Ma}xh 24, 1 881] 



NATURE 



495 



Eqtiui Prjevalski, a new species of wild horse discovered in 

 Central Asia. It was killed by hunters who were sent from the 

 pojt of Zaisan, and its skull and skin were sent to the St. 

 Petersburg Academy of Sciences. M. Poliakofif discusses at 

 length the relations of this new species of horse to our domestic 

 horses, and illustrates his memoir with drawings of the new horse 

 and of its anatomical features. 



Sir John Dalzell's Anemone. — Many of our readers will 

 be glad to hear of the good health and wonderful activity of this 

 celebrated sea anemone. From the annual address of the presi- 

 dent of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, as published in the 

 recently issued part of this Society's T)-aiisaiti]ns, we learn that 

 the late Dr. James M'Bain was the faithful custodian of that 

 Actinia mesembriaiithcmum, wliicb, among naturalists, has long 

 borne the honourable appellation of "Granny," and which, 

 though having entered upon her fifty-second if not her fifty-ninth 

 year of existence, has not yet ceased to people the waters with 

 her progeny, for from the 4th day of March, 1879, to the 4th day 

 of October in the same year, on which occasion the last official 

 registry of birth occurs, she has given origin to twenty-seven 

 young ones. This is nothing to her prolific powers in 1S57, for 

 in one single night in that year she gave birth to no less than 240 

 young ones. This would have put Priam himself to shame, 

 seriously alarmed Malthus, and taxed all the energy of all the 

 accoucheurs in Edinburgh and its surrounding districts. She was 

 gathered from the rocks at North Berwick by Sir John Dalzell, 

 and at his death was handed over to the care of Prof. John 

 Fleming, then to Dr. James M'Bain ; he on the prospect of his 

 decease was most solicitous to find a proper guardian for such a 

 trea-ure. Some to whom he spoke declined to undertake so 

 responsible a duty, till at last Mr. Sadler, the curator of the 

 Royal Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh, cordially responded to 

 the request, and when last heard of the old lady was doing well. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



At the meeting of the Geographical Society on March 14 Mr. 

 James Stewart, C.E., of Livingstonia, read a paper on Lake 

 Nyassa and the Water-route to the Lake-region of Africa. In 

 his preliminary observations he remarked upon the fact that, 

 though the lake is but 350 miles in length, no fewer than seven 

 different languages are spoken on one side only, all belonging to 

 the Great Bantu group, and that natives from the south end 

 cannot understand those at the north end. He dwelt upon the 

 advantages the Livingstonia missionaries enjoyed for performing 

 geographical work at an exceedingly small cost, though their 

 other duties prevented them from doing very much. Mr. Stewart 

 afterwards gave an account of his journey up the w estern side of 

 the northern part of the lake and thence to Tanganyika and 

 back. During this he pas ed one stream, the Mera, which he 

 thinks may be considered one of the most remote of the sources 

 of the Congo. Mr. Stewart concluded by statmg that he was 

 shortly about to return to Lake Nyassa, where he hoped to have 

 opportunities for resuming his geographical work in opening a 

 route to the south end of Lake Tanganyika. 



We have the new numbers of several geographical journals 

 before us. In the March number of Pf/a-iiiann's Mitlheiluitgen 

 Herr Richard Buchta describes his journey, in considerable 

 detail, to the Nile Lakes in 1878. To accompany a map of the 

 South Argentine Pa jjpas Herr H. Wichmann summarises the 

 latest information we have on that region. M. Sibiriakoff 

 describes his journey in the Oscar Dickson to the mouth of the 

 Jennissei in 1S80. This number contains the geographical 

 necrology of the past year, besides the usual monthly summary. 

 — In the Zeitsclirift of the Berlin Geographical Society Herr 

 C. J. Biittner in a long paper gives some valuable directions for 

 the study of the Bantu group of languages. Herr K. Himly has 

 a short paper on some of the forms of Turkish, Mongolian, and 

 Chinese names of jilaces in books of geography. Herr Gustav 

 Niederlein describes in a long paper some of the scientific results 

 of an Argentine Expedition to the Rio Negro in Patagonia. 

 Appended is a reproduction on a large scale of Dr. Kiepert's 

 map of the new boundaries in the Balkan Peninsula. — In the 

 Verhandlimgcn of the same Society is a paper by Herr K. 

