Special forecasts of wind and 

 snow-storms are also issued to the railway companies. The 

 report contains a long list of scientific investigations published 

 under the auspices of the St. Petersburg Academy of Science. 



Water-cress is eaten by Caddis-worms, Caddis-worms by 

 trout, and trout by Herons. The result of disturbing this 

 balance of nature in a particular case is described by Miss E. A. 

 Ormerod in the Cirencester Agricultural Students' Gazette. 

 Three-quarters of a large crop of water-cre.sses were found to 

 have been injured by the attacks of the water-grubs which are 

 so well known as Caddis- worms. Isaac Walton gives evidence 

 of the love of trout for Caddis-flies as baits, and this points 

 strongly to their knowledge of the goodness of the larvre for 

 food in more natural circumstances. But in the case which 

 Miss Ormerod investigated, the trout had been eaten by Herons, 

 and by their removal the water-cress grower appears to have 

 lost very helpful friends. The sequence of events consequent on 

 local encouragement (beyond what is known as a natural balance) 

 of one large species of birds of special habits, downwards, 

 through destruction of insect-eating fishes, and overplus of 

 vegetable-eating insects, to the great pecuniary loss of the 

 grower of water-cress, deserves a place with Darwin's story of 

 the relation between cats and clover. 



