542 



NA TURE 



[Apkil io, 1902 



author remarks, a strong probability that they are homologous. 

 With characteristic caution, he prefers, however, to await an 

 investigation into their developmental history before definitely 

 staling that this is the case. Even the provisional identification 

 of true nephridea in the vertebrate phylum is a most important 

 adv.ince in our knowledge. If this be confirmed by future in- 

 vestigation, it is not a necessary sequence that vertebrates art" 

 derived from the polychxtous worms, all that is demonstrated 

 being that the remote common ancestor of these now widely 

 divergent branches was of a much more specialised type than 

 has been commonly supposed. 



The authorities at the Royal Botanic Gardens have just 

 published, as an appendix to the fCew lUtlletin, a list of new 

 garden plants which have been recorded during the past 

 year. Only a few are actually in cultivation at Kew, but o( 

 these some will be available for distribution in the regular 

 course of exchange. ■ In the case of the remainder, reference is 

 given, where possible, to the individual in whose garden or 

 collection the plant was first brought to notice. One of the 

 objects in publishing this list is to endeavour to ensure a uniform 

 and correct naming of new plants. 



Mr. J. H. Maiden, in an extract from the A'timltural 

 Gazelle of New South Wales, directs attention to the practice 

 adopted by the Australian aborigines of obtaining water from 

 the roots of various plants in arid districts. The trees tapped 

 for this purpose were species of Eucalyptus known as Mallee, 

 and Ilakea or Needlebush. Also some Casuarinas were known 

 by the natives to store up water in their stems. The usual 

 method of treating the roots was to cut them up into pieces about 

 nine inches long ; these might receive a preliminary chew, or 

 without being subjected to that stimulus would be set on end in 

 order to pour out their slock of water. 



The coal resources of India formed the subject of a paper 

 lately read by Prof. W. R. Dunslan before the Society of Arts 

 ijoiinial, March 21). He points out that India possesses 

 a practically inexhaustible supply of coal, mainly of permo- 

 Triasiic age, and occupying an area estimated at about 35,000 

 square miles. The industry of coal-mining is at present in its 

 infancy. During the year 1900 a little more than six million tons 

 were produced, mainly from Bengal. The principal coalfields 

 in that province are estimated to contain 136 million tons of 

 coal. Excellent steam and coking coal occur in Bengal and also 

 in Assam. 



A SKETCH of the geology of the north-east coast of Labrador 

 has been contributed by Mr. Reginald A. Daly (Bull. Mus. 

 Comp. Zoology, Harvard Coll., vol. xxxviii., 1902). The founda- 

 tion rocks of this coast consist mainly of a crystalline complex of 

 schists and gneisses with intruded masses and dykes of granite, 

 diorile and gabbro, with also slates and sandstones perhaps of 

 Cambrian age. The general strike of the rocks, whether of 

 cleaviige or stratification, coincides with the trend of the coast ; 

 and in discussing this subject the author throws out the sugges- 

 tion that the great B.ink of Newfoundland n.ay be a submerged 

 mountain-plateau at the intersection of the Librador and 

 .Appalachian structural axes. Atlenlion was, however, mainly 

 given to the glacial phenomena, to the general direction of 

 ice-movements, the " lunoid furrows" described by Packard, 

 and the post-Glacial movements as proved by raised beaches. 

 The ice-movement at all elevations, both in the valleys and on 

 the hill-tops, was found to have been outward from the central 

 part of the peninsula. The "lunoid furrows" are crescent- 

 shaped depressions five to fourteen inches broad by three to nine 

 inches long, and about an inch deep vertically in llie rock. .Mr. 

 Daly coniiders that they originate (roin the tension or shearing 

 stress set up in the bed-rock by boulders dragged along bineath 

 NO. 1693, VOL. 65 J 



the ice, and that the actual hollows are due to the action of frost 

 in post-Glacial times prizing up the fragments of disturbed rock. 

 The limit of glaciation was about 2100 feet above the sea, so 

 that the higher massifs formed nunataks overlooking the 

 Pleistocene ice-sheet. 



TiiKjonntai of the Franklin Institute contains a long and 

 elaborate paper on the AlaskoCanadian frontier, by Mr. Thomas 

 Willing Balch. The historical evidence is carefully analysed, 

 and there are repruduclions of a number of old maps. The 

 author concludes that the evidence shows overwhelmingly that 

 the United Slates are entitled to an unbroken slrip of land on 

 the continent from Mount St. Elias down to the Portland 

 Channel, and believes that they should never consent to refer 

 the matter to arbitration. 



We have received from the author a copy of a pamphlet entitled 

 " A Sketch of the Subject of Map Projections," by Major C. F. 

 Close, R.E. A list of selected projections is given and a short 

 explanation of the formula' used in constructing each, also a list 

 of examples and books of reference. The paper, which might 

 well be expanded into the much-needed English text-book on the 

 subject, will be extremely useful to anyone dealing with map 

 projections. We note that the references contain no mention of 

 the works of Tissot, Hammer or Zoppritz. 



Several popular and instructive articles on scientific topics 

 appear in this month's magazines. The frontispiece in Pearson's 

 Magazine is a reproduction of a photograph of the head of a 

 cobra, laken when the snake's head was only a yard away from 

 the camera. Mr. S. S. Buckman describes and illustrates some 

 characters and actions of babies similar to those exhibited by 

 monkeys and suggesting a common origin. Dr. C. Brown 

 gives a number of striking pictures of fossils of various kinds, 

 and indicates the lessons taught by them. Stages in the open- 

 ing of leaves of several plants are dealt with by Mr. G. Clarke 

 Nuttall, and are pleasingly illustrated. A number of curves 

 drawn wiili a compound pendulum accompany a description by 

 Mr. A. Williams. In the A'oyal Magazine, Mr. W. M. Webb 

 writes an account of a caterpillar farm at Scarborough, where 

 moths and butlerfiies are reared as a business. The Sunday 

 Magazine has several photomicrographs of parts of' caterpillars ; 

 and a number of " minute marvels of nature" are illustrated in 

 Good lipoids, from photo-micrographs by Mr. J. J. Ward. 



The American Society for Plant Morphology and Physiology 

 held their annual meeiing at Columbia University under the 

 presidency of Dr. Erwin F. Smith, of the Department of 

 Agriculture. The president, besides delivering his address on 

 plant jiathology, presented a paper dealing with the destruction 

 of cell walls by bacteria. Leaves of the turnip were inoculated 

 with the bacterium Pseudomonas (ampestris. The disease 

 appeared on the leaves and passed down to the root. Sections 

 of the root showed the bacterial masses in the vessels and 

 adjacent parenchyma. The bacteria prow in between the cells, 

 dissolve first the middle lamella and then the rest of the cell 

 walls, and finally occupy large cavities which have been formed 

 by the destruction of large portions of tissue. Dr C. O. 

 Townsend described another bacterial disease occurring generally 

 on the bulbs, sometimes on the roots or leaves of the Calla lily. 

 At the same meeting. Dr. Harshberger suggested several lines 

 of research which might be undertaken in the West Indies, and 

 proposed that, owing 10 the suspicious nature of the Tahitians, 

 a steamer should be fitted up as a research laboratory. Prof. 

 Ganong discussed the teaching of plant physi<ilogy to large 

 elementary classes. Dr. Margaret E. Ferguson gave an account 

 of investigations into the condition of germination of Basidio- 

 mjcetous spores, and Prof. Conw!iy Macmillan described his 

 observations on P.erygophora. 



