June 13, 1907] 



NATURE 



159 



they require to be taught that it can be defined and 

 measured. Mr. Gallon then proceeds to point out that 

 human action is guided less by certainty and by probability 

 than by custom, prejudice, or other unreasonable in- 

 fluences ; social opinion is the tyrant by the praise or 

 blame of which the principles of eugenics may be expected 

 to inlluence individual conduct, and public opinion may 

 easily be directed into different channels by opportune 

 pressure. Whenever public opinion is roused it will lead 

 to action, and it is reasonable to expect that it will be 

 strongly exerted in favour of eugenics when a sufficiency 

 of evidence has been collected to make the truths on which 

 it rests plain to all. 



A LARGE meeting of people interested in the work and 

 objects of the National League for Physical Education and 

 Improvement was held at Devonshire House on Tuesday. 

 The Duke of Devonshire, in the course of an address to 

 the assembly, described the investigations made by the 

 Physical Deterioration Committee, which collected a great 

 deal of information of the highest importance, and made 

 a number of suggestions of practical importance, especially 

 in the direction of suggesting the steps which should be 

 taken for the purpose of obtaining more accurate inform- 

 ation as to the physical condition of the large masses of 

 the people than are at present available. These steps 

 i<re the indispensable preliminary to any effective 

 action, either by Parliament, or by local authorities, or 

 bv the public, towards finding the remedy. One or two 

 of the committee's recommendations relating to the 

 medical inspection of schools and other educational sub- 

 jects found a place in the Education Bill of last Session, 

 and it is hoped that they will again find a place in an 

 uncontroversial Bill which may be introduced in the course 

 of the present Session. One of the objects of the league 

 is to stimulate that public interest in the matter which 

 seems to have been lacking, and a further object is to 

 assist in organising local effort where it already exists, 

 and where some beginning has been made in the direction 

 of improvement. The meeting was also addressed by Lord 

 Balfour, Prof. Howard Marsh, Sir Gilbert Parker, M.V., 

 and the Bishop of Ripon. 



According to the Daily Chronicle, Giant's Quoit, 

 Veryan, which figures prominently in the legendary and 

 historical records of Cornwall, was reported on June 6, at 

 the meeting of Truro Rural District Council, to have been 

 destroyed by blasting and used for road metalling. The 

 Quoit was delicately poised on a cairn, or beacon of hard 

 rock, and with Giant's Cradle close by was of great 

 archsological interest. A few years ago an effort was 

 made to persuade the Government to appoint an inspector 

 with expert knowledge whose duty it would have been to 

 compile a record of remains of archsological interest and 

 to take steps for their preservation. The frequency of 

 acts of vandalism, such as that in Cornwall last week, 

 shows the need for the appointment of an inspector with 

 archaeological knowledge to supervise these national 

 memorials and educate local authorities as to their value. 



An excellent example of the mirage was observed on 

 May 25 seaward of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, by Mr. 

 John Innes about 3, 4, and 5 p.m. The tide was 

 about full, the day hot, and an inverted image of the land 

 luing in the clouds. 



An auroral display was seen at Pontyates, Carmarthen- 

 shire, from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. on June 6 by the Rev. T. 

 Thomas. He states that the effect on houses and hedges 

 was verv weird, and closely resembled the dawn of day ; 

 NO. 1963, VOL. 76] 



there were no streamers. The phenomenon was also noted 

 at Llanishen, near Cardiff. 



The Brighton and Hove Natural History and Philo- 

 sophical Society has for fifty years had Alderman C. Clark 

 as its honorary secretary. So long a service in a position 

 of this kind, involving much work and expenditure of 

 time, is very remarkable. In recognition of the active 

 part Alderman Clark has taken in bringing the society to 

 its present prosperous condition, a massive silver salver 

 and an illuminated album containing the names of many 

 past and present members was presented to him at the 

 fifiy-third annual general meeting on June 6. 



The statement as to the black tern breeding in Norfolk 

 made in our issue of May 30 is, unfortunately, based on 

 a mistake. It is the black-headed gull — a species still 

 breeding in many parts of the British Isles — that has re- 

 turned to its old nesting-haunts at Wells. 



The Musetiins Journal for May records the foundation 

 at the Norwich Castle Museum of a section devoted to the 

 study of economic biology, having for its title the Norwich 

 Museum Association. It is desired to make this excellent 

 museum the centre of the scientific life of the county, and 

 to utilise its collections as a basis of instruction in subjects 

 of importance to agriculturists, horticulturists, teachers, 

 students, &c. A few models of insects injurious to agri- 

 culturists and horticulturists have already been installed 

 in the central hall of the castle. 



As year by year the account of the sugar-cane experi- 

 ments conducted under the superintendence of Dr. F. Watts 

 in the Leeward Islands is published, it is interesting to 

 observe which of the seedling canes maintain their reputa- 

 tion, and to note the new seedlings that come into promin- 

 ence. The season 1905-6 referred to in the recent 

 publication issued by the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture for the West Indies was, like the previous one, 

 characterised by drought, so that the failure in certain 

 cases is attributed to this cause. A strong yellow cane 

 introduced from British Guiana, known as D 625, gave the 

 highest output, probably owing to the dry conditions sur- 

 passing such well-known varieties as B 208 and 6156. 



A SERIES of analyses of the principal Indian oil seeds 

 made by Dr. J. W. Leather form vol. i.. No. 2, of the 

 chemical series of Memoirs of the Department of Agri- 

 culture in India. The results, showing an average oil- 

 content varying from 27 per cent, in safllowcr to 63 per 

 cent, in castor seed, are of primary value to the grower 

 and crusher. The author raises the question as to the 

 deterioration of seed when transferred from one locality 

 to another; thus linseed obtained from various parts of 

 India and grown at Lyallpur in the Punjab gave a reduced 

 proportion of oil. Other reasons may, of course, be 

 advanced for such a reduction, but this explanation is 

 based on the assumption that the yield becomes larger 

 when the plants are acclimatised. 



A NEW publication has been launched by the publisher 

 of the Rivista Geografica Ilaliana as a supplement to that 

 journal under the title of Mcmoric Geografiche. The in- 

 tention is to supply a medium for the publication of mono- 

 graphs or original communications on the subjects of 

 physical geography or terrestrial morphology. Italian geo- 

 graphy will receive the preference, but contributions relative 

 to foreign countries will be included. Each number will 

 contain a complete memoir, and a special feature will be 

 made of supplying illustrations and maps. Tlie first 

 number contains a study of the limits of altitude on the 



