MISCELLANY. 



653 



another of a different species. The result 

 was that each grain bore a resemblance to 

 the grain of the two impregnating plants, 

 the base having the color of the one, and 

 the upper half the color of the other. Thus 

 it is seen that one ovule may receive an 

 impress from the pollen-grains of at least 

 two separate plants, even though a consid- 

 erable time intervene between the first and 

 second impregnation. 



Madeira as a nealth-Resort. That in- 

 valids, who visit distant climes in pursuit 

 of conditions more favorable to health than 

 they can find at home, are but too often 

 led by false hopes, is an every-day obser- 

 vation. A writer in the London Times, who 

 went out to Madeira last year for the 

 benefit of his health, has proved the truth 

 of this observation by his own experience, 

 and labors to convince other invalids that 

 they can find, nearer home, advantages 

 every way superior to those enjoyed at 

 Madeira. The temperature of that island 

 is no doubt remarkably equable, the ther- 

 mometer very rarely indicating under 60 

 or over 78 ; but yet from the latter end of 

 February up to the date of the writer's let- 

 ter, the beginning of May, the weather was 

 as unpleasant as could prevail even in Eng- 

 land. During March there were keen, 

 piercing winds, and occasional hot sun, and 

 April was a succession of chilly, damp, and 

 rainy days. Thus the patient is almost 

 sure to lose, in the discomforts of spring, all 

 the strength he may have gained during the 

 summer and winter. 



A Portuguese never condescends to let 

 apartments, and the invalid must put up 

 with the very imperfect accommodation of 

 the hotels, where comfort and sanitation are 

 entirely disregarded. The writer regards 

 the Madeira climate as especially unfavor- 

 able to youthfufl invalids. Finally, it would 

 appear that every obstacle is placed in the 

 way of those who wish to return home from 

 the island. The writer's conclusion is, that 

 the chances of recovery for a consumptive 

 are far better at home, surrounded by the 

 conveniences and comforts of life, than in 

 Madeira, where the only favorable condition 

 is the climate, and where even that advan- 

 tage is more than balanced by the storms 

 of the spring season. 



Lacustrine Dwellings in Germany. The 



remains of ancient habitations raised on 

 piles are of rare occurrence in Germany, and 

 hence the discovery last year of the debris 

 of such structures in the bed of the river 

 Elster, near Leipsic, awakened a lively in- 

 terest. The discovery was made by Herr 

 Jentzsch, of the Geological Institute of Aus- 

 tria. The order of the visible strata at this 

 point is as follows : At the base is found 

 a layer of sandstone ; on this a lacustrine 

 clay. Both of these belong to the upper 

 portions of the quaternary rock. In the 

 clay are two beds containing the remains of 

 plants, and among these are found leaves 

 of the willow and oak, fruit of the Acer, and 

 sundry other vegetal fragments. Above 

 these occurs a layer of roots some inches in 

 depth, which shows that the surface of the 

 soil remained at this level for a considera- 

 ble period. The uppermost layer, two to 

 three metres thick, was produced by an in- 

 undation. The piles discovered by Jentzsch 

 in the bed of the Elster are set in the clay 

 and covered over with this silt. They are 

 arranged in circles, with their lower ends 

 pointed, and their upper extremities connect- 

 ed by horizontal ties of oak. 



Among the animal remains found here 

 are, the lower jaw of an ox, with its teeth, 

 stags' heads, the long bones of some mam- 

 mal yet undetermined, and shells of the 

 unio and anodon. No traces of human 

 remains have been found, though fragments 

 of pottery and charcoal are met with ; also 

 two stone hatchets. 



Industrial Occupations of Women. The 



following notes of avocations followed by 

 women in the United States, taken from the 

 last census returns, give a curious exhibit 

 of the extent to which woman is now in- 

 vading provinces of industry which once 

 were supposed to belong exclusively to the 

 other sex : Agricultural laborers, 373,332 ; 

 stock-herders and stock-raisers, 75 ; archi- 

 tect, 1; auctioneers, 12; barbers and hair- 

 dressers, 1,179; clergy, 67; dentists, 24; 

 hostlers, 2 ; hunters and trappers, 2 ; law- 

 yers, 5 ; livery-stable keepers, 1 1 ; midwives, 

 1,186 ; physicians and surgeons, 525 ; scav- 

 engers, 2 ; sculptors, 4 ; teachers, 84,047 ; 

 whitewashes, 391 ; bankers and brokers, 

 15 ; barkeepers, 70 ; boat-hands, 30 ; canal- 



