182: 
NATURE 
[ DECEMBER 24, 1896 
who conducted it until his death in 1876, when Mr. Harting 
undertook to carry iton. There has thus been but one change 
in the editorship from its foundation until the present time. 
Some difficulty has been experienced in finding a competent 
successor, but it is now announced that the new editor is to be 
Mr. W. L. Distant. 
THE establishment of a big game preserve in British Central 
Africa has been noted by us upon several occasions. It is 
now stated that Mr. Alfred Sharpe, the Acting Commissioner, 
has just issued a series of regulations providing that on 
and after September 15 last a certain portion of the pro- 
tectorate shall be ‘‘ considered and treated as a preserve.”’ In 
this district ‘‘it shall be illegal for any person or persons to 
shoot, trap, net, or in any way molest any description of wild 
game within such limits without a written permission from Her 
Majesty's Commissioner and Consul-General.” The regulations 
further provide for the inspection and, if necessary, withdrawal 
of any licences granted by the Commissioner, and for the punish- 
ment of any breach of the regulations. The tract of country 
thus reserved is known locally as the Elephant Marsh, and lies 
on the Shire River above Chiromo. It abounds in buffalo, 
water buck, and zebra, but unless some such regulations as 
those just issued were passed it is believed that at the rate at 
which they were being shot all these animals would have prac- 
tically disappeared in a few years. 
THE Audletins of the Constantinople Meteorological Observa- 
tory for March and April contain a study, by Dr. G. Agamen- 
none, of an earthquake felt in the north-west of Asia Minor on 
April 16. The observations forwarded to the central office are 
neither numerous nor detailed, and it has not been found 
possible to determine the origin even approximately. Consider- 
able damage was, however, produced in the village of Amed 
(lat. 39° 17 N., long. 29° 15’E.), and it is probable that the 
epicentre was not very distant from this place. The shock was 
felt over a district about 325 km. in diameter, and nearly 80,000 
square km. in area. A good time-record was obtained at Con- 
stantinople, but the pulsations do not appear to have affected 
distant pendulums, unless a small movement recorded by the 
Vicentini microseismograph at Padua can be referred to this 
earthquake. 
THE Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean for the month 
of December, issued by the Washington Hydrographic Office, 
shows that between the Azores and Newfoundland much bad 
weather was experienced during November, and that fresh to 
strong gales, principally from the west, followed each other in 
quick succession over the area between the Grand Banks and 
the British Isles. The subject of floating derelicts as a danger 
to navigation is again being brought prominently forward, and 
the chart plainly shows that the advent of the stormy season has 
considerably increased the number of the derelicts. Between the 
south-east coast of the United States and Bermuda the number 
of abandoned ships, mostly of the schooner build, is particularly 
noticeable. The ocean was free from ice east of Newfoundland, 
and the month was remarkable for the small amount of fog 
reported. 
THE last number of the AZe/thezlungen von Forschungs- 
retsenden und Gelehrten aus den deutschen Schutzgebieten, 
besides a map of the southern part of Togoland with valuable 
geographical notes appended, contains some important con- 
tributions to our knowledge of the meteorology of German 
possessions in Africa. Observations made at five stations in the 
Kamerun district during 1894 and 1895 are discussed, one 
important result being to bring out Debundja (lat. 4° 8’ N., long. 
9° o' E_) as the wettest station in all Africa, and to place it only 
second to Cherrapunji in the world, with a mean rainfall of 
somewhere about 350 inches. As Debundja stands almost at 
NO. 1417, VOL. 55] 
sea-level, the rainfall on the hills above it, exposed as they are 
to the full effect of the sea-breeze, is probably considerably 
greater. In September 1895 alone, 74 inches were measured 
at Debundja, including one record of 7’40 inches in 24 hours. 
Another paper gives an excellent summary of existing ob- 
servations of rainfall in German East Africa. 
In connection with the recent important investigations on 
the artesian waters of Queensland, Mr. Gibb Maitland, of the 
Geological Survey of that colony, has contributed to its Roya 
Society a review of the structure of artesian “‘ basins” in North 
America. Nowhere in this area, with one possible exception, 
are the water-bearing rocks disposed in those ideal basins that 
do duty in the common text-book diagram. On the contrary, 
they have a uniform dip, so as to form only the half of a 
syncline, and the water, as in Queensland itself, is discharged 
either into the Sea or into important inland springs. 
A RECENT, number of the Ceztralblatt fiir znnere Medicen 
contains a notice of some further investigations by A. Pfuhl and 
K. Walter on the presence of influenza bacilli in the central 
nervous system. Pfuhl’s previous identification of these pacilli 
in the central nervous system, and his contention that they are 
always to be found there in cases of influenza which have ended 
fatally, have received confirmation from these researches. It is, 
‘however, pointed out that along with the influenza bacillus large 
and small streptococci, as well as bacteria, associated with 
putrefaction, are found, As the colonies of influenza bacteria 
isolated from the nervous system only develop very sparsely on 
artificial culture media, and might easily escape recognition in 
the presence of other bacteria, Messrs. Pfuhl and Walter recom- 
mend that their cultivation should be carried out on perfectly 
clear agar-agar, the condensed water from which has been got 
rid of by keeping it in a slanting position for two or three days 
in the incubator, after which human or pigeon’s blood is spread 
over the surface. It is best to discard tubes and employ instead 
dishes or plates, so as to increase the surface area of the culture 
material, and the latter should be inoculated by making several 
streaks with a very fine platinum needle containing the substance 
to be examined. In this manner all the colonies which subse- 
quently develop can be closely watched under the microscope, 
and the identification and isolation of the influenza bacillus is 
materially assisted. That the influenza bacillus, and not the 
other bacteria found with it, is the actual cause of the disease, 
has been shown by Nauwerk, who described a case which ended 
fatally where influenza bacteria and no other varieties were 
present in the nervous system. 
SEEKERS after rare and valuable scientific books should 
obtain a copy of the Catalogue (No. 165) just issued by Mr. 
Bernard Quaritch, Piccadilly, London, W. 
In his address as retiring President of the Botanical Society 
of America, delivered at the last annual meeting, Prof. W. 
Trelease considered the subject of ‘‘ botanical opportunity,” 
and pointed out the difference between the conditions which 
controlled and made possible scientific work, even a few years 
ago, and those which prevail to-day. The address is printed 
in full in the 4otanzcal Gazette. In it, what is referred 
to as “botanical opportunity” is considered under the 
two-fold head of the opportunity of endowed institutions 
and the opportunity of individual workers. Under the 
first head the equipment of colleges and research labora- 
tories is passed in critical review, and suggestions are made 
as to the necessary limitations of such equipment and the 
provision which may be made for securing its fullest use, both 
for instruction and investigation. As to the opportunity of the 
individual, it is shown that breadth of foundation and a well- 
conceived and studiously followed plan of work, with system in 
