lO 



NATURE 



[Nov. I, 187; 



know more about it, may prove to form a sixth group, the 

 balance of "individuality," if I understand the meaning of the 

 word, will still be on the side of New Zealand. Turn-iig to 

 the Carinate birds, Harpagornis stands alone, while Cnemiornis 

 will certainly count for as much as the DididcE. The extraordi- 

 nary Mascarene Rails {Miserythrus and Aphanapteryx) are well 

 represented by Ocydromus, Tvhich so much resembles them, and 

 Strigops is undoubtedly a more abnormal form than, so far as 

 we can judge, either Lophopsittacus or Nicropsitlacus ; just as 

 N'estor is more aberrant than Coracopsis, and Heterolocha than 

 either Fregiluptis or Necropsar. But there is no need to con- 

 tinue the list, and in conclusion I will only declare that I think 

 far too highly of the fauna of Madagascar and of the Mascarene 

 Islands to wish that its extraordinary peculiarities should be 

 undervalued, though I do not want them to be unduly magnified 

 £t the expense of those of the fauna of New Zealand. 



Alfred Newton 

 Magdalene College, Cambridge, October 27 



Eucalyptus 



Having read with great interest the article in your journal 

 (vol. xvi. p. 443) on the Eucalyptus I take the liberty of sending 

 you a pamphlet on the same subject, in which I have endeavoured 

 1 o unite all the arguments likely to persuade and convince the 

 Italians of the immense utility of the above-named tree, the 

 cultivation of which would be of the greatest importance for the 

 Agro Romano. - 



As is well remarked in the article in Nature, the Eucalyptus 

 is extensively cuUivated in France, Spain, and Portugal. But in 

 Italy, where it prospers almost all over the country and might be 

 cultivated with facility, in spite of the most earnest efforts on my 

 part during my residence here for the last ten years, in spite of 

 its being recommended in Parliament by one of the most influential 

 members, it has not been adopted. 



In my gardens on the Lake Maggiore, I cultivate forty different 

 varieties of the Eucalyptus. Of these the aviygdalina and the 

 globulus have attained, in eight years, the height of 17 metres. 

 It is to be remembered that the temperature has sometimes been 

 as low as 7° C. below zero without injury to these plants. 



If you consider it probable that these few words could be ©f 

 interest to your readers I willing authorise you to publish them 

 in your estimable journal. Prince Pierre Troubitzkoy 



Villa Troubitzkoy, near Intra, Lago Maggiore, October 15 



These trees are now attracting so much attention that even 

 the small amount of experience I may be able to offer may not 

 be unacceptable to your readers. Considerable stress is laid 

 upon their influence in dissipating malaria ; but I have not found 

 this to be the case in Queensland, one of the head-quarters of the 

 tree. I have personally suffered from malaria in the very heart 

 of a forest extending for many miles in every direction, and com- 

 posed mainly of all the varieties of Eticalyptus, and not by any 

 means remarkable for the extent of swampy ground, and have 

 known many instances of febrile attacks among shepherds and 

 stockmen in the locality. Moreover I was told on inquiry that 

 these attacks were not confined to any particular year, but that 

 every year some cases might be expected, I was greatly surprised 

 at reading in your "Notes " (Nature, vol. xvi. p. 557) that the 

 mosquitoes had disappeared with the introduction of the " gum" 

 trees into Algeria. This would not be the experience of any one 

 who has lived in Australia, I believe. I have found these pests 

 so intolerable on high land, where almost the only tree 

 to be found was one variety or other of Eucalyptus, and 

 sometimes all, that sleep was impossible while camping out 

 at night, and hfe a burden in the day by reason of these pests. 

