128 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Effect of Lightning on a Growing Tree. — I am indebted 

 to Mr. W. H. Ferguson for the following particulars of the effect of 

 lightning on two Ironbark {Eucalyptus sideroxlyon) saplings, near 

 Dunolly : — " The saplings were growing together, touching at the 

 bases of their trunks, which had a diameter of about 12 inches. 

 One had been felled some two years before, but the stump, about 

 three or four feet high, was not yet dead ; this shows a thin Hne 

 cut out from the top to the ground. The other tree has been 

 ' burst ' to or near its centre. The bark from near the ground to 

 about 10 feet was completely blown off, and lies scattered around 

 the tree at distances of from 30 to 40 feet. Higher up patches of 

 bark were burst off the limbs here and there. It seems as though 

 the electricity ran down the side of the tree, and generated 

 sufficient heat to flash the sap into steam, and so burst off the 

 bark as boiler plates are torn off in an explosion. Thus the 

 nearly dry stump was only superficially marked, while the living 

 tree was split to perhaps its centre." — A. E. Kitson. 



The Sea Serpent. — At the June meeting of the Zoological 

 Society of London Messrs. Meade-Waldo and M. Nicoll, the two 

 naturalists accompanying Lord Crawford during his cruise on the 

 steam yacht Valhalla, gave an account of the sea monster they 

 saw when off the coast of Brazil. On the 7th December, 1905, 

 when in lat. 7 deg. 14 min. S. and long. 34 deg. 25 min. W., the 

 extraordinary creature was seen at a distance of about 100 yards 

 from the ship, moving in the same direction, but at a much slower 

 rate than the vessel. At first the naturalists noted what they took 

 to be a dorsal fin, about 4 feet long, standing about 2 feet above 

 the water. Every now and then it disappeared beneath the 

 surface. Presently an eel-like neck, over 6 feet long, and of the 

 thickness of a man's thigh, having a head shaped like that of a 

 turtle, appeared in front of the fin. The creature lashed up the 

 water with a curious wriggling movement of the neck. Un- 

 fortunately the creature was soon lost sight of, owing to the faster 

 speed at which the Valhalla was moving. Drawings, however, 

 were made of the appearance of the creature, and shown at the 

 meeting. — English Mechanic, 29th June, 1906. 



" A Key to the Birds of Australia." — A second edition 

 of this work, by Mr. R. Hall, F.L.S., has just been issued from 

 the press. It contains a number of illustrations and some ad- 

 ditional features, which will be referred to in next month's 

 Natioralist. 



