June 14, 1906] 



NA TURE 



163 



the centre, whilst ;iir from ihe north flows round the 

 rear. 



(i) Southerly winds are generally short-lived as surface 

 currents. Other currents last longer. They may persist 

 until they reach the trade winds, or they may turn and 

 join the depression from the south, or may disappear in 

 some depression over the Atlantic. 



(4) The central areas of well-marked anticyclones have 

 not shown themselves to be the usual birthplace of descend- 

 ing currents. These generally originate in the " col " or 

 ■shoulder of an anticyclone, or the areas of comparatively 

 low pressure between two anticyclonic or two cyclonic 

 areas. Only very rarely has a trajectory been traced back 

 to the centre of an anticyclone. 



(5) Surface observations have not indicated the con- 

 ditions which mark out the track of a barometric minimum. 



The publication contains some twenty-six valuable plates 

 of weather charts with the trajectories plotted, and accom- 

 panied by full notes and selected observations along the 

 trajectories. The trajectories have also been drawn having 

 regard to the centre of the storm as a fi.xed point. There 

 are also some mathematical notes by Mr. G. T. Benneti 

 with reference to looped trajectories and the calculation 

 of dilatation of areas in travelling storms. 



W. M. 



NE II' ARCTIC EXPEDITlOyS. 



'F'lrE present season promises to be one of unusual 

 importance in the annals of Arctic exploration, both 

 in the way of scientific investigation of specific problems 

 such as those stated in the paper by Sir Clements Markham 

 published in the January number of the Geographical 

 Journal, and in what may be more correctly described as 

 " attacks on the Pole." 



According to a note in the current number of the Geo- 

 grupliical Journal, Mr. A. H. Harrison's expedition reached 

 Herschel Island, near the mouth of the Mackenzie, in 

 February last, where Mr. Harrison found Lieut. Hansen 

 and the members of the Gjda expedition. \\'riting on 

 March i, Mr. Harrison expressed the intention of making 

 his way during .\pril to Bailie Island, and thence to Banks 

 Land, where he proposes to spend next winter. 



The general scheme of the expedition — now formally 

 designated the " Anglo-.\merican " Polar Expedition — 

 undertaken by Mr. Elnar Mikkelsen and Mr. Letfingwell, has 

 already been outlined in these columns (January 25, vol. 

 Ixxiii., p. 302). Since his arrival in the United States the 

 -American Geographical Society has voted Mr. Mikkelsen a 

 sum of 3000 dollars, the largest grant ever given to an 

 explorer by the society, and the council of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Societv has made a second grant of 100/. Mr. 

 Mikkelsen has purchased a schooner of 66 tons burden, 

 which he has named the Duchess of Bedford, and has now 

 been able to elaborate his plans in considerable detail on 

 the lines already announced (see the Times, -April 21, and 

 the Geographical Journal, vol. xxvii., p. 507). The pro- 

 gramme is an extensive and extremely hazardous one, but 

 if even a part of it is successfully carried out scientific 

 results of great value will certainly be obtained. 



The Danish or " Danmark " e.xpedition, for which funds 

 amounting to about 250,000 kr. have been raised bv means 

 of a Government grant and private subscriptions, will 

 leave Copenhagen on July i under the leadership of Mr. 

 L. Mylius-Erichsen, and make its way so far north as 

 possible along the east coast of Greenland. There a landing 

 will be effected, and the party will proceed along the east 

 coast, wintering en route, to the most northerly point of 

 Greenland, which is, in the leader's opinion, the most 

 favourable place from which to make an attempt to reach 

 the Pole. A sledge expedition will set out for the Pole from 

 here, and return in time to winter on the ship the second 

 year. In March, iqoS, Mylius-Erichsen, accompanied by 

 one of his staff and two Greenlandcrs, hopes to set out on 

 the second part of his journey, and realise the daring plan 

 of traversing the inland ice of Greenland on the broadest 

 portion of the continent. The crossing is to be eflfected 

 partly by motor-car, partly by dog sledges, and partly on 

 NO. T91 I, VOL. 74] 



ski, and is expected to occupy about two months and a 

 half. ' ■ 



Mr. Walter Wellman has formed a project for reaching 

 the North Pole by means of an airship. The vessel is to 

 start from a base in Spitsbergen, and it is estimated that 

 the return voyage of 1200 miles may be accomplished in 

 from five to fifteen days. This expedition is being financed 

 by Mr. N'ictor l.awson, chief proprietor of the Chicago- 

 Record Herald, and a very full description of the airship 

 — which is of a quite novel type — is given by Mr. Wellman 

 in the April number of the National Geographic Magazine. 

