Islands, of which the only specimen in Europe was exhibited at the meeting. The author supposes that the Dodo fed upon the cocoa-nuts, mangos, and other fruits which in tropical forests fall from the trees at all seasons of the year. The lecturer then drew attention to the island of Rodriguez, visited in 1691 by Leguat; who has given a description and figure of a brevipennate bird which he calls the Solitaire. Several bones of this bird from the Museums of Paris and of Glasgow, were on the table; and a comparison of them with those of the Dodo clearly proved that the "Solitaire" was an allied, but distinct species,-longer legged than the Dodo, and related, like it, to the pigeons. It was next shown, from the narratives of several voyagers, that the island of Bourbon was also formerly inhabited by two species of short-winged birds of the same abnormal group as the Dodo and the Solitaire. Unfortu nately, we have as yet no osseous remains of these birds from Bourbon-but they might doubtless be procured from the caves and alluvial deposits of that island; and by similar researches in Mauritius and Rodriguez, the entire skeletons of this remarkable family of extinct birds might be reconstructed. 4. Ehrenberg on the Sirocco-dust that fell at Genoa on the 16th May, 1846, (Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc., No. 10, from the Berlin MonatsBericht,' for 1846, p. 202–207.)—The microscopic analysis of this dust produced 22 polygastrica, 21 phytolitharia, together with the pollen of plants and the spores of Puccinium. The varieties of dust which since 1830 have fallen in the Atlantic Ocean, as far as 800 sea miles west from Africa, on the Cape Verd islands, even in Malta and Genoa, which the author has had an opportunity of examining, all agreed in the following particulars:-1st, they are all ochre yellow, never grey, like the dust of the Khamseen in the north of Africa; 2nd, the color is produced by iron oxyd; 3rd, from one-sixth to one-third of their mass consists of recognizable organic parts; 4th, these are either siliceous polygastrica and phytolitharia, or carbonaceous but uncarbonized portions of plants, or calcareous polythalamia; 5th, the greater number of the ninety species already found equally occur in the most widely separated of the places just named; 6th, the most numerous forms are every where land and freshwater productions; yet some marine animalcules are constantly mixed with them; 7th, in no case were dried up, living species (except the pollen and spores), nowhere melted, calcined, or carbonized forms among them; 8th, even the dust of Genoa, although brought there by the Sirocco, exhibited as little as any of the former, characteristic African forms, which yet are found in every small portion of mud from Africa; on the contrary, one of them, Synedra entomon, is a decidedly characteristic South American form. It is remarkable that the few (2?) European observations hitherto made have always fallen on the 15th and 16th of May. The author concludes with the question, whether there is not a current of air uniting Africa and America in the region of the trade-winds, which is occasionally, and especially on these days, turned towards Europe, and brings that dust along with it? J. N. 5. A Fact respecting the Habits of Notonecta glauca; by Prof. FORREST SHEPHERD, (communicated for this Journal.)-In the evening twilight of a pleasant day in September, 1846, Sir George Simpson en camped for the night, on his route from Red River to the head waters of the Mississippi, in the vicinity of latitude 48 degrees North and longitude 95 or 96 degrees West from Greenwich. While supper was preparing, he perceived something falling on his hat like drops of rain; but as there were no clouds to be seen, presumed it could not be rain. On looking on the ground near the fire, he saw distinctly that the falling substance instead of being rain was a small winged insect, which, although unable to fly had yet life and motion. The number rapidly. increased so as to give great annoyance by falling into the frying-pan and supper vessels; and continued until the ground was covered by the shower. On the following morning, Sir George ascertained that this extraordinary shower extended at least from twenty-five to thirty miles in the direction he was travelling. No information has been received as to its extent in other directions. It was observed that soon after the shower, the weather changed suddenly from warm to cold. It is therefore probable that the whole of this immense swarm of insects encountered the cold current, and were paralyzed and precipitated thereby. They all died soon after falling. Specimens of these insects were col. lected by the attendants of Sir George, from whom I received them. In no instance, however, were they seen to revive after coming into a warmer atmosphere. Not being able to recognize this species, I took the specimens to Professor Bachhofner, of the Royal Polytechnic Institution of London, who at once declared them to be the "Notonecta glauca," a species of aquatic diptera, well known in Europe. Other specimens were given to Dr. Le Conte, of New York, from whom the scientific community will probably hereafter receive a more particular description through the columns of the American Journal. Western Reserve College, Hudson, Ohio, July 27, 1847. 