304 



NA TURE 



[January 26, 1905 



I 



pendants of the same material, showing a close imitation 

 of Egyptian models. The form of this mausoleum, with 

 its square chamber, is unique, and contrasts with that of 

 the tholos tombs of mainland Greece. The position in 

 which it lies commands the whole south ^-Egean to Melos 

 and Santorin, and Central Crete from Dicta to Ida. 



We have to welcome an addition to the already lengthy 

 list of American biological serials in the form of a Bulletin 

 issued by the Springfield (Mass.) Museum of Natural 

 History, of which the first number is in our hands. This 

 is devoted to the description of the early stages in the 

 development of the ground-beetles of the family Carabidae, 

 as exemplified by a member of the genus Dicaelus, in which 

 the larva is of the ordinary predaceous type, and one of 

 Brachinus, in which the larva is parasitic and degenerate. 

 Of the adult beetles, the more specialised seems to be 

 Brachinus. The authors of the paper are Messrs. Dimmock 

 and Knab. 



The Albany Museum, according to the report for the 

 first half of 1904, continues to make steady progress, and 

 it is satisfactory to learn that arrangements are under 

 consideration both for augmenting the staff and for in- 

 creasing the size of the building, .^n important part of 

 the museum's work is the investigation of the life-history 

 of insects injurious to agriculture and horticulture, and 

 the discovery of the best means of checking their ravages. 

 For this purpose a piece of ground adjoining the museum 

 has been enclosed, and it is hoped that funds will shortly 

 be forthcoming for erecting in this enclosure an insect- 

 house, without the aid of which the work can be carried 

 on only with difficulty. 



The Field Naturalists' Quarterly for December, 1904, 

 strikes us as being an unusually excellent number. It 

 includes, in the first place, the second of the series of 

 plates illustrating the development of the frog. Later on 

 we have the first instalment of a set of articles by the 

 editor (Dr. G. Leighton) explaining modern investigations 

 on heredity in a manner calculated to bring home the 

 fundamental truths of this complex subject to every in- 

 telligent reader, the development of the germ-plasm being 

 the text of this contribution. In a preliminary note the 

 editor expresses the hope that his articles will induce many 

 persons who reside in the country to take up the practical 

 investigation of some form of heredity for themselves. A 

 third article to which we may direct attention is one by 

 Mr. H. E. Forrest in which simple methods of distin- 

 guishing the various species of British bats are formulated. 

 We notice that the author adheres to the old-fashioned 

 nomenclature for the members of this group. 



We have received the January number of Climate, which 

 contains an illustrated description of the Japanese soldier's 

 outfit, and articles on blackwater fever, water and its con- 

 nection with disease, the drinking habits of native races, 

 climate and health in hot countries, &c. The medical 

 articles are semi-popular in character, and should be useful 

 to missionaries and others stationed in districts remote 

 from medical aid. 



The Journal of the Royal Sanitary Institute (vol. xxv., 

 part iii.) forms a bulky volume of some 600 pages. It 

 contains a number of interesting and important papers and 

 discussions thereon contributed to the congress of the in- 

 stitute at Glasgow last year. They are on such varied 

 subjects as disinfection in phthisis (Prof. Kenwood and Dr. 

 Allan), prevention of diphtheria (Dr. Cobbett), sewage 

 disposal, school hygiene and ventilation, conditions of 

 housing, &c. 



NO 1839, VOL. 71] 



The December (1904) number of the Johns Hopkins 

 Hospital Bulletin (vol. xv.. No. 165) contains an account 

 of the opening of the new surgical building and clinical 

 amphitheatre of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, a descrip- 

 tion of a new chromogenic bacillus, B. cyaneum, and 

 various papers of medical interest. In the new buildings 

 a tablet has been erected to the memory of Dr. Jesse 

 Lazear, who died from an attack of yellow fever while 

 investigating that disease in Cuba. 



It is proposed to add to Reichenbach's " Icones Florae 

 Germanicae et Helveticse " a number of extra volumes con- 

 taining monographs of critical genera. The publishers, 

 Messrs. von Zezschwitz, of Gera, announce the immediate 

 issue of the first of these, in which the genus Hieracium 

 is treated by Dr. J. Alurr and Mr. H. Zahn. 



The cultivation of mushrooms is not such an important 

 business in the United States of America as in Great 

 Britain and France. With the view of extending and im- 

 proving the trade. Prof. B. M. Duggar has written a 

 pamphlet on the subject, which has been issued by the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Farmers' Bulletin. 

 The preparation of English brick spawn and French flake 

 spawn is dependent upon the haphazard collection of what 

 is known as " virgin spawn " in the open. Prof. Duggar 

 has for some time attempted to discover the conditions 

 which are necessary for the germination of mushroom 

 spores. He has already succeeded in germinating spores 

 in pure cultures by means of chemical stimulation, and 

 hopes shortly to make the process more practical. This 

 will enable the grower to produce a definite strain, and 

 if necessary to obtain improved varieties by selection. 



The /Ii!i-i-.1/c()«i-i, or annals of the Emperor Akbar, 

 written in the Persian language, contain descriptions of 

 \'arious customs which prevailed during the Moghul period. 

 .\mongst these was the use of perfumes in religious 

 observances, and the emperor took a personal interest in 

 the preparation of the ingredients. A short summary of 

 the principal substances and their sources is contributed 

 by Mr. D. Hooper to the October (1904) number of the 

 Calcutta Review. Among vegetable products, Aquilaria 

 agallocha, aloe-wood, was then as now valued for the 

 oleo-resin agar, and an oil known as chuwah ; sandal- 

 wood was used as a powder, and perfumes were distilled 

 from the rose, orange, jasmine, and broad-leaved willow, 

 Salix caprea. Ambergris obtained from the sperm whale, 

 the moist secretion of the civet cat, and the opercula of 

 certain molluscs, known as "fingernails," were important 

 animal products. 



Pamphlet series No. 32, issued by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for the West Indies, gives a summary 

 of the results on the cultivation of seedling and other 

 canes at the Barbados experiment stations in 1904. As in 

 previous years the investigation has been conducted by 

 Prof. d'.\lbuquerque and Mr. Bovell. Sixteen sugar estate! 

 in typical localities were selected, thirteen on black Eoili 

 and three on red soils. The ceedlingr were treated in 

 precisely the same manner as the ordinary canes. The 

 season was favourable, there was very little root disease, 

 and the crop consequently was above the average. Cane 

 B 208 again gave uniformly good results, both as plant 

 canes and ratoons, and it is recommended for a general 

 trial on a field scale in all red soil districts. A newer cane, 

 1? 1529, however, takes the first place in the black soil 

 list, coming out second to B 208 in the red soil list. Its 

 cultivation will consequently be extended to as many ex- 

 perimental plots as possible. Cane B 147, at one time 



