357 

 NOTES AND COiVl/VlENTS. 



SIR JOSEPH HOOKER ON FOSSIL PLANTS. 



Dr. Dukinfield H, Scott takes the work of the late Sir 

 Joseph Hooker on Fossil Plants as the theme for his presidential 

 address to the Linnean Society, recently published. In view 

 of the loss to botanical science by the death of Sir Joseph Hooker 

 the subject was peculiarly appropriate. Sir Joseph's first 

 botanical paper, written so long ago as 1842, dealt with fossil 

 wood from the Macquarie Plains in Tasmania. This fossil 

 tree was found embedded in Tertiary basalt, and is now in the 

 British Museum. No sections were cut at the time, and it was 

 not until 1903, more than sixty years later, that Dr. Arber 

 described the plant as Cupressinoxylon hookeri. Dr. Scott's 

 address is an admirable summary of Sir Joseph Hooker's 

 contributions to palaeo-botany. 



EXTINCTION OF WHALES. 



In his report on the Belmullet Whaling Station made to the 

 British Association at the Dundee meeting, Mr. S. T. Bur- 

 field gives the following interesting note in reference to 

 the extinction of the larger Cetacea. — In view of the large 

 numbers of the largest kinds of Cetacea which are now killed 

 every year, the question of their probable extinction in the 

 course of comparatively few years must be seriously con- 

 sidered. The case of Steller's Sea-cow [Rhytina] is a well- 

 known example of extinction produced by excessive hunting 

 in recent times. With a view to preventing this possible 

 fate there is some discussion as to legislation in Norway and 

 England. It is suggested that there should be a closed season 

 for the Northern Whale ' Fisheries ' as in the Seal ' Fisheries.' 

 The serious point is that so many gravid females are killed, and 

 it is impossible for the whalers to identify a gravid female as 

 such while she is swimming in the water. Naturally, the 

 proposed limitation of the whale-hunting does not meet with 

 the approval of the whalers. According to them the whaling 

 in the Northern stations will cease automatically before the 

 extinction takes place. As mentioned above, a minimum 

 catch of about thirty whales per steamer in the Northern 

 stations is necessary for a factory to keep working at a profit. 

 Thus, when this minimum has been passed, the whaling station 

 closes down automatically. It is said that this will take place 

 before the total extinction of the spacies on account of the 

 minimum catch being comparatively high. 



THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM. 



On October 30th a substantial extension to the Museum 

 at the University of Manchester was opened by Mr. Jesse 

 Haworth, who had subscribed over £8,000 towards the cost. 

 The new building, which was inspected by a particularly large 



1912 Dec. J. 



2 A 



