Notes . 
373 
1883O 
According to the “ Popular Science Monthly ” a genuine aqua- 
rium devoted to biological research is about to be established by 
the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, at Wood’s 
Hole, Massachusetts. 
Herr Engelmann (“ Botanische Zeitung ”) has demonstrated 
experimentally that only the pigmentiferous cells in plants, and 
in these only the pigmentiferous particles of plasma, are capable 
of giving off oxygen under the influence of light. In the vege- 
table world there exist, besides chlorophyll, a series of other 
colouring matters (chromophylls) which exert an assimilatory 
acftion. 
Dr. J. D. Caton (“American Naturalist”) gives instances of 
curious friendship between a sand-hill crane and a family of 
swine ; also between a Hawaiian goose ( Bernicla sandwicensis) 
and a litter of young pigs. A male Wapiti deer, in the Ottawa 
acclimatisation grounds, forsook his mate and attached himself 
to a Durham heifer, but his frequent intercourse with her did not 
lead to the production of hybrids. 
E. Baumann (“ Pfliiger’s Archiv. ”) criticises very sharply the 
results of Loew and Bokorny on the chemical cause of life. He 
maintains that chemical distinctions between living and dead 
protoplasm have long been recognised, and that the reaction 
recognised by L. and B. is not of general importance. 
M. Cornu (“ Naturforscher ”) proves that gases may be ab- 
sorbed through the epidermis of the aerial organs of plants. 
The grapes in a vinery were spoiled because the gardener had 
coated some plant-stages with badly-smelling tar-oil. The 
offensive flavour was stronger in the centre of each grape than 
on the skin. The roots and stems of the vines were outside the 
house. 
According to Col. Venukoff there exist great anomalies in the 
different magnetic elements in the neighbourhood of Belgord, in 
the province of Kursk. There is no trace of iron-ore in the 
district. 
Prof. Bruns, of Tubingen, finds that a portion of marrow, 
freed from bone and inserted under the skin of the same animal 
at a point distant from its origin, gives rise to the formation of 
bone and cartilage at the point in question. 
A new vegetable parasite, Haplococcus reticulatus , has been 
recently discovered in pork by Dr. Zopf. It occurs in from 30 to 
40 per cent of the animals examined. Would it not be well if 
we paid more attention to the sanitary legislation of Moses, 
doubtless a fragment of the ancient medical lore of Egypt ? 
In Italy the water of hot springs is being extensively used in 
