Natural Histoid in the English Counties, 197 



keeps it moist." It has not "thrown out a single fibre, nor formed much of 

 a callosity at the lower cut or section ; but at the upper section the 

 callous is large with four small shoots, and the different buds in the natural 

 bark have pushed from 2 to 4 in. in length. The stick and the frog were 

 examined by several physiologists at the London Institution, March .31st. 

 Mr. Keith alluded to the opinion of the writer of the article Vegetable 

 Physiology, in the Library of Useful Knowledge (No. xiv.), on this subject, 

 as "being inconsistent with the facts stated. The circumstance of the 

 common thorn and of the elm and many trees producing shoots from 

 cuttings of the roots is, in our opinion, quite decisive of the power of the 

 sap or blood of plants to form buds generally ; but some trees require a 

 more powerful excitement to do this than others, and some, as the pine 

 and fir tribe, are exceptions. 



Geological Society. — Jan. 1 6. Read. An Appendix to Mr. De la Beche's 

 paper on the Geology of Nice, by the Rev. W. Buckland, D. D., &c. 

 After bearing testimony to the correctness of the description given by Mr. 

 De la Beche of the immediate neighbourhood of Nice, the author com- 

 municates his own observations made along the high road from that city to 

 the Col de Tende, for the distance of about fifty miles. 



Dr. Buckland infers that the lower part of the calcareous deposit near 

 Nice is the older Alpine limestone ; as is the opinion of M. Risso. On 

 the authority of that gentleman, Professor Buckland remarks that near 

 the source of the Var the older Alpine limestone contains gypsum, with 

 sulphur and salt springs; and he thinks it probable that the gypsum 

 found near Vinaigre and Requiez, and at Cimiez, belongs to this formation, 

 rather than to the younger Alpine limestone, to which Mr. De la Beche 

 refers it. A similar developement of the new red sandstone is seen between 

 Toulon and Frejus, accompanied with gypsum, saccharine dolomite, rauch- 

 wacke, and conglomerate. 



Read, also. Observations on the mountain Ben Nevis, and on some 

 other places in Scotland. 



Art. III. Natural History in the English Counties. 



Kent. 

 A Male Spermaceti Whale, Phi/seter catbdon {hatOy below, odouSy a tooth ; 

 teeth in lower jaw only) Lin. — Sir, Most of your readers are acquainted 

 with the character of the whale, his voracity, strength, and enormous size ; 

 but few of them can have had, or probably ever will have, an opportunity 

 of seeing this truly gigantic and stupendous fish. Such an opportunity, 

 however, has lately occurred. A male spermaceti whale had, for some 

 weeks, been observed moving around the coasts of Essex and Kent, when, 

 on Monday last (Feb. 16.), it was perceived near Whitstable (a small fish- 

 ing-town, about six miles from Canterbury), in an apparently exhausted and 

 debilitated state. Some fishermen, therefore, went boldly in quest of him ; 

 and, after a short but perilous hunt, drove him within half a mile of the 

 shore, where the wearied animal, having in vain attempted to escape, rolled 

 himself on his back, and almost instantly expired. He measured 62 ft. in 

 length, and 16 ft. in height; a size, I believe, by no means large, some hav- 

 ing been caught in the northern seas upwards of 100 ft. Two harpoons 

 were found sticking in his back, which seemed to be very much bruised, 

 owing, probably, to the shallowness of the water in which he had been so 

 long confined. The stench arising from the dead body was almost intoler- 

 able, and was smelt at three miles' distance from the sea. I might here; 

 enlarge on the curious method of cutting the flesh, extracting the oil, &c., 



