16 
NATURE 
[May 4, 1899 
by hyposulphite solutions containing copper, though not 
rapidly acted on in its absence. It follows that the presence of 
copper should be avoided in the furnace charge, and that it may 
be added with advantage in the later stages of the process. 
THE old view that insects, with all the lower animals, were 
created for man’s benefit cannot reasonably be held at the pre- 
sent time, but it must, nevertheless, not be forgotten that there 
are very many beneficial as well as injurious insects. Dr. L. O. 
Iloward has recently summed up the good and bad qualities of 
insects so far as it is possible to do, and he finds that the insects 
of 116 families are beneficial, and the insects of 113 families 
are injurious, while those of 71 families are both beneficial and 
harmful or their functions have not been determined. The 
injurious insects are made up of 112 families which feed upon 
cultivated or useful plants, and one family the members of which 
are parasitic upon warm-blooded animals. Of the beneficial 
insects, those of 79 families are valuable as preying upon other 
insects, 32 families are of service as scavengers, two families as 
pollenisers, and three families as forming food for food fishes. 
Pror. F. E, ScHuwze, of Berlin, the general editor of the 
important new German work, ‘‘ Das Tierreich,” which is in 
course of publication by Messrs. R. Friedlander and Son, has 
obtained the services of Prof. Kretschmer, of Marburg, for the 
preparation of a series of rules for the formation and pronun- 
ciation of zoological and botanical names upon classical and 
orthodox principles. These rules seem to be excellent in every 
way, and will, we trust, be strictly followed by the numerous 
contributors to ‘‘ Das Tierreich.”” In America, we regret to 
say, a small school of zoologists has arisen who prefer to spell 
and pronounce names zzcorrectly, following literally the mistakes 
often made by their original propounders. This pestilent 
heresy has, we are glad to say, not met with much support in 
Europe, and we hope that Prof. Kretschmer’s rules will assist in 
suppressing it. 
IN the *‘ Report of the Entomological Department of the New 
Jersey Agricultural College Experiment Station for the year 
1898,” Dr. John B. Smith calls attention to the interesting and’ 
perhaps important fact that the San José scale now begins 
breeding later than when it first came under his observation, 
and that the rate of increase before midsummer is materially 
less than in the past, the period of greatest increase being now 
in September. It is evident that the introduced pest is 
endeavouring to accommodate itself to its new surroundings, 
and it will be interesting to see whether it succeeds or fails. If 
it fails, its automatic extinction will be a mere matter of time, 
though it is quite possible that it may be capable of producing a 
great amount of harm before that time arrives. 
A RECENY number of the Cage Agricultural Journal contains 
a report of an address given by Dr. Edington on the artificial 
use of a particular fungus, said to be parasitic to locusts, for the 
destruction of the latter. The results so far obtained with the + 
fungus in question appear to be at considerable variance, some 
farmers stating that they have derived great benefit from its ap- 
plication, whilst others assert as positively that it has been of no 
use whatever. A great deal must of necessity depend upon the 
circumstances in which this, together with other such similar 
living-destroying agencies, are employed, and Dr. Edington, in 
the course of his lecture, pointed out what he considered the 
best methods for promoting the successful use of this fungus. 
If locusts can be destroyed in so simple a manner as this is 
described to be, the gain to the Cape farmers will be enormous, 
and at any rate means should be adopted so that its use may 
become more widely known, and more extensive trials given to 
it. The use of fungi for the destruction of pests is being tried 
in America, where the white muscardine fungus, Sporotrichum 
NO. 1540, VOL. 60] 
globuliferum, has been largely employed during the last few 
years to check the injurious over-production of the chinch-bug. 
Mr. Benjamin Duggar, of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment 
Station, has, however, been recently making a careful study of 
this organism in relation to the insect in question, and has come 
to the conclusion that, although it is undoubtedly parasitic at 
times, it is not sufficiently efficient to enable it to be artificially 
employed with economic success. It is obvious that to obtain 
trustworthy data on this subject, many and very carefully con- 
ducted investigations must be carried out. It is to be hoped that 
Dr. Edington will be able to give the locust-problem the time and 
attention which it requires to enable scientific conclusions to be 
drawn as to the economic value of the fungus he recommends 
in destroying locusts. 
THE current number of the Journal of the Sanitary Institute 
continues the reports of papers read at the congress held in 
Birmingham last year. Amongst them we note a useful little ° 
address given by Dr. Mary D. Sturge in the Section devoted to 
domestic hygiene, entitled ‘‘ The Claims of Childhood.” Whilst 
emphasising the responsibilities of parents towards their 
offspring, the writer also points out the necessity of our follow- 
ing the example of France in getting legislative measures 
directed towards checking the growing use of tobacco amongst 
young boys. In Norway only last year, it appears, stringent laws 
were passed forbidding the sale of tobacco to lads under sixteen, 
and prohibiting their smoking in the streets. Although the 
municipal authorities in most of our large crowded cities are 
alive to the duty of modifying as far as possible the unfavourable 
conditions under which children are of necessity reared, yet 
much remains still to be done. Dr. Sturge, amongst other 
matters, calls attention to the smoke-nuisance, and indulges in 
the hope that some day legislative steps will be taken 
whereby it will be controlled, and incidentally tells us that in 
the Tudor period a law existed ordering Londoners to burn 
nothing but wood during the time that Parliament was sitting, in 
order that the health of the country squires who came to town 
might not be impaired ! : 
Mr. WILLIAM H. DALL has prepared a useful table of the 
North American Tertiary horizons, correlated with one another 
and with those of Western Europe (Eighteenth Annual Report 
of the U.S. Geological Survey, 1898). 
THE geology of the eastern part of Texas, with reference to 
the artesian wells, forms the subject of an essay by Mr. Robert 
T. Hill and Mr. T. Wayland Vaughan (Eighteenth Annual 
Report of the U.S. Geological Survey). 
MM. E. Pierre and J. de la Porterie describe some pre- 
historic remains from excayations at Brassempouy, south-east of 
Dax, Department of Landes. Drawings on bones and various 
finely-worked implements are figured (ZL? Anthropologie, Paris, 
tome ix.). 
THE Triassic formation of Connecticut is very fully discussed 
by Prof. William M. Davis (Eighteenth Annual Report of the 
U.S. Geological Survey). He treats the subject from three 
points of view—deposition, deformation, and denudation. The 
formation comprises a great series of sandstones and shales, 
with local conglomerates ; and it includes in the central division 
great sheets and dykes of volcanic rock. In mass the formation 
is of ‘* continental” as opposed to marine origin. 
THE origin of peneplains is discussed by Prof. W. M. Davis 
in an article in the American Geologist for April. The article 
is in the main a reply to criticisms by Prof. Tarr. It is main- 
tained that the prolonged results of both marine abrasion and 
subaérial denudation tend to reduce the land to a base-level (or 
peneplain)—a nearly featureless plain, a little below or a little 
above sea-level. It isadmitted, with regard to ancient plains of 
