especially in the surrounding district, on the next evening. In Ross-shire two shocks were felt at an interval of thirty seconds; at Gledfield, Culrain, Inverhouse, and at Invershin, in Sutherlandshire, two minutes later. At Nairn the shock occurred at between ten and nine minutes to six o'clock, and was supposed to pass in a southerly direction. Here the phenomenon took the form of rapid jerks from side to side, and not of the usual undulatory movement.

It will be observed that the disagreement as to time and direction was very marked, but, upon the whole, it would appear that the general direction was from south to north-east. The shock was the most severe that has been experienced in the district since the year 1816.

ASIA.

Central Asia.—A journey through the Indo-Russian borderlands, made by a French merchant settled in Kashmir in 1889 and 1890, promises important results. From Kashmir he travelled to the Zarafshan, the upper course of the Yarkand river, and thence by Tung Mariom, Sari-kul, Tashkurgan, and the Karachunkar Pass to the Taghdumbash Pamir. Imprisoned by the Afghans in Wakhan, he escaped after some days, and crossed the Hindu Kush to Gilgit by the unknown pass, Karambar, which lies to the east of the Baroghil Pass, leading to Chitral, and of the Darkot Pass, leading to Yassin. It is the shortest route between Wakhan and Kashmir.

The brothers Grum-Grijmailo left Kuldja on July 3d, 1889, and crossed the Achal Pass to the small town of Jinkho, and thence entered the mountains and came to the river Khotuk-by. Then they descended to the high road, and reached Urumchi. They discovered that the best maps of the Thian Shan are in many respects faulty. The Kiityka Pass does not exist. The Mengete Pass leads from the basin of the Kash into that of the Khusta, and then the road turns, not to the north, but to the south-east, joins the road descending from the winter pass, Ulansu, and continues to the passes Keldyn and Yullus, or Zullus. To the north of this route rises the majestic group of the Dös Möghen-ora, which, with its diverging chains gives birth to the rivers Khorgos, Ulan-assu, Khusta (a very large stream), and others of less importance. The height of the Dös-Möghen-ora, a collection of six peaks, probably exceeds that of the Bodgo-ola, beyond Urumchi, and may be estimated at not less than 19,600 feet. It is covered with enormous masses of snow, but the glaciers, owing to the steepness of its flanks, are insignificant. Between Achal and Urumchi the Thian Shan forms an unassailable wall. The base of the northern slope, small in the meridians of Jinkho and Shikho, attains its maximum extension in the neighbourhood of Dös-Möghen-ora. The expedition visited several coal-pits, gullies where steam or smoke, with a strong smell of coal issued from hollows and clefts, and where sulphurous incrustations were seen. Almost all the rivers contain gold. The fauna is particularly rich in large vertebrates, but much poorer than the Pamir in birds and insects. Ten points were fixed by astronomical observations, and forty photographs were taken. After ascending the Bogdo-ola the travellers visited the oasis of Turfan and the country to the south of it, and then proceeded across a mountainous country to Khami.-Petermann's Mitt., Bd. xxxvi., No. 10.

Eruption of a Mud Volcano.-The Hong Kong Daily Press, Sept. 18th, 1890, gave an extract from the Japanese Official Gazette describing an eruption of the Shiridoko sulphur mountain, near Tone-mura, in the province of Kitami. After remaining quiescent for nearly twelve months, the crater began, in July last, to throw out ash-coloured mud, which, at the period of greatest activity, rose to a

VOL. VII.

C

height of fifty or sixty feet, and was carried by the wind to a distance of 400 or 500 yards. The discharge ceased altogether from July 18th to the 28th, when an eruption, accompanied by a loud report, took place. Sulphur of a dark greenish colour was ejected, the greater part of which flowed into the sea, while the remainder, cooling down into a solid state, covered about four acres of ground around the crater to a depth varying from five to eighteen inches.

