Miscellany 7 1 



Abyssinia as a tcenifuge for some time, though perhaps but sparingly. We 

 are not aware, however, that it has ever been used by European practitioners, 

 or that any others but one or two continental %\Titers on tsenifuges have ever 

 noticed it. We speak of the bark of Albizzia Anthelmintica, Broug. Knowai 

 to the natives as Beseuna, Bessana or Moussina, &c., and for which plant 

 Richard, before having seen the flowers or fruit, constituted a new genus, under 

 the name of Besenna ; it has, however, since been proved to be the species of 

 Albizzia we have mentioned. It is a small tree with bipinnate leaves, com- 

 posed of one or two pinnae, upon each of which are four pairs of obovate leaflets. 

 The bark is from the eighth of an inch to a quarter of an inch thick, and is 

 composed of thin plates or layers on the inner side, which are easily separated, 

 lea-Nnng a mass on the outside, of full half the entire thickness, of cellular tissue, 

 in which is thickly dispersed masses af yellow resin — the whole bark itself 

 being of a lightish yellow colour. It has no smell, and when first put into the 

 mouth has scarcely any taste ; but after being chewed for some little time it has 

 a disagreeable rankness which clings to the palate, and is slightly astringent. 

 It is used, when powdered and mixed with honey or oil, in doses of from two to 

 four ounces of the powder as a specific against taenia, and is by some considered 

 more efficacious even than the flowers of Bra}-era Anthelmintica. — J. R. Jacksoti, 

 Kcu<. 



French Expedition to the North Pole. — Subscriptions in 

 furtherance of the proposed French Expedition to the North Pole, have now 

 been collected for some time ; and we are sorry to see, from Petermann's 

 " Geographische Mittheilungen," that they have only reached the sum of 52,000 

 francs. As 50,000 francs of this have been subscribed by the French Emperor, 

 the total which had, at the time Mr Petermann wrote, been subscribed by the 

 French people, appears to have been 2000 francs, or about ^80 ; which for 

 an undertaking which is estimated to cost 60c, 000 francs, cannot be regarded 

 as very encouraging. 



The "American Naturalist." — This is a new North American 

 illustrated magazine of Natural Histoiy, cheap in price, good in quality, at the 

 same time popular and scientific, supported and contributed to by many of the 

 best American Naturalists. It has already reached a circulation of 2000 in 

 its native country, and is now desirous of extending its roots into this countiy. 

 We gladly welcome it, and wish it all success. 



Pink Topazes. — -These are usually supposed to be manufactured by 

 subjecting yellow or brown topazes to heat. Whether this is the universal 

 practice or not, we do not know ; one thing is certain, that the yellow topaz 

 does become pink under heat — experto crede. We have tried it ourselves ; but 

 recent discoveries in Australia have shewn that pink topazes have been found 

 in the mines of Victoria, and cut at Melbourne, while neither a yellow nor a 

 browm one has been yet discovered, those reported being all cairngorms. — 

 Tra)isactioiis of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1865-66, p. 79. 



Ne'W Dinosaur — Laelaps aquilunguis. — Professor Cope exhibited the re- 

 mains of a gigantic Dinosaur from the cretaceous green sand of New Jersey. 

 The bones were portions of the under jaw with teeth, portions of the scapular 

 arch, including supposed clavicles, two humeri, left femur, and right tibia and 

 fibula, with numerous phalanges, lumbar, sacral, and caudal vertebrce, and 

 numerous other elements in a fragmentary condition. The animal was found 



