The Zoologist/4th series, vol 1 (1897)/Issue 674/Editorial Gleanings
EDITORIAL GLEANINGS.
We are glad to see by the 'Journal of the Anthropological Institute' that the endeavour to establish an Ethnographical Bureau for the British Empire has not been abandoned. As the President observed:—"The splendid precedent of the Bureau of Ethnology attached to the Smithsonian Institute, confined as it practically is to the races which formerly existed on the American Continent, shows what might be done on the much wider field of enquiry that we possess, if only the public spirit of the nation and its rulers could be awakened to the priceless value, not to say the absolute necessity, of the enterprise." Prof. Macalister had previously remarked:—"It is little short of a national disgrace that in the largest empire of the world, within whose bounds there are nearly as many separate peoples and tribes and kindreds and tongues as in all the other nations put together, there is no Imperial Department having for its functions to collect and classify the facts of the physical, psychical, and ethical history of our fellow subjects."
The Ethnographic Survey of the British Association has continued its useful work. The collection of physical observations from various parts of the United Kingdom is steadily growing, and at the same time collections of folk-lore are being made.
In travelling on the African Continent, or in reading the narratives of other travellers, we meet with much difficulty in properly identifying the various species of Zebras which still roam, often in sadly diminished numbers, that interesting region. Mr. R.J. Pocock, of the British Museum, has recently (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.) thoroughly examined the problem, and given us a revised list based on the studies he has made. He recognizes four species—Equus zebra, Linn., E. quagga, Gmelin, E. burchelli, Gray, and E. grevyi, Oustalet. To E. burchelli he adds six subspecies, thus making seven forms or local races—antiquorum, H. Smith, chapmanni, Layard, waldbergi, nov., selousii, nov, crawshayi, de Winton, and grantii, de Winton. Of these E. zebra, though formerly abundant on the mountainous districts of Cape Colony, "is now verging on extinction," while the Quagga is generally admitted as extinct.
According to the Pretoria 'Press,' within the last two years the Hippopotamus has almost entirely disappeared from the Lower Shire River, and is very seldom seen now in the Upper Shire. It is only a few years ago that these animals rendered navigation by boat positively dangerous on the Shire between Katunga and Chiromo, and there have been many boats upset and much cargo lost through their attacks. Crocodiles seem to be as numerous as ever, and in all parts of the river carry off numbers of people annually.
A correspondent in Natal draws the attention of the 'Daily Chronicle' to a point interesting to naturalists. In a lagoon of the river Umgeni, six miles from Durban, there remain, he says, a number of Hippopotami, which, saving a few in Zululand, are the last "Sea-cows" left in British South Africa. They are preserved by a game law of 1891 as "royal game," and permission to shoot them can only be obtained from the Natal Government between May 1st and August 15th. But the herd devastates the plantations of Messrs. Townsend Brothers, who have asked the Government to put up a fence which will cost £740. This the Government declines to do. It is certainly hard that the Hippos should be preserved at the cost of a private firm, and if the Natal Ministry is anxious, as it declares, to preserve them, the cost of a substantial fence, or in the alternative the employment of watchmen, ought not to stand in the way. A herd of Hippos ranging even for one night in a plantation would damage hundreds of pounds' worth, and destroy a hundred times as much as they eat, and if a fence is required for the preserve it ought not to be difficult to get the money voted for the enclosure of a permanent breeding ground. The correspondent, however, raises a larger question. He "advocates the formation on the high veld of a permanent enclosed game preserve, in which might be kept some specimens of the Giraffe and other of the rare and rapidly disappearing South African fauna. In four or five, or at the most ten years, it will be too late to attempt the formation of such a park, as there will be none of the larger game left, and as the country gets settled, land will become more difficult of acquirement. Unless something is done quickly, where will South African animals be got for our menageries and zoological gardens?"
