precvevere ss Inte ras

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LIBRARY

OF THE

MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY
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BEQUEST OF

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ANDOM Notes on Natural History’ is the title of a twelve-page
‘devoted to the distribution of useful knowledge concerning the
departments of zodlogy, mineralogy, and botany,” published by

wick and Jencks, Providence, R. I. The two numbers that have

dus are carefully edited and neatly printed, and contain, besides the
advertisements of the publishers, many short articles relating to
bjects above mentioned, incline yarious interesting bird notes.

FES 2.1921

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nt i My
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A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK. & JENCKS,

(JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Successor.)
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

ii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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Price Reduced to $1.50 each.

Emu Eggs, - - - - - - $2 50
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terial and powerful lever-
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Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

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Vol. III.

PROVIDENCE, JANUARY 1, 1886. No. 1.
Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Seecond-Class Matter.
Random Totes on Datural Pistory. Agriculture, which embraces a .general

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
BoTANY. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

Address all communications to
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A.

The New Check-List.

We are glad to learn, through the receipt
of a circular from the American Ornitholo-
gists’ Union, that the New Check List and
Code of Nomenclature of North American
Birds, is about to be presented to the pub-
lic. This work, which will be of the high-
est character, representing as it does the
almost incessant labor for two years of an
able committee appointed by the Ornitholo-
gists’ Union, will not find a place on the
shelves of the naturalist’s library, but will
be constantly lying on his work-table close
at hand. The treatment seems to us to be
admirable. The first part is given up to
the exposition of the rules of nomenclature,
and the second gives not only a classified
list of all the North American birds, but is
synoptic in its character, giving the names
of the higher groups. After each specific
name references are given by which its orig-
inal description can be found, and also ap-
pended to each is a brief statement of its
habitat. That no confusion will be expe-
rienced in referring to previous check-lists
those of Baird, Coues, and Ridgway are
given in full in the concordance. Though
the price ($3.00) may seem at first a little
high, it should be remembered that a first-
class work of such size and of limited sale,
is of necessity expensive.

Werk of the Government Entomological
Division.

Since our last issue several yearly re-

ports have been received, among which

that of the United States Commissioner of

|

sketch of the work done by the department
during the past year, and that proposed for
the ensuing is especially interesting and
valuable.

The work done by the Entomological
Division includes the publication of several
bulletins which contain the results of a vast
amount of investigation. That the labors
of the board are of the highest practical
value is admirably set forth by the com-
missioner, who thus writes:

‘The importance of the study of eco-
nomic entomology becomes every year more
and more apparent. Scarcely an agricul-
tural or horticultural meeting takes place
but that the subject of injurious insects and
the best means of counteracting their ray-
ages occupy a large share of attention. The
losses occasioned by destructive insects to
the farmers of the country aggregate an
enormous sum, and there are few directions
in which the department can do more good
than in researches having for their object
the prevention of a portion of these im-
mense losses. The valuable results already
obtained in the work of the Entomological
Division under its present efficient manage-
ment are a sufficient promise of good work
yet to be done.

The work of this division has greatly in-
creased during the year, several new lines
of investigation which promise valuable re-
sults having been entered upon.

The appearance of the so-called ‘* seven-
teen-year locust” or periodical cicada, in
May and June, over a large extent of coun-
try, enabled the entomologist to nake many
interesting investigations in regard to it,
and a bulletin (No. 8 of the present series)
was prepared and issued, giving a full ac-
count of the habits and life-history of the
species, and a revised edition is being pre-
pared.

Two other bulletins have been issued,
one (No. 5) treating of certain parasites
of injurious insects, and the other (No. 6)
of the imported elm-leaf beetle. This last
is a practical treatise of an insect that has

2 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

of late years proved very injurious to the
elms throughout the Eastern States, and
shows clearly and plainly how it may be
satisfactorily dealt with.

Destructive grasshoppers have been excep-
tionally abundant during the summer. One
species (Melanop/us destructor), peculiar to
the Pacific slope, has done much damage in
California, and special study has been given
to it on the spot.

Remembering the fearful devastation
caused by the Rocky Mountain species be-
tween 1873 and 1877, the people of the
West have felt very keen anxiety as to the
future on account of the increased injury
the present year. The entomologist has
given this subject very careful attention,
and, from the reports of special agents and
a full consideration of the subject, he con-
cludes that there is some danger of increase
in the next two or three years should the
weather prove favorable to the insect.

But as an encouraging offset to this rather
gloomy prospect, he also considers that, un-
der conditions the most favorable to grass-
hopper increase, the injury can never be as
widespread as it has been in the past, owing
to the advance and increasein settlement.

Other destructive insects have been very
numerous, and a series of test experiments
have been made by agents stationed in New
Jersey, Indiana, and Iowa, with many in-
secticides which have been recommended
but never thoroughly tested.

Another new field of investigation has
been added to the division by the appro-
priation by the last Congress of $5,000 to be
devoted to the promotion of economic orni-
thology, or to the study of the interrelation
of birds and agriculture, an investigation of
the food, habits, and migration of birds in
relation to both insects and plants. I have
commissioned Dr. C. Hart Merriam, the
chairman of the committee on migration of

the Ornithologist’s Union, to act with the |

entomologist in this matter, and circulars
have been prepared and sent out, and the
work is now progressing in such a way as
to promise solid and valuable results.”’

In the work of the Ornithologists’ Union
many of the readers of Ranpom Nores are
personally interested, and all will look for-
ward to its results as presenting prime fac-

tors in the consideration of scientific agri- |

culture.

A Convenient Method for Finding the
Specific Gravity of Minerals.

TuE principal thing needed to determine
the specific gravity of a mineral is an or-
dinary spiral spring; for quite large and
heavy specimens a window-curtain spring
will answer. The spring may be attached
by a nail or wooden peg which has been
driven in an upright piece of board of con-
siderable length; care being taken to have
the support long enough so that the mineral
in hanging will not touch the board. ‘The
mineral is now fastened to the lower end of
the spring by means of a string, a mark a
having been previously made on the up-
right piece of board opposite to the lower
end of the unstretched spring, the mineral
is allowed to hang free and draw out the
spring to its utmost. Now, on the upright,
mark the position of the same portion of
the spring as was before used in determining
a, and call this second point b.

The distance from a to b will represent
the weight of the object in air.

Now raise a vessel of water under the
specimen so that it shall be wholly immersed
and mark again on the upright the position
of the lower end of the spring and mark
it ¢.

The distance from 6 to ¢ will represent
the loss of weight in water.

Now we know that the specific gravity of
a solid is equal to its weight in air divided
by its loss of weight in water; therefore,
the distance from a to 6 divided by the dis-
tance from 6 to ¢ will give the specific grav-
ity of the mineral in question.

Suppose, for example, we wish to find
the specific gravity of a piece of Hematite.
We first note the natural position of the
spring, then attaching the specimen we
note that the weight of the mineral has
stretched the spring so that it extends five
inches. Next, we bring up under the speci-
men a jar of water until the mineral is be-
neath the surface but not touching the sides
or the bottom, and find that the spring has
lost one inch of its length. Five, the weight
in air, divided by one, the loss of_ weight in
water, gives five as the specific gravity of
Hematite.

If it is desired to operate with small frag-
ments a more delicate spring must be used,

OO

eS

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 3

and instead of each time tying the speci-
men to the spring, a small scale pan may
be permanently attached. Instead of mark-
ing the positions of the spring, a permanent
scale can be made on the upright board. In
the Jolly Balance, of which this is only a
modification, the scale is cut on the surface
of an upright mirror.

The determination of the specific gravity
is especially valuable in distinguishing ores
of iron, copper. lead, etc., and though it
may be roughly approximated by balanc-
ing in the hand, the method here described
is convenient, easily understood, and if
properly carried out will give a_ result
which will answer for all practical purposes.

H. EF. WArker.

- ACollecting Trip in the Magdalens.

On alighting from the cars at Pictou
Landing we are met by the captain of the
iron packet ‘‘ Beaver.” ‘The freight is soon
on board and with the order to *‘ cast off
the bowline,” we realize that we are soon
to see the land of the Puftins, Gannets, and
Razor Bills.

Late in the afternoon we touch at George-
town, Prince Edward’s Island, and later at
Souris, after which the course is shaped for
the Magdalens.

On the following morning we see the
mountains and high cliffs of red sandstone.
As we approach nearer we are struck
by the fantastic forms which the actions of
the elements have given to the coast. Here
is a vast cave into whose dark mouth flies a
Black Guillemot with a small fish for her
young.
a huge divided sugar-loaf, the side towards
the sea being perpendicular from base to
summit, a distance of 400 feet or more ;
midway, upon a narrow shelf, is a bunch of
sticks whose nature is betrayed by the
harsh croaks of a pair of ravens. On the

shore of a small cape at the base of this |

hill is the store, and near by several story-
and-a-half houses. By far the best accom-
modations are offered to strangers at the
house of Louis Boudreault, mayor, etce.,
ete., of Grindstone.

The afternoon was spent in ‘‘ getting the
lay of the land.” Theislands are extremely
hilly, and the greater portion is covered

Yonder is a high hill looking like |

with a growth of stunted spruces, whose in-
terwoven branches rival a chaparral thicket.
In various parts of the islands are sloughs,
which, although firm enough in appearance,
would, to use my companion’s description,
‘¢ mire a web-footed ghost.” In the midst
of these sloughs the Rusty Grackleand Wil-
son’s Snipe lay their eggs insafety. In the
large slough on the east point of Grosse
Isle Wild Geese are said to breed. Not a
great variety of birds were to be found on
Grindstone, so we determined to move to
pastures new.

A visit to Shag Rock revealed the fact
that nothing but Wilson’s Terns and a few
Black Guillemots are breeding there now.
Mr. Maynard informs me that he once found
Cormorants breeding there; but at that
time the rock was almost inaccessible,
though now it has been made easy of ascent
by the action of the frost. We found that
the waves had formed a large cave, the roof
of which in a few years will fall in and
again divide the island.

The natives told us, in answer to our in-
quiries concerning Bird Rocks, that the best
thing to do was to go to Bryon Island and
there wait a favorable day to go across to
the noted rocks, about twelve miles distant.
This we did; but the favorable day was not
forthcoming. In the interval we thoroughly
explored ‘‘ the Bryon.” This, in many re-
spects peculiar island, has not a spring, and
but a single well; rain-water is used for all
purposes. The island is somewhat of a
figure eight shape. On the east point a
colony of Wilson’s Terns have taken up their
abode, and on the rocks around vast num-
bers of Kittiwakes sun themselves, contest-
ing for their position with the Eider Ducks,
which are in turn driven away by the seals. |

On the northern side are colonies of Puf-
fins and Razor Bills which deposit their eggs
in natural clefts oftener than in holes of their
own excavation; and in the debris which
falls from the cliff are seen the nests of the
Black Guillemot. The entrance to the_
nests is betrayed by the smoothness of the
earth at the opening. In various parts of
the island are found the burrows of the
Leach’s Petrel, and farther into the interior
the Black Polled Warblers and Winter Wrens
build. Several collectors, I am told, have
taken nests of the Pigeon Hawk (Falco Col-
umbairus) here. Numerous Red-Throated

4

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Divers, Mergansers, and Surf Ducks were
seen, also a pair of Harlequin Ducks, evi-
dently having a nest on the island.

Having explored Bryon, our attention is
directed to Bird Rocks. Many times did we
turn our spy-glass there and plainly dis-
cern the white mantle of birds which coy-
ered them. It is very difficult to persuade a
native to goto the rocks, Nothing will do it
but an extravagant ‘‘ insult ” in the shape of
hardcash. At last, angry and nettled by the
delay, we determined “ to go it alone.”
curing an eighteen-year-old fisher boy, we
start during a dead calm to row across,
Arriving at the rock in the afternoon, we
are cordially greeted by the light-keeper.
The height of the rock has been much ex-
aggerated by many writers. At its lowest
point its height is 120 feet; the circum-
ference is 700 yards; without a ladder the
ascent of the larger rock would be well-nigh
impossible, but the smaller rock, one-half
mile distant, can be scaled by an expert
climber.

esting inhabitants. Wherever there was a
shelf of sufficient width they were to be

Se- |

The Murres’ eggs are gathered by the
light-keeper and placed in pickle for winter
use. At that time he had thirteen barrels
prepared and stowed away.

But darkness is overtaking us, and hay-
ing gathered up the slain birds, we em-
bark for the return, feeling well repaid for
the aching muscles which the long row, to-
gether with five hours of climbing had
caused, and with reckless indifference we
stretched ourselves on the thwarts and
surrendered to the embrace of Morpheus,

' and in our dreams the mournful cries of the

Kittiwakes seemed to mingle. Suddenly, a
loud ‘*‘ boat ahoy” breaks in rudely upon
our slumbers, and we answer the hail of a
fishing schooner drifting for salmon. Find-
ing that a light breeze has risen we set the
sail and arrive at Bryon about 3.30 a. M., the
following morning.

As the mercenary result of our venture
we had about seventy specimens of Murres,
Gannets, Razor Bills, Puffins, Kittiwakes,

and three half barrels of eggs (many of
The Gannets are probably the most inter- |

seen guarding their bunch of sea-weed, |

The

their single egg, or the naked young.

keeper said that he had collected the eggs |

from a particular shelf every day and that

the Gannets there had ceased laying, but |

still guarded jealously their despoiled nests,
if nests they might be called.
The Murres and Razor Bills are crowded

upon the smaller ledges, and when they fly |

the eggs and young are pushed off. The

young appear not to be injured by the fall, |

and some were noticed which fell fully 100
feet to the rocks beneath, to scamper to
the water and swim out, only, however, to
fall a prey to the voracious cod-fish which
lie in wait for their prey with the persis-
tency of sharks. In this instance the birds
were about a week old.

The Kittiwakes build a neat nest under
the overhanging crags, which is very difficult.
The Puftins, now reduced to a small colony,
occupy one corner of the top surface, mak-
ing their burrows under the flat rocks, and
sitting near the entrance gazing with curi-
osity at the intruder who comes to despoil
their homes.

The birds are very tame and will allow
a near approach.

which however, contained embryos), while
in our hearts we felt the satisfaction of an
enterprise successfully accomplished.

Go Wak:

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER. |
CHAPTER XXIV.

Sus-Ciass PuLMONTA.

THE animals of this third and last sub-
class of Gasteropoda, differ from all the
previously described mollusea, principally
in the fact that they are air-breathers. They
have only the simplest form of a breathing
apparatus lined with a net work of respira-
tory vessels. The sexes are united in each
individual. Most of the species have a
shell large enough to contain the animal,
some have a shell only to cover a portion
of the body, and a few have none. The
Pulmonata are divided into two orders, viz. :
Stylommatophora and Basommatophora.
These are further sub-divided into sub-or-
ders, groups, families, sub-families, genera,
sub-genera, sections, sub-sections, species,
and varieties. These finer sub-divisions are

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 5

of no particular importance, except as a
convenient method of grouping and arrang-
ing a large collection, and only serve to
confuse the student. They will be omitted
in these papers. Those readers who wish
to know all these finer sub-divisions are re-
ferred to Tryon’s Structural and Syste-
matic Conchology, published by the author
at the Academy Natural Science, corner
19th and Race Streets, Philadelphia.

ORDER STYLOMMATOPHORA.

Terrestrial mollusks having four tenta-
cles, the superior pair retractile, and having
eyes at their extremities. This order con-
tains nineteen families.

Family ‘Testacellide, four genera and
forty-five species, all absent from North
America.

Family Oleacinidze, four genera and over
two hundred species, all absent from New
England. A few species inhabit the South-
ern United States. Mostly found in Tropi-
cal America, North and South
and West Indies.

Family Streptaxidze, three genera, about
two hundred species, all foreign.

Family Helicoidea, seven genera, seventy-
five species, all foreign.

Family Vitrinidze, sixteen genera, over
two hundred species; of these two genera
are represented in America, viz.: Vitrin-
ozonites, W. G. Binney, contains one spe-
cies, V. Lattissimus, Lewis, mountains of
Western North Carolina and East Tennes-
see, and Vitrina, Drap, eighty species, three
of which inhabit America, one from Cali-
fornia to Utah southward to New Mexico,
one in Greenland and Labrador, and one in
Canada and from Maine to Michigan.

Family Zonitidse contains two genera,
Zonites and Nanina. Nanina is divided
into twenty-seven sub-genera and over five
hundred species, inhabiting in tropical and

sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa and |

Oceanica. Zonites is divided into twenty-
seven sub-genera, twelve of which inhabit
the United States, and five are found in
Rhode Island, viz.: UHyalinia, Conulus,
Helicodiscus, Striatura, and Punctum.

76. ZoniTes (HYALINIA) ARBOREA, SAY.

Syns:

Helix arborea, Say, Binn., Eatton, Gld., |

DeKay, Ad., Pfr., Chem., and C.

Mexico |

Hyalinia arborea, Morse, Tryon, W. G.
Binney.

This shell was discovered by Thomas
Say, and described in Nichols’ Encyclopedia,
1816,as Helix arboreus: ‘* Shell very thin,
fragile, repressed, horn color, pellucid
very little convex ; whorls four, irregularly
wrinkled across; aperture sub-lunated. lip
thin, brittle, junction with the body whorl
acute ; umbilicus large and deep. Length
one-tenth of an inch nearly.” Either Mr.
Say or the printer made a mistake. It
measures one-quarter of an inch in diame-
ter. Morse’s description says, ‘* umbilicus
not large, whorls four to five.”

This shell is not remarkable for its
beauty, and is not of particular interest.
It is extremely common, found about de—
caying stumps and old logs under the bark.
| It is very simple in structure, and would at
once be recognized by any person who had
ever seen it. Its range is very great, be-
ing found from Labrador to Florida; from
Great Salt Lake to Texas; in California,
Montana, Nevada and New Mexico. It is
also said to have been found in Cuba and
Guadaloupe.

77. Zonrres (HyAtin1A) BINNEYANA
Morse.

This shell was discovered in Maine, by
Mr. EK. S. Morse, and named by him Helix
Binneyana. It was described in the jour-
nal of the Portland Society Natural History :
“Shell minute, whorls four; spire slightly
elevated, pellucid, nearly colorless; aper-
ture well rounded ; umbilicus open.” It is
quite a rare shell. It has been found in
Maine, Massachusetts and at Tawas Bay,
Mich. I have found a few in Rnode Island,
but perhaps its range is greater than is now
suspected and future observers may find it
to inhabit a greater extent of territory than
is now accredited to it. It resembles ar-
borea a little, but is smaller (one-sixth of
an inch in diameter) and differs in color,
being of a greenish white tint.

78. Zonrres (HYALINIA) CELLARIA,
MLULER.

This shell is not a native of this country
| but has become naturalized by a residence
of over fifty years. It is an European spe-
cies, very common in Great Britain, France,
and Germany. The following description

6

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

is taken from Reeve’s Briti-h Land and |
Fresh Water Mollusks, page 47: ‘* Shell |
rather narrowly, deeply umbiicated, de- |
pressly orbicular, greenish-yellow, pale, |
very glossy; spire convexly flattened;
sutures linearly channelled; whorls six, |
narrow, increasing slowly, longitudinally
obscurely plicately striate; aperture ob-—
lique'y lunar.” It was first noticed by |
Muller in 1774 and named by him Helix |
cellaria. Reeve calls it Zonites cellarius.
It has been described by many other au-
thors in Europe under twelve different
names.

Mr. G. Ord, of Philadelphia, found the |
first specimen in America, and gave it to
Mr. Say, who described it as a new species
under the name of Helix glaphyra. It has |
since been found in old, damp cellars in |
Boston, Lynn, Salem, Marblehead, Port- |
land, Halifax and other sea port towns, and >
was supposed to have been imported into
this country on wine casks or other mer-
chandise. On comparison with the English
shells, they were fouud to be identical. I
found them twenty years ago in two old |
cellars in Pawtucket, in the boat-house of |
Mr. G. L. Spencer, in Pawtucket, and in
several cellars on Canal Street in Provi-
dence.

On Broadway, in this city, there is a large
greenhouse, or rather several of them to-
gether, owned by Mr. Robert Hogg; in
these greenhouses at all times of the year,
can be collected quantities of these shells.
In this warm and damp atmosphere these
animals propagate and grow rapidly and |
unlike other snails do not hybernate six or
seven months in the year. These snails

are very destructive to the young plants |

and are regarded by Mr. Hogg as a nui- |
sance. If any of our readers are anxious to |
collect this species under their best condi-
tions, alive and of all sizes, I will guaran- |
tee that if they present themselves at Mr.
Hogg’s door and say they wish to get some |
snails, he will come up smiling every time
and invite you to come in and pick up all
you want, and if he has time will help to
fill you up and rid his place of the nuisance.
Mr. Morse, in speaking of this species
in the American Naturalist, says: ‘‘A
lady in Portland, in whose cellar the writer |
collected many, stated that the snails an-
noyed her by crawling into her milk pans.
[ To be continued.]|

as a kind of fallow crop.

| of poor soils.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

No. IX.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

— Quercus ilicifolia—Scrus Oak—Brar Oak.

The common occurrence of the Quercus
ilicifolia, scrub oak or bear oak, in Rhodé
Island, indicates a corresponding preva-

lence of poor soil. It will grow in mere
sand or gravel, or wherever it can get a
foothold among thinly-covered ledges of
rock. While the primitive forests yet re-

mained, this little oak chiefly grew, no

doubt, as an undergrowth; and even now,
in existing wood lots, hundreds of these
shrubs may frequently be counted upon an
acre of ground, ready to take full posses-
sion as soon as the larger wood is cut off.

Their growth is particularly noticeable in
pine woods and among the gray birches.
|The fact of the scrub oak following the

pine when the latter is removed is often
spoken of as though it were a strange thing,
but this is easily accounted for. The squir-
rels have been the seed-planters. A care-
ful observer will find these oaks plentifully
scattered about among the pines, or other
trees. The soil has become exhausted of
the material essential to the larger growth.
This hardy oak is ready to cover the ground
It springs up,
and, in a few years, makes an almost im-
penetrable bush. Worthless as fuel, except
where wood is scarce, it has its use. It
prevents the winds from making sand-heaps
These shrubs frequently, in
a natural way, protect trees of tender
growth until they get sufficiently estab-
lished to take care of themselves. Man
could do better with them, and, indeed, has
successfully utilized them in this way:

| They have been planted in rows as nurses

to other trees which needed protection, the
latter being planted a few years later in
the vacant places. Another way is sug-
gested: Cut lanes, a few feet wide, in ex-
isting areas of this shrub, planting pine or
other seeds in the spaces; the oaks would
thus act as a protection from wind and
weather until the seedlings were well

| started.

In the diluvial drift and ridges around

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. oe

Providence and further down the bay, also
in the southern part of the State, the scrub
oak readily takes possession of the soil,
With it, in some localities, is found the

still smaller chinqnipin oak, and, with both,

oftentimes, the gray birch and pitch pine.
I suppose that the only reason why we do
not find it as the principal growth in better
soils, is that trees of a larger growth over-
run them, keeping them if they survive at
all, as an almost unnoticeable undergrowth.

The general appearance of the scrub oak
is very familiar. Itis the smallest of the
native ‘ biennials,” usually
more than eight feet high, but having sev-
eral stems from a single root, giving it,
where it has a chance to spread, a very
bushy appearance.

light, pearly dots and patches, the whole
being shiny, as though varnished, and often
prettily adorned with lichens. The young

branches are of a light ashen gray, gradu- |

ally taking the greenish hue of the stem,
the extreme ends being velvety. The
branches are numerous and very scraggy,
well adapting thé shrub to hedging pur-
poses, for which it is sometimes used.

The blossoms appear in May and are
very pretty objects. The sterile ones come
from the axils of the last year leaves and
hang in jaunty clusters, changing to va-
rious colors from orange to red. ‘The fer-
tile flowers are in the axils of the new
and leaves are nearly sessile and inconspic-
uous.

