G. GENEEAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 217 



MIXTURE OF BRACKISH AND MARINE FAUNAS. 



It is t an interesting fact in marine zoology that where or- 

 ganic masses are in the process of decomposition in the sea a 

 true brackish fauna makes its appearance. This has lately 

 been shown in the Bay of Messina, such a fauna having arisen 

 in a locality where large quantities of refuse are thrown into 

 the sea, and forming a striking contrast with that of the sur- 

 rounding area. It is suggested that this fact explains the 

 sudden appearance of brackish shells with marine ones in the 

 same deposit, and accounts for the fact that, with a very few 

 exceptions, all coal-beds contain representatives of a brackish 

 fauna. 13 A, March 1, 1872, 94. 



SALE OF WOMBW T ELL'S MENAGERIE. 



The celebrated traveling menagerie known as "Womb- 

 well's" was recently sold by auction at Edinburg, Scotland, 

 when large prices were realized by some of the more remark- 

 able animals. The chief purchasers were agents for the zoo- 

 logical gardens in London, Manchester, Bristol, and Paris, 

 Mr. Jamrach, the well-known dealer in wild beasts, the pro- 

 prietor of Van Amburg's traveling menagerie, and a few pri- 

 vate individuals. The sale produced between fourteen and 

 fifteen thousand dollars. 



MEMOIRS OF THE CAMBRIDGE MUSEUM. 



The valuable series of illustrated catalogues of the Museum 

 of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Massachusetts, has 

 lately been increased by the addition of two numbers ; one 

 upon the immature stages of the Odo?iata, by Lewis Cabot, 

 and the other on the Ophiuridoe and Astropliytidce, by Theo- 

 dore Lyman. 



The first-mentioned work is restricted to the sub-family 

 Gomphina, although the history of the remaining five fami- 

 lies of the Odonata is promised in their succession. The 

 riches of the museum in this group of insects are shown in 

 the fact that, while two species only were known previously, 

 seventeen are here described eleven from America (four of 

 these from South America), three from Asia, and three from 

 Europe. Specific determinations were made by Dr. Hagen, 

 the well-known entomologist connected with the museum. A 



K 



