380 Miscellanies. 



Spring near the top of the Grandfather, . 53° 



" Ascent of the Roan, . . . 52° 



" North side of the Black Mountain, . 50° 



" Another, same Mountain, . , . 48^ 



4. Fossil Shells and Bones. — A correspondent writes from Wilmington 

 Island, near Savannah, July 16, 1838, — Wilmington island is situated 

 in the Savannah river eight miles from the sea, and vi'ould appear, though 

 surrounded by salt water, to be a part of the delta of the river, were it 

 not for the vast beds of shells (principally oysters) which are found upon 

 it. These beds extend through all the islands in this vicinity, and al- 

 though attributed by some to the aborigines, are evidently the deposits of 

 the ocean, as they are found in layers of uniform thickness wherever they 

 have not been disturbed. Under such circumstances they are* found 

 about three or four feet from the surface. You heard, I suppose, of the 

 discavery of fossil bones made in this State last spring while digging the 

 canal near Brunswick. T endeavored to lay hands on some of them, but 

 found that they were to be sent to the Nat. Hist. Soc. of Boston. They 

 were the only bones ever found in this State except those of the mega- 

 therium. They Were at first supposed to belong to the mastodon. Dr. 

 S., the gentleman with whom I reside, has in his possession some of Jhe 

 bones of the megatherium. T. R. D. 



5. Auroral Arch in Vermont. — Eclipse. 



Burlington, Vermont, 20tli November, 183S. 



To THE Editors. — Gentlemen — Again has the same region, described 

 in your 33d Vol., p. 212, presented a similar phenomenon, and for the 

 reasons there given, and with the view of obtaining a certain parallax in 

 order to ascertain the distance of these wonderful phenomena, I shall de- 

 scribe this also to you. 



On the evening of the 7th of September I was called out by a friend 

 to look at a remarkable light. It extended to within 10° or 15° of the 

 horizon at each extremity, passing between Alpha and Zeta Pegasi, leav- 

 ing both stars just clear of its penumbra, between Beta Cygni and Beta 

 LyrsB, enveloping bgth in its penumbra, and just N. of Arcturus. This 

 was at 8h. 30m., and it continued nearly unchanged for five minutes. It 

 then seemed disturbed on its N. edge, especially near Lyra, as if by a 

 current moving westerly, and continually detaching small fragments, 

 which, on their separation, immediately disappeared. At the same time, 

 the portion between Lyra and Arcturus was greatly bent towards the 

 south. In about 5m. more it entirely disappeared. If I can trust my 

 recollection, it was brighter than those I saw last year. There was a 

 very bright and active light in the north at the same time, and long after- 

 wards, but exhibiting nothing else uncommon. 



