302 
NATURE 
[ Yan. 26, 1882 
another on Mr. Darwin's work on Earthworms; and a third on 
Dr. Giinther’s work on Fishes. 
THE Austrian naturalist, Dr, Karl Helmes, has discovered a 
new viper in a valley of the Makattan Mountains in Central 
Egypt. He has named it Ammodytes-egyptiaca Helmesti, It 
has nothing in common with Cerastes cornutus, the yellow horned 
viper. The principal difference is that the horn-points are not 
above the eyes but about 4mm. behind them. The animal does 
not hiss like other serpents, but makes a rattling noise as when 
water is thrown upon red-hot iron. 
the more interesting to zoologists as this is the first new species 
discovered for many years. 
THE Budget Commission of the German Reichstag has again 
granted 75,000 marks (3750/.) for the investigation of Central 
Africa. The Berlin African Society intends to send out two 
expeditions during 1882, one to start from the west and another 
from the south-west. It is further expected that the German 
station at Hakoma (Lake Tanganyika) will soon be able to pay 
its own expenses by establishing plantations and opening com- 
mercial relations with the neighbouring tribes. 
THE Academy of Meteorological Aérostation of France has 
sent to M. Paul Bert a report which was adopted at its last 
session, and which suggests that an international exhibition of 
“« Aérial arts” should be held in Paris in 1883, to commemorate 
the invention of balloons by the two Montgolfiers in 1783. The 
first public experiment having taken place at Annonay on June 5, 
1783, a local commemoration is to take place in that town. The 
“ Aérial arts” are to include every industry, science or art, 
relating to gas or the atmosphere, which is supposed to have any 
connection directly or indirectly with aérostatic experiments. 
A SUBMARINE eruption took place recently in the Gulf of 
Missolonghi, not far from Anatolikon. For five days a strong 
odour of sulphuretted hydrogen was noticed in the neighbour- 
hood, and whole ships’ cargoes of dead fish were washed ashore. 
A sMART shock of earthquake occurred at Iquique on Novem- 
ber 13, and the master of the German barque Shakespeare, from 
Liverpool, reports that he felt it when about eight miles to the 
westward of Punta Arenas with such severity that he imagined 
the vessel had struck on a rock until the lead showed that he 
was in deep water. On Saturday night an earthquake shock was 
felt at Agram, lasting three seconds, and accompanied by a 
rumbling noise. Intelligence reached Plymouth on Monday from 
Yokohama of a destructive earthquake in China. The news, 
which was despatched from Yokohama on December 25, coming 
by way of San Francisco and New York, is exceedingly meagre. 
It simply announces the fact that a severe earthquake had oc- 
curred in the district of ‘‘ Kantcheou,” and that more than 250 
people had been killed. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 
past week include a Markhoor (Capra megaceros ?) from 
Afghanistan, presented by Lieut.-Col. St. John; a Roseate 
Cockatoo (Cacatua roseicapilla) from Australia, presented by 
Miss Morson ; a Common Raven (Corvus corax), British, pre- 
sented by Mr. S. J. Elyard; a Spanish Terrapin (Clemmys 
leprosa), South European, presented by Mr. H. Balfour ; a col- 
lection of Sea Anemones, British Seas, presented by Mr. A. D. 
