92 
NATURE 
[Marcu 28, 1912 
sections deal with live stock and implements, in- 
cidence of revenue assessment, and transfers of land. 
A REMARKABLE instance, caused by a_ parasitic 
fungus, of the transformation of the flower into a 
number of leaf-like organs is described by Mr. S. 
Kusano in the Journal of the Tokyo Agricultural 
College (vol. ii, No. 6). The fungus, Caeoma 
Makinoi, infects the young buds of Prunus Mume, 
and causes great malformation of the organs of the 
flower. In some cases only part of the flower is 
affected, in others all organs are subjected to more or 
less complete phyllody. Occasionally flowers of 
enormous size are produced, which possess not only 
green leaves brilliantly spotted with the yellow pus- 
tules of the fungus, but also leafy shoots. The 
author describes the phyllody of the different floral 
organs with great care, and discusses the relation 
between the development of the fungus and the mal- 
formation of the flower. His paper, which concludes 
with some interesting etiological considerations, forms 
a valuable contribution to the literature on chloranthy. 
In the Atti dei Lincei, xxi., 4, Dr. Diana Bruschi 
contributes some interesting studies on three fungi 
parasitic on fruits, namely, Fusarium lycopeisici on 
the tomato, Movilia cinerea on the plum, and 
Fusarium niveum on the pumpkin. It is found that 
the toxic action of the fungi is not proportional to 
the acidity of the extract produced by them, and dis- 
appears to a large extent with cooking. The enzymes 
secreted do not attack the cellulose, but rather the 
proteins, of the fruits. 
Tue list of geological literature added to the library 
of the Geological Society of London in 1910 was 
issued at the close of 1911, price 2s. As we have 
previously pointed out, this annual work is practically 
an index to the geological publications of the world. 
Tue study of eoliths has assumed such importance 
that it may, not be too late to direct attention to a 
discussion of the alleged examples of Oligocene age 
found by A. Rutot on the plateau of Hautes-Fagnes, 
in Belgium. R. Bonnet and G. Steinmann conclude 
that they were formed by wave-action in a rapidly 
advancing sea (Sitzungsber. vom naturhistor. Verein 
der preuss. Rheinlande u. Westfalens, December 6, 
1909, pub. 1910). A useful bibliography of some sixty 
works in French and German on _ eoliths is 
appended. 
In Scientia, vol. xi. (1912), p. 36, Prof. J. W. 
Gregory discusses “The Structural and Petrographic 
Classification of Coast-types”’ in a manner that will 
appeal both to geographers and to geologists. He 
succeeds in showing how difficult it is to maintain 
Suess’s original definitions of the Atlantic and Pacific 
types of coast in the broad regions from which their 
names were derived, and he criticises the attempt to 
connect types of igneous rock with types of tectonic 
structure. 
Tue Weather Bureau of the ‘Commonwealth of 
Australia has issued in the form of a picture postcard 
an average rainfall map of the Commonwealth, 
together with a table showing the comparison 
NO. 2213, VOL. 89] 
ProinGn Vie 
between the total area of the United Kingdom and 
the different rainfall areas shown by grades on the 
rainfall map of Australia. The map was prepared 
under the direction of Mr. H. A. Hunt, Common- 
wealth meteorologist. 
“THe Value of Non-instrumental Weather Observa- 
tions" is the title of an interesting article by Prof. 
R. DeC. Ward in The Popular Science Monthly of 
February. Like some meteorologists in this coun- 
try, he considers that such observations add greatly 
to the interest of everyday life, and develop in a 
surprising way powers of observation which one is 
unconscious of possessing. In relating his own ex- 
periences during a recent period of convalescence, he 
suggests the study of weather prognostics (com- 
paratively few of which are found to be really good). 
In emphasising the value of non-instrumental 
observations, he refers at considerable length to the 
Journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition to the 
sources of the Missouri and across the Rocky Moun- 
tains in 1804-6, the leader of which was instructed 
by President Jefferson to report upon the climate 
according to a scheme drawn up by himself. No 
more striking illustration of the analogy between the 
winds of the ocean and those of the plains has been 
given than Captain Lewis’s description of the 
' occasion when one of his boats, which was being 
transferred on wheels, was blown along, the boat’s 
sails being set. ‘Both [winds] sweep over a surface 
of little friction. Both attain high velocities in con- 
sequence.” 
Aw illustration of the growing importance of 
mathematics in the study of social and economic 
problems is afforded by Dr. L. Amoroso’s note in the 
Atti dei Lincei, xxi., 4, entitled ‘“‘ Contributions to the 
Mathematical Theory of Economic Dynamics.” In 
this system an individual is represented by a point 
capable of moving in a variety of n dimensions, which 
may represent different forms of wealth, and these 
are subject to certain equations of condition. From 
the fundamental premises the author deduces ‘‘ equa- 
tions of motion’ corresponding to those of analytical 
dynamics. The first investigations on this branch of 
study are attributed to Cournot, Jevons, Malras, 
Edgeworth, Fisher, and, latterly, Pareto. 
Ix a pamphlet called ‘‘Studies in Statistical Re- 
presentation,” reprinted from the Journal of the 
Royal Societv of New South Wales, Mr. G. H. 
Knibbs discusses the application of Fourier’s series to 
the study of fluctuating statistics. The paper deals 
mainly with the methods of obtaining the coefficients 
in such expansions, and of correcting for such irregu- 
larities as inequality in the lengths of months or 
years, variations in the time of Easter, and so forth. 
| The author, as illustrating the method, claims to de- 
duce a relation between the temperature and the 
number of suicides in Australia, but remarks: ‘‘ The 
discussion as to whether this relation can be rational- 
ised is really an extra-mathematical one, and is out- 
side the scope of the present paper.’ A contribution 
to the higher mathematics of statistics is contained in 
L. Charlier’s recent article in the Arkiv 
