340 
NATURE 
[Marcu 10, 1923 

RECENT PENTACRINID#.—In the Journal of the 
Washington Academy of Sciences of January 4 Mr. 
A. H. Clark publishes a revision of the recent repre- 
sentatives of the crinoid family Pentacrinide. For 
‘many years the name Pentacrinus has ceased to be 
applied to any crinoid now living, and now Isocrinus, 
to which genus most of the modern species were for 
a time referred, is also considered to be entirely 
extinct. For the only species that remained—the 
Atlantic Pentacrinus wyville-thomsoni—Mr. Clark 
founds the new genus Annacrinus. 
A New British ENTEROPNEUST.—In the current 
number of the Quarterly ]ournalof Microscopical Science 
(vol. 66, part iv.) Prof. Alexander Meek records the 
discovery of an interesting addition to the British 
marine fauna. The Enteropneusta have hitherto 
been represented in British seas, so far as known, only 
by two species of the genus Dolichoglossus, from the 
west coast of Ireland and Scotland respectively. 
The newly discovered species is apparently referable 
to the genus Glossobalanus, and the name proposed 
by Prof. Meek is Glossobalanus marginatus, the species 
being regarded as distinct from any previously 
described. Unfortunately only a single imperfect 
specimen was obtained, off the coast of Northumber- 
land at a depth of 52 fathoms. It is further suggested 
that a Tornaria larva sometimes met with in the 
North Sea plankton may be referable to this species. 
PomoLocy.—A few years ago Mr. E.”-A, Bunyard, 
of the well-known Maidstone nurseries, upon his own 
initiative started a Journal of Pomology, in which 
contributions of very great scientific interest have | 
been published. With its third volume this journal 
commences its career anew as the Journal of Pomology 
and Horticultural Science, with a powerful publication 
committee to support the original editor, the financial 
responsibilities now being transferred to the three 
horticultural research stations at Long Ashton near 
Bristol, Cambridge, and East Malling, Kent. In a 
foreword, Sir A. D. Hall expresses his interest in the 
new journal and his hope that while providing a 
medium for the publication of the results obtained 
by the investigators at these research stations, it may 
also ‘gather together new knowledge and experience 
from all kinds of public and private workers connected 
with fruit-growing in Great Britain.” From the begin- 
ning the format of the journal has been good and many 
of its photographic reproductions exceptionally fine. 
The first number of the new volume contains a valu- 
able series of papers upon the raspberry. The genus 
Rubus has long been a stumbling-block to systematists, 
and Mr. N. H. Grubb appears to have commenced for 
Rubus Ideus the task which the late Rev. Moyle 
Rogers carried out so thoroughly for Rubus fruticosus. 
Upon a series of characters the large and confusing 
number of varieties of raspberry grown in Great 
Britain are arranged within groups and a key given 
to permit the determination of some of the more 
important varieties. First importance is attached to 
the surface characters of the young canes, which fall 
into two groups, one pubescent, the other glabrous 
or nearly so; the colours of the spines then provide 
another valuable character. This important work is 
certainly a necessary preliminary to any cultural or 
experimental work with the raspberry. W. Boyes 
describes the characters of different types of apple- 
tree shoots, based largely upon the current nomen- 
clature of the French horticulturist. F. V. Theobald 
describes the apple and plum case-bearer and its 
treatment. Herbert W. Miles discusses the control 
of the apple-blossom weevil, and G. S. Peren the value 
of spraying for the control of the logan beetle. 
NO. 2784, VOL. 115] 

SURVEYS IN THE EASTERN KARA-KORAM AND 
Kuoran.—A detachment from the Survey of India, 
under Maj. H. Wood, was attached to Dr. F. de 
Filippi’s expedition of 1913 to undertake exploration 
and geophysical researches in the little-known regions 
of the Kara-koram at the headjaters of the Shyok 
and Yarkand rivers. Maj. Wood’s report, which was 
delayed by the war, is now published (‘‘ Exploration 
in the Eastern Kara-koram and the Upper Yarkand 
Valley. Dehra Dun: Office of the Survey, 1922. 
6s.). The work included the survey of the Depsang 
plateau, the San Remo Glacier, from which the River 
Yarkand proves to drain, and the upper valley of 
that river. Maj. Wood shows how he ascended what 
he believes to be the line of an old route leading across 
the head basin of the Oprang, but Dr. Filippi was 
forced to abandon his project of exploring that valley. 
An appendix contains a discussion of historical 
evidence bearing on certain disused or forgotten 
routes through the Kara-korams. The report is 
accompanied by a series of photographic plates and 
a coloured map, on a scale of 1 to 250,000, of the area 
surveyed by Dr. F. de Filippi’s expedition. 
MAN AS AN AGENT IN GEOGRAPHICAL CHANGE.— 
Some of the ways in which man modifies the surface 
features of the earth were discussed in a lecture by 
Dr. R. L. Sherlock, given to the Royal Geographical 
Society on February 19. Mining and quarrying 
assist the natural agents of denudation and transform 
scenery. A calculation of the amount of rock 
removed in various kinds of excavation by man in 
Great Britain since the earliest times shows the 
significance of this work. The total excavation spread 
over the British Isles would amount to 3-83 inches. 
This may be compared with Geikie’s estimate of the 
rate of erosion in the British Isles, which is 2-72 
inches in 2000 years. Surface subsidence is an 
important effect of mining operations. Dr. Sherlock 
showed how this might be prevented or delayed by 
leaving pillars to support the roof, or by the method 
frequently adopted in the collieries of Upper Silesia 
of stowing waste materials in the cavities produced. 
The accumulation of waste on the surface may be 
utilised to fill up a foreshore as at Middlesbrough, 
where 4270 acres have been reclaimed in this manner ; 
or it may form artificial hills. In the Black Country 
of Staffordshire some 230 million cubic yards of waste 
have been deposited on 23 square miles. Yet in this 
case subsidence has probably more than counter- 
balanced the gain. Under the site of London some 
50 million cubic yards have been excavated, but brick 
or other linings have prevented subsidence. In fact, 
the level of London has actually risen by the ac- 
cumulation of domestic and other waste. Excava- 
tions have shown this to be the case. On its own 
debris the height of London grows about one foot a 
century. It is probable that in three centuries the 
waste from the coal used in London has amounted to 
more than 42 million tons. Most of this directly, or 
indirectly, in the form of bricks and artificial flagstones, 
has been incorporated in the site of London. Dr. 
Sherlock also gave examples of man’s interference 
with rivers, and, by means of pumping, with the 
circulation of underground waters. — 
Ort In LaccorirHic DomEs.—Of the many geo- 
logical structures in which petroliferous sediments 
may be involved, elevated, dome-like masses of rock, 
resulting from igneous intrusion of the laccolithic 
type, are rarely productive of oil on a commercial 
scale, save possibly in certain cases in Mexico. There 
is, however, no reason prima facie why such a struc- 
ture should not be favourable, unless secondary 
