calves are the best, and give a vivid colour and agreeable perfume to the roses. These are to be placed with the points downwards, so that the cups shall be nearly level with the surface of the earth, and the plant well surrounded. This operation is to be repeated in the November following. These hoofs, dissolved by the rain or the waterings, form an excellent manure, which hastens the vegetation, and determines the reproduction of flowers. iv. Two waterings per week will suffice in ordinary weather, and they should be made with the rose of the watering-pot, so that the hoofs may be filled; but, if the atmosphere is dry, it will be necessary to water the plants every evening; and in the latter case it will be necessary, from time to time, to direct the stream of water on to the head of the tree.Bull. Univ. D. x. 342.

16. On the Plantation of Potatoe Buds.-M. Grebel, a clergyman of Ringleben near Erfurt, made some experiments on this subject in 1826. Notwithstanding the great dryness of the weather, the produce much surpassed his expectation, since each sprout yielded from three to four pounds of potatoes, and some of the potatoes weighed nearly a pound each. He remarked that, according to his experience, the early potatoe called Hernkartoffel, by Putzsche, is the most advantageous for this method of propagation: a single germ gave sometimes from six to seven pounds of potatoes.Allgem, Anzeiger, Bull. Univ. D. x. 314.

17. Subterraneous Growth of Potatoes.-A mixture of two parts Danube sand, and one part common earth, was laid in a layer an inch thick, in one corner of my cellar; and, in April, thirty-two yellow potatoes with their skins placed upon its surface. They threw out stalks on all sides; and, at the end of the following November, more than a quarter of a bushel of the best potatoes were gathered, about a tenth part of which were about the size of apples-the rest as large as nuts. The skin was very thin; the pulp farinaceous, white, and of a good taste. No attention was given to the potatoes during the time they remained on the sand, and they grew without the influence of the sun or light. This trial may be advantageously applied in fortified places, hospitals, houses of correction, and, in general, in all places where cellars or subterraneous places occur, being neither too cold nor too moist, and where it is important to procure a cheap, but abundant nourishment for many individuals.-Mercure de la Souabe-Recueil Industriel, viii. 149.

18. On the Gossamer Spider, by Mr. Bowman,-Several of these little insects were arrested in their flight, and placed upon the brass gnomon of a sun-dial in a short time they prepared for their aërial voyage. Having crawled about to reconnoitre, they at last turned their abdomens from the current of air, and elevated them

'almost perpendicularly, supporting themselves solely on the claws of their fore legs; at the same instant shooting out four or five, often six or eight, extremely fine webs, several yards long, which waved in the breeze, diverging from each other like a pencil of rays, and strongly reflecting the sunbeams. After the insects had remained stationary in this apparently unnatural position for about half a minute, they sprung off from the stage with considerable agility, and launched themselves into the air. In a few seconds after, they were seen sailing majestically along, without any apparent effort; their legs contracted together, and lying perfectly quiet on their backs, suspended from their silken parachutes, and presenting to the lover of nature a far more interesting spectacle than the balloon of the philosopher. "One of these natural aëronauts I followed," says Mr. Bowman, "which, sailing in the sunbeams, had two distinct and widely diverging fasciculi of webs; and their position in the air was such, that a line uniting them would have been at right angles with the direction of the breeze.-Magazine of Natural History.

It would be very interesting to know, whether the gossamer threads thrown out by these insects are in an excited state of electricity: their divergent state would seem to imply they were; for there seems to be no other natural cause which could prevent them from coming together, especially before the insect had left its resting-place. If electric, then neighbouring bodies, as the hand or branches of a tree, or a stick, &c., would attract them; but care would be required in making the experiment, from the readiness with which these threads would move upon disturbance of the air. If electric, then it would be important to know whether they were positive or negative; which their attraction, or repulsion, by a stick of sealing-wax, rubbed on the sleeve of a coat, would at once determine. It is well known that these threads are almost perfect insulators of electricity, and would retain a charged state for a long time in a dry sunny atmosphere.-Ed.

