THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
21 
Another earthquake shock was feit at 8. 30, a.m. ! 
on the 11th June, at Verona and elsewhere, espe- 
cially at Tregnago and Baddia Calavena, at which 
latter place further injury was caused to the 
houses. 
A series of articles on the Maltese Lepidoptera, 
written by Mr. Caruana Gatto, B.A. is now ap- 
pearing in the Italian review of Natural Sciences. 
Dr. Johnstone-Lavis. M.D., M.R.C.S., B. bs Sc. 
F.G.S., etc. of 9 Chiatamone Naples has again 
been entrusted with the work of writing the 
article on Vulcanology and Seismology for “FAn- 
nuaire Geologique Universel.” 
In order that the article may be made as 
complete as possible, Dr. Johnstone-Lavis will be 
glad to receive any memoirs on these subjects 
that may have been published of late. To facilitate 
the work of reference and to obviate the possibili- 
ty of any important points being over-looked, he 
desires that authors will send him copies of any 
papers that they may have written on the subject, 
together with a summary of the contents. 
A recent telegram from Algiers says that the 
French savant, M. Kunchel Herculais, the presi- 
dent of the Ethnological Society, who was em- 
ployed on the Government mission of investigating 
the locust plague in Algeria, has met with a 
horrible death. While examining a deposit of 
locust eggs at the village of Sidierall, he was 
overcome with fatigue and the heat and fell to the 
ground. While sleeping he was attached by a 
swarm of locusts. 
On awaking he struggled desperately to escape 
from the living flood. He set Are to the insect 
ladened bushes near him, but all of his efforts 
proved ineffectual, and when finally the locusts left 
the spot, his corpse was found. His hair, and 
necktie had been entirely devoured. 
M. Herculais was a member of the French 
Academy, and the author of several valuable 
works on insects. 
| The Eruption of Vesuvius 
of June 7th. 1891. 
During the latter part of last year and com- 
mencement of the present, the central activity has 
very slightly varied, except about the new year, 
when it was considerably increased, rising to the 
third or fourth degree simultaneous with the 
stoppage of the lateral outflow of lava that had 
been going on since August 7th. 1890. Since 
then up to the present outburst, the central 
activity has been generally at the first degree, 
and the cone of eruption has slowly grown in 
height. 
On June 1st. there was a crater within the 
central eruptive cone of about 50m. in diameter 
near the centre of which was the eruptive vent 
surrounded by another embryonic eruptive cone. 
On that day four small eruptive mouths opened 
around the embryonic cone in the bottom of the 
central crater, the smallest being to the E. 
Thus the volcano remained till June 7th. at 
10 a.m. when activity stopped, only a small 
quantity of vapour escaping from central vents. 
At midday a radial cleft opened at the north toe 
of the cone of eruption (May 1889 June 1891) 
traversing towards its east end and the little sickle- 
shaped ridge, the remnant of 1885-86 crater. At 
4 to 4 30 p.m. shocks of earthquake commenced, 
limited only to the upper slopes of Vesuvius an 1 
simultaneous with the extension of the radial 
fissure down the side of the cone for nearly half 
its way opposite the Punta del Nasone of Mon- 
te Somma from which, at about 5 30 p.m. issued 
a little lava, whilst from the upper extremity of 
the fissure at the toe of the cone of eruption 
much vapour issued so that from Naples the 
smoke plume arose from this point. From 5, 30 
to 7 p.m. the fissure still extended lower, accom- 
pained from time to time by local earthquake, 
noises, and the elevation of columns of black dusty 
smoke. At a few muntes to 7, the floor of the 
Atrio del. Cavallo was reached and a remarkably 
black column of smoke had arisen. 
My friend Dr. L. Sambon saw this column arise 
and came to inform me immediately, as I had 
left off watching the mountain at 5. 30. After tak- 
ing a photo of the mountain, we left Naples at 
9 p. m. and spent some time in enquiries at Resina 
