128 



NA TURE 



[Feb 



RUARY 5, I903 



record appeared about the same time as the capture of the 

 second specimen. It will be noticed that the first specimen 

 was taken in the height of the Australian summer and the 

 second in the winter. 



Attention is directed by Dr. W. Innes, in vol. iv. No. 6 

 of the Journal of the Khedivial Agricultural Society, to the 

 marked diminution which has taken place in the numbers of the 

 more common species of birds met with in the neighbourhood 

 of Cairo. The rock-dove, it is admitted, does an appreciable 

 amount of damage to agricultural products, but the majority of 

 species, and especially the birds of prey, are beneficial. In the 

 last-named group, the diminution in numbers is very noticeable ; 

 but quite as serious is the almost total extermination of the 

 cattle-egret, which a few years ago was common on wet lands, 

 or might be seen following the plough in search of mole- 

 crickets and larva;. "This bird was so common in the past 

 and did so much good that many travellers confounded it with 

 the sacred ibis of ancient times. Although its flesh is poor, 

 this bird has not escaped so-called sportsmen, who kill it simply 

 for the sake of killing." If the birds are not speedily re- 

 habilitated, resort to other and expensive means of destroying 

 deleterious insects will be necessary. The writer urges the 

 authorities to take such steps for bird protection as may seem 

 most suitable without loss of time. 



In the December issue of the Quarterly Journal or Micro- 

 scopical Science, Prof. J. G. Kerr continues his account of the 

 development of the South American lung-fish (Lepidosiren 

 paradoxa), treating in this instance of the skin and its deriva- 

 tives. In a previous communication, the author has referred 

 to the remarkable difference in the appearance of a young 

 Lepidosiren by day and by night, the creature at a certain 

 stage of development being of a deep brownish-black by day- 

 light and quite colourless at night. This change of color- 

 ation is found to be associated with the withdrawal of the 

 dendritic pseudopodia of the chromatophores. Attention is 

 directed to the fact that the so-called "cement-organ" is 

 developed from the deep layer of the epidermis, instead of, as 

 in amphibians, from the superficial layer. In another com- 

 munication to the same journal, Prof. W. A. Haswell describes 

 a new species of cestode worm infesting the alimentary canal of 

 the Port Jackson shark. It belongs to the group in which the 

 "proglottides" are set free from the "strobila" long before 

 full maturity has been reached, and only attain a stage corre- 

 sponding to the "ripe proglottides" of an ordinary Taenia 

 after having pursued an independent existence for some con- 

 siderable time. 



Further observations on the habits of Hypopeltis, an insect 

 which causes serious damage to the tea bushes, are recorded by 

 Mr. E. E. Green, the entomologist at the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Ceylon. There are two periods of inactivity, during 

 January to March, a season of comparative drought, and again 

 from June to August, the season of heavy rainfall. The present 

 paper deals with observations made during the former period. 

 Attempts were made to capture the insects by means of a 

 powerful acetylene light, but failed, partly, perhaps, on account 

 of their relative scarcity ; the females when caught were found 

 to contain a large number of eggs, but detailed examination of 

 shoots and leaves showed that very few eggs had been deposited, 

 and such as were found were mostly empty. The writer condemns 

 the system of close plucking, whereby a brush-like formation of 

 small shoits is produced which is particularly suited to the tastes 

 of the Hypopeltis ; he points out that systematic capture of the 

 insects would be economical, and suggests an arrangement of 

 cutting up the plantation into blocks, each block being screened 

 off by a narrow belt of trees. 



:. T o. 1736, vol. 67] 



Short abstracts of the papers which were read at the Inter- 

 national Conference on Plant Breeding and Hybridisation, held 

 in New York last October, appear in the U.S. Experiment 

 Station Record, published by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. The papers by Dr. Bateson and Mr. C. C. Hurst 

 both deal with aspects of Mendel's laws. Allusion was made 

 to the inconstancy of crosses, which often results in reversion, 

 and the explanation was offered that this may be attributed to 

 the crossing of species which are not constant in character. 

 Prof, de Vries took for his subject " Artificial Atavism," defining 

 atavism as the occasional restoration of an old type in a com- 

 pound cross. The paper by Mr. M. Leichtlin, on some points 

 essential to success in plant breeding, drew forth several remarks 

 on the vitality of pollen, which may maintain its potency for 

 months. Dr. D. Morris gave some account of the experiments 

 which are being made in the West Indies to improve the sugar- 

 cane, and mentioned that improvements have in some cases 

 been obtained by making use of bud variations. The incon- 

 stancy of plants produced bycrossingfindsan excellent illustration 

 in the experiments made by Dr. L. H. Bailey with pumpkins. 



The unique features of the flora and fauna of the Galapagos 

 Islands have been well described by Darwin in the account 

 which he gave of his visit during the voyage of the Beagle, and 

 Sir W. J. Hooker remarked upon the similarity of the flora to 

 that of the mainland. The most recent information on this 

 subject appears in a memoir written by Mr. B. L. Robinson and 

 publi>hed in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts 

 and Sciences. Mr. Robinson has, with the aid of specialists, 

 not only worked through the rich collection of plants brought 

 back by the Hopkins-Stanford expedition, but has summarised 

 the results of previous accounts and records. The present more 

 extended knowledge still bears out the specialised nature of the 

 Galapageian flora, which is related to that of the adjacent 

 continent and yet distinguished by peculiar varieties, and which 

 is characterised by discontinuity of species and forms even on 

 adjacent islands. The writer discusses the hypotheses which 

 have been advanced regarding the origin of these islands, and, 

 basing his arguments on the limited possibility of seed trans- 

 ference from the mainland to the islanfs or from one island to- 

 the other, and also upon the opportunity for variation owing 

 to specialised conditions, he is led to favour the theory of 

 emergence. 



The attractive " Open-air Studies in Geology," by Prof. 

 Grenville A. J. Cole, published by Messrs. Griffin and Co., 

 Ltd., in 1S95, have now reached a second edition. In the new 

 issue, several changes have been made and the book will thus 

 pursue its useful career with renewed vigour. A few new 

 pictures have also been added. 



Botanical material of all kinds required for purposes of 

 instruction has been supplied for some time by Messrs. J. 

 Backhouse and Son, Ltd. , York, and many teachers and students 

 have availed themselves of this convenient means of obtaining 

 specimens and preparations. The British Botanical Associ- 

 ation has been formed to carry on and extend work of this kind, 

 hitherto undertaken by Messrs. Backhouse. The managing 

 director of the Association is Dr. A. H. Burlt, and the address 

 is The Laboratories, Holgate, York. 



A corv of the third German edition of Prof. E. Mach's 

 "Popular-wissenschaftliche Vorlesungen " has been received 

 from the publisher, Herr J. A. Barth, Leipzig. Fortunately for 

 students of science who do not read German easily, Prof. 

 Mach's popular scientific lectures have been translated into- 

 I English, and the third English edition contains substantially 

 I the same articles as those in the present volume. Students or 



