74 



THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



On the Changes which the Stomach of Crabs undergo during the 

 PERIOD OF Casting their Shells. — Crabs, it is well known, change their shells 

 at a certain season of the year ; and it is a very old opinion that they change their 

 stomachs at the same time, a new stomach being formed around the old, which is 

 digested by the recently developed organ. Baer has proved that the Crab's stomach 

 consists of two coats ; one inner, which in every respect may be compared to a cal- 

 lous, horny epidermis, and which is destitute of vitality; and an outer or containing 

 coat, transparent, but sufficiently strong and vascular. The inner coat, as it is well 



" known, consists of various and very curious parts, some resembling bony plates, 

 others compared to teeth. Now, at the period when the Crab changes its skin, it 

 likewise casts the inner coat of the stomach, and on this account this process, 

 analogous to the moulting of birds, and to the renewing of the hair in quadrupeds, 

 is in the Crab attended with very great constitutional disturbance, and a total 



J interruption of the digestive function. Baer relates very accurately the changes 

 ■which the stomach undergoes preparatory to the casting of its inner coat. It would 

 he beside our present purpose to follow him in this description, however interesting. 

 Some things he mentions are, however, specially worthy of remark. In the first 

 place, the softer parts of the old epidermis, or inner coat of the stomach, are very 



rapidly digested in the stomach, as soon as it has recovered its functions, and has 



which it does quickly — formed a new lining on its inner surface. Bat there are other 

 harder parts that cannot be readily digested and dissolved, and which are otherwise 

 disposed of. The hard and hollow bones, popularly termed the teeth, are "^ot rid of 

 by being discharged through the external orifice corresponding to the mouth. There 

 are other solid plates of the epidermic portion of the stomach, which are not of a 

 shape calculated to irritate the new and tender epidermis, and consequently they can 

 be retained with impunity, and are destined to perform a new and curious function- 

 for, according to Baer, these plates, for some time preparatory to the act of casting 

 the shells, rapidly increase in weight and in solidity, so as, at the period we are 

 speaking, they may be considered as forming considerable reservoirs of earthy matter, 

 to be gradually dissolved aud digested in the newly lined stomach, at the very time 

 earthy matter is required by the animal for the formation of its new shell. These 

 plates are popularly called Crah-siones, and when submitted to the digestive process 

 soon lose their roughness, and become smooth and pohshed before they are- entirely 

 dissolved. These Crab-stones are chiefly composed of carbonate of lime; and Baer 

 has proved, by repeated analysis, that the fluid contents of a Crab's stomach contain 

 (at the time these stones are in them) a considerable portion of lime, carbonic acid, 

 and muriatic acid. It is interesting to observe, that the chemical investigations of 

 Dulk render it highly probable, that the chief solvent in the Crab's stomach is the 

 same acid which performs so important a part in human digestion and in dyspepsia, 

 viz. free muriatic acid. — Dublin Med. Jour. 



Molluscous Animals. — Animals of the Genera Pneumoderma and Hyalea, were 

 only found in the great Ocean, to which they were hitherto supposed exclusively 

 to belong ; these have, however, been lately detected in the Mediterranean Sea 

 by Dr Vanbenaden. 



BOTANY AND HOKTICULTURE. 



Cause of the Fragrance on approaching Tropical Lands from Sea. 



When vessels begin to near the coasts between the tropics, a delightful fraorance 



is felt, of which even animals ar» so sensible, that they become restless, and, appearing- 

 to have an instinctive presentiment of the end of their long confinement, not unfre- 

 quently leap overboard to reach the shore, which they suppose to be close at hand. 

 '* Whoever," says Pceppig, " has made a voyage to the tropical countries of South 

 America or the West Indies, will always remember with pleasure the sensation which 

 he experienced on approaching the land. Perhaps no sense is then so strongly af- 

 fected as that of smell, especially if the coast is approached in the early hours of a 

 fine summer's morning. On the coast of Cuba, the first land I saw in America, on 

 the 30th of June 1822, all on boai-d were struck with the very strong smell like that 

 of violets, which, as the day grew more warm, either ceased, or was lost amidst a 

 variety of others, which were perceptible as we drew nearer the coast. During a 

 long stay in the interior of this island, I became acquainted with the plant which 

 emits such an intense perfume as to be perceived at the distance of two or three miles. 

 It is of the species Tetracera, and remarkable for bearing leaves so hard, that they 

 are used by the native cabinet-makers and other mechanics for various kinds of work. 

 It is a climbing plant, which reaches the tops of the loftiest trees of the forest, then 

 spreads far around, and in the rainy seasons is covered with innumerable bunches of 

 sweet-smelling flowers, which, however, dispense their perfume during the night only, 

 and are almost without scent in the day time." 



On the Duration of the Germinative Power in the Seeds of Plants. 

 — We gave an account of some experiments of this curious subject at page 35 of this 

 Journal, and have now to record.a still more extraordinary example of this power. In 

 October 1834, a British tumulus was opened near Maiden Castle, by Mr Maclean, who 

 found therein a human skeleton, and a portion of the contents of the stomach, con- 

 taining a mass of small seeds, which neither the operation of the gastric juice, nor the 

 lapse of probably twenty centuries, had sufficed to destroy. Many of these seeds 

 have been subjected to various careful experiments, to ascertain whether the vital 

 principle was extinct ; and we have the satisfaction of announcing, that Professor 

 Lindley has succeeded i-n producing plants from several of these seeds. These plants 

 have confirmed the opinion expressed by Professor Lindley, on a first inspection of 

 the seeds, that they were those of the Rubies Idams, or common Raspberry. The 

 plants are now very vigorous, have produced much fine fruit this season, and form an 

 object of the greatest curiosity to horticulturists. This highly interesting circum- 

 stance proves the Raspberry to be an indigenous plant in this country, growing at a, 

 very early period, and then constituting an article of food. 



