our correspondents, Mr. Swainson; the orchideous genus Macræa, from Chile, by Professor Lindley. Under miscellaneous intelligence are thirteen notices from the Bulletin Universelle, Jamieson's Journal, Brewster's Journal, the Annales de Chimie, &c.; the most interesting of which, as it appears to us, is a notice from the Bulletin Universelle of a disease of silkworms, and its cure. In the south of France, silkworms very often, become yellow from the attacks of a malady called the jaundice. The remedy there is what gardeners in Britain would adopt, as a destructive power, in the case of worms of any kind; but in France it is said to have been employed for twenty years with perfect success. It consists in powdering the worms with quicklime, by means of a silk sieve, and then giving them mulberry leaves, moistened with a few drops of wine. The safety of the worms under the powdering of quicklime depends, no doubt, on the absence of moisture.

The Philosophical Magazine and Annals of Philosophy, for May and June, contains some interesting philosophical articles, and full accounts of the proceedings of several societies.

Gill's Technological Repository, for May, contains the continuation of a very interesting series of microscopical observations, some curious remarks on the cocoa-nut, and the mode of cultivating it in the East. In the June number the microscopic article is continued, and some farther observations on the culture of palms, scitamineous plants, and the black pepper, in the East, taken from Buchannan's Journey from Madras.

Brewster's Journal for April contains:- Notice of Meteorological Phenomena at Patna,in the East Indies. Observations on the formation of Ice in India, by which it appears that the opinion "repeated by one author after another," that ice is formed by evaporation from porous pans, is erroneous. "The fact is, that the natives use porous pans from necessity; but so well are they aware that the porosity of the vessels is of no advantage, that they usually rub them with grease," as the writer supposes, to admit of more easily extracting the ice, and to keep the straw, in which the vessels are placed, in a perfectly dry and non-conducting state. The only author who understands the subject is said to be Dr. Wells. The writer has repeated the experiments mentioned by Dr. Wells in his Treatise on Dew, "and sometimes with singular results," all proving that the ice is produced by radiation into a clear atmosphere. The writer, David Scott, Esq., never found it practicable to make ice when the temperature exceeded 41° on the level of the pits. On the Natural History of Tabasheer, the siliceous concretion in the Bamboo, by Dr. Brewster.- An Account of a New Sea Serpent, or serpentiform fish (fig. 78.), by Dr. Harwood, Professor of Natural History in the Royal

Institution. It was found in Davis's Straits, is 4 ft. 6 in. long, with a purplish-black granular skin, small fins, and a slender tape-like tail, which is continued 1 ft. 8 in. beyond the extremity of the dorsal fin. Dr. Harwood has given

it the name of Ophiognàthus ampullàceus, or bottle-like.- Account of the Tracks of Footmarks of Animals, found impressed in Sandstone, in the Quarry of Corncockle Muir, Dumfries-shire, by the Rev. Dr. Duncan. These footmarks were discovered fifteen or sixteen years ago; and, what shows the comparative indifference of past times to geological pursuits, their existence has never before been noticed in any scientific

work. The foot-prints differ in size from that of a hare's paw to the hoof of a pony. On a slab forming part of the wall of a summer-house in Dr. Duncan's garden at the Manse of Ruthwell, there are 24 impressions, 12 of the right feet, as many of the left, and, consequently, six repetitions of each foot. Professor Buckland, with whom Dr. Duncan is in correspondence, considers that the animals must have been crocodiles or tortoises. On the supposed Changes in the Meteorological Constitution of the different parts of the Earth during the Historical Period, by Professor Schow of Copenhagen. This is a very interesting paper, but does not admit of abridgment. The author estimates the climate of different countries in remote periods of antiquity, by the plants mentioned in the Bible and other ancient works, as growing in them, as compared with the fossil remains of the antediluvian world. The paper is not completed, and therefore we cannot give his general conclusions. - Zoological Collections. Three species of bears, natives of India, are described, the crocodiles of the Ganges noticed, and an account of the white elephant of Siam, and of a fight between a tiger and an elephant, from Finlayson's Mission to Siam and Thibet. From these notices our readers will see that Dr. Brewster's Journal is of very great interest, even as a magazine of natural history.

