367 



PART III. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Natural History in Foreign Countries, 



ITALY. 



Cavern containing Fossil Bones. — Professor Savi has discovered, near 

 Cassana, in the mountains surrounding the Gulf of Spezia, a cavern contain- 

 ing bones of deer, bears, and other animals, very similar to those found in 

 the bone caverns in England, Germany, and France. M. Savi infers that 

 these bones belonged to animals previous to the deluge. {Nuovo Giorn. de 

 Litterati, 23., p. 1 23.) 



Should a few more of these bone caverns be discovered in Italy besides 

 this solitary instance, we could better determine whether the antediluvian 

 hypothesis, or that of Mr. Ranking who refers them to the animals killed in 

 the Roman amphitheatres, is the most tenable. We perceive that another 

 similar grotto has been discovered near Miremont, by M. J. Delanoue, who 

 has given an account of it in the Annates des Mines, vii. p. 597. -r- J. R. 



SPAIN. 



State of Natural History in Spain. — The king of Spain, amongst the few 

 acts of liberality which he has condescended to perform, instituted, in 1815, 

 public courses of mineralogy, zoology, chemistry, botany, agriculture, and 

 astronomy. The influx of students to these courses has been so great, that 

 the halls cannot contain them. On the month of September last, above 

 sixty presented themselves for examination, to obtain certificates for their 

 proficiency in general botany, of which Don Vicente Soriano is professor. 

 The king has instituted prizes for those who distinguish themselves. 



A number of distinguished individuals attend Professor Sandalio Arias's 

 course of agriculture ; and, both in this and horticulture, great improvements 

 have been introducedi The junta of Aranceles have received the king's 

 commands to import 30 pair each of our long-wooled Southampton and our 

 Leicester sheep, to be distributed, at the public expense, over the Peninsula. 

 {Gaceta de Bayona, Oct. 1828.) 



SWEDEN. :J 



Temperature at Christiania and at Leith. — From the tables kept at 

 Christiania by Professor Flansteen, it appears that the daily variation of 

 temperature is there much greater than at Leith, especially in winter. 

 February July, 



Christiania. Leith. Christiania. Leith. 



