July 6, 1905 J 



NA TURE 



decrease of pressure on land but an increase of pressure 

 on the surrounding sea bottom, the latter being about 

 1-6 times as great as the former. An interesting result, 

 attributed to this cause, is given in No. 21 of the Publi- 

 cations of the Earthquake Investigation Committee, where 

 the behaviour of a horizontal pendulum during the storm 

 of October lo-ii, 1904, is described; the low-pressure area 

 passed to the east of Tokyo, and during its passage the 

 horizontal pendulum indicated a tilting, which reached 

 35 seconds of arc, to the east — that is, in the direction of 

 the low barometric pressure — indicating an increase of 

 pressure on the sea bottom in that direction. 



We have received the report of the Government Observ- 

 atory, Bombay, for the year 1904. This observatory deals 

 chiefly with terrestrial magnetism, meteorology, and 

 seismology ; it has issued a long series of valuable publi- 

 cations, and many years ago Mr. Charles Chambers, then 

 director, prepared an elaborate discussion of the meteor- 

 ology of Bombay. The care bestowed upon the records of 

 the photographic self-registering instruments may be 

 gathered from the fact that the watchmen go round once 

 every hour, night and day, to see that the clocks are all 

 going and the lights burning. Their regular attendance is 

 automatically recorded on the photograms themselves. 

 The total rainfall for the year amounted to only 334 inches, 

 being 41-7 inches below the normal value for twenty-four 

 years (1873-96) ; this is the smallest fall recorded at the 

 observatory. Milne's seismograph registered thirty-five 

 earthquakes during the year. 



From information received from the president of the 

 International Aeronautical Committee, we find that in the 

 months of January to April last the average monthly 

 number of stations participating in the balloon and kite 

 ascents was sixteen ; kite observations were made each 

 month at O.xshott by Mr. Dines, and at Aldershot, by the 

 military balloon section, in February and March. The 

 most notable heights attained, by means ot unmanned 

 balloons, were 19,420 metres at Strassburg and 21,733 

 metres at Berlin. In April kite and unmanned balloon 

 observations were made from the Prince of Monaco's yacht 

 in the Mediterranean. These are the first ascents made 

 with unmanned balloons in the open sea, and these 

 successful experiments show that Prof. Hergesell's idea of 

 obtaining such observations over the oceans may possibly 

 be realised. 



Bulletin No. 35 of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment 

 •Station, Conn., deals with the Camembert type of soft 

 cheese. The conclusion is arrived at that the ripening is 

 due to definite moulds and bacteria. One mould 

 (? Penicillitim candidum) seems to produce the changes 

 which result in the texture of the cheese, and it, together 

 with the Oidium lactis, produces the flavour, lactic acid 

 bacteria giving the necessary acidity and retarding the 

 action of other bacteria. It is found possible so to control 

 the process of ripening that the desired result may be 

 obtained with reasonable uniformity. 



We have received the first number of a new periodical, 

 the Medico-technologisches Journal, edited by Dr. Berthold 

 Beer, which is to be devoted to medical and surgical instru- 

 ments and the various apparatus employed in bacteriology, 

 photography, radiography, hygiene, &c., and appertaining 

 to the medical sciences and physical therapeutics. It 

 contains a prefatory article by Dr. Beer, and descriptions 

 of Zeiss's apparatus for the demonstration of ultra- 

 microscopic particles and of various surgical instruments 

 NO. I S62, VOL. 7 .'] 



and pharmaceutical preparations, together with photo- 

 graphic and balneological notes and new literature. 

 Such a journal, provided it gives concise descriptions of 

 the principal new inventions of the various countries, and 

 not of Germany only, should supply a decided want. 



In a paper contributed to the June number of the 

 Zoologist Mr. J. G. Millais points out that the English 

 black rat — the type of Mus rattus of Linnftus — is by no 

 means the blackest representative of the species, that dis- 

 tinction falling to a race which it is proposed to call 

 iVf. rattus ater, and of which specimens have been taken 

 in England. No doubt this is right enough, but when the 

 author proceeds to suggest English names for the various 

 local races of the species in question he follows a course 

 which, in our opinion, cannot but land him in difficulties. 

 The species itself he rightly calls the black rat, but for 

 its local races the name of Alexandrine rat is taken, so that 

 the typical form becomes the northern Alexandrine rat, 

 while the new race is termed the black Alexandrine rat. 

 Their proper designations should be the Alexandrine black 

 rat and the Black Sea black rat. 



In the Transactions of the- Royal Society of Edinburgh 

 (vol. iii., part iii.. No. 22) Sir Charles Elliot describes the 

 nudibranch molluscs collected during the Scottish National 

 Antarctic Expedition. These comprise but two species, 

 two of which are, however, referable to new and interest- 

 ing generic types. The most remarkable feature is the 

 absence in the collection of all representatives of Doris 

 and its allies, a feature common to the Discovery collec- 

 tion of this group, which has been entrusted to the author 

 for description. Certain holothurians of the genus Psolus 

 from the Antarctic present a superficial resemblance to 

 dorids, although this is not regarded as more than 

 accidental. 



As a supplement to part iii. of Prof. Herdman's 

 report on the pearl oyster fisheries of the Gulf of 

 Manaar, published by the Royal Society, Messrs. 

 Shipley and Hornell describe several new parasitic worms 

 (some referred to new generic types) obtained from 

 elasmobranch fishes frequenting the pearl-banks. Possibly, 

 although not probably, some of the.cestodes may be the 

 parent form of the pearl-producing larvje. No direct light 

 is thrown by the investigations on the problem of the 

 provenance of the pearl-producing parasite. 



The departmental committee appointed to investigate 

 certain matters connected with the sea-fisheries of Suther- 

 land and Caithness reports that cod and ling have of late 

 years been much less abundant than formerly on the coast. 

 As regards a proposed close time for herrings, it was con- 

 sidered that the fishermen themselves are the best judges 

 as to whether such a protective measure is advisable. 

 Trawling in the Moray Forth (which is not permitted to 

 British craft) by foreign vessels is held to be responsible 

 for considerable injury to the fishery. 



-According to the report for 1904, the Marine Biological 

 Association of the West of Scotland has had a- ver-y 

 successful vear, the only drawback being certain difficulties 

 with regard tb the staff. The year witnessed the practical 

 completion of the large extensions of the station generously 

 provided by Mr. J. Coats, jun., which were opened by Sir 

 John Primrose in September last, and promise to meet all 

 present requirements. The hope is expressed that it may 

 be found possible to retain the invaluable services of the 

 S.Y. Mermaid during the present season. 



