assemblage of disturbed and shattered flints which covers, in a great measure, the entire superficial area of the chalk formation of this country. The shells consist chiefly of Inocérami, of the species before figured and described at page 69. in Volume I. of this work (fig. 39 and 40.). They often occur in groups, and a single flint may be seen marked with the distorted casts and impressions of a numerous assemblage of these Testàcea, without any visible traces of their shells remaining. Thus, in one of Mr. Tyssen's specimens, we perceive sixteen or eighteen Inocérami. These surround the cast of an Echinus, Spatángus (cór marinum), also distorted. Another flint exhibits the cast of a single tubercle of a mammillated echinite, of the genus Cídaris. Similar detached impressions are common on fragments of flint, but entire siliceous specimens of the Cídaris are less abundant, particularly in Norfolk. There is also a small plicated Terrebrátula of a species rather abundant in chalk. -R. C. T. The species from the chalk itself are as follows: - Radiàta: Cónulus albogalèrus Mantel, t. 17.; Galerìtes? Lamarck; Cónulus (Galerites) Rótula Brong. Acephalous Mollusca: Inocéramus intermédius, n. s. (fig. 83. a) Min. Con. t. 440., and its hinge (b); Gryphæ'a globosa Min. Con. t. 392.; Terrebrátula cárnea Min. Con. t. 15. one of the same cast in flint; Terrebrátula obliqua Min. Con. t. 277. J. D. C. S. Minute Objects on Flints. Some time about last midsummer, walking on the Precinct Meadows, I was struck with the appearance of the flints and other hard subb stances being partially covered with a white powder, particularly in the crevices. I found this powder fixed, and, on further examin 83 ation with a lens, that they must be either minute plants of the order Cryptogàmia, or the nidi of insects. I also found them on the high ground on the opposite side of the river. The annexed sketch (fig. 84.) is from a flint in my possession, which shall be forwarded if requested. The objects appear to be in the same state as when I first brought them home. The portion of the flint is one tenth of an inch in length, and the sketch is magnified thirty times. The disks of the objects are finely radiated, and two of them (ab) are globular. An explanation will much oblige, Sir, yours, &c. Samuel Woodward. Diana Square, Norwich, April 3. 1829. I have ever considered these to be the eggs of a red A'carus, which always accompanies them, as far as I have observed. J. D. C. S. Limestone from Coral Rocks. It is well known that the Bermudas, or Somers Isles, are surrounded by innumerable coral rocks. On examining the limestone of which these islands are principally composed, I am inclined to think it has been formed by the coral being raised above the surface of the sea (for the coral insect works no higher) by some convulsion. In support of this, I have observed many appearances of decomposing coral in the limestone, although it generally resembles the oolite or roestone of Portland, &c., but with larger grains. Besides this, I have now by me some shells of the Mùrex and Tròchus genera taken from this rock, the former with the colour as perfect as if recently brought from the sea shore. In this same stratum I also noticed the bones of a whale, on the east side of Ireland's Island (one of the Bermudas). The limestone of Barbadoes bears similar marks of coral, and seems, in common with that of Bermuda and other parts, to be nothing more than the coral rock and coral sand raised from the sea. — - W. H., R.N. Yeovil, April 22. 1829. A Fossil like a broken Nut. Some time since, in making a collection of fossils from the inferior oolite in this neighbourhood, I found a specimen having all the appearance of a broken nut (fig. 85.) with the kernel quite perfect. From its habitat (being amidst a great variety of shells), I conclude it must be a marine production, but what it is I should much wish to know. It is true, the same quarry whence it was taken contains a great deal of petrified wood, but its presence is almost as great an enigma to me as the nut itself. Id. 85 The blue Colour of the Sea. - Sir, I remember once to have noticed the last ray of the setting sun, on a fine calm evening at sea, which was of a bright emerald green. I believe the fact is noticed by Lord Byron, in some of his works. Does not this prove the blue colour of the sea, in the same way that the green appearance sometimes observable on each side of the setting sun may be accounted for by knowing that his golden rays intervene between us and the colour of the blue sky beyond? - Id. A Corn Spring.-Sir, My attention has lately been called to a corn spring in this parish. I mean a spring which is supposed to indicate, by its flowing, a rise in the price of corn. Such, I believe, have been noticed in many other places; in particular, one other of a similar kind I have heard of in the neighbourhood of Atherstone in this county. The Dudley's spring (for such is the name by which the one here is known) has long been held in estimation among the lower orders for foretelling, as they believe, the dearness of corn; and many old people, I am told, have been in the habit of watching its operations, and placing much faith in them. The spring, I should state, is a land spring, which occasionally oozing out of a low boggy corner of a field, flows with a considerable rill down the ditch which separates this parish from the adjoining parish of Corley. It is often quite dry, flowing periodically only, and at long and uncertain intervals. My personal knowledge of this phenomenon is only of very recent date, as I have never visited the actual spot till this summer, when the spring was flowing; I can, therefore, only speak from report of the people in its more immediate vicinity. From them I learn that the spring commenced flowing about the middle of May last, after having been dry