0/ ' 



NATURE 



[February i6, 1899 



result of selective iiillueiice, bm .ipparemly tlio direct elTcct of 

 the environmenl. 



A RF.CEN r number of the BiilUtin de la SociM de Ghgraphit 

 c(intains a paper by M. Kdouard tie Sainville on his sojourn on 

 the lower course of the Mackenzie River between tSSg and 

 1S94. A descriptive account of the region and its Indian and 

 ICskinio inhabitants is given in some detail. Amongst other 

 observations of interest, M. de Sainville notes the entire absence 

 of phthisis among the natives, and the occurrence of colds only 

 on contact with civilisation. The experiment was tried of 

 opening a soldered zinc case from Winnipeg in a perfectly healthy 

 camp, and distributing the contents ; next day every member 

 developed a violent cold, which was cured by the administration 

 of cam])hor. 



HulUlin No. 162 of the Michigan .State Agiicultural College 

 Kxperiment .Station is devoted entirely to the subject of forestry, 

 one of very great practical importance to the State. 



TiiR KiilUliii of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural 

 History publishes a list, by Mr. Adolph llempel, of the 

 Protozoa and Rotifera found in the Illinois river and adjacent 

 lakes at Havana, 111. In the Protozoa are included Volvox and 

 other allied forms. We have received also the Biennial Report, 

 by the director of the same State Laboratory. 



In view of the encouragement of new industries in the tropical 

 possessions lately .tcquired by the United States, the U.S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture (Division of Botany) has issued, in the 

 form of liiilUliii No. 21, an account, by Mr. S. J. Galbraith, 

 of the culture of Vanilla, as practised in the Seychelles 

 Islands, 



In an article in Ihc /i<iir)ia/o( the Royal Horticultural Society 

 for January, on the " Origin of Species-inducing Varieties," the 

 Rev. I'l. Ilenslow states his conviction that it is not a rich soil 

 which first induces doubling in plants, but a poor one; but, let 

 the doubling be once thoroughly set up in the plant's constitu- 

 tion, and it then seems that a rich soil will probably enhance it. 

 We have received also, from the Royal Horticultural Society, a 

 very full programme of arrangements for the year 1899. 



TllK Deceml>er (tSoS) issue of Hiiiimel mid Erde conU\\n^ an 

 interesting article, by Herr (1. A. L. Rumker, on the photo- 

 graphy of lightning, which is illustrated by a beautiful reproduc- 

 tion from a photograph of " ribbon " lightning obtained at the 

 Hamburg Observatory. Dr. !•". Koerber continues his article 

 on spectrum analysis, treating of the spectra of the planets and 

 their satellites. 



Thk V'erhandlungen of the (jerman Zoological Society, 

 containing reports, papers, and other communications presented 

 to the eighth annual meeting held at Heidelberg last June, have 

 been published by Mr. W. Kngelni.um, under the editorship of 

 Prof. Dr. J. W. S|K-ngcl. 



Mr. J. \. II.\K\1K BkoWN has sent us a copy of his paper, 

 read at the International Congress of Zoology last .\ugust, on 

 " a correct colour code, or sorlation code in colours, to serve 

 for mapping the zoo-geographical regions and subregions of the 

 world, and aUso to be of use as an eye-index for librarians." 

 Accom|)anying the paper are specimens of colours which it is 

 suggested should be used for book shelves or bindings to 

 indicate, in accordance with the proposed code, the regions to 

 which the works refer. 



PRuf. H. OsiiORN has just published a useful pamphlet on 

 the '• llcssinn Fly (C«idomyia ,i,slructor. Say) in the United 

 States," forming HulUlin No. 10, new scries, of the U.S. 