6. On the Diatomaceous Vegetation of the Antarctic Ocean; by Dr. J. HOOKER, (Proc. Brit. Assoc., 1847, Athen., No. 1028.)-The author found the Diatomaceæ in countless numbers between the parallels 60° and 80° south, where they gave a color to the sea, and also to the icebergs floating on it. The death of these bodies in the south Arctic Ocean is producing a sub-marine deposit, consisting entirely of the siliceous particles of which the skeletons of these vegetables are composed. This deposit exists on the shores of the Victoria Land, and at the base of the volcanic mountain Erebus. Dr. Hooker accounted for the fact that the skeletons of Diatomaceæ had been found in the lava of volcanic mountains, by referring to the position of the Diatomaceæ deposits in relation to Mount Erebus,-which lie in such a position as to render it quite possible that the skeletons of these vegetables should pass into the lower fissures of the mountain, and then passing into the stream of lava, be thrown out unacted upon by the heat to which they have been exposed. 7. Analogy between the Fossil Flora of the European Miocene and the living Flora of America; by Prof. AGASSIZ, in a letter to R. I. Murchison, (Athenæum, No. 1023.)—“ I think I made a lucky and quite an unexpected hit, by tracing the close analogy between the fossil Flora of the European miocene deposits (molasse) and the living Flora of the temperate parts of the United States of North America. The correspondence extends to all the types of organized beings. After having seen the Chelydra alive in the swamps here, under the shade of trees analogous to those which cover the ancient soil of Oeningen, (so celebrated for its profusion of terrestrial and freshwater fossil remains,) I cannot help thinking that the climate could not have been tropical in Europe at the time when the strata of Oeningen were deposited. Again, I may observe that there is the closest affinity between the Flora of the Atlantic shores of North America and that of Japan; where we have the Megalobatrachus, the corresponding living type of the Andrias, or great fossil salamander of Oeningen. As I am unable to write a paper now, I would thank you to make these remarks known before I can publish them in extenso.” 1. The New Planet IRIS.-The discovery by Mr. J. R. Hind of London, of another planet between Mars and Jupiter, is thus announced in his letter to The Times, published Aug. 18, 1847. "Sir-In addition to the Berlin Maps, which we have revised, and in some instances corrected, Ecliptical charts of stars down to the tenth magnitude, have been formed for some of the hours of Right Ascension, which it is Mr. Bishop's intention to publish as soon as they are completed. On the 13th of August, I compared Wolfers's Map [Hora xix] with the heavens, and was surprised to find an unmarked star of 8-9 magnitude in a position which was examined June 22 and July 31, without any note being made. The mere existence of a star in a position where before there was none visible, would not have been sufficient to satisfy me as to its nature; because during an eight months' search I have met with very many variable stars,-a class which I believe to be far more numerous than is generally supposed. But on employing the wire micrometer we were enabled in less than half an hour to establish its motion, and thus to convince ourselves that I had been fortunate enough to discover a new member of the planetary system. It may appear to many of your readers rather bold to announce the existence of a new planet, from the detection of so small an amount of motion as 28.5 in R.A.; but such is the firm mounting of the large refracting telescope, and the perfection of the micrometers, (for which we have to thank Mr. Dollond,) that a far smaller change would have been sufficient to convince us as to the nature of the object in question. Mr. Bishop has fixed upon Iris as an appropriate name for the new planet; and we hope that astronomers generally will join with us in its adoption. The following are all the observations we have yet made. Mr. Bishop's Observatory, Regent's Park, Aug. 17." Mr. Hind subsequently communicated to the Times his first approximation to the elements of this planet, from an observation of Aug. 20, by Prof. Challis, and two taken by himself, Aug. 13 and 26, neglecting parallax and aberration. SECOND SERIES, Vol. IV, No. 12.