 Kessler on the Cauca-us and their exploration, and some 

 valuable remarks on the thickness of the ice formed each year 

 in the Arctic regions, and its connection with Arctic tempera- 

 tures. — The first number of vol. iv. of the Deutsche geigraphische 

 Blatter (Bremen) contains a long paper by Dr. Lindemann on 



the woods of the Bavarian Spessart, and by the same author a 

 summary of recent Arctic work. — To the December number of 

 the Bulletin of the French Geographical Society M. De Castries 

 contributes a paper on the region of the Wed Draa ; M. Ch. 

 Velain, geological ifotes on Upper French Guana ; and M. H. 

 Duveyrier, on the question of the sources of the Niger. 



Dr. Rae sends us the following extract from a letter to him 

 by Capt. Howgate, dated Washington, March 4, iSSi :— " I 

 write . . . to tell you that Congress has given the appropriation 

 asked for the continuance of our work via Lady Franklin Bay, 

 and alsL) for an expedition via Behring Strait — ostensibly to look 

 after the Jeannettc, but also to prosecute the work of discovery 

 in that direction. In addition to this it is propable that the 

 Signal Service will this year establish the Point Barrow sta- 

 tion, making a noble programme of Arctic work for the United 

 States, and one in which I take just pride, for it is the direct 

 result of my persistent work, since 1877, in raising public interest 

 in the cause." 



The preparations for the commencement of the survey of 

 Eastern Palestine are now complete. The War Office have 

 granted to the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund the 

 services of Lieut. Conder, who executed most of the survey of 

 Western Palestine, and Lieut. Mantell, both of the Royal 

 Engineers. The party will include the two non-commissioned 

 officers (now both jiensioners) Black and Armstrong, who first 

 went out in the year 1871. Lieutenants Conder and Mantell 

 started for Eeyrout on Tuesday evening, March 15, and the men 

 will follow H'ith the instruments. The work will be commenced 

 in the north — the land of Bashan. 



From a Buenos Ayres paper we learn that the long-promised 

 exploring expedition to Neuqnen, the most fertile spot perhaps 

 in all South America, and part of the territory secured by General 

 Roca's memorable expedition, has at last started, and important 

 results are expected from it. This territory lies along the foot 

 of the Andes, is watered by innumerable streams flowing from 

 the great range into the Rio Neuquen, one of the two rivers 

 which form the Rio Negro, and presents facilities for agriculture 

 unknown in any other part of the Republic. 



The current number of Les Missions Cathcliques contains a 

 long letter from Pere Schmitt, written from Mboma on the Lower 

 Congo, in which he describes a journey lately made to the foot 

 of the Vellala palls. He paid a visit to the station of the Living- 

 stone (Congo) Inland Mission at Matadi or Matavi, which is 

 situated on the left bank of the Congo, opposite Mr. Stanley's 

 settlement at Vivi. Owing to the whirlpools in the river, landing 

 at Matadi v, as accomplished with great difficulty. From Pere 

 Schmitt's account, the spot hardly appears to have been well 

 chosen, being a melancholy sort of place, covered with rocks, as 

 its name imports. The mission establishment consists of five or 

 six tents, the interior of which reminded the visitor of a bazaar. 

 On the return j jurney Pere Schmitt spent a few days at Noki, 

 where he had an opportunity of collecting information respecting 

 the Congo region from the son of the king, who had been 

 educated at .St. Paul de Loanda. 



According to the London and China Express, the sole 

 obstacle to the contemplated maritime surveying operations in 

 China and Japan, under the direction of the United States 

 Hydrographic Office, has been removed by the consent of the 

 Russian Government to the occupation of an astronomical station 

 at Vladivostock by United States naval officers. They are to 

 proceed there at once, and by telegraphic exchange of time 

 signal-, working from Vladivostock through Japan and China to 

 Madras, will determine with great exactness the longitudes of 

 Yokohama, Nagasaki, Shanghai, Amoy, Hong-kong, Manila, 

 Saigon, and Singapore. 



The Wellington correspondent of the Colonies and India states 

 that the New Zealand Government have just succeeded in 

 acquiring a large tract of land at Rotorua, in the famous Hot 

 Lake district, every acre of which the ^Iaoris have hitherto 

 jealously preserved. Even now tourists from all parts of the 

 world visit this wonderful and beautiful district, but, when it is 

 made more accessible, it is thought that Rotorua will become a 

 great sanatorium for India and the colonies. 



King Oscar of Sweden has just conferred decorations on 

 Prof. \'irchow. Dr. Nachtigal, and Herr William Schonlank, in 

 recognition of their services in the cause of geographical discovery 

 and commerce. 



Dr. Bayot has been deputed by the French [Minister of 

 Marine to explore the upper part of the Niger. 



