NATURAL HISTORY. 



501 



formed. Those marks called navi 

 matemi, which are derangements 

 of the sanguineous vessels, are not 

 hereditarj-, whilst less remarkable 

 changes in the ordinary skin are 

 often so. I have lately seen a man, 

 and who is now living, who has a 

 small pendulous fold attached to 

 the skin of his upper eyelid, and 

 the same peculiarity has been trans- 

 mitted to his four children. It 

 would have been interesting to 

 know, whether any similarity of 

 structure existed in the families of 

 the two rare examples of a total 

 transposition of the abdominal and 

 thoracic viscera. (Phil. Trans, for 

 1674, No. cvii. p. 146, by Dr. 

 Samson, and vol. Ixxviii. p. 350.) 



In particular breeds of animals, 

 the characteristic signs are gene- 

 rally continued, whether they be- 

 long to the horns of kine,the fleeces 

 of sheep, the proportions of horses, 

 the extensive varieties of dogs, or 

 the ears of swine. In China the 

 varieties of gold and silver fishes 

 are carefully propagated, and with 

 us, what are vulgarly called " fancy 

 pigeons " are bred into most whim- 

 sical deviations from their parent 

 stock. 



As wild animals and plants are 

 not liable to the same variations, 

 and as all the variations seem toin- 

 crease with the degree of artificial 

 restraint imposed, and as certain 

 animals become adapted by extra- 

 ordinary changes to extraordinary 

 conditions, it may still be expected 

 that some leading fact will even- 

 tually furnish a clue, by which or- 

 ganic varieties may be better ex- 

 plained. A few generations of 

 wild rabbits, or of pheasants under 

 the influenceof confinement, break 

 their natural colours, and leave the 

 fur and feathers of their future pro- 



geny uncertainly variegated. The 

 very remarkable changes of the co- 

 lour of the fur of the hare, and the 

 featijers of the partridge, in high 

 northern latitudes, during the pre- 

 valenceofthe snow, and the adapta- 

 tion of thnt change of colour to their 

 better security," are coincidences 

 out of the course cf chance, and 

 not easily explained by our present 

 state of physical knowledge. 

 I have the honour to be. 

 Dear sir. 

 Your much obliged and 

 obedient servant, 



Anthony Carlisle. 

 To the Right Hon. Sir J. Banks, 

 Bart. K.B. P.R.S. &c. 



Some Account of the Island 

 OF Teneriffe. 



From Memoirs of the Geological 

 Society. 



\By the Hon. Henry Grey Bennet, 

 M. P. F. R. S. President.] 

 The island of Teneriffe is the 

 principal island of the seven in the 

 Western Ocean, that are called ge- 

 nerally by the name of the Cana- 

 ries. It lies north-east by south- 

 west, and is in length from the 

 Punta del Hidalgo to the Montana 

 Roxa, its northern and southern 

 extremities, about 70 English 

 miles ; its greatest breadth not ex- 

 ceeding 30. The superficies may 

 be considered as containing eighty 

 square leagues. 



The island narrows at its north- 

 eastern and widens considerably at 

 its south-western extremity. About 

 the centre of the 1 atter, or perha ps to 

 de8cribemoreaccurately,tothe west- 

 ward of the central point, is the 

 mountain called by the Spaniards 

 el Pico di Tiede, but better known 