The average typical leaf is about two
and one-half inches long, two-thirds as
wide on petioles often very short, but some-
times three-fourths the length of the leaf.

The fruit is very abundant and of good
size for a shrub. It is often beautifully
striped longitudinally and set in a neat,
closely imbricated cup, christening the last
year’s branches in such profusion they form
a striking appearance. The kernel is of a
deep orange as is the base of the acorn
when it is attached to the cup. The name
‘“bear” oak is due to the fact that bears
are fond of the acorns. Swine also feed
upon them.

There is a well marked variety of this
oak in the state growing fifteen to twenty
feet high and six inches in diameter.

(To be continued.)

not growing |

The main stems are of |
a dark, rich green, beautifully varied with |

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.
BY HERMAN C. BUMPUS.

NumMBeEr XVI.

4. Rana palustris Le Conte. The
Marsh or Pickerel Frog is perhaps our most
abundant batrachian, being found in nearly
every small body of water and not infre-
quently taking up its abode in springs and
surface drains.

Le Conte, in giving the original descrip-
tion of this animal, applied the specific title
of palustris, thus characterizing it as an in-
habitant of the salt marshes. Though often
found in this locality, and being indeed the
only native batrachian which is known to
voluntarily take to salt or brackish water,
the Marsh Frog is by no means restricted
in its distribution, nor is it limited to the
coast alone. Specimens have been seen by
Dr. Holbrook in the White Mountains
while the National Museum contains types
from Wisconsin and various localities along
the Mississippi as far south as the Mexican
Gulf.

Though at first glance the Marsh Frog
resembles the following species, the resem-
blance is only superficial and it is remark-
able that the animal’s identity should not
have been made out until the description of
Le Conte. Not only does Rana palustris
differ from Rana halecina in coloring, hav-
ing the spots of the back of a rectangular
outline, arranged in four rows and of a
deep brownish or black shade, but it pre-
sents several structural peculiarities. The
cuticular folds of the back are less prom-
inent and the snout is less pointed. The
animal, moreover, is said to have a strong
and not altogether pleasing odor. The
young are described as being of a yellowish
gold color, though I have not noticed that
the young differ materially from the adults.

This frog is most loath to retire on the
approach of winter and can often be found
after the other Ranide have retired. I have
often, on warm days in winter, seen this
species as it made its way over the dead
leaves at the bottom of some spring. possi-
bly looking for a warm niche into which it
might retire on the return of cold weather.

Being our most abundant frog and ob-
tainable at almost all seasons of the year, it

8 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

has come into good repute with the fresh- | tractions of these stems and branches, it

water angler, and is often, as a whole or in
parts, used as a bait for the omnivorous

pickerel. It is thus often spoken of as the |
Pickerel Frog, an appellation which it has —

in common with its more elegant congener, |

Rana halecina.
grows to a considerable size, the body
alone sometimes measuring three inches in

The Marsh Frog often |

length, while the legs often exceed four |

inches.

Vorticella, or the Bell Animalcule.

In those who have interested themselves

will be noticed that the power of volition
seems to reside in each individual, for while
one portion of the colony may contract on
being irritated, another portion will remain
expanded and active. On all being dis-
turbed the main stem contracts, drawing
the entire colony to the surface of the sup-
port on which it grows.

Each bell, in its extended condition, is
seen to have a flaring margin which is lined
with a row of cilia whose motion induces a
fresh current of water to be constantly flow-

ing by and among the animals, from which
_ they seize the nutritive particles.

in observing the more minute creations of |

nature, few objects have awakened more
admiration or wonder than a colony of
these active Protozoans, or single-celled
animals.
it is quite possible that there are not a few

Though a most familiar object, |

of the younger readers of Ranpom Noves |

to whom a short description of the manner
in which the animal may be captured, and a
few words on its structure and habits will
not be wholly lost.

[f the weeds and stones of a spring or
clear brook be scraped with a fine net, and

the result be washed out in a jar of fresh |

water, in a few days there will be observed,
on the sides of the vessel, several white,
moss-like
forth as the water is disturbed, but which im-
mediately disappear on being touched with
some object, as the point of a pencil. If
one of these growths be now examined with
a hand lens, by looking through the side of
the jar, there will be observed what strik-
ingly resembles a bunch of toy balloons—a
colony of vorticelle. Now if the entire
bunch be removed from its support, by pass-
ing a knife blade beneath it, and placed on
a glass slide with a small quantity of water
and covered with a thin cover glass, in such

a way as to exclude any large air-bubbles, |

many important points can be made out.
There will first be noticed a main stem in
which is a striated elastic cord, which, by

contracting. draws the bunch of vorticellee |

toward what was once its attachment. The
distal end of this stem branches into num-
erous sub-divisions, each of which, in struc-
ture, resembles the main stem and bears at
its extremity a bell-like expansion — the
vorticella proper. By watching the con-

On viewing the object, a single individ-
ual bell, with a higher power, the ciliated
margin is seen to be partially covered by a
disk, the epistome, which is also along its
rim provided with cilia. If the single indi-
vidual be now more closely examined, it
will be noticed that the disk is raised upon
one side and that particles from the water
are constantly entering and leaving the or-
ganism at this place, the vestibule, which
thus functionizes as the mouth.

Particles once entering the vestibule can
be followed as they aré taken further and
further into the body of the animal and fin-
ally, having all nutritive matter digested
from them, they are thrown out from the

growths which sway back and | Same door which they entered.

If it is desired to further examine the di-
gestive apparatus, a simple method is to
induce the animal to accept as food some
coloring matter, as powdered carmine.
This, when being taken into the vestibule,
will beautifully illustrate the action of
the cilia, and as it fills up the digestive
tract, will map out its outline in a most
beautiful manner. H. Karey.

4
yi

4

f~
© ImmacuLaTe Eaes or Sone SPARROWS.—

An item that interests me is the finding
of a set of Song Sparrows } in my garden,
the eggs being almost entirely without any
markings whatever — only one of the set
being noticeably spotted; they closely re-
sembled eggs of Blue Bird; pale bluish
tint. —J. N. ae

Ninety Geological and Zoological Slides.
Original cost 75 cents to$1.00 each. Price
for the lot, $30.00. List furnished. Ad-
dress A. A. Tenney, Williamstown, Mass.

_— a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. iii
SHELLS.

DESIRABLE GOODS Bulimus albus, Sowb., Chili.......... $ 10
Obs tomadaetne ‘© elongatus, Bolton sete seee sees 10
‘* fulguratus, Jay, Fiji Islands..10 to 20
’ ‘* multilineatus, Say, Fla........ 5
Watural Historp Store ‘* sepulchralis, Poey, Bahamas.. 10

Orthalicus gallina sultana, Chem.,
Braz ilbescmey iets <) sch ws 0's s eee 15 to 25

—— OF —— Cerithidea iostoma, Pfr., Raritan Isl-
EUG Ee 3 caeCIG Oe CORE OME rice. Gc 8for 25
JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, SUCCESSOR TO Cerithium septemstriatum, Hayti..... 10 for 10
ss (Pyrazus) sulcatus, Born. .. 5
SO UTHWICK & J EN CKS ee atratum, Brug., Hayti...... 5

] Chondropoma weinlandi, Pfr., St. Do-
[MHD sooo doeda0KL Boudotcosemaour 10

PROVIDENCE, R. I. Chondropoma biforme, Pfr., Gonave
TslaWasiteccs, sieseis are atsis,coeteree crslectes 10 for 10
Cyprea arabicula, Lam., Panama..... 10
. SAP i GicaeGmelini ss ss 2. «cece ss 2) to 50
BIRD ECSS. ‘¢ spadicia, Swain, California ...50 to 75
Per Rie. ; ee a Per = LOMOMMeD
a cruenta, Gme., South Pacific..15 to 40
124 Hooded Warbler, set 4............-. $ Td co. APE Rain, Indecent Man deee BO
130) \WESSAUYOe Sp eebaooboce Hdee UCdOdGdN0D 2 50 ‘© intermedia, Gray.............. isda a5
189 Chestnut Collared Longspur, set 3 Conus princeps, Linn., Cent. America.20 to 75
nth eS ee 1 25 | Cylendrella Grunerii, Pfr., Bahamas. . 10
337 Costa’s Hummer, nest of 2.......... 1 50 Helix crispata, Fer., Hayti.... yogis cause 3 for 25
‘ eariosula, Mich., Algeria....... 10
407a European Hawk Owl................ 2 00 ct weneriniaedame, Cota, me ee 15 to 20
4120 lceland Gyr Faleon................- 6 00 a> Malleregeires Leta ee eee a 8 for 25
Acad hurkey, SCb T..02- 6650+ 8ew. oe 1 00 fc) -aroinaba lols. ©Oraiis ren sic 10to 15
Sav Purple Sandpiper...20.. 170s. 22.-.. 100| “ Troscheli, Pfr., Bahamas........ 3 for 25
566 American Avocet, set4............. 1 00 i provisana, Bahamas. ae Crake DSL
i i prunum, Fer., Australia.... ... 10to 15
DSM EULO Le! Gal linn @: elec cel. 01-10 ele lee clale, 1+ = 75 “ sagamon, Beck., Cuba.......... 95
DOOM SULO PCAN OWA... -\20)2 00. «0 selec cee 1 50 | Terebra hastata, Kien., Bahamas...... 10
G22 islewdlGajriay IDE <5 6 Sep ounboooD Oo bOdG 1 50 | Planoxis pyramidalis, Gme., E. I...... 15
PoRMMeine WHGGE. so fs,<ica. secede gens sen 2 50 | Nerita guillouana,Recl.,Malay Islands 10 to 15
699 Buffon’s Jaeger...........2.+0-0e0.- 1 50 | Monoceros muricatum, epable ee SESE to 25
3 i Argonauta argo, Linn.............. 2 50 to 4 00
607 Baldpate. American Widgeon...... pe) Purpura crispatian Cale... arrester niet 10 to 20
669 Ring-billed Gull...................- 1 00 Melampus coffea, Linn., Cuba....... DET OLmLO
(a Eranklin’s Rosy Gully... .. ...022..- 3 00 | Trochus pellis serpentis, Wood....... 25 to 50
| Conus purpurasceus, Brod., Panama..25 to 450

| Macroceramus lineatus, Brug., Var
SKINS. glabrata weinland, Hayti.......... 10
| Strophia alvearia, Dill., Bahamas...... 05
bis eeurple Gallinule:.........00.<.s0s< $ 75 | Acatina octona, Chem., St. Thomas... 05
Also a few very fine specimens of eStroplia manuemses. >... -.ccemeeceeres 05
399 Great Gray Owl, Ulula cinera....... Ficula papyracea, Say, Blasi astra: 10 to 25
: 3 ; Fulga perversa, Linn., Fla............15 to 40
either mounted or in skins. Cardium magnum, Born., Fla......... 10 to 25
406 Snowy Owl, Nyctea scandiaca... Urosalpinx Tampaensis, Conrad, Fla.. 10
mounted only. Chama arcinella, Fla.................. 10

iv RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union GHEGK-LIsT

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

AND CODE OF NOMENCLATURE.

Being the Report to the Union of the A. O. U. Camuntiliees on Classification and Nomenclature of North
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vi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY

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Second Edition. Revised and Enlarged.
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Full and accurate descriptions of all the Nests and Eggs of the Land and Water Birds of North
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as

Random Aotes on datural History.

pol. TIT.

PROVIDENCE, FEBRUARY 1, 1886. No: 2,

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

To a Friend at West Point.

“PROSE OR WUKSK,’’ BY W. W. BAILEY.

THE brave little Dutchmen
Are all in their place,
And safe in the care
Of my Wardian case,
Their ‘‘breeches”’ all packed
For the winter away
I hope to coax out
On some sunshiny day.
What will they imagine
When they shall awake
From their short winter nap,
With a yawn and a shake
To find themselves blooming
Down here by the shore,
In the city of Roger
With Yankees — galore
“In my minds eye, Horatio,
The spot I recall,
Where they grow in the Highlands
By a wee water-fall,
That only in spring-time
Leaps over the rocks
Near the bend of ‘‘Flirtation”’
At Battery Knox.
There often in childhood
I wandered to see,
The first of the season,
Myself, and the bee !
How lovely appeared then
Their foliage of lace,
Aud creamy white trousers,
Exch one in its place;
And then I think, too,
Aud you know, I suppose,
Where, far down the cliff,
The doy violet grows.
I sce the ‘‘ herb Robert”’
All dripping with dew,
And scent its rank fragrance
As I used to do.
Just here a path perilous
Led to an isle
Called ‘‘Duck”’ by the vulgar;
Methinks I should smile
To see myself scrambling
Once more down the way
That once was so easy
On half holiday.
** Backward, turn backward
O, time, in your flight,”’
I seem to be dreaming
Of childhood to-night;
And many a picture
I gladly review
As I pen these poor verses
In answer to you.
West Point! what a word
To unravel the chain
Of lingering thoughts
IT have stored in my brain.
I thread Stony Lonesome
Once more with my friend,

”

| in an appearance.

In beds of the walking fern
Pause to unbend,
Or sit "neath the boulder
Where Drake's * Culprit Fay,”
Ouce wandered alone
With a fair mortal may.
But oftener I seem
In my fancy to roam
About the loved hills
That encircled my home.
And one there is always
Who walks by my side,
The genial, the gentle,
My father, my guide,
Who knew every plant
On those wonderful hills,
And read the sweet music
Of woods and of rills;
Who told the strange story
Of pebbles that rolled
From far away Shawanguvk
In ice days of old;
Who led my young fancy
To seek and to know,
Whatever of beauty
The forests can show,
To him every trifle
Some lesson conveyed
And mysteries whispered
‘* Oh, be not afraid!
For the Mittella’s star,
Or the green mantling scum
Of a pool, were still calling
Their lover to come.”

Ah, who is there like him,
This friend of my youth,
Who prized above all things

» The beauty of truth?
Bloom fair o’er his grave
Ye bright blossoms of May,
And breathe out your sweetness
For many a day,
And Crow’s Nest, look down
On the lover who kenned
Each blossom you own
As his personal friend.

Wir the exception of one week in Janu-
ary, the weather has been mild. The flocks
of snow buntings that usually arrive along
with our first heavy snows have not yet put
We have not heard of
the capture in Rhode Island of any Snow
Owls, any uncommon species, or any
unusual number of the commoner kinds, a
marked contrast to the winters of 1883 and
1884, when Barred Owls, Pine Grosbeaks,
and Brunnich’s Guillemots abounded.

Ir is with much regret that we have to
announce the recent death of Prof. Charles

10

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

E. Hamlin, who has for several years had
charge of the conchological department in
the Agassiz Museum of Comparative Anat-
omy at Cambridge. We hold in grateful
memory the kind attentions we have re-
ceived while making studies in his depart-
ment.

WE are informed that the very fine collec-
tions of birds’ eggs in the cabinet of the late
John Snowdon Howland, of Newport, R. [.,
was bequeathed by him to New Haven,
where it will be sent as soon as it can be
properly packed for transporation.

Diamonds found in the United States.

WE are indebted to the author, Mr.
George F. Kunz, for the pamphlet on pre-
cious stones, an abstract from the Mineral
Resources of the United States containing
much valuable and interesting material.
From its pages we quote, regarding United
States diamonds:

‘About the first of the year 1855, a
laborer in Manchester, Va., found a dia-
mond in some earth he was digging up. It
was put into a furnace for melting iron, at
Richmond, where it remained at red heat
for two hours and twenty minutes. It was
then found to be uninjured and_ brighter
than ever. It was valued in Richmond at
$4,000 and became the property of Capt.
Samuel W, Dewey, who called it Oninoor, or

‘* Sun of Light”; it was later cut by Mr. H. |

ID. Morse, at an expense of $1,500. The
cutting reduced the weight from 23? carats
to 11/4 carats. Itis off color and imper-
fect, and is to-day worth not more than
$400.

‘: The first diamond found in North Caro-
lina was an octahedron valued at $100, at
the ford of Brindletown Creek, by Dr. F.
M. Stephenson. Another was found in the
same neighborhood; and a third, adistorted
hexoctahedron, yellowish in color, at Twit-
ty’s Mine, Rutherford County. <A fourth,
greenish in color, was found by Dr. T. C.
Hunter, near Cottage House, Lincoln
County, in 1852. Another, said to be a
perfect crystal of white color, was found at
Todd’s Branch, Mecklenburg County. Dr.
Genth reports two diamonds from Portis
Mine, Franklin County, and others weigh-

|

ing from one-half a carat to over two carats,
are reported from J. C. Mill’s Mines, in
Burke County. These diamonds are usually
associated with gold, monazite, zircon, oc-
hahedrite, etc., the débris of gneissoid rocks,
in which graphite is always found.

‘*¢ Several stones of fine quality have been
found at the Horshaw placer gold mine,
White County, Georgia.”

Mr. C. G. Yale, furnishes the following
notes on the California occurrences :

‘‘ For more than thirty years the placer
miners have occasionally picked up small
diamonds. The hydraulic washings at
Cherokee, Butte County, have been the
most prolific. The diamonds are usually
found by the miners when cleaning up their
sluices, or while washing off the bed rock,
though in a few instances they have been
picked up on the surface. As a general
thing, the gravel in which they occur is
mixed with lava, ashes, or other volcanic
matter; zircon, platinum, iridium, magnet-
ite, etc., being associated. While many of
these stones have been of good color,
brilliant and perfect, none weighing over 34
carats have been found in the state. So
far as known, $500 is the highest price for
which any rough stone has been sold; large
numbers have found purchasers at from $10
to $50, and not a few as high as $100.

‘*'The stones have been white, yellow,
straw and rose, and many of good water.
A few small diamonds have been found in
the placer diggings of Idaho, of about the
same quality, and occurring under the same
conditions as in California.

‘+ A stone weighing 15 carats was reported
as found at Eagle, Waukesha County,
Wis., having been thrown out at a
depth of sixty feet while excavating a well.
It is slightly off color and worth about $300
as a diamond, but is held at $1,000, owing
to its being the first diamond found in
Wisconsin; two small stones are also re-
ported as found there, each weighing less
than half a carat.

‘*In the latter part of 1883, a diamond
was reported as found at Nelson Hill, near
Blackfoot, Deer Lodge County, Mon. This
was a colerless stone, in weight about 12
grains.

“Mr. J. D. Yerrington, of New York, re-
ports a brown diamond, found near Philadel-
phus, Ariz. It weighed one carat, and when

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

cut yielded a gem of one-half carat. Two
pieces of blue glass, that had been roiled
so as to lose all form, were naturally
supposed by the finder to be sapphires,
being in the same locality with the diamond.

‘One of the minerals most likely to be
mistaken for the diamond, is a form of

small quartz crystal, found principally at |

Santa Fé and Gallup, N. M., Fort Defi-

ance, Ariz., Deadwood, Dak., and Shell |

Creek, Nev.

On the Breeding Habits of the Red-Shoul-
dered Hawk.

Tuts beautiful bird, familiarly known in
southern New England as the Hen Hawk,
is quite an abundant resident throughout
the year. It is a very noisy bird, especially
during the. mating season, a favorite pas-
time then being to sail high up inthe air in

large circles, uttering its cry ; [have seen a _
number of these birds so far up in the |
| ter which may serve as convenient for refer-

heavens that they looked as small as swal-
lows, yet their cry could be heard very
plainly.

Its food consists of small birds, rabbits,
squirrels, etc., and occasionally chickens, the
latter obtained from the poultry yard of some
farm.

It breeds usually in deep, dark, swampy
woods, and the naturalist might do consider-
able hunting and not be able to find its nest.
One that I found April 16, 1884, was placed

in the confluence of two main limbs of a |

maple tree in swampy woods; it was made
of sticks, twigs, and sods ; the cavity for the

eggs was lined with cedar and grapevine |

bark and but slightly hollowed, the nest con-
tained enough material to fill a bushel bas-
ket. As Lapproached the tree in which the
nest was built, the setting bird silently left it,
and sailing high up in the air, intently
watched me as I climbed to the nest. Soon
she was joined by her mate, who made his
presence known by uttering his harsh ka-
hee, ka-hee ka-hee.

I find, as a rule, that if the nest is inhab-
ited, the ground near the bottom of the tree,
and the bushes near by, will have a number
of small feathers on and about them.

On anest that I found April 25, this sea-
son, the bird staid until I began to ascend
the tree; but usually she will leave before the
tree in which the nest is placed is reached.

| “the bristly point.

ua

The nest, the description of which is
given above, contained four fresh eggs ;
the dimensions are as follows: 2.15x1.63;
2.11x1.65 ; 2.09x1.62 ; 2.06x1.62 inches.

The eggs vary greatly both in size and
color of markings. I have specimens, the
ground color being light greenish white with
scarcely any markings, others so thickly
covered with dark brownish blotches as to
nearly hide the surface color of the egg.
The largest specimen I have, measures
2.23x 1.75 inches; the smallest, 2x1.60 ,
inches.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

No. X.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
THE Oaks— Quercus.

Tue following comprehensive view of the
oaks of Rhode Island is presented as mat-

ence and identification :

1. The Annuals.— Those which grow and

mature their fruit during the first season.
Q. rubra—Red oak.
(). tinctoria—Black oak. Yellow-bark.
Q. coccinea—Scarlet oak.
Q. palustris—Pin oak.
(J. illicifolia—Serub oak. Bear oak.

2. The Biennials.— Those which do not
mature their fruit until the second season,
or eighteen months from blossoming.

a—The White oak division.

Q. alba— White oak.

Q. obtusiloba Post oak.

b—The Chestnut oak division.

Q.—Prinus.
Var. bicolor—Swamp chestnut oak,
Var. monticola—Rock chestnut oak.
Var. prinoides—Chinquipin oak.
Var. (not named).

The ‘‘annuals” are characterized not
only by the ripening of the acorns during
the first season, but by the lobes of the
leaves being terminated by a bristly point
or mucro. ‘The lobes of the leaves of the
‘¢ biennials ” are rounded, and destitute of
The leaves of the White
oak division of the ‘* biennials” have deep
sinuses and correspondingly prominent
lobes, while those of the Chestnut oak divis-
ion have prominent teeth, resembling the

12 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

leaf of the chestnut tree. but the teeth

being more rounded.

A few of the prominent characteristics of

the several kinds of the above trees are
arranged below :

Q. rubra. Red oak.— Large tree ; mas-
sive trunk, bark smooth until old, wood
porous, inferior; leaves oblong or lance
shaped, not deeply cut, contracted at base,
lobes five vr six ona side, terminated by
bristles ; acorns large, in a broad shallow
cup, covered with thin, close scales ; grows
rapidly, sprouts readily from the stump ;
rare in Rhode Island; comes to perfection
farther north.

Q. tinctoria. Black oak. Yellow-bark.
—Large, handsome tree ; rough thick bark,
yellow inside, very bitter; leaves on long
footstalks, yellowish green, inversely egg-
shaped, deeply cut on mature trees, very
shining above, three or four lobes on each
side, mucronate, rich russet yellow in the
autumn; acorn small, rounded, finely
striated by dark brown stripes, meat yellow,
very bitter, in adeep cup, diminishing down-
wards, scales free at extremity, upper ones
somewhat fringed, abundant ; wood porous,
inferior as fuel, fair timber in dry situations ;
very common in Rhode Island, beautiful as
a shade tree.

(). coccinea. Scarlet oak.—Fine symmet-
rical tree, large size, rather slender limbs ;
bark rough, numerous short clefts, reddish
gray color; leaves very deeply cut, on long
slender petioles, very shining on both sides,
roundish or oblong in general outline, bris-
tle pointed, rich scarlet or crimson in autumn
acorn small, globose, in a deep cup, length-
ened at base, abrupt at upper edge, kernel
white, slightly bitter ; wood very porous, in-
ferior as fuel, handsome in cabinet work ;
tree common in Rhode Island, but less so
than Q. tinctoria a fine shade tree.

