28 



are afterwards forced up nearer or through the crust of the earth 

 by volcanic or earthquake action. 



But the great difficulty in connecting rock-salt with a marine 

 origin is the total absence of organic remains. How is this to be 

 accounted for ? Rock-salt and gypsum are frequently contiguous. 

 The sulphuric acid of the latter and the hydrochloric acid of the 

 former indicate a common origin, and both acids are also vol- 

 canic products. If both rocks were once in a state of fusion, one 

 may have been favourable for the preservation of organic remains, 

 and the other to the complete dissolving and metamorphosis of 

 such material, giving it an entirely new character. If that were 

 so, there is no longer a difficulty in attributing the formation of 

 rock-salt to volcanic and earthquake action. 



JULY. 



James Reid, Esq. described, by means of beautifully-executed 

 diagrams, curious changes gone through by the fungus called the 

 Earth-Star, or Geastrum. It has first somewhat the appearance 

 of the puflf-ball, but as it matures, the upper and outer envelope 

 divides at the top into about nine segments ; it then has the 

 appearance of a flat star-shaped fungus, resting on the ground, 

 bearing within its centre a globular portion containing the spores 

 of the fungus. Under certain atmospheric conditions, the rays 

 curl under to such an extent that it stands up high above ground 

 on their points like an octopus. These changes of form may be 

 gone through several times, depending on the state of the atmos- 

 phere. 



AUGUST. 



Mr.Fullagarexhibited, under the microscope, some specimens 

 of the beautiful Volvox globator, which may now be found in the 

 ponds of the neighbourhood in vast quantities. In the whole 

 circle of pond life, there is no more interesting object than 

 Volvox. and it is a special favourite with microscopists. Though 

 measuring only one-fiftieth of an inch in diameter, when a bottle 

 of water containing them is held up against the light, their little 

 bodies may be seen by the naked eye as minute movable green 

 spots. Seen under a low power of the microscope, the Volvox is 

 found to be a globe of transparent membrane of a delicate green 

 colour, marked with fine lines in the form of network, with darker 

 green spots at the points when; the lines cross each other. Smaller 

 but similar spheres may be seen rolling about within this parent 



