74 



NA rURE 



[November i8, 1909 



Dr. D. S. Jordan, president of Stanford University, 

 contributes to Science an appreciation of tlie work of Dr. 

 Kakiclii Mitsukuri, dean of tfie college of science in the 

 Imperial University of Tokio, who died on September 16. 

 Dr. Mitsukuri was the author of numerous papers on 

 zoological subjects, and was largely responsible for the 

 establishment of the seaside laboratory at Misaki, where 

 much excellent work has been done by Japanese, as well 

 as by .American and European naturalists. Dr. Mitsukuri 

 was born in Edo, Japan, on December i, 1S57. He went 

 to America in 1S73, and received the degree of Ph.D. in 

 zoology from Yale University in 1879. Returning to 

 Japan, he was appointed a professor of zoology, in 1882, 

 in the science department of the University of Tokio. In 

 1883 he received the degree of Ph.D. in zoolojjy from 

 Johns Hopkins University. In 1893 he was appointed 

 councillor of the Imperial University. In 1896 he was 

 made head of a commission for the investigation of the 

 fur seal, and in 1897 he signed on behalf of Japan a treaty 

 whereby Japan agreed for a certain length of time to 

 consent to any adjustment of this matter which might be 

 made by Great Britain and the United States. Dr. 

 Mitsukuri was made dean of the College of Science of 

 the Imperial University of Tokio in 1901, and six years 

 later was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure 

 in recognition of his public services, Of late years Dr. 

 Mitsukuri was engaged in the special study of the turtles, 

 and was also largely occupied with matters of administra- 

 tion. 



Twenty-four delegates, representing Great Britain, 

 France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Spain, United 

 States, Canada, and Australia, met at the Foreign Office 

 on Tuesday to consider the steps to be taken for con- 

 structing a map of the world on the scale of i : 1,000,000 

 (16 miles to the inch), on a uniform system. The con- 

 ference was opened by Sir Charles Hardinge, Permanent 

 Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In opening 

 the congress Sir Charles Hardinge summarised the history 

 of the movement. The Times reports him to have said 

 that it was in the year 189 1 that the question of an inter- 

 national map was first raised at the International Geo- 

 graphical Congress at Berne. Two years later several 

 distinguished German men of science met at Stuttgart, 

 where the question was again seriously discussed, and 

 upon that occasion Prof. Brudener contributed a very 

 valuable report upon the subject. Two years later the 

 matter was taken up by several geographical societies 

 both in Paris and London, arid it was fully discussed at 

 a meeting of the Geographical Congress in London in 

 1895. In various countries the preparation of maps on 

 the scale of i : 1,000,000 was then commenced. These 

 maps were chiefly of Asia and Africa, and though uniform 

 in size, sheets, and scale, were wanting in uniformity in 

 other details. The next step of any importance took place 

 in 1908, when it was proposed by the delegates of the 

 United States of America, at the International Geo- 

 graphical Congress at Geneva, that an international map 

 should be definitely standardised. This was agreed to by 

 the members of the congress, and a system of detailed 

 resolutions was universally voted by them. It was felt, 

 however, that unofficial proceedings of this description had 

 no positive result, and were somewhat of the nature of 

 pious aspirations. It was considered necessary, therefore, 

 that the Governments interested should invite official 

 delegates to meet in conference and to arrive at an agree- 

 ment, which they would be able to submit to their re- 

 spective Governments for approval and adoption. 

 NO. 2090, VOL. 82] 



The greater portion of the combined first to fifth par's 

 of vol. .xviii. of Actes de la Societc scientifique du Chili is 

 devoted to an article, by Mr. C. E. Porter, on myriopods, 

 which concludes with a classified list of the known 

 Chilian species. 



In order to obtain sufficient material for an Inquiry as 

 to the degree of variation in the wings of beetles of the 

 family Carabidfe, Dr. Sharp asks in the November number 

 of the Kntoynoiogist' s Monthly Magazine for fresh and 

 unmounted specimens of these insects. The inquiry, it is 

 stated, promises to yield results of considerable interest. 



.\mong other articles included in the .\ugust number of 

 the Annals of the Transvaal Museum, attention may be 

 directed to a check-list of the butterflies of the Transvaal, 

 with notes on certain species, by Mr. C. J. Swiestra. The 

 author has been enabled to raise the number of known 

 species from the 238 or 239 {for both these numbers are 

 mentioned), recorded by Mr. \V. L. Distant in 1898, 

 to 316. 



In the October number of the Mkscuius Journal Mr. 

 H. Bolton directs attention to a representative series of 

 insects recently installed in the Bristol Museum with the 

 object of displaying the es.s^ential features and character 

 of the different orders and their mutual relations, while 

 in a second article the same author emphasises the value 

 and importance attaching to exhibits of injurious insects. 



We have to acknowledge the receipt of the Scientific 

 Monthly for October, containing abbreviated reports of 

 some of the presidential addresses at the Winnipeg meet- 

 ing of the British Association ; also of part i. of a cata- 

 logue of books on natural history offered for sale by Mr. 

 Quaritch, of Grafton Street. This part includes scientific 

 voyages and the publications of learned societies. 



CoNSiDER.ABLE interest attaches to the account, by Mr. 

 C W. Gilmore, of a new generic type {Opisthias ranis) 

 of rhynchocephalian reptile from the Jurassic of Wyoming, 

 published as No. 1698 (vol. xxxvii., pp. 35-42) of the 

 Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum. The genus is 

 established on the evidence of a left dentary bone of the 

 lower jaw, which appears to approximate to the corre- 

 sponding element in the existing Sphenodon and the 

 Kimeridgian Homoeosaurus. Opisthias is the first terres- 

 trial rhynchocephalian hitherto obtained from -American 

 strata. 



We have received a copy of the report on the scientific 

 investigations of the Northumberland Sea-lisheries Com- 

 mittee for 1908-g, from which it appears that additional 

 trawlings have been conducted in order to standardise the 

 previous results. A number of marked fish — notably a 

 turbot, after four years — were recovered, while, out of 100 

 lobsters marked in 1907, thirty-six, none of which had 

 migrated from their native grounds, were re-taken within 

 nine months. .An account of the marine laboratory opened 

 at CuUercoats in 190S is appended. The committee strongly 

 recommends the establishment of a close time for crabs 

 from October to January, during which period many of 

 these crustaceans are changing their shells and out of 

 condition. 



To Mr. \\'. B. Helland-Hansen, the author, we are 

 indebted for a copy of a report on a recent statistical 

 research into the biology of the cod and the haddock in 

 the North Sea, published in vol. x. of " Rapports et Proc^s- 

 verbau.x du Conseil international pour I'Exploration de la 

 Mer,"' 1909. The report is based on trawlings carried out 



