AvcustT 14, 1902] 
NATURE 
373 
with water, but subsequently it dried up. Although sul- 
phurous vapours escaped from its bed, which led to its 
being named La Soufriére, we read that it was more or 
less covered with vegetation. 
On May 2, in addition to vapours, Pelée erupted ashes 
to cover Le Précheur. At 11.30 that night there were 
terrifying detonations, and “cinders” covered the country 
as far as Fort de France. These detonations, but vary- 
ing in intensity, were continuous. With these sounds 
were mixed those of thunder, which followed the flashes 
of lightning in the dust cloud, the general rumbling in the 
crater, and the roar of many torrents. Thirty streams 
round Mont Pelée rose at once, and yet not a drop of 
rain had fallen on the coast. On May 5 the Riviére 
Blanche became a threatening and muddy torrent. 
Suddenly a column of vapour was seen to rise from the 
valley that expands below the crater of Mont Pelée, 
following which a “boiling water-spout” burst in the 
mountain, and this, laden with rocks and earth, buried 
the Guérin Sugar Works and rushed seawards, to founder 
two yachts, one of which was 150 metres off the shore, 
and to sink eight lighters. 
Near the site of the factory this mud is at least 6 
metres indepth. It appeared to Prof. Landes, who con- 
tributed to the last issue of Zes Colonies, that the contents 
of the Etang Sec had broken their barrier and avalanche- 
like had rolled 700 metres downwards to the sea. The 
origin of this disaster, like that which on May 8 destroyed 
St. Pierre, is therefore to be found on the flanks of 
Pelée rather than at its crater. p 
Those who on April 27 visited the Etang Sec de- 
scribe the same as a bowl 300 metres in diameter at the 
bottom and 800 metres at the top. The surface of the lake 
within this bowl was covered with black cinders, whilst the 
trees round the crater were covered with a “ metallic 
black coating.” 
On the eastern side of the basin there was a cone 10 
metres high and about 15 metres in diameter at its 
summit. From this new crater “smoke” rose in great 
puffs, water spouted from the borders of the basin and 
poured downwards to the lake, and there was a sound of 
boiling. The temperature of the water in the lake was 
that of the body, but where it entered it was probably 
very much higher. It deposited a fine slate-coloured 
powder, and contained sulphurous gas which blackened 
silver. Here and there green leaves could be seen in the 
lake, which the guides affirmed were on the upper 
branches of trees probably 20 metres in height. 
The vicar-general says that about 4 am.on May 7 
he saw on the flanks of Pelée two red craters, and these 
were visible for half an hour. On May 8, about 4 a.m., 
there was a violent thunderstorm, and torrents of rain fell 
in Fort de France. 
At about 8 o’clock there was a hailof stones and hot 
cinders, and the sea retreated three times a distance of 
several hundred metres. Whilst this fiery tornado was 
obliterating St. Pierre, two atmospheric currents—one 
from the south-east and the other from the north— 
showered rain upon its flanks. 
On May 1 Les Colonies told its readers that on April 
29, between 3 and 5 p.m., there had been several shocks 
of earthquakes, but nothing is said about volcanic 
eruptions. 
On May 2 it advertises an excursion to Mont Pelce, 
but it is not until after the eruption which took place the 
same night that any serious reference is made to the 
volcano. Next day (Saturday, May 3) Les Colonies is 
filled with details relating to acinder rain that never 
ceases, the closing of houses, the difficulty of obtaining 
vegetables, the obliteration of roads, the muddy rivers, 
the dead birds and dying animals, and the flight on the 
steamers of the Compagnie Girard. 
Great fear seems to have existed lest an earthquake 
should occur. The issues of May 6 and 7 continue the 
NO. 1711, VOL. 66] 
gruesome story. In his last issue the editor inserts a 
note that Thursday, May 8, being the Feast of the 
Ascension, his offices would be closed, and the next 
number of Les Colonies would appear on Friday. But 
for St. Pierre Friday never came. 
A second paper in the Century Magazine gives the 
narratives of two eye-witnesses of the eruption in St. 
Vincent. The first of these is from Captain Calder, chief 
of the policein that island. From his account it appears 
that La Soufriére showed signs of eruption on May 5. 
On May 6, at 8.30 pm., Captain Calder left Kingstown 
by boat for Chateau Belair, and about midnight he saw 
the whole top of the mountain burst into “flame.” This 
was followed by a heavy explosion. 
At 2.30a.m. (May 7) there were similar explosions, with 
but little “flame.” About 10 a.m. there was a terrific 
explosion, and in the “smoke” cloud there was a little 
pale flame. At 1.30 p.m. thiscloud had reached a height 
of at least twomiles. Next he describes the flight of the 
population holding boards above their heads to prevent 
injury from falling stones, following which are detailed 
accounts of the varying phases of the volcanic activit 
and the destruction which it wrought. ‘ 
The second personal narrative is from Mr. T. 
McGregor McDonald. From this it appears that at 
Chateau Belair the first notice of an eruption was at 
2.40 p.m. on May 6, At first the Soufriére erupted 
columns of white vapour without explosions. At 7.30 
p.m. the vapour was accompanied with flame, and ex- 
plosions took place at intervals of about two hours. 
On May 7, at 6a.m., black “stuff” was erupted. About 
7-45 columns of vapour rose to a height of 30,000 feet 
in one minute. From 11.10, when there were thunder 
and lightning, Mr. McDonald made entries in his note- 
book of what was occurring almost every five minutes. 
This he did until 2 p.m., when beneath a rain of stones 
he escaped to Walliabou, where the diary was re- 
commenced and continued up to 9.30 p.m. on May 14. 
J. MILNE. 
A TEXT-BOOK OF MAMMALS} 
EW branches of zoological science have made greater 
advances during the last ten or a dozen years than has 
the study of mammals. Investigations with the micro- 
scope and the section-cutter: have revolutionised our 
ideas as to the homology and succession of the dentition 
of the marsupials, while our conception of the relation- 
ship of that group to the monotremes on the one hand, 
and to the typical placentals on the other, has been 
totally altered by the discovery of a vestigial placenta in 
the bandicoots, and also by the apparent evidence of a 
connection with the creodonts afforded by certain extinct 
types from the South American Tertiaries. Then, again, 
the systematic part of the subject has been enriched by 
the discovery of anumber of totally new and unexpected 
living generic types, such as Notoryctes and Czenolestes 
among the marsupials, Zenkerella and Idiurus among the 
scaly-tailed African squirrels, and Ocapia among the 
ungulates. Our conceptions of species and local races 
have undergone an equally profound change in the group 
under consideration, and the number of such new forms 
—some good and some bad—which have been added to 
our lists during the last few years is little short of 
astonishing. Moreover, trinomialism has been intro- 
duced into the science, and is largely adopted by a con- 
siderable number of eminent writers ; and nomenclature 
itself has undergone a change which, while in many 
respects regrettable, could scarcely have been avoided, 
at least to a certain degree, if zoology is to maintain any 
1 “The Cambridge Natura History.’’ Vol. x. Mammalia. By F. E. 
Beddard. Pp. xii+605. Illustrated. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 
1902.) Price 17s. net. 
