82 



NATURE 



[November 24, il 



Brief notes on waler supply and economics are also given in 

 this little pamphlet. 



Among noteworthy acquisitions by purchase referred to in 

 •the Report of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, which 

 has just come to hand, is the Mount Stirling meteorite, a mass 

 of meteoritic iron weighing more than 200 lbs., found in 

 Western Australia ; a valuable collection of opalised reptilian 

 •remains, including the remains of the Mesozoic reptile Cinwlis- 

 auriis Uucoscopetus ; a specimen of the very rare Golden-winged 

 Parakeet (Psepholus chrysopteiygius) from Port Darwin, only 

 three examples of which are believed to be known ; and some 

 eggs of the Jabiru (Xenorhynchus asialiais). The total number 

 ■of acquisitions was 11,099, of which 7379 were presentations, 

 145s were exchanges, 277 were purchases, and 188S were 

 collected by members of the staff. Sir William .MacGregor 

 contributed nearly one thousand ethnological specimens from 

 his New Guinea Collection. The curator, Mr. R. Etheridge, 

 jun., points out that the museum staff' needs a trained collector. 

 At present the funds at the disposal of the Trustees will not 

 permit of such an appointment being made, which is regretted 

 because museums and institutions in other countries send 

 collectors to Australia and take away the best specimens. 



Forest resources are receiving increased attention in many 

 places. A short time ago we recorded the establishment of the 

 New York State College of Forestry for the professional educa- 

 -tion of the managers of the forests of the State. A report on 

 •the forestry conditions of Northern Wisconsin, containing the 

 results of an investigation carried out by Mr. Fillibert Roth, has 

 now been published by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural 

 History Survey. As in many other cases, the forests of the 

 State are shown to have been treated destructively. The 

 wooded area is steadily being reduced, and at present nothing 

 is done to protect or re-stock the "cut-over" lands, which are 

 now unproductive waste land. Mr. Roth estimates that this 

 policy causes a loss of Soo million cubic feet of wood per year 

 to the Stale, besides driving from the State the industries which 

 have been most conspicuous in its development, depriving a 

 cold country of a valuable factor in its climatic conditions, and 

 affecting detrimentally the character of the main drainage 

 channels of the State. It is hoped that the report will aid in 

 the formulation of rational forestry legislation, and so help to 

 develop and restore the great forest resources of the State of 

 Wisconsin. 



Many items of interest are contained in Mr. Edgar Thurston's 

 report on the Madras Government .Museum for the year 1897-98. 

 How much appreciated the museum is may be judged by the 

 fact that as many as 47,260 visitors have been admitted on a 

 single day. The proportion of those able to sign their names 

 to that of those unable to do so was about I : 6 on week days and 

 I : 3 on Sundays. This is satisfactory as showing that Sunday 

 opening continues to appeal to the educated classes, who are 

 prevented by business from visiting the museum on weekdays. 

 Dr. A. G. Bourne made three tours during the year, viz. to 

 the South Arcot district, the Palni, and the Shevaroy Hills. 

 They were all undertaken with the view of filling gaps in the 

 herbarium, and continuing the botanical survey. Particulars 

 with reference to these expeditions, and the numerous specimens 

 collected, are given in appendices lo .Mr. Thurston's report. 



Some remarks upon the practicability of destroying prickly- 

 pear (Opiintia Dilknii) by means of the cochineal insect, are 

 made by Dr. Bourne in an appendix to Ihe report referred to in 

 the foregoing note. Dr. Bourne points out that the historical 

 evidence weighs entirely against the practicability of destroying 

 jirickly-pear by the cochineal insect. There seems to be no 

 doubt but that the cochineal insects and the cacti are all 

 NO. 1517, VOL. 59] 



introductions, and the net re.sult has been that the yellow- 

 flowered cactus has thoroughly naturalised itself, while the 

 cochineal insect has just managed to struggle on here and there. 

