May 9, 1907] 



NA TURE 



lishpcl in the April nunilier of the Annals of Scottish 

 Natural History, points out that we should rather consider 

 the island specially favourable to the observer. Despite 

 the number of trained observers, the writer considers that 

 " wc in Britain see only an infinitesimal number of the 

 migrants which visit our shores : far fewer than is 

 generally supposed, and this is especially the case on the 

 mainland." In addition to recording, for the first time, 

 the red-rumped swallow as a visitor to the British Isles, 

 Mr. Clarke was fortunate enough to observe a number 

 of rare birds, several of which were previously unknown 

 to visit the Shetlands. 



Among rare birds recorded in Norfolk by Mr. J. H. 

 Gurncy in his ornithological report for igob, published in 

 the April number of the Zoologist, are five glossy ibises, 

 which made their appearance on Breydon Broad on 

 t September 3. It is believed that three birds of the same 



species, killed shortly afterwards in Ireland, together with 

 one shot in Sussex, represented this flock. Immediately 

 following the ibises came a flock of thirteen red-headed 

 pochards, which settled on Breydon, where they were soon 

 destroyed. The movements of these birds were connected, 

 in the author's opinion, with a wave of heat which occurred 

 at the same time. A pelican and a couple of flamingoes 

 were also among the summer arrivals, but the latter 

 appear to have been birds which escaped from Woburn, 

 and there can be little doubt that the former had likewise 

 been in captivity. The occurrence on the coast of an 

 example of a bulbul, Liothrix Ititca, may apparently be 

 accounted for by the fact that a number of these birds 

 were turned out at Woburn. 



The Journal of the Society of Arts for December 14, 

 1006, contains a paper read before the council of the 

 National Fruit-growers' Federation by Mr. C. H. Hooper, 

 on fruit-growing and bird-protection. The paper is also 

 in course of publication in the Gardener's Magazine, of 

 which the issue for April 20 contains the first instalment. 

 It is satisfactory to see that Mr. Hooper speaks his mind 

 plainly, without any attempt at special pleading for species 

 which are notoriously harmful ; and while admitting that 

 birds are, on the whole, beneficial to the agriculturist 

 and horticulturist, advocates the relentless destruction of 

 certain kinds and a restriction of the numbers of others. 

 .Another author has already advocated the most stringent 

 measures for the extermination of sparrows, wood-pigeons, 

 and stock-doves as being distinctly injurious, and pleaded 

 in favour of permitting, or rather encouraging, the taking 

 of the eggs of the chaffinch, greenfinch, and bullfinch. 

 Mr. Hooper, in addition to reducing the numbers of the 

 species just named, urges that in fruit-growing dis- 

 tricts it may be absolutely essential to kill off a per- 

 centage of blackbirds, starlings, and even missel-thrushes, 

 thrushes, and rooks. On the other hand, hawks, owls, 

 and strictly insectivorous birds of all kinds should be 

 religiously protected. .\ few more straightforward and 

 outspoken addresses of this description, and there would 

 perhaps be less nonsense talked and written about the 

 duty of encouraging and protecting birds even where they 

 are eating the unfortunate gardener and farmer out of 

 house and home. 



In a paper read before the Epidemiological Society, 

 Colonel Bruce, F.R.S., details recent researches into the 

 epidemiology of Malta fever, showing that goats' milk is 

 the principal source of infection. One-third of the cases 

 of Malta fever in the Navy could be traced to residence in 

 the Royal Naval Hospital, -ualta, but since the use of 



NO. 1958, VOL. 76] 



goals' milk has been prohibited not a single case has 

 occurred there. 



The making of models of microscopic objects by means 

 of wax reconstruction plates has taken a recognised place 

 in morphological, embryological, and pathological research. 

 The cutting out of the plates by means of a scalpel, the 

 usual method, has disadvantages, and Mr. Mark has 

 devised an electric wax-cutter in which a platinum wire, 

 electrically heated and mounted in a sewing machine, per- 

 forms the work expeditiously and efliciently (Proc. Amer. 

 Acad, of Arts and Sciences, xlii., No. 23, March). 



In the Bio-Chemical Journal for April (ii., No. 4) Mr. 

 Lovatt Evans discusses the catalytic decomposition of 

 hydrogen peroxide by the catalase of blood. His experi- 

 ments suggest that the reaction velocity may be explained 

 bv the hypothesis known as the " active system " theory, 

 first suggested by Prof. Adrian Brown and subsequently 

 by Prof. Armstrong. Dr. Maclean describes experiments 

 on the influence of kreatinin in modifying certain reactions 

 of sugar in urine, and Dr. Spriggs discusses the excretion 

 of the same substance in pseudo-hypertrophic muscular 

 dystrophy. Messrs. Beam and Cramer detail observations 

 on zymoids, substances present in enzymes which have the 

 property of combining with the substrate without the 

 power of destroying it, and obtain evidence of their exist- 

 ence in pepsin, rennin, emulsin, and takadiastase. Mr. 

 Coleman describes the eflect of certain drugs and toxins 

 on the coagulation of the blood. 



A FRELiMiN.iRY list of higher fungi collected by Mr. 

 N. M. Glatfelter in the vicinity of St. Louis during a 

 period of eight years is published as vol. xvi., No. 4, of 

 the Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis. 

 Of about live hundred species enumerated, the majority 

 are basidiomycetes. The determinations authenticated by 

 Prof. C. A. Peck include twenty new species. 



An account of an instruction camp organised by Mr. 

 J. A. Leach for members of the Field Naturalists' Club 

 in Victoria appears in their journal, the Victorian 

 Naturalist (.March). The camp was pitched at Mornington, 

 on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay. Each day was 

 devoted to the study of one or other branch of natural 

 history under the direction of special leaders, and lectures 

 were arranged in the evening. The reports of the ex- 

 cursions made each day and the evening lectures are 

 printed in the journal. 



The reports of the director and other Government 

 officials connected with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, 

 are published as a consecutive scries, beginning with 

 No. 20, in vol. iii. of the Circulars and Agricultural 

 Journal. Mr. T. Fetch, in his report as Government 

 mycologist, refers to a number of fungi infesting tea 

 bushes; of these, a new species, Massaria theicola, pro- 

 ducing a stem-disease, is under examination, also the 

 horse-hair blight, generally attributed to Marasmius 

 sarmentosus. The most serious outbreak of fungal disease 

 was caused by a Phytophthora growing on the fruits of 

 Para rubber trees, inducing decay and rot. The disease 

 spread rapidly during the rains in June, and seemed likely 

 to cut short the supply of seed, but was checked by the 

 dry weather in July. The most dangerous insect pests 

 mentioned by Mr. E. E. Green were the tortrix, Capua 

 coffearia, and shot-hole borer, Xyleborus fornicatus, both 

 pests of the tea plant; a leaf-rolling caterpillar was 

 fortunately restricted to the Funtumia rubber trees. Mr. 

 Green also alludes to experiments for introducing the eri- 

 silkworm Attacus rieini, and European bees into Ceylon. 



