MISCELLANY. 



119 



rant these conclusions. We give them as 

 stated briefly in the American Journal of 

 Science : 



" The depth between Britain and Iceland 

 mostly does not exceed 100 fathoms, and no- 

 where exceeds 1,000; one tract of sea, extend- 

 ing in a straight line from the eastern coast 

 of Greenland, via Iceland and Faroe, to Scot- 

 land, does not exceed 500 fathoms. The depth 

 of the sea in the English Channel is only about 

 20 fathoms, and the average depth of the Ger- 

 man Ocean is not over 40 fathoms. The depth 

 between Britain and Greenland is small com- 

 pared with the average depth of the Atlantic. 

 According to the author, one of the oscillations 

 of level, such as have occurred over the earth's 

 surface, had the effect to unite Britain and 

 Northern Europe with Greenland and the arc- 

 tic regions, to give the polar ioe-flelds access to 

 Europe, to divert the course of the Gulf Stream 

 and free Northwestern Europe from its influ- 

 ence, and, in conjunction probably with some 

 diminution in the influence of the sun, to pro- 

 duce a glacial epoch. 1 ' 



Pet Snakes. Frank Buckland commu- 

 nicates to Land and Water a very interest- 

 ing notice of " Cleo," a pet boa-constrictor. 

 This animal was of the kind called " paint- 

 ed boa," and had come from Brazil. Its 

 length was seven feet five inches, and its 

 weight nine pounds. Cleo came into the 

 possession of Mr. Mann, a friend of Mr. 

 Buckland's, in 1870, and from that time till 

 its death was his constant companion. Her 

 food consisted of pigeons, of which she 

 took on the average one a week. If a 

 pigeon were offered to her when she was 

 not hungry, she would take but little notice 

 of it. If the two were left together for a 

 while, they became friends. Neither pigeons 

 nor any other animal ever showed any fear 

 of this serpent. 



She always " killed her bird " instanta- 

 neously, seizing it by the beak, and break- 

 ing its neck by a rapid movement. She never 

 crushed her prey to death, but invariably 

 waited to see that it was motionless before 

 laying her coils upon it. The constricting 

 power was reserved for mastication, and 

 was very sufficient for that purpose. 



" We have, in traveling," writes Mr. Mann, 

 " carried her about with us, both in railway-car- 

 riages and hotels, unsuspected by others, and 

 no amount of inconvenience or discomfort ap- 

 peared to distress her so long as we were near. 

 She thoroughly understood the joke of keeping 

 concealed when strangers were present. It 

 was only when we were alone, or with our own 



family, that she came forth of her own accord 

 to join the conversation. She never avoided 

 children, but would allow them to take liberties 

 which she would never have borne from any 

 other stranger. When offended in any way, she 

 simply walked off to some inaccessible corner, 

 and waited the departure of the offender. 



"I do not remember any young child show- 

 ing the slightest fear when Cleo came to make 

 acquaintance. 



"The manner of Cleo' s death was so much 

 in accordance with her character that few of 

 her friends will be surprised at what I have to 

 tell. 



"During last autumn I was laid up with a 

 very serious illness. At first Cleo appeared to 

 enjoy my being at home all day long, but- soon 

 began to understand, principally from my wife's 

 anxiety, that there was something the matter, 

 and she refused food. One night she came to 

 my bed to talk to me as usual, but I was too ill 

 to take any notice of her (indeed, I could neither 

 move nor speak). She tried in vain to make me 

 respond to her caresses, and, after a while, re- 

 turned to her own bed, refused not only food, 

 but water, and died within a day or two. To 

 any one that knew her it was visible that she was 

 suffering grief, as a dog is sometimes known to 

 do under similar circumstances." 



The Northerly Winds of California. In 



a paper on the northerly winds of the great 

 central valley of California, Mr. J. H. C. 

 Bonte attributes to the prevalence of these 

 winds the peculiar dry and moderately ex- 

 hilarating climate of that region. Further, 

 he asserts that without the north winds, 

 and with the consequent increase of moist 

 heat, the vegetation now cultivated in the 

 valley would be crowded out by dense trop- 

 ical growths. It is reasonable to believe 

 that the desiccating power of the north 

 wind, by preventing and dissipating the 

 noxious exhalations of animal matter, acts 

 as a preventive of disease. The north 

 winds, following the rainy season, by dry- 

 ing and baking the soil, dissolve and pul- 

 verize its particles, thus freeing its produc- 

 tive powers. Fineness of fibre and con- 

 centrated nutriment are imparted to all the 

 vegetable growths of the valley by the 

 north wind, and it is possible that the 

 grapes and strawberries of California may 

 receive their delicate flavor from the same 

 source. Cereal grains are made solid and 

 flinty by this influence, and thus enabled to 

 resist the damaging effects of moisture. 

 The comparative exemption of the valley 

 of California from the ravages of the wee- 

 vil doubtless arises from the desiccating 



