32: 



NA TURE 



\_Fcb. 4, 1886 



and Paria, and thus the Sea of Carupano was formed. 

 That the South American mainland extended before this 

 catastrophe as far as Grenada, Tobago, and Trinidad, 

 is sufficiently proved by the investigations of Mr. Bland 

 on the land shell fauna of the West Indies, and is more- 

 over corroborated by the comparative shallowness of the 

 sea between the coast of Venezuela and the islands men- 

 tioned. Tobago is still within the loo-fathom line, and a 

 rise of the sea-bottom of no more than 400 fathoms 

 would be sufficient to re-establish the terrestrial connec- 

 tion with Grenada.' 



It is self-evident that an immense quantity of organic 

 matter must have been buried with the sunken land. 

 This organic matter contributes to the formation of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen, and is the stratum which feeds the 

 submarine petroleum springs on the coast of Barcelona : 

 whilst in those parts which afterwards were again lifted 

 above the surface of the sea, it appears in the extensive 

 deposits of asphalt known in Trinidad and Maturin, 

 and performs an active part in the generation of tlie 

 sulphurous vapours of the azufrales. 



If we consider what a large quantity offish-remains 

 must gradually accumulate in the shallow waters on the 

 coast of Carupano, where they are slowly covered by 

 successive layers of finely-sifted sediment, we are enabled 

 to understand how other deposits of a similar character, 

 for instance, that of Monte Bolca, have been formed in 

 bygone ages ; indeed, Carupano will, in time, be another 

 Monte Bolca to the pahcontologist of the Coming Race. 



Caracas University, October 22 A. Ernst 



KILIMA-NJARO- 



THE rapid progress of African exploration during the 

 last quarter of a century is strikingly exemplified in 

 the brief history of the monarch of African Mountains. 

 Doubtfully alluded to as the " Ethiopian Mount Olympus" 

 by Enciso in the sixteenth century, and absolutely un- 

 known to science before its discovery by Rebmann in 

 1848, it has already since that year been several times 

 visited, partly explored, and even ascended to heights of 

 10,000 and 14,000 feet by Baron von der Decken in 

 1861-62, by the Rev. Charles New in 1871, and by iMr. 

 Joseph Thomson on his memorable journey " Through 

 Masai Land" in 1883. And the work of these pioneers 

 has now been all but completed by Mr. Johnston, who 

 was early in 1S84 specially commissioned by the Ro\al 

 Society and the British Association to study the interest- 

 ing fauna and flora of the Kilima-Njaro uplands. During 

 the six months from May to October of that year, passed 

 by him on their southern and eastern slopes, this experi- 

 enced African traveller has succeeded under great 

 difficulty in collecting abundant materials for illustrating 

 the natural history and physical constitution of the 

 " Mountain of the Snow Fiend," as its euphonious 

 Ki-Swahili name is interpreted. These results are 

 embodied in the work before us, which is alike admirable 

 for its bright and graphic style, and the judicious arrange- 

 ment of its varied contents. By the simple plan, 

 consistently adhered to throughout, of treating the 

 narrative portion separately, and confining the strictly 

 scientific matter to the concluding chapters, all tastes arc 

 consulted, and the common mistake is avoided of 

 sacrificing the interests of the student to those of the 

 general reader. 



The few months to which the expedition was limited 

 were passed partly at the station of Kitimbiriu in the 

 Moshi territory ruled over by King Mandara, partly in 

 the more easterly district of Marangu. Both of these 

 tracts are included in the Chaga country, which occupies 



1 See the chart quoted in the first note. 



" "The Kilima-Njaro Expedition, a Record of Scientific E.xpIoration in 

 Eastern Eouatonal Africa." By H. H. Johnston, F.Z.S. (London: Kegan 

 Paul, 1886.) 



all the southern slope, which however, as now appears, 

 does not constitute a single kingdom under Mandara, 

 but comprises a considerable number of petty Bantu 

 States, mostly mutually hostile, and seldom combining 

 except to resist the attacks of the common Masai enemy. 

