June 22, 1916] 



NATURE 



351 



w 



sumably celestine, like the well-known examples from 

 Aust, which were mentioned by \Vm. Phillips as far 

 back as 1816. H. Bolton and C. J. Waterfall have 

 described the occurrence at Abbots Leigh as '" strontia." 

 Messrs. Greenwood and Travis indicate the presence 

 of secondary, as well as primary, rutile in the Triassic 

 rocks of W'irral. The former author, in a paper on 

 the paragenesis of marcasite, wurtzite, and calcite at 

 Halkyn Mountain, North Wales, concludes that, while 

 the two former minerals arise from acid solutions ^sce 

 Nature, vol. xciv., p. 430), a higher temperature or a 

 greater concentration ot acid is required for the pro- 

 duction of wurtzite than is required for marcasite. In 

 the Halkyn case the acid present was the carbonic 

 acid that simultaneously gave rise to calcite. Zinc- 

 blende here predominates largely over wurtzite, while 

 more than 90 per cent, of the iron disulphide is present 

 in the form of marcasite. 



The same society also issues a part entitled the Cope 

 Memorial Volume, presented to geologists in this form 

 bv the generosity of Mrs. T. H. Cope, and embodying 

 the researches of her late husband on the igneous 

 rocks of the Berwyn Hills. G. A. J. C. 



THE ''RUSSIAN ZOOLOGICAL REVIEW.' 



JE have received the first number of a new Russian 

 journal, of which the French title is given as 

 Revue Zoologtquc Kusse. It is published at aIoscow, 

 under the editorship of Prof. A. N. Sewertzoff and 

 W. S. Elpatiewsky, of the Moscow University. The 

 intention of the editors is to publish preliminary notes 

 and short articles on zoology, comparative anatomy, 

 histology, and embryology, together with abstracts, 

 personalia, and a zoological bibliography. The text 

 is to be either in Russian with a French or English 

 resume, or in French or English with a Russian 

 resume. 



The contents of this first number show that the 

 editors aim at a high standard of work. One of the 

 most interesting contributions is an account of some 

 important experiments by D. Filatoff on the removal 

 and transplantation of the auditor}- vesicle of the 

 embryo toad. It has been known for some years that 

 the optic vesicle of certain embr\os can be transplanted, 

 and that the presence of such transplanted vesicles 

 determines the development of a lens from the epiblast 

 in abnormal situations. M. Filatoff claims to have 

 established analogous facts with regard to the auditory 

 vesicles. He maintains that the presence of the audi- 

 tory vesicle, even in an abnormal situation, determines 

 the formation of a cartilaginous auditory capsule from 

 the surrounding mesenchyme cells, which would 

 not normally give rise to such a structure. Unfor- 

 tunately for English readers, tfie original article is 

 published in Russian, and the English abstract is 

 scarcely detailed enough to afford convincing proof 

 that the author has established his point with regard 

 to the development of the auditor}' capsule. That an 

 auditory capsule does actually develop around the 

 transplanted vesicle there seems to be no doubt, but, 

 as the author himself suggests, it seems to be possible 

 that it may develop from mesenchyme cells trans- 

 planted with the auditor}' vesicle, and this is the point 

 which we should like to see more satisfactorily cleared 

 up, though we agree that the probabilities are in favour 

 of the contention that it arises from the surrounding 

 mesenchyme of the new locus. 



We regret to note in this article the oft-repeated use 

 of the German word "Anlagfe," which seems to have 

 established itself permanently as an essential part of 

 embryological terminology. Why it should have done 

 so we have never been able to understand, for the 

 term " rudiment " seems to meet all requirements in a 



NO. 2434, VOL. 97] 



perfectly satisfactory manner. It is true that this 

 term used to be very loosely employed by Eng- 

 lish writers, and was at one time very generally 

 applied to disappearing structures. The much more 

 appropriate term "vestige" has, however, now been 

 very generally accepted for structures belonging to 

 the latter category, and all possible objection to the 

 use of the term "rudiment" for the first recognisable 

 indication of a developing organ seems to have dis- 

 appeared. Not long ago it was customary on the part 

 of certain English zoologists to use the German 

 term " Haus " for the enveloping test of certain 

 Ascidians. The inappropriateness of the English word 

 '■ house " was perhaps recognised by these writers, 

 but did it really improve matters very much to adopt 

 the German form of the same word? Even since the 

 commencement of the war we have seen, in a news- 

 paper, the term "under-sea boat" — an obvious adop- 

 tion from the German- — used in place of our own "sub- 

 marine." It is little wonder, when we show ourselves 

 so slavishly dependent qpon German phraseology, that 

 the impression should have been created that in scien- 

 tific matters our German antagonists are a long wav 

 ahead of us. 



This digression, however^ has taken us a long wav 

 from the Revue Zoologique Russe, to which we wish 

 to extend a hearty welcome, and our best wishes for 

 a long and useful career. It says much for the con- 

 fidence and sanity of our great Allies that they are able 

 at such a time as this to devote their attention to 

 researches in pure science and even to find funds for 

 the publication of new journals. They have set an 

 example which those of us who are unable to take anv 

 active share in the prosecution of the war need not 

 be ashamed to follow. A. D. 



TffE WATER SUPPLY OF MELBOURNE. 

 "DECENT issues of the Engineer (April 7 and Mav 

 A^- 5) contain an extremely interesting resume of 

 the inception and gradual development of the water 

 supply system of the city of Melbourne. As is custo- 

 mary in the case of primitive settlements, the earliest 

 supplies were derived from the local river, the Yarra, 

 and until about the middle of last century this simple, 

 although scarcely altogether satisfactorv, expedient 

 sufficed for the needs of the inhabitants. In 1853, the 

 first steps were taken to secure a more trustworthy 

 and less contaminated supply from the watershed at 

 Mount Disappointment. This was achieved by the 

 formation of an embankment at Yan Yean. The 

 undertaking, which was completed in 1857, at a cost 

 of 754,206/., was considered to be capable of providing 

 a population of 200,000 with water at the rate of 

 30 gallons per head per day; as a matter of fact, it 

 considerably exceeded this expectation. The dam, 

 which was of earth, was 30 ft. in height, and formed 

 a lake of 1360 acres, with a water capacity of 6400 

 million gallons, of which 5400 million gallons were 

 available for consumption. 



By the year 1879 it became evident that additional 

 gathering ground was necessary to meet the demands 

 of a population now grown to 256,000. with a con- 

 sumption of 80 to 90 gallons per head per day. After 

 some search, a suitable extension of the ' existing- 

 system was devised to Wallaby Creek, on the north 

 side of Mount Disappointment'. The Wallabv Aque- 

 duct was constructed in 1883, 5^ miles long, with a 

 carrying- capacity of 33 million gallons, together with 

 the Toorourrong Reservoir, holding up 60 million 

 gallons of water, and forming a lake of ■?6 acres sur- 

 face. 



The city continued to expand, and, in process 

 of time, the Yan Yean system was fully exploited and 



