December 5, 1912J 



NATURE 



403 



made at frequent intervals throughout a year. The 

 seasonal variation is compared with that known for 

 various European lakes. An interesting resemblance 

 •of Lough Neagh to the Danish lakes is discussed, and 

 the contrast between the plankton of the Scottish 

 lakes and Lough Neagh treated. The investigation 

 has shown that so far as both the animals and plants 

 are concerned Lough Neagh plankton contains a mix- 

 ture of Arctic and Central European forms. Seasonal 

 Jorm variation has been observed in the case of several 

 species, and the whole question of form variation is 

 discussed. The authors cannot accept the Wesenburg- 

 Lund-Ostwaki theory that clianges in shape in pelagic 

 ■organisms are called forth directly by changes in the 

 viscosity of the water. Mysis relicta has been found 

 in thousands in the surface water of the lake at mid- 

 night. It was not previously known that M. relicta 

 was a common plankton form. — Rev. T. Roche : The 

 ■quadratic vector functions. The most general form 

 of the quadratic vector fimction is taken to be 



aSfKp^fi + liSp(p.^p + ySp(p^p, 

 ■/■i. 021 03 being symbols of linear vector functions, 

 which ma\' be taken as self-conjugate. A discussion 

 on the properties of the function fej^j-l-fej'^a + fes'^a 

 is prefi.\ed by way of introduction. Some very in- 

 teresting relations are found between the invariants 

 ■and associated functions of three linear functions. 

 Then an attempt has been made to classify the func- 

 tions, cases of degeneration to binomial and mono- 

 mial forms are examined, and a few paragraphs have 

 been added on the problem of inversion. The general 

 problem does not seem capable of a solution ; two 

 particular cases are worked out fully. The number of 

 roots for which the function vanishes lias been 

 investigated, this problem being a special case of the 

 general problem of inversion. The last paragraph 

 deals witli the "central axes" of the quadratic func- 

 tion. — In connection with the Clare Island Survey the 

 following reports were read : — G. H. Carpenter : 

 Pycnogonida. — W. F. Johnson : Myriopoda. — A. D. 

 Cotton : Marine algae, part ii. — P. H. Grimshaw : 

 Diptera. This paper embodies the results obtained 

 from the examination of more than 4000 specimens 

 collected mainly during the summer months of 1910 

 and iqii. The number of species identified is 519, 

 of which 160, or rather more than 30 per cent., are 

 new to the fauna of Ireland. Some forty-four families 

 are represented, and five species are new to Britain. 

 Critical remarks are made regarding several of the 

 species in the more difficult families, e.g. the Tendi- 

 pedidae (Chironomidce) and the Anthomyiidae, and it 

 is hoped that such will prove an aid to future workers. 

 The fauna of Clare Island includes, as at present 

 known, 211 species, as compared with 476 recorded 

 from the adjacent mainland. The species common to 

 the island and the mainland number 168, while forty- 

 three are recorded from the island alone. 



Cape Town. 

 Royal Society of South Africa, October 16. — Dr. T. 

 Muir : Note on double alternants.— Dr. T. F. Dreyer : 

 Xenopus laevis (the Plathander). — J. Walker : A short 

 note on the occurrence of Aspergillosis in the ostrich 

 in South .\frica. The occurrence of Aspergillosis in 

 the ostrich is recorded, and the author believes this 

 to be the cause of mortality in chicles and to a less 

 extent in adults. The fungus concerned was Asper- 

 aiUtis fumigatus. The seat of lesions is principally the 

 iungs (pneumomycosis). — Dr. J. R. Sutton : A pre- 

 liminary survey of the meteorology of Kimberley. A 

 contribution to a study of the meteorologv of the table- 

 land of South .Africa, .^n account is given of the 

 principal meteorological elements of Kenilworth (Kim- 

 berley), all of which, with the exception of the rainfall, 

 MO ^53,10, vol qol 



are expressed in deviations from the norrnal monthly 

 means derived Irom observations made during the last 

 lUteen years. — C. Moorsom : Some geodetic elements. 

