562 
NATURE 
[JANUARY 15, I914 
Cullarin scarp, with “ youthful” features, the Gourock 
highlands, &c., with their mature valleys and rounded 
ridges, and the Canberra plains, in a ‘‘more mature 
stage of erosion.” Mr. Taylor dealt not only with 
the geography but briefly with the political considera- 
tions which dictated the choice of the site. It for- 
tunately happens that political and geographical con- 
siderations coincide, for Mr. Taylor showed how the 
federal territory is situated on ‘‘a line joining the 
centre of population with the nearest good port,” 
namely Jervis Bay, where the seaport of the new city 
will be situated. Mr. Taylor described the physical 
environment of the territory, and incidentally men- 
tioned conditions affecting south-eastern Australia as 
a whole; he drew an effective comparison between this 
country and the United States of America, having 
regard to the points in the history of their settlement 
and development which each has reached. 
Durinc the Christmas holidays the Lawes and 
Gilbert Centenary Fund Committee ceased work so as 
not to interfere with the ordinary Christmas appeals; 
it has now begun work again to collect the last 
160ol, needed to complete the scheme. The object of 
the centenary fund is to build and equip a satisfactory 
laboratory for the prosecution of researches in agri- 
cultural chemistry, a subject largely founded on the 
experiments of Lawes, who was born just 100 years 
ago, and of Gilbert, who was born three years later. 
These investigators founded the Rothamsted Experi- 
mental Station, the oldest, and for many years the 
best-equipped agricultural experiment station in the 
world. Rothamsted has maintained its high position 
in respect of its staff and its field plots, but it has 
fallen behind in laboratory accommodation, and a 
serious effort is now being made to remedy this defect. 
The committee has ascertained that a satisfactory 
laboratory can be erected and equipped for 12,000l., 
and it has decided to collect the money, and to put 
up the laboratory this year in commemoration of the 
centenary of the birth of the founders. Its efforts 
have been so far successful that only 16001. is now 
required; and an urgent appeal is addressed to all 
interested in agricultural science to aid the committee 
in closing the list so that the work can be put in hand 
at an early date. Subscriptions should be sent to the 
secretary, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpen- 
dent, Herts. 
Sir Hersert MAXWELL, in a letter to The Times 
of December 10, throws doubt upon a cherished belief 
of fly-fishermen. Great care is taken by salmon- 
fishers in the selection of their flies, which are formed 
by tackle-makers with rare and bright feathers sup- 
posed to be particularly attractive to the fish. As a 
fisherman with more than fifty years’ experience of 
the habits of salmon in many rivers, and as an 
observant naturalist, Sir Herbert states that he has 
failed to detect the slightest preference on the part of 
salmon for one pattern of fly over another. He adds: 
“IT should be perfectly willing, during the few angling 
seasons which may remain to me, to use no flies 
except those composed of the feathers of native game 
birds or barndoor fowls, dyed or undyed, with silk 
and tinsel to smarten them up to human, if not to 
NO. 2307, VOL. 92] 
piscine, taste.’ It has been stated that a large number 
of beautiful birds are sacrificed every year to the 
demands of fishermen for brilliantly coloured artificial 
flies. The demand is based upon the assumption that 
a salmon is capable of discerning details of form and 
colour in a small object passing between its eye and 
the high light; although a human eye, in a. similar 
relative position, could perceive nothing but a dark 
silhouette. According to Sir Herbert’s observations, 
the colour and material of the lures used are of little 
consequence; and if this be the case, the destruction 
of numerous brightly plumaged birds in order to pro- 
vide feathers for artificial flies is not only useless, but 
also a waste of beauty. 4 
COMMENDATORE Boni has made another notable dis- 
covery in the course of his excavations on the Palatine 
Hill at Rome. He has found the famous mundus, or 
pit, leading to the infernal regions, sacred to Dis and 
Proserpine. This was covered by the lapis manalis, 
a square, rough-hewn slab of tufa pierced by two 
round holes. It was the innermost shrine, the most 
holy centre of the Roman religion, consecrated to the 
ancient mysteries, whence germinated and spread forth 
the fundamental energies of the Roman people. The 
later Romans had lost the site of this sacred spot, 
and the Emperor Augustus, in his desire to re- 
establish the ancient usages, searched for it in vain. 
A shaft, filled with débris, discovered in the course of 
recent digging, may well represent the exploration by 
Augustus. 
A jourNaL dealing with Egyptian antiquities has 
long been needed. We are glad to welcome the 
appearance of a new quarterly magazine, having the 
title, Ancient Egypt, which, under the editorship of 
Prof. Flinders Petrie, promises to supply the want. 
The first issue is well printed and illustrated, con- 
tains much interesting matter, and is procurable at 
the modest cost of 7s. per annum. Prof, Petrie notices 
an interesting fact about early glass manufacture. 
Sir Gardner Wilkinson (‘‘Manners and Customs,” 
ed. 1878, Fig. 380) published a drawing supposed to 
represent men blowing glass bulbs on the end of rods. 
But though examples of early glass, especially about 
1500-1400 B.C., are abundant, not a single piece of 
blown glass can be dated before Roman times. The 
men are really using reed blowpipes for a jeweller’s 
furnace, and as these blowpipes would soon be burnt 
at the end, a lump of mud was put on as a nozzle to 
the pipe. The new journal is published by Messrs. 
Macmillan and Co., Ltd. 
Ir will be remembered that the eighteenth Inter- 
national Congress of Americanists was held in London 
during May, 1912. Two articles appeared in NATURE 
dealing with the congress; one on April 18, 1912 
(vol. Ixxxix., p. 169), gave the outstanding items of the 
programme, and the other on June 6, 1912 (vol. Ixxix., 
P. 379), Summarised the proceedings. The editorial 
committee has now issued in two volumes running to 
570 quarto pages (London: Harrison and Sons, 21. 2s. 
net) the full proceedings of the session. Full lists 
are included of the names of the officers, organising 
committee, delegates, members, and associates. The 