@. palustris. Pin oak.—A tree of mid-
dle size in Rhode Island, the northern limit
of the species, limbs slender ; most graceful
of northern oaks; leaves small on slender
footstalks, polished on both sides, cut almost
to the midrib, thin, somewhat drooping ;
acorns very small, not abundant, cup cover-
ing half the fruit, close scales; tree grows
by the side of streams or ponds ; has some-
what of weeping habit over a stream ; rare
in Rhode Island.

Q. illicifoliu.

Serub oak. Bear oak.—

A shrub, six to fifteen feet high, several
stalks from a single root, scraggy branches ;
leaves small, on short footstalks, not deeply
cut, two or three lobes with short bristly
points ; acorns small, beautifully striped,
kernel deep yellow, same color where
attached to the cup, very abundant; wood
hard and tough; common upon the poor
soils of Rhode Island.

Q. alba. White oak.—The most massive
of native oaks, wide spreading, limbs low,
large, and often crooked, lower ones horizon-
tal, upper ones at sharp angles, bark gray
or ash color, often in scales thick on old
trees ; leaves on short footstalks, four to
six inches long, half as wide, upper surface
lively green, lower surface pale, thick, leath-
ery, deeply divided into lobes, three or four
on a side, which are rounded or obtuse, and
like all the ‘‘ annuals,” destitute of mucros ;
acorns long, average one inch, ovoid, in a
shallow, flattened hemispherical cup, gray-
ish, rough with roundish tubercles, on foot-
stalks, single or in pairs, sweet and edible,
not often abundant ; wood tough, compact,
elastic, very valuable for timber or fuel. The
orandest tree of the New England forests ;
common in Rhode Island woods, although
few finely developed specimens are seen.

Q. obtusiloba. Post oak.—Fine low-
spreading tree in Rhode Island, branches
numerous, very crooked and crowded near
the trunk; foliage very dense, thick, leath-
ery, shining above a deep sinus on each
side, three broad divergent lobes above,
and leaves arranged close together in stil-
lated form; acorns on short footstalks, small,
sweet, in a grayish, broad cup, smooth,
close scales, often two, three, or four acorns
together ; wood valuable for posts, ship
timber, etc.; tree very rare in Rhode Island.

Q. prinus var. bicolor. Swamp White
oak.— A middle-sized tree, cylinderical
head, scraggy branches, bark in long, loose
scales, leaves obovate, narrowed at base
into short footstalk, margin wavy, toothed,
thirteen divisions, downy underneath, dark
green above, six to seven inches long, half
as broad, smaller leaves below the larger
ones, fewer teeth; fruit large, roundish-
ovate; acorns pointed, in deep hemispherical
cups, rough outside, sometimes fringed on
the margin, sweet, not abundant; heart-
wood dark, sap-wood light in color, heavy,
tough, strong, durable; a wet ground or

a pee are.) ee

—

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

13

swamp tree found in various parts of the
state, but usually scattered,
variable.

Var. monticola. Rock Chestnut oak.—
Middle-sized tree, not common in Rhode
Island, habitant of recky hills, bark reddish
gray, compact, divided by long clefts but
not deep; leaves four to nine inches long,

two to five wide, on short footstalks, mar- |

gin round-toothed, six to thirteen divisions,
parallel veins, the whole resembling a chest-
nut leaf; acorns large, sweet, not abundant ;
wood valuable for fuel or timber;a fine tree
when well developed.

is Var. chinquipin.—Shrub, ovate, four to six

feet high, several stems form a single root, |
bark ashen gray, bitter, somewhat cleft,

with a few thin scales, leaves small, obovate
narrowed at base into a short petiole mar-

gin, wavy-toothed or nearly entire, polished |

above, fine downy beneath ; fruit small, on

half inch footstalks, from leaf axils, middle |

extremely |

of new shoots, orbiculars, in a neat tuber- |
cled cup; sandy plains, gravelly hills, and |

among ledges; not very common.
Var. unnamed. (See Art. No.
Vol. Il., Ranpom Notes )
Nore. There are some variations of the

oak family in this state, not specially alluded |

to in the above articles, but which may be
treated of in future numbers. The oaks
are seen to be abundant in Rhode Island,
and really form the most important class
of indigenous trees.

(To be continued.)

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMAN C. BUMPUS.

NumBer XVII.

d. Rana halecina Kalm. The Shad or
Leopard Frog is at once the most beauti-

ful as well as the most elegant native rep-—
Above it is of a |

resentative of the genus.
green or yellowish metallic color and marked
with two longitudinal rows of large, irreg-
ularly shaped, dark brown or black blotches
which are bordefed with a halo-like
margin of a greenish shade. The arrange-
ment into rows is often more or less broken
up and the blotches may be small and num-

extend from fold to fold of the skin.

EV al
| often jumps a distance of eight feet.

Below, the animal is ordinarily of a
pearly white shade, though yellowish or
gray cloudings may appear, according to
the temperament or surroundings of the ani-
mal. ‘The cuticular folds are very prom-
inent and of a bright yellow color.

This animal has always attracted more
or less interest since its first mention by
Catesby, though it was not specifically de-
scribed until met with by the Swedish trav-
eler Kalm, who noticed that it made its
appearance along the Delaware at the same
time as the shad, and he hence named _ it
Rana halecina from halec, the Indian name
of shad.

The Shad Frog prefers rather the moist
meadow land to the sands and rocks and
is often surprised by the naturalist as he
wanders through the swamps or low open
pastures. When thus startled the frog will
excitedly jump about, not infrequently, in
its bewilderment, approaching rather than
fleeing from the object of its fright. These
leaps, when compared with the length of the
animal, are enormous. A Shad _ Frog
measures about seven inches in length and
Were
a man to leap a relative distance he would
clear the widest street at a bound or lightly
spring to the roof of any ordinary building.

In its geographical distribution Ranq
halecina is found from New Mexico to New
Brunswick, and from Minnesota to Florida
and is generally abundant, representing in
America the Rana esculenta of Europe.

Ofthe breeding habits of this species it
may be of interest to note that the time of
Oviposition is remarkably late, speci-
mens being not infrequently found still in-
terested in their domestic duties long after
the other species have left the breeding
ponds. Mr. J. A. Allen makes note of
having found, on dissection, apparently im-
mature eggs as late as April 23.

With the Shad Frog our treatment of the
native Anurous Batrachians is concluded.

We are having some cold weather here,
but it is only for a day or two at a time.
Prairie Dogs have not laid up at all this
winter; they are to be seen every day.
Meadow Larks and Red Shouldered Black-
birds stay in this locality every winter, as

i / also Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese.
erous, or they may be of such a size as to |

W.G.S.

LARIMER Co., COLORADO.

14

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ne Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHapTer XXV.
79. Zonires (HYALINIA) ELECTRINA, GOULD.

Tuis little shell was first found by Mr. T.
J. Whittemore, on the borders of Fresh
Pond, in Cambridge, Mass., and was de-
scribed by Dr. A. A. Gould, in the Jour.
Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 11., 1840, under the
name of Helix electrina, viz. : ‘‘Shell small,
depressed, pellucid, fragile, amber colored ;
whorls four, conspicuously wrinkled by the
lines of growth; aperture rounded; lip
simple ; umbilicated.”

The shell is not amber colored, as in
Gould’s description, but smoky horn color,
and when the animal is living in it, the shell
appears almost black. The three species,
arborea, electrina, and indentata, can hardly
be distinguished apart by a beginner in
the science. At first, when collecting these
species, I could never identify them, until,
arriving at home, I could compare them
with typical specimens. By a close exam-
ination of full grown specimens of the three
species together, the following differences
will be noticed : electrina has three and one-
half whorls, indentata has four, and arborea
has four and one-half to five. In arborea,
the whorls increase slowly and regularly ;
in electrina, the last, or body whorl, en-
larges rapidly in size, in which respect it re-
sembles indentata; but the most apparent
difference between arborea and electrina is

in the color of the shell as well as of the |

animal, and its more shining appearance ; its
umbilicus too, is a little smaller and its hab-
itat is unlike either of the others, being
found only in very moist places, under
leaves, in fact, preferring low, swampy
ground. ‘The differences between this spe-
cies and indentata will be given under the
description of indentata.

It is found everywhere in the United
States, east of the Mississippi River. F. A.
Sampson quotes it from Pettis Co., Missouri,
in the Bulletin of the Sedalia Nat. Hist.
Soc., August, 1885. Binney refers this
species to Helix viridula, Menke, thus
making it an European as well as an
American shell. Many conchologists are

| dented.”

of this opinion, and the shell is called viri-
dula full as often as it is electrina. Helix
viridula, Menke, is one of the synonyms of
Zonites radiatulus, Reeve, and as I have
carefully examined and compared our shells
with the English radiatulus, I am satisfied
that they are not identical, and that elec-
trina, Gld. is its proper specific name.
80. Zonires (HYALINIA) INDENTATA, Say.
This species was discovered by Say, and
described in June, 1822, in the Jour. Ac.
Sci. Phila., I1., 372: ‘Shell depressed,
pe‘lucid, highly polished; whorls four, with
regular distinct impressed lines across, of
which there are about twenty-eight to the
body whorl, all extending to the base ; aper-
ture rather large; lip simple; umbilicus
none, but the umbilical region is deeply in-
It inhabits the same range with
arborea, and is found in company with it,
under decaying leaves and also under
stones. It is about the same size as arbo-
rea, but is distinguished from it by being
lighter in color, in being polished, in having
one whorl less, and in the rapid enlarge-
ment of the body whorl. It is distinguished
from electrina by the absence of an umbili-
cus, by the color (indentata being whitish
and sometimes tinged with pink, while elec-
trina is smoky), and by the lines being
remote, while they are crowded in the other
species; and from all other shells of this
genus, by the microscopic impressed lines
radiating from the umbilical dent, which
resemble water lines, or the lines on a
gooseberry, while the interstices are perfect-
ly smooth.

81. Zonires (CONULUS) CHERSINA, Say.

We have here a shell, very different in
shape from those heretofore described in
these pages; instead of having, like them,
the apex slightly raised above the body of

| the shell, we have one in which the thick-

ness, or distance from the apex to the base,
will measure as much as the diameter. It
is round like a top, with the spire elevated
like a cone. It was described by Say, in
the Jour. Ac. Set. Phila., 1821: ‘Shell
sub-globose, conic, pale yellowish-white,
pellucid, convex beneath; volutions six;
suture moderate ;‘labrum simple ; umblicus
none.”

It cannot be mistaken for any other Rhode
Island shell as there is only one other that

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

15

resembles it at all; this is Strobila labyrin-

thica, belonging to a different genus. They |

are of the same shape but chersina is the
larger of the two ; chersina is highly polished,
labyrinthica is heavily striate ; labyrinthica
has a small umbilicus, chersina has none.

and the aperture open and free; in looking
into the aperture of labyrinthica, a re-
markable peculiarity is seen, which will be
explained under that species. Its synonyms
are

Helix chersina, Say, Gld., Ad., Reeve,
DeKay, Morse, Binney.

Helix egena, Say, Chem., Rve., Pfr.,
ete.

Conulus chersina, Morse, Tryon.

Many conchologists, both in Europe and
America, have labored to prove’ this spe-

cies to be identical with Helix fulva, of |
I think they must have studied |
these two shells from poorly figured illus- |

Europe.

trations and ambiguous descriptions, for if
they had compared good specimens of the
two species together, they ought not to
have made so great a mistake.

It is found everywhere in the United
States, east of the Rocky Mountains, under
leaves and on the under side of boards and
fence rails in moist places. I once found a
splendid specimen floating on a chip in
Mashapaug Pond. Say found his first spec-
imen in the Sea Islands of Georgia. Its
heighth and breadth are about one-tenth of
an inch.

82.

Syns :

Planorbis parallelus, Say.

Helix lineata, Say, Binn., Gld., Ad.,
Fer., Desh., Chem., etc.

Helicodiscus lineata, Morse, Tryon.

This unique shell was discovered by Say,
in upper Missouri, in company with a large
number of fluviatile species in a dried up
pond. ‘The peculiar form of the shell, so

-unlike any other land shell in America, to-
gether with the circumstance of finding it
in such a situation, led him to suppose it

Zonires (HELICODISCUS) LINEATA, SAY.

was fresh water species, and he accord- |

ingly described it as a planorbis. After-
wards, having found other specimens near
Philadelphia, under altogether different
circumstances, he saw his error, and re-
described it as Helix lineata.

It is not at all convex on the upper side,
like all the other species of this genus, but
is discoidal or planorboid shaped, that is,
round like a wheel, and flat. It has four
whorls, equally visible on both sides of the

| shell and has a series of raised lines revo'v-
In chersina the lip is simple and sharp, |

ing on the body whorl. It has a decided
greenish color, is one eighth of an inch in
diameter, and is very common in Rhode
Island under leaves with chersina and
labyrinthica, etc. It is not very common
in the West, but quite so in New England,
along country roadsides. Its aperture is

_ narrow, semi-lunate; lip thin; within the

aperture on the outer lip, are situated two
small, conical, white teeth, and still farther
within the aperture can be seen another
pair of similar teeth, and in some speci-
mens, a third pair is seen by breaking
away a portion of the lip and whorl. The
shape of the shell, its raised revolving lines,
its green color, and the peculiar teeth
within the aperture, distinguish it from
any other species of shell known.

83.

This is the smallest shell yet brought to
your notice ; its diameter is one-twentieth
of aninch. It was discovered by Mr. Ed-
ward S. Morse, in Maine, and described in
tine Proc. Bos. Soc. Nata Hist:, vit., 25,
1859:

‘‘Shell depressed, transparent, shining,
white with a greenish tinge, marked with
distinct and regular striz of growth and
microscopic revolving lines; whorls three,
rounded, rapidly. increasing ; suture deeply
impressed ; lip simple and sharp; aperture
very oblique ; umbilicus very wide and deep,
showing all the volutions.”

Thus far it has been found only in Maine,
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Very
little can be said of these smaller species ;
their habits cannot be studied very well,
and they are only to be found by diligent
search under the moist leaves of our thick,
hard wood forests.

(To be continued.)

ZONITES (STRIATURA) MILIUM, Morse.

WE desire to call attention to the collec-
tion of shells offered for sale on the last
page of this issue. They are exceptionally
perfect, of full size, and few collections of
its size contain so many rarities.

16 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA. 1.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Clausilia abrupta Kust. Clausilia bicarinata Ziegler.

accedens Moll.
‘acicula Kust.
acridula Ziegler.
aculus Benson.
acuminata Mouss.
adamsiana Pfr.
adposita Strobel.
advena Kiist.
agesilaus Martens.
agnata Partsch.
agnella Parr.

alba Kust.

albersi Charp.
albicosta Boettger.
albocincta Pfr.
album Kust.
almissana Kust.
alpina Stab.
alschingeri Kiist.
altecostata Zelebor.
amalthea Westerlund.
amiatze Martens.
amoena Kust.
amorgia Boettger.
anaphiensis Boettger.
anatolica Roth.
angiostoma Kust.
anguina Parr.
angustata Bielz.
aperta Kiist.
approximans Ziegler.
aquila Parr.
arcadia Boettger.
archilabris Kutsch.
armata Kutsch.
asaluensis G-Austen.
asphaltina Ziegler.
auriformis Mouss.
austeni Bland.

avia Parr.

bacillum Benson.
badia Ziegler.
balsamoi Strobel.
bargesi Bourg.
basilensis Gredler.
belloti Strobel.
bensoni H. Adams.
bergeri Mayer.
bernandi Pfr.
biasolettina Charp.

bicristata Friw.
bidens Linn.
hidentata Strom.
bielzi Pfr.

bigibbosa Charp.
bilabiata Wagner.
binodata Ziegler.
bipalatilis Martens.
biplicata Mont.
bitorquata Friw.
blanei Martens.
blanda Ziegler.
blandiana Pfr.

blaui Moll.

boetica Kiist.
boettgeriana Paul.
bogatensis Bielz.
bohemica Clessin.
boissieri Charp.
bonelli Martens.
bosniensis Zelebor.
bourguignata Charp.
brevicollis Pfr.
brevior Martens.
brevissima Benson:
brunnea Ziegler.
bulbus Benson.
buschi Kiist.
byzantina Parr.
ceerulea Fer.

ealcarze Phil.
eallifera Kust.
ceallocineta Kust.
cambodiensis Pfr.
campylauchen Boettger.
cana Helder.
canaliculata Pfr.
canalifera Rossm.
candida Pfr.
candidescens Ziegler.
canescens Parr.
capillacea Rossm.
carinthiaca A. Schmidt.
carissima Ziegler.
earniolica F. J. Schmidt.
castalia Roth.
castanea Kust.
cataphracta Parr.
cattaroensis Ziegler.
caucasica Parr.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

DESIRABLE GOODS

To be found at the

WMatural Historp Store

=O ———

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,

Successor TO SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

PROVIDENCH, R. I.

From Washington Territory.

vii
471. DuskyaGrouse:.i..-:.. epee oud) to 4200
473b Oregon Ruffed Grouse........ 4 00

527 Red-breasted Snipe, (spring
jo RUCTNE YE?) Cato OMA ORIG 2c070C 1 00 to 1 25

529 Knot; Robin Snipe (spring
PlUMATE)ecicie: -c. «1-'> feted 1 25) to’ 1 50

5389a Red-backed Sandpiper (spring
JUIN YA AG GOMOOE REED 40.000 1 25 to 1 50
d41a Western Sandpiper........... 1 50 to 2 00
543 Marbled Godwit.............. 1 25 to 2 00
553 Wandering Tattler............ 5 00
559 Hudsonian Curlew............ 1 50 to 2 00
662 Glaucous-winged Gull........ 4 00
' 701 Short-tailed Albatross (young) 7 50

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46a California Chicadee............ 60 to 75 10) Sage Mihrashen, cya etre. 1 00 to 1 25
86a Lutescent Warbler............. 60 to 85 15 Curve-billed Thrasher ........ 1 75
96 Audubon’s Warbler............ 60 to 75 a) COLCUUIS V/A obo nnbanoaDovooue 75 to 1 00
105 Black-throated Gray Warbler. .- 1 00 86 Orange-crowned Warbler..... 75 to 1 00
414 Duck Hawk................--3 00 to 3 50 | 248 Texas Cardinal.............-- 1 00 to 1 25
449° Golden Eagle........... .... 7 50 to 10 00 | 484 Scaled Quail................+- 1 25 to 1 50
456 Band-tailed Pigeon........... 1 50 to 2 50 | 578 Purple Gallinule.............- il By two) IW
Wanted to Buy. For Sale Cheap,
A Collection of LAND SHELLS, espe- | or in exchange for rare Bird skins, Eggs or

cially foreign species.
Address,
Ranpom NOTEs.

Shells, Illustrated Nests and Eggs of
Birds of United States, with Text by
Thomas G. Gentry, also Transactions of
Linnean Society of New York, 2 vols.

-++SCIENCE * OBSERVER,*

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PUBLISHED BY THE

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Fifty Cents per Volume of Twelve Numbers.

Address, SCIENCE OBSERVER, BOX 2725, BOSTON, MASS.

viii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

“FOR SALE.

A CABINET OF SHELLS.

THESE SHELLS ARE ALL FRESH, LARGE, AND PERFECT, HAVING BEEN SELECTED
BY DISTINGUISHED EXPERTS, AND EMBRACE! ABOUT

600 SPECIES, AND 1300 NAMED SPECIMENS.

The Collection is rick in CYPR/E, comprising 125 species, among which are the follow-
ing rarities in splendid order: C. nivosa, aurantium, exusta, Scotti, thersites, tessellata,
and umbilicata.

Among the MURICES are M. Sauliw, palma-ros, and tenuispina.

Among the OLIV are O. angulata, maura, Melchersi, porphyria, tenebrosa, and
tremulina.

Among the PTEROCERA are fine P. aurantia, millepeda, multipes. and elongata.

Among the STROMBI are remarkable specimens of S. guttatus, latissimus, and
melanostomus.

Among the VOLUTA, the princes of the mollusca, are V. fulgetra, junonia, im-
perialis, magnifica, reticulata, and Rossiniana.

SPONDYLI, CONI, HARP, CHAM, and TRITONES are well represented,
and among the Gems of the Collection are a magnificent

ROSTELLARIA RECTIROSTRIS,

AN EXTRA. LARGE AND FINE HARPA IMPER Rie
A FINE*SPONDYLUS: PIETORUM

And an equally good Chama Lazarus, and a perfect Ranella pulchra.

A printed Inventory, alphabetically arranged, with values appraised much below the
original cost, can be obtained by persons contemplating the purchase of this collection,
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AT His NATURAL HISTORY STOEe
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x RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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+ @ >
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SealpelvalliSteell..acigey- aes cccvaine eusoree $0 60 | Egg Drill, long handle, D=O2 irs 6 cisle selene $ 25
Sealpelvebony handleterecness. sce cee eee 75 5-O2)rs 0 colar 35
SCISSOVs;; DESts cnc eee set Ae ce osc ois 1 00 ce “s 6-32 ssid 0) ae eee 50
BONG SNIPS ose ermeermermets ce reriseel 1 25 eS os SEBVnoOn DoCsaeds6 75
SPLINE HOTCEPS <j. Beeteaeeiceiete ele eince a's 7A ss 16-32). aio cs nterateeee 1 50
Curved Needles, each, 10c , 3 for.... .... 25, |\ Blow-ptpe; nickelee: «a5... s: ek ee eeee 25
Fine wire for fastening bill, per oz... ... 10 | Embryo Scissors, very fine...... ... ws. 1 50
Tags, with strings, per 100, 12c.; per Dry Preservative Arsenic and Alum, per
DOM O Repti ss oterce ais: « rerepeee persevere a ate ehccetaten the: overs 1 00 lb. 25¢.3 per L0Tbs........:. ..c eee eee 2 00
Egg Drill, fine, short handle, each, 15c., Arsenical Soap, per lb. in glass bottle... 50
dete (| (y4nee Ap ORe S35 Joe Sond 4abe oneee 1 50 Poisons are not Mailable and not Prepaid.
CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No. 1.. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring
HOrceps; elsonp Stuilerss... c= ste castle cleeeee oe ete onic 5 eee ee $5 00 prepaid.
No. 2. Same as above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and
Nickel Blowepipes.é:s «ieee a% a1 wis Sete oats omen ek eenien a eo eee 6:50 eee

These cases are of wood, with places fitted to each instrument, and are made strong and
durable.

This size, per 100, 30c.; per 1,000, $2.50, post-paid.
a]

Locality,

DOs. eee 2 Rae SRM. ree
Set Mark,

AW Drying Paper, per dozen sheets...... $0 15
This size, per 100, 20¢.; per 1.000, $2.75, post-paid. 6 HOORsheetsinc acne 1 00
Mounting Paper, per sheet, 2c.; pex
GOZEN! 2...) Mepeia st ts's «Sales a ee 20
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Genus Covers, each 4c. ; ; per doz. 40e. ; :
per lOO) < sirresterteice-c ats siete cle) ccc aoe 2 75
Collecting Rack, or Press, of ash
slats, copper fiveted....). <: Ree 1 25

cola Can, heavy tin, 16x7x4k. 1 50
ple bb rdlsyox< 3. 1 25

Random Hotes on

Natural History.

pol TTT.

PROVIDENCE, MARCH 1, 1886.

No. 8.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Dotes on Yaturat History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE- |
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
BotTany. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

Address all communications to

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.1I., U.&. A.

TurouGnH the politeness of the author
we are in receipt of the Bulletin of the United
States National Museum, 29. ‘+ Results of
Ornithological Explorations in the Comman-
der Islands and Kamtschatka.”” By Leon-
hard Stejneger.