Bartlett ; a Malayan Bear (Ursus malayanus) from Malacca, 
purchased ; a Cashmere Shawl Goat (Cafra hircus, var.), born 
in the Gardens. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
AT the meeting of the Geographical Society last week, Sir 
John Kirk read a paper by Mr. Joseph Thomson, on his ex- 
amination of the Rovuma basin, East Africa, during his recent 
The discovery will be all | 
trip in search of the long-talked of coal-beds. These were sup- 
posed to be situated at the Mavitu village of Itule on the banks 
of the Lujende, some three days’ march from its confluence 
with the Rovuma, but on investigation proved to be only some 
irregular layers of bituminous shale, which are of no practical 
use, Though disappointed in the primary object of his journey, 
Mr. Thomson has been able to add much to our knowledge of 
the geography of the Rovuma region, having traversed between 
600 and 700 miles of country, besides furnishing many interest- 
ing particulars respecting the seven tribes, or remnants of tribes, 
which are found there. A paper by the Rev. Channey Maples, 
of the Universities’ Mission, was afterwards read, on Mal 
Land between the Rivers Rovuma and Luli, a tract of country 
hitherto entirely unknown. Mr. Maples had hoped to have 
gone right through from Masasi to Mozambique, but on his 
arrival at Mvalixa’s, the capital of the Meto Makuas, he was 
unable to induce his followers to proceed further. He had, 
therefore, to abandon his projected visit to the fierce branch of 
the Makua tribe, called the Walomwe; but what was more 
annoying, his hopes of verifying the existence of a snowy moun- 
tain, named TJrati by the natives, and said to be about half way 
between Meto and Mozambique. In the discussion which fo)- 
followed the reading of these papers, Sir John Kirk made some 
interesting remarks on the great expansion of the india-rubber 
trade in East Africa during recent years, the value of the annual 
export having risen from #z/ to about a quarter of a million 
sterling. 
AFTER his recent discovery of the source of the River Lujende 
in what he supposes to be the unexplored northern portion of 
Lake Shirwa, the Rev. W. P. Johnson, of the Universities’ 
Mission, followed the course of the river with a view to return- 
ing to his station at Mataka’s town, but he was met outside and 
informed by the chief that his house had been utterly wrecked 
and his very books torn to pieces and scattered to the four winds 
of heaven. The outrage appears to have been committed by 
the owners of a slave-caravan, who believed that Mr. Johnson 
had contrived to send down information which had enabled 
Capt. Foot, R.N., to stop them some fifteen miles from the 
coast. Mr. Johnson had consequently been obliged to go to 
Zanzibar to refit, and as it would be impossible to settle again at 
his old station for the present, be intends to establish himself at 
Losewa, on the eastern shore of Lake Nyassa, in about S. lat. 
13°. Thence he hopes to work Mataka’s town, and he ought to 
be able to obtain useful information about this almost unknown 
side of the lake. 
A TELEGRAM from St. Petersburg states that a scientific expe- 
dition, consisting of members of the Russian Geographical 
Society, the Imperial Academy of Sciences, and others, is being 
equipped for the purpose of making historical and ethnographical 
researches in Bulgaria and Roumelia. Prince Alexander of 
Bulgaria has contributed 4000/. towards the expenses of the ex- 
pedition, in the work of which it is hoped Prince Vogorides will 
join. 
Mr. CUTHBERT PEEK is to read a paper on his journey in 
Tceland last summer, at the Geographical Society’s meeting on 
January 30. 
Mr. BARHAM, an experienced surveyor, is to-start this week 
for West Africa, for the purpose, it is said, of surveying a line 
for a light railway from the Gold Coast littoral through the little- 
known gold-mining region of Wassaw, which will pass the 
property of several mining companies. The country which will 
be opened up by this railway, if it be constructed, is rich in 
palm-oil, india-rubber, &c., in addition to the precious metal, 
THE first number of Petermann's Mittheilungen for this year 
contains a letter from Mr. Schuver, giving details of his journey 
on the Upper Nile, to which we have alrea‘y referred. There 
is a good summary of the Arctic work of the year, with special 
| reference to Wrangel Land, of which island an excellent map is 
given from recent surveys. An interesting sketch is given of 
convict life in Siberia, and a summary of recent work in the 
Congo basin. A brief but valuable sketch of the Karachis of 
the Caucasus, followed by the monthly notes, concludes the 
number. A valuable geological map of West Africa, after data 
furnished by Dr. Lenzs accompanies the number. 
Tuz new part (Heft i. band iii.) of the Avittherlungen of the 
German African Society contains several communications. Dr. 
3uchner has reached Loanda on his return journey, There is a 
series of interesting letters from the members of the German 