Sumatra. An account is given by Baron von Brenner-Felsach in the Mitteil. der K. K. Geogr. Gesell. in Wien, Bd. xxxiii. Nos. 5-6, of journeys made by him in the independent Battak lands, and in the island of Nias. He set out from Deli on 18th March 1887, and ascended, in four days' march, to the table-land which the Battaks inhabit, and where the Toba Lake lies. After passing through the coffee and obacco plantations around Deli and a belt of grass-land and forest, Herr von Brenner had to ascend with great toil the slopes of the mountain ridge which forms the backbone of Sumatra. The latter part of the ascent was made along the bed of the Petani river, where a sulphur spring at a temperature varying between 82° and 86° Fahr. was passed, and the plateau was reached close to the still active volcano Si Baiyak. No forests grow here, but only clumps of trees around the villages. Nearly in the middle the Lau Biyang, or "Dog River," flows from east to west and drains the plateau, which is begirt on all sides, except the south-east, by lofty hills. The district which Herr von Brenner first entered was the country of the Karo Battaks. They are not cannibals like some of their kinsmen, and are more amenable to foreign influence. The first village reached was Berastagi, surrounded by trees and well-tilled rice fields. A palisade with one or two inconvenient openings protects the houses, which stand detached, and are placed either north and south or east and west, but are not drawn up in regular streets. They are rectangular, and rest on piles 6 to 12 feet high. The walls, not much more than 4 feet high, lean outwards. The high roof spreads out towards the ridge, so that the latter projects far beyond the ground plan. It also curves upwards to the gable ends, which are ornamented with buffalo heads and horns. Before the door, which is in the shorter side, a balcony is made, to which a ladder or a notched bamboo gives access. The interior of the house is a single large room, and is always dark owing to the absence of windows. It contains two to four fireplaces for the use of the four to eight families who inhabit it. The houses are often decorated with paintings, the most common colours being red and white, though blue and black are also seen occasionally, and in the houses of the chiefs, especially near the Toba Lake, the beams and pillars are carved. Underneath the houses are stalls for buffaloes, pigs, cattle, and horses. Each village is independent, and has a chief of its own with the title of rajah, pangulu, or tuvan. He is the commander in war, but civil matters are decided by the popular assembly of which he is president. At Kaban Jahe Herr von Brenner witnessed a fight between the men of that village and their enemies of Linga. Hundreds of warriors were posted opposite one another, protected by low ramparts of earth. All day long the overloaded guns were being discharged, nearly overturning the marksmen by their recoil but doing no injury to the foe, and when night put an end to the combat not a drop of blood had been shed. On Herr von Brenner's return, some days after, from an excursion in the neighbourhood, the war was still raging, the women standing in the rear and cheering on the men. At length a downfall of rain put an end to the bloodless combat. At another village a market was being held, and the traveller had a favourable opportunity of observing the dress of the natives and the merchandise of the country. Besides native products, such as rice, maize, tobacco, chickens, palm wine, and blue cloth, there were a good many articles of European

The scene was deficient in

manufacture-linen, matches, and coloured cloth. colouring, for the dress of the people is chiefly blue. It consists of a dark blue sarong, falling to the ankles, and a cloth of the same colour thrown over the shoulders. On the head the men wear a coloured cloth wound round like a turban, and the women a blue cloth projecting over the face and forming a point at the back. Earrings of gold, silver, ivory, shells, and brass, and bangles of gold and silver are worn.

Marching southwards, Herr von Brenner came to the village of Pengambatan, pleasantly situated in a valley sloping down to the north-western shore of the Toba lake. Here, in the house of the chief, he met a cannibal chief, a pleasantlooking man, who informed him that he and his people had eaten up eleven Chinese in the past six months, and that his favourite morsels were cheeks, ears, and thumbs. The Toba lake is a fine expanse of water stretching towards the south-east. Towards the southern end lies a large, hilly island, with high and steep shores indented with numerous bays. The lake on either side the island is narrow, and, on the western side, so shallow that it can be forded when the water is low. A volcano, which stands close to the shore, is probably the cause of this shallowness. At the upper end of the lake a hammer-shaped peninsula juts into the lake. From Pengambatan Herr von Brenner marched south-eastwards to Negori, in the land of the Timor Battaks, where he procured a boat to take him down the lake. Skirting the shores of the island, he landed, after a passage of three and a half hours, at Amberita. Here every village is surrounded by a wall of earth or stone, surmounted by a hedge of quick bamboos. Cultivation is limited to the production of the absolutely necessary supply of food, for in this land of cannibals no man's life is safe outside his village. Owing to this insecurity great difficulty was experienced in procuring a boat and rowers, and when at length the party was landed at Loutong, further down the coast of the island, the crew piled the baggage on the shore and made off as fast as they could. Herr von Brenner and his companions were here imprisoned for three days, and would certainly have been killed and eaten, had they not charged the chief with the intention of attacking them as he was preparing to put his plan into execution. Such foreknowledge the chief took to be a sign of supernatural power, and he not only released the party, but provided them with a boat. After experiencing various dangers from storms on the lake and cannibals on shore, Herr von Brenner landed at Laguboti in Dutch territory.

