JUNE 19, 1902] 
NATURE 
185 
Cephalaspis and Pteraspis, the curious resemblance presented 
by its shield to the carapace of the modern crustacean commonly 
known as Apus has long been recognised. This resemblance, 
the author contends, is not a mere accident, but indicates 
genetic affinity between the two groups. Accordingly, he 
proposes to regard Tremataspis, Pteraspis, Cephalaspis and 
Pterichthys as the representatives of a new class of arthropod-like 
animals under the title of Peltacephalata. And he urges that 
the genetic relationship between this group and the arthropods 
‘can mean nothing else than the derivation, through changes 
in structure and function, of the one group from the other.” A 
further proposal is to group together into one great phylum the 
vertebrates and the arthropods, under the name of Syncephalata. 
It will be interesting to note what the authors’ fellow-workers 
have to say in regard to this startling new departure in 
classification. 
To the April number of the Zés, Mr. W. E. Clarke com- 
municates an account of a month spent by himself last autumn 
on the Eddystone for the purpose of observing bird-migra- 
tion. On the night of October 12 the author was fortunate 
enough to witness a great ‘“‘rush”’ of emigrating birds, which 
continued until the early hours of the 13th. Although the 
majority of the migrants were British, the presence of the red- 
wing and the fieldfare indicated a foreign contingent, and it was 
also noted that the starlings taken on this occasion belonged to 
the race characterised by the purple head and green ear-coverts, 
which is believed to be continental in habitat. ‘‘ Throughout 
the movement, and especially when it was at its height in the 
earliest hours of the morning,” writes Mr. Clarke, ‘‘the scene 
presented was singular in the extreme and beyond adequate de- 
scription. Resplendent, as it were, in burnished gold, hosts of 
birds were fluttering in, or crossing at all angles, the brilliant 
revolving beams of light; those which simply traversed the rays 
were illumined for a moment only, and became mere spectres 
on passing into the gloom. The migrants which winged their 
way up the beams—and they were many—resembled balls or 
streaks of approaching light, and they either struck the lantern, 
or, being less entranced, passed out of the rays ere the fatal goal 
was reached. Of those striking, some fell like stones from their 
violent contact with the glass, while others beat violently against 
the windows in their wild efforts to reach the focal point of the 
all-fascinating light.” 
THE skeleton and skin of the okapi recently received at the 
Congo Museum, Brussels, add important information to our 
knowledge of that animal. The specimens have been submitted 
to Dr. Forsyth Major, who published a preliminary note on the 
results of his examination in La Belgique Coloniale of May 25, 
and also gives a figure of the male skull in the same journal of 
June 8. The Brussels specimens comprise the skeleton of a 
male, unfortunately lacking two of the vertebra of the neck, 
and the skin of a female, both belonging to adults. These 
show that full-grown individuals of both sexes are provided with 
horns. Those of the female are comparatively small, conical, 
nearly vertical and completely covered with skin. Those of the 
male, on the other hand, are larger, subtriangular and inclined | 
somewhat backwards, each being capped with a small polished 
epiphysis, which appears to have projected through the skin 
investing the rest of the horn. As regards its general characters, 
the skull of the okapi appears to be intermediate between that | 
of the giraffe on the one hand and that of the extinct Palzo- 
tragus, or Samotherium, on the other. It has, for instance, a 
greater development of air-cells in the dz/oe than in the latter, | 
but a much smaller one than in the former. Again, in Palzeotragus 
the horns (present only in the male) are situated immediately over | 
the eye-sockets, in Ocapia they are placed just behind the latter, | 
while in Giraffa they are partly on the parietals. 
NO, 1703, VOL. 66] 
In general 
form, so far as can be judged from the disarticulated skeleton, 
the okapi was more like an antelope than a giraffe, the fore and 
| hind cannon-bones, and consequently the entire limbs, being of 
| approximately equal length. 
It is further suggested that, owing 
to the skin having been unduly stretched in drying, the neck 
and fore-limbs of the immature mounted specimen in the British 
Museum may be somewhat too long. From all this it seems 
probable that Palzeotragus and Ocapia indicate the ancestral 
stock of the giraffe line ; while it is further suggested that che 
apparently hornless Helladotherium of the Grecian Pliocene 
may occupy a somewhat similar position in regard to the horned 
Sivatherium of the Indian Siwaliks. 
THE second volume of the Minnesota Botanical Studies is 
completed with the issue of the May number. Mr. Bruce Fink 
contributes an article dealing with the lichens of north-western 
Minnesota. The Corad/inae verae of Port Renfrewy Vancouver 
Island, B.C., form the subject of a short systematic account by 
Mr. K. Yendo. The concluding paper, by Prof. Conway 
Macmillan, deals with the anatomical investigation of P/ery- 
gophora californica, one of the Laminariacez. 
IN the first quarterly Av//etin for this year issued by the 
Botanical Department at Trinidad will be found an account of 
some experiments the results of which promise to be of value to 
cacao planters. Attempts have been made to graft cacao plants 
on strong stocks, in the hope that liability to the attacks of 
fungi may be reduced. So far, successful grafts on Theobroma 
bicolor and Herrania albiflora have been obtained, anJ trials 
are being made with stocks of Co/a acuminata, Another some- 
what novel experiment is in progress of treating the soil with 
mulchings of vegetable matter during the dry season. This 
serves to attract earthworms, and they act as carriers of manure 
to the roots of the cacao plants. Attention is also drawn to the 
advantages of using chupons or gormandisers on the planta- 
tions. 
In the report for last year, issued from the Royal Botanic 
Gardens, Ceylon, Mr. J. C. Willis, the director, gives further 
proof of his capability as an organiser and investigator. To 
aid in purely scientific work he has the assistance of four experts 
—a mycologist, a chemist, an entomologist and an assistant. 
Besides investigating the diseases of tea and cacao plants, ex- 
periments have been made with other plants which may prove 
to have an economic value. While so far no industry of a 
first-class nature has been brought to light, several minor in- 
dustries which may be undertaken on existing plantations have 
been instituted. Hevea plants now under cultivation have 
yielded rubber superior to the best wild Para. Indigenous species 
of Palaquium were investigated by the assistant, and rubber of 
fair commercial value was obtained ; this, too, without cutting 
down the tree. Camphor, citronella oil, cinchona, coca have 
also been brought to the notice of planters. The laboratory at 
Peradeniya has been well patronised by English and foreign 
visitors, and with the establishment of a laboratory and rooms 
at Hagkala facilities are offered for research in the hill country. 
The director has completed his review of the flora of the 
Maldive Islands, and has published it in the new journal, 
the Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. 
WE have received a copy of the fifth volume of the Zrans- 
actions of the Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club. It 
embodies the work of four sessions, ending with the summer of 
1899, but there is appended a summary of Dr. John Horne’s 
address to the geological section of the British Association in 
1901. Some time has therefore elapsed since the reading of 
the papers now published, which deal with history and 
| archzeology as well as natural history, physics and engineering. 
| 