for about two years. On the last occasion of its flowing, more than two years since, they acknowledge that the spring did not maintain its prophetic character, as no rise in the price of corn ensued. The most remarkable circumstance relating to this spring (if true, as I am informed) is, that its operations do not appear to depend on the seasons, but that it is often known to flow in a very dry season, and again to be dry in a very wet one. This account, however, is hardly credible, as there can be little doubt, I think, that the flowing of the spring must depend, if not directly, remotely at least, on the quantity of rain that falls; VOL. II. No. 8. X an opinion which derives much confirmation from the circumstance of the spring having ceased to flow during the last two years of unusual drought, and breaking out again in May of the present year, after the copious and heavy rains which fell in the spring. White, in his History of Selborne, speaking of the wet autumn and winter of 1775, says that "the land springs, which we call lavants, break out much on the downs of Sussex, Hampshire, and Wiltshire. The country people say, when the lavants rise corn will always be dear; meaning that when the earth is so glutted with water as to send forth springs on the downs and uplands, that the corn vales must be drowned and so it has proved for these ten or eleven years past. For land springs have never obtained more since the memory of man than during that period; nor has there been known a greater scarcity of all sorts of grain, considering the great improvements of modern husbandry." (See Let. 19. to Hon. D. Barrington.) It is an acknowledged fact, that a dry season is most favourable to the produce of corn in this country, to say nothing of the getting in of the harvest. There are several old proverbs to this effect, such as, Drought never bred dearth in England:" and, "When the sand doth feed the clay (which is in a wet summer), But when the clay doth feed the sand (which is in a dry summer), Now, this being the case, and the flowing of the land springs depending, as it should seem it certainly must do, on the quantity of rain that falls, it is easy to perceive how these corn springs, as they are called, came to have attributed to them a character for foretelling a dearness of corn. It would be worth while, however, to watch their operations more minutely; and it is in the hope that some intelligent persons, who have the opportunity, may be induced to do so, that I have now called your attention to the subject. The Dudley's spring is still flowing (Sept. 13.) as copiously as when I visited the spot two months ago. Yours, &c.-W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory, Sept. 20. 1828. Laudanum, a species of dew. Laudanum is procured in a curious manner, in some parts of the Isle of Cyprus. It is a species of dew, which falls during the evening and night upon plants resembling sage, the flowers of which are like those of the eglantine. Before the sun rises, flocks of goats are driven into the field, and the laudanum fastens on their beards, whence it is taken. It is of a viscous nature, and, collected in this manner, is purer than that which adheres to the plants; because these plants are subject to being covered with dust during the day. (Bucke's Beauties of Nature.) Can any of your readers explain this? - R. S. March, 1829. ART. IX. Retrospective Criticism. ACCENTUATION of Names.-Sir, I never take up your Magazine of Natural History, but its multifarious contents bring before my mind the imaginary picture of Horace, “undique collatis membris." * I say this with reference only to the sources of your information: the consummation of the poet's supposition, "ut nec pes nec caput uni reddatur formæ," + will by no means attach to your work; for I am persuaded that it will hereafter * "Members collected from all parts." ተ "That neither foot nor head can be referred to the same form." exhibit a picture of truth in due symmetry and proper proportion. There are a few great artists already employed about the head, more about the body, and a still greater number about the limbs. I, too, would have a share in so goodly a work, but I am an artist of the humblest class. I can offer only the "great toe of the assembly," and if that be not in proportion, I beseech you to reject it and suffer it not to deform your picture. You have made the penultimate syllables of the words Chrysomela and Cicindela long: and Ainsworth, quoting from Pliny, has done the same. The poet, Gray, has adopted a different accentuation, as you will perceive by the subjoined lines, which are a portion of his verses commemorative of the Linnean Orders and Genera: Chrysomela inflexa loricæ stringitur ora. Maxilla exserta est oculoque Cicindela grandi." Gray was a classical scholar, and would not, I conceive, accentuate a word without sufficient authority. But where is his authority in the present instance? In the whole nomenclature of entomology, no words are more variously pronounced than these two now before us: and I must confess that, if Chrysomela be the correct accentuation, I am utterly unable to discover any thing in its derivation applicable to the insect to which it is assigned. In page 160. you have written elytra, and in page 423. élytra. I presume that, prosodically, it may be either ělytra or ělytra; but in no case can it be elytră. Gray has written ělytra. I prefer your former pronunciation, because it is, to my ear, more euphonic. In one case I find prodromus; in another, through inadvertence I suppose, prodromus. I do not make these remarks, Sir, from any fastidious feeling, but for the purpose of information; and, more particularly, to show the necessity of annexing to the end of each volume of your work a correct accentuation of the terms therein employed. I am, Sir, &c. -J. S. Thurgarton, Norfolk, April 17. 