10 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. IV., No. 74. 



this power, sufficient to cause an}' general illu- 

 mination, or powerful enough to have influ- 

 enced, over the whole ocean, the evolution 

 of complex eyes, brilliant and complex pro- 

 tective colors, and complex commensal adapta- 

 tions. 



It seems to me probable that more or less 

 sunlight does actually penetrate to the greatest 

 depths of the ocean in the form of a soft sea- 

 green light, perhaps at two thousand to three 

 thousand fathoms equal in intensity to our 

 partially moonlight nights, and possibly at the 

 greatest depths equal only to starlight. It 

 must be remembered that in the deep sea, far 

 from land, the water is far more transparent 

 than near the coast. A. E. Verrill. 



ALPHONSE LAVALLEE. 



Dendrological science has met with a great, 

 an almost irreparable loss, in the death of 

 Alphonse Lavallee, the best-known and most 

 successful student and collector of trees of this 

 generation. Twenty-five years ago, under the 

 advice and inspiration of Decaisne, he com- 

 menced to gather upon his estate at Segrez, 

 near Paris, the collection of trees and shrubs 

 which has since developed into the richest and 

 most complete arboretum ever established. 



Mr. Lavallee did not confine himself merely 

 to the collection and cultivation of trees : he 

 studied them thoroughly and critically, pub- 

 lishing from time to time the results of his 

 investigations. 



The nomenclature and synonymy of the 

 forms and varieties of many genera of trees 

 cultivated in the different countries of Europe, 

 long ago fell into an almost hopeless con- 

 fusion ; and. to bring some order out of this 

 confusion, Mr. Lavallee set himself resolutely 

 to work. The results of these investigations 

 were published, ten years ago, in the catalogue 

 of his collections. A second and greatly 

 enlarged edition of this useful work, written 

 with a riper judgment and fuller knowledge, 

 in man}' critical questions of synonymy, was 

 nearly ready for the printer at the time of Mr. 

 Lavallee's death. He had commenced, too, the 

 publication of the Arboretum Segrezianum, of 

 which, however, only five parts had appeared. 

 This sumptuous work, superbly illustrated 

 with figures engraved from steel, contained the 

 descriptions and history of some of the rarest 

 or least-known plants of Mr. Lavallee's col- 

 lections. His latest published work, a magnifi- 

 cently illustrated folio in which are described 

 Les clematites a grandes Jleurs, has only just 



reached the author's correspondents in this 

 country. This was to be followed, in the 

 course of the year, by an illustrated monograph 

 of the genus Crataegus, which has long occu- 

 pied Mr. Lavallee's attention. His collection 

 of different forms of the species of this most 

 difficult and perplexing genus was unsurpassed, 

 and his opportunities for observing them in a 

 living state unequalled ; so that a valuable 

 revision of this genus might have been looked 

 for from his pen. 



Mr. Lavallee, at the time of his death, was 

 president of the Central horticultural society 

 of France, and perpetual treasurer of the 

 National agricultural society, and had just 

 declined the professorship in the Museum 

 d'histoire naturelle, lately made vacant by the 

 death of his old master, Decaisne. He had been 

 in ill health for several months, but his death 

 was entirely unexpected. It was caused by 

 aneurism, and occurred at Segrez upon the 3d 

 of May, only a few hours after his return from 

 a long residence in the south of France. Mr. 

 Lavallee was only forty-nine years old at the 

 time of his death. C. S. S. 



BURIAL-MASKS OF THE ANCIENT 

 PERUVIANS. 



A recent contribution to the Bureau of eth- 

 nology illustrates one of the most curious of 

 ancient burial customs. It is almost a univer- 

 sal practice with primitive peoples to deposit 

 articles of value with the dead. The ancient 

 Peruvians were most lavish in this respect. 

 Food, raiment, implements, utensils, rich tap- 

 estries, and precious articles of silver and gold, 

 as well as objects of superstitious regard, were 

 freely sacrificed. 



Most interesting of all these offerings were 

 the mask-like heads generally placed within 

 the outer wrappings upon the top of the mummy 

 pack. At Ancon these objects were usually 

 made of cotton cloth. A small square sack or 

 pillow was made, and stuffed with leaves or sea- 

 weed. One side was painted to represent the 

 human face, and to this a wooden nose was 

 stitched. Hair was attached to the back of the 

 head, and a more or less elaborate head-dress 

 was placed upon the crown. 



The specimen referred to is of this class. 

 It was obtained from a grave in the vicinity of 

 Lima, and purchased by G. H. Hurlbut of Chi- 

 cago. It differs greatly from Ancon specimens, 

 but is somewhat similar to an example illus- 

 trated by Squier, also from the vicinity of Lima. 

 It is interesting chiefly on account of the heter- 