We have never studied a similar report
with more interest and satisfaction. Asa
collector and observer the author has been
indefatigable, reporting with exactness, in
the species described, the fresh colors of
bills, irides and feet, about which the dried
skins available to most of us can give no
idea. Beside the absolutely scientific in-
formation, there is much of general interest.
We have taken the liberty to reprint else-
where a portion of the article on the Tufted
Puffin, Lunda cirrhata.

Waite collecting this last season in an
old ravine almost impassable from fallen
rocks and the wild rose, a Rock Wren,
Salpinctes obsoletus, flew out of a hole in
the bank which was nearly perpendicular.
Upon scrambling up to it I discovered as
beautiful a piece of bird architecture as it
was ever my fortune to behold. The nest, |
which was in the hole, contained four young
and one egg. On the outside the sand was
levelled off so as to forma shelf about a |
foot in diameter. It was nicely levelled
off and paved with small flat stones about
the size of an old cent, laid to fit one an-
other in a wonderfully artistic manner, re-
minding one of the map puzzle with which
we were all familiar in our boyhood. I
have discovered one nest before, and that
was situated in a similar position, but had
no such outside decorations. |

Wa. G. Siru.

The Stone Chat. Saaicola enanthe, No.
21 of the Ridgeway list, is the Wheatear
of Europe, and net the Stone Chat, Pra-
tincola rubicola.

The European Titlark, Anthus praten-
sis, No. 72, is the Meadow Pipit, and this
name should be adopted here as they have
another Titlark, the Tree Pipit.

The Yellow Wagtail, Budytes fiava, No.
70, is their Grayheaded Wagtail.

Bete os

“Toporok” Tufted Puffin.

(LUNDA CIRRHATA) PALL.

From U.S. N. M. Bulletin, No. 29.
[Resultsof Ornithological Explorations in the Com-
mander Islands, and Kamtschatka. Ly Leonhard Stej-
neger. |

Tue ‘* Toporok” (plur. ‘* Toporki”),
together with the ‘‘ Are” ( Uria arra),
is the most numerous of the many species
of the Alcide on the islands, and as both
are also the largest in size, they become of
eminent importance to the natives as
sources of fresh meat. This is especiaily
the case on Copper Island, the area of °
which is more limited, and where the inhabi-
tants have fewer facilities for preserving
the meat of the fur-seals slaughtered during
the short season of the summer. ‘To them,
the adults, young, and eggs are the most
welcome additions to their bill of fare, and,
indeed, I myself was very often gratified by
a good meal of fried ‘*'Toporki,” for the
meat, although very dark, is by no means
distasteful. I remember occasions when I
thought I had never eaten anything better,
when fur-seal-tongues and toporok-breasts
were esteemed higher than deer-tongues
and goose-breasts are to-day.

But it is not only for food that these birds
areused. Theskins are carefully flayed off,
and made into wide and long, very warm
and nice garments, the so-called ‘‘ parka,”
with the feathers turned inside. About
fifty skins are required for one ‘‘ parka.”
In order to remove the fat from the skins,
they are chewed over and over again by the

18 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

women and children until all the fatty mat-
ter has been chewed out, that being their
method of tanning. These ‘‘parki” are
rather easily torn, but are extremely warm
and light, as I can testify fron my own ex-
perience. Dressed in one I could go driv-
ing in a dog-sledge in the severest cold with-
out feeling any inconvenience, and its light-
ness would allow me to keep it on when
strolling about, away from the sledge, hunt-
ing ptarmigans or other ornithological and
gastronomical objects.

The yellow feathers of the long ear-tufts

are in great demand for decorative purposes. —

The seams of a fine ‘‘ Kamlejka”’ (rain coat
made of seal-guts) is often tastefully adorned
with them.

With the beginning of May these birds
commence making their appearance on the
coasts of the islands, looking out for their
old homes, but for a while they stay mostly
on the water, not far from land, until the
nests are taken possession of in earnest,
which happens about the beginning of the
second week of June.

The natives, heartily tired of their winter
food, the salted seal meat, look forward to
the arrival of the Toporki with great impa-
tience, and as soon as a sufficient number
are observed in the neighborhood of the old
rookeries parties start off in order to catch
a good supply for food and clothing, advan-
tage being taken of the peculiar habits of
the birds.

I shall in the following attempt a short
description of such an excursion :

On a bright afternoon in May—and at
that season really some fine, bright days
occur, even on the Commander Islands —
we started, a gay picnic party, consisting
mostly of Aleuts and their wives or lady
friends, for the small island Toporkoff,
about three miles off from the village.
During our passage out only few birds were
seen, as it was no ‘‘land day,” but I
was assured that they would be in on the
following morning. The Toporki and their
allies show during this season, previous to
the breeding, the peculiarity of appearing
regularly, as it seems, in great abundance
near shore on one day, while next day they
have all disappeared, staying away on the
high sea for two days, when they again take
a ‘‘land day.” The natives had calculated

that the following day would be such a
regular land day.

The afternoon passed pleasantly ; some

| were out fishing, the younger members of

the party were playing ball, while I was
busily engaged in securing specimens of
Troglodytes pallescens, Acanthis linaria,
etc., besides odds and ends of plants, in-
sects, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Toporkoff, which has received its name
on account of being a rookery of the
‘¢ Toporki,” is a small island consisting of
a level plateau about 30 feet above the sur-
face of the sea, rising abruptly from a 50 to
200 feet broad, sandy or rocky beach. The
upper surface of the plateau is covered with
a thick, hummocky sod, which in every
direction is perforated by the numberless
holes dug by the ‘‘ Toporki” and used by
them for dwellings to rear their young in.

Water birds were rather scarce near the
island, though at a distance large flocks,
like black patches, were seen resting on the
sea. Now and then a solitary Torporok
would cross overhead in its straight flight ;
afewcormorants (Phalacrocoraa pelagicus)
aired their wet wings on the outlying rocks,
stretching their long necks in all directions ;
noisy gulls (Larus glaucescens) flew up and
down, screaming and scolding at the intru-
der.

Evening set in, and the picnic party re-
turned, leaving us men with the bajdarkas.
Toporki crossed the island more frequently,
but not in such numbers that it was thought
worth while to try catching them. A camp-
fire was started for the preparation of the
tea, and soon the indispensable ‘‘ samovar”
was humming its cheerful tune. My Aleuts
were unusually silent and dull, and we
soon crept into the hull of the bajdarkas, a
snug and rather comfortable bed, though
smelling considerably from seal-oil, that
peculiar smell which characterizes almost
everything on the islands, and to which the
outsider will have to adapt himself if he
wants to feel comfortable during his
sojourn on the seal islands.

The ornithological spectacle at daybreak
the following morning was quite different
from what it had heen the foregoing day.
Hundreds and thousands of Lunda cirrhata
crossed and recrossed the island, coming
from all directions, and disappearing on

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

19

the opposite side in order to return again
and again. A wonderful sight! The black
birds, with their conspicuous white face-
mask, the long and floating yellow ear-tufts

bent like the horns of a ram, and the large- |

green-and-red-colored beaks and red legs,
looked more like fantastical creatures of the
tropics than inhabitants of the less extrav-
agant north. Their flight seemed to have
no particular aim except to view and review
the spot where they were going to take up
their summer abode, for they flew singly
upon their straight courses, noone taking
notice of the others. Like black specks
they rose from the horizon heading for the
island; the nearer they came the bigger
they grew, until they passed over us, disap-
pearing as specks again on the other side,
and when first started nothing seemed to
be able to bring them out of their straight
course. These clumsy looking, puffy birds
possess, nevertheless, a very rapid flight, so
that at the first acquaintance one is rather
apt to shoot behind them, but they do not
rise very high in the air, especially when
passing over the upper plateau of the island.

The natives take advantage of these
peculiarities, and their device for catching
the Toporki is based upon the apparent
difficulty of the bird to make a sudden turn
in its straight flight.

A piece of wide-meshed net-work
stretched on a hoop, about four feet in
diameter, fixed to a light pole, 10 to 12
feet long, is the instrument used in catch-
ing the Toporki, by suddenly throwing it in
the way of the bird, who flies directly into
it, and thus falls to the ground and is cap-
tured.

When I turned out the Aleuts were
already in their places waiting for the rush
of the birds, which had not yet begun.

the island, seated on the edge of the bluff.
Their immovable figures, wrapped in the
warm ‘‘ parka,”’ or the lighter ‘“‘ kamleika ”
were clearly visible against the gray west-
tern sky, and now with the dawning day we
discern the net at their side, but what is more
surprising, each one surrounded by a small
flock of Toporki. These stretch their necks
and point with their bills straight up in the
air in quite an unaccountable manner,
remaining so long in that rather unnatural
position that we become suspicious. A

| like those of our domestic turkey.

closer inspection reveals that these are only
decoys, empty skins held in position by a
stick protruding between the jaws and with
the other end thrust into the ground.

Before long the sea and the horizon
become lively with birds, and soon the sky
above us literally swarmed with these red-
and-green-beaked, white-masked, yellow-
horned masses. It was ‘‘land-day” in-
deed! I only wondered that they did not
suffer collision with each other during their
airy sailing, for they were thick as May-flies
round an electric light, and flew both
straight and rapid.

When a Toporok crosses overhead of an
Aleut he suddenly raises his net; the bird,
unable to turn aside, runs into it with a
clash, falls to the ground, and in a twink-
ling is added to the heap of other unfortu-
nates with broken necks.

When full day has set in this sport is at an
end, as then the birds fly higher, and now
comes the moment for me and my gun.

To the accompaniment of the buzzing
breakfast-** samovar,” I wrote down my
memoranda on fresh colors, individual vari-
ation, moulting, etc., surrounded by hun-
dreds of specimens, selecting desirable
objects for skinning, and preparing colored
sketches of the fresh colors of bills, eyes,

| etc., before they fade away and dry up.

The eggs are white, without gloss, usually
with faint lilac spots, which are more num-
erous in a wreath around the blunt end.
Owing to the location of the nests in holes
dug in the soil, the eggs are always more or
less stained.

Tue turkey buzzard has been supposed
to be a silent bird. Mr. Burroughs men-
tions a roosting place at Red Rock near

| Washington, D. C., where great numbers
They were scattered pretty evenly around |

Their actions are much
Perch-
ing upon the limb, they walk along, and
when a suitable place is found they make a
peculiar noise, like that of a cow blowing
through her nose on lying down ; this is the
only noise he has observed from this bird.
A few years ago, in early spring, as one
of these birds was flying about fifteen feet
above my head, I heard it make a noise ex-
actly like the cluck of the domestic turkey-
hen. JoHN H. STEELE,
Pottstown, Penn.

perch for the night.

20

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
No. XII.
Castanea — Tur CHESTNUT.
THe common chestnut tree, Castanea

vesca, is closely allied to the oaks, Quercus.
It is abundant in Rhode Island. Many of

the rocky hills and ridges in Providence and |

Kent counties, are still growing large lots
of chestnut trees.
the stumps of felled trees, and grow very
rapidly. A growth of twenty-five years

They sprout readily from |

will give two or three cuts large enough for |

railroad ties. There are numerous lots in
the state which have been cut several times
and the latest growth is still vigorous.
The soil of the state, in general, is well
adapted for producing this tree. It will

flourish well in light sandy, or gravelly |

soils, but does better upon rocky hills where

the roots can penetrate the crevices, or |

anchor themselves among the stones. It is
a stately tree when fully grown. Sixty to
eighty feet is not an uncommon height in
the forest, where it grows without limbs,
except a few short ones atthe top. In open
grounds it spreads widely, growing in fav-
ored situations to large size.
trees will call to mind single specimens now
standing, having bodies from fifteen to
twenty feet in circumference, near the
ground, and from fifty to eighty feet in
height. The spread is often as great as its
height. At the distance of an eighth of a
mile or more, the tree has a_ peculiarly
sturdy appearance. The limbs are large
and stiff, the whole top appearing as though
it had been under the gardener’s shears.
This characteristic alone will enable one to
identify the tree at a long distance.

Observers of |

The bark of this tree is thick and firm, |

on young trees smooth, brown in color,
with a greenish tinge; but from ten or
twelve years of age, dividing by long fur-
rows, growing deeper and wider with age.
On old open, grown trees, the bark is very
rough and thick.

The leaf of the chestnut is conspicuous
for its large size, its prominent parallel
veins ending in long bent points, separated
by large curved indentations. The leaves
are of a lively polished green above, paler
beneath, turning to orange or buff color in

autumn. The foliage is

abundant and —

noticeable for the radiated tufts of leaves.
near the ends of the branches.

The male or sterile flowers are in bunches
of stiff catkins, long as the leaves, very
conspicuous, emitting a profuse, und to
most people a disagreeable odor. ‘The
flowers are arranged in groups along the
stalk of the catkin. The fertile flowers are
in little bunches in the axils of the upper
leaves, afterwards developing into burrs con-
taining the fruit. ‘They are seen single, or
two or more near each other. The fruit is
too familiar to need description.

The fruit as grown in Rhode Island, is
generally smaller and inferior to that grown
farther from the sea-coast, although it is
sometimes abundant.

The wood, although containing only about
one-half the heating power of hickory, is
valuable for charcoal, and makes excellent
kindlings. For timber, as applied to vari-
ous uses, it is of great value. The grain is
handsome in furniture, itis very durable and
is sufficiently tough and elastic for many
uses. But few native trees will grow to a
size fit for use so quickly. A natural chest-
nut forest ground is a valuable piece of
property. The crop is sure of growth,
certain of sale; and many now sterile, ut-
terly profitless tracts of New England land
might be planted with chestnuts with cer-
tainty of good pay for the labor.

It may be mentioned that the Spanish
Chestnut, so called, is not regarded as a
different species from our own, although the
fruit is much larger, and also greatly infe-
rior in quality to ours. The Spanish Chest-
nut is largely cultivated in southern and
central Europe, the fruit forming an impor-
tant article of diet for the poorer classes of
people.

The dwarf chestnut of the central and
southern states of our own country, is a
mere shrub, there being but a single oval
nut in a burr, which is very sweet.

The writer would suggest that orchards
of our native chestnut trees, planted from
the best varieties (and they differ much in
size and quality of fruit) might prove as
profitable an investment as orchards of
some other fruit trees.

PROVIDENCE will soon celebrate, at con-
siderable expense, its two hundred and fif-
tieth anniversary. Still we have not a pub-
lic museum or art gallery.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

21

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.
Noumser XVIII.

2. OrpdER Uropeta. We now come to
the tailed Batrachians, the so-called sala-
manders, newts, efts, and tritons. ‘These
animals differ from the frogs in possessing,
through life, a well-developed tail, which
often exceeds the body in length. It will
be remembered that the frogs had a tail at
a certain period of their lives, though this
became resorbed as the animal changed
from young to adult. The salamander, then,
represents the more imperfectly developed
frog, and is hence regarded by evolutionists
as holding an inferior position. To this
branch but little attention hasbeen given by
the naturalists of the state, and there is con-
sequently but little material collected on
which to work out the native forms. The
writer trusts, however, that a brief descrip-
tion of the more common representatives,
will result in interesting those who have op-
portunities for working out more definitely
what we ought to know about all.

1. Diemyctylus miniatus Rafinesque. The
common Salamander or Newt is one of
those forms which presents so great a
variety of form and color, that naturalists
have often mistaken specimens of odd ap-
pearance for representatives of new species,
resulting in a most confused state as re-
gards the animal’s real name. Salamandra
stellio and S. symmetrica have given place
to the name adopted above; while a form
long considered to be a different species,
Diemyctylus viridescens, has lately been
shown to be only an extreme variety.

The common Salamander is abundantly
found in all parts of the state, and is
the most common representative of the
order. In length it is about three inches,
and is generally dull olive-red above,
and yellowish red below; the whole body
being more or less covered with small
black dots.
red spots which are very characteristic.
The tail is provided with a fin of considera-
ble size, the upper part of which is devel-
oped in the males at certain periods of the
year into a high crest. The bright colors,
attractive habits, and the ease with which
it can be domesticated, render this form one
of the most popular pets, and is often to be

Along each side is a row of

seen in the aquarium of the amateur natur-
alist.

The time for this animal’s appearance
is now almost here, though it can be
secured at almost any time of the year.
That it can well endure the cold is appar-
ent, for specimens are often captured late
into December, and the writer has several
times observed them, as they crawled
about on the decaying sedges of some
muddy pond, long after ice had covered
them over. When thus moving about they
were evidently in search of food, possibly
for some small fresh water mollusks or lar-
val beetles. In the warmer weather, they
are often to be seen in numbers, under cul-
verts and in slow running streams, and not
infrequently some adventuresome one
crawls away from the water to forage on
the abundant insect life, which is to be
found among the bits of decaying twigs and
leaves of our damp forests. When thus
surprised it seldom makes any effort to es-
cape, and on being handled only continues to
gulp down air, as though in that lay its only
hope of salvation. Early in the spring the
males, adorned with far gayer colors than
usual,and with a most remarkable expansion
of the tail, begin their courtship. The eggs
of the female are much like those of the
frogs, being deposited in clusters, attached
totwigsor to grass. Each egg is surrounded
by a mass of glairy substance, which
expands in coming in contact with the
water, and both serves to protect the eggs
from external injury,and is devoured by
the young as food.

After the mating season is over with, we
are told by Col. Nicholas Pike, that
‘* both sexes leave the water and hide,
without feeding, under stones and tussocks.
The young of the second year sometimes
leave the water for months together and
secrete themselves in damp places. When
droughts occur and the ponds dry up I
have often dug them out, all huddled to-
gether, more than a foot below the sur-
face, and where the clayey ground has been
so parched that they are unable to burrow
they are often seen several together, dead
or dried up.”

Mr. A. H. JAmMRACcH, prominent in Lon-
don, Eng., as a dealer in specimens of nat-
ural history, died Nov. 14, 1885, aged forty-
four years.

22

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXVI.

84. Zontres (PuNcTuM) miINuTISsIMUM, LEA. |

Suet broadly umbilicated, sub-globose,
reddish horn color, shining, marked with
strong transverse striz and microscopic re-
volving lines ; whorls four, convex ; aperture
sub-circular, oblique ; lip simple, acute.

This species was first found in Cincinnati,
O., and described by Mr. Isaac Lea in
Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 1x., 17, 1841.
has since been found in Maine, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, and New York. It is
the smallest land shell in America, perhaps
the smallest in the world, its diameter being
only four one-hundredths of an inch.

Mr. E. S. Morse proposed a new genus,
Punctum, for this species, in 1864, as the
buceal plate differs from all other species of
Zonites. The jaw of all the others consists
of one solid plate, while that of this species
consists of sixteen distinct pieces. P. min-
utissimum is the only species of the genus.
Tryon in his Structural and Systematic
Conchology, ut., 25, 1884, places it under
Zonites as a sub-genus.

Family Helicide. An enormous family of
land snails containing a great number of gen-
era and several thousands of species. ‘The

_group names in the same manner.

after leaving out more than five hundred

_species of Nanina, and many more of
| Zonites, gives the number of species of He-

lix as thirty-four hundred, which he divides
up into forty-seven sub-genera, each with
numerous sections or groups. I think the
use of the term helix should be abandoned
altogether. Many conchologists are in the
habit of using the sub-generic names in a
generic sense, and even the sectional or
I pro-
pose in these papers, and also in a work on
the genera of shells which I am now
engaged in writing for publication, to drop
the term helix altogether and to use the

: larger groups, such as Mesodon, Patula,
|

Polygyra, Stenotrema, etc., in a generic
sense, and the others as sub-genera. Of the

‘above thirty-four hundred species, only
/about one hundred and twenty-five inhabit

'expansion of the lip.

following description, however, applies to |

all its members. Shell external, usually
well developed, and capable of containing
the entire animal; aperture closed by a
layer of hardened mucus, (minutely perfo-
rated opposite the respiratory orifice), dur-
ing hybernation, which takes place in cold
regions in winter, and in hot countries in
summer. The principal genus of this fam-
ily is called Helix, meaning a coil. The
original Helix of Linné included all sorts of
land and fresh water shells and has been
restricted more and more by every author
who has written on the subject since his
time, until after dropping off genus after
genus, making new ones out of the species
of the old helix, and even whole new fami-
lies, there were still some thousands of

the United States, and only eight are known
to inhabit Rhode Island.
Genus Mesopon Rar., 1831.

Shell large, sub-globose or orbicularly
depressed ; aperture rounded lunar; peris-
tome white lipped, sometimes dentate on
the parietal wall, and sometimes on the
basal margin, whorls five or six, regular ;
umbilicus partly or wholly covered by the
Generally of a uni-
form pale horn color.

This genus is found only in the United
States. There are twenty species, two of
which inhabit Rhode Island.

85. MESODON ALBOLABRIS, SAY.

This species, the largest in size of any of
our Rhode Island land shells, is found
everywhere in dark, hard wood forests from
Canada to South Carolina, and westward to
Nebraska. It is universally distributed

' within the above named limits, and is a

very handsome, well proportioned shell.
It was first noticed by Mr. Thomas Say,

the first and greatest naturalist of America,

and described by him as Helix albolabris,
in the American edition of Nicholson’s
British Encyclopedia of Arts and Science
published in Philadelphia, 1816, in the fol-
lowing words :

‘¢‘Shell thin, fragile, convex, imperforated
with six volutions, whorls obtusely wrinkled

across, and spirally striated, with very fine

species left in 1834, when Gray separated |

the genus Nanina.

impressed lines, a little waved by passing

The latest authority, | over the wrinkles, both becoming extinct

ee a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

toward the apex, whichis perfectly smooth ;
aperture lunate, not angulated at the base
of the column, but obtusely curved ; lip con-
tracting the mouth abruptly, widely reflec-
ted, flat, and white. Breadth one inch.”

The animal deposits its eggs in May or
June according to locality, in the light
mould by the side of logs and rocks. If
these eggs are taken and kept in a warm
room, we can raise them, and thereby
obtain more delicate and symmetrical shells
than those found in the woods. The eggs
hatch in from twenty to thirty days, the
young snail being provided at birth with a
shell of one and a half whorls. They make
their first repast on the pellicles of the eggs
from which they have just emerged. They
will eat a mixture of flour or meal and water
and are very fond of young cabbage or let-
tuce leaves. Care must be taken to keep
the full light of the sun from them and to
give them plenty of air and moisture.
They attain their growth in two years, or
much sooner if a little powdered chalk or
other preparation of lime is mixed with
their food. When about half grown they
can scarcely be distinguished from the next
species, the umbilicus being open, and the
lip sharp and thin. When they have
arrived at maturity, the lip thickens and is
reflected over the umbilicus, which it com-
pletely covers.

Like all other land snails in temperate
climates, they cease to feed in October, and
select a place under some log or stone, and fix
themselves mouth upwards. They then with-
draw their bodies within the shell, and hav-
ing secreted a thin transparent membrane
with which they cover the mouth of the
shell, thereby excluding the rain and cold,
they lie dormant until the next spring,
when, as Gould says, ‘* they break down
this barrier and enter upon a new campaign
of duty and pleasure.”

In watching these animals in captivity, I
have noticed that whenever the earth in
the bottom of the dish in which they were
kept, became dry, they would always retire
into their shells, and having stretched across
the aperture their thin glistening membrane,
they would lie dormant until supplied with
the necessary moisture. This they would
do at any and all times of the year ; although
being kept in a warm room all winter,
they did not hibernate as they do in the

23

woods. Probably they do the same in sum-
mer in their native haunts, for the best
time to find them is just after a rain.

Though timid and evidently frightened
when first taken, they soon become accus-
tomed to being handled, and love to be
bathed and fed with fresh leaves; and
while feeding so transparent is the body of
the animal, each particle of food can be
seen passing from the mouth, over the top
of the head between the tentacles, to the
stomach. While eating, a peculiar nipping,
rasping sound is heard, caused by the den-
ticles or teeth of the snail tearing its food
in pieces. The teeth of all mollusks are
situated on their tongues. They are very
numerous, and are placed in rows; they
are pointed and recurved, or turned back-
wards. The tongues of the molusca are
very interesting to microscopists. By leav-
ing the animal in a weak solution of potash
for a few days the body will completely dis-
solve, leaving only the tongue, which is
about one quarter of an inch long and one-
eighth of an inch wide in this species. The
number, size, and shape of the teeth differ
in each species. In Mesodon albolabris, or
the white lipped snail, the number is about
ten thousand.

