September 3, 1908J 



NA TURE 



433 



the tail are two similar but rather shorter planes, the 

 hindermost of which is movable on its axis, and acts as 

 a horizontal rudder for regulating the height of flight. 

 At the end of all comes the vertical cellular rudder of 

 direction. It is mounted on a pivot fi.\ed in the solid 

 wooden shoe, which terminates the body of the machine, 

 and it is prolonged forward over the back of the " fish " 

 for nearly half the total length by a triangular extension 

 of the same material as the planes. The whole body is 

 covered with material, but in front of the pilot's position 

 sheets of mica talie the place of the stuff, so that his view 

 may not be obstructed. The total bearing surface is 24 

 square metres. A novelty has been introduced into the 

 steering apparatus. The wheel, which resembles that of a 

 motor-car, is mounted vertically and acts normally upon 

 the vertical rudder of direction, but when moved hori- 

 zontally it acts by means of a lever on the horizontal 

 rudder. The Flying Fish is fitted with a new 35-horse- 

 power motor, especially constructed by the Renault Com- 

 pany. This motor has eight cylinders, arranged in a V, 

 is air-cooled by two fans, and weighs 130 Ivilograms. 

 There is an aluminium carljurettor and a diminutive 

 magneto. The motor is connected directly with the two- 

 bladed propeller. The whole aeroplane, including the pilot, 

 weighs 650 kilograms. 



To the August number of the Contemporary Review Dr. 

 Alfred Russel Wallace has contributed a fighting article 

 on the present position of Darwinism, in which it is urged 

 that neo-Lamarckism, the mutation theory of de Vries, 

 and Mendelism in no wise affect the truth and stability of 

 the natural-selection doctrine. Neo-Lamarckism is dis- 

 missed with the statement that since, according to Mr. 

 W. L. Tower, there is no evidence " to show the inherit- 

 ance of acquired somatic characters or their incorporation 

 in the germ-plasm," the fundamental assumption of the 

 theory is false. As regards the mutation-doctrine, it is 

 pointed out that wliereas sudden structural " jumps " are 

 common among cultivated plants and domesticated animals, 

 in wild nature they are exceedingly rare, and would in- 

 evitably be speedily swamped in the course of evolution. 

 This implies the existence in cultivation and domestication 

 of some " provocative " factor which is lacking, or latent, 

 in nature, and this, again, strilies at the root of tlie Men- 

 delian doctrine as explanatory of the origin of species. 

 "The claims of the Mutationists and Mendelians," writes 

 Dr. Wallace in unequivocal language, " as made by many 

 of their ill-informed supporters, are ludicrous in their 

 exaggeration and total misapprehension of the problem 

 they profess to have solved." On the other hand, it is 

 admitted by the critic that Mendelism may, and probably 

 will, have a certain value in explaining the transmission 

 of disease and other matters connected with heredity. 



" The Rate of Growth of the Reef-building Corals " 

 forms the title of a small pamphlet, by Mr. F. Wood Jones, 

 published by Messrs. John Bale, Sons and Danielsson, 

 Ltd., of Oxford House, Great Titchfield Street. These 

 notes, which were made during a fifteen months' residence 

 on the Keeling-Cocos Atoll, claim to have put the evidence 

 as to the rate of coral-growth in a more definite form than 

 has hitherto been the case. It is pointed out that, in 

 order to be of value, observations must extend over a long 

 period, as corals are subject to great seasonal and in- 

 dividual variation in their rate of increase, while there is 

 likewise great difference in this respect between the branch- 

 ing and the massive groups. On the average, it appears 

 that branching corals grow about 3-7 inches in a twelve- 

 month, while the massive species increase their diameter 

 by about 1/37 of their original circumference in 100 days. 



NO. 2027, VOL. 78] 



In other words, a coral 37 inches in diameter will 

 measure 38 inches across in a little more than three 

 months. An estimate of the rate of growth of the branch- 

 ing species made by Dr. Guppy is practically identical with 

 the author's results. 



The nature and causes of dwarf faunas are discussed at 

 some length by Prof. H. W. Shinier in the July issue of 

 the Atjterican Naturalist. Instances are given of the occur- 

 rence of such dwarfed invertebrate aquatic faunas in several 

 parts of the world, while extinct faunas of the same type 

 are likewise noticed. The chief agency in their produc- 

 tion seems to be variation of environment, such as a large 

 infusion of fresh water into a more or less isolated sea. 

 Two types of dwarf faunas occur, one in which the 

 Individuals of different species are smaller than the normal, 

 and the other in which individuals are normal, but all 

 the species are small owing to the weeding-out of the 

 larger ones. Dwarfing may show itself by the premature 

 development of senile features or by the retention of 

 juvenile characteristics (owing to slow development) 

 throughout life. 



Capt.iin Stanley Flower, in a very interesting article 

 published in the Zoologist for August, discusses the 

 ordinary prices paid to dealers for various species of wild 

 animals (inclusive of mammals, birds, and reptiles). The 

 prices quoted are restricted to transactions which have 

 taken place during the last dozen years, and are solely 

 based on the author's personal experiences. The highest- 

 priced animal mentioned in the list is the giraffe, which 

 ten years ago could not be purchased for 1000!., although 

 its value has now fallen to 400!. or 500!. We believe, 

 however, that equally high prices have been paid for 

 rhinoceroses. On the other hand, for its size, the brown 

 bear is one of the cheapest of all wild animals, a specimen 

 having changed hands for 4. We should like to know the 

 estimated value of a living sea-otter. 



A NOTE on the utilisation of the " khair " forests in 

 eastern Bengal and Assam has been published as Forest 

 Pamphlet No. i issued by the Government of India. The 

 author, Mr. P. Singh, adduces evidence for disregarding 

 the belief that the wood of the " khair " tree, Acacia 

 catechu, is devoid of catechin when it grows in moist 

 localities. He also indicates the methods for preparing 

 the dye-material cutch and for extracting the catechin 

 in the preparation of " katha " or " kath," a product 

 that finds favour among the native population as a chew- 

 ing substance. 



At the meeting of the American Philosophical Society 

 held at Philadelphia in April, Mr. J. W. Harshberger read 

 a paper on the leaf structure of the sand-dune plants of 

 Bermuda. On the upper beach Cakile aequalis is a 

 characteristic plant, and Ipomoca pes-caprae is luxuriant. 

 Associated with the latter on the dunes are Scaevola 

 Plumieri, Tournefortia gnaphalodes, and ]uniperus bermu- 

 diana. Conocarpus erectus and Stenotaphrum americanum 

 also grow on the dune slopes. \'arious devices for pre- 

 venting undue loss of water are described. Sisyrinchium 

 bennudianum bears the stomata in deep cavities, in the 

 leaves of Lantana involucrata they lie in depressions 

 fringed with hairs ; Conocarpus secretes gum in the cells, 

 and Borrichia arborcscens depends upon a dense covering 

 of hairs. The paper is printed in the first quarterly 

 number of this year's Proceedings. 



The fortieth volume of Engler's " Botanische Jahr- 

 biicher," beginning with a part published in May, 1907, 

 was concluded with the fifth part, published in May last. 



