The magmatism early in the Tertiary period resulted in (1) eruption of extensive plateau lavas (Skye, Small Isles, Mull) and of Central-Group lavas (Mull, central Arran), and (2) emplacement of central intrusion complexes (Skye, Rhum, Mull, Blackstones Bank, Arran), of sill complexes (northern Skye, Shiant Isles, western Mull, southern Arran) and of dyke swarms (almost all of the Inner Hebrides) focused on the central intrusion complexes. Each of these magmatic stages and the rock types formed are described, with particular emphasis on the central intrusion complexes and the fact that the centres about which intrusion occurred shifted with time. Some of the causes of compositional variation among rock types are briefly discussed. Most of the magmatism occurred between 61 and 58 million years ago when rifting and separation of eastern Greenland and north-western Europe was initiated.

When the Royal Society of Edinburgh was founded, the art of beer brewing had already been practised for well ov,er five thousand years, initially in Mesopotamia, then in Egypt and, for the last two millennia, in Continental Europe and in Britain. The procedures used were —and still are —essentially simple. First, barley is malted by growing the grain to allow it to form an assortment of enzymes, some of which, particularly the proteinases and β-glucanases, gradually free the starch granules of the endosperm from their enclosing organic matrix. The enzyme-amylase is also synthesised during malting and, though it has a limited action on the starch in the intact grain, it assumes major importance later during mashing. As a result of the enzymic activity during malting, the endosperm becomes friable instead of tough and the germinated barley, now known as malt, is kiln-dried so that it can be safely stored.

The distribution of soil parent materials in relation to glaciological features is dealt with; from the scoured bare rock of Harris products of Tertiary weathering have been transported northwards and deposited as coarse textured till which underlies the Lewis till plain. Clayey till in the north of Lewis would appear to be deposited by mainland ice which crossed the area. The dominant genetic soil found throughout the islands is a peaty podzol with iron pan which contains an intensely indurated horizon. Peat formation has developed on this soil as a result of the acidity of the parent material and anaerobic waterlogged conditions. Only on well sloping sites were peaty podzol soils with free drainage beneath the pan observed, otherwise the peaty podzol with very poor drainage beneath the pan is better described as a peaty gley soil. Brown earth soils were seen only on ultra-basic rocks on markedly sloping sites.

As a result of exposure and frequent high winds the calcareous dunes of the machair are unstable. Fresh sand is deposited on the dry back slopes with a diluent effect on soil fertility. Areas of the machair having imperfect rather than poor drainage provide some of the best arable land which would be rated as Class 3 in the Land Use Capability Classification of the Soil Survey.

The volcanic island of Surtsey in the Westmann Islands, Iceland, was formed by a series of submarine eruptions from 1963 to 1967. It is a natural area, giving scientists the opportunity to study the biological succession without interference from man. In 1972, the occurrence of micro-fungi in soil samples gathered at different locations on the island was assessed by counting and identifying the fungal colonies growing out on different agar media, containing various amounts of soil extract.

A window onto the vast array of saprotrophic fungi found in West Central Africa with particular reference to the Cameroon attempted in this paper. After an overview (Watling) three diverse groups are taken as examples of this array: xylariaceous fungi (Laessøe, Whalley & Watling); polypores (Ryvarden & Watling) and lepiotoid fungi (Watling). Some comparisons are made with other tropical forests. This approach contrasts a lignicolous group in the ascomycetes with one in the basidiomycetes and contrasts terricolous lepiotoid agarics with polyporaceous terricolous and lignicolous fungi.

