CURRENT NOTES. 61 



expedition of Alexander Borisovich Shelkoviiikov into the newly 

 occupied districts of Persia to Urmi. 



The party left Tifiis on April 20th, and returned on June 28th, 

 (Old Style), after visiting Tavriz, Maragi, Urmi, Salmasta, and Khoia, 

 and a few uninhabited islands in Lake Urmi. Great wealth of 

 mateHal was amassed. The zoologist, Smirnoff, unfortunately, broke 

 his leg at the beginning of the journey, and was obliged to return to 

 Tiflis, so that the mammalian fauna received perhaps less attention 

 than it would otherwise have done. Very important geological collec- 

 tions and observations were made by V. V. Bogacheff, whose name is 

 a guarantee of good work. 



About 8000 specimens of insects were collected ; the season was too 

 earlj^ for Orthoptera, and Decticids and Locustids were very scarce, 

 but some very interesting Nocarodes and Calliyiienus were taken, both 

 genera of peculiar interest ; a fair number of Acridians were taken, as 

 they began to appear at the later part of the journey ; the Orthoptera 

 have been handed over to B. P. Uvaroff for determination. 



In other branches of zoology a fine collection of reptiles was made, 

 including an apparently new species of horned viper and a very large 

 Salainandra -; these were taken near the Turkish frontier, where the 

 party crossed the pass through the mountain crest to the south-east of 

 Urmi ; this region, Shamsdinan, has, it is believed, hitherto been 

 visited by one European only. Captain Jackson, former Military 

 Consul at Van. 



A fair collection of fish was made, from the lake and from rivers, 

 including the upper waters of the Tigris. Among the bigger verte- 

 brates not much was done. The most interesting things were material 

 and observations on the Urmi Sheep, which lives on the island of Koiun 

 Dagh, and on the flamingo, which makes its home on the islands in 

 the lake. 



Among invertebrates, other than insects, molluscs, worms, spiders, 

 and centipedes were collected. Ten thousand botanical specimens 

 were brought back, and a rich palfeontulogical collection from the 

 ossiferous beds of Mt. Maraga, where the Pikermi fauna was found. 

 Bogacheff found here the bones and skull of the first Russian masto- 

 don, of the rhinoceros, lion, hyaena, giraffe, liipparion, and antelopes. 



The Caucasus Museum is to. be heartily congratulated upon the 

 acquisition of so rich, varied, and important a series of collections ; the 

 cost of such an expedition would have been beyond the resources of 

 the Museum, but a Maecenas was found in the person of the President 

 of tbe Caucasus Branch of the Imperial Russian Geological Society, 

 General Yanushkievich, old friend and contemporary of A. B. 

 Shelkovnikov, whose name cannot be unfamiliar to readers of this 

 magazine. — M.B. 



The December number of the Jr. of F'nt. and Zool., California, has 

 an interesting article on the " Growth and Colour Patterns in Spiders," 

 by Margaret L. Moles, illustrated by eight plates, two of which are 

 coloured. In the summary of conclusions it is stated that (1) The 

 young in all cases resemble the adult in shape of body, character of eyes 

 and in habit. (2) Colour changes took place without the aid of 

 moulting although the great changes took place at moulting. (3) Lack 

 or abundance of food was a great factor in the rapidity of moults and 

 colour development. (4) Heat and sunshine were also factors in the 



