August 25, 1898] 



NA TURE 



407 



blank ; but it has been rendered evident from my expedition, as j 

 well as by those of Joseph Thomson, and Burton and Speke, that | 

 there exist all over these regions west of the Victoria Nyanza ; 

 immense areas of sedimentary deposits, which extend without 

 interruption to the north of Lake Nyassa, and here they have 

 been proved to be fossiliferous, and it is a fact (which is on no 

 account to be ignored) that the remains of ganoid fishes, dis- 

 covered there by Henry Drummond, are not regarded by 

 Prof. Troquhair, who described them, as being at all neces- 

 sarily fresh-water forms. With the same caution, Prof. 

 Rupert Jones, who described the Lamellibranchs occurring in 

 these beds, intentionally placed them among those estuarine 

 forms which might be regarded either as salt water or fresh. 

 Still more important is the existence of what appears to be an 

 oligocene sea-urchin, which certainly came from some portion of 

 this region, and probably from the same fossiliferous beds. 



We are thus already in possession of information which 

 indicates the extension of fairly modern seas, far into the 

 African interior. The ascertained existence of marine organisms 

 in Tanganyika is certainly, therefore, in no way opposed to 

 such geological observations as actually exist, but only as new 

 facts usually are, to the perpetuation of crude theoretical an- 

 ticipations. Our inability to account for their appearance in Lake 

 Tanganyika, is due simply to a complete want of information 

 respecting the geological character of the country which sur- 

 rounds the lake ; but it will have been rendered obvious, that 

 sufficient information on these points can easily be obtained by 

 a properly equipped expedition, which should travel up Tan- 

 ganyika from the south, and reach, as it could do, the Albert 

 Edward and Albert Nyanzas, by passing up the continuation of 

 the Tanganyika valleys to the north. Now that there are 

 steamers running both on Nyassa and Tanganyika, the deep- 

 water dredging and sounding of both these lakes could be ac- 

 complished without much difficulty, and there is no reason, that 

 I can see, why a geologist accompanying such an expedition 

 should not make something of the materials of which the 

 surrounding country is composed. At all events an amount 

 of information would be accumulated, which would mark an 

 epoch in our acquaintance with the zoology and geology of 

 the African interior. What I conceive, however, to be cf the 

 first importance is this, that such an exploration is well within 

 the limits of practicability, for the work, entailed under the 

 different heads which I have just discussed, could be carried out 

 by a party properly organised and properly led, well within two 

 years from the time that it set out. J. E. S. Moore. 



Appendix. 



In order to exemplify the productive character of properly con- 

 ducted zoological exploration in these regions, I have appended, 

 under separate headings, a list of those Halolimnic molluscs, 

 the empty shells of which were known before the present ex- 

 pedition was undertaken, and of the forms which have now been 

 obtained with the animals preserved in a fit state for zoological 

 work. In the same way I have added similar lists of the 

 species of fish previously known to inhabit Tanganyika, and the 

 numerous and almost entirely new forms which have now been 

 brought back. In the older list of molluscs the conchological 

 classification of their empty shells has been retained, in order that 

 it may be seen how completely the acquisition of the animals 

 has changed our views. 



I. 

 List of Empty Shells previously known. 



Fam. Melaniidiv. 

 < M-nus Typhobia (Smith). 

 T. Horei (Smith), 

 nus Paramelania (Smith), 

 P. Damoni (Smith). 

 M. iiassa (S. P. 

 Woodw. ). 

 ' im. Hydrobidcc. 



nus Syrnolopsis (Smith). 

 S. Lacitstrii (Smith). 

 List of entire Molluscs obtained during the 

 Expedition of 1895 '^nd 1896. 



Genus Spekia (Bourginnat). 

 S. zonata (S. P. 

 Woodw.). 

 Genus Tanganyicia (Cross). 

 T. rtifofilosa (S. P. 

 Woodw. ). 

 Genus Lifunoirochus (Smith). 

 L. Thomsoni (Smith). 

 Z. Kirkii (Smith). 



. .un. Typhobidie (Moore), 

 (ienus Typhobia iSmith). 



T. /i^^m (Smith). 

 (Jenus Bathanalia (Moore). 



B. //(Tiuesei [Mooie). 

 (jenus Limnotrochiis (Smith). 



L. Thomsoni (Smith). 



Fam. ? FlanaxidiV. 



Genus Tanganyicia (Cross). 



T. rufofilosa (S. P. 

 Woodw. ). 

 Fam. Xenophoridct. 

 Genus Chytra (Moore). 



C. Kirkii (Smith). 



Fam. Ptirpiirinid(E. 



Genus Paramelania (Smith). 



P. Damoni (Smith). 



P. crassigranulata 

 (Smith). 

