JUNE 13, 1912] 
Canada. The report includes’ twenty-seven 
analyses of igneous rocks collected by Dr. R. A. 
Daly during the work of the International Bound- 
ary Commission in 1902-5. Some of these 
analyses show that rocks rich in alkali extend far 
westward through the mountains of western 
Canada toward the Pacific province, where such 
rocks are not expected. The most numerous 
analyses are of lignites and iron ores. An appen- 
dix by Mr. H. A. Leverin describes the commer- 
cial methods of analyses of oil! shales. 
Dr. T. L. Walker contributes an interesting 
report on the molybdenum ores of Canada, in | 
which he describes their distribution and geologi- 
cal conditions. Dr. Walker personally examined 
most of the chief molybdenum deposits in Canada. 
They usually occur in Archean rocks near the 
border of intrusive masses of granite. Some of 
the chief occurrences of molybdenite are in pegma- 
tite veins traversing gneisses, slates, and quartz- 
ites. Some of these pegmatites are so poor in 
felspar that they become practically veins of 
quartz; and, as is usual with such veins, they are 
very poor in metallic constituents. 
Molybdenite also occurs along joint planes in 
NATURE 
379 
Apart from the work of his earlier years on 
the gymnosperms and the problems therewith con- 
nected, it is in the field of cytology, and in-a lesser 
degree in anatomy also, that his claim to en- 
during fame will be everywhere recognised. 
In the seventh decade ot the last century Stras- 
burger began publishing those remarkable series 
of investigations which have rendered his Histolo- 
gische Beitrage indispensable to the cytoiugist and 
anatomist, and will ever stand out as landmarks 
in the history of the science. Considering the 
| time at which they were written, the papers on 
the nucleus and the cell are really wonderful pro- 
ductions. They ushered in a new epoch, and in- 
troduced certainty and clearness where nebulosity 
and chaos had previously reigned. In reading his 
work and comparing it with that of his contem- 
poraries in the early ‘seventies, one seems to pass 
in one step from medizevalism into modern science. 
Much brilliant work had, of course, already been 
accomplished by others, but it was largely due to 
Strasburger that cytology emerged so rapidly from 
| the mists of speculation and developed into a 
granite, and it is then usually associated with | 
fluor-spar, and fine scales of it impregnate the 
granite along the joints. Some important deposits 
have been found along the contact between granite 
or pegmatite with crystalline limestone. The 
reaction between these rocks has produced a band | 
of pyroxenite containing pyrite, pyrrhotite, and 
molybdenite. 
In most of the ores the molybdenum is so scat- 
tered that its concentration is necessary. Dr. 
Walker says that none of the processes hitherto 
employed are very satisfactory. 
The larger part of the report describes the chief 
known Canadian molybdenum occurrences. It 
includes a list of twelve, which are regarded as 
the most promising; but the author is very 
cautious in expressing his opinion as to their 
value. His conclusion (p. 57) that ‘some of these 
are more promising than others” is a very safe 
hypothesis. Jew Ge: 
PROF. EDUARD STRASBURGER. 
HE science of botany has sustained an irre- 
parable loss through the death, on May 109, 
of Prof. Eduard Strasburger. It is especially sad 
that this melancholy event should have occurred 
at a time when it had been arranged by his many 
friends to celebrate his approaching seventieth 
birthday. A Festschrift was in course of prepara- 
tion, toward which contributions had been promised 
by botanists in all parts of the world. 
It has fallen to few men to have achieved so 
much, and to have taken so active a share in the 
many and diverse branches of the science to which 
Strasburger devoted his life. There is scarcely any 
comprehensive modern botanical memoir concerned 
with cytology, anatomy, embryology, and even 
certain aspects of plant physiology, which does 
not contain references to Strasburger’s contribu- 
tions to the subject. 
NO. 2224, VOL. 89| 
science founded on demonstrable facts, which the 
more recent work has shown to be, in the main, 
of great and far-reaching importance, 
Naturally his earlier work did not escape 
the need of revision here and there, but 
having regard to the means at his disposal, and 
to the relatively primitive character of the tech- 
nique at that time available, it is little short of 
_ marvellous that his genius should have proved to 
have been so little at fault. The reason for this 
| is to be sought partly in the strength of the highly 
trained intellect which he focussed on every prob- 
lem that interested him, and partly in the untiring 
industry with which he pursued his extensive in- 
vestigations. He was not satisfied with elucidat- 
ing, as far as might be, the course of events in 
this or that single instance, but he checked his 
| observations and inferences by researches extend- 
| him. 
ing over a wide choice of objects. In reading 
any of his more important memoirs, one cannot 
fail to realise the effectiveness with which Stras- 
burger drew on his immense store of first-hand 
knowledge in attacking the problems confronting 
The meticulous accuracy which marks the 
description of his observations is continually illu- 
minated by that indefinable but very real quality 
of greatness which enabled him so well to grasp 
essentials, and to separate them from relatively 
unimportant masses of new facts. It is true 
that in his later years perhaps this very quality 
became magnified almost into a fault. Where he 
thought he saw clearly, he was apt, as he used 
| himself to say, to attach great weight to aspects 
of a problem that coincided with theoretical anti- 
cipation, but even in this he bore no more re- 
semblance to the inferior minds who often 
endeavour to adopt a similar attitude than does a 
great artist of the impressionist school to the man 
who cannot draw, but can only daub and smudge. 
Strasburger has sometimes been reproached for 
the rapidity with which he occasionally changed 
his attitude towards an interpretation of results. 
