Miscellaneous hitelHgence, 449 



17. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural Ulstoi^y of New YorTc, Vol. 

 VI, Nos. 6 and 7, pp, 1(35-230. New York city: Wiley k Halsted. 

 Con ten is — 



G. N. Lawrence: Descriptions of new species of Birds of tlie Genera 

 Chordeiles Swainson, and PoUoptila Sclater. Species, Chordeiles Gund- 

 lachi fj-om Cuba, C. Texensis of Texas, Polioptila melauura of Texas and 

 California. 



John H. Redfield: Descriptions of nc"vv species of North American 

 Helicida^, — Species, Helix ElUotti of the mountains of Georgia and North 



Carolina, and H, barbir/era of Georgia. 



J. T. GcLiCK : Descriptions of new species of Achatinella from the 

 the Hawaiian Islands. Contains descriptions of 49 species, with figures 

 on two plates. 



]8. Sup270sed Meteorite. — We have received from Mr. Thomas Bassnett 

 of Ottawa, Illinois, specimens of scoria, with a description of their sup- 

 posed fall on the l7th of June hist, about i^w miles south-southwest from 

 that place. The account of the fall, as written out by L. H. Bradley on 

 "U'liose farm the scoria was found, states, that the time it occurred was 

 fifteen or twenty minutes before 2 p. m. ; the wind blew west by south. 

 He says, "The cinders fell in a northeasterly direction in tlie shape 

 of the letter V. The weather had been showery, but I heard no tlitm- 

 der and saw no lightning. There appeared to be a small, dense black 

 cloud hanging over the garden in a westerly direction, or a little to 

 the south of west. The cinders fell upon a slight angle within about 

 three rods of where I was at work ; there was no wind at the moment, 

 or none perceptible. My attention was called first to the freak the wind 

 had in the grass, and the next moment to a hissing noise caused by the 

 cinders passing through the air. The larger ones were considerably 

 imbedded in the earth, so much as only to show a small part of it, while 

 the smaller ones were about one-half buried. I noticed at the time that 

 the ground where I afterwards picked up the cinders showed signs of 

 warmth, as there was quite a steam or fog at that particular point. I 

 thought it singular, as the ground had been very cold previously." 



The scoria is in rounded inflated pieces, like what have been called 

 volcanic bombs, tlie exterior being glassy, and the interior very cellular. 

 They are little over an inch in the longCvSt diameter. Color black. 



The paper, called the '* Sunny South," of Aberdeen, Miss., of Sept. 17, 

 185Yj describes a mass of lava as large as a barrel, " which fell near the 

 form of Mr. John Fortson, ten miles west of Aberdeen, on the 8th of 

 July, 1856, and wliiclz excited a good deal of wonder and speculation at 

 the time for hundreds of miles around." 



The Illinois scoria is unlike any meteorite, and suggests the idea of a 

 terrestrial origin. We know nothing about the Mississippi "lava." 



Proceedings Boston Soc. JTat. Hist.— Vol VI. p. U^, List and descriptions of 

 eggs obtained in California; E. Snmueh.—^.\4:^. On erosions of shells ; J.Lewis. 

 ^p- 152, On a supposed new Siredon ; 8. Kneelavd.—T?. 165, On a new Succinea 

 and Helix; IF. G. Binnei/.—p, 157, On a new Guano; A. A. Haye^^.-^p. 158. Note 

 on the wild turkey breed'ing with the tame ; Bryant— p, 160, A psjcholo^ical view 

 of the motions of Animals; D. WeinlancL—p.lt^, Cementation of Conglomerates; 

 •4. A. Haye&.—p, 173, 179, 194, ITotice of J. W, Bailey; A. A. Gould—f. 11$^ 



SECOND SERIES, VOL. XXIV, NO. 72. — NOV., im. 



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