19. Instinct of Spiders. A small spider (Epeira Diadema, Latreill) had spread its net between two neighbouring trees, at the height of about nine feet. The three principal points to which the supporting threads were attached, formed here, as they usually do, an equilateral triangle. One thread was attached above to each of the trees, and the web hung from the middle of it. To procure a third point of attachment, the spider had suspended a small stone to one end of a thread; and the stone, being heavier than the spider itself, served in place of the lower fixed point, and held the web extended. The little pebble was five feet from the earth. The whole was observed, and is described, by Professor Weber, of Leipsig.-Archive für Anatomie, 1827.

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20. On the Sexual Instinct of Insects, by J. H. Davies. It has

been asserted, that the circuitous flight of the butterfly tribe arises from one sex pursuing through the air the track of the other; and that, if an unimpregnated female of the Phalana quetcus (egger moth) be carried in a gauze cage into the haunts of that species, numbers of the males will be attracted, so as to be easily captured. I have never had an opportunity of verifying this fact; but, from a circumstance which occurred to me during the past year, I have no -doubt of its correctness.

I was engaged in rearing lepidopterous insects from the larvæ, and had a great variety of the pupa of different species. One evening, I found a female Sphinx ocellata just emerged, which, in lifting from the floor, ran up my arm and round the collar of my coat: two hours after, on returning to my study from shutting some glass frames in the garden, a very fine male, of the same species, was fluttering on my shoulder, where the female had previously crawled. But a still more curious fact, which must appear almost incredible, remains to be stated. Two females of the sphinx populi were evolved. The next day I found three males in the room. As no one had entered it in the interval, nor was there apparently any mode by which they could gain access, I was somewhat puzzled to account for their appearance. The same evening, however, the mode of entrance was made apparent, by two more males, of the same species, coming down the chimney; one of which fell into a vase standing on the fire-place, where I captured it before it could extricate itself. Afterwards, upon occasion of the evolution from the pupa state of females of the Phalana bucephala and Phalana salicis, the windows of my study were completely besieged by males of the same species, which, upon throwing open the windows, eagerly rushed in.

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21. American Sea-Serpent.-Mr. Samuel Mitchell has, in his Summary of the Progress of Natural Science for the last few Years," given an amusing account of the progress of sea-serpentism. It was read before the New York Lyceum, and is inserted in the American Journal of Science, xv., p. 351, although not thought conclusive by its learned editor, Dr. Silliman. The first sea-serpent was a steam-boat, which, being established at Boston to coast along the shore, and from its powers and capabilities competent to injure the business of small boats, was described as a sea-serpent that had been seen off Nahant and Gloucester, and had probably come there to consume all the small fish in the place. This was received by many as a serious account, and believed accordingly.

Another sea-serpent history arose from the circumstance, that a small sloop, called the Sea-serpent, having been passed by another vessel, the captain of the latter, when asked, upon his arrival at home, for news, said he had seen a sea-serpent, and then described its bunches on the back, the action of its tail, and other parts; all

of which being understood literally, actually appeared in print, as evidence for the existence of the animal.

Then a piece of the skin of the bony scaled pike was taken for part of a sea-serpent's hide. A speckled mother duck, with a numerous brood of young ones swimming after her in a line on Lake Ontario, was described as the serpent itself. And from such occurrences as these, perhaps, mingled with careless observation of the motions and appearances of porpuses, basking sharks, and balænopterous whales, appears to have originated every thing that has been said about American sea-serpents.

