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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



with a " moderate amount of stimulants," 

 says the Lancet. But any excess of alcohol 

 or tobacco will produce insomnia : indeed, 

 hundreds of cases where insomnia is charged 

 to the account of " overwork" are best ex- 

 plained by excess in stimulation. 



Dredging on the New-England Coast. 



Prof. Verrill lias a very interesting article 

 in the January number of the American 

 Journal of Science on the " Results of recent 

 dredging expeditions on the coast of New 

 England." In the summer of 1872 the head- 

 quarters of Prof. Baird, United States Fish 

 Commissioner, were at Eastport, on the coast 

 of Maine, and he invited the cooperation of 

 Prof. Verrill and others in the work of mak- 

 ing a thorough zoological survey of the 

 waters of that region. Prof. Verrill had 

 already devoted portions of six summers to 

 the same work. The survey of 1872 not 

 only carefully explored all the bays and 

 estuaries, but also the deeper waters in 

 their vicinity, more especially places known 

 to be the haunts of valuable fishes; and the 

 alcoholic collection of specimens obtained 

 filled 2,000 bottles and jars, and several 

 large cases. 



Whenever animals were found to change 

 in form or appearance on being preserved in 

 alcohol, drawings were carefully made from 

 life by Mr. J. H. Emerton, of Salem. The 

 surveying party also studied and ascertained 

 as far as possible the haunts and habits of 

 such animals as form the natural food of 

 fishes. The abundance and variety of living 

 forms in the localities explored will be ob- 

 vious from the statement that, besides Fora- 

 minifera, Enlomostraca, and other minute 

 creatures, the results of this and of pre- 

 vious dredgings, which have not been re- 

 ported, add 350 species to the already known 

 fauna of the region. Of these species some 

 are undeseribed, but the majority occur in 

 the fauna of Northern Europe. 



Marine plants were found growing at 

 depths varying from shore-line to 80 fath- 

 oms : thus Ptihta serrata occurred at a depth 

 of 73 fathoms. On St. George's Bank, in 

 430 fathoms water, 44 species of animals 

 were obtained, not reckoning foraminifera. 

 This is the deepest dredging yet done on 

 our coasts north of Florida. The following 

 were the temperatures here observed : 



Air 66 Fahr. 



Surface water 65 " 



Bottomwater 51 " 



Prof. Verrill, however, thinks there may 



have been an error in the statement of the 



deep-sea temperature here, owing to defects 



in the instruments employed. He notes, at 



no great distance from St. George's Bank, 



the following temperatures for 50 fathoms 



water : 



Surface water 62 Fahr. 



Bottomwater 45 " 



And off Cape Sable a still greater coldness 

 of the bottom was observed in 45 fathoms 

 water, viz. : 



Air 5S Fahr. 



Surface water 56 " 



Bottomwater 35 " 



In these cold waters the animal life found 

 was more arctic in its character 



Between St. George's Bank and Nova 

 Scotia the bottom was found to consist of 

 fine soft, sandy mud. This, according to 

 Prof. Verrill, may be owing to a depression 

 of the area between the bank and the coast. 

 This depression would withdraw the bottom 

 out of the reach of the powerful currents 

 which sweep over and outside the banks. 

 Where these currents have full play, noth- 

 ing but coarse sand and gravel is found even 

 at a depth of 430 fathoms nearly half a 

 mile. 



So strong are the currents, and so enor- 

 mous their volume, in this part of the ocean, 

 that to the east of St. George's Bank, where 

 no bottom was found at 1,800 fathoms 

 (rather more than two miles) depth, their 

 mutual collision sufficed to produce a roar 

 like breakers on a beach. The report is to 

 be continued, and a complete list published 

 of all the species of animals obtained. 



Ostracism of a French Savant. The new 



edition of Robin and Littre's great "Dic- 

 tionary of Medicine " was lately presented 

 to the French Academy of Sciences. Pa- 

 thology is there regarded as a branch of 

 biology, levying contributions on mathe- 

 matics, chemistry, physics, and even social 

 science and history. The Bishop of Or- 

 leans says that this dictionary lowers man 

 to the level of the brutes ; and the conserv- 

 ative justices of the peace of the sixth ar 

 rondisscment of Paris take up the strain. 



