September 8, 1910] 



NATURE 



ii5 



The Bulletin of the Sleeping Sickness Bureau (No. 19, 

 July 26) contains a progress report on the Uganda sleep- 

 ing-sickness camps from December, igo6, to November, 

 1909, by Dr. A. P. Hodges, principal medical officer. It 

 deals particularly with the treatment of the disease. The 

 conclusions are that the prospect of curing sleeping sick- 

 ness by medicinal treatment has not materially increased, 

 that the percentage of apparent cures is practically 

 negligible from the point of view of stamping out the 

 disease, that the percentage of apparent cures continues 

 to diminish with lapse of time after treatment, while the 

 death-rate continues to increase, and that there is no 

 decided superiority of one mode of treatment over another 

 of those known to be of benefit. 



The July number of the monthly Folia Neuro-hiologica 

 thoroughly maintains the reputation of that magazine 

 for usefulness as a bibliographical review of neurology. 

 Of the three original articles contained in this number, 

 perhaps the most interesting is a paper by Dr. Ferruccio 

 Rossi on the cutaneous innervation of the lumbo-sacral 

 region in the dog. The author concludes (i) that spinal 

 transection at various levels in this region reveals very 

 precise limits between cutaneous sensibility and insensi- 

 bility ; (2) that these limits are constant and characteristic 

 for each segmental level ; (3) that transection between the 

 13th dorsal and ist lumbar, between the ist and 2nd, 2nd 

 and 3rd, or 3rd and 4th lumbar segments involves only 

 a single dermatom, while yet more distal transections 

 involve more than a single dermatom ; (4) that the results 

 obtained are of value for the study of the dorsal and ventral 

 axile lines of the extremities, and for the topical diagnosis 

 of spinal lesions. 



To the Bulletin of the Royal Academy of Belgium, 

 Classe des Sciences, 1910, No. 5, Mr. A. Rutot contributes 

 an article on the e.xistence in Belgian caverns of layers 

 containing remains of Arctic rodents. Such layers have 

 been already identified in Swiss and German caves in 

 association with those containing the so-called mammoth- 

 fauna, which indicates a moderately cold climate, and 

 includes the Aurignacien and Solutreen stages. One of 

 these rodent zones — the Middle Magdalenien — contains a 

 fauna comparable to that of the European and Asiatic 

 steppes, while a second includes one of the type of the 

 Siberian tundra. Both these layers belong to the rein- 

 deer epoch ; but the tundra-like fauna alone indicates 

 absolutely Arctic conditions, Myodes torquatus, Atvicola 

 gregalis, and Lagomys pusiUiis representing the Arctic 

 type of rodents. The researches of the author reveal the 

 interesting fact that almost precisely identical faunistic, 

 and therefore climatic, conditions obtain in the caverns 

 of the Meuse valley and other districts in Belgium, where, 

 however, the Solutreen stage is practically unrepresented. 



According to the Field of August 3, no fewer than nine 

 " schools " of caa'ing whales, Globiccphalus melas, were 

 observed out at sea by some men occupied in capturing sea- 

 fowl on the bird-rocks at Vago, in the Feeroes. Of these, 

 250 were surrounded by the boats and driven into Midvag, 

 and killed the same evening. The next morning, when the 

 take was being distributed, news came that another very 

 large school had made its appearance at Sand, some 

 twelve miles distant, but that no attempt at driving them 

 towards the land had been made, the number of boats 

 present being inadequate for the purpose. Many of the 

 Midvag people at once started for the spot, and as a result 

 of the combined attack which ensued 400 more whales 

 were secured. The value of the products of a whale of 

 this species is about 3/. 7s. 6d. 

 NO. a I 32 J VOL. 84J 



The Ernii for July contains an excellent coloured plate- 

 of the white-fronted fantail (Rhipidura phasiana), a 

 species first described by Mr. de Vis in 1884, on the 

 evidence of a specimen collected near the mouth of the 

 Norman River. In addition to a portrait of the late Dr. 

 Sharpe, this issue also includes various papers on 

 .\ustralian bird-life, chiefly of local interest. 



In part i. of vol. xl. of the Memoirs of the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, Mr. Glover M. 

 Alien gives coloured figures of living specimens of that 

 rare insectivorous mammal Solenodon paradoxus of San 

 Domingo, based on living specimens recently received by 

 that institution. These show that the general colour is 

 some shade of tawny or rufous, with a variable amount of 

 black on the back and throat, and a pale nuchal spot. 

 They further indicate that the well-known figure of the 

 other species of the genus, S. cubaiius, given by Peters is 

 incorrect in showing the tail bent laterally, this appendage 

 being incapable of such lateral movement except near the 

 tip. The two species were formerly believed to be dis- 

 tinguished merely by colour, but it is now ascertained that 

 there is a difference in the number of the vertebrie. Much 

 information with regard to the skeleton, muscles, and 

 viscera is given in Mr. Allen's memoir. 



A STUDY of the distribution of the Mollusca in connec- 

 tion with an ecological survey of a marsh area on the 

 Chicago River is discussed by Mr. F. C. Baker in a 

 Bulletin (vol. viii., art. 4) of the Illinois State Laboratory 

 of Natural History. The author is especially concerned 

 with showing how ecological observations may throw light 

 on the taxonomic relation of species. 



Mr. S. T. Dunn places on record in the Kew Bulletin 

 (No. b) a historical account of the Hong Kong 

 herbarium, in which he duly acknowledges the valuable 

 services of Mr. C. Ford, who was for thirty years curator, 

 and of Sir Joseph Hooker, whose latest assistance has 

 been rendered in the form of a personal revision of the 

 balsams. The miscellaneous notes in the same number of 

 the journal contain several interesting items, including a 

 letter from Mr. H. N. Ridley describing the botanical 

 features observed on a journey to the north-west of the 

 Malayan peninsula, where he traced the change from a 

 Malayan to a Siamese flora about Gunong Terai ; a 

 collation of data concerning the germination of the rubber- 

 yielding species Manihot dichotoma, M. piauhycnsis, and 

 Funtumia elastica ; also a communication regarding the 

 Guayule industry in Mexico. 



An article on the genus Citrus, contributed by Mr. 

 A. W. Lushington to the Indian Forester (June), claims 

 attention both as a systematic revision of a difficult genus 

 of cultivated plants, and because the author attempts to- 

 identify the plants yielding the numerous Indian varieties 

 of citrus fruit. Four classes or subgenera are defined. 

 Firstly, there is Citrus trifoliata, regarded as the most 

 primitive. Then there are the species bearing four- 

 petalled flowers, and presenting other typical characters, 

 represented by the caffre, sour and sweet limes. A third 

 class is characterised by five-petalled flowers, usually 

 white, and a fruit with a loose skin, of which the 

 mandarin is an example ; while the fourth class includes 

 the pomelo, lemons, Seville orange, and citron, which 

 agree in (\\e production of a fruit with a firmly adherent 

 skin and flowers normally five-petalled. 



A CORRESPONDENT informs us that he recently found 

 growing on the cliffs near Osmington, Weymouth, among 

 a large 'quantity of ordinary blue chicory, several plant-^ 