There is a variety of this species found
sparingly in some of the states, called den-
tata, which develops a small tooth, or rather
a calosity (for it never attains the size of a
respectable tooth) on the parietal wall. I
found only four specimens of this variety in

| Rhode Island, all of which were obtained

in Cumberland, near Beacon Pole Hill.
(To be continued.)

NOTICE.

Mr. Oriver Davie has met with trouble
and disappointment in the destruction, by
fire, of the plates prepared for his forth-
coming Hgg Check List.

The work will necessarily be delayed a
few weeks longer, but I shall have plenty
of them as soon as issued.

Two Sea Doves, Alle nigricans, were
shot near Warwick, during a storm, about
the middle of February.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Clausilia cecillei Phil.

ceylanica Benson.
charpentieri Pfr.
chia Boettger.
cinerascens Kiist.
circumdata Friw.
clandestina Parr.
clathrata Friw.
closta Boettger.
coarctica Mouss.
cochinchinensis Pfr.
cognata Boettger.
colbeauiana Parr.
colorata Kust.
comensis Shuttl.
commutata Rossm.
comparata Parr.
compressa Pfr.

concilians A. Schmidt.

conemenosi Boettger.
confinis Parr.
conjuncta Parr.

connectens Westerlund.

conspersa Parr.
conspureata Janin.
contaminata Ziegler.
constricta Kutsch.
corcyrensis Mouss.
corpulenta Friw.
corticina v. d. B.
corynodes Helder.
costata Ziegler.
costulata Janin.
costulifera MOll.
courquiniana Bourg.
crassicostata Benoit.
crassilabris Kiist.
crenulata Ziegler.
cretacea Kiist.
cretensis Mihlf.
crispa Lowe.
cristatella Kust.
cristicollis Westerlund.
cruciata Studer.
cumingiana Pfr.
curta Rossm.
cusmichi Kutsch.
cyclostoma Pfr.

cylindrelliformis Bourg.

cylindrica Gray.
eylindricollis Kiist.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA. II.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

dacica Friw.
dalmatina Partsch.
davidiana Bourg.
decipiens Rossm.
decolor Kiist.
decorata Kiist.
deltostoma Lowe.
densestriata Ziegler.
denticulata Olivier.
derasa Mouss.
detersa Ziegler.
dextrorsa Boettger.
diaphana Kiist.
diminuta Parr.
dimorpha Kiist.
diodon Studer.
dipolauchen Boettger.
discolor Pfr.
disjuncta Mortill.
dissipata Boettger.
distans Pfr.
distinguenda Moll.
divergens Kleciach.
dohrni Pfr.

dolosa Parr.
dominicensis Pfr.
dotzaueri Kiist.
draparnaldi Beck.
dubia Drap.
duboisi Charp.
dunkeri Pfr.
dutaillyana Bourg.
eburnea Pfr.
ehrenbergi Roth.
elata Ziegler.
elegans Bielz.
elisabethi MOII.
eris A. Schmidt.
erivanensis Issel.
erjaveci Boettger.
eugeniz Kiist.
exarata Ziegler.

-excellens Pfr.

exigua Lowe.

exima MOll.

exoptata A. Schmidt.
expansilabris Boettger-
extensa Pfr.

fallaciosa Kiist.

fallax Rossm.

fauciata Parr.

————— ee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xi

I have now on hand a large assortment.

GREAT GRAY OWLS,
SNOWY, OR ARCTIC OWLS,

GREAT EIORNED OWLS,
BARRED OWLS, BARN OWLS, HAWK OWLS, LONG-EARED OWLS,
Short-Eared Owls, Screech Owls, Sparrow Owls, Acadian Owls, Burrowing
Owls, Pigmy Owls, Whitney's Pigmy Owls,

——_ + @~e

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, PROVIDENCE, R. I.
@ DESIRABLE & GOORS

—TO BE FOUND AT THE——

eve Sel. 31). LAW I Ga)

Successor to Southwick & Jencks,

PROVIDENCE - RI
; ES
From Washington Territory. 559 \Hudsonian Curlew.......... $1 50 to $2 00
. : 662 Yiaucous-winged Gull} aeee 4 00
9 Varied Robin “5 od OO OOD COMOOL $ 75 to 1 00 | 701 Short-tailed Albatross (young) 7 50
46a California Chicadee...... sopeace 60 to 75 |
86a Lutescent Warbler............. 60 to 85 | FROM TEXAS.
96° Audubon’s Warbler....-....... GOtOME Dn sel0in Savemohtasherecs.-s\.0- «cece 50 to 75
105 Black-throated Gray Warbler.. OOF dl sMockinow Birds te. 26 «cals steele 20 to 30
mea Dapek Hawks. s.0 0b e.68 2... 3 00 to 8.50.| 15 Curve-billed Thrasher........ 1 75
B40" Golden Eagle...2...-... 2.2. TOUR LOROOD meoo HOACUUSAWEME cscs... secon: 50 to 75
456 Band-tailed Pigeon........:.. 150 to 250 | 86 Orange-crowned Warbler..... 75 to 1 00
Ei Dusky Grouse... .22:...%.. ...26/00 to’4 00'| 177 Allen’s Rosy Finch::.......%.. no to 1 25
473b Oregon Ruffed Grouse........ ATOM 20D) “HLAlpIS@ OPALLOW! . « «- .- -iielcrcate 40 to 50
527 Red-breasted Snipe, (spring 243) Lexase@arginallsc- os <- -6 steel 50 to 75
plumace) Feoecmenetaaes «ssc 1 00 to 1 25.) 373 Golden-fronted Woodpecker.. 50 to 5
529 Knot; Robin Snipe (spring | 426 Swallow-Tail Kite............3 00 to 5 00
DIUMIA GS) Bee on ce kvaraied secre 125 to, 1p bOmm4 od). Hamnis’ pelawie-mcct- cmc... octe cies 3 00
5389a Red-backed Sandpiper (spring 488 Harlans’ Hawk. ... ... «seme 6 00
OTE E)) | a Re OGD oc cn aaee 12 atOMeDON484- Scaled Qualia se cce ccs cicteleree 1 00 to 1 25
541a Western Sandpiper........... 1 50 to 2 00 | 505° Roseate Spoonbill, adult......5 00 to 7 00
§543 Marbled Godwit.............. 1 25 to 2 00} “s “ young ....3 00 to 4 50
553 Wandering Tattler............ 6-007} 578° Purple Gallinule.............. 1 25 to 1 75

xii ‘RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

“4 FOR SALE.
Al CABINET OF SHELLS, @

x CONTAINING ABOUT *

600 SPECIES, AND 1,300 NAMED SPECIMENS,

ALL EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE, FRESH, AND PERFECT.

The Collection is rich in CYPRA®, including the following rarities: C. aurantium, eglan-
tina, exusta, fusco-dentata, nivosa, physis, Scotti, tessellata, and thersites.

Among the VOLUT4 are V. fulgetrum, imperialis, junonia, magnifica, reticulata, rossin-
jana, and rutila.

CONI, MURICES, OLIV, STROMBI, and TRITONES are well represented, and there
are fine specimens of

« ROSTELLARIA RECTIROSTRIS, =

Chama Lazarus, Harpa imperialis, Ranella pulchra, and Spondylus pictorum.

The collection will be sold for much less than its value, and a printed inventory can be ob-
tained by persons contemplating the purchase, on application to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, 258 Westminster §t., Providence, R. |.

NEARLY READY.

THe AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION OHECK-LISt

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

AND CODE OF NOMENCLATURE.

Being the Report to the Union of the A. O. U. Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of North
American Birds. Price, in full cloth, $3.00, postpaid. Address,

L. 8. FOSTER, (Afcit 2uewore") 35 Pine St., New York City.

aa@- For sale at my establishment as soon as issued.

J. A. & R. A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. I.

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM,
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

JAMES Mi7xSOUTHWICK, Successor.
PROVIDENCE. R. I.

X1V RANDOM NOTHS ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR ORNITHOLOGISTS, OOLOGISTS, ENTOMOLOGISTS AND
TAXIDERMISTS, FOR FIELD WORK.

FOR SALE BY J. M. SOUZH WICK

> @= + __—
* PREPAID. *
Scalpeltallssteel se sete state elles aie\\s <1 fein iepefe $0 60 Egg Drill, long handle, ee aa Ach G26 $ 25
Scalpelvebony handlomeyecisies «0s «oe evel 7 )t| (he io EMME LG Pnciacso55 2 =~. < 35
SGISSONS:, IDESUE coe nists, | ssl otciotersie Oe 1 00 “sg ss ue MI cf ace 50
[BOVINE (SHOU) NI GRBOBOD Hes 36 Aelaclapos Baacoun- 1 25 as + 8-B2)is eer sistekeniereate 75
Sprine: HOrceps......- seep cis sec Ose 75 ‘a Ks 16-32, <.5see eee 1 50
Curved Needles, each, 10c , 3 for.... .... 25) | Blow-pipe, nickels 2. <2 1-11. iepeeeieneenae 25
Fine wire for fastening bill, per oz..-..... 10 | Embryo Scissors, very fine...... ....... 1 50
Tags, with strings, per 100, 12c.; per Dry Preservative Arsenic and Alum, per
da QO0O Na aass. ote lok ees Deter ce crne 1008) bh2bex:=per LOM bse eeeee- eee ener 2 00
Ege Drill, fine, short handle, each, 15c., _ Arsenical Soap, per lb. in glass bottle. . 50
per doz a ela) wie} 'o'ei[e Siete patelshe ibis eicl lelelelre< «)aia'e 1507 Poisons are not Mailable and not Prepaid:
‘CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No. 1. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring
Forceps, 1 Long SUUfLeTs:-. wyacDhikee ecme cwine © sma oars (oe DER eee eee $5 00 prepaid.
No. 2. Same as above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and
Nickell: BlOwepipes |i ies vinbtais s Sele Naess Ose aes be CEE EE eee eras 6; = 50a

These cases are of wood, with places fitted to each instrument, and are made strong and
durable.

This size, per 100, 30c.; per 1.000, $2.50, nost-paid.

Locality 22 Bh ee ee 3
DOTS TA | es ak ee 2 tO

DEL MON ls |) nae an De ee PRCUDOLION, Cie eee ee 4
NOR Os NEC ES IN GEL ak eee ldentity= 2. eee
GST, Se Be ae ie, a

Drying Paper, per dozen sheets...... $0 15

This size, per 100, 20c.; per 1,000, $°.75, post-paid. 1OO"sheets's< 0s. cee 1 00
Mounting Paper, per sheet, 2c.; per

GOZON. .\: SHORES Skis n:0:e:s:~ are osciesterereeiene 20

Mounting Paper, per ream........... 4 75
Genus Covers, each 4c.; per doz. 40e. ;

Per LOO. .setaerstycle<.- -s.0 sce oss eeeee 2 Td
Collecting Rack, or Press, of ash

slats, copper fiveted...£....2,.80ne 1 25

Collecting Can, heavy tin, 16x 7x4t. 1 50
es 14x5x3 . 1 25

Pins, Klaeger’ s best, per 1,000........ 1 20
oo per 100 b Siete getetonehe 15

Random Hotes on Matural History.

Wool Til. PROVIDENCE, APRIL 1, 1886. No. 4.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Ynte 5 A ‘ As far as I can ascertain I am the only
Random Dates aes Datura History individual who has discovered nests and eggs

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DiIstRIBUTION OF USE- | of Townsend’s F lyeatcher, Myiadestes Town-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE- | sen di” On the 17th of June, 1884, I discov-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Aenean & Years ered a nest with two eggs. The old female

Pe tiad ailecithinadeations to was sitting on them, so there could be no

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, mistake as to the identity. The nest wap
Si SE ee aanane 4. USS placed in the end of an old hollow pine tree
; eG ie ‘| that had fallen in a horizontal position.

The nest was a very rough structure,
I nave just finished a much too hasty pe- | composed of twigs and needles of the pine,

rusal of the new book, Two Years in the | lined with a few dead leaves. The eggs

Jungle, by William T. Hornaday, now chief | were about one inch in length by five-

taxidermist in the United States National eighths. The ground color a very light

Museum. Its five hundred pages, descrip- | blue, splashed throughout with brick red

tive of travel in the wilds of India, Borneo, | Spots, and a few purple spots at the larger

and the Malay Peninsula, are full of reliable | end where the ground color was nearly
descriptions of the native animals, practical | obscured. The above nest and eggs I sent
advice regarding their capture and prepara- | With the femaie bird to the Smithsonian Insti-
tion for scientific purposes, with abundant | tution. About two weeks later I discovered
exciting adventures experienced in their | another nest situated in a similar position in
pursuit, withal an intensely interesting work. | an old pine that had broken off about six feet
I have taken the liberty to reprint the de-| from the ground, the top portion still lean-
scription of his first tiger hunt. ing against the old stump, and in the latter
the nest was placed. It contained four
eggs; they were just like the first. The
old female which I reluctantly had to shoot,
was on the nest. I discovered a few days
after that the rodents had been at the eggs

| and confiscated three of them; the fourth I

have yet. Both nests I took in Jefferson

County, Col., at about six thousand feet

elevation.

Some time ago I took a nest of seven eggs
of the Rocky Mountain chickadee, Parus
Montanus. They were very far advanced. I
took out three young birds which I placed
in alcohol together with the eggs, and for-
warded them to Professor Coes. He wrote
| me that they were the first that he had ever
seen, and was very much surprised to find
them pure white, as the whole of the family
lay spotted eggs. The nest was placed in an
old hollow pine about two feet below the en-
trance hole, and composed entirely of the
hair of the common gray rabbit. I took the
above i in Jefferson County , Col., at 6,000 feet
elevation. Waar. G.. Suiri.

RECEIPT FOR CEMENT FOR GUMMING LABELS
TO MINERALS AND SHELLS. — Pulverized gum
Arabic, 4 ounces; pulverized white sugar,
2 ounces ; starch, 4 drachms.

Dissolve all separately in as little water
as convenient. Dissolve starch in cold
water, then stir it into sugar water, and
then that mixture into the gum water.
Boil with great care, as burning will spoil
the whole. It is well to use a tin vessel
raised from the bottom of another vessel
containing water.

After the starch ceases to make the mix-
ture look milky it is cooked, but at least an
hour’s time will be required.

Keep in large mouthed, tightly corked bot-
tles, or when done pour into a tray cov-
ered with strong paper, spreading it
evenly over the paper, allow to dry; when
dry enough, moisten back of paper and
remove it from the gum, dry again thor-
oughly, break into fragments and preserve
for use in wide mouth stoppered jar.

26

My First Capture of a Tiger.

FROM “TWO YEARS IN THE JUNGLE.”

BY WILLIAM T. HORNADAY.

‘¢ We strolled through the Government
Forest until nearly noon, when, just as we

were about returning to camp, we heard a |

g , or ino oH oO g - A 4 =
fearful growling and roaring a few hun “habit of grasping my arm with one hand,

dred yards in advance which set as instantly
on the qui-vive. We hurried in the di-
rection of the sound, which continued at
intervals for some minutes.
Vera?’ and he replied:
ther, shall we go for it?’
on we went.

‘Presently we heard trumpeting and
branch breaking half a mile beyond us, and
then Vera said the low roaring, or growling
noise had been made by the elephants.
our way toward the elephants to have a
quiet look at them, we came to a little
nullah,* and there in the level sandy bed of
the stream was the trail of a large tiger.

‘*'The men carefully examined the huge
tracks in the wet sand, compared notes a

‘No, sahib, pan-

Lsaid: “Riger; |

On |

|
|

‘Of course’ and |

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

bank as if to keep themin practice. Veraled
the way, as usual, I followed close at his
heels, and we stole along as silently as shad-
ows.

‘*We had followed the trail about a mile,
when we came to a clump of bamboos grow-
ing in asharp bend in the stream. Vera
stopped short, grasped me by the arm, and
pointed through the clump. He had the

and pointing with the other whenever he
discovered any game, and I could always
tell the size and ferocity of the animal by
the strength of his grasp. This time he
gave my arm such a fierce grip I knew he
must have found a tiger.

‘¢ Sure enough, there was Old Stripes in all
his glory, and only thirty yards away! The

_ midday sun shone full upon him, and a

}

| est.

more splendid object I never saw in a for-
His long, jet black stripes seemed to

' stand out in relief like bands of black vel-
_ vet. while the black and white markings

moment and declared the trail was fresh. |

Then I examined it for myself, looked wise
and said, ‘Oh, yes, it is very fresh in-
deed.’ Vera looked
moment, examined the bore of my rifle
doubtfully, tried to measure it with the end

of his little finger, and finally asked me |

very seriously whether I would dare to fire
at a big tiger with that small rifle. I said
‘Yes, certainly; just show me one and
see.” I did not for a moment allow myself
to hope for such good luck as a meeting
with the animal
tracks and a shot at him, but without a

that made those huge |

moment’s delay we started to follow up the |

trail. :

‘¢ The little creek ran through perfectly |

level and very open forest. Its bed was
about eight feet below the level, forty feet
wide, and almost dry. The tiger had gone
loafing leisurely along down the bed of the
stream, walking in the shallow water every
now and then, crossing from side to side,
and occasionally sticking his claws into the

*** Nullah is an Indian term of the most compre-
hensive signification used in speaking of any channel
or water-course, and applied alike to a small river or
deep ravine, to the sandy bed of a dried up stfeam,
or a wet gutter.’-—A. C. McMAsTER.

upon his head were most beautiful. In size
and height he seemed perfectly immense, and
my first thought was, ‘Great Caesar! he is
as big as an ox!’

‘* When we first saw him he was walking
from us, going across the bed of the stream.

; | Knowing precisely what I wanted to do, I
anxiously about a_ et 7

took a spare cartridge between my teeth,
raised my rifle and waited. He reached the
other bank, sniffed it a moment, then turned
and paced slowly back. Just as he reached
the middle of the stream he scented us,
stopped short, raised his head and looked in
our direction with a suspicious angry snarl.
Now was my time to fire. Taking asteady,
careful aim at his left eye, I blazed away and
without stopping to see the effect of my
shot, reloaded my rifle with all haste. I
half expected to see the great brute come
bounding round that clump of bamboos and
upon one of us; but I thought it might not
be I he would attack, and before he could
kill one of my men I could send a bullet
into his brain.

‘‘Vera kept an eye upon him every
moment, and when I was again ready I

_asked him with my eyebrow ‘ Where is he?’

He quickly nodded, ‘He’s there still.’ I
looked again and sure enough he was in the
same spot, but turning slowly around and
around, with his head held to one side as if
there was something the matter with his left

a

ee ec ll

a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

27

eye! When he came around and presented
his neck fairly, I fired again, aiming to hit
his neck bone. At that shot he instantly
dropped upon the sand. I quickly shoved
ina fresh cartridge, and with rifle at full cock
and the tiger carefully covered we went
toward him slowly and respectfully. We
were not sure but that he would even then
get up and come at us.
for, and lay there gasping, kicking, and
foaming at the mouth, and in three minutes

more my first tiger lay dead at our feet. He |

died without making a sound.

‘*To a hunter the moment of triumph is
when he first lays his hand upon his game.
What exquisite and indescribable pleasure
it is to handle the cruel teeth and knife-like
claws which were so dangerous but one
brief moment before ; to pull open the heavy
eyelid; to examine the glazing eye which so
lately glared fiercely and fearlessly upon

every foe; to stroke the powerful limbs and |

glossy sides while they are still warm, and
to handle the feet which made the huge
tracks that you have been following in doubt
and danger.

‘¢ How shall I express the pride I felt at
that moment! Such a feeling can come
but once in a hunter’s life, and when it does
come it makes up for oceans of ill luck. The
conditions were all exactly right. I was
almost alone and entirely unsupported, and
had not even one ‘ proper’ weapon for tiger
hunting. We met the tiger fairly on foot,
and in four minutes from the time we first
saw him, he was ours. Furthermore, he
was the first tiger I ever saw loose in the
jungle, and we had outwitted him. I ad-
mired my men quite as much as I did
myself.

But he was done |

|
the brain cavity it only fractured the left
side of the cranium. However, it rendered
/him quite powerless either to fight or run
away, and he would have died very soon
'from such a terrible wound. In fact, I now
think my second shot was really unneces-
sary. Owing to the position of his head I
could not possibly have placed a bullet in
his forehead so that it would have reached
the brain, but had I been using a regulation
‘No. 8 bore rifle’ throwing a two ounce
ball, I could have blown the whole top of
his head off very neatly (!) and utterly ruined
him as a specimen. My second shot struck
one of his neck vertebrae and cut his spinal
_cord, killing him instantly, a favorite shot
with me when I can catch an animal at rest.
‘* He was a splendid specimen every way,
just in the prime of tigerhood, fat, sleek,
-and glossy. Up to that time, I could not
_make myself believe that a tiger can pick up
aman in his mouth and run away with him
as easily as a terrier does with a rat. But
when [ measured that great brute I saw and
realized just how it was done. Before
‘touching him with a knife we measured him
carefully twice, and recorded the figures in
my note book.

Fevis Trarts.
Animallai Hills, Sept. 27, 1877.

Length from tip of nose to end of
tailoverte bra. Ses eG 9 ft. 8} in:
Length of tail alone.... $7 aS HGP aes
Vertical height at shoulders..... SGT. wie
Gant a oN ie TREAD AB Seyi vs
Circumference of neck.......... am BR Bry ces

Circumference of head around the

They were totally unarmed, and |

they had seen me miss spotted deer at sixty |
yards; but instead of bolting as I should |

have done had I been in their place, they
stood right at my elbow like plucky men as
they were. What if they had been of the
timid sort? They would never have con-
sented to follow the trail of that dangerous
beast.

‘¢f paced the distance from where we.
stood to the dead tiger, and found it to be |

just thirty yards. My first was a dead
centre shot, striking him exactly in the left
eye, scarcely nicking the edge of the lid. I
had intended that that bullet should enter
his brain, but owing to the narrowness of

AWS aa eee ILS . Rae OH ace
Circumference of forearm....... LPGise SE
Wadth- of fore paw st io. 0 21a See
Weight (by standard American

Beales Me seo sie.) . eae 495 lbs.

Mr. THomas Moraan, of Somerville, N.
J., reports Bluebirds singing in his garden,
Feb. 8th and 10th, 1886.

In the vicinity of Providence, February
10th and 13th, Bluebirds, Robins, and
~Chickadees. March 11th, Song Sparrows.

March 18th, red and buff shouldered Black-
birds, white-bellied Nuthatch, Downy
Woodpeckers, with Bluebirds and Shore
Larks abundant.

28

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Destroying Caterpillars.

Durie the past year or two many inter-
esting experiments have been made and
valuable results obtained in the way of
artificially introducing disease among com-
munities of caterpillars, a sort of caterpillar
plague or pestilence which carries them off
by thousands. There is a very fatal dis-
ease which appears from time to time
among silk worms, the larve of Bombyx
mori when bred for the production of silk,
a disease which spreads so rapidly that it
frequently destroys entire broods of cater-
pillars within a few days. So destructive
has it been that it is estimated that the silk
crop in Europe is damaged by it to the
extent of many millions of dollars annually.
During the past ten years it is believed to
have reduced the income of silk breeders

!

unevenly distributed, some isolated fields
showing no trace of it, while others not far
distant were fairly reeking with death and
decay, but as the season advanced it spread
in every direction until in some districts
almost every worm perished. He says,
‘¢We can conceive something of the sig-
nificance of this disease if we imagine the
terror and dread which would seize man-
kind if such a plague should suddenly assail
human life. There would be no escape
for any, because the contagion would be
conveyed by the very food and drink by
which life was sustained.”