 Mandara, who had hitherto figured in the history of recent 

 East African exploration as a doughty warrior scarcely 

 second in importance to 3.Iirambo himself, thus sinks to 

 the position of a mere triton amongst the minnows, though 

 still powerful enough to be troublesome, and enjoying a 

 somewhat widespread reputation, if not for personal 

 courage, at least for political sagacity. 



As shown in the annexed cut (Fig. i) the aspect of 

 Kilima-Njaro seen from above !Moshi is that of a single 

 snow-capped dome towering to a height of nearly 19,000 

 feet above the bare or grassy upper slopes, and clothed 

 lower down with a dense and varied tropical vegetation. 

 But when viewed from Lake Jipe, a point lying nearer 

 its base towards the south-east, it appears in its true 

 character of a double-crested snowy mass, in this as in 

 some other respects presenting a remarkable resemblance 

 to the Armenian Ararat. Mr. Johnston, who made two 

 ascents, first from Moshi to a height of gooo feet, and 

 again from Marangu to about the normal snow-line (16,315 

 feet, or within a little more than 2000 of the summit), 

 calculated the altitudes of the two peaks, Kibo and 

 Kimawenzi, at 18,800 and 16,250 feet respectively. This 

 only slightly exceeds von der Decken's estimate, who 

 assigns 18,700 feet to Kibo, so that the absolute altitude 

 of the probable culminating point of the continent may 

 betaken at somewhat under 19,000. On the lofty con- 

 necting ridge clumps of forest were found still straggling 

 up to 10,000 feet. Many bright-coloured flowers also 

 grew up to this altitude, " notably a vivid blue cyno- 

 glossum (houndstongue), mauve and blue irises, and pink, 

 waxy-white, and yellow everlastings. Tufts of artemisia 

 (southernwood) grew in sheltered places. There were 

 many heaths, a small kind of geranium, huge proteas, and 

 divers ferns and mosses" (p. 235). Even at 12,600 feet 

 strange sessile thistles were met, nearly five feet in 

 circumference, besides an extraordinary lobelia (Z. 

 Deckeni) three to four feet in height, and a very 

 characteristic arborescent plant new to science, and since 

 named Scnccio Johnstoni (Fig. 2), " looking somewhat 

 like a banana in the distance, but in reality consisting of 

 a tall, black, smooth trunk, 20 to 30 feet in height, 

 and surmounted by a huge crown of broad leaves inter- 

 spersed or headed up with bunches of yellow blossom. 

 The strange composite grew abundantly in the streamlet's 

 bed, and its trunk was so superficially rooted that, in 

 spite of its height and girth, I could pull it down with 

 one hand " (p. 26S). 



Beyond 13,000 feet vegetation became stunted and 

 patchy, ceasing altogether about the altitude of 1 5,000 feet. 

 The last resident bird, a !:ind of stone-chat {F inarochroa 

 hypospodia) was met in flocks, and showing a total absence 

 of fear, up to 1 3,700 feet, beyond which no bird was seen 

 except a rare high soaring kite, or great-billed raven. 

 Yet such large game as the elephant, buffalo, and 

 antelope are pursued by the natives up to altitudes 

 of 12,000 and 13,000 feet, and captured chiefly by pit- 

 falls. In the Bura district, east of Kilima-Njaro, the 

 Akclaphus cokei, a species of hartebeest, or tall red 

 antelope, was seen associated by a sort of uncon- 

 scious symbiosis with tall red ant-hills, and de- 

 riving some protection from their almost ludicrous 

 resemblance to these objects. " Being a deep red-brown 

 colour, and standing one by one stock-still at the approach 

 of the caravan, it was really most difficult and puzzling 

 sometimes to know which was antelope and which was 

 ant-hill ; for the long grass hiding the animal's legs left 

 merely a red-humped mass, which until it moved, might 

 well be the mound of red earth constructed by the white 

 termites. The unconscious mimicry was rendered the 



