100 YEARS AGO

Dr. B. Sharp described, at a recent meeting of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, some observations he has made on the contents of the stomachs of the common cod. Several hundred stomachs were opened with the hope of finding shells of gastropods and bivalves. Numerous valuable shells were taken from the cod years ago by Stimpson and Gould on the New England coast, north of Cape Cod, and it was supposed that similar finds would come to light from the cod caught off Nantucket. The stomachs examined were filled almost exclusively with crustaceans and for the most part with species of Panopeus. Hermit crabs, without shells, and a few Crepidulae were also seen. Here and there young lobsters were found in the stomachs, occasionally two in one stomach. Dr. Sharp believes that the decrease in quantity of the lobsters, which has been so marked within the past few years, is partly due to their consumption by the cod; and as these have of late greatly increased in numbers, owing to the work of the United States Fish Commission, the lobsters have not been able to keep pace with the increase of their enemies.

From Nature 25 April 1901.

50 YEARS AGO

From the news in the Press it might be thought that ordinary administration and, more especially perhaps, forestry administration would be more or less at a standstill in Malaya. The annual report for 1949 of the Federal Forest Administration of the Federation of Malaya, by J. P. Edwards, acting director of forestry, shows the reverse, particularly in the professional and research sides of the work. It is true that the report states that, in connexion with saw milling, “Bandit activity has also caused the sawmills much difficulty. One was burnt down, several more have closed down to avoid being forced to provide supplies to the bandits, others have had lorries destroyed and many find difficulty in persuading their logging gangs to remain at work. The Police, too, are often obliged to clear the forest of loggers so that they are not mistaken for bandits during security operations. In spite of this millers have shown great determination to keep producing and develop their mills. Eleven new mills were planned and five others increased their plant.”

From Nature 28 April 1951.