PHYSIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY. 263 



particles, was readily separated by wash i eg in an agate mortar ; or by simply 

 shaking small portions of the sand in a piece of writing paper bent into a trough, 

 and held in a somewhat inclined position. Mr. Dewe, of Toronto, the proprietor 

 of the land on which the auriferous sand was alleged chiefly to occur, not feeling 

 exactly satisfied with the statements made to him from CoUingwood, paid a visit 

 to the spot, and collected personally many samples of sand from various points 

 upon and adjacent to the district in question. In these he failed to detect gold. 

 "We have also, by the kindness of Mr. Dewe, examined the same samples. They 

 certainly do not contain the slightest trace of that metal. We have likewise ex- 

 amined many other samples (in part collected by ourselves) of sand of an exactly 

 similar character, from the islands on Lake Couchiehing, the shores of the River 

 Severn, Matehadash Bay, the north shore of Lake Huron, and the Manitoulin 

 Islands — all of which are entirely free from any trace of gold. It is difficult, 

 therefore, to avoid the conclusion, that the gold in these so-called " CoUingwood 

 Sands " has been placed there for the purpose of deception. Some of the 

 minute particles, when examined under a powerful microscope, had the appearance 

 of having been subjected to the action of a file.* If gold really occurred in the 

 sands of this western region, the occurrence would be of great geological interest, 

 as the iron-sands are here evidently derived from Laurentian rocks ; whereas the 

 am'iferous deposits of the Eastern Townships are the detritus of metamorphosed 

 Lower Silurian strata, belonging to the general age of the Hudson River group. 



Note: — Under the head of "Circular Polarization in Cinnabar." in the last 

 number of the Journal, the term " hemUiedral " should be properly " plagihedral." 

 In order, also, to avoid misconception, the reader is requested to add to the 

 characters of the Orthisidce', pages 159 and 160, — " Ko internal shelly process, 

 properly so called : id est, neither loop nor spiral process." The genus Produetus, 

 p. 160, is stated by d'Orbigny to range from the Silurian to the Permian strata, 

 but in all probability it does not descend below the Devonian. It is most abundant 

 as a Carboniferous form. 



THE WOLLASTON MEDAXS— 1858. 



At the moment of going to press. Professor Wilson has placed in our hands a 

 copy ofthe London Literary Gazette, announcing the awards of the WoUaston 

 medals for the present year, by the G-eological Society of London. One of these 

 most honorable recognitions has been conferred on the distinguished palseontologist 

 Hermann von Meyer, of Frankfort on the Maine; and the other on our no less 

 distinguished paleeontologist of the Western World, Professor James Hall, of 

 Albany. The justice of these awards will be universally acknowledged. 



E. J. C. 



PHYSIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY. 



MAZATLAN SHELLS: MUSEUM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. 



The Museum of the University of Toronto has recently received an accession 

 in the department of Conchology, so interesting and important, that a short ac- 

 count of it may not be unacceptable to the members of the Canadian Institute. 



* Since writing the above, we have found that the gold contains copTper. Of its origin 

 consequently, there can be no doubt.— E. C- J. 



