484 
NATURE 
(Jurm 11, 192 
process differs considerably in different species. In 
the Schizosaccharomyces and Zygosaccharomyces the 
ascus is formed by conjugation of two cells recently 
derived from a single parent cell. In Debaryomyces 
the ascus is derived from the fusion of a large cell 
(macrogamete) with a small cell (microgamete), the 
former being a mother cell, the latter being a bud 
derived from this mother cell. 
ludwigii and S. ellipsoideus, conjugation takes place 
between the formed ascospores at the moment of their 
germination. In certain sporing bacteria also, con- 
jugation is stated to occur between sister cells, the 
zygote giving rise to the spore (A. Nadson and H. 
Marchand, refs. in Bull. de l’Inst. Pasteur, x., 1912, 
No. 10, pp. 447 and 449). 
We have received a copy of a reprint from an 
article in vol. iv. of Verhandl. Naturwiss. Ver. in 
Karlsyuhe, published by G. Braunsche, of that city, 
and entitled; ‘‘Gomera, die Waldinsel der Kanaren.”’ 
It is the, journal of a German naturalist, who made 
a traverse and a perambulation of that little-known 
island for the purpose of studying its biology, in- 
clusive of that of the coast. Although Gomera, which 
lies somewhat to the south of a point midway be- | 
tween Teneriffe and Las Palmas, forms little more 
than a dot on our maps of the world, it is really a 
microcosm, containing as it does lofty mountains, 
deep valleys, steep cliffs, primeval forests, and many 
streams and waterfalls, together with ancient towns 
and villages, and a population numbering thousands. 
The journal is well illustrated, and contains a list 
of the animals (of which a few are new) and plants 
collected by the author. 
In the June issue of The Journal of Economic 
Biology, the editor, Mr. W. E. Collinge, fully endorses 
the unanimous verdict of gardeners and fruit-growers 
as to the extremely mischievous nature of the bull- 
finch, and the great increase in its numbers which 
has taken place of late years in this country. Mr. 
Collinge’s observations are based on an analysis of 
the contents of the stomachs of 308 of these birds, 
which were killed at different seasons in five coun- 
ties. As the result of this analysis, it was found that 
from January to May the food of the bullfinch ‘‘con- 
sists largely of fruit-buds and fruitlets, and in addition 
to those which are eaten, an equal, or even larger, 
number are wantonly destroyed by this bird.” 
author then goes on to observe ‘‘that the bullfinch 
is for quite half the year most destructive in fruit 
orchards, causing considerable losses to growers, 
which far outweigh any little good it may do in 
keeping down the spread of weeds. Indeed, its value 
in this respect is extremely doubtful, for it certainly 
helps in the distribution of such weeks as dandelion, 
dock, groundsel, ragwort, charlock, &c.’’ Although 
he does not say so in so many words, Mr. Collinge 
is evidently of opinion that the numbers of these 
mischievous birds ought to be largely reduced. 
Tue Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture, 
Trinidad and Tobago, deals with sugar, cacao, cocoa- 
nuts, rubber, and other crops. Mr. Gough has drawn 
up a useful list of the fungoid parasites of the sugar- 
cane observed in Trinidad, the material being partly 
NO. 2228, VoL. 89] 
In Saccharomyces | 
The | 
| cus serrata and Q. glandulifera woods. 
| Armillaria is associated with the orchid, but the rela- 
collected by himself and partly gathered from records 
by Went, South, and others. A report is given of the 
exhibit of rubber sent to the International Rubber 
Exhibition of 1911, which was considered by the 
experts to be promising, and to indicate that the West 
Indies, though behind the big plantation centres of 
Ceylon and Malaya, are fast improving, and may 
become serious competitors in a few years. 
THE report of the entomologist for the Dominion 
of Canada (Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt) shows that the 
enactment of the Destructive Insect and Pest Act 
came none too soon, for serious losses have arisen 
through the attacks of pests imported into Canada 
with nursery stock from all parts of the world. The 
brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) has caused 
a great amount of trouble, having increased very 
much in certain areas of Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
wick. A systematic campaign has now been started 
against it. The gypsy moth, narcissus fly, and larch 
sawfly are under investigation, and other pests are 
also being studied. 
A series of papers is to hand from the Biological 
Laboratory of the Maine Agricultural Experiment 
Station, in which Dr. Pearl describes his recent in- 
vestigations into heredity in poultry and in maize. 
Fecundity is a highly desirable property in poultry, 
but it is not a unit character, and no line could be 
obtained that is absolutely pure in this respect. Lines 
were studied, however, which breed reasonably true 
to a definite degree of fecundity, and an analysis of 
the results is made. The results with maize indicate 
that certain chemical characters are inherited in essen- 
tial accordance with Mendelian principles, exhibiting 
the phenomena of dominance, recessiveness, and segre- 
gation. The interesting fact is that no visible char- 
acter seemed to be correlated with these chemical 
properties. 
A very complete account of the fig moth (Ephestia 
cautella, Walk.), by Dr. Chittenden, has been issued 
as Bulletin 104 of the Bureau of Entomology, United 
States Department of Agriculture, and in it is incor- 
porated a report by E. G. Smyth of the fig moth in 
Smyrna. A large proportion of the imported figs 
were found to be badly infested with this pest, some- 
times from 15 to 50 and even higher per- 
centages of infested fruit being present.. The 
approximate proportion was estimated from the 
amount of excreta. The insect lives on a number of 
dried foods, and is a serious pest of chocolate; some 
of the infested material is said to be on the market. 
Tue first part of vol. iv. of the Journal of the 
College of Agriculture, Imperial University of Tokyo, 
is devoted to two papers by Prof. S. Kusano. One 
of these deals with Gastrodia elata and its symbiotic 
association with Armillaria mellea. The orchid Gas- 
trodia is widely spread throughout Japan, and is 
found growing on rich organic soils, mostly in Quer- 
The fungus 
tionship is not quite of the usual mycorhiza type, and 
the exchange of nutritive substances is not equal; 
Gastrodia appears to be a parasite on the fungus, 
which suffers by the association. 
