Natural History: Or, Second Division of "The English Encyclopedia", Volume 1

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Charles Knight
Bradbury, Evans & Company, 1870
 

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Page 93 - Their posterior development is so marked that anatomists have assigned to that part the character of a third lobe. It is peculiar to the genus Homo, and equally peculiar is the 'posterior horn of the lateral ventricle,' and the 'hippocampus minor,' which characterize the hind lobe of each hemisphere.
Page 39 - This seems to have been the origin of some of the round grains met with in meteorites ; for they occasionally still contain a considerable amount of glass, and the crystals which have been formed in it are arranged in groups, radiating from one or more points on the external surface, in such a manner as to indicate that they were developed after the fragments had acquired their present spheroidal shape (Aussun, &c.).
Page 381 - ... embankment, was a thick forest, in which the elephants sheltered themselves during the day. On the upper side, and all around the tank, there was a considerable margin of open ground. It was one of those beautiful, bright, clear, moonlight nights, when objects could be seen almost as distinctly as...
Page 33 - The people of the island* report that at a certain season of the year an extraordinary kind of bird, which they call a rukh, makes its appearance from the southern region. In form it is said to resemble the eagle, but it is incomparably greater in size ; being so large and strong as to seize an elephant with its talons...
Page 39 - ... relations of the crystals to each other prove that they were formed in situ, on solidification. Possibly some entire meteorites should be considered to possess this peculiarity (Stannern ; New Concord), but the evidence is by no means conclusive, and what crystallization has taken place in situ may have been a secondary result ; whilst in others the constituent particles have all the characters of broken fragments (L'Aigle).
Page 93 - Homo, and equally peculiar is the "posterior horn of the " lateral ventricle " and the hippocampus minor which characterise the hind lobe of each hemisphere. The superficial grey matter of the cerebrum, through the number and depth of the convolutions, attains its maximum of extent in Man. Peculiar mental powers are associated with this highest form of brain and their consequences wonderfully illustrate the value of the cerebral character ; according to my estimate of which, I am led to regard the...
Page 203 - The lowest of the series, the Burlington limestone, has, as already shown, a greater extension northward than either of the succeeding groups ; and its gradually thinning edges stretch far towards the northern limits of Iowa. Near this latitude was the northern boundary of the ancient ocean, or at least the limit of its fauna. Considerably to the southward of this we first find the attenuated northern edges of the Keokuk limestone, mingled with much earthy sediment, and often consisting of a few...
Page 205 - ... rocks. It would appear, that at a period long preceding the commencement of the Carboniferous limestone deposits, the ancient ocean began to contract its area ; that this contraction was consequent upon the uplifting of the older rocks upon the north ; and that this state of things continued throughout all the period of the limestone deposits. Furthermore, we have evidence that during this period, or at its close, and previous to the deposition of the Coal measures, the older strata, which had...
Page 445 - From the 3rd to the oth of August the upper stake had moved twelve inches, and the lower one six. Unfortunately some uncertainty attached itself to this result, due to the difficulty of fixing the lower stake. The guide's attention had been divided between his work and his safety, and he had to retreat more than a dozen times from the falling boulders and debris. I, on the other hand, was unwilling to accept an observation of such importance with a shade of doubt attached to it. Hence arose the desire...
Page 217 - The occurrence of marine, or brackish-water animals, in the roofs of coal-beds, or even in the coal itself, affords no evidence of subaqueous accumulation, since the same thing occurs in the case of modern submarine forests. For these and other reasons, some of which are more fully stated in the papers already referred to, while I admit that the areas of coal accumulation were frequently submerged, I must maintain that the true coal is a subaerial accumulation by vegetable growth on soils, wet and...

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