October i, 1908] 



/VA TURE 



547 



of biology in entomology, with special reference to the 

 foo(;I of insects. According to the author, in tlie case of 

 the large majority of insects the life-histories still remain 

 unstudied, and the habits of many well-known species are 

 biised -on conjecture. Details of the methods of work 

 followed and some of the results obtained are given in the 

 course of the paper. 



The littoral holothurians collected by the survey-ship 

 hivcsligator form the subject of a memoir of Messrs. R. 

 Koehler and C. Vaney in " Echinoderma of the Indian 

 Museum." Out of forty-one species collected, fifteen are 

 described as new. In the second number of Memoirs of 

 the Indian Museum Captain R. E. Lloyd describes the 

 anatomy of the huge phyllopod crustacean Bathynomns 

 giganteiis, of which the first known example was obtained 

 in 1878 by the survey-ship Blake. The species is compared 

 with the American representative of the genus, from which 

 it is shown to differ in the number of basal plates. 



To vol. ii., part i., of the Records of the Indian Museum 

 Captain R. E. Lloyd contributes a paper on variation in 

 an Indian species of the marine crustacean genus Squilla. 

 The variation occurs in the number of " teeth " borne by 

 the raptorial claw, and occurs in one particular race 

 (or ? species) inhabiting a certain region of the Indian 

 seas, in apparently deep water. The number of teeth 

 may be as many as fifteen or eighteen, whereas the normal 

 number is six or seven. In the opinion of the author, the 

 facts in this case do not seem to be in favour of the 

 " theory of gradual change " in organisms, and are put 

 on record as a contribution to the study of animal varia- 

 tion available for comparison with other cases of a like 

 nature. 



The Cretaceous fishes of Ceara, in Brazil, form the 

 subject of a paper by Messrs. D. S. Jordan and J. C. 

 Branner in vol. v., part i., of the quarterly issue of Smith- 

 sonian Miscellaneous Collections. The existence of fossil 

 fishes in the Cretaceous deposits of this district has been 

 I-cnown since the year 1841, when a collection was brought 

 home by Mr. G. Gardner and submitted to Prof. L. .'Vgassiz, 

 by whom some were named and described. Since that date 

 they have formed the subject of several papers, among 

 these one by Dr. Smith Woodward in the Zoological 

 Society's Proceedings for 1887 (quoted more than once in 

 the article before us without any reference to the volume). 

 In addition to the forms recognised by previous writers, 

 Messrs. Jordan and Branner describe a new genus and 

 species of Leptolepididae, under the name of Tharrkias 

 araripis, and likewise three other new species, referable to 

 as many genera. 



An investigation into the germinative capacity of seeds 

 of Hevea brasiliensis, carried out in Ceylon by Messrs. 

 H. F. Macmillan and T. Fetch, yielded the very definite 

 result that in a few weeks the seeds lose their power of 

 germinating. Seeds from untapped trees failed to ger- 

 minate after being kept for three or four weeks. Seeds 

 from trees that had been tapped for rubber showed a 

 higher percentage in germination, and somewhat better 

 keeping properties ; otherwise they were smaller than the 

 seeds from untapped trees, and would presumably yield 

 less oil if they were crushed or extracted for that purpose. 

 The experiments are described in the circulars (vol. iv.. 

 No. 11) issued from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon. 



B0T.INISTS who are interested in the " Kryptogamen 

 Flora von Schlesien," originally edited by Dr. F. Cohn, 

 will be glad to know that a final part, consisting of an 

 index to the fungi, has just been issued. Dr. J. Schroeter 



NO. 2031, VOL. 78] 



undertook the portion dealing with the fungi, but died 

 shortly before the last descriptive part was published. It 

 was then intended to incorporate some of his notes in the 

 next part ; this project was, however, abandoned, and the 

 index was compiled by Dr. A. Lingelsheim in its present 

 form. Apart from the rest of the work, the index is useful, 

 as it provides a list of host plants, cryptogamic as well as 

 phanerogamic, upon which the fungi have been taken. 



The Rev. G. Henslow contributes one of his interesting 

 historical accounts in connection with the cabbage group 

 of plants to the new volume (xxxiv.) of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural .Society. It is remarked that Cato sang the praises 

 of the cabbage and distinguished three kinds, while Pliny 

 recognised si.x varieties. The author endeavours to trace 

 modern races from the figures of the coleworts, forms of 

 Brassica oleracea, inscribed in Gerard's Herbal dated 1597. 

 Gerard refers the stock generally to Brassica marina an- 

 glica or English sea colewort. The kales are nearest to 

 the suggested original type from which the true cabbage 

 is derived by shedding of the lower stem leaves and ag- 

 gregation of the leaves at the top ; special development of 

 buds in the lower leaves has led to the variety now re- 

 presented by Brussels sprouts. 



We have been favoured with the report (No. 16) of the 

 Danish Biological Station to the Board of Agriculture, in 

 which Dr. C. H. Ostenfeld presents an account of the 

 growth and distribution of the wrack-grass, Zostera 

 tuarina, in Danish waters. The conditions necessary for 

 the growth of Zostera are a salinity varying from J per 

 cent, to 3 per cent., and a sufficiency of light such as 

 can be obtained to a depth of six fathoms. The most 

 luxurious development is attained on muddy or sandy 

 bottoms in the sheltered waters of the fjords. The author 

 subscribes to the opinion that the Zostera vegetation 

 provides an important breeding ground for the nourish- 

 ment of food-fishes. 



It is fitting that an early volume (part ii.) of the newly 

 established Indian Forest Records, published by the 

 Government of India, should be devoted to the considera- 

 tion of compiling forest statistics with reference to the 

 growth and increment of timber trees. Mr. A. M. F. 

 Caccia, the officer in charge of forest working plans at 

 the Imperial Research Institute, Dehra Dun. has collated 

 existing data for the " sal " tree, Shorea robusta, to 

 indicate how incomplete are present records, and what 

 additional measurements are necessary to make the 

 statistics as full as those compiled by forest research 

 bureaux in Europe. With regard to the requirements of 

 the " sal " plant, it is noted that it grows at elevations 

 ranging from 150 feet to 6000 feet, where the annual rain- 

 fall varies between 40 inches and 180 inches, and demands, 

 in addition, a loose, well-drained soil. 



Notification is given by the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries that the potato disease known as wart disease, 

 cauliflower disease, or black scab, has been scheduled 

 under the Destructive Insects and Pests Order of 1908. 

 .•\11 occupiers of land on which the disease appears have 

 to report the fact to the Board, from the secretary 

 of which a leaflet describing the disease and suggesting 

 preventive measures can be obtained on application. The 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has also issued a 

 leaflet respecting grain weevils, in which brief descrip- 

 tions are given of the nature of the harm done, the life- 

 history and habits of the insect and its grub, and the 

 known remedial measures. Copies can be obtained from 

 the secretary. 