In May of the same year Herr von Brenner landed at Gunung-Sitoli in the island of Nias, of which some account is given in the Scot. Geogr. Magazine, vol. iv. p. 217. It is about 75 miles long by 28 broad. The northern and southern parts are inhabited by peoples of very different types. The houses of North Nias have an elliptical ground-plan and, like those of the Battaks, are built on piles and have low walls sloping outwards. The interior is divided into several apartments, of which the largest is assigned to the use of the men. The walls and the open space under the roof are adorned with idols of very rough workmanship. Underneath the houses are kept pigs, the number of which indicates the wealth of the occupier. Rice and sweet potatoes are grown, and, with coconuts, form the principal food of the natives, pigs being killed only on festive occasions. The dress consists only of a small apron and a jacket, worn as a protection from rain, and, in the south, the women sometimes wear a sarong reaching to the ankles. All along the coast dwell Malays engaged in the cultivation of coconuts and nutmegs. On reaching Hellera, Herr von Brenner turned into the interior along paths crossing one ridge after another. He was well received by the natives at the large village of Madula, and a feast was given in his honour by the Saluva, or

chief, who adorned himself for the occasion with all his golden ornaments, for which he is famed—a jacket, trimmed with gold tinsel, a hat-shaped crown, broad bangles, huge earrings, and a moustache of gold-an ornament peculiar to Nias. Herr von Brenner found the southern part of the island more interesting. Here, instead of the dangers predicted by the Dutch officials, he met with a warm welcome from the head-hunting chiefs. Hiring a Chinese junk, he sailed along the east coast and landed in the bay of Tolok Dalam, where the chief of Bavo-Lavalani received him with an escort of armed men. The path to this village, which, like all the settlements in South Nias, stands on a hill, is paved with large flags, and here and there benches of stone are placed under the shadow of large trees. The houses of the village are rectangular, and stand on either side of a broad, straight street, which is paved with stones, with gutters and raised pavements on either side. A ladder leads to an opening in the side, or sometimes in the floor, of the house, through which one enters into the large front room where the men live. Towards the street a grating of wood lets in light and air. A bench on a raised platform extends along one side of the room, and opposite to it is the fire in a large recess, where dogs lie chained up, On the walls are idols, fewer in number than in the north of the island, and excellently carved. The rest of the house consists of private apartments, of which one is appropriated to the use of the women, and store-rooms. Before the house of the chief stands the forum where councils are held at night. Stone benches form a rectangle in which are left two or three openings. On one of the shorter sides stands a stone throne for the chief, flanked in many cases by obelisks. The men of Nias are eloquent orators, sometimes speaking with calmness and dignity, and then again rousing the hearers by their enthusiasm. The king of Orahili, the most important village of South Nias, sent a troop of twenty-one men, all wearing the collar of polished coco-shell which signifies that the wearer has cut off a head, under the command of the second king, to invite Herr von Brenner to his village. The path was paved and furnished with benches, and terminated in a steep stone staircase leading to the gate of the village. The house of Laubo, the grey-headed, one-eyed, king is of vast dimensions and rests on colossal piers. On the front are three dragon's heads carved in wood, with protruding tongues coloured red, and between these are seven carved and painted figures of warriors. Before the house stand two well-executed obelisks 13 or 14 feet high. The interior is clean, and the polished walls are adorned with fine carving. The king is rich, and possesses an arsenal of fifty guns and blunderbusses and a valuable collection of jewelry. Opposite the king's residence stands the courthouse, in which hang rows of skulls, some rendered still more ghastly by artificial beards. Skull houses of smaller dimensions are common throughout South Nias. Outside the village stands a bath lined with flags of stone and fed by a stone conduit. On the way from Orahili to the bay of Lagundi Herr von Brenner passed a cemetery. The corpses are not buried, but are placed in coffins tied with rattan on high posts, and left to dry up. Ten thousand bodies were said to be deposited at this cemetery. At Lagundi Herr von Brenner regained his junk and sailed to the Nakko Islands, a group of seven lying off the west coast near Cape Serumbu, and, after visiting some of the islands, landed at the cape and crossed on foot to Gunung-Sitoli.