 De|wrlmenl of Agriculture, Division of Lnloniology. It is 

 accompanied by a map of Ihc distribution of the insect in the 

 Stales, ami several illuslrntiuns of its variuu^ stages, (Mrasiies, 



NO. 1529, VOL. 59] 



&c. Its original habitat is unknown, but it is now found in 

 most countries of Kurope, being specially abundant and destruc- 

 tive towards the eastern parts; in the north and west (including 

 England) it is rarely destructive, and appears to have been 

 cither overlooked, or to be of recent introduction. In the States, 

 it first attracted attention in Long Island in the year 1778, 

 and was supposed to have Iwen introduced, a year or two before, 

 with fodder or bedding with the Hessian troops, whence its 

 popular name ; and this belief Prof. Osborn considers to be 

 not improbably correct. Krom Long Island the insect ex- 

 tended its ravages in all directions at the rate of about twenty 

 miles per year, and, as shown by the map, it has now in- 

 vaded the whole of the eastern half of the Stales, except the 

 southeastern and llie extreme southern .Sialc. ; and has like- 

 wise been found in California, about San I'rancisco. Outside 

 Europe and the States it has been found near Wellington, New J 

 Zealand, in iSSS, i>nly two years after its presence in England I 

 had been verified by entomologists. 



TnKRK are other wheat midgets besides the He.ssian Fly, bul 

 the characteristic symptom of the attacks of the latter is 

 the breaking down of the stalk, owing to iis being weakened 

 by the grub domiciled wilhin. If the stubble, chaff, iVc, is 

 burned, or the field deeply ploughed over as early ;is possible, 

 future injury may be much minimised, if not altogether pre- 

 vented. The fly chiefly attacks wheat, rye, and barley, but has 

 occasional!)' been found on grasses. Its abundance, or other- 

 wise, depends niuch on climatic conditions, and is liable to be 

 reduced by numerous parasites, chiefly small HyiiieMoplera. 

 These, as well as the life-history of the insect, are fully discussed 

 in the pamphlet referred to in the present note, which also in- 

 cludes a full account of the various remedies which have been 

 suggested for its attacks, and a bibliography. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Guinea Baboon (C"i"'i'//M/«.t .c/*//i«.« , 9 ) 

 from .\frica, presented by Mrs. Mellin ; a Macaipie Monkey 

 (Macatiis cyuomnl^usy i ) from India, presented by Mr. Hamilton 

 Baker; two Night Herons (A^r/iiwa.r (.•»•/)«/.), European, 

 presented by Mr. Chas. Humberset ; a Woodcock {Siolo/'ttx 

 rustiiiiht), European, presented by Captain Bewicke ; two 

 Black-necked Lizards {.Ifitma alri(ollis) from Natal, presented 

 by Mr. W. Champion ; a Bennett's Wallaby {M^ii rof'us btnnetti) 

 from Tasmania, an .\ustralian Cassowary {Casiutrius auslralis'S 

 from Australia, a Two-wattled Cassowary (Casintrius bicar- 

 uiiciilatus) from the .Aroo Islands, a Bennett's Cassowary (Casn- 

 alius hfiiiiftii) from New Britain, deposited ; a Brush-tailed 

 Kangaroo (Petivgale /^nicillala, 9 ) from Ne« South Wales, a 

 Blue-crowned Parrakeel (Tmiy^iallnis lii-.oiiensis) from the 

 Philippines, four Bearded Titmice (t\iiiiiiiis li.timiciis, 2 i , 

 2 9), European; two Long-tailed Grais I'inches (Fotp/iila 

 aiii/iiaiida, i 9 ) from North-west .\ustralia, a Hobby {Falto 

 suiiu/to) British, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Woi.l-'s CoMKr, 1S9S l\. — .\. Thraen gixe-. in the Astro- 

 MomiscAf j\'aikri\/ilfii, an ephemeris for obsetv.iiii.n of this comet 

 (Bd. 14S, No. 3544). 



Ephdiifris for Berlin Midiiig,ht. 



n 48 



'4 39 



'5 5.i 

 17 2S 



1>( 24 

 21 J9 



24 II 



- 10 30 o 



9 55 ■! 

 9 no 

 8 2S .) 

 7 47-3 

 7 0'9 

 6 27 Q 



5 SO 5 



- 5 U ^ 



Br. 



080 

 '74 

 ■69 

 •64 

 •59 

 •55 

 *S« 

 ■47 



044 



