July 10, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



57 



experiments indicate that, while the ganglia 

 aU have their special functions to perform, 

 the pedal ganglia are under the direct control 

 of the cerebral ganglia and are not capable 

 of originating motor impulses when separated 

 from them. Association fibers between the 

 ganglia are well developed and impulses may 

 finally reach muscular organs by roundabout 

 paths when the usual paths have been de- 

 stroyed. " The Influence of Grafting on the 

 Polarity of Tubularia," by Florence Peebles. 

 " A Study of the Germ Cells of Certain Dip- 

 tera, with reference to the Heterochromo- 

 somes and the Phenomena of Synapsis," by 

 N. M. Stevens. This article is a study of 

 the germ cells of nine species of Muscidse and 

 Syrphidffi. The spermatogonia contain an 

 unequal pair of heterochromosomes, and the 

 oogonia a corresponding equal pair. The di- 

 morphism of the spermatozoa and its relation 

 to sex determination are the same as in many 

 of the Coleoptera and Hemiptera. In syn- 

 apsis there is a side-to-side pairing of homol- 

 ogous maternal and paternal chromosomes, 

 and a similar pairing occurs in the prophase of 

 each spermatogonial and oogonial mitosis, and 

 also in ovarian follicle cells. " Momentary 

 Elevation of Temperature as a Means of 

 Producing Artificial Parthenogenesis in Star- 

 fish Eggs and the Conditions of its Action," 

 by Ralph S. Lillie. Momentary warming of 

 unfertilized starfish eggs, e. g., to 35° for 

 YO seconds, during early maturation, results 

 in membrane formation, cleavage and devel- 

 opment to an advanced larval stage. Ex- 

 posure to w/2000 KCN solution during, be- 

 fore and after such warming is highly favor- 

 able to parthenogenetie development. Initia- 

 tion of development can not, therefore, depend 

 on acceleration of oxidative processes. Ap- 

 parently, processes of some other nature — hy- 

 drolytic or reducing — are most immediately 

 concerned in fertilization in these eggs. 

 " The Sex Eatio and Cocooning Habit of an 

 Araneid and the Genesis of Sex Eatio," by 

 Thomas H. Montgomery. 



The Istituto geografico militare of Italy, 

 situated at Elorence, has published a new edi- 

 tion of a most efEective map of Vesuvius in 



colors, on a scale of 1:25,000 (2 francs), indi- 

 cating all determinable lava flows, with their 

 dates down to 1906; also a map of Vesuvius 

 in black, scale 1:10,000 in six sheets (4.50 

 francs complete), and two special maps of 

 the cone of the volcano, 1:10,000, before and 

 after the eruption of 1906 (each one franc). 

 Those who are thinking of ordering the gen- 

 eral map of Italy, 1:100,000, will do weU to 

 specify the edition " Systema Gliamas," now 

 in course of publication in four colors (1.50 

 francs a sheet : 27 sheets published ; edition on 

 thin paper preferable). W. M. D. 



At the sitting of the Paris Academy of 

 Sciences on June 16 M. Poincare gave, ac- 

 cording to the London Times, particulars of 

 a discovery by M. Devaux Charbonnel of a 

 method of photographing the sounds of the 

 human voice with sufiicient precision to en- 

 able the record to be read. Vowels and con- 

 sonants are combined with a Blondel oscillo- 

 graph. The latter, which is extremely sensi- 

 tive, impresses the sounds upon a photographic 

 plate in the form of curves characteristic of 

 each category. With a little practise it is 

 possible to decipher these characters. 



THE COCO BUD-ROT IN CUBA 

 An appropriation has been approved by the 

 provisional governor of Cuba, Hon. Chas. E. 

 Magoon, for $14,000 to be expended in the 

 next year for combating the coconut bud-rot 

 in the district of Baracoa. 



The bud-rot is the most serious disease of 

 the coconut palm. It occurs in Cuba, Ja- 

 maica, Trinidad, British Honduras, British 

 Guiana, and perhaps in India, Ceylon and 

 East Africa. Many years ago it spoiled the 

 business of coconut growing in most parts of 

 Cuba. It usually leaves a few scattered trees 

 and this is the condition now around Havana.' 

 Even in the Baracoa district, which is espe- 

 cially adapted to coconuts and which escaped 

 the disease longer than most parts of Cuba, 

 it has existed for probably twenty years, but 

 it has increased gradually and has only be- 

 come alarming within the last few years. 

 The total production of this district is now 



