504 



NA TURE 



[July 26, 1906 



than twenty-one specimens — for the description of his first 

 species, although in the case of the second he had to be 

 content with a couple of examples. Mr. Tanaka has 

 found that the form and direction of the lateral line afford 

 excellent characters for the discrimination of species. 



.According to the June number of the .l/iisciinu Journal, 

 Salford has acquired a new natural history museum. 

 Photography enters largely into the scheme of arrange- 

 ment of the galleries, this being employed to illustrate the 

 nesting of birds, and likewise to display the contrast pre- 

 '■■nted by deciduous trees in summer and in winter. 

 -Attention is directed in another paragraph to the charge 

 made by the trustees of the British Museum for permission 

 to photograph plates and books in the print-room. It is 

 urged that since publishers — who are compelled to supply 

 the museum with a copy of the most e.xpensive edition of 

 inch of their books — are the chief applicants for such per- 

 mission, the new charge is inadvisable. 



The rose-breasted grosbeak, of which a coloured plate 

 is given, forms the subject of the latest educational 

 leaflet (No. 2) issued by the U.S. National Association 

 of Audubon Societies. The following statement in favour 

 of this bird is given : — " The spread of the potato-beetle 

 pest caused an enormous loss to the farmers of the 

 lountry, not only by the failure of the potato crops, but 

 also by the cost of insecticides, principally Paris green, 

 used to destroy this voracious beetle. It is doubtful 

 whether the farmers of the country would have been able 

 r'.uccessfully to contend with the potato-beetle had not 

 Nature interposed one of her powerful checks. As the 

 beetle extended its range and became more numerous, the 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak developed a newly acquired taste 

 for this pest." 



-A BEAUTIFUL coloured plate (by Mr. H. Gronvold) of 

 hitherto undescribed or unfigured eggs of South African 

 perching-birds forms an' attractive feature in the first 

 number of vol. ii. of the Journal of the South African 

 Ornithologists' Union. The accompanying notes are by 

 Messrs. J. A. Bucknill and G. H. Gronvold. In a paper 

 on bird-migration in South .Africa (originally read at last 

 year's British Association meeting), Mr. W. L. Sclater 

 directs attention to the occasional breeding of the bee-ea(er 

 during its (northern) winter sojourn at the Cape. The 

 evidence is indisputable, but the question as to whether 

 the same individual birds breed in May in the northern, 

 and again in October in the southern, hemisphere has 

 yet to be definitely answered. Possibly there are two 

 phases of the bird — the one a northern and the other a 

 southern breeder. Those interested in parasitism among 

 birds should read an article by Messrs. Haagner and Ivy 

 on the breeding-habits of certain South African cuckoos of 

 the genus Chrysococcyx. 



There is an interesting note by Dr. Raymond Pearl in 

 No. 3 (1906) of the Journal of Comparative Neurology 

 and Psychology on the correlation between intelligence 

 and the size of the head. The note is based on the 

 measurements, published last j-ear by Drs. Eyerich and 

 Loewenfeld, of the head-circumferences of 935 Bavarian 

 'Oldiers, who were also classified according to intelli- 

 gence. These observers came to the conclusion that 

 there was no relation between the head-circumference 

 and the grade of intelligence, but Dr. Pearl, using more 

 efficient statistical methods, finds a correlation which, 

 though small, is quite sensible. It is pointed out that the 

 result is in accordance with those obtained by Prof. 

 NO. 19 I 7, VOL. 74] 



Pearson (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. Ixix.), and it is suggested 

 that the interpretation is probably " physiologic rather 

 than psychologic," the larger size of head and the greater 

 vigour in mental operations being both the consequences 

 of good conditions of nurture. 



A REVISED list of the group of red alg;c known as 

 Corallinae is contributed by Mr. K. A'endo to the Journal 

 of the College of Science, Tokio (vol. xx., article 12). 

 The writer, after making a careful study of the generic 

 distinctions laid down by previous authorities, enumerates 

 seven genera, of which Cheilosporum is divided into three, 

 and Amphiroa into four sections. 



Writing in the Monthly Review (July) upon the subject 

 of instinct in the lower animals, Mr. C. B. Newland 

 mentions a number of cases illustrating the actions and 

 ways of instinct as manifested in animals, birds, and 

 insects. When the faculty of intelligence is developed the 

 instinctive faculty is diminished. Instinct is perhaps most 

 pronounced in insects, and as an instance of remarkable 

 development Mr. Newland describes the systematic method 

 in which a small ichneumon fly bores into oak-apples with 

 the purpose of depositing its eggs in the grubs of the gall- 

 fly that lie concealed within. 



The second edition of the volume on north A'orkshire, by 

 Mr. J. G. Baker, dealing with the botany, geology, climate, 

 and physical geography, that has been appearing in instal- 

 ments in the Transactions of the Yorkshire Naturalists' 

 Union since Noveinber, 1888, is completed with the part pub- 

 lished last April. This part is chiefly devoted to the mosses 

 and hepatics, .that have been revised and brought up to date 

 by Mr. M. B. Slater. The name of Dr. Spence is closely 

 associated with the early investigations of these plants, and 

 in Yorkshire he laid the foundations of that knowledge 

 that was put to advantage during his explorations in 

 tropical America. The nomenclature and arrangement of 

 the mosses are based on Braithwaite's " British Moss 

 Flora," and for the hepatics Mr. Slater adopts the arrange- 

 ment given in Pearson's " HepaticEe of the British Isles." 



The scientific aspect of what has been designated in the 

 United States as " dry-fanning " consists in utilising to 

 the best advantage all the water that falls in semi-arid 

 regions. An article by Mr. J. L. Cowan in the July 

 number of the Century Magazine presents the main features 

 of the system, and explains how it is possible to produce 

 fine crops in regions where the rainfall averages only about 

 12 inches in the year. The first essential is thoroughly to 

 break up the subsoil and collect in it all the rain-water ; 

 then, in order to prevent evaporation, the upper layers of 

 the soil are kept in a finely pulverised condition, so that 

 the water cannot rise to the surface by capillary action. 

 .Apart from these physical considerations, dry-farming re- 

 quires continuous and intelligent husbandry. Another 

 hope of the farmer in dry regions lies in finding or pro- 

 ducing drought-resistant varieties, and this field of inqtiiry 

 is yielding a bountiful harvest. In the case of wheat, a 

 hard wheat, recognised in 1 America as a distinct species, 

 Iviticum durum, has been introduced from Russia ; this 

 gives a better yield in a dry than in a humid climate. 

 Among other suitable " dry-farming " crops are Kafir 

 corn, emmer (a variety of wheat), dwarf milo maize, and 

 varieties of oats and barley. 



The valedictory address delivered by Prof. J. G. 

 M'Kendrick, at the close of the summer session of the 

 University of Glasgow, on the occasion of his resignation 

 of the professorship of physiology, provides a strikin; 



