Miscellaneous Intelligence. 449 
one. These thermal changes must be considered to have a slow 
rate, but — on a vast scale, explaining the similarity of 
secular chan tending over thousa nds of miles, and: going on, 
perhaps, for Randneds of years. They appear to be of a mixed, 
progressive and periodic character. ‘Thus the influence which pro- 
duced the increase of the magnetic west declination on our Atlan- 
tie coast was first recognized i in the nor _ meg ri itself in 
time es the southwest.—X. Harper's Weekly, } 28. 
3. on between the color of saben Birds si their 4 geo- 
graphical Cstetbet tion.—A communication has lately been made to 
fr. A D D 
e 
plumage, but also the degree to which this influence es modified 
the true colors. Re ferring to the fact that birds with black plum- 
age are ease in all parts of the ¢ lobe, in certain families of wide 
10 n 
isphere are white; in sat Holland, however, ther ere is a bh 
that i is entirely black, while in Chili and elsewhere i in — woe 
ica we have the Coscoroba swan, entirely white, with some of th 
China black. differing in this respect alone from the allied. species 
e 
gions neletea in the limits mentioned, some not them being entirely 
the Sa 
4. Pr pied ‘Scientific Re-survey of the Stute of Massachusetis, 
—The e American —— . Arts and Science ees at B oston have 
- t 
George B. Emerso rson, Richard H. Dana, Jr., Wm. B. Rogers, Alex- 
ander Agassiz, Samuel Scudder and T. Sterry Hunt. Massac 
Setts was the pioneer in such sury eys, and it is time the work was 
renewed, 
5. Tp Seago ess of the 5 merican Institute of Mining Engin- 
cers, — re Lay. 1871, to F eb., 1873. es pp. 8v0. Phila ilade el- 
Mi 
dios at Wilke sbarre, Be thle hem, Troy, Agnes New 
York, Pittsburg, Boston, and New i again. This volume 
