Remarks on Miscellaneous Subjects. 429 



and ditches of Bengal, and is one of those fishes which are supposed 

 to fall with rain from heaven. In fact with the first heavy showers 

 of the season, it has often been seen leaping and wriggling in the grass ; 

 and by both natives and many Europeans is supposed to have fallen 

 with the rain. I have, however, no doubt, says Buchanan, that the 

 animal when thus discovered has been in search of a more commodious 

 abode. During the dry season, he continues, it has suffered much from 

 being pent up in half putrid water, so that when the first heavy rain 

 falls, it is eager to enjoy the grateful supply of fresh-water, and wriggles 

 among the moist grass in search of more room, and of the food which 

 must have been nearly exhausted in the pools that it formerly occupied. 

 We have here given a figure of Ophiocephalus Barca, 3, PL xi. 



They are very abundant in the plains of Bengal, but except in the 

 curious instance brought to notice by Mr. Russell, we never knew them 

 to inhabit mountains, but perhaps the Chail river, in the vicinity of 

 which Mr. Russell found them, is not much above the level of the plains. 



IV. Stone and Marble quarries at Mirzapore. — We have been favoured 

 with a small box of geological specimens by Mr. Hay Stewart of Mir- 

 zapore, consisting of lithographic stone, roofing slate, flag stones, 

 marble slabs, limestone, common serpentine, iron ore, and coal, from 

 the hilly districts adjoining Mirzapore. We are happy to find that 

 Mr. Stewart intends to open quarries of the above useful stones, and 

 we trust he will find sufficient encouragement to justify the first 

 outlay, which must be considerable. The lithographic stone, flag 

 stones, and marbles, we should think would afford a handsome re- 

 turn ; the former in particular, as the stones now in use are imported 

 from Europe. The sandstones are particularly well adapted for 

 pavement, and from the numerous variety of colour, from flesh red 

 to yellow, grey, white, and mountain green, are particularly well 

 adapted for ornamental floors. They would, we conceive, be next 

 to marble in appearance, and almost equal to it as a remedy for damp 

 floors. The beds of flag stones are naturally fissile, splitting easily 

 into large broad flags like the lower beds of the old red sandstone, or 

 Yorkshire paving at home. These flagstones are in fact identically the 

 same as the flagstones of Yorkshire and South Wales, the peculiarities 

 of which shall be pointed out in our next notice of Mr. Murchison's 

 work. The economical value of these stones for paving, flooring, and 

 roofing, will we trust secure for Mr. Stewart's undertaking a liberal 

 encouragement. The specimens we have seen are cut into the form 

 of tiles. The slate appears to resemble the old blue roofing slate, 



