November 30, 1905J 



NA TURE 



107 



Mr. Winslow and Miss Rogers have suggested a new 

 classification of the bacterial family Coccaceae (Science, 

 xxi., No. 539, p. 669). The family is divided into two sub- 

 families, the Paracoccacese and Metacoccaceae, the former 

 being subdivided into two genera, Diplococcus and Strepto- 

 coccus, the latter into three genera, Micrococcus, Sarcina, 

 and Ascococcus. We are not sure that this revised classifi- 

 cation is a material improvement on the classifications 

 which already exist. For instance, the Pneumococcus is 

 included among the Diplococci, but culturally it is un- 

 questionably a short Streptococcus, and in the sputum may 

 occur in chains of four elements. 



Although yams, the tubers of species of Dioscorea, are 

 extensively cultivated in the West Indies and the tropics 

 of South America for domestic consumption, their value as 

 a food does not appeal to the Ceylonese, who show a prefer- 

 ence for the less tasty and less nutritious imported potato. 

 In the Circulars (vol. iii., No. i) of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Ceylon, Mr. H. F. Macmillan has written some 

 notes on Dioscoreas with the object of directing attention 

 to their value as a vegetable, and also to assist cultivators 

 in identifying the different varieties. 



The members of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition were 

 prevented by stress of weather from making a complete 

 exploration of Gough Island, so that the collection of plants 

 obtained by Mr. R. W. Brown, and described in vol. 

 xxxvii. of the Journal of the Linncan Society, is probably 

 incomplete. Of the phanerogams and ferns, numbering 

 twenty-seven, the most conspicuous were Phylica nitida, a 

 tree characteristic of the Tristan da Cunha group, tussac- 

 grass, Spartina arundinacea, and the tree fern Lomaria 

 Boryana. The flora is very similar to that of Tristan da 

 Cunha, but two endemic species, a Cotula and an 

 Asplenium, were obtained. 



At the recent Colonial Exhibition held in the Crystal 

 Palace, of the West Indian colonies Jamaica took the 

 foremost place, receiving, amongst other distinctions, the 

 gold medal presented by the West Indian Cable Company 

 for the best collective exhibit. Of Jamaica produce, oranges 

 and bananas are both much in evidence; the sugar and 

 rum industries are prospering, while the cultivation of 

 cacao, rubber, cotton, and tobacco are all more or less 

 suited to the climate. In the Agricultural News 

 (October 7) mention is also made of a tea plantation of 

 90 acres that promises well under the careful management 

 of the owner, Mr. H. E. Cox. This and a plantation in 

 Carolina, U.S.A., are said to be the only tea plantations 

 in the western hemisphere. 



Mr. D. E. Hutchins, conservator of forests, Cape 

 Town, presents an admirable survey of the past history 

 and present condition of forestry in South Africa in the 

 recent record of " Science in South Africa." The institu- 

 tion of a forest department in Cape Colony dates from 

 1881 ; since that time three-quarters of a million pounds 

 has been expended, and the staff now numbers no less 

 than no conservators and foresters. Yellow-wood fur- 

 nished by two species of Podocarpus, the most widely spread 

 indigenous timber trees, is not so valuable as the Clan- 

 william cedar, Callitris arborca, which takes the place of 

 Baltic pine ; this cedar having been cut out in the past, 

 future supply is dependent upon the timber that is now 

 being raised in the Cedarberg country. Of exotic trees, 

 species of Eucalyptus and Cupressus have been largely 

 introduced for timber, and wattles for the production of 

 tan bark. 



NO. 1883, VOL. 73] 



Nearly all parts of the British Islands experienced very 

 severe southerly and south-westerly gales on Sunday last, 

 November 26. which, in connection with the spring tides, 

 occasioned great damage, especially on the west and south 

 coasts, many houses being flooded, while the service in 

 the English Channel was quite disorganised. The weather 

 report issued by the Meteorological Office on Saturday 

 morning notified the approach of an important depression 

 off the coast of Ireland, and the chart for Sunday morn- 

 ing showed that the centre of the storm had already reached 

 the west coast of that country, and that the barometer 

 had fallen 07 inch in the last twenty-four hours. In the 

 north-west of England the strongest winds were felt 

 between ioh. p.m. and midnight, and the gusts reached a 

 veloi i t v of 66 miles per hour; in the south-west of England 

 the velocity was at least 75 miles an hour. At the 

 mouth of the Thames it is estimated that the gusts were 

 at the rate of about 60 miles an hour. Notwithstanding 

 the great damage caused by wind and sea combined, it does 

 not appear that the wind-velocity was so great as in the 

 storm of March last, when a rate of 100 miles an 

 hour was recorded in the south-west of England, and 

 83 miles an hour in the north-west. By Monday morning 

 the central part of the storm had advanced to the coast of 

 Norway. 



In the Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan 

 for September will be found a very useful summary (in 

 English) of the rainfall of China and Corea, by Mr. T. 

 Okada. Some years ago Dr. Supan published a valuable 

 paper on the subject in Petermann's Mitteilungen, but 

 since that time the number of stations has increased, and 

 Mr. Okada has summarised in a handy form the results 

 for forty stations, mostly on the coasts of China and Corea, 

 for the years 1892-1901. The materials are obtained from 

 observations published by the Zi-ka-wei and Hong Kong 

 observatories, and other sources. In northern China the 

 average annual rainfall is under 40 inches ; it increases to 

 the southward, and decreases from the coast towards the 

 interior of the Empire, and in individual years it is subject 

 to large fluctuations. In Corea the annual fall is about 

 36 inches on the west coast, and is generally more than 

 40 inches on the east and south coasts. In northern China 

 the wettest months are July and August, and February is 

 the driest month. In southern China the wettest month 

 is June, and the driest December. Tables are given show- 

 ing the average monthly falls at all stations. The coast 

 of central China has an average of 120 rainy days, southern 

 China 80 days, and northern China 60 days. Heavy rain- 

 fall in twenty-four hours is rather rare, but falls of 4 inches 

 frequently occur between April and August. In Corea falls, 

 of more than 4 inches in a day rarely occur. There is only 

 one instance of more than 8 inches. A table is given show- 

 ing the greatest daily falls in each month for all stations. 



A report has been received on the use of platinum 

 resistance thermometers in determining the temperature of 

 the air at Helwan, the central Egyptian observatory. 

 The object of the paper is to justify the use of a special 

 form of platinum thermometer invented by the writer of 

 the report (Mr. E. B. H. Wade), in conjunction with Prof. 

 Calendar's electric recorder. Instead of coiling the 

 platinum wires on mica supports, and enclosing them in 

 a solid tube for protection, as in the ordinary recorder, 

 Mr. Wade arranged them in an open manner on a light 

 ebonite frame, somewhat in the form of a gridiron, with- 

 out any kind of casing, the wire being completely exposed 

 to the air. It is claimed, among other things, that the 

 influences of radiation and the Joule effect are much 