By dissecting specimens of the dead cat-
erpillars, the microscope showed their in-

| testines to be full of undigested food and

swarming with a species of micrococcus,
_ which appeared in the form of excessively

some twenty-five per cent., and in 1879 —

was said to be the main cause in the great
falling off in the silk crop of that year, which
was only about one-fourth of the amount
ordinarily produced. The celebrated Pas-
teur investigated this disease, and found it
to proceed from the presence of an exceed-
ingly minute form of bacteria, so exces-
sively small that it has been estimated that
it would require eight millions of them to
cover the head of an ordinary pin. When
water containing these minute organisms is
sprinkled on the leaves on which the silk
worms are fed, they are found to be rapidly
infected and capable of communicating this
pestilential disease to others with which
they are associated.
preserved in a torpid condition without loss
of effectiveness for at least a year, probably
for several years, and that without any par-

be rapidly propagated in a suitable fluid.
Throughout most of the State of Illinois
and in some parts of Michigan, it was

The bacteria may be |

minute spheres about one twenty-five thou-
sandth of an inch in diameter, sometimes
single, sometimes in pairs, and occasionally
in strings of from four to eight. He found
that these minute organisms could be read-
ily cultivated in beef broth, and that a
single drop of fluid from a diseased worm
introduced into a vessel of such broth,
would in two or three days render the whole
contents milky with myriads upon myriads
of these microscopic organisms precisely the
same as those taken from the diseased
larvee. He also found by experiment that
the disease could be communicated to other
species of caterpillars. Experiments con-
tinued during the present year have shown
that by propagating this form of bacteria
in the manner described, and mixing a
pint of a well-charged culture with a barrel
of water and syringing cabbages with this

fluid, the disease may be introduced, thus
ticular care, and when required for use can |

furnishing us with another means of defense

| against some of these injurious insects.

observed lastautumn thata large proportion |

of the cabbage worms sickened and died.

Hundreds of their bodies were to be seen |

rotting on the cabbage leaves or shrunken
and dried to a blackened fragment.
was soon brought under the notice of the

State Entomologist of Illinois, Prof. S. A. |

Forbes, a most careful and indefatigable
observer, who at once proceeded to inves-
tigate the cause of this caterpillar plague.
He found the disease at first to be very

This |

Wm. Saunpers, Canadian Entomologist.
DECEMBER, 1885.

Mica ry Canapa.— During the past two
years muscovite has been discovered in Can-
adain marketable sizes and paying quantity.
The Villeneuve Mine in the county of
Ottawa, has been worked continuously the
past year, and has produced many thou-
sands of pounds of mica, perfect in quality,
in sizes varying from sheets for stoves
up to plates 14 x 12 inches.— Canadian
Mining Review.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

29

The Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
No. XIII.
Fagus-—Bracnu.

AxtuoueH the beach, Fagus Jerruginia,
is to be found in various localities about the
state, itis by no means a common tree of
the woods. It occurs most frequently in
cool situations, especially by the banks of
streams and ponds. It is probable that nei-
ther the soil nor the climate of this region
is favorable to the production of this tree in
large numbers. Still, there are some fine
specimens of this species now growing and
the excellent qualities of the tree make it a
desirable one for preservation and cultiva-
tion. There are few better shade trees than
a well developed beach in open ground. It
has a wide spread, orbicular in shape, and
a very dense foliage which is always clean
and free from insects.
limbs low, six to eight feet from the base,
sending out numerous long, somewhat irregu-
lar arms, dividing into lithe branches and fine
spray, at sharp angles towards the ends, but
starting from the massive trunk at wide an-
gles, the lower ones becoming nearly hori-
zontal as the tree becomes well-grown.

The trunk gradually shapes itself from a
circular combination of prominent roots,
which may frequently be traced in fluted
ridges up to the limbs. The roots keep
near the surface of the ground, often in
sight, never striking deep. For this reason
shrubs rarely grow under the trees, and
herbage is scant.

The bark is thin and smooth until upon old
trees it becomes spotted, or wholly covered
with variousiy-hued lichens. Its color upon
young trees is that of lead or ashes. The
buds are noticeable for their long spindle
shape, being composed of delicate ribbon-
like scales. When the buds open, they re-
veal a number of delicate leaves from the
midst of which roundish tassels of beautiful
flowers soon develop. ‘The fruit forms dur-
ing the summer months, and is_ peculiar

In open ground it |

from the shape of its angular three-sided nuts |

inclosed in a four-valved burr covered with
fringed scales. The leaves, when young,
have a pinkish tinge and a not unpleasant
acid taste. As the leaves become full-grown,

| or budding.

only by grafting, and with difficulty.

they are of a deep-green, shining above, |

with prominent midrib, from which come |

numerous parallel veins, ending in a sharp

|

tooth. The leaves come late and are more
persistent than any other native forest tree,
often remaining on low trees until they are
pushed off by a new growth. In autumn
the leaves turn to various shades of orange
and brown. The wood is compact, with a
fine silver grain making it desirable for cabi-
net work. It is much used for chair legs and
frames, and for various tools ; also, is a val-
uable fuel. There is a makred difference in
the ‘‘heart” and the ‘‘sap” wood, the latter
being the tougher. The terms ‘‘red” beach
and ‘‘white” beach are given by lumbermen
in accordance with the predominence of one
of the two kinds of wood in the different trees.

The beach is a desirable shade-tree. <A

_ pasture beach is always a favorite with cat-

tle in hot weather. Its wide spread branches

_ dense, clean foliage, and general beauty,

make it, also, well adapted for a wide
lawn or rustic shade. Like most nut-bear-

_ ing trees it is difficult to transplant it suc-
_ cessfully, unless it is grown in a nursery.
_ There may occasionally be seen fine spread-

| temperate zone of both hemispheres.

ing beach trees in Rhode Island. Thereisa
model tree of this kind upon the farm of Engi-
neer Herbert Shedd, in North Kingstown,
The tree will flourish in any good soil ofaver-
age moisture in this region. Its range of
growth is extensive, it being found as the prin-
cipal forest tree upon large areas in the north
In
the forest it is a remarkably beautiful tree,
tall and straight, the bole tapering very
gradually, reaching sixty to eighty feet in
height with only here and there a small
branch, having branches at the top which
adapt themselves to the space given. One can
walk in a forest of beaches, upon a soft car-
pet of leaf mold, and hardly meet a shrub,
and only a few characteristic herbaceous
plants. Some of the finest forests of beach in
this country may still be seen in western
Massachusetts among the Berkshire Hills.

The ‘‘ copper leaf” beach is a ‘‘sport”
originally from Germany, making a most
beautiful ornamental tree. The ‘‘weeping”
beach also originated in Europe, and, like
all ‘‘sports,” is only obtained by grafting
The ‘‘fern-leaf” beach is the
most beautiful and graceful of all, obtained
One
of the finest trees of this kind in this coun-
try is in the grounds of the Redwood
Library, Newport.

30

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CuHaprrer XXVIII.

86. MESODpON THYROIDES, SAY.

Tus species was. also discovered by
Thomas Say, and described in October, 1817,
in the Journal of the Academy of Natural
Sciences, Philadelphia, as Helix thyroides.

It isthe Anchistoma thyroides of H. and A. |

Adams. The following is the original
description by Say: ‘+ Shell thin, fragile,
convex, umbilicate; whorls five, obtusely
wrinkled, or rather with equi-distant, grad-
ually elevated obtuse lines, and _ spirally
striate, with minute impressed lines; lips

tially concealing the umbilicus; pillar lip
furnished with a very oblique tooth.
Breadth four-fifths to nine-tenths of an inch.”
It is found over nearly the same extent of
territory as Mesodon albolabris, but is rare
in New England. The only locality where
I have been able to find it in Rhode Island,
is in the deep woods back of the so-called
copperas mine in Cumberland, between
Cumberland Hill and Diamond Hill. This
species somewhat resembles albolabris, but
is distinguished from it by its partly open
umbilicus and its oblique white tooth. The
outer lip is thinner and more delicate, the

aperture is more oblique, and the shell is |

more globose, andsmallerinsize. Western
specimens attain a diameter of one inch and
the tooth on the inner lip is strong and solid.
Rhode Island specimens are never over
three quarters of an inch in diameter; they
have a delicate tinge of pink on the reflected

Rhode Island, compared with the same

_ species from other parts of the country, are

dwarfs. ‘This remark does not apply to the
fresh water or marine species, as they are
as large and sometimes larger than those
found elsewhere. The reason is that our
soil, composed mostly of granite, is deficient
in the lime necessary for the snails to pro-
duce exuberant shells. I think if the eggs
of our M. thyroides or other species should
be taken to Ohio and raised there, they
would develop just as large and solid shells
as the natives, and vice versa.
Genus Patuita, HeLp., 1837.

‘* Shell perspectively umbilicated, discoi-
dal or turbinated, depressed, rugose or stri-
ated ; whorls gradually enlarging ; aperture
rounded, unarmed by teeth; lip simple,
sharp.”

This genus is divided into twenty-four

widely reflected, white and flat before, par- Sub-genera and three hundred and twenty-

seven species, distributed all over the world.
Three of these sub-genera are represented
in Rhode Island, and two more in other
parts of New England.
87. Paruta (ANGUISPIRA) ALTERNATA, SAY.
Syns. :
Helix alternata, Say.
‘¢ seabra, Lam., Desh., Chem.
‘¢ infecta, Pfr., Parr., Reeve.
‘¢ strongyloides, Pfr. Reeve.
‘* mordax, Shutt., Gould, Pfr., Bld.
‘* dubia, Sheppard.
Anguispira alternata, Morse, Tryon.
This shell, rejoicing in so many appel-
lations, was also discovered, and described
by Thomas Say in WNicholson’s Eneyclo-

_ pedia, 1817, as follows:

‘¢ Shell somewhat convex, fuscous, varied
or alternating with pale rays; whorls five,
striated across with raised, equi-distant,

acute lines, forming grooves between them.

outer lip, which is not seen on the solid |
white lip of the western ones, and the tooth |

is only slightly developed. Although con-
sidered the same as the typical thyroides of
Say, our shells resemble in general appear-
ance the Mesodon bucculenta of Gould
more than any other American shell. M.
bucculenta is southern in distribution and

Aperture thin and brittle, lip regularly
curved, within glossed with pearlaceous,
and when placed before the light the fus-
cous lines appear sanguineous. Umbilicus
large, exhibiting all the volutions. ‘Three-
fourths of an inch wide. Inhabits the
Middle States.” Since Say’s time it has

_ been found in every state east of the Rocky

has not been found north of Pennsylvania. |

I am very much inclined to believe our
shells are bucculenta, or rather, that the
species called by that name are only local
varieties of thyroides. The land shells of

Mountains.

Morse’s description of the New England
specimens in the American Naturalist,
June, 1867, differs somewhat from Say’s:
** Shell flattened, heavily striate, light horn

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

color, with dark brown bands arranged
obliquely across the whorls. Aperture when
viewed from below nearly circular, lip simple
and sharp, whorls six. The base of the
shell is lighter in color than the upper sur-
face. Diameter one inch.”

These shells are found all over our state
on decaying stumps and logs, but never of
size given by Morse. Even at Lime Rock
in Smithfield, where we find them crawling
over the broken masses of limestone, they
never exceed three quarters of an inch and
rarely attain that size. The difference in
size of our alternatas and those from the
west is even more striking than in the case
of Mesodon albolabris. The shells of this
species are carinate while young, that is,
they have a sharp line running around the
centre of the shell, dividing the upper from
the lower surface. ‘This line disappears at
maturity, forming a well rounded surface
and a circular aperture. Generally several
specimens are found together, thus differ-
ing in their habits from the preceding
species, which are usually solitary.

88. Paros (Discus) STRIATELLA, ANTH.
Syns. :

Helix striatella, Anth., Gld., Binn., Ad.,
Chem., Pfr., Reeve, Morse.

Helix ruderata, Adams, non Studer.

Anguispira striatella, Tryon.

Patula striatella, Morse.

In 1817 Mr. Say described a shell which
he named Helix perspectiva. The species
now under consideration was for many years
confounded with Say’s perspectiva.

Several gentlemen in Ohio, where both
species abound, had observed the difference
in the two shelis sometime previous to 1840,
when Mr. John G. Anthony published a
description of the new species under the
name of Helix striatella, in the Journ. Bost.
Soc. Nat. Hist., 11., 278. Helix perspec-
tiva is not found in New England, but stri-
atella is very common here and throughout
the United States north of Virginia, extend-
ing into Canada and British America.

It is about one quarter of an inch in di-
ameter, of a uniform reddish horn color,
depressed, convex, almost discoidal ; whorls
four, flattened above and rounded below,
with sharp elevated lines of growth, not
parallel with the whorls as in lineata, but
across them; suture distinct; lip simple
and thin; umbilicus broad and deep, ren-

31

dering the base of the shell cup shaped. It
is found about old stumps and under the
bark of decaying logs; also under leaves
near the margins of ponds.

89. PatuLa (PseupoOHYALINA) Exicua,
Srimp.
Syns. :

Helix exigua, Stimp., Gld., Binn., Morse.

« annulata, Case., Pfr.

‘¢ striatella junior, Gld.
Pseudohyalina exigua, Morse, Tryon.
This shell was described by Dr. William

Stimpson, as Helix exigua, in the Proc.
T5GSie. SACu. INGi. ist. iitew lio, S50;
The genus Pseudohyalina was founded by
Morse in 1864. In papers on the ‘* Con-
chology of Rhode Island” prepared for the
Providence Franklin Society in 1871, by the
writer, it was described as a sub-genus of
Hyalinia. Tryon in Structural and Syste-
matic Conchology, 1884, places it under
Patula as a sub-genus of Helix. Tryon’s
Manual of Conchology, 1886, classifies it
thus: Family Zonitide, Genus Zonites,
Montfort, 1810. Sub-genus Striatura,
Morse, 1864. Section Psendohyalina,
Morse, 1864.

‘¢ Shell broadly umbilicated, depressed,
pellucid, greenish horn color, marked with
delicate revolving lines, and distant, longi-
tudinal ribs, obliquely decussating the in-
cremental striz; whorls three and a half,
aperture oblique, transversely rounded ; lip
simple, acute.”

It is quite common in Maine and in Can-
ada; more sparingly in the other northern
tier of states to Wisconsin, and may be
considered as a rare shell in Rhode Island.
Its umbilicus is wide but shallow, showing
all the volutions. Diameter one-tenth of
an inch. Under the microscope with a one
inch objective, it is a most beautiful object ;
in fact, the longitudinal ribs and the deli-
cate revolving lines between them cannot
be seen unless the sheil be magnified some-
what; a common pocket lens, however, wiil
bring out the characteristic marks which
distinguish this species from any other of
our land shells.

(To be continued.)

The new Union Check-List is now ready.
See advertisement.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA.

Clausilia fausta Friw.

ferruginea Blanford.
filicostata Stolickza.
filocostulata Lubow.
filograna Ziegler.
filosa Mouss.
filumna Parr.
fimbriata Miihlfid.
fiammula Pfr.

flava Kiist.

foliacea Fir.
forbesiana Pfr.
formosa Ziegler.
formosensis Adams.
fortunei Pfr.
fovecollis Parr.
frauenfeldi Zelebor.
fraudigera Parr.
friwaldskyana Rossm.
fulcrata Ziegler.
funiculum Mouss.
fusiformis Blanford.
fusorium Mouss.
galeata Parr.
galline Bielz.
gastrolepta Ziegler.
gaudryi Bourg.
gemmulata Kiist.

genezarethana Tristram.

gerlachi MOll.
gibbula Ziegler.
gigas Beck.
glabella Pfr.
glabricolis Parr.
glauca Bielz.
glorifica Parr.
gobanzi Parr.

goldi Kutsch.
goniostoma Kiist.
gospiciensis Zelebor.
gouldiana Pfr.
eracilicosta Ziegler.
greeca Pfr.

grayana Pfr.
grimmeri Parr.
grisea Deshayes.
griseo-fusca Mouss.
grohmanniana Partsch.
grossa Ziegler.
guicciardi Helder.
gulo Rossm.
gustavi Boettger.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

III.

Clausilia hanleyana Pfr.

hasta Kiist.

haueri Bielz.
hectica Kiist.
hedenborgi Pfr.
helenz Kleciach.
hellenica Kiist.
helvola Kiist.
hepatica Kist.
hetzera Friw.
heudeana Moll.
hiatula Kiist.
hierosolymitana Bourg.
homalorhaphe Pfr.
hiibneri Rossm.
hueti Mortill.
hyperolia Martens.
iberica Roth.

idea Pfr.

impura Kiist.
incerta Benoit.
incisa Kiist.
incommoda Boettger.
inconstans Mouss.
index Mouss.
indigena Parr.
inflata Olivier.
insignis Gould.
inspersa Parr.

intermedia F. J. Schmidt.

interrupta Ziegler.
isabellina Pfr.
istriana F. J. Schmidt.
itala Martens.
itylensis Boettger.
janinensis Mouss.
japonica Cross.
javanica Bourg.
jonica Parr.

jos Benson.
josephine Boettger.
judaica Bourg.
jucunda Kiist.
jugularis Bielz.
karsteniana Shutt.
kephissize Roth.
kleciachi Kiist.
kobeltiana Kiist.
kondourana Blane.
kreglingeri Zelebor.
kriiperi Zelebor.
kiisteri Rossm.

4
:

_<_ EE ee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

~e00LOGY OF NEW ENGLAND. 8

A full and complete description of the

Eggs, Nests, and Breeding Habits

Of all the
BIRDS KNOWN TO BREED IN NEW ENGLAND.

With 323 full-size Chromo Lithographic Illustrations.
Twenty-five Plates, size 10 x 14.

PRICES:

Complete, 25 Plates and Text, One Yol., Cc ce $15.00.
Half Moroce 0, $18.00.

Tf preferred, in twelve parts, monthly, $1.50 each.

E. A. CAPEN, CANTON, MASS.

Office: Room 9, 409 Washington St., Boston, Mass,

DESIRABLE GOODS

To be found at the

Matural History Store

= Or

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,

SUCCESSOR TO SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

PROVIDENCH, R. I.
FROM PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

Cochlostyla polychroa, Sowb....$0 20 to $0 25

hydrophana, Sowb spc DOOsee 25

os metatormis, Her... 5c... 25

sf roissyana, Fer, -....--++++ ++. 20

he woodiana, Sowb .--. ........ 25

be lusonica, Sowb....-- ----.-- 25
BIRDS’ ECCS.

16 California Thrasher.... . Fegud 9 o6aqC $ 26

29 Black-tail Gnat-catcher........ peice 2) OO

141 Blue-headed Vireo.................. 75

142 Black-capped Vireo.....- ..---..+-. 1 00

207 Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow... 75

209 White Throat Sparrow......-....... 60

SOM AMETICAN) RAVEN aie oii <0 «1011» «ete eieie.eis 1 75

Ponmlexas Nichthawikete--<- 5.0 ‘emcee ee 7105

390 Groove-bill Crotophaga........-.--. 3 00

465 White-winged Dove...... ....++.++- 50

P28) Tee OIG coos dee caodemeDem coud ae 2 50

661 White-winged Gull...... .....-. «... 2 00

xV
SHELLS FROM ENGLAND.
Actzeon tornatilis.......s0. seeeee wane $0 05
Capulus hungaricus-...--...... Gaccss 10
Cardium norvegicum. ....-...-.00 «ess 10
- CCHINAGIIN =. «<<. «s+. samereniecr 10
Calyptrea clunensis ...... «2.2.4 ss.ee- 05
Ceratisolen lezumen........--+.-e0+-- 05
Cerithium reticulatum..-.......2....-.. 05
Due WAIHI obec “oogn eoadiowuos oor 05
| Fuscus gracillis .... ...... ..-2. seeee- 10
Joie, GMOS coskoe GaGob- coos: 30
VAC ina ShULLORUEMNecl1ricleimite « «)-jstkeakeletels 10
MAY AUITCLNCT CAlartsteteistets © se\fele- testes 10
| OF elliptieas «des Waste a's? ss wigteterea sie 10
| “6 subtruneata..... islets sietatareuetarate 10
Oy OO egose. pegc0s QedoeS coggac 10
Mya truncata. ....-.2.. sesscnies cane 35
INaticaraldentmeccmeceie tenia 6 llores 05
INTL UL alert Cl eetevetexei-/alevelsiolcles=(+ #10) etatetateee 05
IRinmamdiSeecmcl-ciecwilcie-.«. atten vers 40 to 75
Not mailable
Pholasicandidat..sc sores es ees cteectee ee 15
Pecten opercularis......... «+--+ ss. 10 to 25
GG OMIM Ko Ceoho coco ca ABOoos cocén: 10 to 25
Solem OVli@nas.ccce <.s0% 1 detapcaieeisi- 08
f -marg@inatus.... 1.2.6.6. eeececcces 08
Scaphander lignarius......++-+...--.- 25 to 40
Trochns umbilicatus..... ...<.-...-.0.. 05
as IVenhiepen Hoos eebe oo cs005C 05
ANAEEINNCeoo pam Sacoeoce Gpoc no. bos 05
| CY halthiGaannece cece. oo cs aimetetere vere 05
De) abl \oucocccdduatoaworc: 5 coour 05
| Thracia papyracia........secee seecee
| Utriculus obtusis...... -
MINE RA Ls.

I have purchased the collection of the late

Rev. E. B. Eddy, containing some very fine
specimens. It has sold rapidly, but very many

good things are still left.
Send in your lists of desiderata.

TRAYS.

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
size just equal one of the next. They are the best pos-
sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.
panipies by mail for five cents.

2x 146x%, per dozen.. sO) per 100s eee mate alae 65
3 xX 2x5, oy 312 Te RIE els cic ota'ste 75
4 x 3x94, a CO pao ee WME oc coopecobcane 55
Gx 4x7, aa 15 88.) TERR ere cyererets fares 1.00

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They

are too bulky to be mailed.

«4 PROCEEDINGS ++

OF THE

Newport Datural History Society,
—1884-5.—
Reports of very interesting and instructive papers

delivered before the Society. One hundred pages.
Price, 50c.

In any Quantity or any stylee GLASS EYES, ‘Sent Postage Paid.

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO ME FOR IT.

# FOR SALE. *
@ABINET OF SHELLS, @

* CONTAINING ABOUT x

600 SPECIES, AND 1,300 NAMED SPECIMENS,

ALL EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE, FRESH, AND PERFECT.

XVi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Collection is rich in CYPRA#, including the following rarities: C. aurantium, eglan-
tina, exusta, fusco-dentata, nivosa, physis, Scotti, tessellata, and thersites.

Among the VOLUTA are V. fulgetrum, imperialis, junonia, magnifica, reticulata, rossin-
jana, and rutila.

CONI, MURICES, OLIV, STROMBI, and TRITONES are well represented, and there
are fine specimens of

* ROSTELLARIA RECTIROSTRIS, «

Chama Lazarus, Harpa imperialis, Ranella pulchra, and Spondylus pictorum.
The collection will be sold for much less than its value, and a printed inventory can be ob-
tained by persons contemplating the purchase, on application to

JAMES M. SOUTHWIGK, 258 Westminster §t., Providence, R |

NOW READY.

THE AMERICAN O RNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION GHRCK-List

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

AND CODE OF NOMENCLATURE.

Being the Report to the Union of the A. O. U. Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of North
American Birds. Price, in full cloth, $3.00, postpaid. Address,

L. S. FOSTER, (Aiokie cine Wore’) 35 Pine St., New York City.

a> Now issued, and for sale.

J. A. & R. A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. I.

S2Ee. >.

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKs,

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Successor.
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

f
\

XVili RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

I have a few duplicates of the following

4

UHULAUMI
allt

ACCU
“Min

Mn (AAMT

|
(
|

Which I will send post-paid on receipt of price. Catalogue mailed on receipt of 2-cent stamp.
==

IVORY SKULL. THESE BUTTONS are made by the

Chinese of some very rare green stone.

