Scientific Intelligence — Botany. 379 



where produced on the surface of the chalk formation, as well as 

 by the lacustrine deposits of clay, sand, pebbles, &c. which have 

 been formed at the termination of this watery revolution. M. 

 Elie de Beaumont found at Meudon the traces of such erosions 

 immediately underneath the thick bed of plastic clay, particu- 

 larised above by M. Deshayes, and accordingly he thinks that it 

 is with this bed that the tertiary deposits commencej; that the 

 marine strata, which are situated lower down, ought to be con- 

 sidered as belonging to the upper part of the chalk formation ; 

 and that the zoological distinctions which M. Deshayes wishes 

 to establish, and which in this case are supported upon a very 

 few species only, the greater part of the shells collected here 

 being indeterminable, are not sufficient to prevail against the 

 grand geological characters which the general arrangement of 

 the two formations presents, and that the only conclusion which 

 we can admit here, is one which must be admitted for several 

 chalk formations in the south of France, viz. that many species 

 of animals, whose remains are found abundantly in the old ter- 

 tiary formations, existed at the time of the deposition of the 

 chalk formation. — Proceedings of Phil, Soc, June 1836. L'ln- 

 stitut. 



BOTANY. 



17. Delightful Smell on approaching tropical lands Jrom sea. 

 —The coast of Chili, says Poeppig, " appeared nearly to re- 

 semble the desolate region of Terra del Fuego." Even the pe- 

 cuUar smell was wanting which is usually perceived on ap- 

 proaching the coasts of countries between the tropics, and of 

 which even animals are so sensible that they become restless, 

 appearing to have a presentiment of the termination of their 

 long confinement, and often boldly leap overboard to reach the 

 shore, which they suppose to be close at hand. On this passage 

 Poeppig says in a note, — " Whoever has made a voyage to the 

 tropical countries of South America, or the West Indies, will 

 always remember with pleasure the sensation which he experi- 

 enced on approaching the land. Perhaps no sense is then so 

 strongly affected as the smell, especially if you approach the 

 coast in the early hours of a fine summer's morning. On the 

 coasts of Cuba, the first land 1 saw in America, on the 30th of 