The Durban correspondent of 'South Africa' is quite hopeful on this matter. He writes:—"As this is near the election, the fencing will be undertaken, and the ministry will remain in office!"
'Die Natur' records that Prof. Rudolf Leuckart, the renowned German zoologist, has been made a Knight of the Order pour le Mérite in Science and Art by the German Emperor.
In the list of the recent Jubilee honours we were glad to see the name of our contributor, Mr. E.W. Brabrook, as a recipient of the distinction of the "C.B."
The Zoological Society are exhibiting in their Gardens a specimen of Testudo daudini, which is said to be the largest land Tortoise now living, and which has been deposited there by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. It was originally obtained from the Aldabra Islands, in the Indian Ocean, but has been a captive elsewhere for over 150 years. The daily papers have not lost so fine a subject for comment, and extraordinary ages have been invented for the animal, which has doubtless attained a considerable but uncertain longevity. Its total length is about 4 ft. 7 in., its breadth 2 ft. 10 in.; while its present weight, about 5 cwt., may be taken as capable of considerable increase by generous and judicious feeding.
We learn from Durban that the largest Turtle known on the coasts of Natal has recently been brought ashore at Port Shepstone, and which when alive weighed upwards of 700 lbs. Its shell, which measured 3 ft. 9 in. by 3 ft. 6 in., has been polished, ornamented with a gold shield and suitable inscription, and presented by its owner, Mr. Osler, to President Krüger of the Transvaal Republic. This gift will undoubtedly serve to localize and preserve the specimen.
A giant Salamander of Japan, that had lived for thirty-seven years in the Jardin des Plantes, died on June 15th, having a length of 1·30 metre, and a weight of 24 kilograms.—('Natural Science.')
An egg of the Great Auk was sold to Mr. Middlebrook at Stevens's Sale Rooms, on July 27th, for the sum of 160 guineas. This egg was sold in the same place on June 25th, 1895, for 165 guineas. Its description, as given in the sale catalogue, was as follows:—"Taken in Iceland about 1830, by a shipowner of St. Malo, who bequeathed it to the Comte Raoul de Beracé, whose collection was purchased by the Baron d'Hamonville. This specimen (slightly cracked), which, in colouring and texture, is unique, was figured in the Memoirs of the Société Zoologique de France in 1888, plate 6, fig. c, and additional notes on its history appeared in the Bulletin of the Société in 1891."
The Editor would be glad to receive information as to the remaining eggs of this bird contained in British collections, so that a complete list of the same may be published.
Mr. R.J. Ussher has recently discovered bones of the Great Auk in Co. Waterford. In a communication to the 'Irish Naturalist,' Mr. Ussher states he has investigated some kitchen-middens on the Waterford coast, from which he not only obtained bones or horns of Ox, Goat, Horse, Pig, Red-deer, and domestic Fowl, but also an abundance of shells of Oysters, Cockles, Mussels, and Limpets, with many pot-boilers or burned stones. But the great find consisted of some birds' bones, which were submitted to Prof. Newton, who examined them with the great assistance of Dr. Gadow. Prof. Newton, writing to Mr. Ussher, observes:—"I congratulate you on possessing remains of at least two Great Auks, for you will notice that the two coracoids are of the same side.... Read in the light of these relics, Mr. Davis's famous bird of 1834 must have been visiting the home of its forefathers."
On a subsequent visit Mr. Ussher again found bones, which Dr. Gadow determined as containing a humerus, tibia, and metatarsus of Great Auk. Remains of this bird have already been recorded from Co. Antrim, and the present discovery shows that the range of the Great Auk extended in Ireland nearly as far south as 52° N. latitude.
In the Bulletin de la Soc. Zool. de France, Mai-Juin, 1897, Mons. Ch. van Kemper gives details of colour variation, hybridity, and "anomalies" in birds and mammals in his own collection. Ornithologists will find much to interest them in the records of the colour variation of the thirty-seven birds enumerated, while several British varieties will be seen to have found a home in this collection.
