158 



NA TURE 



[December 18, 1902 



A fOlNT commission appointed by the Royal Society and the 

 London School of Tropical Medicine has been investigating the 

 African sleeping sickness. Tnis disease, endemic in the Congo 

 basin, has recently bean spreading eastwards with great rapidity, 

 causing a terrible mortality. Of the commissioners, Dr. Christie 

 an 1 Dr. Low (Craggs research student of the London School of 

 Tropical Medicine) are returning home, but Dr. Castellani 

 is remaining to complete his investigations. The latter has 

 isolated a streptococcus w'lich seems to be the specific cause of 

 the disease. The role of the Filaria psrstans as the causative 

 agent has been disproved by the commission. 



A number of cases of serious antemia having occurred in the 

 Dtlcoalh mine, Cornwall, an inquiry was instituted by the Home 

 Office into the cause of the affection. Dr. Haldane, with whom 

 was afterwards associated Dr. Boycott, made the interesting 

 discovery that the condition was one of ankylostomiasis, which 

 is due to the presence of an intestinal parasite, the Ankylo- 

 stomum duodenah. This disease is almost confined to tropical 

 countries, though it was met with among the navvies employed 

 in the piercing of the St. G Khard tunnel. Daubdess, in the 

 present instance, some of the miners who hid been working 

 abroad contracted the disease and brought the infection home 

 with them. 



In the December number of the Entomologist, Mr. E. 

 Bagwell-Purefoy gives further information with regard to the 

 successful introduction of the brimstone butterfly into Tipperary, 

 which was accomplished in 1894, after its feeding-plants had 

 been planted a few years previously in the county. This butterfly 

 ■ — the Gonepteryx rhamni of some authors and the Colias rhamni 

 of others — is found at Killarney and has been reported from 

 Wicklow, but is not a native of any other part of Ireland. In 

 1896, the colony of Tipperary was found to be in a flourishing 

 condition, and in 1901 and the present year had still further 

 multiplied. During the past summer, Mr. Purefoy has attempted 

 to introduce the handsome Mediterranean brimstone G. (or C.) 

 cleopatra into the same district — an experiment which will be 

 watched with interest. 



In the September issue of the Proceedings of the Philadelphia 

 Academy, Miss A. M. Fields records the results of experiments 

 made with a view of ascertaining the cause of the hostility to 

 one another displayed by different colonies of ants of the same 

 species, and likewise the influence of light of different colours 

 on these insects. The chief cause of the hostility of one colony 

 to another appears to be a difference of odour accompanied by a 

 difference in the age of the individuals composing the two 

 colonies. As regards colours, it is inferred that ants are able to 

 distinguish some of these, but may have no preference for one 

 more than another. Also that these insects gradually lose their 

 natural dislike of light by exposure to its influence. 



The remarkable differences in the life-history of different 

 colonies of an American land-planarian {Ptanaria maculata) 

 form the subject of a paper by Mr. W. C. Curtis in a recent 

 issue (vol. xxx. Nq. 7) of the Proceedings of the Boston (U.S A.) 

 Natural History Society. In certain localities, the creature ap- 

 parently reproduces its kind exclusively by fission, while in 

 others sexual reproduction occurs. There are yet other districts 

 in which both modes take place. It is suggested that the 

 asexual may replace the sexual mode of reproduction in the 

 same individuals, but to confirm or disprove this, an extended 

 period of observation is essential. 



The third volume of Mr. VV. S. Taggart's "Cotton Spinning", 

 (Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Ltd.) has reached a second edition. 

 The first two volumes deal with the preparing processes in 

 cotton spinning, while this pirt takes up the subject of spinning 

 and the preparation of yarns. Necessary additions have been 

 made to the new edition so as to bring the book up to date. 



NO. I/29. VOL. 67] 



In the Christmas number of Photography, Messrs. Iliffe and 

 Sons, Ltd., have presented us with an excellent and inexpen* 

 sive publication, printed on good paper aud studded with 

 numerous fine illustrations by various processes. This number 

 has set itself the task of reviewing and displaying the most 

 choice samples that have been shown to the public at the two 

 great exhibitions held at the New and Dudley Galleries this 

 year. A short but interesting monograph accompanies each 

 illustration, drawing the reader's attention to the chief points. 

