946 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF 
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in some parts of the ice of the glaciers, might be compared, as regards appear- 
ance and size, to those presented by the skin at the extremity of the fingers. 
The river Orbe, from observations of M. Chaix, has not the same tempera- 
ture with the lake of Brenets; the lake showing, July 4, 1861, 18° at a rather 
shallow point, and the Orbe 11° at the point of its issue. ‘This is attributed 
by M. Chaix to four affluents, with a temperature of about 64 degrees. 
General Dufour brought to the notice of the Society operations in progress 
on the territory of Switzerland for the measurement of an are of the meridian 
directed from northern Germany towards Italy. 
M. Henri De Saussure exhibited a chart of the environs of Mexico, drawn 
from observations of his own combined with former maps. 
GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 
Several geological charts in course of publication have been communicated 
tous. One of them is the topographical chart of the canton of Vaud, on a 
scale of soigq, Which the government of that canton has ordered, and the 
coloring of which on geological principles has been committed to M. Renevier. 
Another relating to the geology of Savoy has long occupied the attention of 
M. A. Favre, who favored us with a view of the topographical chart which is 
to serve him as a base, as well as a chart of the environs of Mont Blanc, geo- 
logically colored by hand. An account was given us by the same member of 
the meeting, last year, of the Geological Society of France, in Savoy, and of 
the researches of M. Heer on the climate and vegetation of the tertiary epoch, 
-asubject which has also been discussed by one of our own members in the 
Bibliotheque Universelle.* We are further indebted to M. Favre for a view of 
certain plates designed to popularize the ideas and facts of geology and physi- 
eal geography among the English people. Among communications relating to 
the pursuits of different savants, 1 must not forget an interesting account by 
Dr. Claparade, t of observations made in Sweden and Norway, on the succes- 
sion of levels in the Scandinavian peninsula, and on the crustacea discovered 
at the bottom of lakes, after existence had been predicted ; the lakes having 
been heretofore in communication with the sea, and being even belowit. ‘These 
crustacea have been found to be analogues of, or similar to, species existing 
further north in the polar seas. 
The mountain of Saléve, explored by Deluc, De Saussure, Necker, Alph. 
Favre, and so many other geologists, and which is known among the Genevese 
as “the mountain,” so great is the partiality with which they regard it—this 
mountain has in the course of the year been the scene of unexpected discoveries 
aud observations. 
In their casual walks, MM. Grasset, Chomel, and Revon had observed four 
caverns situated above the village cf Coin, and had brought away some bones 
and fragments of pottery, which seem to belong to the epoch called the age of 
bronze. Professor Thury, on this discovery, caused excavations to be made in 
one of these grottoes, and found, at the depth of half a metre, the remains of a 
fireplace or hearth, with tracks leading to it. Hesupposes that some of the an- 
cient inhabitants sought refuge in these caverns, to escape the consequences of 
an invasion; and he proposes to prosecute his researches to more decisive results. 
It is the position of Saléve, however, which is perhaps the most extraordinary 
feature of the mountain. It shuts in our valley with a lofty calcareous ram 
part, forming a natural limit, which the policy of states has alone refused tc 
recognize. M. Favre has determined the cause of this abnormal position. 
Saléve stands in the continuation of a great anticlinal lme—that is, of a line of 
*M. Alph. de Candolle, May, 1862. 
t Biblioth. Univ. Archives, April, 1862. 
