588 
FOLLOWING its removal to surroundings better suited to 
studies of this nature, Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, has 
founded a natural history society of its own, the first re- 
port of which is now before us. Naturally, the start has 
been somewhat uphill work; but, nevertheless, considerable 
progress has been made, and all the sections are in work- 
ing order. Funds appear to be much needed for the 
Tr useum. 
To the February issue of the Proceedings of the Phila- 
delphia Academy Mr. J. A. G. Rehn contributes a paper 
on the Central and South American bats of the genus 
Chilonycteris, in which all the species are critically re- 
viewed. The most striking feature about these bats is the 
occurrence of a rufous and a dark brown phase in each 
species. In some the two phases are very marked, but in 
others they are connected by intermediate shades. It is 
not stated whether the two phases (which also occur in bats 
of two allied genera) have any connection with locality. 
In the report of the Trivandrum Museum for 1903 atten- 
tion is directed to two dolphins obtained during the year. 
One has been identified by ir. Lydekker with Tursiops 
catalania, hitherto known only from Australian seas, while 
the second has been made the type of a new species, Sotalia 
fergusoni. Descriptions of both were sent to the Bombay 
Natural History Society. Mr. Ferguson, who is about to 
retire from the post of director, summarises the progress 
that has been made in the museum during his term of 
office. When he took over the duties in 1888 the collection 
consisted of ‘‘ odds and ends,’’ without any representation 
either of the arts and manufactures or of the fauna of 
Travancore. This ‘‘ curiosity shop’? has been replaced by 
a representative series of local arts and manufactures, as 
well as by nearly complete collections of the vertebrates. 
AN important paper, by Dr. Bashford Dean, on the hag- 
fishes of Japan, is published in the Journal of the Tokyo 
University School of Science (vol. xix. art. 2). Two new 
species are described, one remarkable for its large size and 
the normal possession of eight gill-openings, and the other 
constituting a new generic type (Paramyxine). Japan 
appears to be the most favourable locality at present known 
for the study of hag-fishes. ‘‘In no other known locality 
are four species, representing three genera of these important 
chordates, found living practically side by side—for in the 
neighbourhood .of Misaki they occur within a distance 
of 30 kilometres. Here, too, a form of myxinoid can be 
optained in greater abundance than in any locality known 
to me, and there is also a promising field for collecting 
developmental stages.”’ 
Tue “Nature of Heredity’? forms the subject of an 
address delivered jin April, 1903, before the South African 
Association for the Advancement of Science by Dr. A. 
Dendy, which is published in the first volume of the report 
of that body. To give a summary of the author’s argu- 
ments in such a difficult subject would far exceed the limits 
of our space, but it may be mentioned that Dr. Dendy is 
of opinion that the views of the late Prof. Cope on heredity 
come nearer the truth than those of any other writer. 
There are three special points :—(1) the importance of the 
cell-nucleus as an apparatus for storing up and giving out 
stimuli; (2) the possibility of the transference of stimuli 
between somatic cells and germ-cells (or their nuclei) with- 
out any material connection ; and (3) the extension of what 
may be called Herbert Spencer’s principle of equilibration 
to the phenomena of heredity and development, to which, 
in Dr. Dendy’s opinion, sufficient consideration has not 
been given. 
NO. 1799, VOL. 69] 
NATURE 
[APRIL 21, 1904 
THE submarine valleys off the American coast and in the 
North Atlantic are described by Prof. J. W. Spencer (Bull. 
Geol. Soc. America, vol. xiv.), who sees evidence in these 
drowned lands of canyons and other deeply excavated 
features. 
Some Jurassic fossils from Rikuzen, in Japan, are de- 
scribed by Prof. Matajiro Yokoyama (Journ. Coll. Sci., 
Tokyo, vol. xviii.). These include Schlotheimia, Lytoceras 
(near to lineatum), and other ammonites, as well as belem- 
nites; also Trigonia v-costata, and species of Gervillia and 
Perna. 
We have received several of the Bulletins of the Geological 
Survey of Western Australia. Aniong these, No. 10 con- 
tains descriptions, by Mr. R. Etheridge, of Carboniferous 
fossils from the Gascoyne district ; No. 9 is on the lead and 
copper ores of Northampton, by Mr. A. Gibb Maitland; 
and No. 8 is on the Murchison goldfield, by Mr. C. G. 
Gibson. 
In a lecture on the Assudn Reservoir and Lake Moeris 
(E. and F. N. Spon, 1904), Sir William Willcocks advocates 
the formation of a modern Lake Moeris to the south of 
the ancient lake which for more than 2000 years served 
to control the floods of the Nile. The new lake would 
occupy the Wadi Rayan depression. In support of his 
argument that further measures are necessary, he mentions 
that since the Assuan dam was completed the whole of the 
water has been devoted to special tracts, and the Govern- 
ment is reluctantly compelled to refuse further applications 
for water. 
Tue fundamental facts of statical electricity are concisely 
described, with illustrative experiments, by Herr B. Kolbe 
in his *‘ Einfithrung in die Elektrizitatslehre, I. Statische 
Elektrizitat,’’ of which a second revised edition has been 
published by Herr Julius Springer, Berlin. 
Messrs. ISENTHAL AND Co., 85 Mortimer Street, London, 
W., have published a new illustrated catalogue of apparatus 
for electrotherapy. ‘The illustrations and descriptions of the 
apparatus are of a very instructive character. Among other 
instruments included may be mentioned the Réntgen ray 
apparatus of all kinds, that for the therapeutical uses of 
currents of high frequency and high potential, and that for 
photo- and thermotherapy. 
Tue Geological Survey of Canada has published a report 
on ‘‘ Altitudes in the Dominion of Canada,’’ by Mr. James 
White, geographer to the Department of the Interior. The 
report is accompanied by an excellent relief map of North 
America, and by four sheets of profiles. Three sheets are 
concerned with the Canadian Pacific Railway—this railway 
being chosen as showing the profile of the country along 
the only transcontinental line in Canada—and one shows 
the River St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes. 
Tue report of the first meeting of the South African 
Association for the Advancement of Science, held in April 
of last year, has been received. It is unnecessary to 
enumerate in detail the contents of the volume, which runs 
to 556 pages, for the chief events of the meeting were de- 
scribed in our issue for May 21, 1903 (p. 59). The presi- 
dential address by Sir David Gill, F.R.S., and the addresses 
of the presidents of the four sections into which the work 
of the association was divided, are all printed at length. 
Meteorological papers were numerous and important in 
Section A, though the other subjects, chemistry, astronomy, 
mathematics, and physics, with which the section is also 
concerned, are all represented. The subjects in Section B 
