188 lletrospective Criticism, 



Museum, Royal Naval Hospital, Ilasler. (Vol. T. p. 191.) —The rooms should rather be said to 

 be appropriated than erected, as the small building dividing the left wing, now adopted for this 

 purpose, is part of the original edifice. — J. II. Davies. 



Portsmouth Philosophical Society.— Yo\. 1. p. 190., line 18., for " Branden" read " Brander: 

 Gustavus Brander published, in 1768, a small volume, with figures and descriptions in Latin, of 

 the fossils of the Hordwell Cliffs. These cliffs extend along the sea-shore from Lymington to 

 Christchurch, Hants, and are divided by two chasms, called Beacon and Chewton Bunny's, into 

 three portions, named Hordwell, Barton, and High Cliffs. It was from the second of these, 

 abounding in fossils of the London clay formation, that Brander collected his specimens, which, 

 by the titlepage, he api>ears to have deposited in the British Museum. The work is now scarce, 

 but the fidelity of the figures renders it valuable. He appears to have made an accurate research 

 at this locality, as subsequent observers have added but few to his list. He followed the Linnoan 

 classification, but was singularly unhappy in discriminating his genera : thus many of his A/iirices 

 are Volutse ; and his H^lix mutabilis, a very characteristic shell of this formation, is an umbili- 

 cated JVerita, and very nearly approaching to the N. glauclna of our shores. The work is entitled 

 FossUia Ilantoniensia, and the figures of the shells have certainly never been surpassed. Mr. 

 Webster has since given a very accurate and interesting description of the cliffs alluded to, in the 

 Geological Transactions, 2d series, vol. i. part i. p. 90. ; in which he has identified in the Hordwell 

 Cliff a fresh- water formation, analogous to those existing on the opposite shores of the Isle of 

 Wight. — /.?. 



Mermaids. — A few years back a mermaid was shown in London, very like that figured by Con- 

 chilla (Vol.1, p 106.), except that it had arms, and was not quite so large: it is, I believe, 

 now travelling the country. This specimen also was said to come from Japan. I can aver that 

 it came from the East Indies ; for, being at St. Helena in 1813, I saw it on board the ship which 

 was bringing it to England. The impression on my mind was, that it was an artificial compound 

 of the upper part of a small ape with the lower half of a fish ; and being allowed to examine it as 

 closely as I pleased externally, my attention was directed, by the aid of a powerful glass, to ascer- 

 tain the point of union between the two parts. I confess I was somewhat staggered to find that 

 this was so neatly effected, that the precise line of junction was not satisfactorily apparent. I 

 speak of it in its best state of preservation : perhaps now the imposture can be more easily 

 detected. A short time back the skeleton of a mermaid, as it was called, was brought to Ports- 

 mouth, which had been shot in the vicinity of the Island of Mombass. Ihis was allowed to be 

 submitted to the members of the Philosophical Society, when it proved to be the Dugong. The 

 anatomy and natural history was illustrated by some of the members present, and briefly noticed 

 in the Anntial Report for 1826-7, p. 21. To tho.se who came to the examination with precon- 

 ceived notions of the fabulous mermaid, it certainly presented, as it lay on the lecture-table, a 

 singular appearance. It was, if I recollect right, about 6 ft. long : the lower dorsal vertebrae, with 

 the broad caudal extremity, suggested the idea of a powerful fish-like termination ; w hilst the fore 

 legs, from the scapula to the extremities of the phalanges, presented to the unskilful eye an 

 exact resemblance to the bones of a small female arm. The cranium, however, had such an 

 outre brutal form, that even the most sportive imagination could never have supposed it to have 

 borne the lineaments of the " human face divine." It is now, I believe, in London. — Id. 



The Chameleon. — This animal does not take hours to effect its change of colour, as stated by 

 S. R. A. (Vol. I. p. 192.) : its changes are often instantaneous, and frequently repeated, according 

 as the animal is situated. I have a live one at this present time : it is the favourite pet of my 

 youngsters, delighting to crawl about their persons, and take its food from their hands ; and, if 

 desirable, I will draw you up a notice of its habits for a future Number. — Id. 



We shall be happy to receive such a communication, and take this opportunity of expressing 

 our regret at having so long neglected to insert our valued correspondent's remarks. — Cond. 



A Water Shreiv^ similar to the one described in your Magazine, was seen 

 lately at noon in a pond near Somerton, in the county of Somerset, and 

 appears not to be at all uncommon here. — M. January , 1830. 



The Goatsucker, and Mr. Harvey^ s Camelopdrdalis. — Sir, Mr. Dillon's 

 theory as to the use of the goatsucker's serrated claw is so ingenious, that 

 I think it worth noticing. Among numerous reasons which could be 

 brought against it, I shall merely inform him that there is an American 

 group of this family, which have no bristles round the bill, and yet have 

 serrated claws ; and another group in Australia having bristles, and yet with 

 the claw smooth and simple. The Heron tribe, in like manner, have the 

 rictus smooth, but have the claw serrated : finally, the bristles round the 

 bills of all the purely insectivorous birds I have seen (and they are not a 

 few) are capable of being diverged and contracted. The philosopher of 

 Selbourne, I suspect, is right in his conjecture. 



Your scientific readers must be anxiously expecting a description of the 

 new species of Camelopardalis figured in your frontispiece, distinguished 

 from that already described, by having, like the camel, a lump upon its 

 shoulders. Mr. Harvey is an artist of much promise : he is young, I 

 believe ; so much the better. Let him study nature more, and effect less, 

 and his career will be successful. — *S'. W. Jan. 12. 1830. 



The Biscacho and Coquimbo Owl. — In Vol. I. p. 285. of your Magazine is 

 an extract from the entertaining travels of Captain Head. With the rough 

 notes of this galloping adventurer in my hand, I am led to suppose that 

 some mistake must have been made by the copyist. The Biscacho and 



