Miscellanies. * i 
and he does not doubt that they will be recognized, now that the attention 
of geologists is directed to the subject, in North Wales, in the Pyrenees, 
the Appenines, and other high mountain chains. Indeed, he believes, from 
strong evidences scattered over different countries, that at a recent gids 
gical period, and not long before the creation of the human race, the 
whole of Europe, and those parts of Asia and abe which lie north of 
the parallel of the Mediterranean and Caspian seas, nveloped in snow 
and ice ; in short, consisted of a series of immense po above which, 
only the highest hills appeared as islands; presenting a character of 
scenery to be found in our day only in Greenland or Iceland.” a 
3. Red Color of the Salt Marshes of the Mediterranean.—The red 
color of these marshes, often of a very deep tint, has been for a long time 
attributed to the presence of a minute crustaceous animal, Artemia salina, 
Leach. Mons. Joly has last year attended to this subject, and has come 
to the conclusion that the color is produced, not by the Artemia, but by 
minute animalcules, occurring in incalculable numbers, and to which he 
has given the name of Monas dunalii. This is fed upon by the Artemia, 
to which it communicates its brilliant red color, &c.—From Annals and 
Magazine of Natural History, for Dec. 1840. 
4: Nev observdtions ata Infusoria of Rock Salt.—In the ‘ Comptes 
Rendus? (March 16,) merition is made. of a note received by the Acade- 
my of Sciences by M. Marcel de Serres, relative to the observations which — 
he is making on this subject along with M. Joly. In the specimens 
rock salt of a tolerably decided greenish color, brought frou Ca 
(Spain, ) the infusoria appear more rare, smaller, and Jess distinct than in 
the specimens of a red color before examined. This, says M. Marcel z 
Serres, finds an explanation in M. Joly’s previous observations on the 
changes of tint which the infusoria that color our salt marshes undergo 
by age. These animalcules, which are white at their birth, become 
gteen in their middle age, and do not till their adult age, take the purple 
tint which makes them so remarkable. In general, the green infusoria 
are not so often seen in salt marshes as the red, which seems to indicate 
that these monads remain but a short time in their middle state. We 
have found the same infusoria in the argillo-calcareous marls of Cardona 
beneath the rock salt,..'There they have their beautiful purple tint, but — 
they are in too small. numbers to communicate it to the mass of marl, 
Which has remained grayish. This fact also proves, that in the ancient ~~ 
World, as in the present one, the animalcules were precipitated after their 
death to the bottom of the waters in which they previously lived —From 
the Annals and Megane oi: Nat. Hist. oe Sept. 1840. 
5. Ornitholozical Gallery of the British . —The eastern n gal 
lery of the British Museum, which was formerly occupied by the collec- 
Vol. x1, No, 1 nathigiil-Jeee; 1841. 25 
* 
