POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



859 



extending farther south, and operations^ 

 have been successfully begun in the northern 

 section of Alabama. This region offers a 

 promising field for the enterprise, with the 

 prospect of supplies to last for a long time to 

 come. Particularly in the mountainous and 

 hilly districts, extensive tracts, unfit for the 

 cultivation of the soil, will probably remain, 

 if not violently interfered with, in the con- 

 dition of woodlands. " Thus we find the 

 interest of the healing art closely connected 

 with the question of the preservation of the 

 forests of our country, and the pharmacist 

 should feel in duty bound to unite his efforts 

 with those who are already striving to secure 

 this important object." - 



The Doctrine of Spirits in Kew Gninea. 



— The natives of British New Guinea, ac- 

 cording to Mr. H. H. Romilly, believe that 

 human appetites remain with the spirits of 

 their deceased friends, just as if the body 

 had not died. Hence the spirit must be kept 

 supplied with food and water at the grave 

 and in the accustomed haunts of the dead 

 man. But if he has been killed in battle, 

 the head of one of the enemy's tribe or race 

 is sufficient ; and if the slayer is a white 

 man, the spirit can be appeased by payment 

 in goods. They regard dreams as voices 

 from the land of spirits, telling them what 

 to do, for whom to work, from whom to 

 plunder, and what to steal. When any mis- 

 chief befalls a place where a white man 

 happens to be, the blame is laid upon his 

 attendant spirit, and the injury must be 

 atoned for — by payment if he is a friend, 

 or otherwise if not. Certain trees are sup- 

 posed to have spirits, for which a part of 

 the food or feasts is set away. It is note- 

 worthy that all these spirits are malignant 

 and the savages do not seem able to grasp 

 the idea of a beneficent spirit. They have 

 to be overcome by force of arms, blessings, 

 or cursings, but are most effectively dispelled 

 by fire. They can not be seen, but use ar- 

 rows and spears when they are vexed. Sor- 

 cerers are guarded against by wearing 

 charms, the character of which is regulated 

 largely by the fancy of the sorcerer or the 

 purchaser. Sometimes the charm is a bit of 

 bark, sometimes it is a fantastically worked 

 crab's claw; but great faith is reposed in 

 its potency. 



Lepidosirens. — The Dipnoi, one of the 

 oldest types of water animals, are now rep- 

 resented by only four species : Lepidosiren 

 paradoxa, a very rare species inhabiting the 

 river Amazon; two species of Ceratodus or 

 Barramunda, plentiful in certain rivers of 

 Australia; and L. cumectens, which is the 

 most abundant, being found throughout 

 tropical Africa. The lepidosiren, or " Afri- 

 can mud-fish," has a somewhat eel-shaped 

 body and four limbs, which are round and 

 taper to a point, being the simplest form of 

 limb known. The breathing-organs consist 

 of both gills and lung-like sacs ; the skele- 

 ton is part cartilage and part bone ; the nos- 

 trils, of which there are two pairs, are placed 

 within the opening of the mouth. It is the 

 organ of smell which determines that the lepi- 

 dosiren is a fish and not a reptile. In every 

 fish this organ is a short sac opening only 

 upon the outer surface of the body ; in every 

 reptile it is a canal with both an external 

 and an internal opening. Though lepido- 

 sirens are without doubt fishes, they spend 

 a considerable part of their existence out of 

 the water, as they inhabit shallow waters 

 which periodically dry up. During the dry 

 season they inclose themselves in balls of 

 clay, which are lined with mucus, and have 

 a small hole at each end to admit air. In 

 these they remain torpid until the rains refill 

 their pools. Lepidosirens attain a length of 

 from three to six feet ; they are carnivorous, 

 feeding on frogs, fishes, and other aquatic 

 animals. 



Indian Tribes of the Amazon.— Of the 



Indian tribes of the Amazonian river Purus, 

 the Pammarys are described by Dr. P. Ehren- 

 reich as being pure water-men. Most of their 

 life is spent in their canoes, and they are 

 conspicuous by a peculiarity of their skin, 

 which is covered with black and white spots 

 that cause many of them to look as if they 

 were dappled. The same skin affection ex- 

 ists among other tribes of the western Ama- 

 zons, and is very mysterious. The Pamma- 

 rys are industrious collectors of caoutchouc 

 and copaiva, and have provided themselves 

 with many European articles of commerce. 

 The Jamamadis make their homes in the for- 

 ests ; are without a knowledge of navigation ; 

 are clever agriculturists ; avoid trade with the 

 settlers, and seldom leave their dense forests. 



