364 Scientific Intelligence. 
ronae, unless some obstructing medium obscured the light of the 
real sun, without affecting that of the coronse. 
Mr Fallows describes the sky as deligJitfully clear ^ without a 
cloud visible, and the sea horizon as remarhahly distinct^ so that 
there appears to be no ground for a physical explanation of the 
phenomenon, unless we could suppose a recurrence in different 
azimuths on each side of the sun, of that condition of the atmos- 
phere which produces lateral mirage. It deserves to be noticed, 
that, according to the diagram of Mr Fallows, all the mock 
suns were included in a space extending only one degree and a 
half on each side of the sun’s centre. 
6. Large Achromatic Telescopes in France. — At the Expo- 
sition of French Industry, several large Telescopes were exhi- 
bited by MM. Lerebours and Cauchoix, constructed with Flint- 
Glass, made by M. Guinand of Neuchatel. One made by 
Lerebours had its object-glass 9 inches in diameter French mea- 
sure, and its focal length 10 1 feet ; and another by M. Cauchoix, 
had the diameter of the object-glass 11 inches, and the focal 
length 18 feet. We hope that the performance of these Tele- 
scopes will correspond with their dimensions. — See Vol. IX. 
p. 392. 
7. Purple Colour of Glass increased hy Light.^^M.. Fara- 
day has found, that by the exposure of plate-glass with a pur- 
ple tinge to the sun’s rays, during nine months, the purple tint 
had increased considerably, while pieces of the same glass, kept 
in the dark, had suffered no change. — Quart. Journ. No. xxxi. 
p. 164. 
ACOUSTICS. 
8. Influence of Sounds on the Elephant and Lion. — In the 
human ear the fibres of the circular tympanum radiate from its 
centre to its circumference, and are of equal length ; but Sir 
E. Home has found that in the elephant, where the tympanum 
is oval, they are of different lengths, like the radii from the fo- 
cus of an ellipse. He considers that the human ear is adapted for 
musical sounds by the equality of the radii, and he is of opinion 
that the long fibres in the tympanum of the elephant enable it 
to hear very minute sounds, which it is known to do. A piano- 
