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NoVEMBER 29, 1906 | 
WATDORLES 
109 
during the late Pleistocene epoch, and likewise demonstrates 
that, as might have been guessed, the head-stall is older 
than the bit. 
THE cruciform brooches of Norway form the subject of 
a long article by Mr. Haakon Schetelig in the second part 
of the ‘*‘ Bergens Museum Aarbog’’ for 1906. Prototypes 
of these ornaments occur in the ‘peat of Nydam, and are 
believed to date from about 350 A.p., and they are con- 
sidered to have been introduced into Norway about the 
same time, since they are found there in graves containing 
weapons and implements of the Nydam type. In a second 
article Mr. O. J. Lie-Pettesen discusses the habits and 
etiology of Norwegian humble-bees, more especially in con- 
nection with the powers of orientating their position and 
finding their way home. The development of the 
crustaceans of the genus Sclerocrangon, and more especially 
that of S. ferox, discovered in the North Atlantic by the 
Norwegian expedition of 1876-78, forms the subject of a 
communication by Mr. Alf Wolleboek. A striking re- 
semblance exists between the development of Sclerocrangon 
and that of Astacus fluviatilis, which is remarkable con- 
sidering the comparatively wide geographical separation of 
the two forms, and that one is marine and the other fresh- 
water. The concluding paper, by Mr. K. Hye, deals 
mainly with the mould, Torula epizoa, affecting dried cod. 
Tables are given showing the percentage of spores of this 
mould in various Norwegian localities, and measures are 
suggested for preventing its ravages on stores of the fish. 
Lreut.-CotoneL C. D. Durnrorp has a second paper on 
the flying-fish problem in the November number of the 
Annals and Magazine of Natural History. As was noted 
in our columns at the time, the author in his original paper 
(published in the January issue of the aforesaid journal) 
endeavoured to prove on mathematical grounds that the 
““aéroplane theory ’’ of the flight of these fishes was a 
physical impossibility, owing to the relatively small wing- 
superficies, and that consequently progression through the 
air must be due to intensely rapid wing-vibration, aided 
in certain circumstances by movements of the tail, which 
in all cases give rise to the initial impetus. In the supple- 
mentary communication Colonel Durnford adduces further 
evidence in favour of his explanation of the phenomenon. 
Under average conditions, the chief features of the flight 
appear to be as follows:—(1) the tail-impelled, visibly 
wing-assisted jump from the water to a height where the 
wings can work visibly; (2) the flight continued by an 
intensely rapid and laboured wing-movement, generally 
mistaken for a condition of rest, and, if seen at all, visible 
only as a blur; (3) short periods of slowing down of wing- 
movement, when the vibrations again become perceptible ; 
(4) either sudden cessation of wing-movement, followed by 
an immediate drop into the water, or a short slow-down 
into visibility immediately preceding the immersion. The 
result of careful dissection has been to demonstrate that 
flying-fish possess much greater development of the pectoral 
and caudal muscles than non-volant pelagic fishes of 
similar proportions. 
Pror. C. O. Wuirman has favoured us with a copy of 
an address (reprinted from vol. v. of the ‘‘ Congress of 
Arts and Science, Universal Exposition, St. Louis, 1904 ’’) 
delivered by himself on the problem of the origin of 
species. It is argued that although Eimer’s theory of 
orthogenesis and the mutation hypothesis of de Vries 
appear, respectively, to be contradictory to Darwin’s 
natural selection, yet all three, in the professor’s opinion, 
may be reconciled. Mutation may be admitted to be 
NO. 1935, VOL. 75| 
true in the case of the evening-primrose, but this by no 
means indicates that it occurs in most other 
On the contrary, the author affirms that he possesses con- 
clusive evidence that species-forming variation advances 
in a definite direction (orthogenesis), although there are 
also variations advancing in different directions (amphi- 
genesis). Orderly variation does not imply teleology, and 
the orthogenetic progress (of which we have an excellent 
sample in the development of the dark markings on the 
wings of pigeons) is the primary and fundamental one. 
“Tn its course we find unlimited opportunities for the 
play of natural selection, escape the great difficulty of 
incipient stages, and readily understand why we find so 
many conditions arising and persisting without any direct 
help of selection.” 
On the subject of the variations in the 
ferns grown in the sun or in shade, Miss J. H. M'Ilroy 
publishes some notes on the leaves of Nephrodium Filixmas 
and Scolopendrium vulgare in the Proceedings of the Royal 
Philosophical Society of Glasgow, 1906. A marked differ- 
ence was noted for two plants of Nephrodium with regard 
to the surface area of the leaves, that was twice as large 
in the case of the shaded plant as on the plant grown 
in direct sunlight, while the proportion was exactly re- 
versed in the matter of spore output. 
instances. 
leaves of 
Tur Sea Island cotton produced in St. Vincent con- 
tinues to maintain its excellent quality. Mr. W. N. Sands, 
the agricultural superintendent, states in his annual report 
for 1905-6 that a considerable quantity realised nineteen 
and twenty pence per pound. Owing to the refusal of 
planters in the United States to supply seed of this variety, 
St. Vincent seed was selected to supply local needs and 
the requirements of other islands in the West Indies. 
After cotton, cacao received the most attention, and nut- 
meg plants were also in request. With respect to shade 
for cacao trees, the Madura, Gliricidia maculata, is pre- 
ferred in St. Vincent to Immortels, as being less liable to 
suffer from scale insects. 
Mr. E. M. Freeman, who has published previous papers 
on the fungus of Lolium temulentum, contributes a note 
on its affinities in Annales Mycologici, vol. iv., No. 1, 
showing that its continued existence in the grass is similar 
to the propagation of loose smut in wheat and barley. 
Brefeld and Hecke have observed that a spore of the smut 
falling on the young ovary of these cereals can produce 
a mycelium, and later on spores from which germinating 
tubes pass into the developing embryo. In Lolium spores 
are not formed, but the mycelium persists until the embryo 
begins to develop and then grows into it. The author 
suggests that the evolutionary sequence in Lolium is later 
than that in the cereals on the hypothesis that spore form- 
ation has been prevented. 
Tue “Agricultural Statistics of India for the Years 1900-1 
to 1904-5? have been published in two volumes, the first 
dealing with British India and the second with the native 
States. The statistics have been compiled in the office 
of the director-general of commercial intelligence, and 
may be regarded as a trustworthy record of the agricultural 
industries of India. Running as the volumes do to more 
than 300 foolscap pages of figures, it is possible only to 
refer to one or two of the many interesting subjects in- 
cluded. The tables dealing with the area under cultiva- 
tion and total yield in the case of indigo show that from 
1892 to 1900 the number of acres under cultivation was 
never under a million, and in 1894-5 was nearly a million 
and three-quarters. During the same period the number 
