1885.] Geography and Travels. 787 
rivers, besides smaller streams, run into this lake, while the only 
river flowing out is the Waikato. The southern part of the 
tableland, known as the Rangipo plateau, rises to 3000 feet, while 
the part near Lake Taupo is about 2000 feet. Tongariro’s active 
crater is nearly a mile in circuit. Ruapehu is among the largest 
extinct craters in the world, and is not a cone of scoria like Ton- 
gariro, but a gigantic crater of elevation with a base sixty miles 
around. The Kaimauawa mountains are almost in the center of 
the island, neve — 600 feet, and extend along a base of 
about eighty m 
The Wisivicha river, which rises on the eastern side of Rua- 
pehu, is one of the largest streams in the island, and descends by 
a series of grand cascades. The waters of the Upper Waikato 
burst from the sides of Ruapehu very near the Whangaehu, and 
the streams for a while run parallel, though afterwards they run 
in opposite directions. The finest forest in New Zealand is that 
of Te Rangikaika, which covers some 3000 square miles between 
Ruapehu and the west coast. Mr. Kerry-Nicholls reports that 
the Maori race is greatly on the decrease. 
South AMERICA.—Roraima—Particulars of Mr. Im Thurn’s 
ascent of Roraima, with some illustrations, are given in a recent 
number of ature. Koraima and Kukenam are separated by a 
wide gorge, and seem like two fortresses, with walls 1200 to 1800 
feet high, built upon a mountain top 7000 feet in height. The 
north, east and west sides of Roraima are forest-crowned, but on 
the south and south-west it is for the most part devoid of trees up 
to 5890 feet. From here to the cliff-face the slope is steeper and 
covered with thick undergrowth with few large trees. The cliff of 
Roraima was ascended by following a ledge of rock running from 
the tree-covered part up to the summit. The botany of the slope 
was very interesting, but the top itself is covered with an ex- 
tremely scanty and insignificant vegetation. There are several 
pools of water, and on all sides are grouped rocks of the strangest 
and most fantastic forms—portions of the solid sandstone on 
which they rest. Bushes three to six feet high, a few scrubby 
orchids, two species of thick-leafed ferns and a variety of the red 
Utricularia which grows below, ees the botany. There is 
no soil, and no fossils were foun 
The Saskatchewan Regione M. Dawson (Science, April 24) 
describes the Saskatchewan country or that portion of the prai- 
ries which extends north of the northern boundary, as containing 
an approximate area of 300,000 square miles, and as less than 
2000 feet above the sea-level, and thus lower than the correspond- 
ing porso of the continent further south. Parts of this area are 
characterized by scattered groves of aspen and other trees. The 
Red River valley has an altitude of 800 feet only, and from this 
level the surface slopes gradually upward at the rate of four to 
VOL, XIX—NO. VIII. 52 
