Miscella nies, 161 



The letter-press will be in English, and illustrated with accurate 

 engravings of every plant described, colored from nature. 



To be edited by William Rich and John A. Brereton, M. D. 

 U. S. Army, assisted by scientific gentlemen. 



Each number will contain eight colored engravings, and every 

 third number an extra plate, forming an annual volume of one hun- 

 dred colored engravings, descriptions of plants, Sec. Sic. Subscrip- 

 tion — Twelve Dollars per annum. 



13. Floating Pumice.^ — Extract of a letter from Mr. A. A. 

 Hayes to the Editor. — An interesting specimen of an unusual vari- 

 ety of pumice, f was exhibited a few weeks since in Boston, and ex- 

 cited considerable attention. I was permitted to detach a fragment 

 for examination, but as it was readily separated by mechanical means, 

 into three distinct minerals, whose composition is known, an analysis 

 of the specimen was not made. About nine-tenths of the bulk of 

 the specimen is a white, vesicular transparent mineral, fusible per 

 se, and with fluxes acts as a sihceous feldspar. One-hundredth of 

 the bulk is black mica, in small, and often minute scales; the remain- 

 der perfectly inclosed in the first, consists of crystals, and grains of 

 white transparent quartz ; a regular form had been given to the sj)e- 

 cimen by artificial means. 



14. Bromine.'^ — (From Mr. A. A. Hayes to the Editor.) — In a 

 former No. of the Journal, I observed in your communication of the 

 discovery of bromine in the w^aters of Sahna springs, the interesting 

 fact, that the bittern from the Connecticut salt works does not con- 

 tain bromine. Is it possible that the presence of some other sub- 

 stance causes its separation in a state of combination, from the water 

 in the process of evaporation, or are we to conclude that the salts of 

 hydro-bromic acid, are more abundant on some coasts than on oth^ 

 ers ? The bittern from the salt-works near Hingham, Mass., con- 

 tains bromine, and it may be readily detected by the usual processes. 



15. American Birds. — We are informed that Audubon's work on 

 American birds has arrived for the Atheneum in Boston. It exceeds 

 the most sanguine expectations of Mr. Nuttall, and all who have 

 seen it. 



* These notices were prepared for a former number, but were accidentally post- 

 poned. 



t Mentioned in a letter from John Tappan, Esq. to the Editor, as having been 

 found floating; at sea in a very large masp. 



Vol. XX.— No. 1. U 



