6o 



NATURE 



[November 16, 1905 



portion is, however, re-affirmed by the authors of the 

 paper before us. On the other hand, the zonary placenta 

 of the Sirenia is regarded as differentiated from the 

 proboscidean type by being mainly, if not entirely, non- 

 deciduate, although it is admitted that the two resemble 

 one another in the long villi, which tend to remain in 

 the walls of the uterus. Again, the resemblance of the 

 proboscidean placenta to that of the Carnivora is deemed 

 to be superficial, there being several important points of 

 difference, the former having three areas of attachment in 

 place of one. Another paper on development, by Dr. 

 F. H. A. Marshall, deals with the mode of formation of 

 the corpus luteum in various mammals. 



In the Proceedings of tin- Boston Society of Natural 

 History (vol. xxxiii., No. 71 Mr. A. II. Clarke gives .1 

 descriptive lisl of birds collected in the southern Lesser 

 Antilles. Fishes collected in Tahiti form the subject ol a 

 paper by Messrs. Jordan and Snyder in the Proceedings 

 "I the U.S. .V.i/. Museum (No. 1422), .1 new species oi 

 Holocentrus being described and figured. In two other 



imunications, Mr. C. II. Eigenmann discusses the 



phenomena "I divergence and convergence in fishes [Biol. 

 Bulletin, vol, viii., pp. 59 ei seq.), and contributes a pn 

 liminarv note on the fishes of Panama as considered from 

 the standpoint of geographical distribution (Science, ser. ii., 

 vol. xxii., pp. 18-20). As regards the first paper, the 

 members of the American family Characinidae presenl 

 examples of both divergence and convergence, some forms 

 being differentiated for carnivorous and others F01 

 herbivorous habits, while yd others approximate to fishes 

 of quite different families. In the second paper it is con- 

 cluded from the evidence of the fresh-water fishes thai 

 the Pacific slope fauna of tropical America was derived 

 from that of the Atlantic slope subsequent to the shutting- 

 off of a water-way between the Atlantic and Pacific 

 Oceans. 



In Agricultural News (September 23) reference is made 

 to a memorandum written l>v Mr. M. Hesketh Bell, 

 Officiating Governor of the Leeward Islands, on the occur- 

 rence of hurricanes in the West Indies. Mr. Bell points 

 out that hurricanes do not occur in the West Indies so 

 frequently as is generally believed, and that the accounts 

 have in some instances exaggerated the amount of 

 damage; further, he suggests that a scheme of insurance 

 might be formulated which would offer ^reat advantages 

 to the landowners and at the same tune prove acceptable 

 to the underwriters. 



The Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture, Jamaica, 

 for September, contains an account of the discussion on 

 cocoa cultivation which took place at the agricultural 

 conference held in Trinidad, also notes on the fungoid 

 and insect pests of cotton. The pests reported by the 

 Hon. T. H. Sharp and Mr. S. Strieker include the cotton 

 worm, which can be successfully treated when quite young 

 with Paris green ; cut worms, which attacked the roots, 

 but also yielded to treatment with Paris green ; and the 

 cercospora fungus. 



The report on the experimental agricultural work carried 

 on in St. Kitts during the year 1903-4 has been published 

 separately from the report on the botanic station. The 

 superintendent, Mr. F. R. Shepherd, writes hopefullv of 

 the cotton industry and of the peculiar method generally 

 adopted of growing the cotton as a catch crop on cane 

 lands. Cotton seed was planted in May and June, and, 

 after the first picking, the bushes were pulled up and 

 sugar canes were planted. In the trials with varieties of 

 NO. l88 1, VOL. "]$] 



sweet potatoes and yarns, the very large differences between 

 the yields of the better and poorer sorts furnish ample 

 proof of the value of comparisons based on practical ex- 

 periments to guide the cultivator in his choice of the best 

 \ arieties 



Dr. E. I). COPELAND has compiled a list of ferns belong- 

 ing Oi the Polypodiacese recorded for the Philippine 

 Islands, which is published in Publication No. 29 of the 

 Bureau ol Government Laboratories, Manila. The families 

 are in accord with the " Pflanzenfamilien," but the sub- 

 l.iinih Gymnogrammineae is placed under the AsplenieEe. 

 Of the sixty-two genera represented, naturally the largest 

 1 Polypodium, which is subdivided into six subgenera; 

 .1 ^1 1 1 .-. n li - , Myrmecophila, is established for Polypodium 

 sinuosum and Polypodium lomarioides, and this is followed 

 by Drynariopsis, containing the species P. heracleum and 

 /'. meyenianum. Two species of the myrmecophilous 

 genus I.ec anoptei is occur, and three species of Drynaria, 

 a genus which is characterised by having pocket-leaves 

 that collect detritus. In the same volume Dr. Copeland 

 gives a selei lion of about twenty fungi for the islands, 

 principally species of Coprinus, Phalliota, and Lepiota, 

 which are said to be palatable and harmless. 



\\ 1 have received the first number of Gas and Oil 

 Power, a new illustrated monthly review for factory 

 owners and other power users. It contains an exhaustive 

 article on lie construction of internal combustion engines 

 by Mr. R. E. Mathot, and a special table of the cost of 

 power and light in the principal towns in England. 



I 1 has long been recognised that a wide field of profit- 

 able work has been opened for motors in connection with 

 British railways. The earliest steam motor seen on a 

 British railway began regular working in June, 1903, on 

 the Fratton and Southsea line of the London and South 

 Western Railway. It was designed by Mr. Dugald 

 Drummond, and proved so successful that numerous other 

 rail motor services have been introduced or sanctioned, for 

 which an improved type of motor has been designed by 

 Mr. Drummond. It seats eight first-class passengers and 

 thirty-two third-class passengers. The total length of the 

 car is 51 feet 2= inches, and it may be driven from either 

 end. When empty the vehicle weighs 31 tons 11 cwt. 



The annual progress report of the Geological Survey of 

 Western Australia shows that in 1904, under the able 

 direction of Mr. A. Gibb Maitland, much valuable work 

 has been done in investigating the mineral resources of 

 the colony. An examination was made of the Pilbara, 

 Mount Morgans, Southern Cross, and Norseman goldfields. 

 The occurrence of telluride ore, petzite, at Mulgabble, and 

 of precious opal at Coolgardie was reported upon favour- 

 ably, and the reputed tin finds at Caballing and of petro- 

 leum on the Warren and Donnelly rivers were investigated. 

 Analyses were made of manganotantalite from the Pilbara 

 district, of scheelite from the Nullagine district, and of 

 cobaltiferous asbolite, of no commercial value, from 

 Greenbushes. 



Excellent work is being done by the mines branch of 

 the Canadian Government under the direction of Mr. E. 

 Haanel, the latest departure being the inauguration of a 

 series of monographs on the economic minerals of Canada. 

 The first of the series, which has just been received, has 

 been written by Mr. F. Cirkel, and deals with the occur- 

 rence exploitation, and uses of mica. It forms a hand- 

 some volume of 14S pages, and is accompanied by a 

 coloured geological map of the mica region of Ontario. 

 It contains a synopsis of all the available practical inform- 



