72 



PART IV. 

 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Natural History in Foreign Countries. 

 FRANCE. 



Natural History of Nubia, — M. Riffaud, of Marseilles, has lately re- 

 turned to his native city from Egypt, bringing with him, 1 . a vast collection 

 of plants, collected during his travels in Nubia and Egypt ; 2. drawings of 

 the fishes, insects, and testaceous animals found in the Nile and its neigh- 

 bourhood ; 3. nearly 1000 drawings of mammalia, reptiles, birds, and in- 

 sects, partly found in Nubia and partly in Libya and Egypt ; 4. a series of 

 drawings of remains of antiquity in Nubia and Egypt, and 1 60 hieroglyphical 

 inscriptions collected among the ruins ; 5. agricultural and chirurgical in- 

 struments, articles of dress and ornaments of the natives, topographical 

 plans, meteorological observations. M. Riffaud has also kept a regular 

 journal of his travels. He is now busy in arranging and classifying his 

 numerous materials, preparatory to committing the important work which 

 is to embrace them to the press. (For. Quart. Rev.) 



A Histoire Naturelle des Poissons has been announced by Baron Cuvier, 

 containing more than 5000 species, described from nature, and arranged 

 according to the connection of their structure, with observations on their 

 anatomy, &c. The work will be in 15 or 20 vols, in 8vo, or 8 or 10 vols, 

 in 4to, with a part of the plates along with each volume. The plates will 

 be on vellum paper, and some will be coloured. {Ibid.) 



Cephalojiodoiis Mollusca. — The Baron de Ferussac is preparing a com- 

 plete monograph of cephalopodous (head-footed) animals, in folio, with 

 numerous plates, taken chiefly from a very extensive series of specimens, in 

 the possession of that distinguished naturalist. {Ibid.) 



Mineralogy. — The Academy of Sciences, at its sittings of the 51st of 

 December last, proceeded to the election of two corresponding members 

 for the section of mineralogy. The section had presented two lists of can- 

 didates, one of mineralogists, properly so called, and the other of geologists, 

 and expressed a wish that the readers should select one from each list. 

 M. Mitscherlich, of Berlin, and Mr. Conybeare, of London, were the suc- 

 cessful candidates. {Ibid.) 



Physiology. — Among the competitors for the prize of physiology, 

 founded by the late M. Monthyon, is M. Vimon, a physician at Caen, who 

 comes forward with a collection of more than 2000 sculls of mammalia 

 and birds, modelled in wax, and a numerous series of drawings and observa- 

 tions. This collection is the fruit of several years' research into the doc- 

 trines of Gall, relative to the seat of the moral and intellectual faculties of 

 man and animals. We are informed that M. Vimon, after having attended 

 Dr. Gall's course of lectures at Paris, left it with strong prepossessions 

 against his doctrines, and on his return to Caen, prosecuted his researches 

 with the express object of refuting them ; but, after the fullest investigation, 

 his enquiries have terminated in making him a thorough convert to the 

 system. {Ibid.) 



