Scientific Intelligence. — Zoology. 451 



which the lemmings engage during their travels, by no means 

 constitute a fact peculiar to this species ; the troops of dogs, 

 which are used in certain countries for drawing sledges, pre- 

 sent us with a new example of it. When one of these dogs is 

 struck by the driver's whip, it often happens that he bites his 

 neighbour ; the latter attacks a third, and so on, till the battle 

 becomes general. M. Roulin concluded his remarks by saying, 

 that the great sensibility of lemmings to cold may well be con- 

 sidered one of the causes which determine the migrations of 

 these animals. 



Whale Fishery in the Northern Seas. — For many years of 

 late, remarkable changes have taken place in the circum- 

 stances of this species of fishery, which every day become 

 more and more perceptible. The whale regions are no longer 

 the same as formerly. Originally, the seas situate between 

 Spitzbergen and Greenland were frequented : these were af- 

 terwards totally abandoned. Whalers gave the preference to 

 Davis' Straits, Baffin's Bay, or the seas to the east of Green- 

 land. At the present time, Davis' Straits appear on the point 

 of being deserted in their turn. France no longer sends any 

 ships there ; Holland sends only one or two ; England, which 

 formerly sent upwards of 200 ships to these regions, in 1832 

 sent only 81. The number is now much less, and will still 

 doubtless continue to diminish, for the results of the last ex- 

 pedition were very unsatisfactory. It is probable that the 

 English will, ere long, renounce the dangers of so laborious and 

 difficult a navigation, in order to devote themselves, like the 

 French and the Americans, to the fishery in the more tem- 

 perate regions of the south.* 



Scientific Meetings. 

 7. British Association. — The meeting of the British Associa- 



* We arc informed by our friend John Mitchell, Esq., Belgian- Consul, 

 Leith, that this year there will not be more than seventeen ships altogether 

 fitted out for Greenland and Davis' Straits, viz. nine or ten ships for Green- 

 land from Peterhead, principally for seals ; two from Kirkcaldy to Davis' 

 Straits ; one from Dull for do. ; two from Newcastle for do. ; and two from 

 Dundee for do. There arc only two from Holland, and there arc none now 

 from France. — Edit. 



