May, 1903.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



Ill 



Newall, Prof. Hale, ami otliers, indicate that the spectrum 

 consists of hright lines, and there is accordingly sufficient 

 reason to suppose that tlie object is a true "nova," aud 

 uot a long- period variable of the Mira Type. — A. F. 



EoTANioAL. — In Torreyii, Mr. S. P). Parish gives a 

 striking instance of the " Vital persisteucy of Agnrp 

 americana" A specimen was planted on au estate iu 

 California iu 1890, and having become too large, was cut 

 down in PlOO. Its leaves were sawn off and the trunk 

 was allowed to lie on the ground till it should become 

 sufficiently ilry to liurn. In May of last year, rather more 

 than two years after being cut down, it put forth a 

 flowering scape which grew, in its early stages, at the rate 

 of six inches a day, till it reached a height of fifteen feet. 

 This scape flowered, afterwards bearing fruit, and in 

 Novemlier of the same year, three smaller scapes were 

 produced. The author comments on the curious fact that 

 this vigorous growth, remarkable as it would have been 

 had it taken place iu the first year, was deferred till the 

 second year after the plant was cut down. 



A flora of New Providence and Andros, Bahama Islands, 

 appears iu the last number of the Memnira of the Torrey 

 Botanical Club. It is based on a set of plants collected in 

 the islands by Mr. and Mrs. J. I. Northrop, and is the 

 work of Mrs. Northrop, assisted by various botanists. 

 New Providence is one of the smaller islands of the group, 

 while Andros is by far the largest, being nearly a hundred 

 miles long and fcjrty or fifty wide in its broadest part. 

 The enumeration, which is preceded by an interesting 

 introduction, includes 542 native species. Leguminosse 

 are most numerous, followed by Compositte, Kubiacea" and 

 Kuphorbiacea>, iu the order here given, and Tpomfea is the 

 richest genus in species. Two new geuera of palms are 

 <lescribed by Mr. O. F. Cook, and miscellaueous new 

 species, including a uew Vanilla, are now published. It 

 is worthy of note that fifteen genera are found in the 

 enumeration which have not previously been I'eported 

 from the Bahamas. — S. A. S. 



Zoological. — Eemains of man-like apes are of such rare 

 occurrence iu the fossil state, that the description of two 

 molar teeth from the Tertiary deposits of the Vienna basin 

 by Dr. 0. Abel (Centralblatl fiir Mineralugie, &c., 1903), 

 is a matter of very considerable interest. The one specimen 

 is referred by the author to a new genus aud species, 

 under the name of Gnphopilhecus suessi, while the other 

 is regarded as representing a new species of the well- 

 known genus Dryopithecus,ior which the name D. darivini 

 is suggestej. As regards the first, all that can be said 

 is that it indicates a member of the group to which 

 Dryopithecus belongs. By some writers it has been 

 suggested that the latter genus is very closely related to 

 man, but this idea is discountenanced by the great relative 

 length of the muzzle and the small space for the tongue. 

 It may be added that recently teeth of another man-like 

 ape from the Tertiary of Swabia were described under the 

 name of Anthropodus ; since, however, that term had been 

 previously used in another sense. Dr. Abel proposes to 

 replace it hj Neopithecuy. 



Closely connected with tlic foregoing suliject is a paper 

 by Prof. A. Gaudry, of Paris, ])ublished in U AnthropologiK, 

 on certain human remains recentlv olitained by the Prince 

 of M<maco at Baoussc-Roussc, near Mentoue. The jaws 

 of a young man are remarkable for the enormous size of 

 t he t'.'eth, especially those of the cheek si>ries, aud the great 

 relative developuient of the last molar or " wisdom tooth." 

 That they indicate a very primitive type of the h>unan 

 race is umloubtt'd. Whether, however, thev arc suflicient 



to prove, as M. Gaudry suggests, an affinity between the 

 early human inhabitants of Euro^>e and the Patagonians, 

 aud thus that South America was the cradle of mankind, 

 demands at least further consideration. 



Much interesting information with i-egard to the giant 

 land-tortoises, and the remarkalile land and sea iguanas of 

 the Galapagos Islands will lie foimd in a paper by Mr. 

 E. Heller, recently published in the Proceedinys of the 

 Washington Academy of Sciences, forming part of a series 

 descriptive of the Hojikins Stanford expedition to the 

 islands in question. As might have been expected, most 

 of the species of tortoises ai'e dindnishing very rapidly 

 in numbers, aud some appear to be well nigh extinct. 

 Owing to the introduction of dogs, the land iguanas have 

 been exterminated from all the islands save two, liut the 

 marine species is still ainmdant. 



In view of forthcoming changes iu the administration 

 of the menagerie in the Eegent's Park, the following 

 paragraph from the Report of the New York Zoological Park 

 is of considerable interest. In that menagerie one of the 

 most recent and important innovations is the establishment 

 of a thoroughly organized medical department imder the 

 direction of a veterinarian and a well-known human 

 pathologist. A pathological laboratory is in charge con- 

 stantly of au assistant, and daily rounds are made liv an 

 officer of the ini'dical staff in company with the curators of 

 the respective departments. Full reports are being ke|>t 

 of the symptoms of animals of various types, aud of the 

 causes of death. From these records it is proposed to 

 jirepare a s[)ecial work on the habits, care and treatment 

 of animals in captivity. 



The British Antarctic Expedition. — A summarv of 

 the news of the " Discovery " received by cable from 

 Captain Colbeck, of the " Morning," may be of interest to 

 our readers. The '■ Discovery" left New Zealand in Decem- 

 ber, 1901, and the "Morning" found her in MacMurdo 

 Bay (Victoria Land), on January 23rd, 190o. The 

 " Discovery" entered the ice pack early lu Januxry, 19i»2, 

 in lat. 67' south. Proceeding along the edge of the great 

 ice barrier, the explorers made repeated soundings. It 

 was found that the barrier was presumably afloat, that it 

 continued horizontal, and was slowly fed from the land 

 ice. High snow slopes rose from its edge to an extensive 

 heavily glaciated land, with occasional bare precipitous 

 peaks. On February 3rd, the " Discovery " entered an 

 inlet in the barrier in longitude 174^, and a sledge partv 

 examined the laud as far as latitude 78" 50'. Near 

 Mounts Erebus aud Terror excellent winter quarters were 

 found. The ship was frozen in on March 24th, and the 

 expedition passed the winter iu well-sheltered quarters, 

 huts having been erected for living aud for scientific obser- 

 vations. The lowest recorded temperature was ti2^ below 

 zero, aud the fact that the expedition wintered some 

 400 miles further south than any former expedition will 

 make the magnetic and other records taken of very great 

 value. Sledging was begun on September 2nd, ly(l2, 

 parties being sent out in various directions. Lieutenant 

 Royds, Mr. Skelton. aud others made au expedition to 

 Mount Terror, travelling over the barrier under severe 

 sleighing conditions, with a temperature of 58"' below zero. 

 Commander Scott, Dr. Wilson, and Lieutenant Shackleton 

 sledged southwards. A depot was made CO miles south 

 of the ship, then the snow became soft, and sledges had 

 to be hauled iu relays. This hard aud trying work lasted 

 29 days Another depot was then established in latitude 

 80'^ 30' south. All sup^rHuous gear was then discarded, 

 and on December 15th a dash was made for the south. 

 On Jaiuiarv 1st, 82' 17 south was reiu'heil, or lOO miles 



