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and lie tiroes from (liis that it is probable that the same thiiij; 

 would happen when the rival hypotheses are pitted against 

 each otlier in any part of the field of evolution. The writinK 

 of the article has given Professor I'oulton the opportunity of 

 brinKiiiK forward some very interesting cases of mimicry 

 where the male of one butterfly is mimicked by the female of 

 another, and his article will appeal to everyone who is 

 interested in Protective Coloration and Evolution generally. 

 Professor Turner's contribution to the first number of Bedrock 

 is substantially the Halley Lecture which he gave in 1911. 

 Of a different character is Professor Gibson's consideration 

 of "The Inter-action between Passing Ships." The Hermit 

 of Prague in his remarks on " Social and Sexual Evolution," 

 says that : " What humanity wants is such a social organisa- 

 tion as will allow every normal citizen to obey the two 

 fundamental commandments that Nature has prescribed for 

 all living things. These two commandments are (U Thou 

 shalt enjoy the fruits of the earth ; (2) Thou shall reproduce. 

 But it is only when the society to which he belongs is so 

 organised as to afford him a full assurance of his being able 

 to obey the first, that lioiiio sapiens can fearlessly obey 

 the second." 



The contents of Bedrock should arouse several interesting 

 and important discussions, and we look forward with pleasure 

 to the appearance of the ne.xt number. 



WHO'S WHO IN SCIENCE. — This useful work, 

 published for the first time this year, gives brief details of 

 many men of science and a list of the senior professors in 

 the universities of the World, as well as a classified index of 

 the surnames (under the headings of each science) of workers 

 in various countries. The new issue for 1913 will contain a 

 section devoted to scientific societies, and as time goes on 

 there is no doubt but that " Who's Who in Science " will 

 become quite indispensable to all workers in science. 



DEW PONDS.— In the April number of The Journal of 

 the Board of Agriculture, Mr. Edward A. Martin. I-.G.S.. in 

 the course of an article entitled "Ponds in .Agricultural 

 Districts " discusses the subject of Dew Ponds, to which he 

 has paid much attention. He says that in the course of his 

 experiments he has found no less than ten different methods of 

 making a waterproof bottom. The principal constituent is 

 puddled clay or chalk. He comes to the conclusion that there 

 is no necessity for straw to be used in the process except as 

 a temporary precaution against cracking during the making. 

 A well-made puddled pond, he concludes, will outlast many 

 cemented or concrete ones. 



GANONG BOTANICAL APPARATUS.— We have on 

 a previous occasion made mention of the apparatus designed 

 by Professor Ganong for the use of his students. He has 

 endeavoured to " develop such appliances, that is. tools, as 

 shall fit their exact task, be applicable thereto with celerity 

 and convenience, give quantitative results of minimal error 

 and be obtainable at all times from the stock of a supply 

 company." The Bausch and Lomb Optical Company, in 

 whose hands the work of manufacture has been placed, have 

 sent us their latest catalogue in which there are described in 

 detail seventeen pieces of apparatus which will be found most 

 useful in the study of plant physiology. These include a 

 clinostat, by means of which a growing plant may be made to 

 revolve in practically any position, as well as devices for 

 demonstrating root pressure, respiration and transpirations. 



YACHTING GLASSES.— Messrs. Ross have sent us a 

 special list of British-made glasses, including a naval telescope 

 and two binoculars, the "Night" glasses, which give the 

 maximum illumination and field, and the " Naval Prism " 

 binocular, magnifying six times and recommended because of 

 its great stereoscopic power. 



LENSES AND CAMERAS.— The same firm has issued its 

 photographic list for the year 1912, which contains several new 

 lenses and cameras, e.g., the extra-rapid " Homocentric " lens, 

 working at /4-5. This lens is due to a development of 

 the mathematical formulae of Gauss, which has been possible 

 owing to the new kinds of glass available. The features which 



have been aimed at in the new " Tclecentric " lens are critical 

 definition with full aperture, and large image with short camera 

 extension. .\ folding reflex camera has been introduced, and 

 a junior " Multispeed " shutter, which is less expensive than 

 the original one of that name, and is not intended for such 

 extremely high speeds. 



