NA TURE 



[Dec. lo, 1874 



and pressing it between the upper parts of the filaments, 

 cannot fail to pull asunder the anthers, and thus to cause 

 many loose pollen-grains to fall down upon the proboscis, 

 which are deposited on the stigma of the next flower 

 following.* Thus, in both, cross-fertilisation is secured 

 in case humble-bees visit the flowers, whereas butterflies 

 may easily thrust their slender proboscis down to the 

 honey without even touching the anthers, consequently 

 without any benefit to the plant. Suppose, therefore, 

 that /?. crista galli (a) major were growing in the Alpine 

 region, and visited frequently by butterflies, but never or 

 only very exceptionally by humble-bees, all or nearly all 

 the individuals would of necessity perish without leaving 

 j-osterity, unless any modification of the flowers adapted 

 to cross-fertilisation by butterflies appeared. R. alpiiius 

 may perhaps be considered as having originated in such 

 a way ; for the arrangement and mutual situation of all 

 the parts of its flower is just the same as in R. major, with 

 only this modification, that the entrance between the 

 margins of the upper lip (<■, Fig. 57), through which in 

 both forms of R. crista ^alii butterflies as well as humble- 

 bees thrust their proboscis, in A', alpinus is completely 

 closed {pp, Figs. 54, 55), only a minute opening (t-. Figs. 

 51-56) between two lateral flaps being visible at the tip of 

 the beaked prolongation of the upper lip. No other 

 insects except butterflies would be able to insert their 

 proboscis through this narrow entrance into the flower ; 

 and butterflies, when doing so, could not fail to thrust 

 their proboscis between the left and light anthers (as ex- 

 plained by the dotted line in Figs. 53 and 56), and to dust 

 it with pollen-grains, which would partly be deposited on 

 the stigma of the young flower next visited ; for in young 

 flowers (as shown in Figs. 51 and 53) the style overtops 

 the tip of the beaked prolongation, and the stigma is 

 placed before the minute opening, just in the way of any 

 entering proboscis, whereas in older flowers the stigma is 

 retracted behind the opening by an incurving of the style 

 (as shown in Fig. 56). Hermann Muli,er 



THE TRANSIT OF VENUS 

 TTHE long-anticipated Transit of Venus took place 

 -•■ yesterday morning ; and already has the first instal- 

 ment of news from distant observers arrived. The Astro- 

 nomer Royal has been good enough to inform us that Col. 

 Tennant's observations at Roorkce, India, have been quite 

 successful ; 100 photographs have been taken, flc also 

 telegraphs, at the moment of going to press, the gratifying 

 intelligence that the micrometric observations near Cairo 

 and Suez, and the photographic observations at Thebes 

 have entirely succeeded. 



At the last meeting of the Astronomical Society the 

 Astronomer Royal gave an account of the final arrange- 

 ments of the English parties, which do not vary much 

 from those we stated some time ago. , Messrs. Green 

 have arranged for one of their outgoing ships to pass 

 near Kerguelen's Land, with a view of picking up intelli- 

 gence and telegraphing it from Melbourne. 



The southern stations occupied by the American, 

 French, and German parties leave no doubt that the 

 Halleyan method will be extensively employed. 



The final arrangements of the French parties have been 

 telegraphed to yesterday's Times as follows : — 



" France has six stations — three in the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere, at Pekin, Nagasaki, and Saigon ; and three in 

 the Southern Hemisphere, at Noumea, Campbell Island, 

 and St. Paul's Island. Three of these, Nagasaki, 

 Cochin China, and Noumea, present comparatively no 

 difficulties as regards the voyage and installation. The 

 Nagasaki Commission is headed by M. Janssen, member 

 of the Institute and the Board of Longitude, who has 

 taken part in several scientific voyages resulting in 

 important discoveries. He is assisted by M. Tisserand, 

 superintendent of the Toulouse Observatory, and M. Picard, 



* H. MuUer, ** Befruchtung der Biumen durch Insectcn," p. 294, et seq. 



a naval lieutenant, who will employ the photographic 

 apparatus of MM. Fizeau and Cornu, while a professional 

 photographer will use an apparatus invented by M. 

