TONES FATUI. — WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 197 



tinual washing of the sea will effectually clear the surface of 

 the wood of any deleterious matter ; and although the fore- 

 most depredators may perish in making a lodgement in the 

 interior, yet myriads are ready to supply their places, and to 

 maintain the ground already gained, while the continued ac- 

 tion of the water will tend to assist them in their efforts : 

 hence I am of opinion that we have not discovered in Kyan's 

 solution a certain remedy against the destruction of wooden 

 erections in any of the estuaries around our island. 



Since the publication of my paper the Lords of the Admi- 

 ralty have ordered the flooring of the south building-slip in 

 this dock-yard to be removed, and replaced with stone. 



I have just learned that two arches of the wooden bridge 

 at Teignmouth have fallen down, in consequence of the piers 

 having been destroyed by the Teredo ; so that we have here 

 found another locality for that animal. — Edward Moore, 

 M.D.— Plymouth, Sept. 20th, 1838. 



Ignes fatui. — The existence of this meteor, which I have 

 endeavoured to confirm in your journal against the doubts of 

 a correspondent, derives additional support from a statement 

 communicated in Poggendorf s 'Annalen,' No. 6, 1838, p. 366, 

 by Prof. Bessel, who made his observations in a perfectly 

 calm and misty December night. The phenomenon consist- 

 ed in numerous little flames, which originated over ground in 

 many places covered with stagnant water, and disappeared, 

 after having shone forth a short time. The colour of these 

 flames was somewhat bluish, like that of the impure hydro- 

 gen generated from iron filings and dilute sulphuric acid. — 

 The observation was made on one of the large moors in the 

 Duchy of Bremen, at the distance of a few leagues from the 

 observatory of Lilienthal. On the ground where the ignes 

 fatui were seen, much peat had been dug out, and the surface 

 is consequently uneven. There were hundreds of lights, each 

 of which lasted about a quarter of a minute. They would of- 

 ten remain in the same place, but often also move horizon- 

 tally ; great numbers of them were commonly put into motion 

 together. These movements were, no doubt, effected by cur- 

 rents of air, which were not perceived at the place where 

 Prof. Bessel was. It will be perceived that in every essen- 

 tial particular the observation agrees with that communicated 

 by me. — W. Weissenborn. — Weimar, Jan. 20th, 1839. 



Curious capture of a White-headed Eagle. —In the mena- 

 gery at the Pfaueninsel, near Potsdam, there is a white-head- 

 ed eagle (Falco albicilla), which was caught in the following 

 curious manner. It was seen to pounce upon a sturgeon in 

 the river Havel, but the fish was too heavy to be lifted into 



Vol. III.— No. 28. n. s. x 



