io8 



NA TURE 



[June 4, 1896 



at Madras, where the climate is tempered by the influence of 

 the sea. It is interesting to observe the interval between the 

 mean dry an<1 wet-bulb temperature throughout the year, and 

 the daily range of temperature ; the latter varies greatly, 

 amounting to nearly 34' at Hassan, in January. The highest 

 shade temperature in the two years was 99''5 at Chitaldroog, in 

 April 1893. 



The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for May is 

 an unusually thick number, and its contents cover almost as 

 wide a range of geological subjects as could be brought together. 

 Palaeontology is represented by the presidential address on the 

 history of the Crustacea liy Dr. Woodward, who also contributes 

 papers on Cretaceous Crustacea from \'ancouver, and on the 

 only known fossil Octopod ; while Mr. C. W. Andrews discusses 

 the Plesiosaurian skull, and Mr. P. Lake continues his work on 

 a group somewhat neglected of late years by British geologists 

 — the Trilobites — with a study of the Silurian species of Aii'd- 

 .asfiis. In stratigraphy. Dr. Hicks contributes a paper in which 

 lie claims the Morte Slates as Silurian, and reopens in a new 

 manner the North Devon controversy, while Miss EUes and 

 Miss Wood show that there are Llandovery beds in the Conway 

 •district. The British Cretaceous rocks are subjected to a most 

 •detailed correlation — as regards the Speeton series by Mr. 

 Lamplugh, and as regards the Cenomanian by Messrs. Jukes- 

 Browne and Hill ; the former author urging that some of the 

 ■strata dealt with are strictly Jurassic, while the two latter show 

 that the true Cenomanian of France represents our Lower Chalk 

 ■only, and not our Upper (Ireensand. The only Tertiary geology 

 in the journal concerns the Basaltic plateaus of North-western 

 Europe and the river-system of the old land across which the 

 lavas were poured, described in a most interesting paper by Sir 

 Archibald Geikie. This last paper, along with one on a part of 

 the same subject — the Skye granophyres — by Mr. Harker, 

 •represents also the petrological contributions to the journal. 

 Important evidence is adduced by Prof. Edgevvorth David of a 

 Permo-Carboniferous glaciation of Australia. Finally, Prof. 

 Hull's paper on the geology of the Nile, and Mr. Hill's, on 

 transported Boulder Clay, must not be forgotten. 



An elaborate monograph on "The American Lobster," by 

 Prof. F. H. Herrick, forming a part of the BuUeliti of the 

 United States Fish Commission for 1895 (pp. 1-252), has been 

 issued as a separate publication. The memoir contains the 

 results of a masterly study of the habits and development or 

 general biology of the lobster, and is illustrated with the lavish- 

 ness which is a feature of official publications of the United 

 States. Until comparatively recent years the lobster was 

 ■singularly neglected by naturalists ; nevertheless. Prof. Herrick 

 gives at the end of his memoir a list of more than two hundred 

 papers referring to the Crustacea, of which the lobster may be 

 styled the king. The subjects of the chapters in the present contri- 

 bution to this literature are; habits and environment, reproduction, 

 moulting and growth, defensive mutilation and regeneration of 

 lost parts, large lobsters, enemies of the loljster, the tegumental 

 glands and their relation to sense organs, variation in colour and 

 structure, structure and development of the reproductive organs, 

 habits of the lobster from time of hatching until the period of 

 maturity, history of the larval and early adolescent periods, and 

 embryology of the lobster. It will be seen from this brief state- 

 ment that Prof. Herrick has studied many phases of the general 

 biology of the lobster, and in all of them he adds to the previous 

 knowledge of the subject. His observations are of scientific 

 value, and many of the facts described, more particularly those 

 relating to the larval development and reproduction, have im- 

 portant economic bearings. After some statistics pointing to the 

 decline of the lobster fishery in the United States, Prof Herrick 

 remarks': " Civilised man is sweeping off the face of the earth, 



NO. 1388, vol . 54] 



one after another, .some of its mo.it interesting and valuable 

 animals by a lack of foresight and selfish zeal unworthy of the 

 savage. . . . Thus, as we shall see, the American lol)ster 

 occupies only a narrow strip along a part of the North Atlantic 

 coast, and while it is probably not possible to exterminate such 

 an animal, it is possible to so reduce its numbers that its fishing 

 becomes unprofitable, as has already been done in many places. 