When the papers on chemistry, comparative anatomy, natural philosophy, and other branches of science, and the high scientific character of the conductor and his coadjutors are considered, it may safely be pronounced a periodical of first-rate merit.

Observations on

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Jameson's Philosophical Journal for April, contains:the large brown hornet of New South Wales; a very curious and interesting paper, in which, among other things, the author supposes that the hexagonal plan of the cells is derived from the structure of the forelegs of the hornet (fig. 79).- Analysis of a sour clay, used in acidulating sherbet, in Persia. The whitishgrey earth here alluded to, is found on the margins of sulphurous streams which issue from the bases of hills near Dalkee; it has a sour milky taste, and consists principally of sulphate of lime, with a little siliceous matter, acidulated by free sulphuric acid. On the Natural History of the Salmon, by Daniel Ellis, Esq. There are seven species of the genus Sálmo in the river Tay; but this paper is confined to the S. sàlar, or common salmon, and treats of spawning and the evolution of the ova in the higher parts of rivers and streams; of the growth and movements of the young brood to and from the sea during the first year of life; and of the migration of the salmon betwixt the river and the sea. In this very complete paper, it is proved that the grilse, which used to be considered as a fish of a different species from the salmon, is but a salmon in a certain stage of growth. For the first thirty-three months of a salmon's life, it increases nearly at the rate of 1 lb. 1 oz. per month; but in the first five months of its existence, that is, from April to August inclusive, it attains, in favourable circumstances, to the weight of 8 lbs. From a great number of facts respecting the migrations of the salmon at different periods of its life, it would appear that the ova can only be hatched, and the young fish live, in fresh water; that in the earliest period of a salmon's existence, salt water is fatal to it; that the causes of the alternate migrations of salmon are two-the search for food, and the impulse of propagation.

[The Rev. Mr. Hendrick, in his Survey of Aberdeenshire, assigns another cause, the annoyance of insects which live on their skin.] It is certain salmon receive a principal part of their food in the sea; that the best are always caught in or near the sea; and that they fall off in their condition,

in proportion to their abode in rivers.-On the Temperature of the Interior of the Earth, by M. Cordier, Professor of Geology in the Garden of Plants at Paris. From experiments in mines, this writer is convinced that a subterranean heat exists, which is peculiar to the terrestrial globe, does not depend on the solar rays, and increases rapidly with the depth.-Note on Swallows; by which it appears that oiling or soaping the corners of the windows where they build, will deter them from doing so. - On the Domestication of Mammiferous Animals, by M. Frederick Cuvier. (Taken from the Mémoires du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle.) It appears that what (we call the domestication of animals, consists in our becoming members of the society which these animals form among themselves. Man becomes the chief of its herd; from the moment that an animal admits man as a member of its society, it is domesticated, - "as man could not enter into such society without becoming the chief of it." Applying these principles to wild animals, the apes and monkeys, notwithstanding their social instinct and intellect, are yet so violent and irritable, as to be incapable of all useful subjection. Among carnivorous animals, the seals, together with the various species of the dog tribe, would be the best adapted to attach themselves to us, and serve us. M. Cuvier suggests, that the seal might be trained for fishing, as the dog is for hunting. Several animals peculiar to South America, having but very feeble means of defence, will, as that country is peopled, gradually disappear from the face of the earth. After other illustrations, the writer concludes, that all domestication is founded on the propensity which animals have to live together in herds, and to attach themselves to one another. "We obtain it only by enticement, and principally by augmenting their wants, and satisfying them. But we could only produce domestic individuals, and not races, without the concurrence of one of the most general laws of life, the transmission of the organic or intellectual modifications by generation. Here one of the most astonishing phenomena of nature manifests itself to us, the transformation of a fortuitous modification into a desirable form; of a fugitive want into a fundamental propensity; of an incident habit into an instinct. This subject is assuredly worthy of exciting the attention of the most accurate observers, and of occupying the meditations of the most profound thinkers." The Geology of Nithsdale, by J. S. Menteath, Esq. jun.: a paper valuable in an economical point of view. -On the Causes of the Difference of Temperature on the Globe, by Baron Humboldt, being an extract from a public lecture delivered in the Royal Academy in Berlin. "The differences of climate," this distinguished philosopher observes, "manifest themselves in the character, in the civilisation, and perhaps even in the development of the language of different tribes of the human race." Account of a Siren lacertina

