208 Scientijie Intelligence, — Zoology. 



often been the case, to the small quantity of carbonate of stron- 

 tia which natural arragonite for the most part contains. This, 

 indeed, is evident from the fact, that there is arragonite which 

 does not contain any carbonate of strontia ; but it is completely 

 proved by our being able to produce with ease artificial arra- 

 gonite, which contains no strontia whatever. A solution of 

 chloride of calcium was purposely mixed with a small quantity 

 of a solution of chloride of strontium, but by precipitation at 

 the common temperature with carbonate of ammonia, crystals 

 of calcareous spar only were observable. 



10. Fall of Meteoric Stones in Brazil. — On the 1 Ith Decem- 

 ber 1836, about half- past 11 o'clock p. m., with a clear sky, 

 and S.W. wind, a fire-ball of uncommon size and brilliancy, 

 appeared over the village of Macoa, at the entrance of the river 

 Assu ; it immediately burst with a loud crackling noise, and a 

 shower of stones fell within a circle of ten leagues. They fell 

 through several houses, and buried themselves some feet deep 

 in the sand, but they did not occasion any further damage than 

 killing and maiming a few oxen. The weight of those picked 

 up varied from one to eighty pounds. — Poggendorfs Annalen^ 

 No. 12, 1837. 



11. Intermittent Spring. — In a letter to M. Rozet, Dr Boue 

 gives a short account of the Miracle Spring, in the district of 

 Bihar in Hungary, in the lordship of Bressa, on the eastern 

 side of the commune of Mabugyer. It issues from the foot of 

 a mountain, loses itself among the stones, and proceeds in the 

 form of a torrent to join the Moros. After a hollow noise it 

 suddenly gives out, several times a day, large quantities of 

 water, so as to fill the bed of the stream in two minutes. 

 The flux is more frequent from Christmas to the middle of 

 summer, and during that period it takes place every quarter of 

 an hour ; but is more rare during the last half of the summer* 

 and in autumn, when nevertheless the weather is more moist. 



ZOOLOGY. 



\% A Memoir upon Microscopic Animalculce, considered as a 

 Cause of Putrefaction, has lately been presented to the French 

 Academy of Sciences, by MM. Beauperthuy and Adet de Rose- 

 ville, and the results of their investigations are announced by 

 the authors in the following terms. 1st, When any animal sub- 



