520 



NATURE 



[April 3, 1890 



exhaustive work on St. Helena refers to this plant: — "The 

 Native Ebony of St. Helena. — This plant I believe to be now 

 extinct. It formerly grew on the outer portions of the island, 

 near the coast, at altitudes of 2 to 4, where the weather- 

 beaten stems are still found deeply embedded in the surface- 

 soil. The last plant I saw was a small one growing in the 

 garden at Oakbank, about twenty-five years ago, but it is not 

 there now, and I have searched the whole island over for 

 another, but in vain. The leaves were dark green, and the 

 flowers white ; the wood is very hard, heavy, black in colour, 

 and extremely brittle. It is still collected and turned into 

 ornaments, which are much prized on account of its rarity. 

 That this tree once formed a considerable portion of the vegeta- 

 tion clothing the island on those parts that are now quite 

 barren, is strongly evidenced by the many references to it in 

 the local records. PL 29. It is the Dofiibeya erythroxylon of 

 Andr., Bot. Repos.^ vi., t. 389, not of Willdenow." It is 

 interesting to know that the plant is still in existence under 

 cultivation at Kew (and perhaps elsewhere), under the name of 

 Dombeya erythroxylon. At the present time the plant, which 

 was obtained from the gardens at Herrhausen, is in flower at 

 Kew. Mr. McLachlan called attention to the interesting 

 remark on the rare plants of St. Helena, contained in Mr. 

 Wollaston's book on the Coleoptera of the Atlantic islands. 



Capt. Delporte, Professor of Topography, Astronomy, and 

 Geodesy, at the Military School of Brussels, has just started 

 for the River Congo, for the purpose of making geodetic 

 researches. 



The Geographical Society of Berlin has presented the 

 sum of looo marks (;^5o), to Dr. Hettner for a journey of 

 research in the southern provinces of Brazil. 



Some prehistoric German tombs were recently excavated on 

 the road leading from Apolda to Jena. About 20 skeletons 

 were found (two being without skulls), and a number of 

 ornaments and weapons. 



In the course of some excavations lately made at Ludwigs- 

 hafen, on the Rhine, the tibia and two teeth of a mammoth, 

 and the jaw of a stag, were found. The skeleton of another 

 "antediluvian" animal was discovered in the limestone near 

 Oberhildesheim. The researches are being continued. 



The Zoologist for 1884 announced a proposed supplement to 

 Thompson's "Natural History of Ireland," and contributions 

 of information were invited from persons interested in the sub- 

 ject. A considerable amount of fresh material has been accu- 

 mulated, but as it relates chiefly to birds, it is now intended that 

 the supplement shall deal only with ornithology. The new 

 work will be published by Messrs. Gurney and Jackson, and 

 an appeal for additional facts has been issued to students who 

 may be able and willing to supply notes. Anyone who is in a 

 position to respond to this appeal is requested to communicate 

 with Mr. R. J. Usher, Cappah, Lismore, Ireland. 



Mr. Elliot Stock has issued the seventh edition of " Days 

 and Hours in a Garden," by E. V. B. The volume is prettily 

 printed and bound, and lovers of the country will find much to 

 interest them in the writer's bright and pleasant descriptions. 



The Royal University of Ireland has issued its Calendar for 

 the year 1890, and a supplement consisting of the examination 

 papers of 1 889. 



The first edition of the life of the Rev. J. G. Wood, by his 

 son, the Rev. Theodore Wood, has been already exhausted ; 

 and a second edition is about to be issued. 



A FACT noted by Mr. T. H. Hall in the new number of the 

 Entomoloiiist'' s Monthly Magazine indicates the extraordinary 

 variety of conditions in which beetles may thrive. The men 



employed in breaking up an old disused gasometer at Home 

 Park Mills, King's Langley, spoke to him of some " very curious 

 beetles," which were living in the rusty water at the bottom of 

 the hole left when the iron casing had been removed. Both 

 the water and mud were strongly impregnated with gas. The 

 beetles proved to be of the D. marginalis species, and were 

 there in some numbers. Many were carried away when the 

 water was pumped off, but Mr. Hall secured specimens from the 

 mud and shallow water left. He says : — "They carry with them 

 a strong odour of gas, even after two or thr^^ . eshwater baths, 

 and the grooves in the elytra of the females are filled with a 

 ferruginous mud which is difficult to remove. In other respects 

 they appear to be quite normal in form and colour. I think 

 this old gas-holder must have been their home for a long period 

 of beetle life, judging from the time of year when they were 

 found, a fortnight ago, and from the n imber of both sexes seen. 

 The water was partly enclosed and quite stagnant, being 

 unconnected with any other water. Wc^e they there by choice ? 

 If not, why did they not emigrate? Most likely they came 

 there by chance, as they are plentiful in the canal not far away, 

 and lacking the inclination to depart, ' made them selves at home.' 

 Had the water been disagreeable to them, we may presume 

 they would not have done so ; they were quite active when 

 disturbed," 



According to a French journal, the number of foreign 

 students now studying in Paris is about lOoo, of whom 729 

 (107 of them women) are studying medicine, and 182 law. 

 Literature has 66 (including 9 women), science 60, and pharmacy 

 23. It is remarkable that Russia furnishes the largest contingent 

 of the foreign medical students, viz. 150, America coming next 

 with 139. We find no mention of England. The foreign 

 element is, on the above estimate, about one-tenth of the 

 whole. 



The Punjab Forest Administration Report for 1888-89 was 

 recently published. During the year, nine thousand acres were 

 added to the area of gazetted forests in the Multan district. 

 This area was taken up in pursuance of the policy of establishing 

 irrigated plantations in connection with several new canals con- 

 structed in what are known as the " Bar " tracts — that is, the dry 

 upland deserts of the Punjab. The number of forest fires in- 

 creased during the year, and 17,617 acres were burnt as against 

 10,324 during 1888. The financial results are satisfactory. The 

 net revenue amounted to Rs. 4,52,846, or nearly half a lakh in 

 excess of the net revenue of the preceding year. The Conservator 

 complains that the Working Plans Branch cannot get on with 

 their work on account of the undermanning of the Department. 

 As a consequence, working plans are only in force over 364 

 square miles, out of a total of two thousand square miles gazetted 

 and six thousand controlled by the Forest Department. Experi- 

 ments with exotics were made, but the result was not encourag- 

 ing. European fruit-trees have been introduced in many places 

 with great success. 



The first Report published by the Marine Fisheries Society of 

 Great Grimsby is a mo4est record of work done and investiga- 

 tions decided on by an institution which, by employing scientific 

 methods, will probably amass information of great value to the 

 biologist, and improve our fisheries in their commercial aspects. 

 The Society was incorporated in June 1888. It has already 

 established an aquarium and hatchery which is 37 feet by 21 

 feet, and a small museum and library. The building has a 

 frontage of 50 feet, and is situated at Cleethorpes, facing the 

 Promenade, two miles distant from Gri tisby. The tanks are set 

 on concrete walls ; they were purchased from the National Fish- 

 Culture Association, and originally formed the aquarium at the 

 Fisheries Exhibition at South Kensington. They form a reser- 

 voir storing 4000 gallons of sea-water, from which the water is 



