318 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



geously. These gases in combustion with a due supply of oxygen, 

 would give a temperature higher than is necessary to smelt iron ; 

 and although the authors do not propose to employ ihem for this 

 purpose, they however suggest the advantage of employing that 

 waste material for heating steam apparatus, and many manufactur- 

 ing purposes. 



ZOOL.OGV AND BOTAIVIT. 



The Rev. L. Jennings read a paper, on the Turf of the Cam- 

 bridgeshire Fens. This turf was not formed of sphagnum, as most 

 peat, but from various species of aquatic plants which had accumu- 

 lated for a long series of years above the remains of forest trees, 

 which lie buried at the bottom of the moor. There are two di.-^tinct 

 kinds of turf, the upper and loiver ; the former is the more compact 

 and heavy of the two ; the latter consists entirely of the bark and wood 

 of submerged trees. The turf is not now rapidly formed, on account 

 of the improved systems of draining. Formerly it was supposed to 

 grow about 20 inches in sixteen years. 



Dr. Falconer said that he had observed in Cashmere, at the bot- 

 toms of the lakes, turf of a very similar kind to the lower bed just 

 mentioned. It consisted of the remains of Chara, Potamogeton, 

 Utricularia and Nelumhium. The inhabitants obtained it from the 

 bottom of the ponds by means of rakes, and used ii as fuel. 



Mr. Babington stated that the character of the Scotch and Irish 

 bogs was different from that of the fens of Cambridgeshire. He 

 had seen peat procured from the bottoms of lakes, in the same way 

 as described by Dr. Falconer in Cashmere. 



Mr. H. E. Strickland had seen peat in Ireland converted into a 

 substance as hard as jet, so that it might be used by the turner. 

 The formation of peat threw much light on the formation of coal. 

 There could be no doubt but that some of our coal beds were formed 

 in bogs, whilst others were formed at the bottom of seas. 



Mr. Selby had seen peat quite solid and yellow, like amber. 



I'he Bishop of Norwich stated that the trees buried in the bogs 

 of Lancashire, exhibited marks of being burnt, and many of them 

 had on them the strokes of the axe. 



Mr. Dowden pointed out the remarkable fact in Mr. Jenyns's 

 observations, that the light turf was undermost. 



Prof. Allman laid before the section a monstrosity, occurring in 

 the Saxifraga geum. The three external verticels of the florets 

 were normal ; but between the stamens and pistil, there was de- 

 veloped a series of adventitious carpels, crowded upon the margin 

 of the cup-like production which surrounds the lower half of the 

 pistil. These adventitious carpels were characterized by their backs 

 being turned towards the axis of the flower. The carpels bear the 