1829. [Our correspondent's other communications are inserted in their proper places.] Errata. Page 107. line 16. from the top, for "the fossils (figs. 25. and 26.)," read "the fossils (figs. 24. and 25.)." Page 162. line 9. for "fifty,” read "forty." Page 169. line 22. for "annona," read "ananna. - Ascent of the Aerial Spider. — Sir, Mr. Blackwall's letter in your Magazine (p. 116.) leaves this question exactly as it was. It is true he is pleased to deal in invective and complaint; but this has nothing to do with the case. Your correspondent need not be told that the council of no scientific society hold themselves responsible for the papers that may appear in their published Transactions; the entire onus rests on the individual authors of the respective papers; nay, more, as in the case of the Royal and Horticultural Societies and others, an express printed notice to that effect is prefixed to each volume. An author may gain sufficient credit with the council of any society, to warrant the publication of his sentiments or opinions, however erroneous they may be ultimately found to be. On such promulgation, these published opinions become public property, and they may be sifted and tried before that tribunal. If Mr. Blackwall finds himself unable to contest the question single-handed, I cannot concede to him the right of calling into his aid the coup de main of the council of the Linnean Society, the individual members of which I highly respect, and feel assured they will not be so unwise as to wage an indiscreet war against any one contending for the principles of truth. The opinions sustained in that paper are the opinions, surely, of Mr. Blackwall, and not of the council of the Linnean Society, or, if otherwise, how could Mr. Blackwall lend his name to a paper which did not belong to him. I shall not yield in my respect for the Linnean Society to him or any one, and am only surprised, he should wish to shield his paper behind a screen, when he alone is responsible for the acts of his own offspring. Mr. Blackwall assures us, he was unacquainted with Gay Lussac's account of the ascent of the soap bubble, and we have a right to believe his statement; the principle, though he confesses it, has not novelty to recommend it; he applies it to the ascent of the spider, exactly as that eminent philosopher applied it to the soap bubble, and I must really leave Mr. Blackwall to manage the tackling of his composition of forces, as best he may. To me at least, it seems sadly complicated and confused. Mr. Blackwall seems really to consider my observations as almost personal against himself; but I can assure him that this is not even possible, since I never even met with his name previously to seeing it in the Transactions of the Linnean Society, in a paper on the ascent of the spider which purports to bear his name. Because I did not mention the temperature within and without, ergo I had not taken it, and had not ascertained the direction of the current. Now, Mr. Blackwall may have, if he presses for it, all the benefit that may arise from his illogical conclusion. It seems that Mr. Blackwall did not mean to canvass the electrical aptitude of the air as to its positive or negative relations; but only that the aeronautic spider is not particularly select in the quantity or intensity that may abound.“ As Mr. Blackwall is very sensitive about his name being introduced into a question which has, or ought to have, truth for its aim and object, he should have been a little more cautious in rejecting the opinions of those who have investigated the subject with as much care as himself; and I must confess that, in that very memoir, I can perceive but little courtesy exhibited toward his fellow-labourers in the delightful field of natural history, and in the case of those who have canvassed the subject. I have" committed" my opinions to the same test which must be applied in the case of his asserted facts; by that standard of appeal we must both submit to be judged, and receive our acquittal or condemnation accordingly, and it is needless for either him or me to endeavour to fly off at a tangent. I merely repeat that my experiments have been numerous and diversified, and all those who know me will concede to me the merit of an indefatigable, laborious, and careful experimenter; and when that volume is reprinted I shall be able to adduce a multitude of facts more. Last autumn I let go an aeronautic spider, together with some thistledown, simultaneously from the same spot in the open air. They moved in exactly contrary directions! I must leave the phenomenon with Mr. Blackwall, to be adjusted by the "laws of compound forces." I, however, did not ascertain the temperature. I remain, Sir, yours, &c. - -J. Murray. The Lump attached to the Throat of the Hare. (Vol. I. p. 216.) — Sir, In confirmation of the opinion which I was led to form in my communication to you respecting the hare, that the lump attached to its throat was most probably caused by a diseased state of some of the glands, and was not an original deformity from its birth, I had the good fortune to meet with the following parallel case in one of the feathered tribe, a common hen (Phasianus Gállus), and as it appears to be a novel circumstance, and may assist the mind in forming a just conclusion as to the cause of that singular appearance, I hope I may secure for the following description of it, a place in the next Number of your Magazine: -- Happening to find the hen just as she was dying, and perceiving that she was expiring from suffocation, I felt curious to ascertain the immediate cause by which her breathing was affected; and my curiosity was not a little increased by the person who had the charge of her informing me, in answer to my queries, that she had a large lump in her craw. This lump I at first supposed to have been occasioned by swallowing some |