Canon Ingram, rector of St. Margaret, Lothbury, writing to the 'City Press' in July, says:—"A pair of Wood-Pigeons have built their nest in one of the trees in the little garden-churchyard in front of my rectory house in Ironmonger Lane, and the young birds were hatched last Thursday. The tree is within a hundred yards of historic Cheapside, the busiest thoroughfare probably in London; at about the same distance from the Bank of England; and within, I suppose, two hundred yards as the crow flies of the Mansion House. I should imagine that there is no previous record in the modern history of London of a pair of wild birds building their nest and rearing their young so near the very heart of the City."
'The House Sparrow,' Passer domesticus, is the title of a leaflet, written by Miss Ormerod and Mr. Tegetmeier, which has just appeared. In it is condensed much of the authentic information which has been given by some of our best observers as to the destructive nature of this bird. For instance, from Mr. J.H. Gurney's report on the monthly food of the Sparrow, and which details the contents of the stomachs of six hundred and ninety-four birds, conviction is surely obtained. As Mr. Gurney remarks, "It may be said that about 75 per cent, of an adult Sparrow's food during its life is corn of some kind." In their summary the authors draw up this further indictment:—
"In the present space it is impossible to enter fully on this important national matter, but still we find, in addition to what all concerned know too well already of the direct and obvious losses from Sparrow marauding, that there is evidence of the injurious extent to which they drive off other birds, as the Swallows and Martins, which are much more helpful on account of their being wholly insectivorous; also that, so far from the Sparrows food being wholly of insects at any time of the year, even in the young Sparrows only half has been found to be composed of insects; and of the food of the adults, it was found from examination that in a large proportion of instances no insects at all were present, and of these many were of kinds that are helpful to us or harmless. Also it is well on record that there are many kinds of birds which help us greatly by devouring insects, and that where Sparrows have been systematically destroyed for a long course of years all have fared better for their absence; and also attention should be drawn to the enormous powers of increase of this bird, which under not only protection, but to some extent absolute fostering, raises its numbers so disproportionately as to destroy the natural balance."
M. Cabalzar, a French aeronaut, made a balloon ascent at Annecy on the occasion of the dedication of a monument to Carnot, says a despatch to the 'Petit Journal.' The town is separated by a lake from a mountain 1800 mètres in height, which is the home of many Eagles. While the balloon was descending an enormous Eagle swooped down on it and lit on the edge of the balloon near where the ropes that supported the car were attached. The Eagle's weight made the bag sway violently, and M. Cabalzar feared an accident. The Eagle hung on, staring at the aeronaut, until the balloon was within 200 yards of the earth, when the shouts of the peasants drove him away.— ('Westminster Gazette.')
We learn from the 'Wombat,' published at Geelong, Victoria, Australia, that "the bonus offered by the Government for the destruction of Cormorants has been discontinued, owing to the amount voted last year for this purpose having been exhausted." On the other hand, it was intended to issue a proclamation on March 24th, to change the close season for the Emu, and to protect this bird, along with the Grey and the Red Kangaroos, from January 1st to December 31st.
"On Yorke's Peninsula," writes the 'Adelaide Observer,' "those who have gardens and vineyards almost worship the Little Plover, and woe betide the man who shoots one in the vicinity of Stansbury. The 'sportsman's enemy,' as it is called, from the alarmist cry it utters when it sees any one creeping on game, is encouraged to visit the gardens on Southern Yorke's Peninsula, and appreciating its position of safety the Plover runs about in search of insects. The birds have been found exceedingly valuable in ridding the vines of the grub which does such an amount of damage, especially to young vineyards. The amount of grubs one Plover can consume is simply surprising."
