872 Genera Notes. [September, 
Brit. Assoc.—Report of the fifty-fourth meeting of the British Association for the 
Advancement of Science, held at Montreal, Aug. and Sept., 1884. London, 
1885. 
Packard, A, S——On the embryology of Limulus polyphemus. Read before Amer. 
Philos. Soc., Jan. 16, 1885. 
——Types of Carboniferous Xiphosura new to North America. Amer. Nat., 1885. 
Both from the author. 
Geol. Surv. Canada.—Report of progress of the Geological and Natural History 
Survey of Canada, with maps, 1882-3-4. From A. R. C. Selwyn, director. 
Macoun, 7—Catalogue of Canadian plants. Part 11, Gamopetale. Geol. and 
Nat. Hist. Surv. Canada, 1884. From the author. 
Agassiz, A.—On the young stages of some osseous fishes. Parts 1 and 111. From 
oc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sciences, 1877 and 1882. 
The development of Lepidosteus, Ext. idem., Oct., 1878. Both from the author. 
Hunt, T. S—The Taconic question in geology. From Trans, Roy. Soc. Canada, 
1884. From the author. 
Brown, A. E.—Thirteenth annual report of the board of directors of the Philadel- 
phia Zoological Society, 1885. From the author. 
20: 
GENERAL NOTES. 
GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVELS.! 
Asia—The Badghis district —This district in Northern Afghan- 
istan, north of the watershed of the Herat valley, consists ot 
hills and valleys of sandstone clay, the hills rising from» 200 to 
600 feet, or even to 1000 feet, between two great streams. Though 
sand-covered and desert-looking in autumn, they are not only 
cultivable on their lesser slopes but exceedingly fertile, and in 
spring are covered with flowers and grass knee-deep, The north- 
ern and western parts have little running water, but the eastern 
and southern portions, along the Parapomisus and the Kushk 
rivers, are exceptionally fertile. Sir Hy. Rawlinson states that 
the Bundehesh, a work compiled before the Arab. conquest (in 
the fourth or fifth century) derives “Badghis” from the tribe of 
e Vad-Keshan or “ wind-worshipers.” Coins of the Kushan 
or Tokhari show that these tribes did worship the wind. They 
were commonly called “ White Huns,” came into the land in the 
fourth or fifth century, and had for their capital, Talikan, thirty 
or forty miles east of Maruchak, Badghis (Kileh-Maur) was 
their strong place. 
The Pescadores—The Pescadores, recently bombarded and 
occupied by Admiral Courbet, are in the Formosa channel, 
about twenty-five miles from Formosa. The largest is Panghu, 
and the Chinese name for the group is Panghuting or the 
_ Panghu district. Panghu is forty-eight miles in circumference, 
and the next in size, Fisher’s or West island, is seventeen. The 
nty-one inhabited islands besides several rocks. Trees are 
: ie " i ; i lit i by w. N. LOCKINGTON, Philadelphia. 