The eye and button are all one piece.

A very rare curiosity, carved by the

Japanese. Perfect in form, and about :
the size of the engraving. Diameter, 7-16 inch, or about the size of

are the engraving.
Jac 50.
$1.50 They are extensively used by ladies for dress use
> and charms. Price each, 25 cents.
Japanese Pen Holder and a ae
Paper Cutter. Made Of ===
very hard dark wood and
finely carved. Length 8inches. Each 50 cents.

AMBER, with a gree bug im-
bedded in the centre, a hole in
\ the top so as to be used for a
|)charm. Each piece is about the

Japanese Paper Knife.

- Made of bamboo and fine-
ly carved.

Length, 11 inches; width 114 inches. Each 50 cents,

larger. Each $1.00.

TOOTHPICKS, made by the Japan-
ese, and done up in the form of an
umbrella.

Three and a half inches long.

One dozen umbrellas, 10 cents.

WALRUS TOOTH.

1% to 24% inches long.
Each 50 cents.

JAPANESE PIPE CASES,

—— Made of boneand finely carved.
Length, 8 inches; diameter, linch. Price each, $1.50.

THIS IMAGE,

OR
CHINESE “JOSH,” FISH HOOK. _
2 Made by the Alaska Indians.
TS The curved part is made of

CARVED FROM A WALRUS some very hard, tough, dark-
: colored wood, while the
TOOTH. hook or cross piece is aa /
F : of bone and about 5 1-5 &
And varies in length and form. naetien alanis fastened with |
are - 5x ees ae ees sinew. The Hookis 7 inches
) They average about 244 inches in long by 3 1-4 inches deep.

length. I have but a few © Mee
A 6 and do not know where to
Price each, $2.00. getany more. Hach $1.75.

F. WE. GiLWAM, 1122 Eighth Street, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

BONE SNIPS.

A NEW TOOL FOR TAXIDERMISTS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-
age. Can be used to cut all small wires, but will be particularly useful for breaking
bones. Length seven and three-quarter inches. Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

WANTED. RAN 9:

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
size just equal one of the next. They are the best pos-
sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.

= S 4 Samples by mail for five cents.
Nice kins or the Eggs 2 x 1146x34, per dozen. wee 10 per 100 .65

3 x 2x%, ao yy Se 2) 4g ES cae gece eee Ants
————) 4 x 3x34, as Cee ls Se in sielo alone aerate 85
6x/4x4,. ** (SPeosee. «LD oe” Peissismieebieneeoee 1.00

P as S é n g é@ r P | g ie 0 n : Bitty Or more aeaicn, at one hundred rate. They

size of the engraving or a trifie.

——eeeE——eEeEeEeE

Random Notes on Natural History.

aol Tit.

- PROVIDENCE, MAY 1, 1886.

No. 5.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Hotes on Haturat History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-

FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Borany. 50 Cents A YEAR.

Address all communications to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A.

Yelping a Gobbler.

Earty in March, before the turkeys began |

to gobble, we had taken several by lying in
wait at their roosts. But about the third

week in March the gobblers were beginning |

to make the woods ring; and one day, at
dinner, my hunting companion, Ben H
remarked to me ‘‘ I reckin we might yelp up
a gobbler this evenin’, if you want to. I
heerd one a gobblin’ right smart this mornin’
over on Brushy.” Now Ben was a native
‘* West Texican,” born and bred in the
woods, a skillful and enthusiastic hunter ;
and you may be sure his proposition was
eagerly accepted.

Setting out about four o’clock, a two-mile
walk across a rocky ridge brought us tothe
little dry creek, whose banks of dense
chaparral and cedar brake had gained for it
the name of ‘‘ Brushy.” <A favorable loca-
tion was soon secured in a thicket, in front
of which and toward the neighboring
mountain was an opening some fifty yards
across. We lay downat fulllength, propped
up on our elbows, behind the screen of
bushes. Ben laid his gun by his side, but
cautioned me to keep mine in readiness, and
when I heard a gobbler at once to bring it
to bear in that direction, that there might be
no stir when the turkey appeared. ‘Then he
took from his pocket and put to his lips a
common, slender cigar-holder, cupped his
hands about the end and sounded a won-
derfully perfect imitation of the turkey hen’s
plaintive call. At first it brought no re-
sponse; then came from away off at the

| down and gloat over

foot of the mountain an answering gobble.
The bird was apparently a half mile away.
Again the call sounded and again the gob-
ble. This was repeated several times,
the answer coming nearer and nearer, then
abruptly ceasing. Ben motioned to me to be
ready, then sounded the call again. Strain-
ing eyes and ears, soon we could hear
the click-thrrrr of wings as the turkey
‘¢ strutted”; andina few moments more he
advanced from behind a thicket on the
opposite side of the opening — tail spread,
wings dropped and head drawn proudly
back as he looked about for his expected
inamorata. The sunbeams glanced and
flashed from his feathers ; and, in my admira-
tion, I entirely forgot our purpose in sum-
moning him. Presence of mind was sud-
denly recalled by an impatient ‘‘ Humph!”
from Ben as he caught up his Winchester.
With a sharp ‘‘ Pit,” the old gobbler had
wheeled and started to rise; but my Rem-
ington dropped into position justin time, and
a charge of ‘‘ B ” sent him flopping on to his
back.

He was a splendid, huge old fellow, and,
though by no means the first we had taken,
yet we could not resist the impulse to sit
him; smooth his
ruffled plumage and pull his long ‘* beard.”

Ben asked if we should not go up the
creek and try for another. I thought we
ought to be satisfied ; so we picked up our
bird and started for home. And we were
fully satisfied before the ranch was reached,
for I verily thought that turkey could not
weigh an ounce less than fifty pouuds. But
the scales refused to go beyond twenty-four
and three-fourths ; and, after all, that isn’t
so bad for a turkey ! B.

STRANGE BEHAVIOR OF A BLUE JAy.— In
Ranvom Nores, Vol. II., No. 1, is an article
about a Jay which pounced upon an English
Sparrow and flew away with it. The writer
asks, ‘‘did he want the sparrow for food?”
I am not well acquainted with the habits of
our birds, but from what I have seen of the

34

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Blue Jay I should say he wanted the spar-
row for food.

A number of years since my attention
was called to a young chicken about ten
days old; it was said to have been killed by
one of these birds. TI left the chick and a
few minutes after a Blue Jay lit on it,
pecked and tore at it, and soon flew with a
piece of it to its nest of young not far away.
The next day at noon I heard a chick mak-
ing quite a noise, and on going out to see
what was the matter I saw one of these

birds pecking away at the head of a chick |

which would soon have been killed had I
not come to the rescue; as it was, it died
three or four days afterwards. Since then
I have known of Jays attacking young
chickens several times. I have noticed in
every instance that the bird had young ones
about ready to leave the nest.

A. A. HINKLEY.
Du Bots, Int.

Bonemian Waxwincs.— Among several
flocks of Bohemian Waxwings at an alti-
tude of 10,500 feet, 1 secured four good
specimens March 23. One specimen had
a very fine brown hair, eight and a half
inches long, growing from each corner of
the mouth. The books to which I have
access make no mention of such append-
ages. Are they rare, or have they been
unnoted before ?

Dean W. PARK.

COLORADO.

Some Early Wild Flowers.

A? this season. when the buds give prom- |

ise of warmer days, every one turns with
longing to the woods. Even those who, in
August, are indifferent to floral beauty, and

whose eyes are at times closed to everything |

that is not practical, become quite inspired
by a spray of alder or a bud of arbutus. In
every one there is an instinct, however staled
by custom or choked by indolence, which
leads him to the forest or the meadow. One
man takes to fishing, and another to hunting,
not so much for the sport often, as for the
wild surroundings and the utter freedom.

Our country is so vast in its extent that
the flora of one region often differs essentially
from that of another. The early flowers of
Colorado, most elegant of their kind, are, as
a rule, quite unlike those of Rhode Island.

| trip:

|

So, in any sketch like the present, one must
-restrict himself to his immediate surround-

ings. Withus the earliest flowers are those
tasseled clusters which droop from alders or
hazels, or the silky spikes, beloved of chil-
dren, which protrude from willows. Pussy
willows ! we can never say too much of them.
Is it because they are associated with our own
or the second childhood, that they are so
dear? The reader will recall how lovingly
Thoreau always mentions them —his ‘** little
vegetable redeemers.”

Following these almost immediately, say

-anywhere from the 21st of March onward,

comes New England’s favorite, the May-
flower, or as science calls it, the Epigwa.
An arbutus proper it is not, but what’s in a
name? In this familiar sermon we shall not
be precise in terminology, though striving to
be accurate. Just about the city the local-
ities of this fragrant and most lovely flower
are fast vanishing. ‘To see it in full size it
is necessary to make a somewhat extended
But such a journey pays, when some-
where under oaks or pines, remote from gas,
dust, and all city abominations, the tourist
reposes on a bed of odorous blossoms.

To us, a flower that appeals more tenderly
to our sympathies, and sooner kindles the
spark of delight, is the hepatica or liverwort.
In Rhode Islandit is local, but usually abund-
ant enough when one finds it. Perhaps for
her sins, Providence is denied the immediate
approach of this blue-eyed beauty. It es-
pecially loves rocky, wooded slopes. In such
situations one will often find a whole troop
of the laughing blossoms playing bo-peep
among the leaves. It is nonsense to say
that they do not enjoy the fun. Why, just
see their bonny faces, dimpiing with sheer
merriment. To our mind’s eye comes back
even in mid-winter that old familiar boulder,

cloaked with costly emerald velvet under
| which, time out of mind, we have every year

sat and joyed in the liverworts. And those
friends who share our p!easure, who are like
them among the sons of men! Herein is
one of the delights of natural science, that

_kindred spirits may meet and revel together.

A very lovely spring flower, and we can,
in our limited space, name but a few, is the
columbine. Many a people know it, as they
do some dozen other things which are not,
under the name of honeysuckle. Its long
spurs, as every boy knows, contains honey —

‘

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

35

but this does not warrant amisnomer. Noth-|
ing in our vernal landscape is more attrac-
tive than a craggy ridge, from the crevices of
which droop the red blossoms of columbine.
The foliage is delicate and clearly cut, and |
each flower is posed as by an artist. The.
plants do extremely well in cultivation, in-
creasing in size and number of blossoms. |

Among the loveliest of the spring flowers
is the Houstonia ceerulea. It has many com-
mon names, as bluets, innocence, Quaker
ladies, and Star of Bethlehem. The last
title it shares with many other plants; it is.
only necessary for a flower to have a resem-
blance to a star for somebody to apply an
old name toit. There is nothing like our
English dearth of nomenclature. In this)
particular we have no fertility of resource.

Every one, in Rhode Island, certainly.
knows the dainty bluets. They come about
the middle of April. First, we note a few
struggling blossoms on grassy slopes or in
sunny meadows, soon to be followed by hun-
dreds of others, till finally each field seems
to be drifted full of snow. White these lit-
tle flowers appear at a distance. A nearer
inspection shows them to be ofa lavender blue
and with a yellow eye. Many, indeed, are
white, but enough are tinged to countenance
the name. They are Quaker ladies, we sup- |
pose, from their lavender bonnets. The.
plants are only a few inches in height, deli- |
cate and graceful. Before opening the flow-
ers droop on their pedals. As they expand,
each salvaform corolla is upraised. We find
groups of the bluets at slight intervals apart,
each group having the peculiarity of a par-
ticular form of the flower. ‘The next group
may be quite different. Indeed, the bluet, |
like most of the madder family, to which it
belongs, is dimorphic. The stamens and
pistils are of differing length in the two forms,
and each form is the complement of the other. |
Insects are the agents for the transmission
of the pollen.

We have heard of portions of the country
where our Houstonia is not found. It must.
be a tame and humdrum spring that omits
their cheerful faces. As well might one ban- |
ish the robin, the bluebird and the tryza.
Always we would find ourselves longing for
the New England woods. Far more dis-
tinctive of our region is the Howstonia than |
even the trailing arbutus. |

MARCH 29, 1886. W. W. BalLey. |

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER XIX.

Prethodon cinereus erythronotus, Cope,
(Plethodon erythronothus, Baird, Salaman-

dra erythronota, Green). The red-backed or

chestnut-backed salamander is abundantly
found in our damp forests, under decaying
logs and among the fallen leaves of moist
slopes. The body is much smaller than
that of the previous genus, and more slender.
The long cylindrical tail equals in length the
body from snout to the hind limbs; the en-
tire animal sometimes measuring three and
one-half inches. Sixteen to nineteen folds can
be counted between the fore and hind limbs
which represent as many vertebrae. The
general color is dark reddish brown, more
or less mottled below, and with a character-
istic broad, median dorsal stripe of a chest-
nut color, which extends from the back of the
head to the tip of the tail. The inner toes
are rudimentary. When discovered in its
hiding-place this animal makes little effort
to escape, though it may break off its brittle
tail, a member which is soon again supplied.

_ Professor Cope considers it to be nocturnal in

its habits, though it is often to be seen on
cloudy days, slowly wandering over the
mossy carpeting of our less frequented
woods. He moreover gives to it the habit of
ascending slender vegetable growths, as ferns
and grasses, coiling itself often at quite an
elevation in such a way that on being dis-
turbed, by a sudden spring it leaves its
perch and soon is hid away under some
sheltering rock. It is also able to climb
the smooth surface of a pane of glass being

_ assisted in this by its moist abdomen.

The eggs are often to be met with by one
knowing the place in which they are deposi-
ted. The cavities in decaying logs are
usuaily selected, and the eggs to the num-
ber of a dozen suspended in a grape-like
cluster. The geographical distribution of
this species is less general than that of the
previous form, being restricted to the more
eastern portions of our country. Several
varieties have been demonstrated.

36

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

No. XIV.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
The Hickory. — Carya — Carya alba.

Ture hickories, genus Carya, are represen-
ted in Rhode Island by four species: C.
alba, C. tomentosa, C. porcina, and C.
amara. The first, C. alba, commonly
known as the shagbark or shellbark, is found
in various localities in most sections of the
state, but rarely in such bodies as to form a
woods of the trees as is frequently seen of
the chestnuts and some kinds of oak.
tree flourishes well here and is highly prized,
as it ought to be, for its wood and its fruit.
It is readily distinguished from the other
hickories by its bark, fruit, and leaves.
Its form, also, as seen in the grouping of its
limbs, is, to an experienced eye, another
means of recognition.
frequently seen by walls in neglected cor-

ners and out-of-the-way places where squir- |

rels have planted the nuts. Farmers often
leave them when cutting other trees for fur-
ther growth for timber, or for their fruit.
When grown from a seedling where there
was room for a natural spread, a shellbark
is usually a picturesque object. Without
any apparent cause, the limbs divide into
several groups, separated by vacant spaces,
giving that freedom from stiffness in shape
which is the delight of landscape artists.
With a general cylindrical head they are
tall,— often seventy to eighty feet,— erect,
and firm.

grown tree, but in the forest it retains its
size to many feet in height.

The outer bark is a characteristic feature.
Upon old trees it exfoliates and hangs often
by a single attachment, in long, loose scales
of an iron gray, or dark ashen color. On
young trees the bark is smooth. The
branches are small but exceedingly tough.
The leaves which spring from beautiful
flower-like scales, appear late in the season
and expand to a length of eighteen or twenty
inches, there being usually five leaflets ob-
ovate in shape, the odd very prominent. In
autumn these turn to shades of orange, fall-
ing early. The male flowers are in long

.

The |
_ by selection and cultivation.

The hickories are |

The body is not large, two feet |
in diameter being the average for a full |

_ except at high prices.

slender catkins, pendulous, three on each
stalk, the middle one about twice the length
of the others. The fertile flowers, which
are inconspicuous, are on the ends of the
recent shoots, two to four in group. The

fruit is globose in shape, varying much in

size and quality upon different trees, and is
contained in a thick, spongy shell, which
opens by four depressed seams. ‘The nuts
are yellowish white, and marked by four dis-
tinct angles. The nuts vary considerably
in shape, size, and thickness of shell; some
are considerably flattened, and others pro-
longed at the end into a prominent tip made
by four angular ridges. The kernel is the
best of any of our native nuts. The fruit is
undoubtedly capable of great improvement
The English
walnut is naturally a small, poor, thick-
shelled nut, but has been wonderfully im-
proved by cultivation. It seems reasona-
ble to believe that the cultivation of this
tree for its nuts, might be in Rhode Island
a source of sure profit to persons who intel-
ligently pursued it. Besides this, its growth
for wood and timber would be sure for a
high money value. The wood stands at the.
head for its heating value; and its agreea-
ble odor and freedom from snapping, with
its bright livid coals, render it the most de-
sirable of all woods for an open fire. Its
uses in the making of tool handles, agricul-
tural implements, in mill work, for carriage
work, etc., are such as to make a demand
for the timber which is never fully supplied
With its excellencies
of toughness, elasticity, strength, and com-
pactness should be mentioned two defects,—
liability to warp and twist, and to decay
readily when exposed to moisture.

This species of hickory,as well as the
others named, rarely occurs north of Central
New England, but is found south to the
Carolinas, and frequently west to the Rocky
Mountains. The hickories do not occur at
all in the countries of Europe, the walnut
taking the place of them there. The hick-
ories flourish finely in Rhode Island, with the
exception of localities too sandy or swampy.

The difficulties of raising plantations of
this tree lie in their slow growth when
young, their need of protection from cold
winds until large enough to shield each
other, and the impatience of farmers in wait-
ing fora score and a half of years for a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

money return. But in four or five years a
plantation could be thinned out for walking-
sticks, always in demand, in eight years for
hoop poles, for which the supply is always
short, and later for numerous other uses,
leaving finally the ‘‘ standards” for fruit
and timber.

Exit Helix, Enter — What?

[WRITTEN FOR RANDOM NOTES |

THe Academy of Natural Sciences, of
Philadelphia, contains one of the largest
collections of shells in the world. Figures
or specimens of every known species are dis-
played therein in such a manner as to be
readily seen and easily studied; the whole
collection being artistically as well as scien-
tifically arranged in its respective classes,
orders, families, and groups. Many of the
genera have also been divided and subdi-
vided. Nevertheless, it has been deemed
advisable to retain their older standard
names as well as those of more recent coin-
age.

These later divisions are shown by printed
cards placed in certain parts of the cases,
following which are the special varieties of.
the genus to which they are supposed to re-
fer. Asarule, however, the standard generic
names or their initials are applied to all.
Among Cyprzea for instance, one division
may read ‘ Aricia,” another ‘‘ Luponia,”
another ‘** Epona,” and so on, but upon every
card on which specimens of each group or
sub-genus are glued, the original name
Cyprzea or its initial is written, as Cypraea
Arabica, C. caurica, C. cicercula, ete.
So, in the division of Helices a group
card may read Mesodon, Stenotrema, or any
one of the thousand other names given, yet
upon every specimen label may be seen the
old generic word Helix or its initial.

This is the system established by Mr.
George W. Tryon, Jr., conservator of the
collection, who is, without doubt, one of the
most practical and best informed concholo-
gistsliving. For the pleasure and perhaps
profit of a few experts, it may have been advis-
able to break up the various well-known
genera into a dozen or more varieties, each
laden with some stupendous name scarcely
worth the ink with which it is written, but
for the mass of students the leading generic

37

name is quite sufficient, saving, as it does, a
deal of confusion if notan unnecessary cram-
ming of thememory also. Perhaps not one
conchologist in a dozen would be able to re-
eall, ifasked to do so, the characters of Aricia
Arabica, or Stenotrema Leaii, though they
all would probably describe them readily
if referred to as Cyprea Arabica or Helix
Leaii. Complications in this as in all other
branches of science should therefore be
studiously avoided. But few men can
remember the names of even the three or four
hundred standard genera alluded to. What
folly then to suppose that they can acquire
an inkling of the thousands of divisional
terms suggested by recent writers.

Were Ia Verrill or a Dall I might be more
chary about airing my opinions, perhaps.
As it is, [hardly dare to hint that a large per-
centage of these innovations seem to smack
more of the gratification of personal vanity
than of a desire to benefit science.

In the light of these premises, I was not
a little surprised to notice in the March num-
ber of Ranpom Notes, that my good friend,
Mr. Carpenter, had decided to exclude the
name Helix from his forthcoming catalogue
of Rhode Island Land _ shells, preferring,
instead, such equivocal names as Polygyra,
Stenotrema, and scores of others similar in
character.

Though knowing Mr. Carpenter to be a
most thorough conchologist, I could not help
thinking that for once his judgment had
betrayed him.

Otherwise it seems impossible to believe
that he would attempt the annihilation of one
of the most familiar names known to science ;
much less that he should suppose such a
result could be attained.

A sorrowful day it will be when a hundred
ambiguous terms replace the word which
now embraces them all.

Andthen, when some importunate student
shall ask the meaning of each, how sad it
will be to hear my friend repeat the only
possible answer, ‘‘Simply a_ variety of
Helix.” Joun Forp.

PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 1886.

SraAsONABLE Nores.—The first shad of the
season taken in Warren River, Monday,
April 12. Brown Thrushes arrived in the
vicinity of Providence, April 14. White-
bellied Swallows, April 9.

38

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

90. Patruta (Psseuponyatina) Minuscuta,
Binney.
Syns.:
Helix minuscula, Binn., Ad., Reeve,

Chem., Morse.
minutalis, Morelet.
apex, Ad., Reeve.
lavelleana, D’Orb.
mauriniana, ‘*

Pseudohyalina, minuscula, Tryon, Morse.

Shell depressed-convex ; epidermis whitish;
whorls four, convex, not increasing rapidly
in diameter, with microscopic wrinkles ; sut-
ure distinct; lip simple; aperture circular ;
umbilicus large and deep, showing the volu-
tions. Diameter one-tenth of an inch,
height one twenty-fifth.

It inhabits from the Red River of the
North to Texas and Florida, in all the
states east of the Rocky Mountains.

ce
a4
oe

66

It |

has been quoted from California, Bermuda, |

Cuba, Jamaica, and Porto Rico.
lected all the land shells of Bermuda, but
never saw this species there, and do not be-
lieve that it exists in any of the islands
mentioned. It is not at all common in
Rhode Island, but is found in great quanti-
ties in the West. In Cincinnati it is very
common in the grass and in gardens. It
was described by Binney in Jour. Bost. Soc.
Nat. Hist., m1., 453, 1840.

Genus VALionta Risso, 1826.

Shell depressed, diaphanous, umbilicated,
whorls three and a half to four; aperture
oblique, sub-cireular ; outer lip white, thick-
ened, reflected.
species, all minute, and are distributed all
over the northern portions of Europe, Asia,
and America.

This genus has received other names, as
follows :
ostoma, Fitz., 1833; Circinaria, Beck.,
1837; Corneola, Held., 1837; Glaphyra,
Albers., 1850; Lucena, Mogq-Tan., 1855,
etc.

There are but three or four |
| with four whorls, the last spreading at the

Amplexus, Brown, 1827; Chil- |

Thave col- |
dens and in grass growing on the banks of

91. Vartonra Mrinvuta, Say.
Syns.:
Helix pulchella, Miill., Pfr., Binn., Ad.
Gld., ete.
‘¢ costata, var., Mill.
‘“*minuta, Say, Binn., DeKay,
Morse.
Vallonia minuta, Morse, Tryon, and
others.