22. Living Molluscous Animals in Diluvial Deposits.-The following statement is by Professor Eaton, of New York:-" The diluvial deposits in the great diluvial trough, through which the Erie canal is made, contain ridges of hard, compact gravel. A remarkable ridge of this kind lies in an oblique direction across the canal, running south-westerly from the village of Rome sixteen miles west of Utica. While cutting through this ridge, the workmen found several hundred of live molluscous animals. They were chiefly of the Mya cariosa and Mya purpurea (Uni of Bruguieres and Barnes). I have before me several of the shells from which the workmen took the animals, fried and ate them. Mr. Brainard, who now resides at the place, and keeps a public-house on the banks of the canal, was present at the time, and will give the curious a satisfactory account of it. I have received several of the shells, with satisfactory assurances that the animals were taken alive from the depth of forty-two feet in the same deposit, and near the same place.

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My object is to present a case where the deposit is decidedly diluvial; consequently these animals must have lain from the time of the deluge: for the earth in which they are found is too compact for them to be produced by a succession of generations. Therefore the lives of these animals are greatly prolonged by exclusion from air and light, or their natural age is more than 3000 years.

"These fresh-water clans of 3000 years old precisely resemble the same species which now inhabit the fresh waters of that district.” -Silliman's Journal, xv. 249.

23. Polar Red Snow.-According to the chemical examination of the red snow brought from the north by Captain Franklin, MM. Macaire Prinsep and Marcet are inclined to think it may be of animal production and not vegetable, i. e. to consist of animals or animalcules. The analogy of this substance to a red matter, taken from the lake of Morat, was one amongst other reasons for this opinion, and also the circumstance that gelatine (containing azote) has not as yet been found in the vegetable creation, whereas it is in this red snow.-Bib. Universelle, xxxix. 290.

24. Comparison of Respiration and Combustion.-It has usually been supposed that a comparatively small proportion of carbonic acid gás will render an atmosphere quite unfit to support respiration, and sometimes 6 per cent. has been said to be the limit of respirability. This, however, has been long known to be exaggerated; and lately M. Ferigo has had an opportunity of observing, that air charged with nearly 17 per cent. could be breathed for some hours consecutively. A well was in progress in the commune of Triuggio, in the Milanais, at the bottom of which candles would not burn: it was found, nevertheless, that men could work there; and in fact a workman continued to labour for three hours at a time, being then relieved by another workman, who had to remain for the same period, and so on. The air in this well being collected and analysed, extinguished inflamed bodies when plunged into it, and by analysis was found to contain one-sixth of its volume of carbonic acid gas.-Giornale de Fisica, 1827, 433.

25. Spontaneous Human Combustions.-That cases happen in which the human being, even when alive, undergoes a sudden destruction, as if by a consuming process, cannot be doubted; and these are now so numerous as to have induced M. Julia de Fontenelle to read a paper on the subject to the Academy of Sciences at Paris. Fifteen instances are particularly described by him, from the details of which the following general results are obtained :

i. Generally those who have died by spontaneous combustion have indulged in excess of alcoholic liquors. ii. The combustion is almost always general, but in some cases may be partial. iii. It is rare amongst men; the women have, in almost every case, been aged. iv. The body and the viscera have always been burnt, whilst the feet, hands, and top of the head, have almost always been preserved. v. Although it is known by experience that a very large quantity of wood is required to burn a corpse, this particular kind of incineration occurs without inflaming the most combustible substances of an ordinary kind near it. vi. It has not been shewn in any case that the presence of an inflamed body is necessary to commence this kind of combustion. vii. Water, instead of extinguishing the flame, appears to give it more activity; and when the flame has disappeared, the combustion proceeds within. viii. They occur more frequently in winter than in summer. ix. The cure of general combustions has never been effected, only of partial ones. x. Those to whom it has happened have experienced a sensation of strong internal heat. xi. It is suddenly developed, and consumes the body in a few hours. xii. Those parts which are not reached by the fire are affected by sphacele. xiii. A putrid degeneration ensues which causes gangrene. xiv. The residue of this combustion is composed of greasy cinders and an unctuous fatty matter, both having a fetid odour, which is perceived at a great distance.

These results shew the inapplicability of the explanations which JAN. MARCH, 1829.

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