a fDontbir Journal of Natural Science. ■ 
Vol. L, No. 6. MALTA, NOVEMBER 1st. 1891. 
/4/~ Bee annum 
t By post 5/t. 
CONTENTS. 
— o« — Page 
1 Natural Rsemblances— F. P. Marrat. 77 
2 The Minerals Springs of Roumania. 79 
3 Diseases of the Mediterranean Orange -J.H. Cooke. 79 
4 A Coral Island on the Great Barrier Reef— Miss J. 
E. Taylor. 82 
5 Cyprus, (continued) -Lieut. -Gen., Sir R. Biddul'ph, 
G.C.M.G., C.B. 83 
6 Notes on the Lepidoptera of Malta — Alf. Caruana 
Gatto, B.A. 85 
7 The Salt Mountain of Palestine. 88 
8 Observations on the Geology of the Maltese Islands 
— J. H. Cooke. 88 
9 Science Gossip: — Home Museums—' The South Ita- 
lian Volcanos— Dragon Flies. V. Mosquitoes— 
Penetrating power of light— Forthcoming scien- 
tific publications. &c. See. 90 
10 Correspondence: Our Birds. 92 
11 Exchange Column. 92 
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8 
Notes on Some Natural Resemblances. 
BY 
F. P. Mart, at, 
Free Public Museum , Liverpool : 
During observations extending over a large 
number of years, I have been much Interested in 
noticing the curious and pleasing fact that certain 
specimens in different groups of natural objects 
resemble each other so greatly that the mind, of 
the student is at once struck with the" reflection — 
.May not the whole have been modelled after the 
plan of a few originating types? The examples which 
I am about to give in this paper are only selected 
from such objects as readily, present themselves, 
without paying any regard to the relation-ship or 
the affinity that might be supposed to exist 
amongst them. All that is aimed at is the general 
resemblance which they bear to each other. 
The materials from which these observations 
have been drawn are .-contained in. the drawers oi 
some of the table-cases exposed in the Free Public 
Museum, Liverpool, and may be seen in Bird 
Booms Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on the right hand side of 
the Stone Gallery, which is reached at the top of 
the stone steps facing the entrance. 
Taking, firstly, the Mineral. Kingdom, we find 
but few examples here afforded for comparison in 
consequence of the rigidity of most of the species. 
A single specimen of Chalcedony in my own ca- 
binet is the only one that may be said to resemble 
a plant. This piece is remarkable for its general 
resemblance to a tree fungus, known to botanists 
as a Polyporus. Everyone is acquainted with those 
curious dendritic markings so frequently seen on 
the various slates, leptinit.es, old red sandstones, 
&c. A charming specimen roccurs io the second case 
on the left hand side of the centre space of the. 
Phillip’s Collection in the Liverpool Museum, in 
which white Gotham marble forms the base and 
the beautiful dendritic black oxide of manganese 
the picture upon it. Landscape-marble, ruin 
marble, and ruin-jasper are other examples which 
may be enumerated in passing. The radiated brown 
sulphate of Baryta, known as Devon marble, much 
resembles a Section of wood, and, indeed, is often 
mistaken for fossil wood. 
From the extraordinary variation occurring a- 
mong the Fungi, we should naturally except that 
some of the species would be found to resemble 
certain forms in other natural kingdoms. The 
beautiful little “bird’s nest’’ fungus (Crueibufnm 
vulgare) is wonderfully like a small bird's nest, 
