Marcu 21, 1912] 
NATURE 
65 
by placing the hives quite in the open, with the 
entrances facing south-east. They thus secure the 
earliest rays of light, and the bees are tempted to 
start work early. 
Secondly, high winds cause great loss among 
the colonies, and it would be advisable when such 
prevail to keep the bees confined to the hives, 
unless there are sources for honey-gathering in 
the immediate vicinity. Unless the supers are on, 
the bees should on such occasions be fed arti- 
ficially, so that the work of brood-rearing may not 
be hindered. 
Thirdly, during a honey flow in the early part of 
the season weak colonies must have all the heat 
possible conserved by contraction of the brood- 
chamber and heavy! top coverings, so that the 
largest number of foragers may be released. 
Fourthly, as soon as the brood combs are well 
covered with bees, and the weather fine, the supers 
should be put on and covered up warmly. A day’s 
dejay at the crucial moment may ruin the prospects 
of a colony for the season, causing swarming and 
waste of time during the honey flow. 
And, finally, the difference between the results 
secured by these two colonies shows that it is of 
very great importance that stocks go into winter 
quarters with abundance of stores, so that the 
earliest spell of fine weather may be utilised 
by the queen for pushing the breeding. The 
honey flow from the fruit and forest trees may be 
made a considerable source of revenue if colonies 
are got into strong condition in time to take full 
advantage of it. 
‘ HERBERT Mace. 
THE VIVISECTION REPORT. 
HE Royal Commission on Vivisection pub- 
lished, on February 12, its long-delayed 
report. Four years have elapsed since the Com- 
missioners ceased to hear evidence: and we are 
left to guess at the causes of this delay. The 
report is already out of date: it says not a word 
about the work of Flexner, the work of Ehrlich, 
the work of Bruce, since 1908; it says nothing of 
the latest results of the preventive treatment 
against rabies and typhoid fever, nor of the latest 
diphtheria statistics from the hospitals 
Metropolitan Asylums Board. 
Still, we can afford to forgive these defects: for 
the report, happily, is unanimous. There is no 
minority report. Two of the Commissioners died 
in the course of the inquiry; the remaining eight 
all sign the report. Three of them sign it subject 
to certain reservations, contained in memoranda; 
but these reservations leave untouched the main 
outlines of the report. The changes recommended 
by the Commission are of no profound importance | 
to science, and are all of them within the province 
of the Home Office. There is none of them that 
requires the intervention of Parliament; and it is 
certain that Parliament has graver matters to | 
think of than the exact estimate of experimental 
physiology and pathology. 
The report is rather colourless: that is the price 
NO. 2212, VOL. 89] 
of the | 
of unanimity. It deals with certain anti-vivisec- 
tion statements politely, but there is a politeness 
which is not to be mistaken for approval. It 
reviews, quietly, what we all know already—the 
mighty deeds of the last thirty years, the develop- 
ment of Pasteur’s principles, the work of Lister, 
the magnificent warfare against tropical diseases, 
and so forth. It devotes attention to the benefits 
gained by animals from experiments on animals; 
and to the public recognition of the value of such 
experiments. It recommends a slight increase of 
the Inspectorate, a further restriction of experi- 
ments under Certificate B, a special restriction of 
experiments involving the use of curare, that drug - 
so much talked of and so seldom seen, and so 
forth. It contains some good passages: for 
instance :— ‘ 
“We desire to state that the harrowing descriptions 
and illustrations of operations inflicted on animals, 
which are fully circulated by post, advertisement, or 
otherwise, are in many cases calculated to mislead the 
public, so far as they suggest that the animals in 
question were not under an anesthetic. To represent 
that animals subjected to experiments in this country 
are wantonly tortured would, in our opinion, be 
absolutely false.” 
And again, 
nesses :-— 
of certain anti-vivisection wit- 
“After careful consideration of the above cases, we 
have come to the conclusion that the witnesses have 
| either misapprehended or inaccurately described the 
facts of the experiments.”’ 
Thus, in spite of its colourless, dull style, the 
report is fairly satisfactory to men of science, and 
to the public. It comes at a time when the public 
is concerned with heavy national trouble and peril; 
and we believe that the public will be glad to leave 
the whole subject to the experts and to the Home 
| Office. 
NOTES. 
Ir is officially announced that the King has 
appointed Sir J. J. Thomson to the Order of Merit. 
Other men of science who are members of the Order 
are Lord Rayleigh, Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, and 
Sir William Crookes. 
WE understand that a portrait bust of the late Sir 
Joseph Hooker, from a sitting taken just before his 
death, has now been completed by Mr. Pennachine, 
the sculptor. A few visitors at Mr. Pennachine’s 
studio, 68 Western Road, Ealing, W., consider it an 
excellent piece of work. 
Dr. Cuarcot has been awarded the gold medal of 
the Paris Geographical Society, in recognition of his 
work of exploration in south polar regions. 
Ar the anniversary meeting of the Royal Irish 
Academy on March 16, Prof. Jean Gaston Darboux 
and Prof. Elias Metchnikoff were elected honorary 
members of the academy in the section of science. 
It is announced that the twentieth ‘James 
Forrest” lecture will be delivered at the Institution 
of Civil Engineers on Friday, April 19, by Mr. H. R. 