 The publishers seem to have spared no pains to make the pro- 

 duction, as a whole, high class in every respect, and the book will 

 be found useful and valuable as illustrating types of subjects and 

 treatments which are utilised and cultivated at the present time. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Ring-tailed Coati (Nasna ritfa) from South 

 America, presented by Mr. E. Bieber ; a Banded Ichneumon 

 (Crosswchus fasialns) from Mozambique, presented by Mr. 

 F. D. Samuel; a Raven (Corvus corax) British, presented by 

 Mrs. Rose Haig Thomas ; a Douglass's Horned Lizard 

 (Phrynosot/ia douglassi) from the Rocky Mountains, presented 

 by Mr. C. W. H. Doubler ; a Hog Deer (Cervns pore inns) bom 

 in the Gardens. 



Erratum. — In letter on p. 126, col. 2, 1. 45, for "red 

 out " read " red." 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



COMET 1902 b (GlACOBINl). — Further observations of this 

 comet have been communicated to the Astronomisihe 

 Nachrichten (No. 3833). 



Mr. C. F. Pechule, of Copenhagen, made the following 

 observation on December 3 : — 



I4h. 38m. 20s. M.T. Copenhagen. Ai= - tin. 22s. 'oo. A5 = 

 + 1' 53"7. a (app.) =7h. 17m. 26s.'56. S (app.) = 

 -i° 51' iS"o, faint, 12th magnitude, small, diffuse. 



New Variable Stars. — Algol Variable, 20, 1902, Cygni. 

 — From photographs obtained by M. S. Blakjo, Madame 

 Ceraski has found that the star having the position (1S55) 

 a = 2ih. om. 44s. '6, 5= +45° II' 53", is a variable, and a 

 further examination of ten plates indicates that it is a variable 

 of the Algol type. 



18, 1902, Coronae. — Mr. Thomas Anderson has observed 

 that the star having the approximate position R.A. = l6h. 

 ion •;, Dec. = + 38° 8', (1855), has been rapidly decreasing in 

 brightness during November. 



The following magnitudes have been observed : — November 1, 

 S'5 ; November 7, 87 ; November 18, 92; November 21, 9'3- 



19, 1902, Pegasi. — Mr. Anderson also records the variability 

 of the star having the position R.A. = 2lh. 57m. '8, Dec. = 

 + 34° 25' (1S55). At maximum, its magnitude is midway between 

 9'i and 99, whilst at minimum it is only 02m. brighter than a 

 neighbouring 1 ith-magnitude star. Its period is seven months 

 (Aslronornische Nachrichten, No. 3S31). 



Herschel's Nebulous Regions of the Heavens.— -Dr. 

 Isaac Roberts has recently completed his photographic survey 

 of the fifty-two regions of the heavens described by William 

 Herschel, in his paper "The Construction of the Heavens" 

 (Phil. Trans., 1S11), as exhibiting extensive diffused nebulosity, 

 and has communicated the results of this survey to the Royal 

 Astronomical Society ( The Obseivatory, No. 325). 



Using a 20 inch reflector and a 5-inch Cooke lens to obtain 



1 simultaneous photographs, he has obtained negatives showing 



I stars of magnitude 16-17 with the former, and of magnitude 



j 14-15 with the latter instrument, thus securing images of objects 



at least as faint as those shown by Ilerschel's telescopes. 



These photographs show that in forty-eight cases out of the 

 fifty-two there is no trace of the extensive diffused nebulosity 

 described by Herschel. On the remaining four, there is nebulosity 

 which forms parts of three extensive nebulous clouds, which, 

 however, Herschel could not have seen in so complete a form 

 as they are shown on the photographs. 



New Minor. Planets. —Prof. Max Wolf , announces, in 

 No. 3831 of the Asirdnomische Nachrichten, (he discovery of 



