Scientific Expeditions. 109 



Semmen mountains, a branch of the Abyssinian Alps, chief- 

 ly for the purpose of collecting plants and seeds. Several 

 new plants, raised from seeds brought by M. Schimper from 

 Arabia, flowered last year, (1837), in the botanic garden of 

 Stuttgart ; but his expedition to the mountains of the torrid 

 zone of Africa, promises to give much more interesting re- 

 sults. 



The French traveller, M. Diard, who was induced, by 

 Baron Cuvier, to undertake a Voyage to the East Indies, 

 and the Indian Archipelago, with a view of collecting ob- 

 jects in natural history, is now in Batavia, where he is in 

 high favour with the Dutch authorities, in his capacity of 

 president of the board of agriculture. His collections are 

 particularly rich in Botany and Zoology. He passed a year 

 in Cochinchina, where he became accustomed to the flesh 

 of crocodiles, which is a favorite dish with the natives. 



Forthcoming Works on Natural History. — Mr. Van Voorst 

 will shortly publish a History of the Fossil Fruits and Seeds 

 of the London clay ; by James Scott Bowerbank, Esq. F.G.S. 

 &c. Being acquainted with the extensive materials which 

 the author has been accumulating for several years past, with 

 a view to the publication of this work, and having examined 

 the plates, (executed by Mr. J. D. C. Sowerby), with which 

 it will be illustrated, we are able to speak with confidence of 

 its value, as likely to elucidate the history of a class of fossils 

 highly characteristic of the most important tertiary deposit 

 in this island, but of which no naturalist has hitherto at- 

 tempted the determination of either genera or species. We 

 understand that Mr. Bowerbank has examined, or had in 

 his possession, upwards of one hundred thousand fossil fruits 

 since he first directed his attention to this class of organic 

 remains. Figures will be given of all the species that can 

 be satisfactorily determined. 



Mr. Van Voorst has also in preparation, a Geographical 

 and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and North 

 America ; by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Musig- 

 nano. 



Professor Phillips, of York, has announced the intended 

 publication of a work on British Belemnites, to be illustra- 

 ted by the author's own drawings, and to contain about one 

 hundred and fifty figures. 



SHORT COMMUNICATIONS. 



Instances of long evity in Animals. — A German paper (Niirn^ 

 berger Correspondent, October, 1837,) mentions, that a mer* 



