126 MR. .T. T. LAST ON THE BONES OF .EPTORNIS. [Feb. 6, 



fossil remains abound ; in fact, judging from personal observation 

 and native information, I should say that these dry lake beds are 

 to be found scattered over the whole of South Central Madagascar, 

 north of the Ong'ulahi, or St. Augustin River, and that they are all 

 more or less fossiliferous. 



Whilst speaking of this part of the country, I must just call 

 attention to a little district which extends, in a N.E. and S.W. 

 direction, from the town of Salu-avaratsi (situated on the right 

 bank of the Ong'ulahi River, about a mile S.E. from where the 

 Taheza flows into the Ong'ulahi) for about 16 miles to the small 

 river Andranumai, which enters the Ong'ulahi on its left bank. 

 This stretch of country, with a width of about five miles, has a 

 number of hot springs, varying considerably in temperature. 

 Some are so hot that any person or animal entering them 

 would be scalded to death, as the springs at Ambundrumbe and 

 Andranumai ; others are deliriously warm, and by bathing in them 

 a kind of vigour seems to be imparted to the whole body. This is 

 especially the case at the warm spring just outside the town 

 of Salu-avaratsi. The water when warm gives off a slight odour, 

 something like iodoform ; but this disappears when the water 

 has cooled, when it is quite clear and pleasant to the taste. The 

 natives always use this water, and no other, for all domestic 

 purposes in preference to the water of the great river which flows 

 close by. At some of the springs a kind of salt is precipitated, as 

 at Salu-avaratsi and Andranumai ; but at the hot springs at Beza 

 the water rushes up through the sand, flows away, and leaves no 

 salt marks. 



Much might be said about this south central district of Mada- 

 gascar, but time and the scope of my present paper will not allow it. 

 I think, however, sufficient has been said to show that it will 

 become a country of considerable interest to the palaeontologist 

 and to all lovers of natural science, especially when the country 

 becomes more opened up and travelling can be accomplished with 

 more ease and safety. 



I will now, with your permission, give some account of my 

 explorations on the south-west coast in search of fossils and 

 other natural-history specimens. Excepting the few objects col- 

 lected in Manansua district, all the fossil collections I have sent 

 home were obtained on the S.W. coast of Madagascar, between 

 Lambuhara, about lat. 22° 10' S., and St. Augustin's Bay, about 

 lat. 23° 30' S. It may be well, perhaps, to briefly describe this 

 tract of coast-line. A range of hills extends along the west side 

 of Madagascar at a varying distance from the coast. About St. 

 Augustin's Bay the hill-sides, in places, descend into the sea. 

 The rocks forming these hills are full of fossil shells. Generally 

 there is an extensive flat, of some miles in width, between the 

 coast-line and the foot of the hills. This flat is very low, probably 

 lower in some places than the high-water fine, from which it is 

 separated either by high sand-dunes or stretches of elevated sand- 

 stone rocks. There are a number of lakes, varying considerably 



