by the State forest administration on the coast of the Baltic near Danzig. A forest official, a botanist (upon furlough from the front for this purpose) and an ornithologist discussed the legal difficulty connected with the protection of the flora and ornithology of this reservation. At the conference of 1916 the Counsel of the State Bureau discussed the measures taken to protect chestnut and walnut trees (castanca sativa, juglans regia), the wood of which is required for war purposes, and a representative of the Ministry of War who was present said that his Department had full sympathy for this movement and would further it in all ways possible. A bird lover who is at the same time college professor and former forest official discussed bird protection and natural history instruction in schools and pointed out the educational value of knowledge of birds and bird protection. A young botanist who had been connected for a long time with a field laboratory in Curland, Russia, described a primeval forest tract situated on an island in the lake of Usmaite in the northern portion of Curland which had been created a reservation by the Russian Government before the war, upon the proposal of the Riga Naturalist Society. Very beautiful lantern slides accom panied this address. Three further addresses were made, each profusely illustrated by slides: The erratic blocks of the province of Brandenburg, landscapes from the neighborhood of Munich and views of West Prussia. Each meeting of the conference ended with an illustrated lecture upon nature protection held for wounded soldiers.

The attendance at these two war meetings of 1915 and 1916 was in no way inferior to the conferences held before the war, and it is said that the pressure exercised by the war has in no , measure diminished the general interest in these ideal matters of nature protection, but rather increased it.

Marsh and Moorland Reclamation

The utilization of all available tracts in Germany for agricultural purposes, which was in active progress before the war, has of course been greatly stimulated by the shortness of food supplies from which that land has suffered so seriously during the war. Therefore, those interested in the conservation of certain areas

in their primitive condition, for the furtherance of scientific interest, have found it more and more necessary to insist upon the permanent value of such conservation.

At the Seventh Conference for the protection of natural monuments in Prussia, December 3 and 4, 1915, Herr Wangerim of Danzig declared that there was not now a single intact moor of considerable size left in either East or West Prussia. The work of reclamation planned for 1915, prisoners of war being used for the purpose, comprehended 5193 hectares (12,727 acres) in West Prussia; 1651 hectares (4,078 acres) in East Prussia. To this must be added the moor of the Lebatal with about 6400 hectares (15,808 acres), and small scattered pieces of moorland in that part of Hinterpommern bordering on West Prussia, covering an extent of about 1000 hectares (2,470 acres). Another source of injury to the moorland is the increased turf-cutting carried on of late years. Indeed, this latter danger is in some respects the greater one, since it entails the destruction of the remains of former plant and animal life, while the work of reclamation principally affects the living species.*

In one of the papers issued by the Prussian Society for the Preservation of Natural Monuments, in the series Lectures and Essays," Herr Fessendorff seeks to draw especial attention to the "Drausensee," a tract of marsh and moor on the borders of East and West Prussia. A thousand years ago, and even several centuries later, a considerable navigable lake existed here, and when about 900 A. D., Alfred the Great sent out his navigator Wulfstan to gain information as to the maritime conditions of the Baltic, the latter sailed through the "Ilsing" (now the Elbing) into a lake which must have been the Drausen. Three centuries later, in the heroic age of the Teutonic Order, the lake was the scene of many naval exploits, in which the two warships of the Order, the Friedland and the Pilgrim, performed leading roles. Now it is with difficulty that there can be kept open, through the

*Beiträge zur Naturdenkmalpflege, ed. by Dr. H. Conwentz, Vol. V. Heft 2. Berlin, 1916, Moorschutzheft" p. 216.

F. Fessendorff, "Der Drausen bei Elbing, eine Stätte ursprunglicher Natur", Naturdenkmäler, Vorträge und Aufsätze, Vol. 2. 2, Heft 12, Berlin. 1916.

marsh and the shallow water, a narrow channel, leading from Elbing to the so-called Oberlander Kanal.

The importance of this tract for the study of the later geologic changes, and for its richness in the characteristic flora and in bird species, both aquatic and other, can scarcely be overestimated. The splendid opportunities here offered, for a study of the gradual formation of land through the growth and decay of plant life are most fascinating and instructive for the student, as he is able to follow the processes through all their many stages. At the Easter season the winter cold and ice have cleared the surface of the water, but in a very few weeks it is quite hidden by the tens of thousands of plants that have shot up with fabulous luxuriance out of the mouldy depth of the Drausen. One can scarcely imagine a more complete picture of the fruitfulness of Nature.

