614 
NATURE 
[JANUARY 29, 1914 
is not quite new, for Dr. Lilienfeldt, of Leipzig, 
recently introduced a focus tube in which the source 
of electrons is a heated body. 
A pistincr advance toward the adequate organisation 
of sea fisheries investigation has been made by the 
publication of the first report of the Advisory Com- 
mittee on Fishery Research. This committee was 
appointed by Mr. Runciman on January 1, 1913. Its 
report, now before us, begins with a short account of 
the deliberations of the subcommittees, and then deals 
with the various lines of investigation that are re- 
garded as desirable in a series of appendices. Sugges- 
tions as to the nature of the work which seems to be 
required are made with reference to (1) the bottom 
deposits and fauna; (2) plankton and hydrography ; 
(3) statistical fishery matters; (4) marine pisciculture, 
including lobster hatching, research on the natural 
history of the oyster, and experimental work on a 
large scale with reference to the purification of mussels 
from contained sewage bacteria; and (5) the detailed 
investigation of various edible fishes with regard to 
their distribution and life-histories. Suggestions as to 
a possible organisation of the various departments or 
other authorities or bodies competent to carry on such 
investigations are not made, since much depends on 
the amount of money available for such research, and 
on the possible reorganisation of the English Fishery 
Department; and it is suggested that marine labora- 
tories already in existence may be asked to cooperate 
in the work of investigation. The report, however, 
formulates certain general suggestions for fishery in- 
vestigations, and it now remains for the public depart- 
ments to embody these suggestions in a working 
scheme. 
The National Geographic Magazine for December 
last publishes a finely illustrated article by the Rev. 
W. M. Zumbro, on the religious penances of holy men 
in India. He gives a remarkable series of photo- 
graphs representing the many varieties of Fakirs. 
We see them lying on piles of thorns, or on beds 
studded with nails, holding piles of water pots on 
their heads, burying themselves in the ground, swing- 
ing on wires, undergoing the ordeal of thirst, hanging 
head downwards, or holding up their arms until the 
muscles become atrophied. The subject is painful, but 
the article is most valuable to anthropologists and to 
students of Indian religious cults. 
In Man for January Messrs. R. B. Higgins and 
R. A. Smith describe a find of flint implements of the 
Moustier type, associated with mammalian remains, 
from the brick earths at Crayford. Not only does this 
discovery enable us to fix a precise date for the Cray- 
ford deposit, but the specimens provide an important 
link in associating the Thames valley with that of the 
Somme. It is clear that the implements date from 
the Moustier period, and they are found with remains 
of Felis leo, Canis lupus, Elephas primigenius, Rhino- 
ceros antiquitatis, Equus sp., and Bos primigenius, 
according to the identification by Dr. A. Smith Wood- 
ward. 
In vol. xxxiii., part ii., of The Journal of Hellenic 
Studies, Mr. K. T. Frost publishes, under the title of 
“The Critias and Minoan Crete,” an _ interesting 
NO. 2309, VOL. 92| 
paper, a revised edition of a remarkable article which 
appeared in The Times of January 19, 1909. The 
theory advanced is that the famous legend of the 
lost island, Atlantis, told by Plato on the authority 
of Solon, represents the downfall of the great sea 
power in Crete, with its capital at Cnossus. This 
legend was derived from Egyptian priests, who pre- 
served the records of the great struggle which ended 
in the ruin of Minos. The article is valuable inas- 
much as it correlates the war in the eastern Mediter- 
ranean with the history of Egypt. The tale of the 
Minoan power before its destruction is identified with 
the strange description of the Phzeacian culture in the 
Odyssey of Homer. 
“Roor-porers and other Grubs in West Indian 
Soils” is the title of a pamphlet (No. 73), by Mr. H. A. 
Ballon, issued by the Imperial Department of Agri- 
culture for the West Indies, published apparently at 
Barbados. A large proportion of the offenders are 
the larvae, among which those of the rhinoceros-beetles 
(Strategus) are capable, on account of their size, of 
inflicting a great amount of damage, although, as a 
rule, they act the part of scavengers. The pamphlet 
is illustrated with photographs of adults and larve of 
many species. 
In the course of an article on endeavours to prevent 
undue diminution in the number of animals valuable 
for their fur or plumage, the first part of which 
appears in the January number of The Selborne Maga. 
sine, Mr. C. H. Mihlberg gives some interesting 
details regarding the breeding in captivity of the 
black or silver fox, for the sake of its valuable fur, 
which is chiefly carried on in Prince Edward Island. 
Skins of good quality range in price from 35]. to 6o00l., 
and it is stated that six pairs of pups were sold in 
1912 to a Russian company for breeding purposes at 
no less than 3200l, a pair. The number of foxes 
now kept in captivity in Canada is estimated at about 
800, of which, however, only about 200 carry the fine 
silvery-black coat which commands the highest price. 
Attempts are also being made, it is added, to breed 
chinchillas (which of late years have become exceed- 
ingly scarce), for the sake of their fur, both in Buenos 
Aires and in this country 
Mernops for the extermination of locusts in the 
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan—the species usually met with 
being Acridium (Schistocerea) perigrinum, Oliv.—are 
discussed by the Government entomologist, Mr. H. S. 
King, in the Cairo Scientific Journal for November 
last. The device found most efficacious is to sprinkle 
a sweetened solution of arsenite of soda on_ the 
herbage on which the insects feed. As it is difficult 
to transport arsenite of soda and treacle on camels 
and donkeys, and a tent or native dwelling-house is 
not the most convenient place to carry out the weigh- 
ing and mixing, Mr. King recommends that a con- 
centrated solution should be prepared at headquarters, 
and carried to the spot in small iron drums. This 
can be diluted to the required strength, and thus an 
immense saving of labour is effected. If the opera- 
tions are conducted by qualified officials, and the 
poison is not allowed to reach native hands, no danger 
can result from this scheme of operations. 
