198 Scientific Intelligence. Zoology. 



result is always certain. I now exhibit to the Academy a spatula 

 and the blade of a knife of platinum, which I myself saw pre- 

 pared in a few minutes at Giesen in M. Liebig's laboratory. 



ZOOLOGY. 



1 3. On the Specific Characters of the larger Cetacea, as de- 

 duced from the Conformation of the Bones of the Ear, by M. 

 VANBENEDEN. It is often very difficult, M. Vanbeneden re- 

 marks, to distinguish between the different species of whales, if 

 you have not an opportunity of examining the specimens in a 

 fresh state, or of comparing their crania. But in the arrange- 

 ment of the bones of the ear an equally important character is 

 found, although it has not hitherto been noticed, notwithstand- 

 ing that its application might be often most useful. A voy- 

 ager would have much less difficulty to give an account of the 

 bones of the ear of a whale, than of its whole cranium, and 

 might in this way as effectually obtain all the necessary infor- 

 mation for determining the species. In this way we may 

 speedily have in all the Museums a series of preparations of 

 Comparative Anatomy, which, for this order of the mammalia, 

 will be the representation of the various genera and species, as 

 in the other orders, there is a series which exhibits the formulary 

 of the dental apparatus. The genus Rorqual, which is clearly 

 distinguished by external marks, is not less so by those afforded 

 by the examination of the ear, and this is also true of the seve- 

 ral species of the genus. From this source, then, we may ob- 

 tain valuable data for ascertaining the geographic distribution 

 of these animals. Thus, it is not now known how far the ror- 

 qual which is distinguished as the Mediterranean species, pene- 

 trates towards the North Pole ; but the bones of the ear which 

 were last year described by MM. Quoy and Gaimard, during 

 their voyage to Iceland, demonstrates that this species pene- 

 trates much farther in that direction than was previously sup- 

 posed. This character is also important in the determination of 

 fossil species. Thus a bone of the ear, found by M. Vanbe- 

 neben in the province of Anvers, has been recognised to belong 

 to a Rorqual ; but of a species different from those which are 

 known as existing at the present time. 



14. Fossil Saurian in the Lias of the Isle of Stye. " On the 



