Vol. XXV. No. 5.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
73 
due to the presence of a spongy layer, which, 
under the influence of moisture, swells more than 
the other layer of the outer rind. In some species 
tliis spongy "layer is outside of the others, in 
which case the segments expand when this layer 
shrinks hy drying. In other cases the spongy 
layer is the inner one, and the segments expand 
when wet. Some species in which this layer is 
particularly well developed are so sensitive to the 
tffect of moisture tliat tlie segments will contract 
and expand a number of times in response to 
alternate drying and wetting. This hygroscopic 
sensitiveness is especially characteristic of the 
species here figured, which on this account was 
named by the mycologist Persoon, Geaster hygro- 
metricus (Greelv hygros^ racist, metron, measure). 
The question now suggests itself. Of what use 
to the plant is its peculiar sensitiveness to moist- 
ure? In the first place it is to be noticed that 
the hygrpscopicity is first manifested at the time 
when the spores are ripe, and this points to the 
conclusion that it must iu some way facilitate the 
proper dispersion of the spores. We have seen 
that certain species of Geaster live in the woods. 
So little wind can reach i>lants thus situated tliat 
if the spores were to be scattered during a rain 
they would be lijcely to be brought to the earth 
very near the ^parent. If, on the other hand, the 
spores are entrusted to the breeze when the air is 
L dry, they may be carried to a distant part of the 
■wood, and there is but little danger of their hav- 
ing to wait long for the moisture necessary for 
germination. Accordingly we find that the earth- 
stars whicli frequent such localities expand on 
lieing dried, and if they contract at all it is when 
wet. Tlie wood forms are, as a rule, but little 
sensitive to differences of humidity — wliich is 
what we should expect under conditions which 
are so little variable in this respect. It is no un- 
common thing for the seed cajisules of flowering 
plants wliicli grow in moist situations to close 
lightly during a rain and expand for the lil>era- 
tion of tlie seeds when the air is dry. In dry 
situations the reverse is the rule, and, since the 
extremes of moisture and dryness are more 
marked, we find in such localities the most strik- 
ing examples of hygroscopicity. .\inong flower- 
ing plants a well-known case is tlie so-called 
'■rose of .Jericho" (Anastatica hierochuntica, one 
(if the mustard family), whicli is often brought to 
this country as a curiosity. Its home is the arid 
region ai-ound the Dead Sea. When mature, the 
jilant consists of numerous short, woody branches 
which diverge widelj' from the top of a conical 
root. By the time the seeds are ripe the leaves 
have fallen, and as the branches dry they curve 
inward until finally the plant looks like a little 
t)all of wicker-work. The wind now loosens it 
readily from the soil, and it may be rolled for a 
long distance over the sandy country. If at last 
it comes to a pool of water, the branches soon ex- 
pand, and the seeds are scattered upon congenial 
soil. 
On the steppes of Southern Russia and on our 
own western plains tliere occur not a few plants 
which behave in the same way, and liave re- 
ceived the names "wind-witch," " leap-in-the- 
fleld,"' and "tumble-weed."' Tlie curious "resur- 
rection plant"' (Selaginella convoluta, one of tlie 
club mosses), which is common in the arid parts 
of Texas, receives its name from an exactly simi- 
lar liabit, which helps it to carry its spores to a 
distance, while reserving them. for distril)utiou at 
tlie most favorable time. , 
Turning now to our Geaster hygrometricus, we 
find that it agrees with the desert plants just 
described, not only iu the way it responds to 
moisture, but also in breaking easily its connec- 
tion with the soil as soon as mature. During the 
period of dryness it is contracted into a ball (Fig. 
1), and is blown abourreadily over the sand. As 
soon as the rains bring enough moisture for the 
germination of its spores, the little plant becomes 
anchored by the expansion of its protecting arms. 
At the same time this exposes tlio thin-walled 
spore-case and uncovers the mouth, so that every 
gust of wind will carry away hundreds of its tiny 
oft"spring. Some of these are now very sure to 
find a resting place where there is food and moist- 
ure enough for them to thrive and grow into a 
mass of hypha'. 
THE PIICENICIANS IN BRITAIN. 
During the past year there has been consider- 
able discussion iu the columns of the Science 
News regarding the setth'ment of ancient Phami- 
cian colonies in that part of England now com- 
prising the counties of Devonshire and Cornwall, 
and the possibility of tlie survival of their de- 
scendants to the present time. >Ir. Harry Hems, 
of Exeter, Engl.and, has taken the trouble to ob- 
tain an opiniou on this point from a gentleman 
residing iu Exeter who is a well-known arcliieolo- 
gist and one of the highest authorities on the 
antiquities of Devonshire. Through the kindness 
of Dr. M. N. C'hamberlin, of Cheshire, Connecti- 
cut, we are enabled to publish Mr. Andrew"s let- 
ter, which we think our readers will find of un- 
usual interest. 
18 SOUTIIKRNHAY, ExF.TER, ( 
6th March, 18ai. j 
Dear Mr. Hems : 
Thank you for your kind note, and for a sight of Dr. 
Chambcrlin's postcard. 
Dr. C. says a correspondent' speaks of Phnpniclan origiu 
of Cornish people. - Whltaker, the learned iiistorian of 
Manchester, maintains that Britain was peopled from Gaul, 
about I.IKK) years before the Christian era, and that the 
Belga;, whom Ca-sar mentions, followed more than GOO 
years after. It is Impossible to speak with any assurance 
on this matter, but the aboriginal Inhabitants of Britain are 
supposed to be waves of immigration from the continent 
through Belgium; and, as successive waves followed, the 
earlier races were driven into the fastnesses of Wales, 
Devon, and Cornwall. Kichard of Cirencester writes of 
the I'ho iilcians; but that tliey peopled Cornwall, or largely 
mixed with these old Celtic races, cannot be, I maintain, 
seriously argued. 
