Abstract
LONDON Linnean Society, November 16.—Prof. Allman, president, in the chair.—Messrs, J. C. Oman, R. H. Peck, and D. G. Rutherford were duly elected fellows.—Mr. H. N. Moseley, of II.M.S. Challenger; read a paper on the flora of Marion Island. This island possesses considerable interest from its isolation and being within the Antarctic drift. It is about 1,000 miles from the African Continent, 450 from the Crozets, 1,200 from the desolate Kerguelen Island, above 2,000 from Tristan D'Acunha, and 4,500 from the Falklands, to which, nevertheless, its flora appears related. It is of volcanic origin and snowclad. The rocks at half-tide are covered with Darvilea utilis, above high tide Tillæa moschata is found in abundance, and beyond the beach a swampy peaty soil covers the rocks, where fere is a thick growth of herbage; this is principally coniposedpf species of Acæna, Azorella, and Festuca, the first of these three being the most abundant plant on the island, though the latter grass is by no means scarce. The cabbage-like plant Pringlea antiscorbutic a is less profuse than at Kerguelen's Land. Some of the ranunculus group are met with at water pools near the sea; four kinds of ferns were obtained, Lomaria Alpina being the moit numerous. Lichens are scarce, but mosses in plenty form yellow patches, which stand out conspicuously midst the green vegetation, which rises to an altitude of probably 2,000 feet. From the occurrence of Pringlea on Marion Island, the Crozets, and Kerguelen Island, and the existence of fois.'l tree-trunks on the two latter, the author surmises an ancient land connection between them.—A memoir on the birds collected by Prof. Steere (U.S. Michigan) in the Philippine Archipelago was read by Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, and copious coloured drawings of the new and rare forms exhibited and commented on. Although it is but lately that Lord Tweeddale's (President Zool. Soc.) remarkable monograph on the Philippine birds was published, with immense additions to the avifauna, yet Steere's collection has yielded over sixty hitherto unknown species. Many novelties may therefore still be expected as further exploration proceeds. The recorded species of birds from the Philippines at the present now amount to 285.—A letter containing observations on the American Grasshopper (Caloptenus femur-ruorum), with remarks on the same by Mr. Frederick Smith, was noticed.—Mr. Moseley exhibited some insular floral collections in illustration of his paper and of the various parts touched at by the Challenger. He also called attention to a series of volumes and pamphlets, &c., on natural history obtained by him in Japan.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Societies and Academies . Nature 15, 111–112 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/015111b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/015111b0