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JANvARY 13, 1923] 
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Research Items. 
Tue Pivou Feast 1n New CaLeponia.—A valuable 
account of the festival known in New Caledonia as 
Pilou, a word which seems to mean “ repetition, 
rhythm,” in connexion with the ritual dances forming 
a leading part of the ceremonial, is given in L’Anthro- 
a vol. xxxii. Nos. 3-4) by M. Maurice Leen- 
t. The object of this elaborate series of dances 
and ritual seems to be the periodical expulsion of evil 
spirits and other dangers, which has been fully dis- 
cussed by Sir James Frazer in ‘‘ The Golden Bough,” 
rd ed., The Scapegoat, chaps. iii. iv. This article, 
lly illustrated by drawings and _ photographs, 
deserves the attention of anthropologists. 
Pencit PIGMENTS IN Writinc.—In the issue of 
Discovery for January, Mr. C. Ainsworth Mitchell, dis- 
cusses the question of the identification of pencil 
pigments in writing. He shows that the micro- 
scopical appearance of lead and its alloys is quite 
distinct from that of graphite, the lines showing a 
disconnected series of patches irregularly distributed, 
uniformly and brilliantly lit up, and each patch is 
marked with regular vertical striations. Writing in 
different pencil pigments may sometimes be differ- 
entiated by chemical tests. For example, the 
graphite and clay used for the pigment frequently 
contain very varying amounts of iron or of chlorides, 
and the markings with them show reactions of 
different intensities when tested with the respective 
reagents. Titanium is also a common constituent of 
natural graphites, but seldom sufficient to give a 
distinct reaction in the markings on paper. In that 
case, however, a colour test alone was sufficient to 
distinguish the marks made with that pencil as 
compared with others examined. 
GLANDS OF THE Microprit!.—Dr. J. Stephenson 
(Trans. R. Soc. Edin., liii. pp. 241-265, 1 plate, 1922) 
has investigated the septal and pharyngeal glands 
of the four families of Microdrili (Oligocheta)— 
Tubificide, Enchytraeide, Naidide, and Lumbri- 
culide. In the anterior segments are numerous 
deeply staining cells associated with the blood vessels, 
muscular strands, septa (forming the “ septal glands’), 
body-wall, and pharynx and cesophagus (forming 
the ‘‘ pharyngeal glands”’). Only in the Enchy- 
traeide do the cells discharge into the lumen of the 
pharynx; their products—largely disintegration pro- 
ducts—penetrate between the cells of the dorsal 
wall ofthe pharynx. Innone of the species examined 
do cell processes of the “‘ glands" penetrate the 
alimentary wall. The cells (except in the case of 
the Enchytraeidx~) appear to constitute ductless 
— and their secretion mixes with the coelomic 
uid. The cells arise from the peritoneal lining 
of the coelom and not from the alimentary epithelium. 
_OosPoRE FoRMATION IN PHyTOPHTHORA.—A note 
of considerable interest to mycologists is contributed 
by S. F. Ashby to the Kew Bulletin (No. 9, 1922, 
Pp. 257-261) upon the formation of oospores in a 
species of Phytophthora, P. Faberi Maubl. The 
author has isolated from the cacao plant in Jamaica 
and Grenada, from rotting cotton bolls in St. Vincent, 
and from the coconut m in Jamaica, strains of 
Phytophthora, apparently this species, which appear 
identical in growth in pure culture save that the 
strain from cacao seems less vigorous. In pure 
cultures oospores are not formed upon any of these 
strains, but if the strain from cacao is grown in 
mixed culture with either of the other two strains, 
oospores appear regularly in the culture as thé 
mycelia ry Rage and persistent antheridia are 
present. So far these interesting observations would 
admit of interpretation upon the assumption of 
NO. 2776, VOL. 111 | 
NATURE 
61 
heterothallism so thoroughly worked out by Blakeslee 
for the Mucoracex, but Ashby’s observations upon the 
result of mixing strains of this species with a strain 
of the distinct species P. parasitica Dast. isolated 
from Ricinus in India are totally unexpected. 
Oospores are developed in such mixed cultures but 
are throughout of the diameter characteristic of P. 
Faberi, the smaller oospores of P. parasitica not 
being detected. The further development of this 
interesting work will be followed with great interest. 
PHILIPPINE EARTHQUAKES.—We have received a 
reprint of the Weather Bulletin (for December 1920) 
of the U.S. Weather Bureau containing the catalogue 
of Philippine earthquakes for the year 1920. The 
numberof shocks recorded (147) ‘is’ close to the 
average (150) for the last eighteen years, though 
only one (the Benguet earthquake of October 8) was 
strong enough to cause slight damage to buildings. 
In two useful tables are given the monthly numbers 
of earthquakes felt in the Philippines for every year 
from 1903 to 1920, and also similar numbers of 
earthquakes recorded at Manila, the total numbers 
being respectively 2699 and 5781. An interesting 
result obtained from these tables is that, as in other 
insular seismic districts, the earthquakes of the 
Philippines are subject to a very slightly marked 
annual period. 
Oi 1n Russta.—Some aspects of the occurrence 
of oil in Russia formed the subject of a paper read 
by Mr. T. G. Madgwick before the Institute of 
Petroleum Technologists on December 12. The 
author considered briefly the geology and structures 
of the principal fields, and by a generalised correla- 
tion of these widely distributed occurrences, attempted 
to forecast the future possibilities of the country as 
an oil producer, both as regards existent and potential 
resources. While it may be doubted whether such 
prolific pools as those of Baku will ever be struck 
again (the conditions here being peculiarly favour- 
able to oil accumulation), so much unprospected 
territory, at least technically favourable, remains 
to be examined, that he would be a bold man who 
prophesied a non-recurrence of industrial achieve- 
ments which at one time rivalled even those of the 
United States. The cure for the present ills of the 
Russian petroleum industry lies in the establishment 
of political and economic stability, in reorganisation 
of existing fields, and in a business-like system of 
roduction. The author also stressed the necessity 
or giving serious attention to certain technical 
as compe in particular water troubles, which even 
efore the Revolution were causing anxiety to many 
producers. Developments of existing fields may be 
expected in the Caucasus (Terek region), in the eastern 
end of the Apsheron peninsula, and in the lower part 
of the Kura river. he unknown factor, however, 
is unquestionablyTranscaspia; the Emba district, 
N.E. of the Caspian Sea, is already a producing field, 
but vast areas, at present almost inaccessible, await 
exploration, both to the east and north-east ; these 
aS abe have the added merit of being scientifically 
avourable, at all events in so far as our present 
geological knowledge of Asiatic Russia is concerned. 
The author left out of consideration the Sakhalin 
and Eastern Siberian prospects; these isolated 
occurrences are only imperfectly known and in any 
case they can have no relationship with the main 
resource-area under review; from the geological 
point of view, they are more closely allied to the 
occurrences in Japan, and may ultimately be expected 
to reveal similarities both in development and 
economic magnitude to that country. 
