S94 Scientific Intelligence. — Zoology, 



my) were not Negroes. We have also several mummies shoes, 

 and a beautiful sandal of plaited palm leaves, all which are 

 made " right and left^'' so that even this modern fashion has 

 had an Egyptian origin. I have, in my possession, several 

 Egyptian antiquities, among the rest an exquisite bronze figure 

 of Harpocrates, with his finger on his lips, and the sacred 

 beetle on his head. The contour of the body, and grace of 

 the head^ are quite Grecian. — Letter from Dr Traill. 



6. Notice regarding the Common Star-Fish^ Asterias ru- 

 hens. — On the 6th of March last year, M. Eudes Deslong- 

 champs observed the beach at Colville to be covered with star- 

 fish. When the waves retired, and there was still an inch or 

 two of water upon the sand, he saw them roUing out in the 

 form of balls, which, on examination, he found to consist of five 

 or six individuals, closely united and clinging together by their 

 rays. In the centre of each of these balls was a full grown 

 specimen of Mactra stultorum. The asteriae were arranged 

 along the edge of the valves, which were always separated to the 

 distance of two or three lines ; they were applied to them by 

 their lower surface. On detaching them from the shell, it was 

 remarked, that they had introduced between its valves, large 

 round vesicles, with very thin walls, and filled with a transpa- 

 rent fluid. Each asterias presented five pendent vesicles, ar- 

 ranged symmetrically about the mouth. These vesicles were of 

 unequal size : two of them were commonly larger, and about 

 the size of a very large hazel-nut ; the other three were not 

 larger than a pea. They appear to be connected with the ani- 

 mal by a very short and narrow peduncle. At the other ex- 

 tremity was a round open hole, through which the fluid, con- 

 tained in the vesicle, flowed gently, and drop by drop. The 

 walls of these vesicles were very thin ; the upper half, however, 

 was thicker than the other and longitudinally wrinkled. At 

 the end of a few seconds, the vesicles having contracted and 

 discharged their contents, were scarcely larger than a grain of 

 ordinary shot. When the sea had left the asteriae some moments 

 dry, they quitted the animal which they were in the act of 

 sucking, and ' immediately after, the place of the vesicles could 

 no longer be distinguished. The shells, that had been seized 



