r 



326 Miscellaneous. 



This fossil was discovered about a month ago in a bed of detritus, 

 thirty feet from the surface, in a brick-field, at the locality before 

 mentioned in this county ; a locality rich in mammalian and other 

 fossil remains, vide pages 262 and 263, vol. ix. of this work ; and it 

 is now in the collection of Mrs. Mills of Lexden Park, near Colches- 

 ter, to whose kindness I am indebted for the measurements of this 

 relic of days long gone by ; another fact illustrating the alteration 

 in the fauna of our planet. 



I am, Gentlemen, yours very truly, 



Stan way, Feb. 4, 1843. John Brown. 



NOTICE OF THE DISCOVERY OF AN ELECTRICAL FISH ON THE AMERICAN 

 COAST. BY D. HUMPHREYS STORER, M.D. 



A species of Ray possessing electrical powers has been known to 

 the fishermen of Cape Cod and New York for many years, and called 

 by them the cramp-fish or numb-fish. Mitchell, in his paper on the 

 " Fishes of New York," contained in the first volume of the Transac- 

 tions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, refers 

 to this species ; he had never seen it, but, from the facts he was 

 enabled to collect respecting it, he supposed it to be identical with 

 the European species " Raia torpedo'' and as such introduces it into 

 his memoir. In my Report on the Fishes of Massachusetts, I merely 

 observed that a Torpedo was found on the coast of Cape Cod, but 

 being unable to procure a specimen, I could not identify it. I have 

 had the good fortune to procure a fine specimen within the last 

 month, which was captured at Wellfleet ; it was 4 feet 2 inches in 

 length, and proves to be a Torpedo nobiliana, Bonaparte. It agrees 

 perfectly with Mr. Thompson's description, in the fifth volume of the 

 ' Annals of Natural History/ of a specimen taken on the Irish coast 

 in 1838. 



As some time may elapse before I can publish a contemplated 

 paper on our fishes, I would avail myself of your valuable Journal to 

 make the above-mentioned fact known to ichthyologists. — Silliman's 

 Journal, Jan. 1843. 



ON A PECULIAR SENSATION CAUSED BY SOME MOLLUSCA. BY FRANCIS 

 M. JENNINGS. 



On the 2nd of May, 1842, I brought before the Cork Cuvierian 

 Society a short notice of a curious fact I had observed in some fresh- 

 water mollusca, viz. a power of causing a peculiar sensation when 

 placed on the tongue ; this may be experienced by putting the Lim- 

 neus periger, a small univalve shell which abounds in most ponds and 

 lakes in this country, into the mouth, and allowing the foot of the 

 animal to remain for a few minutes on the tongue, when the sensa- 

 tion will be felt, varying in intensity according to the size of the ani- 

 mal and the length of time it is allowed to remain. 



The sensation, though not decidedly painful, is yet rather dis- 

 agreeable whilst it continues, frequently lasting from one to two 

 hours, being exerted with greater energy during warm than cold 

 weather. I tried a few experiments to ascertain whether the power 



