574 
NATURE 
[ Oct. 14, 1886 
with somewhat higher records from the Amatola forest 
region. There are doubtless many places in this great 
tract, notably in the Drackensberg, where the rainfall 
exceeds that shown on the maps, but there are no records 
to admit of the area being mapped. 
With regard to the causes which determine the varia- 
tion in the rainfall, Mr. Gamble has pointed out that this 
is due chiefly to the sea-currents and the prevailing winds. 
“Natal and the Eastern Province (of the Cape Colony) 
get their rains chiefly in summer, when the south-east 
trade wind blows,’ while “the western portion of the 
Western Province gets its rain mainly in winter with the 
north-west wind” (Zyazs. Philos. Society of South 
Africa). From whatever direction the rain may come, it 
seldom penetrates beyond the mountain-range which runs 
parallel to the coast. This barrier, as shown by Mr. 
Tripp’s contour map, separates the elevated central 
plateau from the tract of lower country on the coast 
During some of the summer months it would appear as 
if the south-east clouds were carried over parts of this 
barrier, but generally all the rainfall in the midland dis- 
tricts of the colony comes from thunder-showers of a very 
local character, heavy rain falling on one farm, while it is 
dry all round. It might be asked why, if the western 
portion of the Western Province gets its rain with a 
north-west wind, should the midlands not get their 
supply from the same source. To this Mr. Gamble 
answers: “We may note that the anti-trade of the 
Western Province comes apparently from a portion of 
the equatorial regions that is occupied by sea, while the 
north-west winds that blow in the Eastern Province, if 
they really keep their theoretical curvilinear path and are 
not interfered with by the height and temperature of the 
ground, come from a portion of the equator where there 
is land and consequently small evaporation.” 
As might be expected, the areas occupied by given 
rainfalls alter in position and size from month to month, 
but these fluctuations cannot well be described without 
the aid of maps. It may be noted, however, that in May, 
which marks the beginning of the wet season at Cape 
Town, the area over which the rainfall varies from 05 to 
1°5 inch occupies nearly the whole of the colony. The 
maps for October to March are extremely interesting, as 
marking the gradual advance of the rains which come 
from the south-east. Concerning droughts and floods, 
Mr. Gamble has made the pregnant remark :—*It is fre- 
quently said that in such and such a year there was a 
drought in the colony ; in another year, heavy floods in 
the colony. This way of speaking is incorrect, for, in 
consequence of the very distinct climates of the east and 
and west respectively, it is very rare that a drought occurs 
all over South Africa at the same time.” 
As the future prosperity of South Africa depends on 
irrigation, it is almost needless to point out the import- 
ance of the work done by Mr. Gamble. Considering the 
small outlay which has been incurred, the results are 
remarkable. Whether the work will in future be carried 
on in the same scientific spirit as it has been hitherto is 
somewhat doubtful in view of the backward tendency at 
present in course of development in the colony. 
THOMAS STEWART 
FERDINAND STOLICZKA 
EN an interesting memoir, published by order of the 
Government of India, Mr. V. Ball gives a sketch of 
the life and work of Dr. F. Stoliczka, for many years 
Paleeontologist to the Geological Survey of India. “This 
memoir appears in connection with the publication of the 
scientific results of the second Yarkand mission, of which 
Stoliczka was Naturalist, and during the return journey 
of which he met his untimely end. 
Born at Hochwald, in Moravia, in May 1838, Stoliczka 
obtained his early education at Prague, from whence he 
proceeded to Vienna, where he took the degree of a 
Doctor of Philosophy. To Prof. Stiess he was indebted 
for his first regular training in geology, and he received 
the kindlicst help in palaontology from Dr. Hoérnes, who 
was for some years Director of the Austrian Imperial 
Mineralogical Cabinet, and was well known by his re- 
searches on the Mollusca of the Vienna Tertiary. He died 
in the prime of life, but not before he had seen the firstfruits 
of Stoliczka’s labours on the Cretaceous fossils of India. 
Stoliczka’s first contribution to science was made (1859) to 
the Vienna Academy of Science as a memoir on some 
fresh-water Mollusca from the Cretaceous formation of 
the North-Eastern Alps, and in 1861 he became one of 
the staff of the Austrian Geological Survey, of which Dr. 
Haidinger was then the chief. Here he had the fullest 
opportunities of working at his favourite pursuit, and well 
does he seem to have availed himself of them. There 
was a conscientious accuracy as well as an extensive 
knowledge of his subject displayed in Stoliczka’s writings 
of this period that early marked him out for a brilliant 
career. 
In the year 1862 he received the appointment of 
Assistant to the Geological Survey of India, and was 
present with Dr. Oldham, the Superintendent of the 
Survey, at the meeting of the British Association at 
Cambridge over which Prof. Huxley presided. There 
are many who may still remember his slight figure, 
and dark hair brushed back: in after days he became 
rather stout. At that time he knew but a few words of 
English, but very shortly afterwards we find him not only 
speaking and understanding English well, but actually 
writing notes in his journal in English. 
On his arrival at Calcutta he at once commenced to 
work on the Cretaceous fossils of Southern India, and 
the splendid series of memoirs on these forms, of which 
Part 1 appeared in 1863, was not completed until ten 
years afterwards. These memoirs, in which as to the 
Belemnites and Nautilus he was assisted by Mr. Blan- 
ford, form a work of over 1400 pages, illustrated by 176 
plates, a record in itself of a laborious life. The work of 
arranging and describing the fossils collected by others 
was, however, only a small portion of the work performed 
by Stoliczka. 
thing that pertained to the natural history of his adopted 
country, and there was scarcely a division of the animal 
kingdom that he had not a tolerable acquaintance with, 
and to the published records of which he did not add 
something—Mammaiia, birds, reptiles, mollusts, Polyzoa, 
arachnids, Crustacea. 
From time to time his work took him from the Museum 
workshops, and he visited now the North-Western 
Himalayas, and again the Andaman Islands, and portions 
of Burmah, In all and every place he visited he found 
something new and interesting, and by the numerous 
papers which he published as the result of his travels, one 
might almost follow him in his journeyings. 
In 1873 it had been arranged that Stoliczka should go 
to Europe to take charge in part of the splendid collec- 
tion of minerals and fossils sent to the Great Exhibition 
of Vienna from the Geological Survey of India, but he 
was tempted to go instead as one of the mission from the 
Government of India to the King of Yarkand and Kash- 
gar. On May 17 he left Calcutta on a journey from 
which he never returned. Yarkand was reached on 
November 8. Early in October, and shortly before cross- 
ing the Sanju Pass (16,500 feet high), Stoliczka had 
been seriously ill from apparently a slight attack of 
spinal meningitis, from which, however, he rallied, and 
he seems to have enjoyed the three weeks’ sojourn at 
Yarkand. On December 4 Kashgar was reached, but 
the formal presentation to the King of Her Brit- 
tanic Majesty’s letters did not take place til) January 
10, 1874. In February an excursion was made to 
Artish and Kalti Ailak, and on March 17 leave was 
He threw himself with ardour into every- _ 
a 
