XV 
w hen ;i complete nntomic examination shall have been 
made. 
The greater part of these land shells may easily and 
safely be sent to other countries to be studied, as they 
are extremely tenacious of life. Colonel Pike mentions 
instances of Achatiau having remained in life a consider- 
able time without taking any kind of food. 
Col. Pike also presente:! a specimen of spuuges of the 
genus Desmucpclon which Prof. Poonbank believes to be a 
new species which he has dedicated to its discoverer un- 
der the name of Desmamdou Pikii. Whilst the spungc is 
still soft, the crab with a velvet carapace, called Dromia 
Rumphii of which the Colonel presented a specimen, when 
young takes up its abode on it,andafterwards buries itself 
in the sand. 
Ou the occasion of the presentation at one of our 
meetings of a fowl’s egg contained in another egg of 
larger size, Dr. Lc Juge made some researches in order to 
explain these eases of monstruosities by inclusion 
Tctralogists, Dr. Le Juge, says, have at different periods 
directed their attention to this curious and difficult ques- 
tion. They have described the different forms under which 
monstruous inclusions have been observed. 
It would take up too much time to follow the details 
into which Dr. Le Juge has entered. It is sufficient to say 
that Science has made no great progress on the subject. 
I. Gcoffroy de St. Hilaire in his “ Iiistoire dcs Anoma- 
lies,'” has passed in review the different systems which 
have been proposed to explain these phenomenon, but none 
appears to be satisfactory. 
In this case, as in many others, says Dr. Le Juge, we 
are unable to obtain the secret of Nature which seems to 
say to our mind what the Almighty says to the Waves : 
“ Thou shalt go no further.” 
