ART. VI. Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society, Vol. I. for the Years 1808-9-10. With Fifteen Engravings. 8vo. PP. 644. Il. Is. Boards. White and Cochrane, and Murray. 1811.

WITHOUT wishing to insinuate the slightest disparagement of the well earned reputation of the geologist of Freyberg, we may be allowed to question the propriety of designating by his name a Society which seems to have been formed for the promotion of Natural History in general. Exclusive titles strictly appertain to exclusive objects; and a person who was unacquainted with the constitution and proceedings of the learned body, the first volume of whose transactions we have now the pleasure to announce, would be justified in the supposition that its labours were devoted to the illustration of a cumbersome apparatus of external characters, to descriptions of transition-rocks and formation-suites, to disquisitions on the newest flatz, and to detailed expositions of the oryctognosy and geognosy of the heath-clad hills of Caledonia. We are not, however, particularly solicitous of disputing about a name, especially when it is once fixed, and can no longer be retracted without manifesting disrespect to an individual, who holds an eminent rank in his professional department of science Neither do we very seriously object to the want of a preface in the volume before us; though we could have welcomed any account, however summary of the origin, progress, and regu lations of an institution which reflects so much credit on its authors, and which promises to be productive of the most beneficial results to the British empire.

In the printed list of members, we perceive only three Honorary, namely Professor Werner, Sir Joseph Banks, and Mr. Kirwan; forty-three Resident, seventy-nine Non-Resident, and a hundred Foreign; the whole composing a most respectable aggregate, of which all the individuals are distinguished by their writings, their academical situations, or their well known predilection for the pursuits of Natural History. It is stated that in laying its Memoirs before the Public, this Society does not hold itself responsible for the facts or opinions which may be advanced on the various topics of Natural History that are discussed. These, accordingly, must be distinctly understood as resting entirely on the individual authority of the respective writers who have favoured the Society with communications.'

The volume contains thirty-four memoirs, which we shall briefly notice in their order.

On Cotemporaneous Veins. By Professor Jameson.-In this paper, which occupies only six pages, the learned President of

the

the Society attempts to define the characters of true and contemporaneous veins; or, in other words, to distinguish between those which were formed at a different period, and those which were formed at the same period, relatively to the masses in which they are included. The epithet true, applied to one class of mineral veins, would naturally seem to intimate that all those of another description were false: at any rate, the terms true and contemporaneous do not sufficiently contrast with each other. The distinction for which the Professor contends is probably hypothetical; or, if really founded in fact, the marks of discrimination would require to be stated with logical precision. The mere circumstance of dimension, on which the author seems to lay considerable stress, can scarcely be assumed as a safe criterion. We are told, for example, that true veins are from a few inches to several fathoms wide, and from a few yards to several hundred yards long; while the contemporaneous are from a few inches to the smallest discernible breadth, and from a few inches to upwards of a hundred feet in length. The breadth of veins of both descriptions may, therefore, obviously coincide, and the length may not always be easily ascertained. Besides, are we assured that all mineral veins may be comprized within the extremes of dimensions which are here assigned to them? or should one present itself, closely bordering on the conterminous limits of the two characters, ought the most minute fraction, on one side or the other, to fix its station in the system? or, lastly, let us suppose that the difference in point of extent is always manifest, on what principle are we warranted to infer that the larger is uniformly true, and the smaller contemporaneous? Veins of the former description, we are given to understand, traverse different strata, unless the strata be of uncommon thickness: but is uncom¬ mon thickness a scientific expression? or how shall we determine its precise amount? Their direction, it seems, is not tortuous, and they seldom give off many branches: but, if they sometimes do, a genuine vein may, in this respect at least, be occasionally confounded with one that is deemed contemporaneous; and how can we satisfy our conviction that the latter is never straight? Should the affirmative of this question be seriously maintained, then we must beg leave to state that we have repeatedly observed straight and unbranched veins, of dimensions greatly inferior to those which are here ascribed to true veins.

The following symptoms are, perhaps, less equivocal: but the qualifying adverbs, which we print in Italic, may satisfy our readers that they are not to be received as constant and infallible tests of the truth of mineral veins, in the Wernerian acceptation of the phrase;

• The

The mass of the vein is generally distinctly separated from its walls: it is frequently disposed in beds or layers, and these are parallel with the walls of the vein. At the outgoing of bedded veins, the beds are near the walls; but farther down, they approach the middle of the veins, and consequently are so arranged, that the newer beds are contained in the older. They often contain fragments, which lie promiscuously, and are either acute-angular, blunt-angular, or rounded. Lastly, the materials of true veins, are more or less different from the rock which they traverse, and the same vein sometimes contains several formations.'

In one passage, we are informed that the mass of the contemporaneous veins differs but little in its constituent parts from that of the rock which it traverses; in another, that contemporaneous veins occur, composed of minerals which differ considerably from those of the rock in which they are contained; while a third thus completes the measure of perplexing incongruity: Numerous examples also occur of cotem poraneous veins filled with materials entirely different from the rock in which they are situated: thus, clay-slate is sometimes traversed by cotemporaneous veins of quartz: serpentine, by cotemporaneous veins of magnetic ironstone; and clay ironstone, by numerous cotemporaneous veins of calc-spar, and also of mineral pitch.'

On the whole, the Wernerian doctrine of the origin of mineral veins is, perhaps, not less fanciful than others which have been proposed; and, with regard to the alleged distinction in question, we may be permitted to retain a certain degree of rational scepticism, until the distinction itself can be proved to rest on a more secure and satisfactory basis.

