370 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



Now between the races of men there is a greater difference than between the 

 Orang and the Chimpanzee. For instance, nature seldom causes the relative 

 position of the upper and lower teeth to differ in the individuals of the same 

 genera ; yet the teeth of the races of men do differ more than the teeth of 

 these two genera of monkeys. That word species very much distracts us, so 

 loosely is it used. Let us not quarrel about words, however. Let us study con- 

 scientiously the differences between the races, and when they are found to be so 

 great that one race positively could not be derived from the other, then it is time 

 enough to enquire how they originated. In immediate prospect, however, 

 for our investigation is the question of the natural bounds of the races. 

 There are facts enough in the animal world to justify the expectation that we 

 may then find that there were independent and repeated origins for men. 



EXTRAORDINARY FLIGHT OF THE CARRIER PIGEON. 



In 1850, on the 6th of October, Sir John Ross despatched a young pair of 

 pigeons from Assistance Bay, a little to the west of Wellington Sound, and 

 on the 13th of October, a pigeon made his appearance at the dovecot in 

 Ayrshire, Scotland, from whence Sir John had the two pairs of pigeons which 

 he took out. The distance direct between the two places is about 2000 

 miles. The dovecot was under repair at this time, and the pigeons belonging 

 to it had been removed ; but the servants of the house were struck with the 

 appearance and motions of this stranger. After a short stay it went to the 

 pigeon-house of a neighboring proprietor, where it was caught, and sent back 

 to the lady who originally owned it. She at once recognised it as one of 

 those which she had given to Sir John Ross, but to put the matter to the 

 test, it was carried into the pigeon-house, when out of many niches it directly 

 went to the one in which it had been hatched. No doubt remained in the 

 mind of the lady of the identity of the bird. 



By what extraordinary power did this interesting bird find its way, and 

 by what route did it come ? 



RESISTANCE OF INSECTS TO INFLUENCE OF COLD. 





Dr. Wyman, at a recent meeting of the Boston Society of Natural 

 stated that he had examined chrysalids of the common mud wasp, a species 

 of pelopceus, and found that they were not frozen during the coldest weather. 

 On the morning of February 7th, when the thermometer had been 18 F. 

 and had risen to about 8 F., they were still unfrozen, and when removed 

 from their pupa cases, made obvious muscular motions. The pupa preserved 

 its usual transparency and flexibility ; when crushed upon the surface upon 

 which they rested, the fluids of the body instantly became opaque and were 

 congealed. The question naturally presents itself, as to the source of the 

 heat which enables them to preserve their temperature, when exposed to so 

 low a degree of cold. The non-conductors by which they are surrounded, 

 consist of a casting of mud, and within this a tightly woven, but thin, silky 

 cocoon. It would seem that so small a body, exposed to cold so intense, 

 must have an internal source of heat. He had also examined the eggs of 

 the moth of the cankerworm, and found their contents unfrozen. 



