70 Miscellaneous. 



well selected scientific and literary notes. Under the careful edi- 

 torship of Prof. Chapman, this sister journal of western Canada 

 continues to maintain its high standard of scientific and literary 

 excellence. 



The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia has sent us 

 pages 325 to 360 of their Proceedings which are chiefly taken up 

 with descriptions of new species of North American serpents in 

 the Smithsonian Institution"^ by Kennicott ; and contributions to 

 American Lepidopterology by Clemens. 



The Natural History Society of Boston has also sent us pages 

 385 to 416 of their Proceedings^ in which we find some valuable 

 geological notes by Prof. Rogers to which we hope to draw atten- 

 tion in a future number. 



The Essex Institute has sent us its Proceedings^ Vol. II, Part 

 2, 1857 to 1859, the chief interest of which is the record they 

 contain of the Field Meetings of this Society. These meetings 

 we have long admired, and consider them most effective and pleas- 

 ing means of promoting the interests of Natural Science. The 

 Historical Collections of the same Institute, Vol. 2, No. 6, have 

 also been received, and contain much curious and ancient lore. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Botanical Society of Canada^ abstract of Recent Discoveries 

 in Botany and the Chemist?^ of Plants. By Professor 

 Lawson. 



sea-weed as a manure. 



The attention of the English farmer has been recently called to 

 the use of sea-weed as a manure. This material is thrown up in 

 enormous quantities on the shores of Britain, and on the east 

 coast of Scotland it is extensively employed to fertilize sand dunes 

 that would otherwise be worthless. In dry sandy soils it acts in 

 two ways ; first, by directly contributing food materials to the 

 crop, and, secondly, by the hygroscopic action of the mucilagi- 

 nous tissues in maintaining a certain degree of humidity in the 

 arid soil, a result that is no doubt aided by the presence of the 

 sea-salt accompanying the weed. The richness of the ash of the 

 common sea-weed in potash, soda, phosphates, and other materials 



