208 Scientific Intelligence — Miscellaneous. 



being so easily acted on by it ; and rain, by itself, only affects cer- 

 tain portions. — Communicated hy W. C. Trevelyan, Esq. 



9. Mode of distinguishing Rolled Blocks of Rock resulting from 

 Glaciers from those produced hy the action of Water. — M. Edward 

 Collomb has sent to M. Elie de Beaumont a series of interesting 

 striated blocks of rock from the Vosges. M. Agassiz attaches great 

 importance to these specimens, and makes the following observations 

 in a letter addressed to M. Collomb, an extract from which has been 

 read to the Geological Society of France by M. Elie de Beaumont. 

 ** Wherever I have met with glacial deposits, I have found great num- 

 bers of rouni^ed blocks of rock, which are polished and scratched in 

 the same manner as polished rocks in situ, with this single difference, 

 that the blocks which were moveable between the glacier and the 

 fixed rock exhibit scratches crossing one another in all directions* 

 Blocks of the same description are found beneath all existing glaciers, 

 but never in the channels of torrents, nor on the shores of the Swiss 

 lakes. In my opinion this character is the most certain guide for 

 enabling us to distinguish glacial formations from deposits of blocks 

 transported by currents. A curious fact in support of this distinc- 

 tion isj that the scratched blocks which are carried along by the 

 torrents issuing from the glaciers lose their hurinage at a short dis- 

 tance from their origin, and assume the dull and uniform aspect of 

 rolled blocks resulting from aqueous transport." 



10. New arrangement of the Order Crinoidea, hy M. Agassiz. — 

 In the report of the thirtieth meeting of the Helvetic Society of 

 Natural Sciences held at Geneva in August 1845, published in the 

 Bihliotheque Universelle de Geneve, it is stated, that Professor 

 Agassiz presented a summary of his researches on the different fa- 

 milies of the order Crinoidea. The different groups which he has 

 separated in this interesting order are perfectly well characterized, 

 and include the group of Cystidese, established by the beautiful in- 

 vestigations of Leopold von Buch. Professor Agassiz forms two di- 

 visions of the Crinoidea : the Crinoidea without arms, comprehend- 

 ing three families, the Cystidese, the Echinocrinites, and the Pentre- 

 mites ; and the Crinoidea with arms, which also present three fami- 

 lies, the Apocrinites, the Pentacrinites, and the Comatulse. 



1 1 . Importance of the characters derived from the Fins of Fishes. 

 — Professor Agassiz communicated to the Helvetic Society some new 

 observations which he had made on the fins of fishes. He shewed, 

 by many examples, the importance to zoology and palaeontology of 

 the characters afforded by the careful study of the rays of the fins, 

 which have hitherto been represented in a uniform and altogether 

 incorrect manner, in the best iconographical works. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



12. On the Leaves of the Coffee tree as a suhstitute for Tea. — ' 

 Professor Blume, of Leyden, laid before the meeting of naturalists of 



