A'UGUST 6, 1 903 J 



NATURE 



329 



that nobody should collect without fully study ing^ the habits 

 f the species collected, we are in full accord with Mr. 

 Windsor ; but this by no means implies that collecting, 

 under proper restrictions, should be abolished m to\o. 

 Were this to be done, it is probable that young collectors 

 would confine their attentions to stamps and such like, 

 whereby many a promising recruit would undoubtedly be 

 lost to science. 



The Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope, the 

 official publication of the Cape Department of Agriculture, 

 is meant to circulate among the farmers of the Colony, and 

 contains popularly written accounts of investigations con- 

 ducted by the experts attached to the Department, articles 

 on general farming, reports on farmers' congresses, legis- 

 lative enactments, and other matters of agricultural interest. 

 The current number (vol. xxii. No. 6, June) contains plenty 

 of evidence of the difficulties which beset the South African 

 farrner — infectious and parasitic diseases of all kinds among 

 his stock, insect and fungoid pests among his crops. The 

 two most active branches of the department are evidently 

 those, dealing with veterinary medicine and insect ento- 

 mology; investigations of soil and manure problems are 

 hardly of much consequence' to the Cape farmer as yet. 

 While the greater part of this number deals with veterinary 

 matters; we get incidental allusion to one of the questions 

 upon which the future of South African agriculture must 

 depend, the successful introduction of suitable forage crops 

 . carry stock through the winter ; such plants as lucerne 

 alfalfa) or turnips are not in the regular routine of farm- 

 ing, and through the winter, when there is no grass on 

 the veldt, the animals practically starve. We learn, too, 

 that wheat-growing, as in some of the Australian colonies, 

 must depend upon the introduction of rust-resisting varie- 

 ties ; in the absence of sorts remaining rust-proof there is 

 at present little prospect of South Africa contributing to 

 the " Granary of the Empire." 



The geology of the Cheadle Coal-field is described by Mr. 

 "^orge Barrow in a handy pamphlet of sixty-two pages, 

 .vith a small colour-printed map attached to it, issued- by 

 tfie Geological Survey. The price is 25. The area is an 

 outlying portion of the North Staffordshire Coal-field, and 

 Mr;! Barrow gives full particulars of the- seams of coal, with 

 Lords of borings, and remarks on the probablfe extent of 

 the workable measures. The underlying Millstone Grit 

 apd overlying Bunter and Keuper formations are likewise 

 described, and special reference is made to the water-bearing 

 >trata. .Attention is also directed to the Glacial drift, to 

 the great amount of rain-wash, and to the recent river 

 deposits. 



The fourth part of the memoir on the geology of the 

 South Wales Coal-field, being an account of the country 

 around Pontypridd and Maes-teg, has been written for the 

 Geological Survey by Messrs. A. Strahan, R. H. Tiddeman, 

 and W. Gibson. It is issued at is. 6d., with a separate 

 colour-printed map (without Glacial drifts) also priced at 

 IS. 6d. The map, which is very clearly printed, embraces 

 a tract almost wholly of Coal-measures, including much of 

 the Pennant Grit, which forms the bold moorland features of 

 the Coal-field. Millstone Grit, and small areas of Carbon- 

 iferous Limestone, as well as Lias, Rhaetic Beds, Keuper 

 Marl, and Dolomitic Conglomerate are shown on the south. 

 Tracts of river gravel, peat, alluvium, and blown sand are 

 also depicted. The Glacial drifts are represented on another 

 edition of the map, which is at present hand -coloured. The 

 memoir deals chiefly with the details of the Coal-measures, 

 and more especially with the lower measures of the south 

 crop, comparative sections of which are given. The upper 



NO. 1762, VOL fS8l 



or Llantwit measures occur only in two small outliers. The, 

 structural geology is fully described, the Pontypridd antir- 

 cline and other faults and disturbances being dealt with. 

 A study of the Glacial deposits indicates that the main 

 ice-flow had its source in Brecknock. It followed and filled 

 the chief valleys, but failed to surmount the Pennant Grit 

 scarp of Carn Mosyn. Subordinate ice-flows were, how- 

 ever, generated on these higher regions. Economic de- 

 posits are briefly described in a separate chapter. The 

 Pennant Grit and the Llynfi rock in the lower measures 

 supply materials for building, paving, and road-mending. 

 The water-supply is obtained chiefly from springs and 

 reservoirs, seldom from wells. 



A SOCIETY for spreading information about St. Michael's 

 in the Azores has published an illustrated booklet setting 

 forth the charms of St. Michael's as a health resort and 

 as a station for tourists. The brochure certainly contains 

 much interesting information about this Atlantic island. 



A NEW edition^ making the twenty-sixth thousand, of 

 Miss Agnes Giberne's " Sun, Moon, and Stars " has been 

 published by Messrs. Seeley and Co., Ltd. A new chapter, 

 part iv.,. of the volume, has been added, and deals briefly 

 with celestial pl^otography, the planets Mars and Eros,' 

 comets and. new stars, as well as other topics. /With the 

 exception of these additions, the present editioni is the same 

 as the last. 



A Sixpenny booklet describing the legends and the story 

 of the building of Stonehenge has been received from 

 Messrs; ' James Henderson and Sons. In an appendix to 

 the pamphlet; a short account is given of recent attempts 

 to ascertain the age of Stonehenge, and a reference is made 

 to the wire fence with which Sir Edmund Antrobus has had 

 the ruin enclosed. ' This action of Sir Edmund Antrobus is 

 characterised as wise and public-spirited, since it will help 

 in the preservation of this valuable monument of antiquity. 



We have received a copy of the meteorological observ- 

 ations for the year 1902 made at the Rousdon Observatory 

 in Devonshire, which is continued under the superintendence 

 of Lady Peek, ,; The publication was prepared under the 

 supervision of, Mr.. W. Marriott, of the Royal Meteorological 

 Society, and contains remarks on the weather experienced 

 during ea9hi ofi the months of 1902, and a useful collection 

 of nine- tables dealing vifith such subjects as the pressure, 

 temperature, and hygrometric state of the air, temperature 

 of the- soil, wind direction, rainfall, amount of sunshine, 

 &c , The concluding table affords a useful summary of the 

 annual results for the years 1884-1902. • 



Two more numbers of the " Rural Handbooks " pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Dawbarn and Ward, Ltd., have been 

 received; one is by Mr. C. F. Townsend, and is entitled 

 " Heating and Ventilation of Houses," the other is on 

 " Utility Fowl Feeding and Management," and is by Mr. 

 H. Francklin. These little books are simply written, and 

 will serve to supply^ the principles upon which success 

 in many pursuits depends. The book on ventilation is well 

 illustrated, and contains practical information of a kind to 

 enable any inte.iligent householder to secure good ventil- 

 ation. The amateur poultry farmer will find numerous 

 helpful hints in the second handbook as to how to make his 

 hobby a profitable one. " 



The cur-rent number of the Quarterly Revieiv contains 

 two exhaustive 'articles on subjects of scientific technology. 

 The first is by Mr. J. Nesbit on the improvement of British 

 forestry, apd. begins with a historical retrospect of the 

 attempts made by legislation and otherwise to encourage 



