NATURE 
[ Fan. 26, 1871 

that the fungus is the direct cause of the progress and of 
the destructive operation of the malady, and that it is 
probable, though not so certain, that the spores germinate 
in the healthy stem, and actually produce the disease. 
The last paper contains a description by Dr, Cohn of a 
plant which he has discovered in well-water at Breslau, 
and to which he has given the name of Crenothrix poly- 
sfora. The genus is new and isclosely allied to Chame- 
siphon, being intermediate between that and Zyngyéa. It 
would take too much space to describe the plant at length, 
for the particulars of which we must refer to the paper, 
in which will be found, moreover, some interesting obser- 
vations upon the microscopical analysis of well-water in 
general. The Crenofhrix was first noticed in water from 
a well at Breslau, in a part of the town notorious for the 
prevalence of typhus. It has been found also in other 
wells of bad reputation, but whether it has any injurious 
effect upon the health of the dwellers in the neighbourhood 
of the wells in question Dr. Cohn cannot venture to say. 
It will be seen, from what has been said, that the 
periodical under notice is well deserving the attention of 
botanists and physiologists, and from the reputation of 
its editor there is every reason to hope that the scientific 
interest of future numbers may equal that of the present 
one. F. CURREY 




OUR BOOK SHELF 
Matheran Hill, its People, Plants, and Animals. By 
J.Y.Smith, M.D. (Edinburgh: Maclachlan and Stewart.) 
THIS is perhaps the first attempt that has been made to 
give a comprehensive account of the natural history of 
any particular spot in our East Indian possessions, and 
we welcome this little book as a sample of what may be 
accomplished by residents there in the midst of their offi- 
cial occupations. The undertaking is worthy of all 
praise, and, as far as it goes, it is a valuable contribution 
to the ethnology and natural history of India, and willno 
doubt be the groundwork for further research, and lead to 
other similar works. 
The hill of Matheran is within twenty miles of the coast 
of Bombay, it is basaltic, and rises in the centre of a vast 
plain to the height of about 2,600 feet, it is precipitous on 
all sides, flat on the summit, which has an area of about 
five square miles, and is clothed with luxuriant vegetation ; 
it is, in short, one of the most charming spots in India. 
In less than three hours one can be transported from the 
heat, dust, and noisy traffic of Bombay to what appears 
to be another world, where the body is refreshed and invi- 
gorated by the pure mountain air, and the spirit soothed 
by the beauty of verdant foliage, the cheerful music of 
feathered songsters, scenery grand and picturesque, and 
the general repose of nature. To the naturalist Matheran 
opens a grand volume to him, the little plateau has an 
air of enchantment, and he has spread out before him in 
the most attractive form objects which will supply him 
for even years with delightful and instructive occupation 
without the toil and exposure of long journeys. To such 
Dr. Smith’s account of the more prominent objects to be 
met with will therefore be a valuable boon, and, indeed, 
to all lovers of nature who may visit the place. Let the 
home botanist imagine himself in a pretty little cottage on 
Matheran, with no less than seventy-five flowering trees 
and shrubs within a mile of his residence ; not tomention 
climbing plants, creepers, herbs, parasites, and ferns in 
abundance. As the author is now returning to the East, 
we hope he will have opportunities of extending his 
interesting observations, especially on the birds and 
insects. To the geologist, Matheran is an object of 
interesting study ; he will there see that curious rock called 



laterite or iron stone clay, the nature of which has been 
so much disputed, capping the great basaltic formation 
(to use a homely phrase) like the sugar on a Christmas 
cake, and if he extends his observations to the north and 
south, he will find the same capping on other hills, thirty 
to sixty miles distant, while no trace of it exists in the 
interval between. To what bold speculations does this 
fact give rise? Did this laterite once cover the whole 
country as with a mantle, and are present appearances 
due to a vast denudation of hard trappean rock 2,000 to 
3,000 feet deep? 
We are glad to find natural history included among the 
subjects for Indian Civil Service examinations, for 
hitherto this class of Europeans in India have contributed 
comparatively little to our knowledge of that wonderful 
land “where all, save the spirit of man, is divine.” 
A Voyage Round the World. By the Marquis de Beau- 
voir. 2vols. (Murray, 1870.) 
THIS is the gossiping journal of a young companion of 
the Duc de Penthiévre, son of the Prince de Join- 
ville, often amusing and spirited, but of little perma- 
nent value, We have the usual exaggerations of a 
novice in the tropics. At Batavia he speaks of “this 
torrid temperature of 104° in the shade,” a degree of heat 
never experienced by the present writer during many years’ 
residence in those regions. The author’s scientific at- 
tainments may be estimated by his account of his visit 
to the Melbourne Museum, when he makes Prof. Mac- 
Coy speak in this fashion :—The stratum of alluvial soil 
covering the crust of primitive rocks, which formed round 
the earth while it was still in a liquid and incandescent 
state, possesses the same specific type of animal life that 
characterises the ancient strata of Wales, Sweden, and 
North America. Then come soils identical with those of 
these countries, schist and fossil rocks ; thus Canada, 
Scotland, and the province of Victoria have all passed 
through the same form of existence at this remote period.” 
The countries described are Australia, Java, Siam, and 
Canton, and the whole journey occupied about six months. 
A. R.W. 
The Student and Intellectual Observer. A Quarterly 
Journal of Science, Literature, and Art. Vol. 5. (Lon- 
don : “Groombridge and Sons.) 
THE volume now before us is in every way worthy of the 
reputation of its predecessors. Four papers on poison 
are contributed by Mr. F. S. Barff, and Dr. Car- 
penter contributes two interesting papers on the “ Deep 
Sea,” the first on its physical, and the second on its 
biological condition. The author’s experience in these 
matters, owing to his connection with recent explorations, 
make the papers the more interesting, because they are 
the words of an actual and accurate observer. Dr. Col- 
lingwood also gives a very readable paper on a kindred 
subject, “ The Sargasso Sea and its Inhabitants,” in which 
the Sargassum or Gulf-weed comes in for a good share of 
attention, being, as it is, the home of multitudes of 
Polyzoa, Polyps, Crustacea, Molluscs, and similar creatures. 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd talks about Cycads under the very 
misleading title of “Sago Palms.” At one time the 
Sago of commerce was supposed to be the produce of 
the Cycads, but now we know that the bulk of this useful 
article is yielded by two or more species of Sagzs, true 
palms ; it is, to say the least, advisable that an old term 
proved to have been wrongly given, should not be per- 
petuated. The author, however, does attempt to qualify 
its use in the following sentence :—“ By ‘Sago Palms’ is 
to be understood the great group of gymnospermous 
plants, of which the Cycads and their allies are repre- 
sentatives, a group possessing powerful morphological 
relations, and, of course, a correspondence within certain 
limits in all their biological characteristics.” The volume 
contains many other interesting papers in various branches 
of science, and we concludethis short notice by wishing well 
to an old-established monthly in its new quarterly form. 
