August 14, 1890] 



NATURE 



3«' 



pages as emanating from the most elevated regions, nearly half 

 the number seems endemic, so far as hitherto can be judged, 

 while not yet all the highlands of South-Eastern Asia are ex- 

 plored, and while we yet remain in uncertainty about the 

 constancy of some of the characteristics on which the adopted 

 new specific forms are systematically established. Of these 

 restricted Papuan plants, two — namely, Ischnca elachoglossa and 

 Dccatoca Spatcerii represent new genera, the one allied to the 

 exclusively Italian Nananthea, the other to the Australian 

 and chiefly Alpine Trochocarpa. Of the other endemic 

 plants 17 are of Himalayan types — namely, Hypericum Mac- 

 ;:;rcgoni, Sagina donatioides, Rubus Macgregorii, Anaphalis 

 Maria, Myriactis bellidiforviis, Vacciniuni parvuli folium, 

 V. amblyandrum, V. Helena, V. Macbainii, GauUiera viundula. 

 Rhododendron g7'cuilcutu7n, R. spondylophylliim, R. culminicolum, 

 R.pJurochiton,Geniiana Ettingshausenii, Trigonotis Haaelri, and 

 T. oblita, though some of these show also a touch of the Sundaic 

 vegetative element ; and here at once may be alluded to the 

 extensive display of Ericaceous (inclusive of Vaccinaceous) plants, 

 which forms of vegetation are in Australia so very scantily 

 developed, and then only in Alpine regions. Contrarily, 

 however, we now perceive otherwise almost a preponder- 

 ance of upland Australian or New Zealandian or sub- 

 Antarctic types in the highlands vegetation of New Guinea, 

 so far as already revealed ; this is demonstrated by the 

 endemic occurrence of Ranunculus amerophyllus, Melrosideros 

 Regelii, Rubus diclinis, Olearia Kernotii, Vittadinia Alince, 

 V. macra, Veronica Lendenfeldii, Libocedrus Papuana, Phyl- 

 locladus hypophyllus, Schcentis curvulus, and Festuca oreo- 

 baloides ; furthermore this repetition of the features of the 

 southern flora so far north is rendered still more expressive and 

 significant by the occurrence of numerous plants absolutely 

 identical with our southern species — namely, Epilobium pedun- 

 lularc, Galium australe, Lagcnophora Billardiirii, Styphelia 

 inontana, Euphrasia Broiunii, Alyosotis australis, Sisyrinchium 

 pulchelluin, Astelia alpina, Carpha alpina, Carex fissilis, 

 Unci'nia riparia, U. Hookerii, Agrostis montana, Danthonia 

 peniefllata, Festticct pusilla, Lycopodium scariosum, Gleichenia 

 dicarpa, and Dawsonia superba— most of these being now shown 

 for the first, time to approach so near to the equator. Four 

 Borneo plants, hitherto only known from lofty altitudes of Kini- 

 Balu, have now been traced to the Papuan highlands also, viz. 

 Drimys piperita, Drapetes ericoides. Rhododendron Lotvii, 

 Phyllpcladus_ hypophyllus, three being of far southern type. 

 Even a few of such British plants, not almost universally cosmo- 

 politan, have now come like messengers from home before us 

 from New Guinea as" there also indigenous ; thus. Taraxacum 

 officinale and Scirpus ccEspitosus, these being wanting even in 

 the Malayan islands and in continental Australia, irrespective 

 of the widely distributed Aira ccespitosa, Festuca ovina, Lyco- 

 podium clavatum, L. Selago, and perhaps L. alpinum, as well as 

 Hymcnophyllum Tunbridgense and Aspidium aculeatum. For 

 the familiar northern genus Potentilla a truly indigenous position 

 in the southern . hemisphere has been gained now for phyto- 

 geography, as well as for Myriactis and Trigonotis, while 

 Astelia, Uncinia, and Dawsonia are now seen to enter equinoctial 

 regions in the eastern hemisphere. The Styphelia montana, the 

 Astelia, and the Carpha mentioned indicate the commencement 

 of a truly Alpine flora. 



"On the Finisterre Range, the ascent of which was accom- 

 plished by Mr." Zoeller and his "party during 1888 (this enterprise 

 being inspired by myself in a lengthened interview with the 

 leader), tree vegetation exists to the summit, therefore up to 

 11,000 feet, as indeed already telescopically ascertained by M. 