 The only ways open to secure an increase in the lobster are to 

 protect the spawn-lobsters, or to protect the immature until they 

 are able to reproduce, or to take the eggs from the lobsters them- 

 ■selves, and hatch them artificially." For the sake of the persons 

 engaged in the lobster fishery, it is to be hoped that measures 

 will be taken in time to prevent its further decline in the United 

 States. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Caracal {Felis caracal) from India, pre- 

 sented by Captain E. F. Carter; a Spotted Cavy {delogeiiys 

 paca) from Trinidad, presented by Dr. F. G. C. Damian ; a 

 Common Otter (Lutra vulgaris), British, presented by Mr. 

 Henry Laver ; a Blue and Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) from 



South America, presented by Mrs. Browning ; a Deer 



{Cariacus paludosus, i) from Paraguay, two Green-winged 

 'Dovsi{C/ialcopkaps tndica), two White-backed Pigeons (C(i/««(5iz 

 kuconola) from India, four Alligators {Alligator iiiississippieiisis) 

 from the Mississippi, four Dandin's Tortoises ( TVi/wrfo datidinii) 

 from the Aldabra Island, deposited ; two Thick-tailed Opossums 

 {Didflphys crassicaudata) from South America, four C.ouldian 

 Grass V'mches (Poip/iila goiildia), two Crimson Finches ( AV/';v/.f/a 

 plucloii) from Australia, purchased ; a Siemmerring's Gazelle 

 {Gazella Siriiimerringi, <5 ), two Striped W'jsm.%(Hyccna striata), 

 an Egyptian Ichneumon (Plerpesles ichneumon), two Liliyan 

 ZoxWX&s (/c/onyx lybica), tvio Fennec Foxes {C(T««> cerdo), xwii 

 Ruppell's Vultures {Gyps riieppelli), four Egyptian Vultures 

 {Neophron pcrenopterus) from Egypt, received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Rinc; Nebula in Lyra. — The appearance of the 

 brightest of the ring nebulae, as seen with the Lick 36-inch 

 refractor, is descriljed by Prof. Barnard in Ast. Nach. No. 

 3354. The aperture of the ring was filled with a feeiiler 

 nebulosity, which was estimated to be nearly midway in bright- 

 ness between the brightness of the ring and the darkness of the 

 adjacent sky. This aperture was mure nearly circular than the 

 outer boundary of the nebula, so that the ends of the ring were 

 thicker than the sides. The following end of the ring had a 

 slightly greater extension, which was less bright than the ring 

 itself, and the entire nebula was of a milky colour. The central 

 star was usually seen, but was never a very conspicuous object. 

 The brightest region of the nebula lies in the northern part. 

 Micrometric measureinents of the nebula gave the following 

 mean results : — 



Position angle of major axis 

 Outer major diameter 

 Inner major axis 

 (Juter minor axis 

 Inner minor axis 



65° 4 

 80" '9 



36" '5 

 58" -8 

 29" '4 



A magnifying power of 520 was generally employed. 



Variable Star Clusters. — The discovery of a large 

 number of variable stars in certain star clusters was announceil 

 a few months ago by Prof. E. C. Pickering (Nature, vol. liii. 

 p. 91). Since then a special investigation has been made of the 

 variables forming part of the cluster M.5 Serpentis, N.G.C. 

 5904 {Ast. Nach. 3354). Forty-five photographs of this cluster 

 have been measured by Miss Leland, and the measures include 

 the greater portion of the forty-six variables previously dis- 

 covered. The periods of these variables are in general very 

 .short, not exceeding a few hours. One of these, designated 

 No. 18, which follows the centre of the cluster about 6' and is 

 south 5', has a probable period of iih. 7m. 52s., or 0'463S 