MINERALOGY. 



On a Mass of Green Malachite of extraordinary size. — A few months 

 ago, there was met with in the mines at Nischne-Tagilsk, in Russia, amass of Green 

 Malachite measuring 16.2 Fri-nch feet in length, 7.5 feet in breadth, and 8.6 feet in 

 height, and weighing about 1300 Russian pounds. 



Topaz. — In the vicinity of Villa Rica in Brazil, the Topaz Mines are situated in 

 chlorite -slate, which rests on a sandstone of the primitive class. The Topaz occurs 

 in regular crystals, or in angular masses, or rests on the mineral called Lithomarge, 

 along with rock crystal. 



Vitreous Quartzose Tubes In various parts of Europe, there have been found 



long quartzose tubes of a vitreous appearance, and of an inch and a half in diameter, 

 but in length from twenty to thirty feet, and their interior is slaggy and vitreous-like. 

 Several tubes of this description were found at Senner- Heath in Germany, and more 

 recently E. L. Irton, Esq. of Irtonhall, Cumberland, has found on his estate in that 

 county a number of these tubes, agreeing in every particular with those found in 

 Germany. That gentleman presented to the Museum of the Edinburgh University a 

 beautiful series of those found by him. The vitreous tubes of Senner- Heath were found 

 in loose sand. The mottled appearance of the interior of these tubes, together with 

 their form, and the situation in which they were found, favors the inference that 

 they have been produced by lightning. 



GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT KNOWN ENCHOACHMENTS 



MARE BY THE SEA SINCE THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 



BY M. ADRIEN BALBI. 



A.D. 800. About this period, the sea carried off a great part of the soil of the 

 island of Heligoland, situate between the mouths of the Weser and the Elbe. 



800 — 900. During the course of this century, many tempests made a considerable 

 change in the coast of Brittany ; valleys and villages were swallowed up. 



800 — 950. Violent storms agitated the lakes of Venice, and destroyed the isles of 

 Ammiano and Constanziaco, mentioned in the ancient chronicles. 



1044 — 1309. Terrible irruptions of the Baltic Sea on the coasts of Pomerania, 

 made great ravages, and gave rise to the popular tales of the submersion of the pre- 

 tended town of Vineta, whose existence is chimerical, notwithstanding the imposing 

 authority of Kant and other learned men. 



1106. Old Malamocco, then a very considerable city on the lakes of Venice, was 

 swallowed up by the sea. 



1213. A great inundation formed the gulf of Jahde, so named from the little river 

 which watered the fertile country destroyed by this catastrophe. 



1219, 1220, 1221, 1246, and 1251. Terrible hurricanes separated from the con- 

 tinent the present isle of Wieringen, and prepared the rupture of the isthmus which 

 united Northern Holland to the county of Staveren, in modern Friesland. 



1277, 1278, 1280, 1287. Inundations overwhelmed the fertile canton of Reider- 

 land, destroyed the city of Torum, 50 towns, villages, and monasteries, and formed 

 the DoUart ; the Tiam and the Eche, which watered this little country, disappeared. 



1282. Violent storms burst the isthmus which joined Northern Holland to Fries- 

 land, and formed the Zuyderzee. 



1240. An irruption of the sea changed considerably the west coast of Schleswig ; 

 many fertile districts were engulphed, and the arm of the sea which separates the 

 isle of Nordstrand from the continent was much enlarged. 



1300, 1500, 1649. Violent storms raised three-fourths of the island of Heligo- 

 land. 



1300. In this year, according to Fortis, the town of Ciparum in Istria was de- 

 stroyed by the sea. 



1303. According to Kant, the sea raised a great part of the island of Rugen, and 

 swallowed up many villages on the coasts of Pomerania. 



1337. An inundation carried away 14 villages ia the island of Kadzand in Zea- 

 land. 



1421. An inundation covered the Bergseweld, destroyed 22 villages, and formed 

 the Biesbosch, which extends from Gertruydenberg to the island of Dordrecht. 



1475. The sea carried away a considerable tract of land situated at the mouth oi 

 the Humber ; many villages were destroyed. 



1510. The Baltic Sea forced the opening a-l Frisch-Haff near Pillau, about 3600 

 yards broad, and 12 to 15 fathom.s deep. 



1530 1532. The sea engulphed the town of Kort^ene in the island of North 



Beveland in Zealand. In the latter year, it also raised the E, part of the isle of S. 

 Beveland, with many villages, and the towns of Borselen and Remerswalde. 



1570. A violent tempest carried off half of the village of Scheveningen, N.E. of 



the Hague. 



1625. The sea detached a part of the peninsula of Dars in Pomerania, and formed 

 the isle of Zingst, N. of Barth. 



1634. An irruption of the sea submerged the whole island of Nordstrand; 1338 

 houses churches, and towns were destroyed, 6408 persons and 50,000 head of cattle 

 perished. There only remained of this island, previously so fertile and flourishing, 

 three small islets, named Pelworm, Nordstrand, and Liitje-Moor. 



1703 1746. In this period, the sea raised the island of Kadzand more than 100 



fathoms from its dikes. 



1726. A violent tempest changed the saline of Arraya, in the province of Cumana, 

 part of Colombia, into a gulf of many leagues in width. 



1770 1785. Storms and currents hollowed out a canal between the high and low 



parts of the island of Heligoland, and transformed this island, so extensive before the 

 eighth century, into two little isles. 



"84. A violent tempest formed, according to M. Hoff, the lake of Aboukir in 

 Lower Egypt. 