AFRICA.

The Benué and Shari.-Barth expressed the opinion that some connection existed between these rivers through the Tuburi swamp. The experience of an expedition sent up the Benué by the R. Niger Company would appear to negative this

assumption. The steamer in which the party travelled ascended the Mayo-kebbi, which enters the Benué at Ribago, until it became so narrow that the vessel could not turn round. It may, therefore, be concluded that this point, which lies far from the Tuburi swamp, is at no great distance from the source of the river. The country through which the Mayo-kebbi flows is mountainous, and, for the first twenty miles above Ribago, uninhabited.-Petermann's Mitt., Bd. xxxvi. No. 10.

Somál-land.-Signor Luigi Brichetti-Robecchi has travelled from Obbia to Halule, a distance of about 560 miles, with the object of opening a trade route between these ports. He describes the country (in the Boll. della Soc. Geog. Italiana, vol. iii. fasc. x.) as a series of desert lands, much diversified, and valleys and plains, more or less wooded, where fine grey limestone is the predominant rock. Occasionally luxuriant vegetation was met with, ostriches, monkeys, and abundance of game, both quadrupeds and birds. After crossing the Kolule river he arrived at the Wadi Nogal, at a distance of over 230 miles from Obbia. This channel, which is known under several different names, contains in the lower 12 miles of its course, where it is called El, and for some distance above, an abundant supply of water. It is encumbered with large masses of displaced rock, and its banks are lined with rugged bastions. As the stream is ascended, the vegetation becomes more luxuriant, pastures and cattle are more numerous, and wild animals—elephants, lions, leopards, etc. are frequently met with. Fine specimens of palms, acacias, and sycamores cover the bottom of the wadi and soften the ruggedness of the scene. After crossing the next watercourse, the Wadi Dhalo or Dra Sala, Signor Brichetti-Robecchi found water scarcer and the country more stony. In the basin of the Amudah he observed for the first time dense thickets of the Dum palm, and in the succeeding Wadi Dhudo these and date-palms grow in large numbers, intermingled with wild vines and several kinds of fruit-trees. The whole route traversed much the same kind of country-dry, rocky, sandy plains intersected with wadis, where mangroves, palms, salvadora, etc., grow freely. Signor Brichetti did not penetrate far into the interior, having only a small caravan, incapable of carrying supplies for a long period. Two days after leaving Obbia he was attacked by a horde of wandering Somál, and suffered the loss of one man and his horse, but elsewhere he was kindly received by the natives, and was able to study the manners and customs of the Mijertain. He also took observations for altitudes, and paid special attention to the meteorology of the country.

Ostrich-Farming.-The following details are extracted from an article by Signor Augusto Carpani, Italian Consul at Cape Town, which appeared in the Boll. della Soc. Africana (Napoli), Sept.-Oct. 1890. The number of these birds domesticated in the colony he estimates at 150,000, whereas in 1865, when ostrich-farming was first started, there were only 80. The age of the bird may be ascertained by the colour of the feathers, those on the back and breast turning to black, or nut-brown, as the bird approaches the age of four years, when it attains its full development. The legs and beak also become red. The feathers should be cut every six months. The best method is to cut off the feather close to the skin before the lymph dries up, leaving the quill for a couple of months longer. The feathers deteriorate when they are allowed to remain longer on the bird, while the extraction of the quill before it is ripe is prejudicial to the next crop of feathers. Each bird yields about one pound of feathers every season, on an average, the crop being more valuable as the bird grows older. Thus, a bird of one year old is worth about £22, and at four years old about £50, after having produced annually feathers to the value of about £10. The average price of feathers has fallen from a maximum of £8, 12s. per lb. in 1860 to £2, 5s. in 1890. Increased production is usually accompanied by a fall in price,