440 
afford almost an opportunity of mea- 
suring the lapse of time by the baro- 
metric scale. The details of these 
observations have been laid hefore the 
Literary and Agricultural Socicty of 
Ceylon; whence it appears, the mer- 
cury is at the highest about 9h. a.m. 
and 11). p.m.; and at its lowest at 
4h. p.m. and about 4h. a.m. daily. 
Barometric Measurements of Heights. 
—The Rev. B. Powr.t, of Oxtord, 
has applied himself with success to the 
explaining and improying, in point of 
accuracy, the instructions of M. Ray- 
mond for the application of the baro- 
meter to the measurement of heights ; 
and has, in late Numbers of the 
“Annals of Philosophy,” communi- 
cated the resulis of his labours. His 
practical rules, and examples of cal- 
culation, found at page 265, vol. vi. of 
the journal quoted, we would gladly 
have transferred to our pages, but for 
their dependance on several auxiliary 
taibles; which there follow. Mr. B. 
Bévan, and other ingenious corres- 
pondénts to our work and to the “ Phi- 
losophical Magazine,” between Sept. 
1820 and Jan. 1822, communicated a 
great many sets of barometric obser- 
vations, simultaneously made with 
great care, monthly, at different and 
distant places: but from which obser- 
vations no general deductions of the 
heights have yet been given. Perhaps 
the present hints may not be lost on 
some of our ingenious readers. 
Remarkable degree of Cold.—A regis- 
ter of weather kept at Donare, in 
Inverness-shire, Scotland, showed that 
at eleven o’clock at night, of the 6th 
of February last, Farcnheit’s thermo- 
meter stood at 10°, and, in the space of 
the following two hours and a half, 
fell to 15°; which is one degree lower 
than everbefore recorded in Scotland: 
on the 14th of January, 1780, 14° was 
observed at Glasgow, by Dr. WILSON, 
The common toad (rana bufo) has 
been observed by Mr. PoTuHercit to 
fecd only upon live insects and reptiles, 
and absolutely to refuse those present- 
ed to it which have been ever so re- 
cently killed, The honey-bee and the 
wasp are its most favourite food; its 
njouth is perhaps insensible to. the 
sting of these insects; because here 
‘they are retained for some time before 
they are swallowed, after being seized 
by the toad. Although, like the spider, 
the toad is capable of sustaining an 
almost indefinite abstinence, it is at, 
times a voracious feeder, having been 
Spirit of Philosophical Discovery. 
[Dec. 1, 
seen to devour scveniecn wasps in a 
day. ‘The toad retires to the place of 
his hybernation about the same period 
when the swallow departs, The in- 
stances continue to multiply of the 
undoubted finding of live toads en- 
cased in solid rocks: one Was lately 
so found, in cutting the Erie Canal in 
Niagara County, in North America. © 
Fossil Bones at Oreston,—The im- 
mense quarries which latély have bech 
made in the thick limestone rock of 
Oreston, on the south-east side of 
Plymouth, Devon, for constructing the 
breakwater, have laid open and re- 
moved the surrounding rock, of a 
succession of caverns, in which were 
found the remains of the partly-eaten 
bones of a great many hyenas; ‘some 
of which ferocious beasts, formerly 
inhabiting these caverns, were of twice 
the size of any hyenas now existing. 
Remains of the partiy-caten bones, 
teeth, and horns, of an extinct species 
of large ox, and of wolves, foxes, and 
other wild animals, all very unlike {6 
the present ones, were found in abun- 
dance, in such states as prove them to 
have been the food of the hyenas in- 
habiting these caves. Thé preserva- 
tion of these bones has been occasioned 
by the indurated mud or clay with 
which a former deluge (of gredt vio- 
lence, and in this respect quite unlike 
to that described by Moses,) had filled 
them, and closed their entrancés un- 
der thick beds of gravel. 
Improved Lamps.—M. Fresnev has 
lately constructed, in France, Jamps 
on the principle of M. Argand; but 
having, instead of one circular wick, 
two or three of such, coacentrically 
placed, and admitting up a free cur- 
rent of air between each wick. The 
perfect combustion produced by the 
great heat and fréc accéss)6f air, to 
the oil thus volatilized at top of the 
wicks, is said to be productive of very 
great, advantages, as, to perfection and 
economy of light. Flat wicks have 
fora long time in this, country;been 
placed side by side, and near.to each 
other, with similar advantages, by 
Major Cochrane and, others, « ) > 
- Distillation. of Sea-water.—M. Cre- 
MENT, a French chemist, has. lately 
invented an apparatus for the.distilla- 
tion of sea-wates,, which produces, six 
pounds of good. fresh water by, the 
burning of,one, pound of common 
coal. A single still will, supply. five 
hundred pints-of water daily, aud. the 
distillation may be performed during 
the 
