Miscellanies. 381 



Specimens we have not seen, but the drawing has been inspected by 

 a gentleman, than whom there is no better authority ; and although 

 he wisely declines to give a decided opinion upon a drawing merely, 

 it appears probable, that this is a new species ; but we decline inser- 

 ting either the drawing or descriptive notices, until a specimen can be 

 examined. This fossil is found in Bourbon county, Ky. ; and about 

 thirty miles from that place, in Mason county, there is found a very 

 perfect trilobite, two and three quarter inches by one and a quarter. 

 Mr. Walter will confer a favor by sending specimens to Prof. Jacob 

 Green, Philadelphia, and to the Editor. 



A letter from Mr. Willis Gaylord, dated Otisco, Onondago county, 

 N. Y., June, 1838, contains drawings of very perfect orthoceratites 

 and trilobites, which are known to prevail very extensively in that 

 region. We believe the species not to be new ; and if they are new, 

 they have probably not escaped the attention of the gentlemen enga- 

 ged in the geological survey of the state of New York. 



5. Substitute for Emery. — Topaz, the discovery of which in this 

 country was first announced in this Journal* many years since, has 

 continued to occur in such abundance, (although not in general beau- 

 tiful,) that the owner of the locality has been induced to crush it to 

 powder as a substitute for emery. The hardness of the topaz is such 

 (8) as to place it next to corundum, (9) with the exception of spi- 

 nelle, automolite and chrysoberyl, which approach nearer to corun- 

 dum than topaz ; but they have never been found in the quantity that 

 the latter occurs at Monroe. And we understand that those who 

 have made use of this substitute find, that for all common purposes, it 

 answers very well. 



6. Temperature of the Saco River. — I send for publication in the 

 Journal of Science, a table of observations made during the past year 

 upon the temperature of the Saco river. The experiments were made 

 in running water, above the falls, and may be relied upon as correct. 



This river has its source in the ' Notch' of the White mountains of 

 New Hampshire ; is about ninety miles in length, and falls into the 

 ocean three miles below the place where the observations were made. 



It will be noticed, that during the time that the river was covered 

 with ice, the water remained stationary at the freezing point. On the 

 9th of December, at six o'clock, A. M., about three fourths of the wa- 

 ter was stopped by anchor ice. The day was clear, and the warmth 

 of the sun having removed the ice, the water flowed in the usual 

 quantity at about ten o'clock. 



* Vol. X. p. 352. Vol. XI. p. 192, &c. 



