6io 



N.4 TURE 



[October 15, 1908 



executed in the three-colour process. In the text Mr. Finn 

 relates a fact previously unknown to us, namely, that 

 Kirk's guereza monkey, of Zanzibar, has been exter- 

 minated by natives sent by Sir John Kirk himself to 

 ascertain how many individuals survived. 



Some time ago Prof. Prowazek described certain bodies 

 discovered by him in the intestine of the lizard as the 

 reproductive cysts of Boio lacertae, a parasitic flagellate 

 found in the same situation. It was further stated that 

 these " cysts " underwent a unique kind of " autogamic " 

 development, the details of which it will be unnecessary 

 to discuss. At a later date Mr. C. C. Dobell discovered 

 in the intestine of the frog, associated with parasites known 

 as Octomitus ranae (which are apparently near relatives 

 of Bodo), very similar bodies. These he very naturally 

 regarded in the same light as those described by Prof. 

 Prowazek, but fresh investigations have caused him (as 

 narrated in Biologisches Centralblatt for September i) to 

 come to a very different conclusion. He now decides that 

 the " cysts " in the frog's intestines are yeasts, and sug- 

 gests that the bodies described by Prof. Prowazek from 

 the lizard are of a similar nature. If this be so, the 

 " autogamous " reproduction of Bodo is a myth. 



I.\ order to obtain a bettor knowledge of the role of 

 birds in the economy of nature, a novel kind of ornitho- 

 logical survey was undertaken a year ago in Illinois, a 

 couple of observers in summer marching at a distance of 

 thirty yards apart over long strips of three different dis- 

 tricts, and noting the number of birds of each species 

 seen. The total number of birds observed per square mile 

 was 645, or almost exactly one per acre, but by eliminating 

 1414 interloping European sparrows, the number of native 

 birds was found to be 527 to the square mile. The total 

 number of native birds on this basis for the whole of 

 Illinois works out at 30,750,000, in addition to which are 

 5,536,000 sparrows. Of the eighty-five species represented 

 by the 7740 birds recognised on the trips, the twenty-one 

 most common species accounted for no less than 6596 ; in 

 other words, 85 per cent, of the birds belonged to 25 per 

 cent, of the species. It is these abundant species that are 

 alone to be considered in the effects of bird-life on the 

 products of the country. 



In a paper published in vol. xxxiv. (pp. 393-402) of the 

 Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, Mr. M. W. 

 Lyon expresses his opinion that the placing of the American 

 prong-buck (Antilocapra) in a family by itself is not 

 justified by the facts. Its only essential difference from 

 the Bovidce is to be found in the forking and annual 

 shedding of the horns, and the consequent absence of 

 annual rings of growth at their bases. In addition to 

 these characteristics may, however, be mentioned the large 

 number of cutaneous glands (namely, a pair behind the 

 lower jaw, another pair on the ischium, two interdigital 

 pairs, a pair on the hocks, and a single one on the hind 

 part of the back in advance of the rump-patch) in this 

 ruminant. The species should be regarded as representing 

 a subfamily (Antilocaprinae) of the Bovids. 



During the last twenty years of his life, the late Mr. 

 C. B. Clarke became the recognised authority on the 

 Cyperacese, and received species for identification from all 

 parts of the world, whereby he accumulated material for 

 a prospective monograph of the order. On account of its 

 great length the preparation of the work for publication 

 is not at present possible, but the director of Kew Gardens 

 has assigned the eighth volume of the additional series 

 to the Kew Bulletin to the publication of his descriptions 



NO. 2033, VOL. 78] 



of unrecorded determinations. There is also included an 

 enumeration of all the species in his manuscript ordered 

 according to his proposed classification under generic 

 subdivisions. 



We have been favoured with a copy of the paper, by 

 Mr. F. A. .Stockdale, on the fungus diseases of cacao, 

 published in the West Indian Bulletin (vol. ix., No. 2). 

 Stem canker and root disease have been chiefly responsible 

 for destruction of trees in the ^^'est Indies, but '* die- 

 back " of branches caused by Diplodia cacaoicola and a 

 pink disease connected with a Corticium have been trouble- 

 some in St. Lucia, and recent investigations in Trinidad 

 point to the ravages of a species of Lasiodiplodia. The 

 pods are liable to be rusted by the Diplodia mentioned, or 

 may be infested by Phytophthora omnivora, which pro- 

 duces a black rot. Altogether a formidable list of pests 

 is recorded, but, fortunately, most are amenable to treat- 

 ment, whether this consists in improving the vigour of 

 the trees by tillage or manuring, or in spraying with or 

 without the application of the excising knife. 



There are no stages in the life-history of pliancrogams 

 more widely and correctly known than the normal divisions 

 of the nuclei in the embryo-sac or megaspore ; the stages 

 at which the " reduction-divisions " take place are not, 

 however, so accurately known. In the Botanical Gazette 

 (June) Prof. J. M. Coulter discusses the interpretation of 

 irregular nuclear and cell divisions occurring at these 

 stages. He points out that ordinarily five successive 

 divisions occur from the megaspore mother cell to the 

 fertilisation stage, and observes that the two reduction 

 divisions are essential. In Lilium there are only three 

 divisions, of which two should be regarded as reduction 

 divisions forming megaspore nuclei. All these nuclei enti 1 

 into the structure of the female gametophyte, and there is 

 one subsequent division. Peperomia and the Pen;Eace:e 

 afford difficulties of another kind, but here there has been, 

 in the author's opinion, no additional division of the free 

 nuclei. 



The meteorological year-book of the Bremen Observatory 

 for 1907, published by Dr. P. Bergholz, contains complete 

 hourly observations from automatic instruments with results, 

 and rainfall values for several stations in the neighboui- 

 hood. A special feature is made of phenological phe- 

 nomena ; the results are given for the year in question, 

 with means for the years 1896-1907. The work forms one 

 of the excellent year books of the German Empire, and 

 is the eighteenth volume of the Bremen series. 



Mauritius in 1850 was covered with forests to the extent 

 of about one-third of its area. In 1880 this had been 

 diminished to about one-tenth of the area of the island, 

 and, of course, some of this has been cleared since. In 

 view of the opinions expressed by Mr. Thompson in 1880 

 and Mr. Gleadow in 1904, that the destruction of the forests 

 had an adverse influence on the climate of the island, 

 Mr. A. Walter, chief assistant of the Royal Alfred Observa- 

 tory, has made a thorough examination of the data avail- 

 able in order to find some statistical evidence either for or 

 against these opinions (" On the Influence of Foiests on 

 Rainfall and the Probable Effect of ' Deboisement ' on Agri- 

 culture in Mauritius "). Mr. Walter finds in the smoothed 

 rainfall curves extending over the period 1860 to 1907 evidence 

 that the cutting of the forests may have had some little effect 

 on the total fall, but has had more eft'ect on the number 

 of rainy days. The distribution through the year is almost 

 more important than the amount. The rainy days in the 

 districts denuded of forests have been decreased by about 



