126 BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 



We have received from Dr. Scott a copy of the paper "On the 

 Organization of the Fossil Plants of the Coal-measures," recently 

 published by him, in conjunction with Prof. Williamson, in the 

 Philosophical Trnnsactions. We congratulate the authors on this 

 important memoir, with its clear descriptions expressed in accurate 

 language, and its admirable plates. It deals with the stems, foliage, 

 and fruit of Calainites, if we may include in the foliage of Calamites 

 the genus Sphenophijllum. The long-continued researches of Prof. 

 Williamson are brought together, and the discoveries and observa- 

 tions of Eenault, Carruthers, Cormack, and Hick are illustrated and 

 confirmed. In the general conclusions regarding the fruit, which 

 is the most important investigation in the memoir, the authors 

 agree with those published in this Journal by Mr. Carruthers nearly 

 thirty years ago (Jouni. Bot. 1867, 349). We are surprised that 

 the authors should place in the same genus [Cahnnostachya) two 

 plants, one of which is homosporous, like an existing Lycopodium, 

 the other heterosporous, like Selayrnclla — characters which in our 

 living plants are universally recognized as sufficient for generic 

 separation, while some who have made a special study of these 

 plants have placed them in separate orders. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on Feb. 7th, Mr. G. F. 

 Scott Elliot, who had returned home only on the previous day, 

 gave an interesting account of his journey to Euwenzori, and of the 

 results, geographical, geological, botanical, zoological, and political, 

 obtained by him. He had originally intended to proceed from the 

 mouth of the Zambesi, by way of Lakes Nyassa and Tanganyika, 

 to Mukambas, and so on to Albert Edward Nyanza, but abandoned 

 the idea in favour of the route from Mombasa to Uganda. The 

 country lying north-east of the Victoria Nyanza was described as a 

 large rolling grassy plain, some 6000 ft. above sea-level, and well 

 adapted for colonisation. Proceeding west from the Victoria Nyanza 

 Lake to Mount Euwenzori, which lies north of the Albert Edward 

 Nyanza, and is said to have an altitude of 18,000 ft., four months 

 were spent in exploring that district, under the great disadvantage 

 of a dense cloud hanging over the mountain the greater part of the 

 day, which often prevented the party from seeing more than fifty 

 feet ahead. The sides of the mountain were clothed at the base 

 with a thick growth of trees, resembling the laurel of the Canary 

 Islands ; above that bamboos to the 10,000 ft. level, and above that 

 again, what the explorer could only liken to a Scotch peat-moss, 

 into which the foot would sink at every step a foot or more. Large 

 trunks, like those of Erica arhorea of the Canary Islands, were 

 noticed. Amongst other plants especially noticed was a gigantic 

 Lobelia, attaining a height of five or six feet. Mr. Scott Elliot 

 ascended Mount Euwenzori to the height of 13,000 ft., finding 

 evidence of animal life and numerous insects to a height of 7000 ft. 

 The large collection of plants is being worked up at the British 

 Museum. It is especially rich in balsams and asclepiads, and 

 contains some interesting orchids and other petaloid monocoty- 

 ledons. It is to be regretted that, for reasons stated, Mr. Scott 

 Elliot was prevented from exploring Mount Elgon, as he had 



