Natural History. 233 



' 7. Fall of Aerolites. —On the 26th Sept. (Oct. 8th) last, a shower 

 of a'trrolites fell near Belostok, bet we A nine and ten o'clock in the 

 morning. The inhabitants were alarmed by an extraordinary noise 

 which proceeded from a large black cloud that hung over their 

 heads, and which continued for three (some say six) minutes, re- 

 sembling a running fire of musketry. The noise, which was heard 

 by several persons at the distance of more than fourteen wersts, was 

 succeeded immediately by a shower of stones, of which only four 

 were picked up; the largest weighed four pounds, the smallest 

 three quarters. — St. Petersburgh Gazette, 



8. Cold and Warm Localities in the Valley ofOiise^ in Norway.-^ 

 In the parish of Uldvig, in Norway, is a small valley bounded by 

 steep mountains, and opening into the bay of Ouse-Fjorden. A 

 cavity, which occurs in the rocks of this valley, is always at so low a 

 temperature, that the snow and ice of a preceding winter do not 

 melt away in it. The inhabitants of the Ouse village use this na- 

 tural cavern for the preservation of their food. 



Fifty steps further is another cavity, or rather a space between 

 the rocks which retains a mild temperature in all seasons, being 

 from 10° to 20° higher than the external temperature during the 

 winter season. The rocks about the neighbourhood are mica slale, 

 quartz, and gneiss. It is supposed that there are some minerals 

 beneath which evolve heat upon the access of water, and it has been 

 observed that snow always melts rapidly upon the soil of the 

 place. — Bull. Univ. B. xii. 366. 



9. Inflammable Gas from Salt Works. — Whilst boring in search 

 of salt, at Rocky Hill, Ohio, about 1 J mile from Lake Erie, the 

 auger fell at the depth of 197 feet, brine spouted out for several 

 hours, and then a large quantity of inflammable air issued, which took 

 fire and burnt the combustible things in the neighbourhood.— 

 Trans. Soc. New York. 



A constant current of inflammable gas has also issued for sixty 

 years past from one of the pits in the salt mine of Gottesgabe, at 

 Rheine, in the county of Tecklenbourg, and sometimes gas issuea- 

 from other parts of the works. It is said that M. Roeders, the in-( 

 spector, collects this gas in old pits, conducts it to his house byl 

 tubes, and burns it both for the purpose of giving light and also > 

 heat. Its flame is said to be brilliant; its specific gravity 0.66. It 

 contains only traces of carbonic acid and of sulphuretted hydro- 

 gen. — Brewster s Journal. 



10. Potash in Mineral Waters. — The analysis of the warm mine- 

 ral water of Bourbon-Lancy, in the department of Sa6ne et Loire, 

 made by M. Puvis, has shown the presence of potash in it as mu- 

 riate of potash. The quantity is but small, the muriate being but one 

 13 5 part of the extraneous matter present. The other substances 

 were muriate of soda, sulphate of soda, sulphate of hme, car- 



