APRIL 2, 1914] 
NATURE 
119 
In the Report of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, for 
1912-13, Dr. Annandale is enabled to record an in- 
crease in the number of visitors, and likewise to 
chronicle the occupation and installation of the new 
laboratories and offices on the top of the Chowringhi 
side of the main building. The whole of the old 
building has been made over to the Geological Survey. 
IN vol. x., part 7, of the Annals of the South African 
Museum, Mr. K. H. Barnard continues his account 
of the crustacean fauna of South Africa, dealing in 
the first instance with the marine Isopoda, of which 
two genera and numerous species are described as 
new. Of much more general interest is his descrip- 
tion of a new species of the genus Phreatoicus from 
Table Mountain; the genus being the typical repre- 
sentative of a southern terrestrial and fresh-water 
family of the Isopoda, containing three other genera. 
Hitherto the Phreatoicidz have been known .aly from 
Australia, Tasmania, and New Zcaiand, and it is 
therefore of great interest to find it represented in 
South Africa, and that, too, by a member of the 
typical genus. Whether the group will ultimately 
turn up in South America remains to be seen, but the 
new discovery affords additional evidence of the com- 
munity of the fauna of the old ‘* Gondwanaland.”’ 
WE have been favoured with a copy of a summary, 
by Dr. Max Firbringer, of the scientific results of 
Prof. R. Semon’s zoological expedition to the Malay 
Archipelago and Australasia, as worked out by 
specialists in the six volumes of the  well- 
known ‘‘Zoologische Forschungsreisen,’”’ to which 
this ‘‘Schlusstibersicht’’ forms an appendix. Prof. 
Semon started on his journey from Jena in June, 
1891, remaining from the following September until 
January, 1892, in Australia, and spending from 
February until May in visiting Easter and other 
islands, and the south coast of British New Guinea. 
At the end of October, 1892, he arrived in Java, 
whence he proceeded to the Mollucas, Celebes, etc., 
finally returning homeward in April, 1893. On his 
arrival scientific work was commenced with the least 
possible delay, so that the ‘‘ Reisen’? embodies the 
results of some twenty years’ labour. How greatly 
these labours have augmented our knowledge of mar- 
supials, monotremes, Ceratodus, and many _ other 
groups, to say nothing of their bearing on the problems 
of distribution in the Austro-Malay area, is well known 
to every working zoologist. 
AN instructive account of experiments on the manur- 
ing of grass land in Oxfordshire has been prepared by 
Mr. G. R. Bland (Bulletin 15, University College, 
Reading). The work, which was commenced in 19009, 
has, been carried out with special reference to the 
conditions obtaining with soils of different geological 
formations, and, in order to allow of comparison in 
other cases, a geological and a rainfall map of the 
county are included. The scheme of manuring is, if 
anything, rather limited in scope, but the general 
character of the account with regard to yields, profit 
and loss, botanical composition of the herbage and 
photographs of certain of the plots, is of great value, 
and is worthy of imitation by other county workers. 
NOs 24S, VOL, .03 | 
IN a contribution to the Journal of Agricultural 
Research, Mr. G. N. Collins describes a drought- 
resisting adaptation in maize which appears to possess 
considerable economic value for conditions in semi- 
arid regions. Experience has shown that, in the case 
of common varieties, if the seed is planted at the 
customary depth, many seeds fail to germinate from 
insufficient moisture; if planted deep enough ‘to come 
in contact with moist soil, the plants may fail to 
reach the surface. A study of the varieties grown 
by the Hopis and other agricultural Indians shows, 
however, that these varieties possess two special adap- 
tions: (1) a greatly elongated mesocotyl that permits 
of deep planting, and (2) the development of a single 
large radicle that rapidly descends to the moist sub- 
soil and supplies water during the critical seedling 
stage. The productive power of some of these varie- 
ties compares favourably with that of ordinary ‘im- 
prov-~.” varieties even when grown under irrigation 
conditions. On these grounds a further study of some 
of these special varieties seems desirable. 
To restrain a horizontal pendulum from executing 
its own oscillations during the passage of earthquake- 
waves, some method of damping is usually resorted 
to, either the electromagnetic method of Galitzin, the 
air-damping of Wiechert, or the liquid damping of 
other seismologists. After three years’ work in ex- 
perimenting with free and damped pendulums, Dr. A. 
Cavasino concludes (Boll, Soc. Sism. Ital., vol. xvii., 
pp. 89-101) that a damped pendulum still tends to 
oscillate with its proper period; that except with 
violent earthquakes the beginning of the movement 
is retarded, it may be for several minutes, as com- 
pared with that indicated by a free pendulum; and 
that less than one-half of the earthquakes recorded by 
a free pendulum are registered by a corresponding 
damped pendulum. 
In the Proceedings of the American Philosophical 
Society, Philadelphia (vol. lii., No. 208, pp. 31-162), 
Mr. J. J. Stevenson brings to a conclusion his lengthy 
monograph on the formation of coal beds. Parts i. 
and ii. appeared in vol. 1., and part iii. in vol. li., of 
the same journal. Whether geologists accept his 
views or not—and many geologists will do so—all will 
be grateful to him for his great labour in gathering 
together the opinions of others on this much-discussed 
subject, and for the pains he has taken in collecting 
evidence from modern deposits of carbonaceous mate- 
rial and from Coal Measures of all ages in all parts 
of the globe. The author concludes :—‘ The coal beds 
and the associated rocks are of land origin; the 
detrital deposits are those made by flooding waters on 
wide-spreading plains; the coal beds, in all essential 
features, bear remarkable resemblance to peat deposits, 
sometimes to the treeless moor, more frequently to the 
Wald: moor.” But, as he very truly says, many 
matters still await explanation, and he emphasises the 
fact that no extensive coalfield has yet been closely 
studied, for in spite of the imposing array of skeleton 
sections there is an astounding lack of detail respect- 
ing many matters which appear to have no important 
bearing on commerce. Until the topography and geo. 
graphy of the Coal Measures land have been worked 
