21 ) 



SCIENCE 



Friday, April 1, 1921 



CONTENTS 

 An Illustration of Practical Besults from the 

 Protection of Ncstural Sesowces: E. E. 

 COKER 293 



National Temperament in Scientific Investiga- 

 tions : Professor E. D. Cakmichael 298 



Scientific Events:— 



The Proposed New Challenger Expedition; 

 The Nolan Patent Office Bill; The Ameri- 

 can Philosophical Society 301 



Soientifio Notes and News 303 



University and Educational News 304 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Are the Lance and Fort Union Formations 

 of Mesozoio Time? Dr. Whitman Cross, 

 Dr. p. H. Knowlton. Proof of Non-Dis- 

 junction for the Fourth Chromosome of 

 Drosophila Melanoga-ster : Dr. C. B. Bridges. 

 Surveying from the Air: Dr. E. Lester 

 Jones 304 



Scientific BooTcs: — 

 Humphreys on The Physics of the Air: 

 Professor Alexander McAdie 310 



Eeport of the Committee on Nomenclature of 

 the Botanical Society of America: Pro- 

 fessor A. S. Hitchcock 312 



Special Articles: — 

 A Fish with Luminous Organ designed for 

 the Growth of Luminous Bacteria: Peof- 

 FESSOR E. Newton Harvey 314 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Section L — History of Science Sessions: 

 Dr. Prederick E. Brasch 315 



The Optical Society of America: Dr. Irwin G. 

 Priest 318 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review should be sent to The Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



AN ILLUSTRATION OF PRACTICAL 



RESULTS FROM THE PROTECTION 



OF NATURAL RESORUCES 



About fifteen years ago a highly enlight- 

 ened administration of the government of 

 Peru became interested in the decline of the 

 country's valuable guano industry and the ap- 

 parent diminution in number of guano-pro- 

 ducing birds. It was the privilege of the 

 writer to be engaged by the Peruvian govern- 

 ment for an investigation of the condition of 

 the guano industry and the possibilities of its 

 preservation, as well as for studies relating 

 to the fisheries and to the marine fauna and 

 flora. On my arrival in Lima I was im- 

 pressed with the alert attitude of government 

 oificials in reference to the guano industry and 

 with their anxiety to take whatever measures 

 might, as the result of careful investigation, 

 be found conducive to the conservation of the 

 guano birds. A most significant preliminary 

 step had indeed already been taken through 

 the closure of the three Chincha Islands.^ 

 After an extended investigation, a series of 

 recommendations for the general regulation 

 of the guano industry was submitted to the 

 Director de Fomento, and, with his approval, 

 the report was reproduced in Science for July 

 10, 1908. A few excerpts from that report 

 will be illustrative. 



2. The present tendency to decrease in numbers 

 (of birds) may be cheeked. There is a wealth of 

 reliable testimony from the older men of long ex- 

 perience in the industry, that the useful birds, . . . 

 were formerly vastly more abundant than now. 

 ... If they have endured the treatment they have 

 received without decrease in numbers, then pro- 



1 Two of the islands were shortly opened for 

 guano extraction under pressure of circumstances, 

 but the South Island remained closed through 

 three breeding seasons, affording a convincing 

 demonstration of the utility of the measure. (S«9 

 ' ' Habits and Economic Eelations of the Guano 

 Birds of Peru, ' ' Proa. V. S. N. M., Vol. 56, p. 484.) 



