May .31. 1906] 



NA TURE 



109 



nuitcs have on an average the normal or rather more 

 iliaii the normal number of brothers and sisters, although 

 thev appear to have considerably less than the normal 

 number of children." 



We have received from Mr. T. V. .MallocU, the well- 

 known taxidermist and anglers' outfitter at Perth, an excel- 

 lently illustrated catalogue of apparatus connected with 

 salmon and trout fishing. 



TirE crawfishes of the genus Cambarus inhabiting 

 Mrxico, Central America, and Cuba form the subject of a 

 paper by Mr. A. E. Ortmann published in the Proceedings 

 of the Washington Academy of Sciences (vol. viii., pp. 1-24), 

 in the course of which several new forms are described. 



liiK various modes in which insects are naturally pro- 

 toi-tod — whether by mimicry, by resemblance to their 

 surroundings, or by the offensive weapons with which they 

 are furnished — form the chief subject of discussion in the 

 .Mav issue of Museum News. We note that the next 

 number of that periodical will not maUe its appearance 

 unlil October. 



Mr. E. J. Spitta records some experiments relating to 

 the compound eyes of insects (Journ. Quckett Microscopical 

 Club, April). From these it is suggested that the facets 

 of the insect cornea may be nothing but little holes, filled 

 with some non-refractive medium, by which images may 

 be formed in the same way as a pin-hole forms them. 

 Many difficulties presented by the current theories of insect 

 vision would on this hypothesis be obviated. 



The articles in part v. of the fifth volume of Aniiotationes 

 Zoologicac Japoneiiscs comprise one by Dr. A. Oka on a 

 new genus (Aphanibranchion) of ascidians from Japan ; a 

 second on variations in toads and in an isopod crustacean, 

 by Mr. S. Goto ; and a third, by Mr. A. Izuka, on 

 collateral budding in an annelid. In the case of the toad 

 the variations consist of the fusion of the seventh and 

 eighth vertebrse, and of the formation of the sacrum by 

 the tenth instead of by the ninth vertebra. 



No. 3 of the Philippine Journal of Science (vol. i.) con- 

 tains the second part of an article by Mr. C. S. Banks on 

 the principal insects attacking the cocoanut palm, and 

 another by the same author on some new Philippine insects. 

 Messrs. W. R. Brinkerhoff and E. E. Tyzzer contribute 

 an elaborate study of experimental variola and vaccinia in 

 quadrumana, in which it is shown that vaccinia protects 

 against variola and vice versd, and that the structures 

 described by Councilman, Magrath, and Brinckerhoff as 

 intracellular parasitic protozoa (the Cytoryctes variolae) 

 are present in the lesions. 



The .\pril number of the Emu opens with an account 

 of ^i visit to an ibis " rookery " in a swamp in the Caster- 

 ton district, Victoria, during the breeding season. The 

 species breeding in the swamp are the straw-necked and 

 the white ibises (Carphibis spinicollis and Ibis molucca). 

 The firing of a shot reveals the enormous numbers of birds 

 frequenting the rookery. " In a moment there is a wild 

 commotion and the air seems whistling with the sounds 

 of hundreds and thousands of wings, and then in one 

 mighty cloud the whole assembly takes flight, making the 

 sky look black and white ; the effect being heightened by 

 the long bills, outstretched necks, and general peculiar 

 appearance of the birds." The coachwhip bird (Psophodcs 

 crepitans) and its nest form the subject of two excellent 

 reproductions from photographs. 

 NO. 1909, VOL. 74] 



The work done on the insect-collection of the Oxford 

 University Museum during the past year, and the condition 

 and extent of the collection itself, receive special attention 

 in the report of the delegates of the museum for 1905 

 (issued as a supplement to the Oxford University Gazette). 

 Prof. Poulton lays great emphasis on the value of the 

 services of Mr. R. Shelford, who has gained wide experi- 

 ence and knowledge as curator of the Sarawak Museum. 

 Mr. Shelford 's efforts have been chiefly directed to reduce 

 to order the collection of Orthoptera, which, although one 

 of the finest in the world, has hitherto been of little use to 

 entomologists on account of want of proper arrangement 

 and classification. In several sections of the collection — 

 notably the one made by Burchell in South Africa — the 

 insects were altogether unnamed, but this serious deficiency 

 is being rapidly put right by Mr. Shclford's labours. In 

 the course of handling the collection a large number of 

 type-specimens have been identified. Many important addi- 

 tions have been made during the year to the collections 

 generally, the curator of the Pitt-Rivers Museum reporting 

 the acquisition of a number of specimens illustrating the 

 ethnology of many parts of the world. 



Has the Federal Government of the United States power 

 to take remedial measures to prevent the spread of noxious 

 insects, like the cotton-boll weevil or the gipsy-moth, in 

 cases when individual States in the Union are not doing 

 all in tPfeir power in this direction or are unable to do 

 sufficient? Such is the question asked by Prof. E. D. 

 Sanderson in the May number of the Popular Science 

 Monthly, and from precedents derived from other legisla- 

 tion answered in the afiirmative. It is, however, not only 

 in the case of States that refuse to do their duty that the 

 interference of the supreme Government is invoked. A 

 case in point is afforded by the visitation of the gipsy-moth 

 in Massachusetts. At the present time New Hampshire is 

 able to defend its frontier from the pest, but a time will 

 come when action in Massachusetts will alone prevent 

 an invasion of the neighbouring State. Is it fair, it is 

 asked, that one State should be thus heavily penalised 

 for the common good? Individual adaptation to environ- 

 ment forms the subject of an article in the same 

 issue by Prof. J. H. Blair; while Dr. R. W. Shufeldt 

 communicates an illustrated paper on bird-photography in 

 Norway. 



In accordance with instructions of the Government of 

 India, a Bombay correspondent of the Pioneer Mail re- 

 ports, a provincial research laboratory has been established 

 in connection with the existing plague research laboratory 

 at Parel. The main objects of the laboratory are : — (o) To 

 afford assistance to all Government medical officers in the 

 discharge of their duties by fulfilling the functions of a 

 " pathological diagnosis institute," to which specimens of 

 all sorts may be sent for opinion. (6) To train hospital 

 assistants and others in elementary clinical pathology, per- 

 formance of inoculations and hypodermic injections, the 

 preparation and use of disinfectants, and other duties they 

 may be called upon to perform in connection with their 

 duties as public health officials, (c) To afford opportuni- 

 ties to medical men who may wish to do original work 

 for themselves or to practise or be instructed in new 

 methods of diagnosis. 



A REPORT of the fruit conference held in October of last 

 year under the joint auspices of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society and National Fruit Growers' Federation is con- 

 tained in the April number (vol. xxx.) of the journal o' 

 the former society, just issued. The volume includes much 