 Janssen. In Cochin China there will be only one 

 observer, M. Hifraud. a hydrographic engineer. It was at 

 first decided, as a measure of economy, to dispense 

 with the observations in Cochin China, but it was 

 ultimately resolved to profit by M. Heraud's presence 

 in the colony. He will probably be stationed in 

 Tonquin, of which he is preparing a map. M. Andrd, 

 of the Observatory, and M, Angot, of the College of 

 France, have proceeded to Noumea with an equatorial 

 and photographic lens. The observers at Pekin, St. Paul, 

 and Campbell Islands have had to encounter greater 

 difficulties. It is not very easy to reach Pekin with 

 cumbrous luggage. The Commission has had to reach 

 Tien-tsin by Suez and Shanghai, and thence proceed in 

 junks by the canals. It is headed by M. Fifuriais, a 

 naval lieutenant celebrated for his astronomical labours, 

 and comprises two other naval officers, MM. Blarez and 

 Lapied. Their return may be toilsome, as the winter will 

 obstruct the transport of their instruments. At St. Paul 

 and Campbell Islands the observers have had to found a 

 temporary colony in uninhabited islands, without any 

 resources. St. Paul, situated nearly in the centre of the 

 line from the Cape to Australia, is the crater of a volcano 

 which is becoming extinct. There are steep cliffs on all 

 sides, but towards the west the cone sinks, and the 

 interior of the crater forms a creek where vessels 

 can penetrate. No pure water is to be found. The 

 encampment has been established as near as pos- 

 sible to the sea, the salt water having to be distilled 

 for drinking purposes. The St. Paul Commission is 

 composed of M. Mouchez, captain and member of 

 the Board of Longitude, the author of works on the 

 coast of Brazil and Algeria ; M. Turquet, naval lieutenant, 

 long accustomed to astronomical observations, as his 

 coadjutor ; M. Cazin, an eminent Professor at the Lyceum 

 of the Rue du Havre, who is entrusted with the photo- 

 graphy ; and a navy surgeon, M. Rochefort, who will 

 devote himself to the natural history of the island. The 

 Commission is accompanied by twelve naval officers and 

 sailors. Campbell Island, the most distant station, is 

 about 200 leagues south of New Zealand. It is likewise 

 uninhabited, its climate seems disagreeable, and, unfor- 

 tunately, the sky, as at St. Paul, is rarely free from clouds. 

 It possesses, however, good water and a good port. The 

 observers are MM. Bouquet and Hatt, both eminent 

 hydrographic engineers ; M. Courrejolles, naval lieute- 

 nant ; and M. Filbol, the delegate of the Museum and 

 the surgeon of the expedition. There are also twelve 

 sailors. Everything necessary for the subsistence of six- 

 teen men during three months has had to be transported 

 to these two last stations, three months being necessary 

 to determine the exact latitude and longitude of the 

 observatories." 



ON THE NORTHERN RANGE OF THE 

 FALLOW DEER IN EUROPE 

 T N the interesting essay by Dr. Jeitteles, translated 

 ■'- by Dr. Sclater, in Nature, vol. xi. p. 71, many 

 cases of the reputed discovery of the remains of 

 the Fallow Deer are collected together to prove that 

 the animal is indigenous in Northern Europe, and 

 not imported from the south, as heretofore has been 

 supposed by many able naturalists, such as Blasius, 

 Steenstrup, Ruiiraeyer, the late Prof Ed. Lartet, and 

 others. These cases aie accepted by Dr. Sclater 

 without criticism, and are deemed by him to place the 

 importation theory, as it may be termed, in the category 

 of " ancient fables." The question, however, seems to me, 

 after many years' study of the fossil and recent Cervidas of 

 this country and of France, a very difficult one, not to be 

 decided off-hand, and certainly not without a strict 