(fig. 80.), which has been kept alive at Cannon Mills, near Edinburgh, by Patrick Neill, Esq. This reptile was sent from the marshes of South Carolina to Dr. Munroe, in 1825, who soon after'

80

confided it to Mr. Neill, who kept it in a box of water and moss in his greenhouse, till April, 1827, when it was put in a hot-house; there it became more lively, and began to croak like a frog. It lived on earthworms, but did not care for food oftener than once in a week or ten days; it lived several hours at a time out of water, or several hours at a time under water, at pleasure, being truly amphibious, and capable of breathing either by means of external bránchiæ, or internal lungs. - Tour by G. A. W. Arnott, Esq. to the South of France. On the Irritability of the Sensitive Plant, by M. Dutrochet. This distinguished physiologist refuses to

172 Dog-breaking.-Catalogue of Insects in E. I. C. Museum.

admit sensibility in vegetables, but uses as a substitute for that term nervimotility. Light he considers as the external agent, from the influence of which vegetables draw the renewal of the conditions of their irritability, or more generally of their motility. Under the head of Scientific Intelligence, a long extract is given from a valuable paper, by a correspondent of ours, in Brande's Journal, on the Chinese Method of fattening Fish; and some other papers on Natural History, and a number on other departments of philosophy, complete the contents of this very interesting Journal. Floyd, William, Gamekeeper to Sir John Sebright, Bart.: Observations on Dog-breaking. London. Pamph. 8vo, pp. 23. 2s. 6d.

This little pamphlet contains a few short but excellent rules for breaking in pointers or spaniels. Any dog that will hunt for game may be taught to point by proper training; should never be hunted where there are hares, until they are perfectly steady to partridges; should be taught to lie down at command, and not to rise till touched by the hand. It is easy to check dogs that are too resolute; but, when overawed, they become difficult to manage, and very liable to blink. Slight punishments, frequently repeated, are more effectual than too much severity at once. All pointers should drop when a bird rises; not be allowed to run up to a falling bird. If the word "down" be given when a bird rises, he will soon take the rising of the bird as the signal to drop; and, in time, the scent will be the signal at which he will lie down, this being all that is wanted. Whatever is soon learned by a dog is soon forgotten; and it is only by time and patience that an animal can be confirmed in the habits which it is wished he should retain.

Horsefield Thomas, M.D. F.R.S. L.S. & G.S. Member of the Royal Asiatic, and of the Zoological Societies of London, and of the Imperial Academy Naturæ Curiosorum; Corresponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, &c.: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects contained in the Museum of the Honourable East India Company, illustrated by coloured Figures of New Species, and of the Metamorphoses of Indian Lepidoptera, with Introductory Observations on a General Arrangement of this Order of Insects. London. 4to. Part I. 17. 11s. 6d, To be completed in Six Parts.

