278 Notes and Comments. 
trouble to refute them. Professor Le Duc, in his wonderful 
book upon the production of life forms, by means of diffusion 
and osmotic pressure, has observed that form is the basis of 
life, and I may add that the laws of force and mathematics 
are the basis of form. This certainly opens the window to a 
nobler conception of nature than that it was cobbled together 
by a personal Creator with a consciousness—idealize it how 
you will—as imperfect a vehicle of truth as their own would 
be even were it not what it is and with sentiments as crude. 
But that it is possible that there may be something better than 
consciousness, feeling and personality, beyond the narrow 
sphere of these transient and unsatisfying illusions, in the 
absolute negation of them, is an idea inconceivable to our 
religious and “ scientific ’’ European owls.’ 
RAVENS ON BEMPTON CLIFES. 
Mr. Johnson Wilkinson has sent the following notice 
to the daily press :— No doubt you will be pleased to hear 
that through the kindness of Mr. St. Quintin some young 
ravens have been set at liberty on Bempton Cliffs. It is to 
be hoped that no one will molest these interesting birds, but 
that they may have a chance of living and breeding on these 
Cliffs as formerly. It is considerably over a generation since 
the ravens bred there—one of the present climber’s grand- 
father has shown to him where the old breeding site was (now 
in the sea). It may be mentioned that these birds have been 
added to the Protection Schedule of the r880 Act, so that 
anyone killing or taking their eggs is liable to a heavy fine.’ 
This notice was presumably issued by the Yorkshire Wild 
Birds’ Protection Committee. 
ECOLOGY OF THE PURPLE HEATH-GRASS-: 
In the current number of The Journal of Ecology there is 
an article by the Rev. T. A. Jefferies, F.L.S., on ‘ The Ecology 
of the Purple Heath Grass (Molinia caerulea).’ An introductory 
section describes the area on Slaithwaite Moor near Hudders- 
field, in which the researches were carried out, and with the 
aid of a map draws attention to some special features of its 
plant associations which were carefully surveyed. Section 
two summarises from the biological standpoint the chief facts 
of Molinia structure, emphasising especially its well developed 
root system, its storage organs, its mechanical strength, and 
its ‘ acquatic type of leaf strengthened to resist the mechanical 
stresses of wind.’ In the third section the author attempts 
to find the key to the extremely varied habitats favoured by 
the species, and discusses the relation between the grass and 
its closest competitors, Nardus stricta and Eriophorum vagina- 
tum, its hold on the flushes, its relation to springs and to 
Naturalist, 