The 'Avicultural Magazine,' the Journal of the Avicultural Society, has now reached its third volume and its thirty-fourth number. The August issue contains two coloured plates drawn by Mr. Frohawk of the Blue-winged Green Honeysucker or Bulbul, Chloropsis hardwickii, and the Diamond Dove, Geopelia cuneata. Both these birds seem desirable inmates of the aviary, or, to speak more correctly, do well in captivity; and details are given as to their proper housing and food. This publication seems a marvel in cheapness. The subscription to the Avicultural Society is 5s. per annum; the entrance fee is 2s. 6d.; and the magazine is sent free to members monthly.
We are glad to see that Economic Entomology is now not neglected either at home or abroad. Of the 'Indian Museum Notes,' published at Calcutta, part 2 of vol. iv. has just reached our hands. From this we learn that a collection has been prepared for exhibition in the Indian Museum, with a view to illustrate the life-histories of some of the more important "economic" insects, both injurious and useful, in the various stages of their development.
Among reprints is one of a report by Barrows and Schwarz (Bulletin No. 6, U.S. Depart. Agricult. Div. Ornithol. and Mamm. 1895) on "The Common Crow of the United States as an enemy to Insects." The stomachs of 909 Crows were examined, and the insect-material found in these was almost 24 per cent.
We have also received No. 2 of 'Contributions from the Department of Zoology and Entomology,' Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. This is written by Herbert Osborn and E.D. Ball, and is chiefly devoted to contributions to the Hemipterous Fauna of Iowa, and principally to the Homopterous Family Jassidæe, "which swarm, often by millions to the acre, upon various species of grasses."
The Committee for Protection of Insects in danger of Extermination, of which Mr. Chas. G. Barrett is Hon. Sec, and to whom we are indebted for the following information, recently held a meeting, and resolved that the following species of Lepidoptera, being local species in danger of extermination, be more particularly recommended for protection:—
| Papilio machaon, L. | Nola albulalis, Hübn. |
| Leucophasia sinapis, L. | Eulepia cribrum, L. |
| Pieris cratægi, L. | Porthesia chrysorrhœa, L. |
| Melitæa athalia, Esp. | Clisiocampa castrenis, L. |
| M. cinxia, L. | Drepana sicula, Schiff. |
| Apatura iris, L. | Diphthera orion, Esp. |
| Limenitis sibylla, L. | Acosmetia caliginosa, Hübn. |
| Thecla pruni, L. | Dianthœcia irregularis, Hübn. |
| Polyommatus arion, L. | Plusia orichalcea, Fabr. |
| Cyclopides paniscus, Fabr. | Epione vespertaria, L. |
| Hesperia actæon, Esp. | Fidonia conspicuata, Schiff. |
| Trochilium scoliæforme, Hübn. | Scoria dealbata, L. |
| Zygæna meliloti, Esp. | Cidaria reticulata, Fabr. |
| Z. exulans, Hoch. | Lithostege griseata, Schiff. |
| Nola strigula, Schiff. | Agrotera nemoralis, Scop. |
| N. centonalis, Hübn. | Pterophorus rhododactylus, Schiff. |
In these 32 species it will be seen that no fewer than 11 of our butterflies are considered as dangerously approaching extinction in these islands.
In the 'Athenæum' of June 19th was a reprint of Mr. Jno. Murray's list of publications as advertised in that magazine of Dec. 30th, 1837. This affords some reminiscence of the zoological publications at the commencement of the Jubilee reign. Besides well-known books, such as Mrs. Somerville on the Physical Sciences, and the fifth edition of Lyell's 'Principles of Geology,' we notice those well-known, though perhaps now little read volumes, 'The Journal of a Naturalist,' and Jesse's 'Gleanings in Natural History.'
Dr. Carlos Berg, the Director of the Museo Nacional of Buenos Ayres, is on a visit to Europe. We met this well-known naturalist in London quite recently, and he informed us that he returns to the Argentine Republic next October. The Rev. J.W. Holland, lepidopterist, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has also paid a visit to London. He is undoubtedly the possessor of one of the best, if not the best, collection of general Lepidoptera in the United States, which is particularly rich in African species.