 Genus Nassopsis (Smith). 



N. nassa{S. P. Woodw. ) 



Genus Bythcceras (Moore). 



B. iridcscens (Moore). 

 Fam. Naticida. 

 Genus Spekia (Bourginnat). 



5. zoitata (S, P. Wood- 

 ward). 



List of Fishes known previously. 



A(anthop erygit. 

 Fam. Coichiidie. 

 Genus Tilnpia (Gthr.). 



7. 7anganyic(a{G\\\r.). 



T. Bur/oni {Glhr.) 

 Genus Mastaanibehis. 



M. Tanganyicea (Gthr. ) 

 M. Ophictitim (Gthr.). 



List of Fishes obtained during the Expedition. 



Acanthoplerygii. 

 Fam. Serranidie. 

 Genus Lates. 



L. microlepis, sp. n. 

 Genus Lamprologus, nov. gen. 



L. fasciatus, sp. n. 



L. compressiis, sp. n. 



L. Moorei, sp. n. 



L. modestus, sp. n. 



L. elongatus, sp. n. 



L. fuscifer, sp. n. 

 Genus Telmatochromis, nov. 

 gen. 



T. vitaftis, sp. n. 



T. temporalis, sp. n. 

 GenvisJulidochromiSyno\.gQn. 



J. ornatus, sp. n. 

 Genus Paratilapia, nov. gen. 



P. pfifferi, sp. n. 



P. macrops, sp. n. 



P. ventralis, sp. n. 



P. fiisdfer, sp. n. 



P. lep'osoma, sp. n. 

 Genus Bathybates, nov. gen. 



B. ferox, sp. n. 

 Genus Eretmodus, nov. gen. 



E. cyanosticus, sp. n. 

 Genus Tilapia. 



T. labiata, sp. n. 

 Genus Tropheus, nov. gen. 



'T. Moorei, sp. n. 

 Genus Pelrochromis, nov. gen. 



P. polyodon, sp. n. 

 Genus Perissodus. 



From the above list of fishes, which has been courteously 

 supplied to me by Mr. Boulenger, and which are themselves 

 now in the British Museum, it will be seen that there has 

 been added from this single locality an extraordinary number of 

 entirely new types. In fact, almost the entire fish population 

 of Tanganyika, so far as at present known, is composed of forms 

 which are quite peculiar to the lake. When, therefore, we 

 remember that all these fishes were obtained without deep or 

 even rough water nets and trawls, and that I was only able, as 

 it were, to scratch round some 150 miles of the shallow coast 

 line of a lake over 350 miles in length, and of unknown depth, 

 it will be e%ident to all, how much must remain there in the 

 way of fishes which have not yet been obtained. But what 

 is true of Tanganyika in this respect, is almost equally true of 

 Lake Nyassa, for no deep-water work of any kind has hitherto 

 been accomplished there, nor is the depth of this lake known. 

 It has been shown to extend to 300 fathoms, but no bottom 

 was obtained ; and it consequently follows that wherever the 

 deep floor of Nyassa really is, it is far below the level of the 

 sea. 



Thus although it is obvious that we know next to nothing 01 

 the zoological contents of Nyassa and Tanganyika, our com- 

 parative ignorance of the fauna of these two great lakes is as 

 nothing compared to the absolute want of information appertain- 

 ing to the aquatic zoology of Lake Rukwa, or of the great 

 Nyanzas north of Tanganyika, the interesting relations of some 

 of which to the Tanganyika valleys I have already pointed out. 

 I hope, therefore, it will become apparent how huge a field for 

 further zoological investigation the energy and enterprise of the 



Genus P. microlepis, sp. n. 

 Fam. Afastacembelidce. 

 Genus Mastacembeltis. 



M. Moorei, sp. n. 



Physostomi. 

 Fam. Silurida. 

 Genus Clarias ( L. ). 



C. angiilaris (L.). 



C. biocephalus, sp. n. 

 Genus Amplopterus (Gthr. ). 



A. platychir (Gthr. ). 

 Genus Anchinaspis (Cuv.). 



A. biscutata (Cuv.). 

 Genus Synodontis. 



S. muliipunclattis, sp.n. 

 Genus Malapterurus. 



M. electricus. 

 Fam. Characinidu. 

 Genus Alestes. 



A. macrolepidottis (C. 

 and v.). 



A. macrophtralmus 

 (Gthr.). 

 Genus Hydrocyon (C. ). 



H. forskalii. 

 Fam. Cyprinidit. 

 Genus Labia. 



L. ? 

 Fam. Cyprinodontida. 

 Genus Haplochilus, 



H. tauganicanus, sp. n. 

 Fam. Polypteridir. 

 Genus Polyptertis. 



P. Bichir ? 



NO. 1504, VOL. 58] 