Although ozone (O3) occurs in both the troposphere and the stratosphere, mechanisms of O3 formation and removal in both regions of the atmosphere are very different. Moreover, the presence of O3 in the two layers has very different implications for the biosphere, especially vegetation. This introductory paper gives an overall appreciation of the two pools of O3 and their relative influences upon plant life. In the troposphere, natural and unburnt hydrocarbons (HCs) not only participate in the formation of atmospheric O3 but are also involved in the formation of free radicals from O3 which go on to injure plant tissues. In the stratosphere, O3 absorbs significant amounts of ultraviolet radiation (285-315 nm, UV-B) from sunlight which would otherwise harm biological systems. Depletion of stratospheric O3 by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has prompted urgent studies to assess the consequences of enhanced UV-B radiation on vegetation. Preliminary assessments of possible changes to UK crops are described in this paper.

Sitka spruce is a monoecious, wind-pollinated, cross-fertilising species showing wide genetic variation which suggests heterozygosity for many alleles and natural selection against self-fertilisation. Phenotypic selection for the important trait of vigour is ineffective, so testing progenies of selected individuals and clonal testing is an essential and time-consuming part of any improvement programme. Old trees can be vegetatively propagated by grafting and very young trees by rooted cuttings.

The British tree improvement programme is based, in the short term, on the use of seed collected from superior plantation trees of desirable origins; in the mid term on seed derived from clonal orchards based on mixtures of clones previously tested for superiority in family tests; and in the longer term on highly superior seed or clones derived from a system of recurrent mating with family selection. Three populations are being developed. There is a small interspecific hybridisation programme.

The Clyde Estuary is recovering from gross pollution inherited from the age of the Industrial Revolution.It is necessary now to establish the degree of recovery and determine any subsequent effects of future planning consents. Documentation on water quality was subjective until the 1960's when quantitative studies on pollution levels commenced.

Much attention has been paid to dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the estuary. The changes in the DO regime over the last ten years have been quantified with the help of multiple regression techniques. The use of these techniques in establishing the changes resulting from improvements to Dalmarnock and Paisley sewage treatment works is described. Deterministic models, based on the diffusion-convection equation, have been used to predict future DO conditions. The theoretical base of these models is outlined and examples are given of the use of the models in predicting the effects of possible developments on the estuary.

Biological monitoring has also been utilised to assess estuarine recovery. Benthic data has been accumulated since 1967. Regular surveys highlight improvements in species richness, diversity and stability. Spatial and temporal population variation was investigated and the salinity tolerances of the species considered. Fish life is increasing and is now present for much of the year, although salmon are still excluded from the upper Clyde system. The lower estuary remains an important overwintering feeding ground for wader populations.

A standard nigrosin-eosin staining method in current use has been said to differentiate between live (unstained) and dead (stained) spermatozoa. In the present work, the method is applied to rabbit semen. The general results are comparable with those already obtained in the larger domestic animals. The effects of several technical and biological factors on staining capacity are evaluated, and the validity of the method is examined experimentally. Some statistical aspects are presented. The percentage of stained spermatozoa varies widely between rabbit males. To a large extent, any particular male preserves a characteristic percentage from one ejaculate to another. The percentage of stained spermatozoa is inversely related to the fertility of males as measured by the birth rate after natural mating.

Concurrently, an investigation was made of the incidence of a class of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa seen in the preparations. The classifications of spermatozoa by morphology and by staining capacity are highly correlated. For assessing semen quality, the morphological classification is considered to be as useful as the classification by staining capacity, and perhaps more useful.

Nigrosin-eosin staining of rabbit spermatozoa is discussed; firstly, in comparison with other animals and in relation to sources of variation; secondly, as a means of differentiating between live and dead spermatozoa; thirdly, as a means of assessing the fertility of semen; and fourthly, in relation to the alternative classification of spermatozoa by abnormal morphology.

When the Challenger Expedition reached Sydney in 1874 this first European settlement in Eastern Australia was not yet a hundred years old.

Sydney was then a settlement of 140,000, among whom were several established scientists of distinction, as well as others who were to make their mark in future years.

