February 20, 190S] 



A^A TURE 



oi:> 



fiod it :i piofitrible invr^iairnt to devote the money spent 

 in consiructing' one battleship per annum to the National 

 Physical Laboratory instead of preparing for war. In 

 responding to the toast of " The Physical Society," the 

 president dwelt on the importance of research. At the 

 present day there arc many science teachers and many 

 compilers of books who do no research. They are well up 

 in the letter of science, but not in the spirit thereof, with 

 the result that their writings lack a most essential quality 

 which can be gained only by actual research. He appealed 

 to the leaders of physical science to attend the meetings 

 of the society, not for their own benefit, but from a 

 sense of duty, for there is nothing so inspiriting to the 

 younger members as contact with men who have carried 

 out important work. 



Fko.m .Mr. F. I^. n.mics. of Berlin, we have received 

 a catalogue of books and papers on entomological subjects 

 (No. oh, Bibliothcca Entomologica). 



No. 7 of Irish Fisheries .Scientific Investigations for 

 11)06 {1907) contains a report on artificial salmon and trout 

 lireeding for the season 1906-7, from which it appears 

 that the total for salmon comes within about 500,000 of 

 that of the previous season, and therefore is by about that 

 number in excess of any previous year. 



Two papers on regeneration are included in vol. Ixxxix., 

 part i., of ihe Zcitsclirifl fiir -vissenscliaftlichc Zoologie. 

 In the first of these .Mr. J. Nusbaum describes the pro- 

 cesses occurring in one of the polychjete worms of the 

 genus Nereis, while in the second Mr. J. Grochmalicki 

 discusses the regeneration of the lens of the eye in bony 

 fishes. In the case of one particular fish from which this 

 organ had been extirpated, a new lens, differing slightly 

 in form from the original, was developed in 187 days. 



In the course of an article on hermaphroditism in 

 echinoderms, published in Nos. 6 and 7 of the Travaux 

 do la Societc Imperialc des Naturalistes de Si. Piters- 

 hoiirg for 1907, the author, Mr. G. Gadd, argues that 

 since this phenomenon is not uncommon in sea-cucumbers, 

 more rare in star-fishes, and almost unknown in sea- 

 urchins, we have a confirmation of the view that it is an 

 attribute of the less highly organised members of the 

 groups in which it occurs. 



To the Museums journal for January Dr. H. C. Sorby 

 contributes a paper on the best means of preserving marine 

 invertebrates for museum purposes in such a manner that 

 their natural colouring will be retained. As regards his 

 own private collection, the author finds anhydrous glycerin 

 — covered, when necessary, with a layer of almond oil — 

 the most satisfactory medium, some specimens which have 

 been preserved in this manner for fully five years display- 

 ing their tints with even more than normal brilliancy. 

 The chief difficulty in the case of museum specimens would 

 be in the use of large rectangular vessels, owing to danger 

 of leakage. 



The LytUlton Times (New Zealand) of December 3, 

 1907, contains a long summary of the results of the recent 

 scientific expedition to Auckland, Campbell, and other 

 iUands lying to the southward of New Zealand. Mr. 

 Speight, geologist to the expedition, claims to have dis- 

 covered in Auckland, Campbell, Snares, and Disappoint- 

 ment (not apparently the island of the same name in the 

 Low .Archipelago, but one somewhere near the others) 

 locks indicating that these islands once formed a part of 

 the .Antarctic continent. The islands have also been ex- 



NO. 1999, VOL. jy'] 



tcnsively glaciated. Of insects, flies and tipulai- are the 

 most numerous, but beetles and dragon-flies were also 

 observed. A linnet-like bird from Campbell Island has not 

 yet been identified ; and successful photographs have been, 

 obtained of the skua, shag, moUymawk, gull, albatross, 

 and penguin rookeries. On Snares Island the stench from 

 the birds and seals is stated to have been almost intoler- 

 able, and the members of the expedition who visited the- 

 Campbell group suffered severely from the colds and wind. 



A sri-xnL paragraph in the issue quoted above is de- 

 roted to Disappointment Island, which was visited by Dr. 

 L. Cockayne, who devoted special attention to the vegeta- 

 tion. Although the number of species is small, the vege- 

 tation as a whole is comparatively luxuriant. A'erV 

 striking is the large Aciphylla latifoUa, a member of the 

 rarrot tribe, while the male flowers of the orange lily, 

 Bulbinella rossi, are conspicuous " The most interesting 

 feature of all is the natural rejuvenation of the vegetation 

 that is going on. Cast your eye over the landscape, and 

 you will see brown meadow dotted with white birds, which 

 slowly but surely kill out all the plant-covering, and patches 

 of vivid green. This latter arises from the presence of 

 the Antarctic burr, or piri-piri, in enormous quantities ; 

 and it, a quite rare plant in a virgin meadow, has spread 

 from thence and occupied the new ground, thanks to its 

 colonising power, its spiky fruits adhering to the feathers 

 of the young birds and so being spread broadcast. Herf 

 there is a splendid example of a plant of little importance 

 becoming virtually a weed in a virgin vegetation. But 

 finally tussock will resume the sway, and a gradual 

 destruction and rejuvenation of the vegetation must ga 

 en, thanks to the mollymawks." 



I.\ the February number of British Birds the editc.=; 

 discuss certain allegations against the black-headed gull 

 which formed the subject of notice in the previous issue. 

 Without entering into the controversy, we may notice 

 that the allegations have induced two county councils in 

 Scotland to strike gulls of all kinds out of the protected 

 list. In another paragraph the editors refer to the subject 

 of " luminous owls." In their opinion, the luminosity is 

 most probably to be attributed to phosphorescent bacteria 

 derived from decaying wood. It may, however, be duc- 

 either to a phosphorescent feather-fungus (akin lo one 

 known to occur in geese) or to a diseased condition of the 

 oil-gland, whereby the oil is more abundant than usual, 

 and so abnormal in its nature as to become luminous orr 

 cxposure to the air. Whatever be the true explanation, it 

 is evident that the phenomenon is abnormal, and almost 

 certainly due to the presence of foreign matter on the 

 feathers. 



The reports on the botanic and experiment stations and 

 agricultural education in St. Kitts-Ncvis for 1906-7. 

 besides reviewing the work for the year, summarise the 

 progress made since the institution of the Imperial. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for the West Indies. The sugar 

 industry has benefited by the introduction of the seedling 

 canes B. 147 and B. 208 ; cotton cultivation has been 

 developed since 1901, when trial plots were started, until 

 an area of 5000 acres is now planted in the three islands 

 St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. The cultivation of cacao 

 proceeds more slowly, but gives promise of success. 

 Rubber planting, chiefly with Casiilloa elastica, is also 

 receiving attention. The records of the experiment plots 

 provide useful data with regard to growing tobacco, varie- 

 ties of potatoes, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and other 

 minor prodircts. 