An Analysis of Fluor-Spar. By Thomas Thomson, M.D. F.R.S. E. From a very incorrect analysis of this mineral salt, ascribed (though without sufficient evidence) to Scheele, and published by Kirwan and Gren, it was believed that fluat of lime contains 27 per cent. of water; although, when strongly heated in a wind-furnace, it loses on an average only one-sixhundredth part of its weight. Dr. Thomson's cautious and delicate examination of the same substance gives this much more probable result:

While this ingenious chemist was busied with his experiments, he was not aware of an analysis of fluor-spar by Klaproth, conducted in a different manner, but leading to very nearly the same result; namely, lime, 67; and fluoric acid, 321.

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On the Asclepiadea, a natural order of Plants separated from the Apocinea of Jussieu. By Robert Brown, Lib. Lin. Soc.Although this paper bespeaks singular acuteness and ability, and forms an article of considerable length, it is little susceptible of abridgement. While the very ingenious author permits all the species of Apocynum to retain the former designation of their natural order, he includes under the Asclepiadea all those which agree in having pollen coalescing into masses, which are fixed or applied to processes of the stigma, in a deter minate manner. This plan of subdivision is certainly preferable to that of bringing the whole under an unweildy and overgrown order; the distinguishing characters of which, could they be obtained, must probably be extremely vague, and clogged with numerous exceptions.'

An Account of Five rare species of British Fishes. By George Montagu, Esq. F.L.S. and M.W.S. Of these fishes the first belongs to the Apodal order; and, as it is now for the first time introduced into the system of Ichthyology, we shall quote the particulars of its history as they are recorded by Mr. Montagu :

• ZIPHOTHECA TETRADENS. - The length of the fish is five feet six inches, depth at the gills four inches and a half, and from thence to the vent the size is nearly the same; from the vent it gradually decreases to the commencement of the anal fin, where it is about two inches in depth; and afterwards decreases more suddenly to the end of that fin, where it becomes nearly round and about half an inch in diameter: its thickness just behind the gills scarcely exceeds one inch and a quarter; behind the vent one inch and one eighth ; at the com mencement of the anal fin, five eighths of an inch; and across the gills, one inch three quarters. The weight, without the intestines, was six pounds one ounce. The shape is completely ensiform, being much compressed, and equally carinated above and beneath, except the head, which is flat on the top; and the eyes placed lateral, and as distant as the thickness of the head will admit: the head is porrected, and conic, the under jaw the longest by half an inch, terminating in a callous fleshy projection beyond the teeth: each jaw is furnished with an irregular row of extremely sharp-pointed teeth, standing very conspicuous, even when the jaws are closed; those in the under, are about twenty in number on each side; in the upper, not quite so numerous, but in this jaw there are four large teeth in front, (hence the specific name tetradens), with which the other is not furnished; two foreteeth approximating; and two larger canine, which are rather crooked and compressed, with a slight process or barb on the inside near the point; these are three quarters of an inch in length*: the tongue is smooth, and, like the inside of the mouth, silvery: the roof of the mouth is furnished with a row of minute teeth on a prominent bone on each side; the branchiostegous rays were injured, and the gills

*This pair of teeth does not interrupt the line of the smaller teeth, but stands within them.'

were

were taken out, except one left by accident, which was furnished with teeth on the inside of the arched bone: the eyes are very large, being nearly one inch and three quarters in diameter, independent, not covered with the common skin; irides silvery, nostrils ovate, placed just before the eyes: gill-coverts of one very thin plate: pectoral fina five inches long, consisting of twelve rays, the lower ones exceeding the upper by one half: instead of ventral fins there are two oblong silvery scales, half an inch in length, partly detached from the body, and connected to each other at the base: these are situated considerably behind the pectoral fins: the anus is about half way between the two extremities: the anal fin commences at about eleven inches from the end of the tail, and runs within one and a half of the caudal fin, containing seventeen rays: the dorsal fin arises on the back of the head, and continues uninterrupted till it reaches the posterior end of the anal fin, and consists of one hundred and five rays, increasing in length from one inch and a quarter, to one and three quarters near the tail; the three first rays are sub-spinous, the rest soft: the caudal fin is about three inches long, and forked: the lateral line is slightly elevated, and runs straight, in a middle direction, till it approaches the head, and then gradually rises, and terminates over the gills: the colour of the skin, which is quite smooth and destitute of scales, is like burnished silver, with a bluish tint.

This singular fish was taken in Salcomb harbour on the coast of South Devon, on the 4th of June last (1808). It was swimming with astonishing velocity, with its head above water;-to use the fisherman's expression, "going as swift as a bird ;" and was killed by a blow of an oar.

It was made a public show in Kingsbridge, where in one day a guinea was taken for its exhibition at one penny each person. It was embowelled before I first saw it; and to prevent the destruction of so valuable an acquisition to natural history, I prevented a journey intended for it the next day to a distant fair, from whence had it ever returned it would not have been (as it was now warm weather) a fit subject for preservation, or minute description.

On

In preparing this fish, I observed within the skin, on the ab dominal parts, a great many small ascarides, pointed at each end, and of a whitish colour: they were all coiled up in a spiral manner. the head, beneath the skin, and along the root of the dorsal fin, were several of a species of echinorhynchus, of a yellow colour, nearly two inches in length, and more than one eighth of an inch in diameter: the proboscis short, with a round termination furnished with spines: the anterior end of the body sub-clavated, with a groove each side: posterior part wrinkled, and obtusely pointed,

These vermes had formed sinuses under the skin, and were firmly attached by one end. I do not find this species described.’

As a very young specimen has since been found, about four miles east of the Start-point, we may conclude that the species really inhabits our seas, though it had so long eluded the observation of the curious.

The next of these marine rarities is Syngnathus aquoreus, or Equoreal

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