294 



NA TURE 



[July 25, 1907 



ties (definite in magnitude and direction), and it does not 

 appear to me tiiat the suggested system provides for this. 

 In fact, it is diflicult to see how gravitation towards the 

 centre of the universe could separate the motions of the 

 stars into two systems, if they originally formed one 

 system. A. S. Eduinoton. 



Royal Observatory, Greenwich, July i8. 



The Dental Formula of Orycteropus. 



Normally the adult Orycteropus has in each jaw but five 

 teeth, though frequently, especially in young animals, a 

 number of smaller teeth are found further forward. In 

 i8qo, Mr. Thomas discovered in both the upper and lower 

 jaws of fairly large foetal specimens a number of milk- 

 teeth, seven in the upper and four in the lower jaw. So 

 far as I am aware, nothing further has been discovered 

 regarding the dental succession. • 



In the skull of a newly-born specimen which I have been 

 enabled to study through the kindness of Dr. Perinquey, of 

 the S. .African .Museum, I have been fortunate in finding a 

 full set of milk-teeth in both upper and lower jaws. In 

 the upper are three minute but calcified incisors, one 

 canine and six premolars. Of these only the last five pre- 

 molars probably cut the gum, and only the fourth and 

 sixth are large enough to be functional to a slight extent. 

 .Succeeding teeth are found under the third, fourth, fifth 

 and sixth premolars, and possibly under the second. Bevond 

 the sixth premolar there is evidence of at least four true 

 molars. In the lower jaw there are al.so three minute 

 calcified incisors, one minute canine, and six milk-pre- 

 molars. Of these the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 premolars probably cut the gum, and are slightlv functional. 

 The germs of replacing teeth are found in connection with 

 all the premolars except the first. Behind the last premolar 

 are evidences of five true molars. The dental formula of 

 Orycteropus may thus be taken to be : — 



Canine Premolars Molars 



23456 12345 

 rj^ I I 2 s 4 5 t> 



r 2 S I I 2 J 4 j; 6 



23456 12345 



This dental formula is quite unlike that in anv living 

 mammal, but if we assume that the ancestor of Orycteropus 

 had functional succeeding incisors, and canines, it would 

 have had a formula not at all unlike that found in many 

 of the Mesozoic mammals. Elliot Smith suggests that it 

 may have branched off very early from the subungulate 

 stem. Kitchen Parker was more impressed with the re- 

 semblances of the skull to that of the inarsupials and lower 

 insectivores. 



Some further light may be obtained by a careful micro- 

 scopic examination of the developing teeth, which I hope to 

 undertake immediately. R. Broom. 



Victoria College, Stellenbosch, June 25. 



TBE RADIO-TELEGRAPHIC CONVENTION. 

 'T*HE report of the select committee appointed to 



■*■ consider the radio-telegraphic convention drawn 

 up by the Powers in November last has just been 

 published as a parliamentary paper. The committee 

 recommends, by a majority of five to four, the ratifi- 

 cation of the convention, a result which will hardly 

 surprise those who have followed the evidence g-iven 

 before the committee, though the narrowness of the 

 majority may be diflicult to understand. 



The provisions of the convention have alroadv been 

 summarised in N.vruRE (vol. Ixxv., p. 59, November 15, 

 1906), so that it will not be necessary to repeat them 

 here. It will be recollected that it was then pointed 

 out that the provision of prime importance, and 

 theonly one likely to lead to opposition to the ratifi- 

 cation of the convention, was the one requiring that 

 " coast stations and ship stations are bound to 

 exchange radio-telegrams reciprocally without regard 

 to the particular system of radio-telegraphy adopted 

 NO. 1969, VOL. 76] 



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I 



by these stations." The necessity for this provision 

 and the highly beneficial results likely to accrue from 

 its enforcement to civilisation and maritime interests 

 were described, and the hope was expressed that the 

 private interests of the Marconi Company would not 

 stand in the way of its adoption. 



-V study of the ividcnce presented to the committee 

 and clearly sutnmarised in its report shows that the 

 only opposition to ratification came from those repre- „ 

 senting the interests of the Marconi Company 

 They, having already secured what amounts to 

 practical monopoly so far as Great Britain, Italy. 

 and Canada .are concerned, are not unnaturally 

 desirous of maintaining and increasing that mono- 

 poly. \\'hether the policy of not ratifying the con- 

 vention which they support is likely to lead to such 

 a result seems more than doubtful. The evidence 

 shows that, so far as the world as a whole is con^ 

 cerned, the Marconi Company do not possess even 

 a majority of existing stations, but only about one 

 third of the total number. 



The ratification of the convention by all the! 

 signatory Powers except Great Britain would in-, 

 evitably lead to a growth of other systems at the 

 expense of Marconi stations : existing Marconi 

 stations under their control would necessarily be dis. 

 continued unless thev consented to acquiesce in the 

 provision for inlercotnimunication. The numerous 

 stations existing along the south coast of England, if 

 they refused to intercommunicate, would be useless 

 for the shipping of foreign nations using other 

 systems, and the necessity for the erection of other 

 stations in their place on the north coast of the 

 Continent would arise. If these, as is probable, 

 interfered with the working of the English stations, 

 protest would be useless from a country outside the 

 convention. From almost all points of view it seems, 

 as a matter of fact, that the Marconi Company 

 stands to gain rather than to lose by the adoption 

 of the convention bv Great Britain. 



Of the technical objections raised by the Marconi 

 Company little need be said. Since the representa- 

 tives of all the other systems were agreed that there 

 exist no real difficulties in intercommunication from 

 the' technical standpoint, one is compelled to the 

 conclusion that these objections are biassed by other 

 considerations, unless, indeed, the Marconi system 

 is so inferior to all others that it alone possesses 

 this great disadvantage. 



It will be recollected, probably, that great stress 

 was laid by many writers in the daily Press at the 

 time of the international Conference on the naval and 

 military aspects of the convention, and Great Britain 

 was represented bv some as handing herself over 

 bound to the Powers. That these contentions were 

 entirely without foundation was pointed out if 

 N.ntRR doc. ril.). and would have been clear to any- 

 one who took the pains to study the actual pro- 

 visions of the convention. The section of the report 

 of the select committee dealing with this aspect of 

 the question should be sufficient to dispel any linger 

 ing doubts which mav still remain. 



Wireless tclcgraphv has been very much before 

 the ijublic for the past ten years. In sensational 

 achievement much has been accomplished, and of- 

 recent vears it has figured somewhat largely as an 

 international bone of contention. But the practical 

 comtiiercial dcveloptnent has been disappointingly 

 slow. It is to be hoped that with the ratification of 

 the convention a period of peaceful progress may 

 ensue, and that some of the well-deserved fruits of. 

 manv .vears of patient experimenting may be 

 gathered by the numerous inventors who have been 

 working in this field. M.iURicE Solomon. 



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