460 



NA TURE 



[Jum: I 7, i<5»OQ 



excursions were made, Spruce then crossed to the 

 western side of tlie Cordillera to cxjilore the Cinchona 

 forests, bcin^ coniniissioned to obtain seeds and younfj 

 plants of Cinchona for India. It was forlun.ate that 

 such a man as Spruce was on the spot to undertak<' 

 tlie work. As his lirst visit to the forests of .Mausi 

 proved unproductive, he moved further north to the 

 red-bark forests on the lower western slopes of Chim- 

 borazo, where the red-bark rej^cion extends from 2000 

 feet to 5000 feet above sea-level. Here he, with Mr. 

 Cross, in the face of extraordinary difticulties, and in 

 the midst of a revolution, collected seeds and raised 

 plants of Ciiiclioiia siiccirtihra. After a perilous 

 voyage, they brouj^ht their cargo of Wardian cases 

 safely to (iuayaquil, whence they were sHi])ped to 

 India. The story of this enterprise is a remarkable 

 narrative of enerjjy and deterrpination overcoming 

 innumer.ible obstacles. 



An interesting chapter in this second volume is 



into particulars, but attention must be directed to the 

 original and wonderfully exact map of the country, 

 which is reproduced with the tracks of former 

 treasure-seekers indicated. As Dr. Wallace offers an 

 ingenious and apparently correct expl.ination of 

 the reason why everyone has diverged from 

 the right path at a certain point, there seems now 

 to be every inducement for someone filled with 

 the spirit of adventure to set out, chart in hand, on 

 the five days' journey from Pillaro, and solve the 

 question of the treasure of the Incas. A. W. H. 



.l.V AXTARCTIC ALBUM.' 



AMONC; the most valu.ible assets of the National 

 .Ant.irclic I-'xpedition were the artistic ability of 

 Dr. E. .\. Wilson and the photographic skill of 

 Engineer-I.ieut. .Skelton ; and a large selection from 

 their sketches and photographs, supplemented by those 



photogr.'iph by Lieul. R. W. Skelton ; loikine ,S. fiom Cnpe .\dare to Mount Sabine, itl the head of Robe tson Bay, 

 ry9, 1902. t rem "National Antarrtic Expedition, 1901-4 Album of Photographs." 



Fig. I.— Mount Sabine. From a teU 



January 



occupied by .Spruce's paper entitled " .Ant agency in 

 plant structure, or the modifications in the structure of 

 plants which have been caused by ants, by the long 

 continued agency of which thov have become here- 

 ditary, and have acquired suflicient permanence to 

 be employed as botanical characters." The paper was 

 rejected by the Linnean Society in the form sent in 

 in 1860, and was never printed, but it is worthy of 

 c.ireful perusal. 



Other chapters deal with narcotics, the Amazons, 

 and the interesting rock-pictures of the Amazon valley. 

 The volume concludes with an account of the hidden 

 treasure of the Inc.is, includinc a translation of one of 

 the few existing copies of A'alverde's guide to the 

 Llang.Tnati Mountains — the localitv of the treasure 

 — and the Royal warrant of the King of Spain dis- 

 covered by Spruce after persistent search. It would 

 spoil the exciting interest of the narrative to enter 

 NO. 206S, VOL. 80] 



taken by other members of the expedition, has now 

 been issued in a sumptuous volume and portfolio con- 

 taining i(>5 plates The illustrations included in this 

 collection h.ive been selected ;ind arr.mged bv Dr. 

 Wilson, .and he has also written the introduction and 

 the description of the plates; he gives full acknow- 

 ledgment to Cjiptain Scott .-md other of his colleagues 

 for their help in this respect. 



Sir .Archibald (ieikie contributes the preface, in 

 which he st.ites ih.il the .ilhum has been printed bv 

 Messrs. Oliver and Royil. of Edinburgh, and many (if 

 the photogravures are the work of the Swan Electric 

 Engraving Comp.my, by whom the pencil drawini,'-., 

 were produced by a new process invented by Mr. 

 Donald Cameron Swan. The sketches of the aurora 

 and various meteorological effects are reproduced as 



' "National Anta'Ciic Expedirinn, 1901-4." Allium of Piotographs and 

 Sketches; with a Portfolio of P.ini.mmic Views. Pp. »vi+3'.3; 165 

 pUtes, a maps. (London : Royal Society, 1908. 



