254 



NA TURE 



[January io, 1901 



eighteenth century ; and in the early part of its successor 

 four other species became extinct in the neighbouring 

 islands of the Mascarene group, namely, Testudo indtca, 

 T. triserrata and T. inepta in Mauritius, and T. vosmaeri 

 in Rodriguez. It has likewise been considered probable 

 that the thin-shelled tortoise {T. adin^doni), of Abingdon 

 Island, in the Galapagos group, is also no longer exist- 

 ing, although it was certainly alive as recently as 1875. 



Of birds that have disappeared during the century, in 

 addition to the great auk, reference may first be made to 

 the black emeu {Dromaeus ater\ of Kangaroo Island, 

 South Australia. When this island was explored in 

 1803 by a French expedition these birds were abundant, 

 and three were sent home to Paris, where a pair lived 

 till 1822. On their death, the skin of one and the 

 skeleton of the other were mounted for exhibition in the 

 Paris Museum, where they still remain. Of the third 

 specimen no record was obtainable till 1900, when, as 

 already noticed in this journal, its skeleton was dis- 

 covered by Prof. Giglioli in the museum at Florence. 

 These three priceless specimens are the only examples 

 of a species which became extinct in the native state 

 previous to the death of the Paris pair, and before it was 

 even known to be different from the larger emeu of the 

 mainland. For it appears that some years after the visit 

 of the French expedition (to which Pdron was naturalist) 

 to Kangaroo Island, a settler squatted there and forth- 

 with set to work to make a clean sweep of the emeus 

 and kangaroos — a task in which he was only too 

 successful. 



Before the middle of the century another large bird 

 appears to have made its final exit from this world. 

 When Steller discovered the northern sea-cow in the 

 islands of Bering Sea, he also brought to the notice of 

 science a new species of cormoYa.nt {Phalacrocorax per- 

 sptcillaius), which was especially interesting on account 

 of being the largest representative of its kind, and like- 

 wise by the bare white rings round its eyes and the 

 brilliant lustre of its green and purple plumage. Stupid 

 and sluggish in disposition, Pallas's cormorant, as the 

 species is commonly called, appears to have been last 

 seen alive about the year 1839, when Captain Belcher, 

 of H.M.S. Sulphur, was presented with a specimen by 

 the Governor of Sitka, who also forwarded other examples 

 to Petersburg. Captain Belcher's specimen is preserved 

 in the British Museum, and three other skins are known 

 to be in existence elsewhere. 



The great white water-hen {Notornis albus\ formerly 

 inhabiting Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, must be 

 added to the defunct list. And the same is the case with 

 the Tahiti rail {Prosobonia leucoptera) and Latham's 

 white-winged sandpiper i^Hypotaenidia pacified), the 

 latter of which in Captain Cook's time was abundant in 

 the island above named, as well as in the neighbouring 

 Eimeo. The New Zealand quail {Coturnix novae- 

 zealandiae) is likewise entered in the British Museum 

 list as extinct. The beautiful '■'Pigeon hollondais" so- 

 called from its plumage presenting the Dutch colours, 

 and technically known as Alectoroenas nitidissima, is a 

 Mauritian species whose extermination probably took 

 place during the century. It is known solely by three 

 examples, one of which is preserved at Port Louis, the 

 second in Paris, and the third in Edinburgh. 



Nor must we omit from our list two species of Kaka 

 parrot, one of which {Nestor productus) was a native of 

 Philip Island, while the home of the second (A^. norfol- 

 censis) was the neighbouring Norfolk Island. A species 

 of parraquet {Palaeornis exsul), peculiar to the island of 

 Rodriguez, is also believed to be exterminated. 



Neither has the duck family escaped, for the well- 

 known pied duck {Camptolaemus labradorius), an ally of 

 the eider from the North Atlantic coast of America, 

 appears in the defaulters' list, the last-known example 

 having been killed in 1852. 