 The contract for construction was given to .M. Louis 

 Godard, of St. Ouen. According to a Reuter correspondent 

 in the Times of June 5, the ship will leave Paris for Spits- 

 bergen in a few days. 



A CATALOGUE OF FOSSIL L\V ERTEIih'ATES.' 



'X'HIS catalogue of fossil invertebrates 

 Charles Schuchert, assisted by Me 



compiled by Mr. 

 by Messrs. W. II. Dall, 

 T. W. Stanton, and R. S. Bassler, is arranged alpha- 

 betically, and gives the catalogue number of the department 

 registers, the name of the species as written in the work 

 cited, the kind of type (for instance, holotype, cotype), the 

 formation, locality, author, and place of publication, with 

 remarks on the present name if different from the one 

 cited, or a cross reference when the same species appears 

 in the list under more than one name. Remarks, together 

 with sources of such, are added in brackets where necessary. 



The list itself is preceded by an admirably clear and 

 carefully written introduction by Mr. C. Schuchert, dealing 

 mainly with type terms. Use is made of the contributions 

 of Schuchert, Buckman, Cossmann, Oldfield Thomas, 

 Bather, and others to the discussion of the terminology of 

 type specimens, thus furnishing a valuable and concise 

 summary of definitions, the understanding of which is 

 necessary for the proper appreciation of the catalogue. In 

 addition to terms already in use are others which are in- 

 troduced here for the first time, and consequently call for 

 brief notice. Primary types or proterotypes are divided 

 Into holotypes, cotypes (or syntypes), paratypes, lectotypes, 

 and chirotypes, the last two terms being new. The term 

 " chirotype " is proposed for " the material upon which 

 a published manuscript name is based." In cases " where 

 the original diagnosis is without illustrations or is accom- 

 panied by figures based on two or more specimens, the 

 first subsequent author is at liberty to select from these 

 cotypes a type for the old species, adhering, as far as can 

 be ascertained, to the intention of the original author." 

 Such a type specimen is designated a "lectotype." Sup- 

 plementary types are divided into plesiotypes, neotypes, and 

 heautotypes. " Heautotype " is a new term proposed by 

 Buckman for " a specimen figured by an author as an 

 illustration of his own already founded species, such not 

 being a proterotype. " Typical specimens are divided into 

 "topotypes," "metatypes," " homoeotypes," and " ideo- 

 types " (new). The term " ideotype " is used by Buckman 

 for specimens w'hich come from places other than the 

 original locality, and named by an author of a species after 

 publication. The term " protograph " (suggested by Buck- 

 man for the original figure or figures illustrating a holo- 

 type) and " synthetograph " (a drawing which is a 

 composite figure based upon several specimens of the new 

 species) are also introduced here for the first time. For 

 any artificial specimen moulded directly from a primary 

 type Schuchert proposes the term " plastotype." For types 

 of genera or genotypes the word " geno " is prefixed to 

 the primary type terms, thus giving the corresponding terms 

 " genoholotype," " genosyntype," and " genolectotype." 



We cannot but feel grateful to Mr. Schuchert for his 

 clear correlation of type terms. .Although distinctly opposed 

 to a multiplicity of terms in itself, we feel certain that such 

 as are introduced in this volume justify their usage in the 

 interest of scientific method. I. T. 



1 Smilh.wnian Inslitution : Bullelin of the United States Natior 

 Wusevim ; Catalogue of Fossils, Minerals, Rocks, &c., Merrill. Part 

 Fossil Invertebrates. Pp. 704. 



