G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 259 



Detached bones of the skeleton of the great auk are not at 

 all uncommon in American collections, the critical examina- 

 tion of the shell-heaps of the New England coast and of the 

 Bay of Fundy having brought to light quite a considerable 

 number. The specimens collected are mainly in the museum 

 of the Peabody Institute, Salem ; the Peabody Museum, Cam- 

 bridge; and of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. 



RELATION OP WEIGHT TO LENGTH IN CEOCODILES AND 



ALLIGATORS. 



Professor Phillips, of the Museum at Oxford, is very de- 

 sirous of learning the relationship between the length and 

 weight of crocodiles and alligators of all sizes, and requests 

 the friends of science to make as many experiments on this 

 subject as possible, and to transmit the result to the Univer- 

 sity Museum at Oxford. Mr. Buckland recommends that, if 

 the living animal be experimented upon, it be .first placed in 

 a bag. We commend the inquiry to such of our readers as 

 may visit Florida this winter, in hopes that the many oppor- 

 tunities of answering the question there will be utilized. In- 

 formation sent to the American Naturalist Magazine at Sa- 

 lem, Massachusetts, or to the American Journal of Science at 

 New Haven, Connecticut, will no doubt be at once published, 

 and. thus made accessible to Professor Phillips. 2 A, Novem- 

 ber 12,1870,350. 



COD-FISHEEIES OF ALASKA. 



As was foretold by sagacious prophets, the cod-fisheries in 

 Alaska continue to increase in economical importance to the 

 country, the catch during the present year having amounted 

 to over 1,300,000, all the fish of large size. Should the cod- 

 fisheries of the 'Banks of Newfoundland fail in the course of 

 time, as is feared by some, it is quite probable that we shall 

 be obliged to depend upon the Alaska seas for our supplies. 

 As the shoals frequented by cod in these seas vastly exceed 

 in area all those of Newfoundland, and the fish themselves 

 are of equal size and excellence, and in much greater relative 

 abundance, we can look forward with equanimity to the trans- 

 fer of that branch of the fishing interest from one side of the 

 continent to the other, satisfied, as we may well be, that a 

 plentiful supply will always be available for consumption. 



