Fan. 26, 1871] 
NATURE 
255 

its collections of specimens illustrating natural history, geology, 
mineralogy, antiquities, numismatics, ethnology, and industrial 
art, and also such apparatus as is of historical interest, together 
with the cases containing the said articles, but not its library nor 
modern scientificapparatus.” After some discussion, the resolu- 
tion was put to the meeting and carried unanimously. 
~ Dr. Coppoxp describes, in the British Medical Fournal, an 
Entozo6n which, if not actually, is practically unknown to the 
most experienced helminthologists. The Stephanurus dentatus 
s a species of Strongylus which has hitherto been described only 
by the late Professor Diesing of Vienna in the Axnalen des 
Wiener Museums, a scarce book to obtain. It is not fully de- 
scribed in any of the systematic works, and appears never to have 
been seen by Kuchenmeister or Von Siebold. The interest of 
this observation consists less in the ready identification of the 
parasite by Dr. Cobbold, than in the abundance with which, 
according to Dr. Fletcher of Indianopolis, who forwards the 
specimen for examination, it is found in the hogs slaughtered in 
that part of the world. The bearing of this observation on the 
extension of parasitic disease remains yet to be determined. The 
suggestions arising out of Dr. Cobbold’s observation will, no 
doubt, be followed out by local inquirers ; and we shall expect to 
hear more of this hitherto rare, and probably interesting, 
stranger. 
AT a recent meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, Mr. Alfred Smee exhibited some lemons 
from Sicily attacked by a species of coccus, quite distinct from 
the well-known coccus of the orange, and apparently an unde- 
scribed species. It was stated that nearly the whole of the lemon- 
crop in Sicily is attacked by this parasite, which renders it almost 
valueless for the English market. Although the juice is not 
much affected, the skin is completely spoilt and rendered un- 
crystallisable ; by far the most important use of lemons in this 
country being of the rind for use by confectioners. The root 
appears to be at the same time attacked by a fungus. 
AT the close of 1870 the numbers of the several classes be- 
longing to the Institution of Civil Engineers were :—16 honorary 
members, 709 members, 1,010 associates, and 201 students, 
together 1,936, as against 1,802 at the same date last year, show- 
ing an increase at the rate of 7} per cent. in the twelve months. 
Tn analysing the statistics of inquests held as Coroner of Cen- 
tral Middlesex, Dr. Lankester points out, in his seventh annual 
report just prepared, that the proportion of suicides to the popu- 
lation in England and Wales is 1 in 12,000 of the population, 
while the proportion in Central Middlesex is about 1 in 13,000 
of the population. The figures seem to show that of all causes 
of death suicide is the most constant. The proportion in which 
the sexes commit suicide is nearly everywhere the same. It may 
be stated that the proportion of males to females is as five to 
two. The ages at which suicide is committed are for the seven 
years nearly the same. One in twelve are young people under 
20 years of age ; a larger proportion amongst people above 60 ; 
and the remainder, four-fifths of the whole, are equally divided 
amongst people from 20 to 40 years of age. A further analysis 
of the cases shows that, as a rule, women prefer taking 
poison and drowning themselves. Of the twenty-three cases of 
female suicide in 1868-9, six were from poison and ten from 
drowning. Women seldom cut their throats or hang them- 
selves, whilst, of the sixty-six cases of male suicide, exactly half 
chose these methods of self-destruction. Men are also more given 
to jumping out of windows and from the tops of high places. 
AN admirable paper on ‘‘ The Food and Habits of Beetles,” 
by Mr. Townend Glover, appears in a recent report of the 
Commissioner of Agriculture for Washington. It contains brief 
descriptions of the beetles which are injurious to vegetable or 


animal substances, with their common and scientific names, and 
nearly 200 figures, roughly but characteristically executed. An 
alphabetical list of the principal substances frequented by beetles 
is given at the end, with cross references to the first part of the 
paper. 
THE Winchester and Hampshire Scientific and Literary 
Society, which was formed in 1869, has issued its first report. 
From this we learn that over 100 members have joined, and that 
the meetings are frequent and well attended. The papers are 
not confined to subjects connected with natural history, but 
embrace archeology and kindred topics. There is a botanical 
section, of which Mr. Frederick J. Warner is secretary ; and we 
gather from the report that a flora of Winchester is in contempla- 
tion. It is perhaps not too much to hope that, with the aid of 
the Newbury Club, a complete flera of Hampshire may be 
undertaken by the society. The President is the Rey. C. A. 
Johns, Mr. A. Angell, jun., acting as the hon. secretary. The 
meetings are held on the second Monday of each month, The 
annual subscription is 10s, 
THE Scottish Naturalist states that a work on the Birds of 
Scotland, by Mr. Robert Gray, Secretary to the Glasgow Natural 
History Society, is in the press ; and that Mr. Howie, Secretary 
of the Largo Naturalists’ Field Club, is drawing up, for publica- 
tion, a catalogue of the plants of Fifeshire. 
A JOURNAL is published in Liverpool, under the title ot 
“*Cope’s Tobacco Plant, a Monthly Periodical, interesting to 
the Manufacturer, the Dealer, and the Smoker,” from the 
January number of which we quote the following :—‘‘ Huxley 
and Friends— Attention! An American exchange says :— 
‘Professor Huxley may become a good Christian yet; he smokes 
now, after forty years’ hostility to tobacco.’ Now, at cost of 
losing ground for ourselves, we ask Professor Huxley and his 
friends—Will they admit that the distinguished gentleman was not 
a Christian during those forty years when he abstained from 
tobacco? And that the first step towards his salvation was— 
smoke? We expect an answer ; because, should we be in 
danger of yielding to the arguments of zealous anti-tobaccoites, 
we might fall back upon that most infallible of argument-stoppers, 
the religious sentiment.” 
A LETTER in the Gardener's Magazine, which has just come 
to our notice, imputes a grave charge of false teaching to the 
authorities of the South Kensington Museum. The writer 
says :—‘‘In the Educational Series is a large glass case of 
British butterflies, conspicuously labelled ‘ The Gardener’s Foes.’ 
The case contains forty-three out of the sixty-six native species. 
Now, the idea of all these, or even the majority of them, being 
injurious, is most absurd, and tends to perpetuate erroneous 
notions, and to exterminate these beautiful creatures from the 
land.” Then follows an enumeration of the species exhibited, 
and the names of the plants upon which, according to the writer, 
the insects actually feed, most of them being roadside weeds, 
We draw attention to this in order that ‘‘ erroneous notions,” 
on whichever side they may be, may zo? be ‘‘ perpetuated.” 
Go p ore having been discovered in Madagascar, the Goyern- 
ment of the island has prohibited the search, If gold is dis- 
covered in remunerative quantities, there will be such a rush of 
Europeans to the country as will dispossess the native inhabitants, 
THE African diamond fields are being overdone; they have 
become the seat of an extensive population. A little canvas 
town has rapidly sprung up on the banks of the Vaal River. 
Stores have been opened, the rival proprietors of which advertise 
their wares in a newspaper devoted to the diamond interest, and 
printed on the field ; and, finally, a music-hall has been started 
for the amusement of the thousands of diggers, who with their 
wives and children are now encamped in the ‘‘ happy valley.” 
