286 Natural History in London, 



ASIA. 



An immense Medusa^ a species of sea serpent, was thrown on shore near 

 Bombay in 1819. It was about 40 ft. long, and must have weighed many 

 tons. A violent gale of wind threw it high above the reach of ordinary 

 tides; in which situation it took nine months to rot; during which process 

 travellers were obliged to change the direction of the road for nearly a 

 quarter of a mile, to avoid the offensive effluvia. It rotted so completely, 

 that not a vestige of bone remained. (C. Telfai?'^ Esq. to R, Barclayf Esq., 

 of Burt/ Hill, in Jam. Journ., April, p. 406.) 



Hairy Man of Ava. — There is here a man covered from head to foot 

 with hair, whose history is not less remarkable than that of the celebrated 

 porcupine man, who excited so much curiosity in England and other parts 

 of Europe nearly a century ago. The hair on the face of this singular being, 

 the ears included, is shaggy, and about eight inches long : on the breast 

 and shoulders it is from four to five. It is singular that the teeth of this 

 individual are defective in number, the molares, or grinders, being entirely 

 wanting. This person is a native of the Shan country, or Lao, and from 

 the banks of the upper portion of the Saluen, or Martaban River ; he was 

 presented to the king of Ava as a curiosity, by the prince of that country. 

 At Ava he married a Burmese woman, by whom he has two daughters ; the 

 eldest resembles her mother, the youngest is covered with hair, like her 

 father, only that it is white, or fair, whereas his is now brown or black, hav- 

 ing, however, been fair when a child, like that of the infant. With the 

 exceptions mentioned, both the father and his child are perfectly well 

 formed, and, indeed, for the Burman race, rather handsome. The whole 

 family were sent by the king to the residence of the mission, where draw- 

 ings and descriptions of them were taken. {Crawford^ s Mission to Ava.) 



Himalaya Mountains. — Captain Gerard, in exploring these mountains, 

 with a view to measurement, had ascended to the height of 19,600 ft., 

 being 400 ft. higher than Humboldt had ascended on the Andes. The latter 

 part of Captain Gerard's ascent, for about two miles, was on an inclined 

 plane of 42°, a nearer approach to the perpendicular than Humbdldt con- 

 ceived it possible to climb for any distance together. {Heber's India.) 



A Volcano has burst forth at Bakon in Persia, producing a column of red 

 fire, without smell, of extraordinary height, which burned for three hours, 

 and then sunk to about 2 ft., covering a surface about 600 ft. by 400 ft. At 

 the end of twenty-four hours it had nearly ceased to burn, and will proba- 

 bly become extinguished without leaving any crater. i^AthencEum.) 



AFRICA. 

 Abyssinia. — The celebrated traveller, Edward Ruppel, is on the point 

 of setting out for Abyssinia, with the intention of exploring those parts 

 which have not hitherto been visited by any European. The senate of 

 Frankfort, by a unanimous resolution, has granted him a thousand florins 

 of annual income for the ensuing seven or eight years, as well in acknow- 

 ledgement of his former services, as to enable him, agreeably to his wish, to 

 continue his scientific travels and researches. {New Monthly Magazine, 

 August, 1828.) 



Art. II, Natural History in London. 



Medico-Botanical Society, June 13. — A'collection of 5000 specimens 

 of indigenous and exotic plants was presented by Professor Frost, various 

 books by other members, and a considerable collection of grasses by Thornas 

 Gibbs, Esq. A letter was read from the East India Company, informing 

 the Society that the Court of Directors had granted them duplicates of all 

 the medical plants in their extensive herbarium. A letter was read from 