MONSTROSITIES AMONG MARINE FISH.— The 

 Director of the Oceanographical Museum of Monaco, Dr. 

 J. Richard, points out in La Saturc for .April 13th, that 

 monstrosities are fairly common among certain fresh-water 

 fish, and he gives a series of pictures of abnormal sea fish 

 which are part of the collection of the museum imder his 

 charge. 



PHILIPS' MONTHLY WEATHER CHART is a 

 foolscap sheet of paper, ruled and headed, for the graphical 

 representation of the daily observations of pressure, tempera- 

 ture, wind and rainfall, with, in addition, spaces for initials 

 indicating the weather. For those observers who wish to set 

 up their observations in the form of curves, this chart will be 

 found convenient and useful. The price is one penny per 

 sheet. 



SECOND-HAND I N STRU M ENTS.— As usual, Mr. 

 C. Baker's catalogues of second-hand instruments and photo- 

 graphic apparatus should prove exceedingly useful. The first 

 contains seventy-four pages dealing with microscopes, tele- 

 scopes, surveying instruments, physical apparatus, and so on, 

 while the other classified list, which is now published separately, 

 runs to twenty-seven pages and gives details of second-hand 

 cameras and lenses. 



RAINFALL IN AUSTRALIA.— Mr. H. A. Hunt, the 

 Government Meteorologist for -Australia, has just issued the 

 Rainfall Map for 1911. In that year about twenty-five per 

 cent, of the total area of the Commonwealth had rainfall in 

 excess of the average, and in Victoria the year was the wettest 

 experienced since accurate observations began in 1<S50. The 

 heavy rains, however, were not so widely spread as in 1910. 

 when seventy-five per cent, of the total area had rainfall above 

 the average. 



Both in Australia and in Tasmania the excess rainfall in 191 1 

 was experienced mainly in the eastern regions. 



THE MISUSE OF LANTERN SLIDES.— Scif/ice for 

 .April 5th, 1912, publishes part of a paper read by Dr. C. H. 

 Townsend at a meeting of Curators of Public Museums in 

 New York. The title is " The Misuse of Lantern Illustrations 

 by Museum Lecturers, ' but the remarks refer in a great 

 measure to lecturers generally. .A recent ornithological 

 congress is described as a lantern-slide competition. Dr. 

 Townsend is convinced ihat what we have come to call lecturing 

 is not the real thing. It is a presentation to the eye, rather 

 than to the mind, and the audience accepts it passively. He 

 asks also, " Shall we continue to supply sugar-coated science 

 until even the more discriminating part of the public begins to 

 think that the professional ornithologist is really no better 

 than the enthusiastic amateur who could photograph birds 

 just as well"? 1 he museums, however, are asked why they 

 disregard the fact that the amateur's slides may be better than 

 theirs. The question of written lectures is dealt with and 

 various misguided efforts. In conclusion. Dr. Townsend 

 suggests that we should illustrate our lectures and cease to 

 lecture about our illustrations. The whole topic is one of 

 considerable importance, and would form a good subject for 

 discussion in the columns of " Knowledge." 



THE CINENLATOGRAPH IN SCHOOLS.— As bearing 

 on the subject of lantern slide exhibitions we may quote 

 a paragraph from The i'niversity Correspondent for 

 .April 15th : — " Mr. .A. P. Graves. ex-H.M.L. has been lecturing 

 to the students of a Dublin training college on the use of 

 cinematographs in school teaching and recent developments 

 in that way. He suggested that educationists should ' domes- 

 ticate the cinematograph, and make it a tame creature,' and 

 said that Sir Ray Lankester has prophesied that within a year 

 from now there will be machines of the kind at work in all the 

 London Council schools." 



