216 Miscellanies. 
and success, and as we understand from him, that he is very desi- 
rous of receiving specimens or sections of the coal plants of this con- 
tinent, whether from the bituminous or anthracite beds; we take the 
liberty of soliciting aid for him in this research which is so important 
to geological science ; and if specimens are transmitted to us it shall 
be our care to forward them with expedition. arly in our editorial 
labors we made a similar request in behalf of Mr. Alex. Brongniart, 
and it was not without success in promoting the very interesting dis- 
coveries of his son, Mr. Adolphus Brongniart, respecting the Flora 
of the ancient world and especially of the coal formations, upon 
which he has thrown such important light. 
21. Crystalline Lenses of American Animals Desired.—On this 
subject we have to prefer a request similar to the one stated above. 
We learn from Sir David Brewster that he has been engaged, for 
many years, in an examination of the crystalline lenses of animals and 
has just published in the Philosophical Transactions the first of a se- 
ries of papers on the subject. As there are many fishes in America, 
which cannot be obtained in Europe, their crystalline lenses and es- 
pecially those of the cuttle fish as well as those of any animals pe- 
culiar to this continent would be particularly acceptable to Sir D. B. 
whose brilliant researches in optics have shed lustre on his name and 
on this branch of science. | 
It is necessary, only, to throw the lenses, for a few seconds, into 
boiling water; they are then taken out and dried and wrapped in pa- 
per upon which should be written the name of the animal to which 
they belonged. We respectfully invite the aid of naturalists and es- 
pecially of ichthyologists upon this subject. It is among the rewards of 
scientific zeal and labor that the friends of science and liberal knowl- 
edge are thus led to cherish a kindly feeling towards their co-workers in 
distant countries, which is as favorable to their personal happiness, as 
it is to the prosperity of the common cause. 
22. Mantell’s Geology of the South East of England.—This fine 
work contains a synopsis of all Mr. Mantell’s Discoveries in the very 
peculiar and highly interesting district in which he resides. He has 
given to the scientific world, in an elegant octavo, the principal things 
contained in both his former quartos, with the addition of many new 
facts, the most interesting of which is the discovery of a new fossil 
Saurian of enormous size, called by him the Hylceosaurus. Jt was 
