OCTOBEK 24, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



389 



The recovery of gasoline from natural gas 

 lias now become a large industry, which con- 

 tributes materially to the supply of motor 

 fuels. Experiments in the conversion of nat- 

 ural gas to gasoline were made as early as 

 1903, but experiment did not give way to 

 commercial production until about 1910. 

 The growth of the industry since that year 

 has been remarkable. In 1911 there were in 

 operation 176 plants, which produced about 

 7,400,000 gallons of raw gasoline from nat- 

 ural gas. In 1917, only six years later, there 

 were 886 plants, which produced nearly 218,- 

 000,000 gallons. Prior to 1916 most of the 

 gasoline recovered from natural gas was 

 derived from casing-head gas obtained from 

 oil wells, by methods involving compression 

 and condensation, but from year to year an 

 increasingly large proportion of the annual 

 output of natural-gas gasoline has been re- 

 covered by the absorption process, which has 

 now been applied not only to " wet " gas from 

 oil wells but also to so-called " dry " gas, 

 which occurs independent of oil and consti- 

 tutes the main supply of natural gas. Dry 

 gas can not be profitably converted into gas- 

 oline by compression. 



LEATHER FROM AQUATIC ANIMALS 



The Bureau of Fisheries reports that excel- 

 lent progress in the tanning of fish leather is 

 to be recorded, and a number of the difficulties 

 that have retarded the development of the in- 

 dustry have been overcome by tanners in this 

 field. 



One company which is tanning fish-skins has 

 establisihed a station in North Carolina and 

 another in Florida for the capture of sharks 

 and porpoises, and is meeting with success in 

 its fishery for sharks. It is understood that 

 the number of stations will be increased as 

 rapidly as possible. Another company which 

 has recently acquired a site for a tannery in 

 Washington plans to tan the hides of sharks, 

 beluga, hair seals, etc. 



Samples of leather recently submitted show 

 marked improvement in appearance over 

 earlier samples. The leather is soft and pli- 

 able and appears to have ample strength for 

 many uses. Arrangements have been per- 



fected for the Bureau of Standards to make 

 tests of later products as to durability, poros- 

 ity, tensile strength, pliability, water absorp- 

 tion, wearing qualities, etc. 



The nets which the Bureau developed for 

 the capture of sharks are proving successful 

 and are being adopted for the fishery. At the 

 fishery stations the liver oil is extracted and 

 the flesh is convei-ted into fertilizer, so that 

 none of the material is wasted. 



The supplies of walrus leather, which is cut 

 into wheels and used for polishing fine metal 

 surfaces or for removing mars and scratches 

 on brig'ht metal objects, have heretofore been 

 imported. Last year the bureau furnished 

 several interested persons with pieces of wal- 

 rus hides for tanning and has recently received 

 a sample of leather made therefrom for which 

 tests are being arranged to determine its suita- 

 bility for such purposes. 



VACATION NATURE STUDY 



Believing that a better knowledge of wild 

 life will bring about better conservation of 

 it, and that when people are on their summer 

 vacations they are most responsive to edu- 

 cation on wild life resources, the California 

 Fish and Game Commission backed by the 

 California Nature Study League instituted 

 this past summer a series of lectures and 

 nature study field trips designed to stimulate 

 interest in the proper conservation of natural 

 resources. Six difl^erent resorts in the Tahoe 

 region were selected for the work, and here 

 illustrated lectures on the game birds, song 

 birds, mammals and fish, given by Dr. Harold 

 C. Bryant, of the University of California, 

 furnished evening entertainment and early 

 morning trips afield gave visitors an intro- 

 duction to mountain wild life. 



The motto of the field classes was : " Learn 

 to read a roadside as one reads a book." 

 Special excursions for children gave sur- 

 prising results owing to the rapidity with 

 which they absorbed information about the 

 living things encountered. 



Compact nature study libraries were placed 

 at the resorts by the California Nature Study 

 LeagTie and an exhibit of colored pictures 

 and other illustrated material was on display. 