In studying the literature relating to that little-known prosimian, the Angwántibo—with a view to incorporating the main facts known about it in a comprehensive work on primate anatomy at present in preparation—I had occasion to consult the original description of the species by J. A. Smith (1860). I there discovered that the type was a spirit specimen (an “adult” male) which was received in Edinburgh, along with a second male, from Old Calabar. There is some confusion in the literature as to the fate of these specimens and this should, I think, be cleared up. Both specimens were procured in 1859 by Rev. A. Robb, one being sent, indirectly, to Smith and the other to Andrew Murray. Smith recognized in his specimen something new and accordingly described it as a new species of Potto, placing it in Bennett's genus Perodicticus as P. calabarensis. He gave an assurance of his intention of depositing the type in the Natural History Museum of the University of Edinburgh, but later sent it to his friend Carruthers at the British Museum for comparison with Bennett's type of Perodicticus potto. Some useful observations were made upon it by Carruthers and incorporated as an addendum to Smith's paper. The specimen was evidently returned to Edinburgh and found its way to the University, but in 1860 it was transferred, with other material, to the Edinburgh Industrial Museum (since 1904 the Royal Scottish Museum).

With the kind assistance of Professor J. Ritchie I have succeeded in tracing it, and with the permission of Dr D. A. Allan, Director of the Museum, and the helpful co-operation of Dr A. C. Stephen, Keeper of Natural History, I have had the privilege of studying it.

The coastal zone is being seen increasingly as a major resource requiring the planning of its use to accommodate the many and frequently conflicting demands placed upon it. In the U.K. this planning is complicated by the difficulties arising from the scale, map projection and quality of information provided by the different mapping agencies. These difficulties are compounded because the representation of information concerning the littoral is quickly outdated by the dynamic coastal processes operating in this zone. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the use of digital remote sensing and mapping techniques, using data from a set of LANDSAT MSS scenes corresponding to different tidal states, for mapping within the coastal zone where regular and possibly cyclic map revision is required.

The adoption of emerging biotechnological methods in plant breeding is presented discussing specifically the relevance of cell genetics to potato improvement. The finding and use of efficient anther plant producing strains of potato (EAPP clones) is first discussed. This is followed by the presentation of recent progress toward the obtaining of diploid potato strains producing a high percentage of monohaploids from anthers. The selection of homozygous diploid regenerants (potato ‘pure lines’) by using an RFLP approach is also presented. A summary chart is presented, containing the description of an integrated breeding procedure that may be considered for future breeding of this species.

During a study of the micro-structure of keratin fibres (Stoves, 1944) it was found that certain members of the Mustelidæ, e.g. kolinsky (M. Sibirica), ermine (M. erminœ), and Jap mink (M. itatsi), possess primary hairs with well-developed cuticle, cortex, and medulla. In the case of rabbits and hares (Leporidæ), however, the corresponding fibres are composed almost entirely of medulla cells. The two types of fibres, therefore, provide suitable material for studying the chemical reactivity of the keratin constituting cuticle, cortex, and medulla of animal hair. Accordingly, the effect of various reagents upon transverse sections of fibres from the above-mentioned animals was examined, and a preliminary report of the results has already been made (Stoves, 1943 a). A more detailed account of the work now appears.

Previous reports (Black, 1943, 1945) on the resistance of potatoes to the blight fungus (Phytophthora infestans) have shown the existence of at least two major genetic factors (Ra and Rb) in the host, and the occurrence of not less than two strains (A and B) of the pathogen.

From the studies then reported, it was concluded that the two genes had been brought into the potato from different phyletic sources and that one, Ra, when in the dominant state, conferred resistance to strain A, while similarly Rb conferred resistance to strain B.

The number of fern species in various countries in the Old World tropics is examined and explanations for very rich and very poor fern floras are given. Borneo and New Guinea are the two richest areas, with an estimated 1000 and 2000 species respectively; the difference in number is probably due to the much greater area of land at high altitudes in the latter. Aspects of geographical and ecological speciation in the genus Grammitis within New Guinea are discussed, and the means by which such speciation may have been promoted are outlined.