A correspondence has recently been continued in the 'Saturday Review' on the alleged extermination of rare British birds. This has now been reprinted and issued as a leaflet by the Humanitarian League. We are glad to learn from the testimony of Sir Charles Dilke that the Kingfisher is not "near extinction," at least on the Thames. He writes:—"Mr. Collinson, in a letter to you on 'The Destruction of Rare Birds,' in which I agree, speaks of 'the near extinction' of the Kingfisher. This statement, which is often made, is an erroneous one, and may damage our case. Some years ago, when I gave evidence on behalf of the Thames users before the Select Committee on the Thames, I had to allude to Kingfisher-shooting, and the result was a clause which prevented all shooting on the river. Since that time the bird has increased on the Thames, and there are as many now as there were in 1863, when I first began to row much on the river. At Dockett Eddy I have two nests this spring, though I have seldom previously known more than one. A third pair was broken by a recent shooting case; but, owing to the public spirit of an innkeeper at Chertsey Bridge, prosecution and conviction followed."
[The Editor well remembers the year mentioned by Sir Charles Dilke as representing an epoch when the Kingfisher was no great rarity on the Thames. He was then an enthusiastic Roach-fisher, aud when angling off an eyot above Hampton has, on more than one occasion, seen a Kingfisher alight and rest on his long bamboo-rod, while the bushes almost concealed himself from view.]
A new monthly, devoted to the lore of the area from which it takes its title, 'East Asia,' has just been launched, and the first number (July) has reached our hands. An article on the Cocos Keeling and Christmas Islands, based principally on a "British Blue-Book," contains an interesting zoological observation. Mr. Ross, who may be almost styled the proprietor of these coral islands, once witnessed a fierce combat between two huge Sharks, in water so shallow that they could not turn on their backs according to usage. "In this instance the creatures faced each other and dodged warily, while each made fierce attempts to reach the base of his antagonist's tail. As each parried the attack in turn, their jaws locked and remained so for a space, until they mutually disengaged. This fight continued for some considerable time, till at length, avoiding the jaws of his adversary, one seized the other by the vulnerable spot at which he aimed, killing him instantly with one crunch of his teeth."
From the Annual Report (1895–96) of the Curator—Prof. Alex. Agassiz—of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, we see that funds are not withheld from this well-known American institution. We are told that the Commonwealth came forward most generously, and sustained, often under most unpropitious circumstances, the interest it had shown in the Museum. From the treasury of the Commonwealth no less than 240,000 dols. has been received at various times, and up to the beginning of 1895 more than 1,580,000 dols. (exclusive of income) has been received from all sources, including the State grants, the subscriptions of friends, and the gifts of the family of Prof. Agassiz.
This large sum is represented by the buildings, exclusive of the botanical and mineralogical sections; by the collections and the work expended upon them; by the library, and an extensive series of publications (twenty quarto volumes of Memoirs and thirty octavo volumes of Bulletins); and by an endowment of over 580,000 dols., the income of which is available for the salaries and running expenses of the Museum of Comparative Zoology and its allied departments.
The Thirty-ninth Anuual Report for the year 1896 of the Chicago Academy of Sciences has appeared, and the natural history collections of the Museum seem steadily increasing. This is particularly noticeable in the department of Mollusca. In 1895 the Academy acquired the collection of Cypræa, owned by Mr. Jno. Walton, of Rochester, N.Y., and the collection of Muricidæ owned by the Curator. "The first collection numbers 160 species and over a thousand specimens, among which are fine specimens of pulchra, aurantium, thersites, exusta, decipiens, leucostoma, &c. The Muricidæ number 112 species, represented by about 300 specimens, among which are a number of type-specimens, an excellent set of Magilus antiquus, showing tubular development, with the operculum, besides varietal sets of Purpura, Murex, Eupleura, &c.