Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13625, 19 December 1907, Page 8

In Sydney a few nights ago members of the Naturalists' Club had an opportunity of inspecting some manna from the Sahara, which, it was explained by Mr. Edwin Chid, who lectured on the subject of "Lichens," was identical with the food collected by the Israelites in Egypt. This manna was a lichen of. tho species Lecanora esculenta, and it was also known as the wandering lichen. Its origin, Mr. Chiel explained, was obscure. It grew somehow and somewhere, and appeared suddenly in certain localities floating through the air, and becoming deposited in an inflated form during fog. After the fog lifted and the atmospheric conditions altered the lichen shrank in size, and ceased to have nutritious properties. The manna specimens produced by Mr. Chiel were altogether unlike many of the lichen family known to exist in Australia, being irregularly noduled, and brownish in hue, the latter coloration being probably due to age. ' The lichen was said to be short-lived, where other varieties had a known age of over 200 years. A correspondent writes as follows to a Sydney daily:— "A somewhat extraordinary occurrence ■ has . taken place at Honolulu. The Rev. P. A. and Mrs. Delaportc, of the American Board of Missions, have been' making a stay at Honolulu, and desired to proceed to Sydney by the Miowera, which left that port on November 16. The vessel having no American license was debarred from taking passengers, in consequence of which Mr. and Mrs. Delaporte have been compelled to take a steamer from Honolulu to Hongkong and from thence will come to Sydney. '