.Tanuabt, 1902.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



15 



together with others, are each in turn referred to. The 

 author then describes in considerable detail modern 

 American methods of an-iving at an opinion as to what 

 an extinct animal really looked like when in the flesh. 

 " While the restoration of extinct animals," he obsci-ves, 

 " is subject to some uncertainties, and mistakes of in- 

 terpretation ai-e likely to occur, these efforts to reproduce 

 the living forms of past ages ai-e not mere guess-work, 

 but rest upon a solid foundation of scientific facts and 

 cai-eful deductions." One great difliculty is that the 

 skeleton gives no clue to many external peculiarities. 

 For instarico, wo could not tell from their bony frame- 

 work that the African rhinoceroses have a smooth skin, 

 while in the Asiatic species it is thrown into great 

 folds. In some eases, therefore, it is almost certain 

 that the restorations cannot be exactly true to nature. 

 Nevertheless, the work deserves every encouragement, 

 and cannot fail to add to the popular interest in extinct 

 animals. 



At a recent meeting of the Zoological Society, Mr. O. 

 Thomas, of the British Museum, gave an account of 

 the specimens of the " five-horned '•' giraffe brought home 

 by Sir Harry Johnston from the neighbourhood of 

 Mount Elgon, in tho Uganda Protectorate. In spite of 

 the unusually strong development of the horns, these 

 specimens were referred to tho typical North African 

 giraffe, which appears to pass gi%idually into the girafife 

 of South Africa. The Somali giraffe, on the other hand, 

 of which fine specimens were obtained by Lord Delamere 

 during his expedition to North-eastern Africa, is a 

 distinct species, which must bo known as Glraffa 

 reticuhila. With regard to the two posterior rudi- 

 mentary horns, to which attention was first directed by 

 Sir Harry Johnston, it .appears that these exist in all 

 members of the group. Tliej' seem to correspond to the 

 laa-ge pair of occipital horns which occur in the extinct 

 genus Dranuttherium, from Perim Island, Gulf of 

 Cambay, and may therefore have been much larger in 

 the giraffe's anccstore. 



An important monograph on the structure of the 

 skull in the egg-laying (mouotreme) mammals, by 

 Professor J. F. van Bemmelen, appears in the Denk- 

 schrift of the Jena Society, as one of the contri- 

 butions to tho results of Dr. Semen's recent expedition. 

 The material thus obtained has very largely increased 

 our knowledge of many peculiar types of Australasian 

 animal life. 



American naturalists are turaing their attention with 

 considerable energy to the animals of the Old Woi-ld ; 

 Mr. G. S. Miller, in the Pmceedivr/s of the Biological 

 Society of Washington, having recently described three 

 new shrews from Asia and one from Switzerland. 



Travelling in the Sudan. — We have received from 

 Captain Stanley S. Flower, tho Director of the Sudan 

 Wild Animals Department, a copy of a pamphlet 

 entitled " Notes for Travellers and Sportsmen in the 

 Sudan." The pamphlet is published " by authority," 

 and gives much well-arranged information, which will 

 be found exceedingly useful to those intending to travel 

 and shoot in the Sudan. We note, with pleasure, that 

 the Game Laws have been lately revised, and that the 

 number of animals and birds protected has been 

 increased. It is now illegal to kill or capture the 

 following animals and birds anywhere in the Sudan: — 

 Chimpanzee, Eland. Giraffe, Rhinoceros, Zebra. Wild 

 Ass, Ground Ilornbill. Secretaiy Bird, and Shoe-bill ; 

 while in certain districts the Elephant and Hippo- 

 potamus are also protected. Many other animals and 



birds are protected by limiting the number which may 

 be captured or shot. But perhaps the most valuable 

 innovation is tlie creation of a large Game Kescr\'e, in 

 which only officers of the Eg}'ptian Ai-my and of the 

 British detachment at Khartoum and officials of tho 

 Sudan Govorament have the privilege of shooting. This 

 reserve will thus form practically a sanctuaa-y. 



The Rev. H. A. MACPHERSON. 

 We much regi'ot to have to record the death of the 

 Rev. H. A. Macpherson, which took plac« at Pitlochi-y 

 in November last. As a naturalist, and especially as 

 an ornithologist, Mr. Macpherson was well known. He 

 was a native of Skye, and was for some years chaplain 

 of Carlisle Gaol; while in 1897 he was nominated to 

 the pei-petual curacy of Allonby, and was incumbent 

 of the Episcopal Church of Pitlochry. During his 

 residence in Cumberland he published a book in 

 collaboration with Mr. Duckworth on the birds of that 

 county, and an important volume on the Fauna of 

 Lakeland. He was also the author of the " History of 

 Fowling," while he contributed to the volumes on tho 

 " Grouse " and the " Partridge " in the Fur and Feather 

 series, and was well known for his many articles and 

 notes appearing from time to time in the Ibis, Zoolor/ist, 

 Field, and other journals. Beyond his literaiy abilities 

 Mr. Macpherson was an excellent field-naturalist, and his 

 loss will be keenly felt by all ornithologists. 



r' 



Mr. Hurarf Monlford's neii' lust of Darwin, made for 

 ilr. Andrew Carnegie. 



A Bust of Darwin. — We are enabled to reproduce a 

 photograph of one of the two busts of Darwin for 

 which Mr. Montford, the sculptor of the Shrewsbuiy 

 statue, has received a commission from Mr. Andrew 

 Carnegie. The busts are cast in bronze and mounted 

 on marble pedestals, and the work is based on the 

 marble bust made by the same sculptor for the late 

 Lord Farrer. One of the busts will be placed in the 

 Pittsburg Museum, and the other will go to Skibo Castle. 



