418 THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
miles in diameter, and the broken ring of moun- 
tains round the Mare Imbrium may be the remains 
of a crater more than 500 miles in diameter. The 
largest terrestrial craters are not more than 15 or 
16 miles in diameter. It has been doubted by 
many able men whether there is any true analogy 
between the terrestrial volcanoes and the gigantic 
lunar ring mountains and circular depressions 
that we speak of as craters. Robert Hooke compared 
the lunar craters to the cupshaped pits formed on 
the surface of mud by escaping vapor. S. E. Peel 
assumes that the lunar surface consists entirely of 
ice, in which craters and pit-like depressions have 
been made by the action of intermittent hot 
springs from the warm interior of the moon. The 
theory that the craters were formed by a rain of 
'meteors has had many advocates even R.A. Proctor 
inclining to it. Mr. Ranyard favours the volcanic 
theory. It has been recently shown by G. F. 
Becker that the hot interior of the earth is very 
probably solid under the pressure upon it, becom- 
ing fluid as lava on release from pressure ; and 
assuming the moon to be made of similar materials 
it would be necessary to reach a depth six times 
as great as on the earth before the pressure would 
solidify the molten rock. This would presumably 
give rise to lava flows a on gigantic scale. 
Local Notes, 
The prolonged Scirocco and the want of rain 
have made a most trying month of September. 
This time last year the country was already 
mantled in green and all the Autumn plants had 
flowered. Even that was an early season, it is 
true; but in comparison with this the Autumn 
of 1893 is an extraordinaryly late one. Thus 
while the soil still mantains its parched and 
dry summer appearance, the Narcissus serotinus , 
the Muscari parviflorum , the Scilla autunalis,' 
and the Colckicum Bertolonii do not show 
any trace of their tiny flowers nor of their scanty 
leaves. 
Vegetables are very scarce in the markets and 
those to be obtained are anything but well de- 
veloped; the sulla, barley and vetch crops are still 
left to the hopeful countryman in the form of 
seed and he is looking forward eagerly to the ex- 
pected benefit of rain because its need is now being 
much felt by everybody, so much so that, it is 
said, water is running short in the reservoirs on 
which the water supply of the Island depends. 
It is certainly an unusual sight in Malta to 
see the summer habit of nature kept on until so 
late, and it is to be hoped that it will not be 
long before it will be changed for something 
more seasonable. 
■A* 
The prevalence of South winds in September 
would make one think that the Autumn migration 
of birds must have been great. Every sportsman 
was in high hopes when so early as the first 
days of August some quails were seen, but these 
hopes were vain, because the Autumn passage 
of quails and other birds, notwithstanding the 
favourable winds prevailing, was very poor. And 
not only were the quails not abundant but tur- 
tle-doves, and blackjars were more scarce, and 
on the whole the sporting season was a failure. 
* * 
In a previous issue of the paper it was stated 
that the vines have this year escaped the attacks 
of “ peronospora ”, which had caused so much 
damage last season. This statement can be now 
not only fully confirmed but it must be added 
that the vines have yielded a most abundant 
crop. 
This happy result may have some connexion 
with the measures enforced by the Peronospera 
Commission or it may not, because even in 
vineyards where no precautions against mild- 
dew were taken, no peronospera has appeared this 
year. 
It would be, no doubt, most desirable and of 
general interest to get some official information 
concerning the work done by the Commission and 
the result obtained. 
* 
* * 
From the good news about the vine disease 
we pass to the Jess satisfactory news concerning 
the orange disease. Nectarines and peaches have 
this summer been also very productive but they 
have been unsparingly attacked by the “Cerati- 
tis citriperda”. 
A fresh recrudescence of the orange disease can 
be therefore reasonably expected. 