In the introduction, the author informs us, that his object is to describe a series of lepidopterous insects, which form part of a general entomological collection from Java, contained in the Museum of the Honourable East India Company. The work will be conducted with a steady reference to his Annulosa Javánica, and the Hòræ Entomológica of William Sharp Macleay, Esq. "The plan of the former will be my constant guide, and the comprehensive views detailed in the latter will afford the means of regulating the arrangements suggested by the former, and of comparing and correcting my mode of proceeding. Accordingly, my principal aim will be to discover the natural affinities, and to follow them in the arrangement. Wherever my materials are sufficiently extensive, I shall trace the series through its whole extent, and endeavour to show, that in this department also, the principle so clearly developed by Mr. Macleay, is exemplified in the succession or chain of affinities returning into themselves, or forming circles. In the series which will thus be submitted to my close examination, I shall endeavour to discover and point out the typical forms which indicate the subdivisions, and distinguish the groups. But, as it may be expected that, in a local collection, many forms must be deficient, and the thread of affinities often interrupted, I shall carefully notice these interruptions, with the design of supplying them, as far as necessary, from other sources of information. The analogies existing between objects of distant or of neighbouring

groups will also be pointed out, wherever they may have been satisfactorily developed." (p. 3.)

The author mentions an attempt at an arrangement of Lepidoptera, according to their metamorphoses, by Messrs. Denis and Schieffermüller, of Vienna, as harmonising with the circular or quinary system of Macleay. According to this system all the Lepidoptera may be referred to one or other of the following types of form, viz. Papilionidæ, Sphíngadæ, Bombycidæ, Noctùìdæ, and Phalænìdæ. Some remarks are next given on eachof these tribes, and the descriptive catalogue commences with the character of Papilionidæ, and its different branches (stirpes), and the genera formed from them. Four coloured plates exhibit some of the more remarkable species and their members, in the larva, chrysalis, and perfect state. These plates are beautifully engraved and coloured, and the work may be considered as highly scientific, and a most valuable contribution to entomology.

Kent, Miss, Authoress of Flora Domestica, and other Productions, literary and botanical: Sylvan Sketches: or, a Companion to the Park and the Shrubbery with Illustrations from the Works of the Poets. London. 8vo, pp. 408. 128.

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It is the intention of this volume " to give an unceremonious introduction of certain trees and shrubs to such as are occasionally in the habit of meeting them without being acquainted, in many instances, even with their names. Botanical language has been carefully avoided; for, although it would often have saved many words, it was considered that such terms would be intelligible only to botanists; and that the botanist was precisely the last person to whom a description of common trees and shrubs would be likely to be of any use." After an eloquent introduction in praise of the subject, and illustrative of the beauty and utility of trees, an alphabetical arrangement is commenced, and all the hardy trees and shrubs, commonly met with in parks and gardens, described in general language, and treated of historically and poetically. In addition to the systematic name, is given the Linnean class and order, the order according to the natural system, and the synonyms in English, Scotch, French, and Italian. The biography (if the term may be so applied) of each tree and shrub is drawn from varied and authentic sources in different languages, and rendered more interesting than in any work which has hitherto appeared. The only alteration we could suggest in a second edition, would be the grouping of the species together, according to their natural orders, and a general alphabetical index of all the names, scientific as well as synonymous. Many, however, will prefer the book as it is; and we can strongly recommend it as full of instructive and agreeable reading. It may be considered a suitable companion for the Sylvan Sketches of Mr. Strutt, a work equally delightful

in its kind.

Burrow, The Rev. E. J., M.A. F.R.S. L.S. Mem. Geol. Soc.: Elements of Conchology, according to the Linnean System. London. 8vo, 3d edit. 28 pls. from nature. 16s. plain; 17. 11s. 6d. coloured.

Bainbridge, George C.: The Fly-fisher's Guide, illustrated by coloured plates, representing upwards of forty of the most useful flies, accurately copied from nature. Liverpool. 2d edit. 16s. extra boards.

Hendrick, The Rev. James, Author of the Survey of Angus-shire, and other Agricultural Works, and of various Papers in the Farmer's Magazine; an original thinker, and strong-minded man: A Lecture on Geology, delivered before the Forfar Scientific Institution, Dec. 3d, 1827, in which it is endeavoured to show that the Mosaic account of the Creation is perfectly consistent with the best ascertained facts concerning the mineral structure of the globe. Montrose. 8vo. 2s. boards.