-Nov., 1847. 54 This orbit, as Mr. Hind observes, is remarkable for its great excentricity; and the period of revolution is longer than that of any of the other asteroids. Hebe is the name given to the planet discovered by Mr. Hencke, July 1, 1847. (See p. 286 of this volume.) 2. Comet of May 7, 1847, (Astr. Nach., No. 603.)—Prof. Colla, at Parma in Italy, discovered, May 7, 1847, a faint telescopic comet in the constellation Leo Minor. D'Arrest of Berlin has given the following elements. Perihelion passage, 1847, June 12d-41336 m. t. Berl. 66 "Asc. Node, Inclination, Log. Perih. dist., Motion,. 173 25 50 3 80 16 56 5 0.3257617 Retrograde. 1847-0 3. Comet of July 4, 1847.-In the Comptes Rendus, July 26, 1847, Mauvais gave the following elements (second approximation) of the orbit of the comet discovered by him July 4, 1847, (see p. 287, this volume,) viz. Perihelion passage, 1847, Aug. 8d.451318 66 "Asc. Node, Inclination, 247° 9′ 46′′7 | m. eqx. 338 8 45 4 ) July 0, 1847. 1.767552 4. New Comet, (Lond. Athen., Sept. 11, 1847.)-M. Schweizer, at Moscow, discovered a telescopic comet Aug. 11, 1847, between 8 and 0 Auriga. It was round and without tail. In 24 hours its R.A. diminished about 13 minutes of time, and its declination lessened about 10 minutes of space. 5. New Comet, (Boston Evening Transcript, Oct. 9.)-A telescopic comet was discovered by a lady of Nantucket, on the morning of Oct. 1, 1847, in the constellation Cepheus. It is now visible to the naked eye. Its position determined at the Cambridge Observatory, from comparisons with zeta Draconis, was Oct. 7, 7h 56m 31s, R.A. 17h 10m 56s.2, and N. Dec. 70° 1′ 18′′; referred to M. Eqx. Jan 1. 6. The New Telescope at Cambridge.-The following letter from Mr. Bond, the Director of the Observatory at Cambridge, Mass., respecting the performance of the Grand Refractor recently mounted there, will be read with much interest. Cambridge Observatory, Sept. 22d, 1847. Dear Sir-You will rejoice with me that the great nebula in Orion has yielded to the power of our incomparable telescope. This morning the atmosphere being in a favorable condition, at about 3 o'clock the telescope was set upon the Trapezium in the great nebula of Orion.-Under a power of 200, the 5th star was immediately conspicuous; but our attention was directly absorbed with the splendid revelations made in its immediate neighborhood. This part of the nebula was resolved into bright points of light. The number of stars was too great to attempt counting them; many were however readily located and mapped. The double character of the brightest star of the Trapezium was readily recognized with a power of 600.-This is "Struve's 6th star;" and certain of the stars composing the nebula were seen as double stars under this power. It should be borne in mind that this nebula and that of Andromeda have been the last strong-hold of the nebular theory; that is, the idea, first thrown out by the elder Herschel, of masses of nebulous matter in process of condensation into systems. The nebula in Orion yielded not to the unrivaled skill of both the Herschels, armed with their excellent Reflectors. It even defied the power of Lord Rosse's three-foot mirrors, giving "not the slightest trace of resolvability," or separation into a number of single sparkling points. And even when, for the first time, Lord Rosse's grand Reflector of six-feet speculum was directed to this object, " not the veriest trace of a star was to be seen." Subsequently his Lordship communicated the result of his farther examination of Órion, as follows: "I think I may safely say, that there can be little if any doubt as to the resolvability of the nebula.-We could plainly see that all about the Trapezium is a mass of stars; the rest of the nebula also abounding in stars, and exhibiting the characteristics of resolvability strongly marked." This has hitherto been considered as the greatest effort of the largest reflecting telescope in the world;-and this our own telescope has accomplished. I feel deeply sensible of the odiousness of comparisons;-but innumerable applications have been made to me for evidence of the excellence of the instrument, and I can see no other way in which the public are to be made acquainted with its merits. With sincere respect and esteem, I remain, Sir, your obedient ser(Signed) W. C. BOND. vant, V. MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. It 1. Eighth Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists.-This meeting was convened according to adjournment, at Boston, on the 20th Sept., and continued to the 25th. was numerously attended by gentlemen of science from all parts of the country, and the presence of several Europeans of eminence added interest and value to the sessions. No official account of the proceedings has appeared, but from the daily journals we are able to give a |