y 



Miscellaneous Intelligence. 95 



shells have often a protective epidermis and probably against car- 

 bonic acid. Of the abyssal species in the collections of the 

 Blake, 28 per cent belong to the three families Pleurotomidce, 

 Ledidce and Dentalidce. The number of Brachiopods in the 

 Littoral, Archibenthal (along the continental slopes), and Abyssal 

 areas are respectively, 8, 12, 3; of Pelecypods, 98, 114, 31; of 

 Scaphopods (genera Dentalium and Cadulus), 17, 28, 12; of 

 Gastropods, 280, 222, 83. Of these, there are common to all 

 three areas, 32 Gastropods, 5 Scaphopods, 10 Pelecypods and 2 

 Brachiopods. J. n. d. 



IV. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. L'e Glacier de Aletsch et Le Lac de Marjelen. — Prince 

 Roland Bonaparte. 26 pp. 4to. December, 1889. Paris. — This 

 memoir is devoted especially to the Aletsch Glacier lake. It 

 is situated on the left side of the glacier about 800 meters from 

 the Eggischhorn and between this summit and the Strahlhorner. 

 Along side of the glacier, where the basin is wall-sided on 

 account of the melting by the water, the depth is 50 meters. 

 The lake has had frequent discharges in consequence apparently 

 of the movements of the Aletsch glacier. The last took place in 

 September, 1887, and was complete in 10 hours. It began on 

 the first by a lowering of the level of 0*15 meter on September 1st, 

 of 1 meter on the 2d, 2 meters on the 3d, and then on the 4th, 

 the whole disappeared. It was half full again on the 19th. The 

 recorded times of earlier discharges are: August, 1885; August, 

 1884; July, 1882; January, 1883, but was full again the next 

 July; July, 1878; August, 1874; August, 1873, complete in 8 

 hours; August, 1871 ; August, 1864; August, 1859; August, 1840; 

 August, 1820; August, 1813. Partial changes occurred also at 

 other times. The discharge of the lake is a great calamity for the 

 valley of the Rhone, which valley the waters reach near Brigue. 

 The waters descend usually without a previous warning, and 

 carry destruction to the cultivated fields on the way. The basin 

 of the lake is an old moraine. At high water the height of the 

 lake is 2367 meters; its area is 552,400 meters square. 



It is proposed to lower the lake 12^ meters by a canal taking 

 the waters above this level — rather more than half — into the 

 valley of the Viesch. This would diminish greatly, but not pre- 

 vent, the flood from a sudden discharge. 



2. Stone implement at New Comerstown, Ohio. — Much inter- 

 est is excited in Northern Ohio by the recent discovery of a 

 typical paleolithic implement in the glacial terrace of the Tus- 

 carawas River at New Comerstown, Ohio. The implement is 

 made of the peculiar black flint which occurs in the " Lower 

 Mercer " limestone of that region, and is four inches long, two 

 wide, and one and a half thick at the larger end, and chipped on 

 both sides all around the edge. The discovery was made by Mr. 

 W. C. Mills, of New Comerstown, on Oct. 27, 1889. But its sig- 



