378 ON THE PLEONAST RUBY. 



Agriculture. His last article relates to the cultivation of thj? soil, in 



the regions he has sketched. Several villages on the accli- 

 vity of the Ancles are built at a considerable height. From 

 the level of the sea to the height of 1000 met. [1093 yards] 

 the plantain, maize, and chocolate nut are cultivated. It 

 is the region of the most delicious fruits. The Europeans 

 have introduced other plants ; the sugar cane, indigo, and 

 coffee tree. The last of these delights in a high and stony 

 soil. 



Wheat grows in the greatest abundance in Quito and Peru 



from the height of 1600 to 1900 met. [1748 to 2076 yards]. 



The great plains of the Cordillera are particularly favour- 



The plains bot- able for the corn of Europe. The soil, yielding easily to 



lakes ° f ° Id ^ e Pl° w ? shows that they were anciently the bottoms of 



lakes. 



From 3000 to 4000 met. [3278 to 4371 yards] the prin- 

 cipal article of culture is the potato. Higher up the peo- 

 ple live amid their numerous flocks of lamas, which fre- 

 quently wander as far as the region of snow. 



VII. 



Observations on the Pleonast Spinel^ particularly that of 

 the Environs of Montpellier. By Mr, Marcel »b 

 Serres *. 



Synonimes of JL HE pleonast of Hauy, brown garnet or schoerl in trun- 

 foundm^ey- cated dodecaedrons of Rome de Lisle, was originally found 

 Ion, in the island of Ceylon, among tourmalines and other cry- 



and distinguish- stalline substances, with which it was confounded. Dela- 



ed as a species mgfaQrfc { lrs { made a distinct species of it under the name of 



bv F>elani6the- ■ 



ri'e. ceylanite. Sometime afterward he found it in rocks thrown 



Occurs in vol- up by Vesuvius. Mr. Lhermiua subsequently observed it 



canic rocks. j n the same rocks: and Mr. Lewis Cordicr lately obtained 



it from almost all the volcanic rocks in the environs of 



Closterlach on the borders of the Rhine. Draparnaud 



mentions pleonast in the breccia? of the little basaltic mouiu 



* Journal de Physique, vol. LXVII, p. 26. 



tain 