In urging the protection of at least a part of the Prussian moorlands from transformation to agricultural land, Dr. Conwentz declares that the moorland might be considered to constitute a kind of album of the historical development of the plant and animal world, especially posterior to the Glacial Epoch; moreover, the moors hide many prehistoric remains, which would be lost. to science in a hasty reclamation of these tracts. A few moors have been accorded protection, notably the highland moor in the district of Königsberg, the Zehlau, where elks still exist in the wild state. The geological significance of the moors is based upon the fact that through their fossil and subfossil flora they furnish exceedingly important data for the study of earlier climatic conditions, especially those of the Interglacial Period, and of the end of the latest Glacial Period.

Dr. Cowentz calls attention to the fact that when once the preliminary work of reclamation has been started, it is too late. to save a piece of moorland. Hence he urges that all plans for such work should be communicated to the Headquarters for Nature Preservation, and be submitted to the approval of the officers, and that either by administration or statutory measures a sufficient number of moors should be preserved in each of the provinces. To make his appeal more significant just at this time Dr. Conwentz insists that on the affection and respect for the local beauties of the land rests that genuine love of country that

will stand all the strains of storm and strife and that this cherishing of the beauties of the native locality is of especial value in the present trying time.

Of the numerous tracts of moorland that have been "reclaimed " for agriculture, few better deserve mention than that situated south of the river Lippe between Dorsten and Gahlen, west of the village of Besten, and known as the Bester Torfveen, probably the most interesting moor of the Rhenish Province. This was one of the very few places where the orchid Traunsteini could be found, and plants reaching to the height of a meter were not rare. In 1911 its reclamation was begun, and in 1915 the work, carried on by prisoners of war, was nearing completion. Herr Höppner, of Cregeld, holds that the moor, a really irreplaceable natural monument, should have been protected, and this would doubtless have been done had not the development of local industry raised the land values. After the discovery of coal at near-by Dorsten, the price of land in Besten rose so greatly that a purchase of the Bester Torfveen out of the available funds for natural monuments became impossible, and, naturally enough, those who still retain possession of any of the land wish to enhance its worth by fitting it for agricultural uses.

A Remarkable Holly Tree

An illustration of what petty legal obstacles have sometimes to be overcome in order to secure the necessary rights for the protection of natural monuments, is given in the case of a remarkable holly tree in Mittel-Enkelen near Kurten, which has been named the "Dr. Foerster Holly." For its preservation 13 square kilometers of ground had to be acquired, and deeded to the district of Wipperfürth. However, as the land was owned jointly by a father and his seven children, the latter being scattered through different parts of the world, almost a year went by before the consent of all the owners could be secured. By exact measurement the girth of this tree at the height of four feet three inches from the ground was four feet nine inches, there having been no change in its dimensions for the past five years. The height appears to be about thirty-five feet. A fine allée of thirty-five splendid holly trees is on the estate of Count Westerholt not far

from Westerholt in the district of Recklinghausen. Of the age of these trees it is said that according to tradition they must have existed at least 350 years ago. They range in circumference from three feet to four feet five inches, and in height from twenty-three feet to twenty-nine feet six inches. They are believed to be the remains of a hedge of hollys which were left standing when the land was deforested. In ancient times the holly leaves were believed to afford protection against thunderstorms, and for this reason branches of the bush were nailed to the doors of houses and stables. The old German names "Asenholz" and "Donnerschuss," testify to this mythical belief. According to an old religious legend the holly is a descendant of the species of tree that furnished the palms strewn before Christ on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the people cried out "Hosannah!" When, however, they later clamored " Crucify him, crucify him! the leaves of this palm put on thorns which still appear as a perpetual memento.

IN NORWAY

New Law for Nature Preservation

In the Annual Report for 1916, just issued by the Norwegian Society for Nature Preservation, especial notice is taken of the proposed new law in regard thereto which has passed the lower house, the Folketing, and has come up for discussion in the Landsting. The Council of the Society, while admitting that the bill is open to objection as to some of its details, hold that the friends of nature preservation ought to support it, as the law will not only prove practically useful and beneficial, but will also arouse general interest in a subject that is only too apt to be neglected. The Norwegian Society, which has worked so excellently for the cause, held its general meeting on February 28, 1917, and the occasion is said to have been warmly welcomed, even under the present trying conditions.*

A movement is on foot in Norway to establish a great national park on the Norwegian-Swedish frontier, at the Sylene district. A very considerable tract of land has already been conserved on

From the Danish newspaper, "Politiken", Feb. 18, 1917, sent by Geschworner G. Henriksen, of Minden, Norway.