520 OUTLINES OF PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 
tical applications : this discovery of Mr. Talbot’s seems calculated to secure 
the highest and most important results. For proceedings of Learned Socie- » 
ties, those of the royal, geological, and astronomical, are recorded; and then 
come fifteen miscellaneous, chiefly chemical, articles, which are succeeded by 
the meteorological observations and table. 
The Magazine of Natural History, and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, 
Geology, and Meteorology, conducted by Edward Charlesworth, F.G.S. 8vo, 
London, 1838-9. 
No. XXIV, Decemsper, 1838.—Mr. Waterhouse introduces this month’s 
publication with a beautifully coloured figure and description of the Golia- 
thus torguatus, a beetle belonging to the cetonidzan family: his specimen 
was brought from Sierra Leone—where the izisect is extremely scarce. In 
an English version, are M. de Blainville’s doubts respecting the class, family 
and genus to which the fossil bones found at Stonesfield and designated Di- 
delphis prevotii and D. bucklandii, should be referred: M. de B. who appears 
to be a doubt-full philosopher, has recently promulgated “new doubts ” con- 
cerning the same question: his paper is copious and elaborate. Dr. Drum- 
mond adds to his notices of Irish Entozoa, a description of the Anthocepha- 
lus paradoxus, and he illustrates his subject with six very distinct and useful 
figures. A descriptive list of Rhysodes is given by Mr. Newman, and he 
notes the ranges of its geographical distribution: he characterises eight 
species—the Rhysodes strabus, R. aratus, R. exaratus, R. liratus, R. cos- 
tatus, R. sculpitilis, R. guildingii, and R. monilis. In a communication to 
the editor, Mr. Bradley notes his observations on the habits of the 
electric eel. Dr. Weissenborn gives an account of the transformation 
of oats into rye, as a fact attested by experiment ; and, with Mr. Ward’s 
notice of the examination of candidates for the botanical prizes pro- 
posed by the apothecaries’ society, the department for original articles is con- 
cluded. Mr. Bowerbank’s observations on the lower freshwater formation in 
the Isle of Wight; Mr. Wetherell’s note on the Highgate resin; Dr. Rees’ 
remarks on the existence of flint-beds in the upper chalk formation; Mr. 
Walker’s remark on the geography of insects; and Dr. Weissenborn’s of a 
new German scientific institution, constitute the “short communications,” 
and bring the volume for mpcccxxxvirt to a respectable termination. 
No. XXV, January, 1839.—Mr. Charlesworth commences the new year 
and the new volume of his excellent periodical with an English version of M. 
Valenciennes’ observations on the fossil jaws from the oolitic beds at Stones- 
field, named Didelphis prevotii and D. bucklandii ; and, for reasons assigned in 
the article, he regards these bones as having belonged to mammiferous animals 
very nearly approaching the Didelphis, but of a distinct genus: he prefers the 
terms Thylacotherium prevotii and T. bucklandii as their scientific appella- 
tions. Mr. Lee contributes an admirable article with the title, “notice of 
undescribed zoophytes from the Yorkshire chalk, and his descriptions are 
illustrated by fifteen well executed diagrams : his subjects are—the Siphonia 
clava, Si. anguilla, Spongia catablastes, Sp. fastrigiata, Sp. sepiaformis, Sp. am- 
putla, Sp. spinosa, and Udotea cancellata. Observations on the Lamellicorns 