 The gums emit a most decided odour, especially in strong sun- 

 light. "When riding across the great Queensland plains and 

 approachmg wooded spurs I have (Scottice) " felt " the charac- 

 teristic smell of the gums at a considerable distance. These 

 plains— ten miles in breadth— are not crossed in a short time, 

 and the resinous odour of the gums, omnipresent in the forest 

 and scarcely noticed there, strikes one forcibly when approach- 

 ing the trees after the olfactory organs have been for some time 

 deprived of it Whether this odour has any effect or whether it 

 is the preservative against malaria, I do not know. The growth 

 of these trees in South America is very rapid. When in the 

 Band a Oriental some years ago I examined a plantation of 

 led and blue gums, then eight years old. The trees were at 



least forty feet high, and many of them measured thirty-six 

 inches in circumference at three feet from the ground. They 

 had a profusion of foliage such as I have never seen on the same 

 trees in Australia. This was right out on " pampa " land, in 

 deep alluvial soil. These trees had fought their way up, in 

 spite of the black ants so destructive to foliage — the owner told 

 me that they had at first stripped the young trees — and the tre- 

 mendous gales which sweep over this open country. Those to 

 the westward and south-westward of the plantation were far 

 inferior in size to those on the east and north. This was the 

 only grove of Eucalypti in the Banda, and it demonstrates the 

 possibility of covering the naked pampas to any extent with 

 forest. English settlers in the River Plate countries should note 

 this fact, and I am sure the enlightened owner of the Estancia 

 " Sherenden " would supply any of his countrymen with seed. 



Arthur Nicols 



Meteor of October 19, 6.15 p.m. 



The large meteor described by two correspondents (Nature, 

 vol. xvi. p. 551) was observed also by several persons in this 

 district, but most of the accounts are so meagre and doubtful as 

 to possess little scientific value. The meteor appears, however, 

 to have been well seen by Mr. W. Watkins Old, of The Parade, 

 Monmouth, and his notes are so interesting that I beg to tran- 

 scribe them. He says : — 



"The meteor fell at 6.15 exactly. It appeared to me to 

 descend perpendicularly some degrees from and to the west of 

 Arcturus (which was shining brightly), and it disappeared behind 

 a bank of dark cloud above the horizon at a point in a line pro- 

 jected beyond Arcturus, half the distance between that star and 

 ihe last of those in the tail of Ursa Major, as roughly shown in 

 the diagram below : — 



Ursa Major. 



■ Arcturus. 



V 



Thus it remained stationary, like a dazzling white «'and, while I 

 counted twenty, during which time I could perceive the vapour, 

 of which the trail was composed, as it were in ebullition. It 

 then gradually curved towards the north as depicted in the 

 following sketch ; and drifted slowly away during eight minutes, 



oArctiirixs 



^Arcturus 





until it lay almost horizontal though still brightly illuminated, 

 while the clouds gradually rose and covered it from my view. 

 Altogether I observed it over eight minutes by my watch. There 

 was much twilight in the west and the moon was shining brightly 

 from which one may judge the extreme brilliancy of the meteor. 

 I should add that when it appeared there was simultaneously a 

 sensible rent or flip, like one sometimes hears with a sharp flash 

 of lightning, and which may possibly be due to the appulse of 

 light, as it could scarcely be the sound of explosion if there was 

 any. It was too simultaneous to be the report of the descent of 

 the meteor through the air, but it was sufficiently loud to be 

 pronounced and caused some people standing near me, with 

 their backs to the west, to inquire what it was, though they 

 evidently saw nothing of the meteor nor even turned towards its 

 direction. I listened but heard no further sound." 



Ashleydown, Bristol, October 26 W. F. Denning 



Curious Phenomenon during the Late Gale 



Your correspondent, "G. A. M." (vol. xvi. p. 551), may be 

 interested to know that the " ball of fire " he saw descend on 

 the evening of the 14th inst. was seen here by me, and by those 

 who accompanied me, at precisely the same time (6.50 p.m.) 

 that he mentions. We were walking in a south-easterly direc- 

 tion, and it seemed to fall from about half-way between that 

 point of the compass and the moon, which was due south of us, 

 and shining brightly. The ball itself appeared to us luminous 

 white, while the " wake " left in its passage through the air, was 

 bluish green. It was visible, I should say, for twenty seconds. 



