2 1 6 Miscellanies. 



and success, and as we understand from him, that he is very desi- 

 rous of receiving specimens or sections of the coa] plants of this con- 

 tinent, whether from the bituminous or anthracite beds j we take the 

 liberty of soliciting aid for him in this research which is so important 

 to geological science ; and if specimens are transmitted to us it shall 

 be our care to forward them with expedition. Early in our editorial 

 labors we made a similar request in behalf of Mr. Alex. Brongniart, 

 and it was not without success in promoting the very interesting dis- 

 coveries of his son, Mr. Adolphus Brongniart, respecting the Flora 

 of the ancient world and especially of the coal formations, upon 

 which he has thrown such important light. 



21. Crystalline Lenses of American Animals Desired. — On this 

 subject we have to prefer a request similar to the one stated above. 

 We learn from Sir David Brewster that he has been engaged, for 

 many years, in an examination of the crystalline lenses of animals and 

 has just published in the Philosophical Transactions the first of a se- 

 ries of papers on the subject. As there are many fishes in America, 

 which cannot be obtained in Europe, their crystalline lenses and es- 

 pecially those of the cuttle fish as well as those of any animals pe- 

 culiar to this continent would be particularly acceptable to Sir D. B. 

 whose brilliant researches in optics have shed lustre on his name and 

 on this branch of science. 



It is necessary, only, to throw the lenses, far a few seconds, into 

 boiling water; they are then taken out and dried and wrapped in pa- 

 per upon which should be written the name of the animal to which 

 they belonged. We respectfully invite the aid of naturalists and es- 

 pecially of ichthyologists upon this subject. It is among the rewards of 

 scientific zeal and labor that the friends of science and liberal knowl- 

 edge are thus led to cherish a kindly feeling towards their co-workers in 

 distant countries, which is as favorable to their personal happiness, as 

 it is to the prosperity of the common cause. 



i 



22. MantelVs Geology of the South East of England. — This fine 

 work contains a synopsis of all Mr. MantelPs Discoveries in the very 

 peculiar and highly interesting district in which he resides. He has 

 given to the scientific world, in an elegant octavo, the principal things 

 contained in both his former quartos, with the addition of many new 

 facts, the most interesting of which is the discovery of a new fossil 



Saurian of enormous size, called by him the Hylceosaurus. It was 



