Too 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIII 



Aplopus, afford the animals protection in a high degree accord- 

 ing to Stockard's investigations. Under certain circumstances 

 when the antennae are removed the " forelegs are readily pressed 

 into service as feelers." Males were found to copulate even 

 in a dark room with the amputated abdomina of the females. 



Chapman gives some interesting information on the domestic 

 and civil polity of the booby and the man-o'-war bird. For 

 example, the male and female booby seem to change off in their 

 home duties, the one staying with the nest for a time while the 

 other fishes. Each pair of birds is closely limited to its own 

 small nest area during the breeding time, the rule being enforced 

 by prompt action on the part of members of the colony gen- 

 erally if a particular individual ventures outside his own 

 precincts. The booby seems to have the habit of laying two 

 eggs, only one of which yields a bird. Although not belonging 

 properly under the present heading, mention may be made of 

 Chapman's observation on the order in which the feathers of 

 pterylae appear and the rate at which they grow. This seems 

 to the reviewer an important subject and one deserving more 

 attention than it has received. 



Without minimizing the value of the papers so far noticed, 

 the two still unnoticed, namely those of Watson and Eeighard, 

 are probably the most valuable of the whole collection, judged 

 by the number and character of the observations recorded. In 

 his introductory remarks Professor Watson refers to his work 

 as preliminary and speaks with some doubt about the possibility 

 of its being continued. From the beginnings made on several 

 problems of the utmost interest, it is greatly to be hoped that 

 the Tortugas Laboratory will see to it as one of its first con- 

 cerns that these investigations are kept up. To get some clear 

 light on the one problem of how terns which seemingly have 

 never been over the ground before, can find their way from 

 Cape Hatteras to the Bird Key, something like a thousand miles, 

 would amply justify the expenditure of the institution's entire 

 income for a number of years were so heavy an outlay neces- 

 Fortunately the work would probably not be greatly ex- 



pensive. Biologif 



recognize that exactly in 



such phenomena as these occultism and superstition have their 

 strongest roots to-day, and that these roots are by no means frail 

 Any victory that science can win in these frontier 

 Qts for more toward the general enlightenment of 



and sickly 