 — Dr. E. S. (ioddard and D. E. wlalan : (1) South 

 African Oligochseta. Part i., a Plireodrilid from 

 Stellenbosch Mountain. The anatomy of a new genus 

 of Fhreodrilid oligochaeta is described, and constitutes 

 the first record of the family in Africa, llie specimens 

 were obtained on the top of Stellenbosch Mountain. 

 The new genus — Gondwanaedrilus — is of interest since 

 its occurrence in Africa completes the circumpolar 

 distribution of the family. Its anatomy is important 

 since it fills in the last gap Jn the series of peculiar 

 relations of the sperniathecae, and leads to an under- 

 standing of modifications such as the "autosperma- 

 theca " of Phreodriloides — an Australian forin. — (2) 

 Part ii., description of a new species of Plireodrilus. 

 An account of a new species of Phreodrilus taken on 

 Table Mountain. It is interesting since it is related 

 to P. beddardi and P. siibterraneus. The peculiar 

 anatomical features concern the dorsal position of the 

 spermathecal pores, and a large hollow penis. The 

 new form suggests that Phreodrilus is the central type 

 ot the family. (3) Contributions to knowledge of 

 South African Hirudinea. Part ii., some points in the 

 anatomy of Marsitpiobdella africana. An account of 

 the anatomy of Marsupiobdella, a new Glossiphonid 

 leech, with a large internal brood pouch. The main 

 points are concerned with the distortion and displace- 

 ment of the digestive, nervous, and reproductive 

 systems by the great development of the brood pouch. 

 — Dr. L. Peringuey : Portuguese commemorative pillars 

 erected on the South African coast. During the reign 

 of John II., King of Portugal, the Portuguese navi- 

 gators sailed for the first time provided with com- 

 memorative pillars, or " Padraos " to be erected at tlie 

 furthest point reached. Diogo Cam is the first of these 

 navigators who left Portugal with these regulation 

 pillars. Portuguese historians attribute to him the 

 erection of tliree, the most southern of which, erected 

 at Cape Cross in 15° 40' S. in i486, was rediscovered 

 in 1893. But the old chroniclers are not clear about 

 the number of Padraos erected by Bartholomew Dias, 

 and hitherto three only were mentioned, whereas it 

 would appear that he put up five. Of all these pillars 

 two onlv are now known to be in existence, Cam's pillar 

 at Cape Cross, and a fragment of the Padrao Santiago, 

 from Angra Pequena, is in the Cape Museum. The 

 object of this note is to direct attention to the pos- 

 sibility of finding some remnants of the others. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American 

 Ethnology. Bulletin 52 : Early Man in South 

 America. By A. Hrdlicka and others. Pp. xv + 405. 

 (Washington : Government Printing Office.) 



The Ways of the Planets. By M. E. Martin. Pp. 

 v + 273. (New York stnd London: Harper and 

 Brothers.) 5s. net. 



Le Origini Umane. By G. Sergi. Pp. xi + 202. 

 (Torino : Fratelli Bocca.) 3.50 lire. 



Le Principle du Mouvement des Eaux Souterraines. 

 By J. Versluys. Dutch translation by F. Dassesse. 

 Pp. 147. (Amsterdam : W. Versluys.) 7 francs. 



In the Shadow of the Bush. By P. A. Talbot. Pp. 

 xiv + 500 + plates + map. (London: W. Heinemann.) 

 iSs. net. 



New Trails in Mexico. By C. Lumholtz. Pp. 

 xxvi + 411. (London: T. Fisher Unwin.) :5s. net. 



A Systematic Course of Practical Science for 

 Secondary and other Schools. By A. W. Mason. 

 Book I. Pp. vi + 126. (London : Rivinglons.) is. 6d. 

 net. 



