June 27, 1907] 



NA TURE 



205 



nipdian frontal boss, compared by Us describer to that of 

 thp Old World Elasmothfriimi, but in a skull figured under 

 the name of Ceratoxodon there appear to be at least four 

 pairs of smaller promini-nces. 



The fifth annual report of the Rhodesia Museum 

 (Bulawayo, 1907) shows that the accessions to the museum 

 in 1906 exceeded in importance those of any previous year, 

 and that the number of visitors was 2292. A considerable 

 number of interesting minerals and rocks were examined 

 during the year, the number of identifications made for 

 prospectors having been exceptionally large. Gem-stones 

 were especially in evidence. For the guidance of pro- 

 spectors, an able essay on the mineral wealth of Rhodesia 

 has been written by the curator, Mr. F. P. Mennell, and 

 is appended to the report. With the appointment of Mr. 

 E. C. Chubb, of the British Museum (Natural History), 

 as an additional member of the staff to take charge of the 

 zoological department, the activity of the museum cannot 

 fail to be increased in various directions. 



Of the various branchfs of work undertaken by the 

 Liverpool Institute of Tropical Research, the most pro- 

 ductive and useful have been the missions abroad, especially 

 the two expeditions to West Africa, where the represent- 

 atives of the institute had the opportunity of noting con- 

 ditions and resources, and brought away valuable collec- 

 tions. The results are summarised by the director, 

 \"iscount Mountmorres, in the fourth number of the 

 Quarterly Journal issued by the institute. In the same 

 number Dr. D. Spence communicates an account of two 

 substances prepared from the resin of Ficus VogeXii, lead- 

 ing to the conclusion that the resinous products are closely 

 related to caoutchouc, and Mr. R. Newstead discusses three 

 types of weevils that are found in West African grain, and 

 the suggested methods of destruction. 



A P.^MPHLET has been received in which the author, Mr. 

 P. Frazer, describes experiments undertaken with the view 

 of tracing the sources of injury to vegetation in the neigh- 

 bourhood of manufacturing works. The results are in 

 accord with former, investigations, that the poisonous effects 

 are produced chiefly by oxides of sulphur coming into direct 

 contact with the leaves of plants, while the acids perco- 

 lating into the soil do not injure the roots. A full biblio- 

 graphy is appended to the paper, which was read in April 

 at the New York meeting of the American Institute of 

 Mining Engineers. 



It has been observed that when potato plants are grown 

 in a very moist atmosphere, swellings or intumescences 

 often develop on the leaves. An account of experiments 

 undertaken by Miss E. Douglas to examine their origin 

 and discover the causes regulating their production w'as 

 published in the Botanical . Gazette (.April). The - in- 

 tumescences are due to the growth of the cells, generally 

 the palisade cells of the mesophyll, that elongate and 

 divide until they break through the epidermal layer. The 

 experiments indicate that the growth is the result of an 

 n.bnormal state of turgescence when more water is absorbed 

 than can be transpired or used in normal growth, and this 

 is probably caused by the accumulation of osmotically 

 active glucose. 



The twentieth volume of the Journal of the College of 

 Science, Tokio University, is devoted to an enumeration 

 of flowering plants and ferns from Formosa, compiled by 

 Prof. J. Matsumara and Mr. B. Hayata. The compila- 

 tion is based on specimens collected by several Japanese 

 NO. 1965, VOL. 76] 



botanists who have toured through the island, their routes 

 being shown upon an accompanying map. The number of 

 new species is not very great, and the majority are figured 

 in the excellent plates appended. Under Spiraea pnini- 

 folia, a plant that with double flowers is common in 

 Japan, the authors describe a single-flowered plant, and 

 mention that it is the first they have seen. A new order, 

 Alniphyllaceee, is proposed for a plant receiving the name 

 of Ahiiphyllum pterospcrnium, that bears strong affinities 

 both to the .Styraceje and Ericaceas. 



Some admirably planned and instructive investigations 

 carried out by Mr. W. J. Cudworth and Mr. Wilson 

 Worsdell on the North-Eastern Railway are described in 

 Engineering of June 14. The object of the investigations, 

 which have extended over fourteen years, was to ascertain 

 the cause of the inequalities which from time to time 

 develop on the surface of rails. The results, though not 

 conclusive, are stimulating. They show that the structure 

 of the metal Is an important factor in the wear and tear 

 of rails, the difference in structure being probably due to 

 the varying conditions of temperature and the different 

 speeds at which the rails are rolled. The hard knobs 

 which develop in the course of usage on all lines may be 

 produced by mechanical action due to vibration when the 

 wheels are passing over the rails. 



The first report of the Royal Commission on Mines has 

 been issued (Cd. 3548, price is. 3d.). The Royal Com- 

 mission, of which Lord Monksvvell is chairman, was 

 appointed on June 6, 1906, to consider questions concern- 

 ing the health and safety of miners. The present report, 

 which covers fifty-two pages, is devoted to the use of 

 breathing appliances. The Commissioners do not suggest 

 that the use of such appliances, the compulsory provision 

 of which would not be justified at present, is likely to lead 

 to any considerable decrease in the number of lives lost by 

 explosions. Apart from actual rescue work, they may, 

 how^ever, be of great service in making it possible to deal 

 with underground fires safely and effectively. The use of 

 breathing appliances is not unattended by risks, but such 

 risks can be reduced to a minimum by a proper system of 

 training, which could be provided by the establishment of 

 central rescue stations. .Appended to the report are reports 

 on breathing apparatus, by Dr. Boycott ; on colliery fires, 

 bv a committee of the South Yorkshire Coalowners' 

 .Association ; on rescue apparatus, by a committee of the 

 Fife and Clackmannan Coalowners' Association ; and on 

 breathing apparatus, by a French commission. For educa- 

 tional purposes the value of the report is enhanced by the 

 accompanying detailed drawings of the pneumatogen, the 

 Draeger, the Shamrock, the improved Fleuss, the Weg, 

 and the Aerolith apparatus. 



Prof. Han.s presented a treatise on the daily range of 

 temperature in the tropical regions of Asia and -Australia 

 to the Vienna Academy on April 25, being the conclusion 

 of a laborious discussion of the daily range of temperature 

 in the tropics. The principal object of the treatise in 

 question was to obtain corrections for reducing to the true 

 daily mean the means obtained from combinations of 

 observations at various hours. The author finds that the 

 best mean is obtained from the readings at (7-1-2-f g-t-g) : 4 

 both for coast and inland stations, and that the mean 

 obtained from the readings of the maximum and minimum 

 thermometers, which is most usually adopted, is, except 

 for higher latitudes, the worst that can be employed ; 

 a mean obtained from even two fixed hours daily would 

 be more satlsfactorv than the mean of the daily extremes. 



