Natural History in Foreign Countries. 73 



A Crocodile, at Chantilly, in France, is so tame and well-disposed, that he 

 is caressed with impunity by the keeper, who endeavours, though not always 

 with success, to induce visitors to follow his example. (Newsp.) 



GERMANY. 



Berlin, March 9. — A beautiful work is now publishing here, by the tra- 

 veller Ehrenberg, giving a description of the plants and animals which he 

 found in Egypt. The third volume of LinncB^a, a Journal of Botany, by Dr. 

 Schlechtendal, is about to appear. Continual accessions are making to the 

 plants in the royal botanic garden, and these are published as they come 

 in flower, by Professor Link and Director Otto, two of the most zealous 

 botanists in Germany. — N. S, 



A rich Collection of Minerals, which belonged to Lacarriere, a merchant 

 of Leipsic, who died lately, has been bequeathed by him to the university 

 of that city. {For, Quart. Rev., February.) 



Shells of Brazil. — The posthumous work of Dr. Spix on the shells of 

 Brazil has just appeared, edited by Drs. Schrank and Martins. It forms one 

 of the volumes of the interesting series of works on the natural history o^ 

 Brazil, undertaken at the expense of the late Eing of Bavaria, by Drs. Spix 

 and Martins, who travelled for several years over these magnificent regions. 

 {Ibid.) 



SWITZERLAND. 



Flora Helvetica. — An extremely valuable work of its class, the result of 

 thirty years' labour, is the long-promised Flora Helvetica of M. T. Gaudin, 

 professor and pastor at Nyon, which is now completed in manuscript, and 

 will form six volumes ; the first of which is published, and the remainder 

 will shortly aj^ear. An interesting preface gives an account of the author's 

 excursions during this long period, among the valleys and mountains of 

 Switzerland. The author has followed the Linnean system ; he is an enemy 

 to the multiplication of species, and even thinks he has hardly gone far 

 enough in reducing theii: number. He says, " Fateor etiam nunc, in mea 

 Flora non' paucas superesse formas, quae omnino varietatis potius quam spe- 

 ciei lege describi debuissent." ** I confess, that in my Florji, even now, there 

 remain not a few modifications which should be described as varieties rather 

 than as species." A number of copper-plates, representing new species, are 

 added to the work. {For. Quart. Rev., February.) 



The Helvetic Sodety for the Study of Natural History, will speedily 

 publish the first volume of its Memoirs. {Ibid.) 



ITALY. 



Two Glass Jars of Olives and Olive Oil have been dug up at Pompeii. 

 The olives are fresh, and both they and the oil are fit for use. The 

 details of this remarkable discovery will be found in Jameson's Journal for 

 April, and in the Scotsman, April 9. 



RUSSIA. 



Oural Mountains. — M. Engelhardt, professor of the univers^ly, has 

 just returned to that city from a visit to the Oural Mountains, \vhich he 

 performed at the expense of the university. He has presented a very 

 interesting report of his journey, of which he intends publishing a detailed 

 narrative. He has made a great number of valuable observations on the 

 geology and mineralogy of these countries ; and has been enabled to cor- 

 rect, in many important particulars, the maps of the several provinces which 

 he visited. {For. Quart. Rev., February.) 



Altai Mountains. — Another tour in Asia has been performed by Profes- 

 sor Ledebuhr, Dr. Meyer, and Dr. Bunge, to the Altai mountains, on the 

 frontiers of the Chinese empire. This tour, the object of which was the 