NO. 1628, VOL. 63] 



Passing on to Passerine birds, a notable loss is the 

 handsome crested pied starling, Fregilupus varius, which 

 is believed to have become extinct about the middle of 

 the century. Of the few remaining examples of this 

 striking species one is preserved in the British Museum. 

 Another species, exterminated within approximately the 

 same period, is the gorgeous black and gold mamo, or 

 sicklebill {Drepanis pacifica), of Hawaii, whence it was 

 first brought to Europe by Captain Cook. As' narrated 

 in the " Birds of the Sandwich Islands," by Messrs. 

 Scott Wilson and Evans, the extermination of this beau- 

 tiful species is to be attributed to persecution for the sake 

 of its yellow feathers, which were used for the cloaks of 

 the native chiefs. About four specimens are known to 

 be preserved in museums. 



Of birds that have been locally exterminated, such as 

 the burrowing petrel {CEstrelata haesilatd), known in the 

 Antilles as the diablotin, it is not our intention to speak on 

 this occasion. And this article may accordingly be fitly 

 brought to a close by an extract from Prof. A. Newton's 

 " Dictionary of Birds," referring to two instances where 

 species may have perished within the century without hav- 

 ing ever come definitely under the notice of ornithologists. 

 After stating that one Ledru accompanied an expedition 

 dispatched liy the French Government in 1796 to the 

 West Indies, the Professor proceeds to observe that this 

 explorer "gives a list of the birds he found in the islands 

 of St. Thomas and St. Croix. He enumerates fourteen 

 kinds of birds as having occurred to him then. Of these 

 there is now no trace of eight of the number ; and, if he 

 is to be believed, it must be supposed that within fifty 

 or sixty years of his having been assured of their exist- 

 ence they have become extinct. ... If this be not 

 enough we may cite the case of the French islands of 

 Guadeloupe and Martinique, in which, according to M. 

 Guyon, there were once found six species of Psittaci, all 

 now exterminated ; and it may possibly be that the 

 macaws, stated by Gosse and Mr. March to have formerly 

 frequented certain parts of Jamaica, but not apparently 

 noticed there for many years, have fallen victims to 

 colonisation and its consequences." R. L. 



CLIMBING IN THE HIMALAYAS} 



DURING an extended cycling tour in the East, the 

 authors spent the summer months of 1898 and the 

 following year in the Himalayas. In the former season they 

 penetrated from Srinagar, which they had reached on their 

 vehicles, into the mountains of Ladakh, Nubra, and Suru, 

 and, later on, into Sikkim from Darjeeling. Next year 

 they took with them Matthias Zurbriggen, who had been 

 guide to Sir Martin Conway on his memorable journey 

 in 1892, retracing his steps up the Biafo Glacier to the 

 Hispar Pass, and then making some important ascents 

 in the district about the Skoro La Pass. Altogether they 

 were encamped for many days at altitudes not less than 

 16,000 feet, crossed several passes more than a thousand 

 feet higher, and made the ascent of three virgin icy sum- 

 mits, rising to heights of 18,600, 19,450, and 21,000 feet 

 respectively. Thus Mrs. Workman not only is the first 

 of her sex to do serious mountain work in the Himalayas, 

 but also has been higher than any of them above sea- 

 level. 



Climbing in the Himalayas, as the authors remark, is 

 a much more serious affair than in the Alps. The 

 glaciers and peaks, as shown by the excellent illustra- 

 tions, one of which is appended by the courtesy of the 

 publisher, are certainly not less difficult ; roads are often 

 wanting, mountain inns and chalets always ; the camp 



1 " In the Ice World of Himalaya, amon? the Peaks and Passes of 

 T-adakh, Nubra, Suru, and Baltistan." By Fanny Ballock Workman and 

 William Hunter Workman, M.A., M.D. With three naps and sixty-seven 

 illustrations. Pp. xvi + 204. (London : T. Fisher Unwin, 1900.) 



