472 



NA TURE 



[September 6, 1906 



The Mysore Government has, the Pioneer Mail reports, 

 published a note on the destruction of rats in Mysore city. 

 The system of rat destruction was given a fair trial in 

 the city of Mysore from July, 1905, with the result that 

 the city, which used to be infected with plague year after 

 year, has been practically free during the year 1905-6, there 

 being only seven cases and five deaths against 1244 and 

 995 respectively in the previous year. The total number of 

 rats killed in the city since the commencement of the 

 campaign, i.e. from July 4, 1905, up to July 13, 1906, was 

 23.741. of which about 12,000 are reported to be females. 

 The following table shows the number of rats killed 

 monthly in the city since January, 1906 : — January, 870 ; 

 February, 492 ; March, 708 ; and April, 1050. 



.\ SPELL of exceptionally bright and hot weather occurred 

 over England during the past week, and the thermometer 

 attained a higher reading than had been registered for 

 many years. At Greenwich the shade temperature ex- 

 ceeded 90° on four consecutive days, and the following 

 will show the remarkable character of the weather : — ■ 



Absolute prev'ous 



There is no instance in the Greenwich records of the shade 

 temperature having previously exceeded 90° on four con- 

 secutive days at any period of the summer, and the only 

 instances of 90° on three consecutive days are August 13-15, 

 1876, and August 16-18, 1893. The absolutely highest 

 temperature ever registered at Greenwich is 97°. At the 

 reporting station of the Meteorological Office, in St. 

 James's Park, Westminster, the highest temperature 

 attained was 91°, and that reading occurred on each of 

 the three days .\ugust 31 and September i and 2 ; on 

 September 3 the reading was 88°. Equally high tempera- 

 tures occurred in other parts of England, .^t Nottingham 

 the sheltered thermometer registered 93° on August 31 and 

 September i, 94° on September 2, and 90° on September 3. 

 The absolutely highest temperature reported to the Meteor- 

 ological Office was 95° at Colly Weston, in the Midlands. 

 A gentle southerly wind prevailed over the whole country, 

 and the sky throughout was peculiarly free from cloud, 

 whilst the sun shone continuously for several days. 

 Cooler weather set in on September 4, owing to the spread- 

 ing over us of a north wind, and rain occurred in many 

 parts of the country. In London rain set in very tardily 

 at about 10 o'clock on Tuesday night, but it afterwards fell 

 heavily. Very hot weather also occurred in parts of France 

 and Germany. 



Birds and their habits constitute the whole of the con- 

 tents, so far as separate articles are concerned, of the 

 Zoologist for August, Mr. G. Dalgleish discussing the wild 

 duck and grebe, Mr. E. Selous the rulif, Messrs. Clark 

 and Rodd the avifauna of Scilly, and Mr. G. W. Kerr that 

 of Staines. In the " Notes " Mr. Aplin's account of the 

 breeding of the black-necked grebe in this country will be 

 read with interest. 



The Indian fresh-water polyp, according to Dr. Nelson 

 Annandale (Mem. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. i., .Mo. 16), is 

 entitled to rank as a distinct species (Hydra oriciitalis). 

 Although dioecious, sexual reproduction does not apparently 

 play a very important part in its development ; when this 

 NO. 1923, VOL. 74] 



j takes place the individuals perish, several generations being 



' completed in a year. The memoir on the Hydra forms a 

 part of the results of a detailed study of the fresh-water 

 fauna of India which is now being undertaken by Dr. 



i Annandale, who has favoured us with copies of seven 

 papers from the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 

 relating to this subject. The first part deals with a 

 brackish-water sponge (Spongilla), while in the second the 

 author finds himself in a position to determine definitely 

 the systematic place of the remarkable fresh-water polyzoan 

 discovered at Nagpur by the geologist Hislop, in whose 

 honour it was named Hislopia by his friend Carter. Other 

 interesting novelties are an aquatic cockroach belonging to 

 a group hitherto known only from the Malay countries, 

 and an aquatic weevil, which, so far at any rate as habits 

 are concerned, is altogether unique. 



In the Times of August 30 is an excellent sunmiary, by 

 a correspondent, of the legislation and orders relating to 

 the protection of wild birds and their eggs in the British 

 Islands. After referring to the statutes affecting the country 

 in general, and mentioning the fact that "sanctuaries," 

 within which no bird may be killed at any season, have 

 been established in five counties and two boroughs in 

 England, the writer comments on the absence of any pro- 

 vision in the law for permitting birds and their eggs to 

 be taken when required for scientific purposes. Despite 

 many incongruities, if not absurdities — as, for instance, an 

 enactment in Gloucestershire which practically amounts to 

 protection for a certain species of owl during the time it is 

 absent from the county and permission to kill it on 

 arrival — it appears to be the opinion of the executive 

 authorities that the statutes and orders for the protection 

 of birds work, on the whole, satisfactorily. On the other 

 hand, the enactments with regard to the taking of eggs 

 are regarded as less satisfactory. In the first place, in 

 the writer's opinion, such law " must almost of necessity 

 work unequally, and weigh more heavily on the poor and 

 uneducated than on well-to-do people, such as the dealers, 

 who do most mischief." Secondly, the scheduling of the 

 eggs of certain species (to the exclusion of others equally 

 deserving of protection) is considered highly unsatisfactory, 

 since it affords (on account of the difficulty of identifi- 

 cation) a ready means of escaping conviction by those 

 who "know the ropes," while the unsophisticated stand 

 a great chance of being condemned, even though they may 

 really be innocent of the particular charge. As an alter- 

 native the writer suggests the passing of a short i\ct 

 making birds and their eggs the property of the owners 

 of the soil on which they are found, waste lands being for 

 this purpose vested in local authorities. 



The Rev. Guy Halliday writes to report that on July 30 

 he found Goodyera repens in flower near Holt, in Norfolk. 

 This is the most southerly limit recorded for this orchid. 

 The plant, which was identified at Kew, has not hitherto, 

 Mr. Halliday thinks, been found south of Market Weighton, 

 in Yorkshire. 



In continuation of previous descriptions of new or rare 

 pyrenomycetous fungi, Mr. C. E. Fairman notes some new 



j species from western New York in vol. iv. of the Proceed- 



I ings of the Rochester .Academy of Science. A new species 

 of Sporormia was found on pods of the locust, Robinia 

 pseudacacia, thus furnishing another species growing on 



I vegetable matter, whereas most are saprophytic on dung. 



I Among new species of Amphisphseria one receives the 

 specific name of aeruginosa, but it is not evident whether 

 the green colour is due to this fungus or to a Chloro- 

 splenium. 



