o5 



S6 



NA TURE 



[August 8, 1901 



that the Siwalik camel was, the ancestor of the single- 

 humped African species, since, as will be shown below, 

 there is a probability that the ancestor of the Bactrian 

 species had a fuller dental series. 



And here it may be well to mention that in adult 

 modern camels there are normally five pairs of cheek- 

 teeth in the lower jaw behind the tusks, or canines. The 

 first pair (the first premolars) are, indeed, somewhat like 

 a canine in form, and are separated by a gap from the 

 canine in front and from the remaining four of the cheek- 

 teeth behind. Of the latter, the last three pairs are the 

 true molars, while the tooth in front of them represents 

 the last of the typical series of four premolars. 



Now in the lower jaw of a fossil camel recently 

 described from the Pleistocene Tertiary strata of 

 Rumania, by Hcrr Stefanescu, under the name of Camehts 

 alutouis, there are six, in place of five, pairs of lower 

 cheek-teeth, the tooth representing the third lower pre- 

 molar being developed. Evidently we have here an 

 ancestral type of camel, and it is noteworthy that, accord- 

 ing to Dr. Nehring, this supernumerary lower tooth 

 occasionally makes its appearance in living camels, 

 although it is not mentioned in which species. The 

 remains of the Rumanian camel were discovered on the 

 left bank of the Aluta (Olt) river, a tributary of the 

 Danube, not far from Slatina. 



Evidently, remarks Dr. Nehring, this Rumanian 

 camel was a member of the steppe-fauna, of whose 

 former existence in central Europe evidence is afforded 

 by the occifrrence of fossil remains of the saiga, Kirghiz 

 jerboa and other species now characteristic of the 

 Volga steppes. Another fossil camel has also been de- 

 scribed, under the name of Canielus knoblochi or C. 

 volgensis, from strata in the neighbourhood of Sarepta, 

 on the Volga, and also at the mouth of the Tscherem- 

 schan, in the Government of Samara, the number of 

 lower teeth in this species being apparently the same as 

 in modern camels. 



As members of the steppe fauna, these Rumanian and 

 Russian fossil camels were almost certainly the ancestors 

 of the living Siberian species ; and since the Rumanian 

 species has a larger number of lower teeth than the 

 still older Siwalik camel, it is manifest that the latter 

 cannot have been the progenitor of the Bactrian species. 

 Hence the reason for regarding it as the ancestor of the 

 single-humped camel of Africa. The Russian camel- 

 remains, it may be added, were found in association 

 with molars of the mammoth. 



Remains of camels have also been found in the Pleis- 

 tocene strata of Oran and Ouen Seguen, in Algeria ; and 

 certain remains from the Isle of Samos have recently 

 been assigned to the same genus, although the reference 

 requires confirmation. The Algerian Pleistocene camel 

 was doubtless the direct ancestor of the living African 

 species, which it serves to connect with the extinct C. 

 sivalensis. 



With regard to the camels of the Gobi, which, as 

 already mentioned, Dr. Nehring regards as truly wild, it 

 is interesting to note that some years ago Dr. Langkavel 

 described them as being much smaller than the domesti- 

 cated breed, not, indeed, much superior in size to a horse 

 with relatively slender limbs. Observations in confirma- 

 tion of this statement are, however, urgently required ; 

 and any travellers who may visit the Gobi neighbourhood 

 would do service to science if they would bring back skins 

 and skeletons of the wild camels. 



Nothing is more remarkable in connection with the 

 Bactrian camel than its capacity for standing extremes 

 of heat and cold, provided always that the climate 

 be dry. Herr O. Lehmann {Zeitschr. wiss. Geographic, 

 1891, p. 27), for example, writes as follows : — 



" The most severe winter cold of Asia cannot prevent 

 the presence of the camel. In west Siberia, from the 

 Kirghiz steppe to the neighbourhood of Lake Baikal, 



NO. 1658, VOL. 64] 



are camels found. . . . In Semipalatinsk the mean winter 

 temperature falls to - 2\'-g C. ; the most intense regis- 

 tered between the years 1854 and i860 was -49''9. 

 During his journey Przewalski experienced the most 

 intense cold without losing a single camel. Throughout 

 his whole journey across the Mongolian plateau he daily 

 encountered a temperature of -37". . . . Again, in 

 Zaidam, where camel-breeding establishments exist, a 

 night temperature of - 23''6 was observed, which in 

 November was intensified to - 2y'2. In the neighbour- 

 hood of Tarai-nor, on the 50th parallel of north latitude, 

 the Burjicts keep numerous camels, which e\en in winter 

 are allowed to wander about without the slightest protec- 

 tion. . . . Here the camel reaches the 50th parallel, 

 westward of Lake Baikal, on the Upper Yenisei, where the 

 Samoyeds keep both reindeer and camels. Here, in- 

 deed, the breeding-area of the camel overlaps that of the 

 reindeer." 



In regard to its capacity for heat, the same author 

 records the following observations ; — " If the degree of 

 cold that the Bactrian camel can withstand is wonderful, 

 not less remarkable is the heat it can undergo. In the 

 Gobi Desert Przewalski took the temperature of the ground 

 in summer and found it to be 62°"5 C." R. L. 



NOTES. 

 We regret to see the announcement of the death of Prof. 

 W. Schur, professor of astronomy in the University of Gtittingen. 

 The Antarctic exploration ship Discovery was inspected by 

 the King and (^)ueen at Cowes on Monday. Their Majesties 

 were received by .Sir Clements Markham, K.C. B. , who pre- 

 sented Commander Scott, who in turn presented the officers of 

 the ship and the scientific staff. The King showed great interest 

 in the laboratories and the instruments for scientific work, which 

 were explained by Mr. George Murray, F. R.S., who accom- 

 panies the ship to Melbourne, and Dr. H. R. Mill, who will go 

 as far as Madeira in order to start the oceanographical observa- 

 tions on the way out. The ship left Cowes on Tuesday, with 

 hearty wishes for a voyage free from calamity and fruitful in 

 scientific results. 



We understand from the Jrish Naturalist that Prof. A. C. 

 Haddon, F.R.S., intends to resign the chair of zoology at the 

 Royal College of Science, Ireland, which he has occupied since 

 iSSo, in order to devote more time to anthropological work. 



The death is announced, at San Francisco, of Dr. H. W. 

 Harkness, known for his contributions to entomology and 

 Ijotany. For several years Dr. Harkness was president of the 

 California Academy of Sciences, to which institution he pre- 

 sented his large collections of specimens of cryptogams. 



The Express states that Profs. Haeckel, Conrad and Fraas, 

 of Jena, Halle and Stuttgart Universities respectively, announce 

 that the sum of 1500/. has been placed at their disposal as a 

 prize for the best work on the question, " What do we learn 

 from the principles of the theory of heredity in reference to the 

 inner political development and legislation of States?" Manu- 

 scripts must be in German and sent not later than December I, 

 igo2, to Prof. E. Haeckel, Jena. 



According to a Times correspondent, Dr. Berson and Dr. 

 Suering, who made a balloon ascent from Berlin on July 31 and 

 descended near Kottbus in the morning of the following day, 

 succeeded in reaching an altitude of more than 10,300 metres. 

 It was impossible to ascertain the greatest altitude attained, as 

 both the aeronauts lost consciousness in consequence of the rarity 

 of the air. The minimum temperature registered was - 40° C. 



We learn from Science that, aided by a special fund presented 

 by a friend of the American Museum, Prof. Osborn recently 

 sent out two expeditions especially in search of fossil horses— 



