April 21, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



625 



though the west winds were slightly in ex- 

 cess of those from the east. It is probable 

 that further observations are needed to enable 

 any sound generalizations to be made. 



The prevalence of clouds was almost con- 

 stant, during the period of observation there 

 were 5,473 hours of total cloudiness against 

 only 901 hours of clear sky. During 82 days 

 the sky was totally obscured, while during tlie 

 whole period there were only two days wholly 

 clear. It was raining or snowing 23 per cent, 

 of the time and foggy 19 per cent. For the 

 whole year there were 260 snowy days, but 

 only 20 on which rain fell. 



The report on the fishes, after some historical 

 notes, discusses them under two heads — Ant- 

 arctic, from within the Antarctic circle, and 

 Siibantarctic, chiefly from the Magellanic re- 

 gion. All the Antarctic fishes collected by the 

 Belgica expedition are species or types which 

 elsewhere belong in water abyssal or of greater 

 depth than one hundred fathoms. No pelagic 

 or littoral species were talten, and only on one 

 or two occasions were specimens which might 

 have proved to be surface species observed. 

 Attempts at fishing with hook and line in 

 moderate depths were unsuccessful, the 

 stomachs of seals never and of birds only once 

 contained debris of fish. The author notes 

 that the expedition on the Southern Cross 

 which followed the Belgica in 1898-1900, was 

 the first to bring back littoral fishes, as well 

 as pelagic forms, the former represented by 

 species of Scopelus and Pleuragramma, the 

 latter, P. antarticum Boulenger, being the 

 most southern fish known up to the present 

 time. The expedition on the Erehus and 

 Terror, under Ross, was the first to discover 

 and describe a true Antarctic fish, but it is to 

 be anticipated that the recent expeditions will 

 add largely to the present list. 



The fishes taken by the Belgica belong to 

 three families, Nototheniidae, Macrurida; and 

 Raiidse, all new, and comprise five species of 

 as many genera, represented by specimens 

 and egg cases. The latter are supposed to 

 represent a new species, of which the fish itself 

 Raia arctowskii Dollo, was not obtained. The 

 naturalist of the Belgica also collected seven 

 Subantarctic fishes, all known forms. The 



author has made of his report a general sum- 

 mary of the ichthyology of the Antarctic re- 

 gions, with a great wealth of detail and dis- 

 cussion of derivation, evolution and distribu- 

 tion, as well as of the relations of the fauna to 

 hypotheses of a former Antarctic continent, 

 in which he concludes that all the known facts 

 lend themselves to explanation by Osborn's 

 hyi^othesis.* 



Biirger finds the collection of nemcrteans to 

 contain four species of Antarctic origin, two 

 Amphiporus, a Carinina and a Tetrastemma, 

 all new. These are the first of the group to 

 be obtained from the region. Cerehrafulus 

 magclhaensis Biirger and a new Amphiporus 

 were also obtained in the Magellanic region, 

 and are fully described and illustrated. 



Fourteen Antarctic hydroids were collected, 

 of which four are also known from the arctic 

 regions. One species each belonged to the 

 Ilaleciidai, Campanulinida? and PlumulariidEe, 

 three to the La foe ids, and three to the 

 Sertulariidse. There were no new genera, but 

 of the species nine appeared to be new. Most 

 of the specimens were obtained by the use of 

 tangles from relatively deep water, and the 

 material was sparse and fragmentary. 



Wm. H. Dall. 



Introduction to Pharmacognosy. By Smith 

 Ely Jelliffe, Professor of Pharmacognosy 

 in Columbia University. Philadelphia, W. 

 D. Saunders. 1904. 8vo. Pp. 275; 74 

 figs. 



Pharmacognosy, dealing mainly with the 

 same material and using the same methods as 

 does plant histology, has long been in need of 

 treatment at the hands of one familiar both 

 with the pure science and with the needs of 

 the modern special student. Admirable worka 

 on the subject have appeared in other lan- 

 guages, but a great lack has existed in Eng- 

 lish. The present volume is one for which 

 English-speaking students should be thankful. 



The work falls into three divisions, animal 

 drugs, vegetable drugs without organic struc- 

 ture, and vegetable drugs with organic struc- 

 ture. The first division is appropriately small, 

 and the last constitutes the major portion of 



♦ Science, XI., p. 5GC, 1900. 