 Mikluho Maclay. I can, however, furnish no data, which might 

 assist our present purpose, on the nature of the vegetation there, 

 as— against my expectation — no botanic specimens whatever, 

 resulting from that courageous exploit, came to me as one who 

 since many years has been engaged occasionally on connected eluci- 

 dations of the Papuan flora. Sir William MacGregor found the 

 arboreous vegetation to cease on the Owen Stanley's Ranges at 

 11,560 feet (despatch, July 1889, p. 10)', and this cessation was 

 not due to a change of geologic formation. The limits of tree 

 vegetation may, however, on some other Papuan culminations 

 under altered physical conditions be somewhat higher so near to 

 the equator, in comparison to zones of vegetation in the Hima- 

 layas at and near the verge of the tropics. 



" As regards prospective utilitarian gain from the world of 

 plants likely to emanate from this expedition, we may look for- 

 ward to the acquisition of the ' cypress' [Libocedrus Papuana), 



NO. 1085, VOL. 42] 



which constitutes the principal forests on the summit of Mount 

 Douglas and Winter's Height, for arboreta even of countries of 

 the cool temperate zone, and with this cypress-like tree could 

 doubtless be associated in parks far outside of the tropics also 

 the tall ' bamboo ' (see Sir William MacGregor's despatch, p. 8), 

 with which the dry region above the nebular zone begins at 

 (about 8500 feet). The several hardy and gaudy rhododendrons 

 could aptly be consociated by dissemination with the many 

 Sikkin species, now so frequent as garden favourites. The dwarf 

 raspberry would give us an additional table-fruit. How far the 

 Korthalsia palm would bear actual frigour, remains to be ascer- 

 tained. The species of Papuan highland grasses are rather 

 gregarious than numerous. 



" Why so many plants from cold southern latitudes suddenly 

 reappear on the Papuan and perhaps also on the Bornean high- 

 lands in evidently coacval forms of common origin ; why the 

 highest regions, and these almost only, should, like in New 

 Zealand, reiterate plant- life, otherwise typical of Tasmania, of 

 continental Australia, of islands in the Southern Ocean, and 

 also of Fuegia and Patagonia ; whether this indicates a continuity 

 of portions of the Papuan Island with a once vastly extending 

 southern land, now mostly submerged ; what clues can be ob- 

 tained for all this from the study of glacial drifts occurring 

 during former enormous telluric changes, such as geologic 

 science endeavours to explain ; what part possibly could have 

 been taken by any migratory birds in effecting so wide a dis- 

 persion of some of these plants even into so exceptional isola- 

 tions ; all this and other momentous considerations involved itt 

 these questions must be reserved for future discussions and 

 generalizations in a special essay, perhaps under the advantage 

 of access to ampler working material, and at not too distant 

 a day." 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



The American Meteorological yournal for July contains an 

 article by Prof. H. A. Newton on the late Prof. E. Loomis, of 

 Yale College, U.S. (see Nature, vol. xl. p. 401). In early 

 life he paid much attention to terrestrial magnetism, and pub- 

 lished the first magnetic charts of the United States ; but his 

 most important contributions were to meteorology. In a dis- 

 cussion of the storms of 1842, he adopted the use of synchronous 

 charts very much like those now generally employed. The 

 later years of his life were spent in discussing the materials 

 collected by the Signal Service, and he published twenty-three 

 memoirs upon them, entitled "Contributions to Meteorology." 

 A large portion of his estate was bequeathed to the endowment 

 of an astronomical observatory, —Prof. H. A. Hazen has an 

 article setting forth the observations most needed in the study 

 of tornadoes. He points out that, after fifty years' observations, 

 our knowledge of this subject is very unsatisfactory. — Lieut. 

 Finley giv€s tornado statistics for the States of Florida and 

 South Carolina. The observations for the latter extend over 

 128 years. The month of greatest frequency in Florida is Sep- 

 tember, and in South Carolina, March. — M. H. Faye con- 

 tinues his articles on trombes and tornadoes, dealing espe- 

 cially with their action upon forests, and the carrying of heavy 

 dibris to great distances. — Prof. W. A. Rogers continues his 

 article concerning thermometers, dealing principally with the 

 pulsatory movements of a mercurial column found to exist 

 in nearly all the thermometers investigated. — The last article is 

 devoted to American opinions on the relation of the influenza 

 epidemic to meteorological conditions, being abstracts of papers 

 read at the meeting of the American Medical Association in 

 May last. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Entomological Society, August 6. — Captain H. J. Elwes, 

 Vice-President, in the chair.— Prof. Meldola, F.R.S., ex- 

 hibited a male specimen of Polyommatus dorilis, Hufn., 

 a common European and Asiatic species, which had been 

 taken at Lee, near Ilfracombe, in August 1887, by Mr. 

 Latter. At the time of its capture Mr. Latter supposed the 

 specimen to be a hybrid "heXMNtexi Polyommatus phlaas and ovl& 

 of the " Blues," and had only recently identified it as belonging 



