SCIENCE 



[Vol. V., No. 100. 



There are four plates in the first part of this 

 book, the only pictures it contains ; and they 

 are all taken from the work on storms by Bla- 

 sius. In the ' Scholia ' of the second part, there 

 are several papers by well-known meteorolo- 

 gists : some of them are credited to their origi- 

 nal place of publication ; but seA T eral others 

 are appropriated, in a more or less condensed 

 form, with their author's name at the head of 

 each, as if, in distinction to the first, these 

 were written expressly for this book. It may 

 be that the omission of acknowledgment results 

 simply from carelessness ; but, in any case, it 

 is not to be lightly excused. Why should not 

 professors demand as much care in these mat- 

 ters from their publishers as from their stu- 

 dents ? 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



Why is water considered ghost-proof ? 



A"s a possible partial explanation of the fact re- 

 ferred to by Dr. Edward B. Tylor, in bis address 

 before the Anthropological society of Washington 

 (see Science, iv. 548, col. 2), of the wide-spread belief 

 among savages ' that water is impassable to spirits,' 

 the obstacle which it presents to dogs in pursuing 

 their prey by scent may be suggested. This latter 

 fact must be well known to most uncivilized races; 

 and the mystery of tracking by scent must furnish 

 a fertile theme for the exercise of the savage imagi- 

 nation, while the scent itself of a human being 

 would be readily attributed to his spirit. Can anthro- 

 pologists show any ' historical connection ' between 

 the fact and the belief? Lester F. Ward. 



Hollyhock-disease and the cotton-plant. 



The hollyhock-disease has been a bane to European 

 gardeners for ten years past. It is one of the most 

 destructive of plant-diseases ; being able to kill young 

 plants within a week from the time of its attack, and 

 making sad havoc wherever it appears. It is a para- 

 sitic rust (Pucciniamalvacearum Mont.) to be associ- 

 ated with the rusts of wheat and oats, and is not 

 confined to hollyhocks, but attacks many other mem- 

 bers of the mallow family, such as the upright mal- 

 low in particular, marsh mallow, German Lavatera, 

 the common weed known as Indian mallow or velvet- 

 leaf, and many others. Winter gives a list of twenty- 

 four species. 



The disease was introduced into Europe from Chili 

 in 1869, appearing first in Spain. In four years it had 

 spread through France and the southern portions of 

 Germany and England, reaching northern Germany 

 in 1874, and Ireland in 1875. It has also appeared in 

 Australia and the Cape of Good Hope, but has not 

 yet, in all probability, invaded North America. The 

 plant reported under this name from California is 

 doubtless another species, as I am informed by Dr. 

 Farlow, who has examined Californian specimens, 

 although not those of the original collector. The 

 mention by Burrill of its introduction into this coun- 

 try is an error, as I have learned from the author. A 



disease sometimes spoken of in American journals 

 under this name is due to an entirely different cause. 



Its introduction from Europe, which is most likely 

 to occur through the importation of hollyhock-seeds, 

 should be guarded against. But a still greater inter- 

 est attaches to the disease in regard to its possible 

 relation to the future of the cotton industry. The cot- 

 ton-plant is a member of the mallow family, and, so 

 far as one may judge a priori, would fall a ready prey 

 to the disease. It occurred to me to obtain some dis- 

 ease-spores from Europe, and test their growth on 

 cotton ; but, fearing the disease might escape from my 

 control, I finally interested my friend, Mr. Charles B. 

 Plowright of King's Lynn, Eng., in the subject, who 

 offered to undertake the necessary experiments. 



Mr. Plowright reports, under date of Nov. 26, as 

 follows: — 



" Six young cotton-seedlings were, on July 12, in- 

 fected with germinating-spores of Puccini a malva- 

 cearum. The plants were quite young, and the spores 

 were applied to the cotyledons. No result. 



" Six young cotton-plants which possessed true 

 leaves were, on June 19, infected with P. malva- 

 cearum. No result. June 29, infected same plants 

 again. No result. 



" In July these plants were planted out in the gar- 

 den ; and beside them a healthy specimen of Malva syl- 

 vestris was also planted. At the beginning of August, 

 four small Malvae, affected with the Puccinia, were 

 planted so near the cottons and healthy mallow that 

 the diseased foliage of the one touched the healthy 

 foliage of the other. 



"Aug. 20. The healthy mallow has become af- 

 fected with the Puccinia: the cottons have not. The 

 plants were left growing together to- the end of sum- 

 mer, but the cotton-plants remained free from the 

 Puccinia until they died from the cold of autumn 

 some time in October." 



It is a relief to find that our apprehensions regard- 

 ing the dire consequences that might follow the 

 introduction of this destructive rust are without 

 foundation, so far as the cotton-plant is concerned. 

 The mallow family is divided into two tribes; the first 

 including the true mallows, and the second the rose 

 mallows. Among the best-known members of the 

 latter are the shrubby Althaea, okra, and cotton. I 

 am unable to find any record of any of this tribe tak- 

 ing the disease, and it is probable that the true mal- 

 lows only are subject to it. J. C. Arthur. 



N.Y. agric. exper. station, G-eneva, N.Y. 



Military cetology. 



In the exhaustive essay upon brush-making, by 

 Capt. A. L. Varney, in the last report of the secretary 

 of war (vol. iii. p. 190), I find, in connection with much 

 information of interest to the zoologist, some remarks 

 upon cetaceans which are unique in their way, and 

 show how dangerous it is for one unacquainted with 

 a subject to attempt to instruct others therein. After 

 stating that "whalebone, or baleen, is a horny sub- 

 stance, consisting of fibrous laminae laid lengthwise 

 along the upper jaw of the whale," our author proceeds 

 to give the following information about the order 

 Cetacea in general: — 



" Zoologically, whales, or mammalia of the cetacean 

 order, are divided into two great families, — ' blowing ' 

 cetacea, so called from the habit of spouting water 

 through the nasal openings or spiracles in the top of 

 the head; and 'herbivorous' cetacea (Manati). The 

 family of ' blowing' cetacea is divided into two tribes, 

 — the tribe of whales (Balaena); and the dolphin 

 tribe, distinguished mainly by the size and shape of 

 the head. 



