October 8, 1903] 



NATURE 



553 



the two electricities in their behaviour in electric dis- 

 tiarges was known to Volta. Attention is also directed to 

 smarks by Volta on flame discharges, in which it is 

 iserted that such discharges are not affected by the smoke 



luced. Prof. A. Volta 's own researches show that 

 imes of oil, petroleum, gas, and alcohol have approxi- 

 lately the same resistance, but for alcohol flames contain- 



copper chloride the resistance is lower. 



The August number of the Journal of the Royal Micro- 

 copical Society is mainly devoted to optical theories of the 

 'microscope. This subject is introduced by a paper on Helm- 

 holtz's theory by Mr. J. W. Gordon, in addition to which 

 Lord Rayleigh's paper from the Philosophical Magazine of 

 1896 is reprinted, together with a further communication 

 from the same writer, and remarks by Dr. Johnstone 

 Stoney, Dr. Siedentopf and others are reported in the 

 Society's Proceedings. Among important points under dis- 

 cussion is the property that there is no theoretical limit to 

 the smallness of an isolated luminous object which can be 

 visible through the microscope. The limitations imposed by 

 the undulatory theory affect only the distance apart of two 

 objects or the fineness of structures in order that they may 

 b*^ capable of resolution. 



We have received a circular issued under the auspices 

 of the German Ornithological Society, and signed by 

 -Mr. J. Thienemann, of Rossitten, Keer, Nehrung, East 

 Prussia, directing attention to an experiment about to be 

 made with the view of increasing our knowledge of the 

 seasonal wanderings of birds. During the present autumn 

 and next spring it is proposed to capture at Rossitten some 

 hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of rooks (or crows?), upon 

 the foot of each of which is to be fastened a metal ring 

 bearing a number and the date of capture, after which the 

 birds are to be set at liberty. Whenever such marked birds 

 are killed, it is requested that the leg bearing the ring 

 may be cut off and forwarded to Rossitten, with a label 

 recording the date and place of capture. 



The latest issue (vol. xxxi. parts ii. and iii.) of Gegen- 

 baur's Morphologisches Jahrbuch appears in mourning on 

 account of the death, in June last, of its learned founder, 

 who superintended the journal nearly to the completion of 

 the twenty-ninth volume. A full biography is promised 

 in the next number, .'\mong the contents of the present 

 issue is an article on the comparative anatomy and develop- 

 ment of the heart and aorta in vertebrates, by Mr. A. Greil, 

 and a second, by Dr. K. Fiirbringer, on the visceral skeleton 

 of sharks and rays. In a third, Mr. K. Gehry demonstrates 

 that the bunch of axillary muscles (" Achselbogen ") in 

 man really represents the panniculus carnosus of lower 

 rtiammals. 



The first part of the " Aarbog " of the Bergen Museum 

 is devoted entirely to descriptions of the invertebrate fauna 

 of Norway and its seas. Miss E. Arnesen contributes the 

 second instalment of her account of the sponges, dealing 

 in this section with the halichondrine group of the 

 Monaxonida. The nemertean worms are described at con- 

 siderable length by Mr. R. C. Punnett, of Cambridge, who 

 records a number of new species collected by himself and 

 Dr. Nordgaard in the fjords round Bergen in the summers 

 of 1901 and 1902. Another article, by Mr. E. T. Browne, 

 of University College, London, deals with medusas from 

 Norway and Spitsbergen, among which are several 

 novelties. 



We have received vol. xxxiii. part ii, of Travaux de la 

 SociiU Impiriale des Naturalistes de St. Pdtersbourg. Its 

 contents include an article on biological method in " zoo- 

 NO. 1771, VOL. 68] 



psychology," by Mr. W. Wagner, a second, by Mr. H. 

 Goebel, on the birds of Lapland and the Solovetski Islands, 

 and a third, by Mr. K. St. Hilaire, on the change of sub- 

 stance in cells and connective tissue. The latter article is 

 largely based on the acid-secreting glands of molluscs. 

 Ai regards the birds of Lapland, the author finds that out 

 of a total of 198 species, 133 are certainly known to breed 

 in that country, while another 34 probably do so. Of the 

 remainder, 17 are stragglers and 6 winter visitors, while i 

 is a pelagic species, and the other 7 are found only in the 

 Solovetski Islands. 



The September number of Animal Life contains an 

 article by Mr. Lydekker on local variation in the giraffe, 

 illustrated by one coloured plate and a number of photo- 

 graphic reproductions from paintings. After referring to 

 the marked differences between the Somali giraffe {Giraffa 

 reticularis) and the typical G. catnelopardalis, the author 

 points out that evidence is gradually accumulating as to 

 the existence of a number of local races of the latter. The 

 article is chiefly based upon specimens now, or recently, 

 living in the Duke of Bedford's collection at Woburn and 

 in the Zoological Society's Gardens, and on two mounted 

 examples in the Natural History Museum. The Woburn 

 and Regent's Park forms are definitely identified, but, 

 owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the description of 

 two subspecies founded by a German writer, the author has 

 refrained from giving names to the British Museum speci- 

 mens, which clearly indicate distinct races. A name is, 

 however, assigned to the Congo giraffe. 



An official report has been issued in Simla on the mortality 

 caused by wild beasts and snakes in India. In 1902 the 

 total mortality caused by wild animals was 2836, of which 

 1046 are reported as being due to tigers, and deaths re- 

 ported from snake-bite numbered 23,166. In addition 

 80,796 cattle were destroyed by wild animals, and 9019 by 

 snakes. The number of wild animals for the destruction 

 of which rewards were paid in 1902 was 14,983, of which 

 1331 were tigers; the number of snakes killed was 72,595. 

 The amount paid in rewards for the destruction of wild 

 animals was Rs. 1,00,987, and for the destruction of snakes 

 Rs. 3529. 



A notable contribution to the subject of proteid meta- 

 bolism is made by Mr. E. Godlewski in a paper which 

 appears in the Bulletin international de I'Academie des 

 Sciences de Cracovie. The general conclusions arrived at 

 are that flowering plants, i.e. germinating seedlings as well 

 as fungi, can, in the dark and in an atmosphere devoid of 

 COj, absorb and work up nitrogen from nitrates even to 

 th- e.xtent of building up proteid substances ; but for the 

 continued formation of proteids to any considerable extent 

 a supplv of plastic carbohydrate must be present in order to 

 furnish the energy required, such, for instance, as the sugar 

 or starch present in germinating tubers or bulbs. Also, 

 according to the author, light has a direct as well as an 

 indirect action in increasing the amount of proteid sub- 

 stances formed. 



A SMALL brochure on " Propagating Plants," written by 

 Mr. D. S. Fish, of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, 

 will be found useful by amateur gardeners who wish to 

 obtain practical information on the methods of raising seed- 

 lings, striking cuttings, and similar matters. It is pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Dawbarn and Ward, London. 



The " Guide to the Sydney Botanic Gardens," which has 

 been prepared by the director, Mr. J. H. Maiden, with 

 assistance from other members of the staff, bears witness 

 to the wealth of vegetation which has been planted round 