The principal writers on the antiquities of Devon and 
Cornwall are I'olwhele, Dr. Borlase, I'ryce, and Rev. Sam- 
uel Howe; but I believe It is Dr. Borlase who describes a 
small bronze Pha-nlcian deity found In Mount's Bay. Mr. 
Polwhele refers more particularly to the stone monuments 
of the ancient British which are to be found near Saint 
Just in Cornwall and on Dartmoor in Devon. Mr. I'ol- 
whele also describes the old tin streams of the two counties. 
After hearing my lecture on the tinners of Devon and 
Cornwall, the late Mr. Bishop, of Bedford Circus, gave me 
a lai'ge block of black tin left in tlie workings of the Phoeni- 
cians on his estate near Chagford, and which I have by me 
now. 
So far as I have been able to gather from these various 
writers, the Phteuicians simply traded with the Cassiterldes, 
the isles of the West, and are referred to by Herodotus In 
his hist*-)ry. Danhionium, or Devon, was one of their dis- 
tricts. The old men who lived in the hut circles on the 
moor worked the streams, and then removed the tin to Tot- 
nes, the traders' port. Cornutiencis, or Cornwall, was sim- 
ilarly worked, and when the tin was obtained it was re- 
moved to Michael's Mount, their depot and place of safety. 
Diodorus Siculus, 40 B. C, refers to the mining operations 
in the southwest of Britain. Hes-iys: " When they have 
cast it into ingots they carry it int(t an adjacent island, 
which is called Iticis. For when it is low water the inter- 
vening space is left dry, and they carry into that island 
great quantities of tin iu waggons." Having silent many a 
holiday at Marazion, I can swear that at every low tide we 
may easily walk to the island or to Michael's Mount, and 
most of the consumable articles used by these Islanders are 
to this day carted to the Mount. 
The best library on these old matters is on the book- 
shelves of the museum at Penzance. 
Yours very truly, 
James Andrew, 
F. G. S. (London). 
[Specially Observed for Populab Science News.] 
METEOROEOGY FOR MARCH, 1891. 
TEJIPERATUKE. 
Average Thermometer. 
Lowest. 
Highest. 
Range. 
AtTA.M 
At2P. M 
At9P. M 
Whole month .... 
29.8.i° 
.39.32° 
32.29° 
3.3.75° 
33 39° 
3° 
19° 
12° 
3° 
3° 
46° 
6.5° 
47° 
5.5° 
65° 
42° 
36° 
35° 
52° 
52° 
Last 21 Marches . . . 
Second average . . . 
32.66° 
32.27° 
( 24.4.5° 
1 in 1872. 
24.02° 
39.18° j 
In 1878. i 
38.84° 
14.73° 
14.82° 
The present March has been distinguished for 
its northerly and easterly winds, for a heavy snow- 
fall, and large amount of precipitation. The tem- 
perature was LOiJ"^ above the average. The lowest 
point reached by tlie mercury was 3°, on the morn- 
ing of the 2d, and this was also much the coldest 
day, with an average of only 11.66°. The highest 
point was 55°, on the 2i)th. The 22d was the 
warmest day, averaging 46.66° ; the 13th and 29th 
were only a fraction of a degree cooler. The 
month commenced with a cold wave and closed 
with a warm one, each continuing nearly a week. 
Another colli wave of four days followed suddenly 
after the 13th, — a warm day, — the mercury being 
below the freezing-point most of the time. 
SKY. 
The face of the sky, in 93 observations, gave 46 
fair, 9 cloudy, 23 overcast, 8 rainy, and 7 snowy, 
— a percentage of 49.5 fair. The average fair the 
last twenty-one Marches has been 51 per cent., 
n ith extremes of 33.3 in 1881, and 63.4 in 1883. 
rRECIPITATION. 
The amount of precipitation the last month, in- 
cluding 14 inches of melte.l snow, was 7.93 inches. 
The average the last twenty-three Marches has 
been 5.62 inches, with extremes of 1.18 in 1885, 
and 10.22 in 1887. The pi-esent amount has been 
exceeded five times in twenty-three years. The 
snow fell almost entirely on the 4th, during the 
most severe storm of the past winter. Four days 
later, this large liody of snow was swept away 
almost as suddenly by a heavy niin. The amount 
of precipitation the past three months has been 
very unusual, 23.07 inches, which is nearl)- one- 
half the average for the entire year. 
PRESSURE. 
The average pressure the past niCTnth was 30.061 
inches, with extremes of '29.44 on the 13th, and 
30.42 on Uie 2d, — a range of .98 inch. This is the 
only iujjtance on mj' record when the barometric 
average has reached 30 inches. The average for 
the last eighteen Marches has been 29.895 inches, 
with extremes of 29.6.39 in 1881, and 30.061 in 
1891, — a range of .422 inch. The sum of the daily 
variations was 6.26 inches, giving a mean daily 
movement of .202 inch. This average the last 
eighteen Marches has been''.230, with extremes of 
.198 and .282. The largest daily movements have 
been .76 on the 13th, and .52 on the 4th, while 
thirteen observations were noted stationary. 
WINDS. 
The average direction of the wind in March was 
W. 85° 6' N. 'i'ho mean for the last twenty-two 
Marches was W. 34° 30' N., with extremes of 
E. 87° 30' N. in 1870, and W. 85° 6' N. in 1891,— a 
range of 172° 36'. The relative progressive dis- 
tance travelled the past month has been 35.12 
units, and the last twenty-two Marches 997.4 such 
units, an average of 45.34, — showing more easterly 
winds than usual. Tlie easterly winds lacked but 
three observations of equalling the westerly, while 
