The New Flora of Krakatau. By A. Ernst, Ph.D. Translated
by A. C. Seward, F.R.S. (Cambridge University Press. 4s. net.)—In August, 1883, Krakatau and two neighbouring islands in the strait between Sumatra and Java were absolutely desolated by a volcanic eruption. "The islands," writes Dr. Ernst, "which were formerly green, assumed the appearance of a desert of the most desolate type." Now they are green again, covered with a vegetation so luxuriant that in places it is necessary to cut a way through it. Here we have the story of how this result was brought about. Ocean currents, winds, and birds were the main factors ; and it is highly interesting to see what they and other agencies produced. Nor is it only plants that have been reintroduced. The explorers saw at least one lizard, and it was a metre long.
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