of the question, as a product, I have not thought it worth while, to institute any closer examination.

No. 5. Contains, apparently, a portion of carbonaceous matter.
No. 6. Does not shew any trace of it.

No. 7. Is a very curious soil, if of any extent, on account of its locality in the neighbourhood of the petroleum wells. Captain Halsted does not say if these soils are fertile or barren, which it would be of interest to know; vegetable matter, in the shape of leaves and roots, abound in the specimen. As No. 14, is said to be the only barren spot' so that we may suppose this was not wanting in fertility. Nos. 10 and 12, much resemble No. 7. in appearance, though they are not so strongly impregnated with petroleum.

Nos. 8 and 9. As tobacco soils probably owe their superiority to the free peroxide of iron dispersed through them in veins and spots.

No. 11. Is identical with the best Georgian Sea Island cotton soil. I must refer here to my special report on this soil:

No. 13. Is remarkable as being the only soil which offers any sensible proportion of free calcareous matter in the shape of debris of shells; and here again we have to regret the want of the rocks, for these would have assisted us in forming a judgment as to whether the soils have been formed from their decomposition, or in horizontal beds and raised up with the Island. We have here a succession of strata through which the volcana may have forced its way without much disturbance? or which may have been raised up so as to shew its edges in overlying beds? Which should then correspond round the volcanic centre; or which may have been formed by the eruptions? All these are curious questions for investigation, and it is to be hoped will not long be left unexamined.

No. 14. The only barren spot on the Island' says Capt. Halsted being the highest part of the central hill,' I could not on examination detect any saline or acid impregnation in this soil, and I should take its barrenness, in the absence of any gaseous exhalations, which are no where noticed in the report, to be owing to the great quantity of peroxide of iron which it contains, so much indeed that it is almost a red ochre. No. 15. I have already referred to above.

Minerals.

No. 16. Is sent as iron ore. It is merely composed of masses of amorphous iron pyrites, and wholly useless as an ore of iron.

Represents the beach of the land subsequently raised,this mount from which issues, a quantily of petrolium.

The

ich surrounds it and also the one further Southward were note masses of coral and of other rock; they completely cover with the exception of a slight sprinkling near the streambet.

1841.]

Illustrations of the Genera of the Bovina.

449

No. 17. Is also unfortunately not copper ore, but cubical iron pyrites, containing no trace of copper, and quite valueless, unless it be abundant enough to smelt for its sulphur where fuel and labour are cheap. The mass of silver ore alluded to by Capt. H. was probably a lump of the white kind of pyrites.

The coal I should think promises well, judging from these specimens at the out-crop of a seam. It is bituminous, though not highly so, and I found also its Sp. Grav: to be 1-31, which is that of the best Burdwan coal. Its appearance and the fracture of some of the specimens are also in its favour, but any opinion would be premature till we have samples from a greater depth.

The petroleum does not call for any remark.

H. PIDDINGTON.

Illustrations of the Genera of the Bovinæ.-Part I. Skeletons of

Bos, Bibos and Bison, the individuals examined being the Common Bull of Nepal, the Gowri Gao of Nepal and the Yak. Bos and Bibos, resemble one another in the general formation of the trunk, and in having each 13 pairs of ribs, and 6 Lumbar vertebræ. In both, the ribs, from the 5th pair inclusive, bulge outwards gradually to the 13th which are the farthest apart. In Bisonus, on the contrary, all the ribs are much straighter; the first 6 pairs diverging very little more from the perpendicular than in a horse; from the 7th to the 10th pair inclusive, the bulging is greatest; the latter pair being the farthest apart, whence to the 14th they rather approximate, the last pair being nearer one another than the intermediate ones. This gives a cervine character to the trunk of Bisonus. In Bisonus 14 pairs of ribs, and only 5 Lumbar Vertebræ, making an equal number of Vertebræ, in all 3 animals.

The differences between Bos and Bibos, are as follows. The spinous process of the Dorsal Vertebræ in Bibos from the 3d to the 5th inclusive are of equal length, with a very gradual shortening of the others to the 10th which is 2 inches longer than the 11th, and the 12th is two inches shorter than the 11th. The droop towards the loins from the greatly elevated spinal crest of Bibos is so sudden, that in one specimen in which the spinous process of the 10th vertebra measured 10 inches, that of the 13th was only 5 inches. In Bos, the 3d spinous process is the longest whence the droop commences, the dorsal spines gradually shortening until the 10th, whence to the 13th they are not longer than those of the

Lumbar vertebræ. The Humerus in Bos, compared with the fore arm is somewhat shorter than in Bibos. The carpus and canon united, compared with the fore arm is shorter in Bibos than in Bos.

The following comparative peculiarities in all these animals present themselves:

The skull and horns are greatly heavier in Bibos than in Bos or Bisonus. The forehead of Bibos is at first sight hollow, but is actually flat; the concave appearance being derived from a great transverse arch of bone which surmounts the face; projecting forwards in some degree, but its direction taken along the convexity parallel with the centre of the horns' cores. The orbit in Bibos projects more than in Bos, or Bisonus: the nasal bones are most arched (transversly) in Bibos, least so in Bos. The face-from anterior margin of orbits to muzzle-longest in Bisonus, about equal in Bos and Bibos. In Bisonus the forehead above the orbits, is transversly arched, in Bos it is quite flat. In Bos, placing the muzzle on the ground, the parieto-frontal junction is flush with the superior aspect of roots of the horns' cores. In Bisonus, placing the skull similarly—the superior portion of the frontal bones is, for about an inch and a half on each side, on a line with superior aspect of roots of horn cores; the medial portions and frontals are considerably elevated, forming a central truncated cone between the two portions already noted as being on a line with superior aspect of root of horn cores In Bibos again, the skull disposed as above, a large bony arch protruding so as to overhang the forehead runs across from horn to horn, the arch commencing at once from their roots. Viewing the three skulls from the superior margin of the intercornual space, (skulls placed as before with muzzles on the ground) to the foramina magna, the following differences appear so remarkable in Bibos, as to be alone eminently fitted for at once distinguishing it from the others. In Bos, the entire space from the superior margin of the foramen magnum, to the intercornual crest of the frontals, is occupied by the insertions of the nuchal muscles, and it is nearly square (trapezium.) In Bisonus, the same space is an equilateral triangle, and divided into two separate parts. 1st. The truly occipital portion, into the whole of which the nuchal muscles are inserted, formed anteriorly (the muzzle on the ground) by a slightly arched line drawn between the posterior margins of the bases of the horn cores; and posteriorly by the superior margin of the foramen magnum. 2nd. The parieto-frontal portion, of a triangular shape, free from mus cular insertions, only 4th the extent of the 1st portion, and forming the apex of the larger triangle.