483 8. Abstammungslehre. 



Le tome 1 er est entierement consacre au lac Tciiad: exploration du lac 

 au point de vue geographique, avec historique des explorations anterieures, 

 notices meteorologique, altimetrique et magnetique. 



Le tome secoud etudie surtout les pays bas du Tchad, c'est-ä-dire les 

 regions situees au nord-est du graud lac africain. Une Notice malacologi- 

 que, par Louis Germain, occupe les pages 165 — 245 (avec pl. I — IV). 

 L'etude des materiaux reunis par la mission conduit l'auteur ä conclure que 

 tous les pays situes du Nord et ä l'Est du Tchad: le Kanem, le Toro, le 

 Bodeli et le Djerab, etaient recouverts par les eaux ä une epoque recente et 

 certainement quaternaire. Le lac Tchad couvrait ainsi une enorme surface 

 d'oü emergaient, cä et lä, quelques iles de peu d'etendue. Ces conclusions 

 faunistiques sont d'autant plus interessantes qu'elles concordent parfaitement 

 avec les resultats obtenus par la discussion des observations altimetriques, 

 c'est-ä-dire par un procede absolument different. 



L'etude de cette faune montre egalement les etroits rapports qu'elle 

 possede avec la faune du Nil, rapports si considerables qu'ils indiquent nette- 

 ment l'existence d'anciennes relations fluviales entre le bassin du Nil et celui 

 du lac Tchad. Louis Germain (Paris). 



750) Cook, 0. F., History of the Coconut Palm in America. 

 (Contrib. U. S. Nat. Museum 14,2. p. 342. pls. 52—66. 1910.) 



This interesting paper represents a study of the Coconut palm from 

 botanical, historical and ethnological data. The commonly aceepted view has 

 beeu that the coconut was adapted for dispersal by ocean currents, and that 

 its wide distribution in the Polynesian and Malayan islands of the Pacific 

 was through this agency. Cook brings much evidence to show 1. that this 

 palm is native to the inferior of north-western South America and not to the 

 seacoost or Polynesia, and 2. that it must have been distributed to the South 

 Sea Islands by man in prehistorie times, for it requires human agency in 

 order to survive in competition with other plants on the seacoost. 



It could not have been introduced from Europe by the Sponiards, because 

 Columbus found it in Cuba on his first voyage, and Champlain in 1599 

 described it as abundant in Porto Rico. It is also mentioned as native to 

 Brazil as early as 1601. The fact that the coconut palm was abundant on 

 the Cocos Islands, 300 miles west of Panama, in 1685, and has now almost 

 completely disappeared, is held to show that this palm is dependent upon 

 human assistance for its survival. Certain etbnological facts support the view 

 that the coconut was distributed over the Pacifie by primitive prehistorie 

 races. (However, Ernst has shown that the coconut has been remarkably 

 successful in establishing itself on the island of krakatau since its eruption.) 



The thick husk and waxy surface of the fruit are not adaptations for 

 water transport, but for germination in an aried, unshaded location without 

 being buried in the ground. The same type of husk in found on many re- 

 lated species which do not grow on seacoasts. 



The many varieties of this palm found in the Malay region are believed 

 to have resulted from continued mutation in eultivation, while the American 

 forms are more uniform. Gates (St. Louis). 



Alle Zusendungen sind zu richten an Prof. Dr. Poll, Berlin NW 40, Hindersinstr. 3. Alle geschäft- 

 lichen Mitteilungen (Reklamationen, Zahlungen usw.) wolle man richten an S. Hirzel, Leipzig, König- 

 straße 2. Verantwortlicher Redakteur Prof. Dr. Poll. — Druck von August Pries in Leipzig. 



