142 NATURAL SCIENCE [Anupae 
Many interesting matters are dealt with in the report of the Albany 
Museum, Cape of Good Hope, for 1896, to which we have already alluded in 
part. The alarming spread of insect pests in the Eastern province was thought 
to be largely due to the wholesale destruction of insectivorous birds. The pro- 
tection of certain birds under an Act already existing was therefore recom- - 
mended by the committee, who also suggested that saloon rifles, air-guns and 
catapults should be placed under the same restrictions as firearms. These pro- 
posals have been agreed to by the municipalities of Grahamstown, Port Eliza- 
beth, Port Alfred, Uitenhage, East London, Somerset, East Cathcart, and the 
divisional Councils of Albany and Bathurst. The birds for which protection is - 
desired are : Vultures, secretary bird, several hawks, especially the jackalsvogel 
(Buteo jakal) and the black-shouldered kite (Hlanus coeruleus), owls, goat- 
suckers, swallows, kingfishers, hornbills, cuckoos, honeyguides, woodpeckers, 
barbets, thrushes (excluding fruit thrushes), warblers, sunbirds or honeysuckers, 
flycatchers, butcherbirds, crows (but not the rook), spreeuws (excluding redwing 
spreeuw Amydrus morio), larks, wagtails, plovers, and sandpipers. This list 
purposely omits rarities and game-birds. 
Dr Schénland has started a small botanic garden for S. African plants, 
and intends to transfer these to the ground round the museum. 
We are glad to see that the geological and mineralogical collections of the 
museum are being used for teaching purposes, since Dr Schénland lectures to 
those students of St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown, who are studying for the 
first mining examination of the University of the Cape of Good Hope. This, 
it is hoped, will lead to more thorough geological examination of the surrounding 
country. 
Dr Schonland has examined some peculiar rock-drawings in Bechuanaland, 
supposed to be the work of bushmen. They can, he says, only be looked upon 
as some kind of writing resembling to a certain extent early Semitic writing. 
An account of these, with photographs, was published in the South African 
Telegraph. 
On June 3rd a second expedition to make deep borings into the coral atoll of 
Funafuti set sail from Sydney. Towards the expense of this, Miss Eadith 
Walker, of Yaralla, has contributed £500; the Government of New South : 
Wales has lent a diamond drill ; the Hon. Ralph Abercromby has furnished an 
oil-engine at a cost of £100; the Hon. H. C. Dangar and Prof. T. P. Anderson 
Stuart have provided a fine boat; the Royal Society, London, contributes £100 
directly, and probably another £100 through its coral-boring committee ; finally 
the London Missionary Society has offered to bring the party back to Sydney in 
September. The expedition is under the auspices of the Royal Geographical 
Society of Australasia, and its leader is Prof. T. W. E. David, of Sydney. He 
and Mr G. Sweet of Melbourne are going at their own expense, and will take 
charge of the borings. Mrs David accompanies them as store-keeper and 
botanical collector. Mr W. Poole, an engineer of Sydney University, will 
manage the light boring apparatus, and will be aided by Mr Woolnough, who 
also takes charge of the zoological collecting. These gentlemen give their 
services free. The large diamond drill is in charge of Mr Hall, a foreman of 
considerable experience, who has under him two sub-foremen and three drill- 
workmen. In view of the difficulties already met with at Funafuti, a special 
boring plant has been provided under the direction of Chief-Inspector W. H. J. 
Slee, and weighs over 25 tons. The main bore, on the central island of Funafuti, 
will be begun with a standpipe having an inside diameter of 6 inches, and the 
lining pipe at first is to be 5 inches inside diameter. If, at two or three hundred 
feet, the friction should become too great, 4-inch pipes will be lowered inside 
these. It is thought that the foundations of the atoll will be reached between 
