384 
THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
machinery — including, possibly, electric 
carts and carriages — the lot of the tiller of 
the soil will be greatly improved. 
][n the bog of Denmark and neighbouring 
parts of Sweden and of the Baltic coast of 
Germany, have been found a number of 
“lurs,” curious musical instruments of the 
bronze age. Most of these-about a score— 
are now in the National Museum of Copen- 
hagen. Several have been carefully put in 
order, and some skilled musicians have 
played upon the instruments, demonstrat- 
ing the remarkable musical as well as con- 
structive knowledge of the unknown ma- 
kers of some 3000 years ago. The lur is 
six or seven feet long, and resembles a re- 
gularly tapering animal’s horn twisted into 
a double curve, the butt or farther end 
being furnished with an ornamental collar. 
The material is a kind of bronze, which is 
only about one-twentieth of an inch thick, 
and was cast in small sections and after- 
ward joined together. The instruments 
seem to have been used in pairs, curved in 
opposite directions, and, when being blown, 
to have been held in front of the players 
with the butt collars facing one another. 
A French botanist records that the same 
flower of an orchid emits decidedly diffe- 
rent odours at different times, and that there 
is even a very remarkable periodicity in 
the development of the perfume of cer- 
tain orchids. 
1* ROM the current number of the Oreo- 
graphical Magazine we learn that the sur- 
vey of Greece which was begun in 1889 by 
the officers of the Imperial Military Geo- 
graphical Institute, under the management 
of Lieut.-Col. H. Hart], is already so advan- 
ced that the triangulation-net has been ex- 
tended over the whole Kingdom. This 
year, a detailed topographical survey of 
Thessaly, which was begun in 1891, will 
he continued. At the same time, the Aca- 
demy of Sciences sent out the geologist 
Hilber and the botanist Eugen von Hallaci 
for the exploration of the yet unknown 
highlands of North-West Thessaly. The 
botanical exploration of this province is the 
more desirable, as wdiat is already known 
of the flora of Thessaly shows that it differs 
greatly from the general flora of the Balkan 
Peninsula. A young botanist will also be 
sent to Albania, in order to study the dis- 
tribution of the Alpine flora. Interesting- 
results are expected from these researches 
as well, the vegetation of the Balkan Pen- 
insula generally offering a very original 
character. 
Natural Science” for May contains 
among other interesting articles “Natural 
Selection and Lamarckism” by W. Platt Ball; 
“Biological Theories” by Dr. H. Hurst; “The 
Succession of teeth in mammals” by Miss 
Pollard: “Climate and Floral Regions in 
Africa” by P. Scott Eliot. In response to 
the several correspondents who have asked 
us, we now give the name and address of 
the publishers— Macmillan & Co., 29, Bel- 
ford St. Strand W. C. 
J, HE natives of the interior of Ceylon 
finish walls and roofs with a paste of sla- 
cked lime gluten and alum, which glazes 
and is so durable that specimens three cen- 
turies old are now to be seen. On the Mala- 
bar coast the flat bamboo roofs are covered 
with a mixture of cow-dung: straw and clay 
This is a poor conductor of heat, and not 
only withstands the heavy rains to a remark- 
able degree but keeps the huts cool in hot 
weather In Sumatra the native woman braid 
a coarse cloth of palm leaves for the edge 
and top of the roofs. Many of the cAd Bud 
Gljist temples in India and Ceylon had roofs 
made out of cut stone blocks, hewed timber 
and split bamboo poles Uneven planks cut 
from old and dead-palm trees-seldom from 
living young trees — are much used in the 
Celebes and Phi Hi pines. Shark’s skins from 
the roofs of fishermen in the Andaman Is- 
lands/ The Malays of Malacca, Sumatra and 
Java have a roofing of attaps, pieces of 
palm — leaf wicker work about three feet by 