 There is evidence that cochineal insects were introduced five 

 times between 1795 and 1883, with a view to the establishment 

 of the cochineal industry in the country. In 1807 Government 

 offered a reward of 2000/. for its successful introduction. It 

 never became thoroughly established. It was, however, pos- 

 sible that, although a fine variety of the insect best for industrial 

 purposes would not flourish, a wilder variety might become more 

 or less naturalised. This has occurred to a small extent, and 

 the idea of utilising this to destroy prickly-pear has been from 

 time to time put forward. Dr. Bourne's investigations, however, 

 show that it is impracticable to destroy prickly-pear by the so- 

 called " wild" variety of the cochineal insect ; and even if the 

 scheme were practicable, he doubts the advi.sability of encour- 

 aging the development of an insect which might eventually 

 become an infinitely greater pest than the prickly-pear. 



A CATALOGUE and price list of the papers of the late Prof. 

 E. D. Cope, arranged chronologically, with a price list of plaster 

 casts, has been issued by Mrs. Cope, llaverford, Pennsylvania, 

 U.S.A., who offers the papers and casts for sale. 



Twenty-five papers on diseases of children will be found in 

 the ninth volume of Transaclioiis of the .\merican Pediatric 

 Society, edited by Dr. Floyd M. Crandall, and just published. 

 The address of the president. Dr. Samuel S. .Vdams, deals with 

 the evolution of pediatric literature in the United States. 



.-V NEW edition of Babington's " Manual of British Botany "_ 

 is in preparation by Messrs. H. and J. Groves. The first edition 

 of this work was published in 1843 ; the eighth in 18S1. It u 

 hoped that the forthcoming edition — the ninth — for which the 

 late author had accumulated many notes, may be ready early in 

 next year. 



Dr. F. Krantz has issued a good catalogue (printed in 

 German, French, and English) of minerals and geological 

 specimens which he has in stock at the Rheinisches Mineralien- 

 Contor, in Bonn. The catalogue contains particulars as to 

 many collections of minerals arranged for purposes of instruc- 

 tion, and also for use with specified text-books of mineralogy. 

 Lists of instruments and appliances used in the examination of 

 minerals are also included. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Red-sided Eclectus (Edeclus fectoratis, 

 i (J ) from New Guinea, presented by the Chevalier Angelo 

 Luzzati;two Undulated Grass ¥a.ira.'keex.i{.'\fi!o/<sittaais iiiidu- 

 latus, i 9 ) from .Australia, presented by Mr. .\. J. Finch ; a 

 Booted Eagle (Nisealiis pennatus) from Southern Spain, pre- 

 sented by Captain T. E. Marshall, R..\. ; two Tawny Owls] 

 (Syrnium aluio), British, presented by Mrs. Borrer ; a Red-' 

 fronted .Amazon {Clirysolis villala) from Porto Rico, presented 

 by Mr. G. .V. Phillips; a Cereopsis Goose (Cereopsis iiovae- 

 hollandiae) from .\ustralia, presented by Sir Cuthbert Peek, 

 Bart. ; two Gold PheasanLs ( ThaumaUa pitta, i 9 ) from China,| 

 presented by .Mr. W. A. Upton ; two Red-bellied VVallabysJ 

 (Macropiis bilhrdicri, i 9 ) from Tasmania, presented by Major 

 C. J. Urquhart ; a Red and Vellow Macaw (Ara <hloroptera), 

 a Blue and N'ellow Macaw (.-//•ii ararauna) from South America, 

 presented by Mr. W. .Murray Guthrie; two Vulpine Squirrels 

 [Sciurus vulpiniis, { 9 ) from North .America, a Slaty-headed 

 Parrakect {I'alaeornis siliislueps) from Northern India, de- 

 posited ; a Ilyacinthine Macaw I^Aiiadorhymhus /lyaiititliinus) 

 from Northern Brazil, a Hobby {Falfo subbiileo) from Holland, 

 purchased. 



