Misce Uaneous. 519 



The Report on the Botanical Collections occupies something less 

 than two pages ; hut it would seem from the remarks of Mr. Gepp, 

 in his accouut of the Musci, that some of the collections which have 

 been recorded elsewhere as having been made on this expedition 

 failed to reach the Museum. 



The Report on the Rock-specimens is written by Mr. G. T. Prior. 

 It is to be hoped that his surmise that " future exploration may 

 possibly lead to the discovery of fossilifcrous Meso/oic rocks " 

 will be proved to be correct by the researches of the ' Discovery ' 

 expedition. 



Not the least valuable part of this book is contained in the 

 " Extracts from the Private Diary of the late Nicolai Hanson." 

 These extracts have been rescued from oblivion by the efforts of 

 Dr. Sharpe. JS'icolai H;inson, it will be remembered, was the 

 zoologist of the expedition, and was the only member thereof to 

 succumb to the rigours and hardships inseparable from a sojourn in 

 a region so inhospitable. Intended only for the perusal of his 

 wife, this diary naturally contained merely references to such zoolo- 

 gical facts as would be likely to interest one who was not a professed 

 zoologist. His detailed and scientific observations were entered in 

 a series of separate note-books which contained most precious 

 information concerning the life-history of the creatures which came 

 under his ken and of the specimens daily added by him and his 

 assistant Mr. Evans to the collection. These note-books, we are 

 told, "were handed to the commander of the expedition by the 

 dying naturalist .... on the 14th of Oct., 1899." The only record 

 we have of their contents are some observations from one of these 

 books by the commander of the expedition ; the rest have disap- 

 peared, and with them the fruits of the untiring labours of him 

 whose zeal, as is shown by the diary to his wife, overtaxed his 

 strength and ultimately brought about his death. The loss to 

 zoological science of so -gifted a naturalist is undoubtedly great, 

 but it is rendered doubly great by the deplorable disa])pearance 

 of these books, whereby he has been robbed of the reward of the 

 labours which cost him his life and this Report has been materially 

 impoverished. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on the Histeridae (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1902, vol. x. p. 273). 

 By G. Lewis, F.L.S. 



Owing to a misprint in Scuddcr's list of genera I used the name 

 of Coptostethus in establishing a new genus. The name was used 

 in 1854 by Wollaston, so I wish to substitute CojHotrophis for 

 Coptostdhus. 