It is difficult to say whether the specific
name of this shell should be minuta or pul-
chella. If the American shell is identical
with the European species, pulchella has
the precedence, as Miiller named it in 1774
and Say in 1817. It does not seem possi-
ble that it could have been accidently intro-
duced from Europe, and spread all over the

United States in so short a time as this
| country has been known to commerce, and

it seems equally improbable that the same
species should have been created in both
hemispheres, with a wide ocean between on
both sides. Itis a fact that the shells from
both countries look precisely alike, but as.
Professor Morse has examined the tongues of
many specimens of both species, and always
finds a difference in the lingual dentition,
and as it is probable that other differences
may be observed in them, I prefer to call
our American shell by Say’s name. It is
found under stones, on old walls, in gar-

rivers. I find it in Rhode Island more com-
monly on the under side of boards and rails
in damp places than in any other situation.
Dr.Perkins says it is common about the roots
of elms on the college grounds at Yale.

_ They are gregarious in their habits. I found

once, about twenty clustered together under
an old log and as many more on a board lying
in the grass at Lime Rock, in Smithfield. In
both instances the locality was very damp
and must be under water a good portion of
the year.

The shell is one-tenth of an inch in diam-
eter, white or nearly colorless, translucent,

aperture like a trumpet; the lip is white,

| thick, and reflected ; umbilicus large, show-
ing the volutions.

A strongly ribbed vari-
ety has been found in Kansas, at Cincinnati,
Philadelphia, and other places. I have
never seen any of this variety in Rhode Is-
land,-and haye none in my collection, and

| should be pleased to receive specimens

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 39

from any generous reader of RAanpom
Notes, who has them to spare.

Genus Srropita, Morse, 1864.

Shell umbilicated, globose, conic, or de-
pressed, obliquely and coarsely striated,
smoother below ; aperture lunately rounded ;
peristome thickened and reflected ; the pa-
rietal wall and base of the last whorl each
with two or more revolving Jamelle. Dis-
tribution, four species, United States, Mex-
ico, West Indies. Set apart from Helix as
a new genus, by Prof. Edward S. Morse, in
Jour. Portland Soc. Nat. Hist., 1., 26, 1864.

92.

This shell was described by Say in May,
1817, in the Jovrn. Acad. Nat. Soc. Phila.,
Vol. 1., p. 15. His description is not ex-
actly correct in several particulars.

It belongs to a genus containing but four
species, two of which are represented in the
United States : one found only in one county

STRoBILA LABYRINTHICA, Say.

of Texas, and the one under consideration, |

which inhabits all of eastern North Amer-
ica.

It is of the same size (one-tenth of an
inch in height and breadth) and general ap-
pearance as Conulus chersina, described in
the February number of Ranpom Notes ;
a globose conic shell with six volutions. It
differs from that species in having a small
umbilicus, in having oblique lines or ribs at
regular distances, distributed over its sur-

Family Orthalicid, thirty-two species,
inhabit the West Indies and tropical Amer-
ica.

Family Achatinide, sixteen genera and
over five hundred species is represented in
Rhode Island by the

Genus Zua, Leacn, 1820.

‘¢ Shell ovate-oblong, imperforate, smooth,
pellucid, glistening, dark horn color;
whorls rather convex; aperture less than
half the total length of the shell, ovate ;
columella more or less truncated ; peristome
blunt, its margins joined by a callus.”

Woodward’s Manual of the Mollusca gives
the number of species of Zua as six;
Tyron recognizes nine; Morse two, and
Binney but one, which inhabits all the
northern portions of Europe, Asia, and
America. This species was named Helix
subeylindrica by Linné in 1767, and is de-
scribed in European works on conchology
under fifteen different specific names.

Morse observes a great difference in the
lingual dentition between the American

_and European specimens, and considers our

_shell to be a distinct species.

face, instead of being smooth and polished |
as in chersina; the outer lip is thickened |

and reflected, and in fresh specimens has a
beautiful rose tint ; within the aperture on

the inner lip, are seen two parallel lamellar |

teeth, running far back into the interior of oval; lip thickened and of aclaret tint when

the aperture, and resembling a miniature
railroad track ; farther within the aperture
is a third line, only slightly raised, between
the other two. Under the microscope, these
three lamellar teeth are seen to be sur-
mounted with numerous sharp spines point-
ing toward the aperture. It is extremely

is also found on the under side of chips in
damp places.

ily of land shells, including among others
Bulimus, 323 species, Bulimulus, 545 spe-
cies, Buliminus, 350 species, are absent from
our fauna.

I have col-
lected in Rhode Island, and also in the
grounds of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham,
Eng., and I can certainly see a difference in
the appearance of the two shells. Our
species is called

93. Zua LuBRICOIDES, STIMP.

It isa beautifully transparent, highly pol-
ished, evlindrical shell, the size of a grain
of wheat, one-third of an inch long, smoky
horn color; whorls six, rounded; aperture

fresh. It is so highly polished that when one
attempts to pick one up, it slips out of the
fingers. It is very plenty in some places,
though extremely local. Say found it on the
shores and islands of Lake Winnepeg and
the Lake of the Woods. Gould found it at

: | Oak Island at Chelsea, Mass.,in incalculable
common in Rhode Island under leaves and |

numbers. It inhabits New England, New
York, Michigan, Nebraska, Canada, and

ey | British America. I find it only in one local-
All the other genera of this immense fam- |

ity in Rhode Island, under a thick bed of
leaves, on the east side of a stone wall, near
the Mesodon thyroides locality in Cumber-

land.
(To be continued.)

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA. III.

Clausilia kutschigi Kiist.

laconize Mouss.
leevicollis Parr.
leevissima Ziegler.
lamellata Ziegler.
lamellosa Wagner.
laminata Mont.
lampedusee Cale.
lanceolata Boettger.
latestriata Bielz.
laxa A. Schmidt.
lederi Boettger.
lepida Westerlund.
lerosiensis Fer.
lesinensis Kutsch.
leucophryne Parr.
leucoraphe Blanc.
leucopleura Brus.
leucostemma Kiist.
leucostigma Ziegler.
leucostoma Kiist.
liebetruti Charp.
lineolata Helder.
lishkeana Parr.
litotes Parr.

livida Menke.
longicollis Kiist.
lorraini Menke.
lowei Albers.
loxostoma Benson.
lucensis Gentil.
lunellaris Pfr.
lusitanica Bourg.
macarana Ziegler.
macedonia Rossm.
macrostoma Kiist.
maculata Ziegler.
maculosa Deshayes.
madensis Fuss.
magnilabris Zelebor.
magniventris Kiist.
mamotica Gulia.
maranhonensis Albers.
marcki Zelebor.
orsiniana Villa.
orthostoma Menke.
oseari Thies.
oscitans Fer.
osculans Martens.
ossetica A. Schmidt.
ovata Blanford.
oystoma Rossm.

J. RITCHIE, JR

| Clausilia pachychila Ziegler.

pachystoma Kiist.
pestana Phil.
pagana Ziegler.
pancici Zelebor.
parolina Betta.
parreyssi Ziegler.
parthenia Kiist.
parvula Studer.
pauli Mabill.
pellucida Pfr.
penangensis Stolickza.
penchinata Bourg.
perarata Martens.
perlucens Boettger.
perplana Boettger.
peruana Troschel.
perversa Linn.
petrina Parr.
petrosa Parr.
pfeifferi Kiist.
pheeniciaca Bourg.
philippiana Pfr.
piceata Ziegler.
picta Pfr.
pikermiana Roth.
pirostoma Boettger.
planilabris Rossm.
platydera Martens.
plicatula Drap.
plumbea Rossm.
pluviatilis Benson.
polita Parr.
pomatias Pfr.
porphyria Moll.
porrecta Friw.
porroi Pfr.
portensis Silva.
preeclara Pfr.
proba A. Adams.
proboscidea Kiist.
procera Bielz.
profuga Charp.
prophetarium Bourg.
proxima Wald.
pruneri Ziegler.
puella Pfr.
pulchella Pfr.
pumila Ziegler.
pumiliformis Boettger.
punctulata Kiist.
pustulata Kiist.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xix

eSURPPLIDS

FOR ORNITHOLOGISTS, OOLOGISTS, ENTOMOLOGISTS, BOTANISTS AND TAXIDERMISTS.

For Sale by J. M. SOUTHWICK.

ily

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SR ERREA ME EETETE VELRTACII OG cley tet» «c's <: «| l= Urata MtaYole @ictain ele! olalb[oiure:a'= slbieia'vlaytlevt ofe\c ale Ueeiew e's oo clean se esivans 75
SRS 108, [P@ioooo nosdn000 de egebap uc O00 00 DH Oo Od Endo DOOGNUU DOO DOUUGOUOOU.CUDGaDD ON EOInn oouUDoadurc 1 00
a CERES re Seren ate ctets oslo, - >< alot atargeteia aleleln a incid'<:s cle’elaiein ne sos o's Sas eevee cleise wetinesc/e.e alates 1 25
Syrntie MORE Mssessh Yoouss cage0dbe coco cdos0nDoOo DER nOdOGu danoopUuabOn cOnGonOID 60.7 706bNGCC 75
GBVOUBHOLCO DS Ee iteis ckaioleie’s = «i=: cletetemelenstelc(elere s1a/010,cloleie\'e/ sis sa e\e eos s}e) ew viexe)oleleterelele'e «:«\sicvombatelolereve cletels 1 25
(Lame SiS, IPOS soeeadames dodeadbond goo bdcounud OUD OOOO odd Docu ounoonOnOo.oJc0Dotdor 1 75
Meum lWeeZeLrs Te ACh), POT GOZEM.1.1<)e1-)er-ishere/<ie ciclele\ sicie\s e/e'elalelo\» ofels\ele\isre'cleic « » © viet dleiele\s\sielel sole 2 00
mnie NGCOLES CEAC lial OG esl OL, eyorieyatcie:aiclelehsisiciois cic aiels cle: cise lorie oleistolonslers oj sta. vials 's sbahetebarcictersien) cies 25
ER WARS MOLE AS LOTUIT Op DUI BIO OT, |OZierateyalelaeleelsi«\=ieo\o\olalal=ic/ciele\ ole] n/e\e «/a!s)e)/s/alclelele’ e/e) «ie /e) 0/eNale/ofelfelololeitielore 10
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Peer ane, short handle, cach, Aes; per COZ. 1.7. eis. coc cece we wees sc ces aves ccescces 1 50

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ba sh Ges Dieretete sl eWeeenevaye wis soe) eauslislaere raise) oral siehciatatetote oletoke tie. cre tc weic 1 orecetepenett rere eickens 50

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io Se G3 500 bye cbc pabodad do Gedo 6 CON OODEOONS RODOdOoe > DACOOREaD od o dhouDODaE 1 50
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CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No.1. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring Forceps, 1

HONORS LUO Sy LE ALCL «cer tere. sie) cieisic «Sisto! oie/ ere isis ote ate elolshersic. ovals lafoiade eieier aia otapersieleibleieiehe $5 00
No. 2. Same as above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and Nickel Blow-
Pipe, prepaid... 5... x a legMVe onto eo) cxavetai Mere telcie evel ave cialatersveis’s oieteumlcs chet eieveiis;s) os /ataemetene: stele eels e 6 50

" These cases are of wood, with places fitted to each instrument, and are made strong and
urable.

ALL PREPAID.
Dry Preservative Arsenic and Alum, per lb. 25c.; per 10 Ibs..............---.2--csaccecccces $2 00
Arsenical Soap, per lb. in glass bottle

avate tere ated terststalatove incteverelstetol sYeve\elciciaieiersicrs ‘e's so: oreteleptelefelsiciasale 20
POISONS ARE NOT MAILABLE AND NOT PREPAID.
Mounting Box, glass top, cork-lined and papered, size 17 x 11x 3?, moth roof....... $1.75
Collecting Nets, brass ring and ferule and stout lace........ccccsescceec-ceceeesees 1.00 prepaid.
Gollectine Nets, tolding rind and SLOW ACE. ajc nes coe + se se once cose ee s.4/¢.00100 000106 1.50 e¢
The Eureka Setting Board, something new, 16in. long, 64in. wide, with corked
ENC OVocag¢a00s oc ocbebboosOUeuD 0c06 UoaeaooonaObGEboOod bob re OOCH0C CO CoOCOOGeBenC .40 “
Conia soudne Sirs QUalltys spl GCOZCM nc ists.cvie ad seis 6 dele esieiviesciecrs eres ise 0's see ats .90 es
bd sf second ‘‘ | GOGE BSE C SHR AE eS enn Oe a eee 50 ss
IRE CBI sn PEIy ls OO etciers aj<(c).s 01s/c1ofalerette iets) eieteie’s « vic. a.c eicloi ere ele elelaete/acem ele'e.lela's:sie's 0.0 Sitters 1.20 es
ss eum OO neater yperclersicle'e's,teteetetercmrciatcts crcve Sverelelaie'e oie sleleleeldien tis vivieleiciec.e visio eles oe 15 gs
Stecmpils Lol spreadine insects, LOOHMIDOX:. =... 0.0 cise 000 cee cic cs clvicisiccciveccccece es 06 *
Printed locality labels, in sheets, postage extra........cnceseccccccscce sccserevees .02 per sheet

Contents of Sheet as per Number.
ee Nes eNG 5. Cot O.Wielin SUp:, Hs Bui, biiC,, be A.
EE Me., N. H., Vt., Mass., R.I., Ct.
ii Ns Y., Eenn., Niadephds uel. -Vaiy We Vas, Dac.
IV. N.C.,S.C., Ga., Fla., Ala., Miss., Tenn.
V. Ohio, Ind., S. Ill., Ky., Mo.
VI. Minn., Wis., Mich., Ia., N. Ill.

XxX RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

VIEGeea, Tex., Ark:, CL T., Ny Mt.
VIII. Colo., Wy., Mon., Dak., Neb., Ks.
TX. We-T., Or., Cal., Nev.jiUts, ld: wari:
X. Cuba, Tam., Chi., L. Cal., Son., Mex., C. Rica, Gua.
XI. Months.
XII. Signs for male, female, and neuter.
If desired, labels for the separate states will be furnished for 10 cents per 1,000.
Blank labels, printed in red, for labeling specimens:
No. 1, 1 inch by 3, 40 on a sheet, 2 cents per sheet, postage extn

No. 2, 2inch by i. 50 on a sheet, 2 cents per sheet, ‘‘
Drying Paper, per dozen sheets

araiayet sidan eters oy Ves) oeloven toi} Aaysyaresciela eer etatete ere-eree teererea MLD not preeees
" ‘a LOQIRH BUS /oS iowa nina weir ge eenepradiadas Jata od ae eee 1.00

Mounting Paper, per sheet, 2 cents;. per dozen....-.....2.-.ececcecaccecccaccce .20 e

Mounting Papen, Perea casa. x Socacceia anv s Aotorer waiter toile tance eee eee 4.75 cs

Genus Covers, each 4 cents; per dozen, 40 cents; per 100.......... cseececeecee 2.75 “

Collecting Rack, or Press, of ash slats, copper riveted............ ..0- seeceeee 1.25 “

Collecting Can, Read hit,” 16.38 XAG sn. a ttaclncctaaee <2 acl oe eee eae ee eee 1.50

In any Quantity or any style, CLASS EYES, Sent Postage Paid.

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO ME FOR IT.

PEACOCK SKINS. LAND Sit

Eixtra Fine Specimens, OVER FOUR HUNDRED SPECIES.

Helix, Bulimus, Achatinella, Partula, Cylin-

drella, ete.
JUST RECEIVED. S$I4.00. PRICE 50 DOLLARS.

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5.6.1 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.
FOR ORNITHOLOGISTS, OOLOGISTS, AND TAXIDERMISTS.
For Sale by J. Me SOUTHWICK.

Scalpel, all Steel-7-2..-..4. B aye sn 0! sca: nfo cocalel ore arepeter ata tale tao\ siete a elena etc .ok tenet mets atertel ate aetna osc 0 60
Scalpel} ebony, handl@e oi se /cc cers wie o.e aleis were ole auels woe oyate aie) = aloin'el ovat ohateteiene of-7a6 2-1 net le tee 75
SCISSORS? HOB vag obtains = 45 wen iso Pew anne ie ecbdyn renner o snelee ete yc Oa seeds yaa eae here oooh 2 eOO
PROMS SIPS | 2'~ « 2)ea/ate orem ek cle oo wie: 02 ol aces elu hm nn'eratata ca ataieteintacey ola ©, 6.6,<)etoletenateets ters as einie ot t=t ese 1 25
Spring MOTCEDS «cq cpste cis © aie «oi 01a .chstope sie sae ciel alelgiors'al ove eiulala atacer che elie alittetalejeveGs (eee aah te 15
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(Gone; Studters, 12) WAM crags oo seat olesey ere eve) oherel ots hel ol crar ate! otolieys feel are) Ceti ar-fetetcke) <Coli ie faleke terete tee 1 rts)
Pointed DPweezers each: 20.2) POT GOZO. . csc etemraicre = <15)stehclarele o/e lel atel oleate iclote ai teeier sie tnt ietstae te ene 200 —
@urved Needles; each l0cs, BLOT. sare cma «yccclestice tevererorerele) =o) alae oie: wuckonele terete arene enetstote hae ee 25
Hine wire: for fastemine Dilly per OZ perce cis 2 wiclelel~ evstatelolelevere\ ala) oxololalelolololssel-ter ofetal=\o/alelet=t=ie lteter 10
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Keo Drill} fine, shortthandle, each, 15¢.; per doz. 0... .2.. ....crscanerss oo ole eee n 1 50

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Embryo Scissors, very fine....... pObIAHH GS ODsODAanOoaCHSsasoomE SAG 7 ete lofs'"oiwloie-+-0) aia oo eter aee eee 1 40

CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No. 1. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring Forceps, 1
ILO S MIKE Hh [ORCI pnn on oc co DoconootdD Oa docu cddodoonsuscosocecceocson- are $5 00
No. 2. Same as above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and Nickel Blow-
Pipe, prepaid........ eloiai Aras, este soist ete sketobelaiat Hletay e's (oraysi ove’ olcters aNe ett tohAiens te is ke eee meme rpc ielstoven OOO

These cases are of wood, with places fitted to each instrument, and are made strong and

durable.
ALL PREPAID.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-
age. Can be used to cut all small wires, but will be particularly useful for breaking

Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.
TRAYS.

bones. Length seven and three-quarter inches.

SS en ee

WANTED.
Nice Skins or the Eggs

2)

Passenger Pigeon.

| size just equal one of the next.

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one

They are the best pos-

sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.
Samples by mail for five cents.

2x ae per dozen. . -10 peri100..... écctee ese eee
3x2 12 Oe UR see cace nee mt
4x ae - ee: lS See ecient eer Eee 85
Gx 4xs7. 8 Se, 15 *O anasecen pee eaeen 1.00

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They
are too bulky to be mailed.

ee en

a a oe

SVol: II.

PROVIDENCE, JUNE 1, 1886.

Random Hotes on Matural History.

No. 6.

Er tered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Doles on Yaturat History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Borany. 50 Chlits A YEAR.

Address all commui ications to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,

258 Westmir ster St., Providence, R.1., U.S. A.

Unper date of July, 1885, the United
States Department of Agriculture issued a
list of questions on “ Economic Ornithology.”
As to whether the presence of certain spe-
cies of birds were of benefit to the agricult-

urist, and the effect of population upon bird
life.

A recent perusal of this list has led to the |

following random notes :
The evidence as to whether crows steal
egos so far as our personal experience goes,

seems circumstantially to indicate that they |

do, such as observing crows about the
neighborhood, and finding nests rifled after-
wards. On the farm of Mr. G. M. Gray,

Warren, R. I., a hen stole a nest in a |

piece of woods not far from the house. This
was followed by an especial congregating of
crows in that neighborhood, but out of re-
gard for the hen and a financial interest in

her brood, the crows were raided and fright- |

ened away several times. At another time
Mr. Gray was the happy possessor of a tame
crow. A brood of young chicks was confined

within the circle of the rim of a cheese-box, |

this placed on the ground and covered with
a strong netting proved a capital nursery,
until these conditions were discovered by
the crow, who excavated under the edge of
the box, and as a luckless chick making the
circuit of his prison-house fell into the pit
he was seized by the legs, drawn forth, and
devoured. On account of this proof of a
calculating mind the crow was killed, he
having previously proved his ability at
stealing hens’ eggs. Though I have no ab-
solute data at hand, I am satisfied that at
certain seasons crows confer some benefit

e

the fields and newly plown land beetles
and insect larve. A little later, after
the corn is planted or has sprouted to a
length of about two inches, these same
birds together with the crow blackbirds or
purple grackles, levy toll by pulling it up.
To prevent this many of the Rhode Island
farmers moist their seed with thin tar, mix-
ing it with flour or something to overcome
the stickiness. In other cases strings are
stretched across the fields and hung with
white rags, and now and then a dead crow.
The first remedy is said to be quite effica-
cious, the second seems to meet with varied
success. In the fall, when the corn is ripe,
the grackles light in considerable numbers
on the stalks and quickly husk out the ears
doing considerable damage after a time.

In Rhode Island we have an abundance
of salt water shore with muddy flats, as
well as fresh ponds and rivers. ‘The crows
are there enabled to obtain many mollusks
which are palatable to them, and perhaps
the abundance of this food is of much ad-
vantage, their appetite being satisfied with
less need of the farmers’ grain,

The common report seems to be that the
English sparrow drives away bluebirds, mar-
tins, indigo buntings, &c. Certainly on
and about my own premises they have
multiplied seriously, and the more interest-
ing specics have appeared less frequently
for the past two or three years. We have
an occasional robin, vireo, and ehipping
sparrow, but the foreigners are in the large
majority with their incessant unmusical
chip; their perpetual quarrels, their un-
sightly nests, and the dirty evidences of
their presence. I have thisspring observed
them pecking vigorously at the buds of my
sapsou apple tree, but as [ did not shoot
any for dissection I cannot positively say
but what they found insects there.

Robins, cat-birds, and brown-thrashers,
do certainly eat small fruits. At Mr. Gray’s
farm a nice strawberry patch is very con-
venient to a grape arbor, and in the shade

on the Rhode Island farmers by eating from | of this arbor the filled boxes of berries were

42

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

usually set away for a time as the picking
went on. So sure as a box was left open,
one or all three of the aforementioned

_ papers, but cannot find it now.

would sneak in, pick out the best fruit, and |
even scatter it about, working well down |

into the box in search of choicer morsels ;
but for their generally good behavior and
the sweet songs of the cat-birds and thrushes
they were very seidom molested.

That beautiful bird the cedar waxwing

I have an account of it somewhere in my
In 1882
and ’83, I collected twelve sets of the same
species in Colorado. The bluebirds arrived
here March 15. About ten days ago a pair

_ of them excavated a hole in a dead cherry

| limb.

eats some cherries; he also eats the canker |

worms; few of the birds molest the hairy
lavee, like tent caterpillars, but I have sev-
eral times seen the yellow-billed cuckoo,
with his whole head thrust into one of their
nests doing apparently rapid execution.
Mr. Charles Snow, of Taunton, is my
authority for the fact that potato-beetles are
eaten by the night-hawk.

The effect of settlement in Rhode Island
i. e., manufacturing villages principally, is
certainly tending to drive away many birds,
especially on account of the cutting away of
the wood-land, and. in general, the abund-
ance of enterprising boys and cats. Per-
haps it is unfortunate for the birds that ex-
cellent shot-guns can be purchased at so low
a figure. It is true that we have here a law
(full too much of it) to protect the birds.
It is, however, a dead letter, and never en-

forced. <A little secrecy is maintained
about shooting game out of season, but so

soon as the closed season is over the gen- |

tleman sportsman goes forth and shoots
without mercy, frequently for the gratifica-

tion of killing, with no consideration of his

To-day they have commenced car-
rying in material for their nest. They ar-
rived ten days, and began nesting seven
days earlier than in 1885.
Respectfully yours,
D. D. Stone.
Osweco, N. Y., April 13, 1886.

Seasonable Notes.

Farry morning rambles a few miles to the
north of Providence, have led to observa-
tions of new arrivals as follows: April 20,—
a Pine Creeping Warbler; April 26, Tow--
hee Buntings; April 29, Black and White
Creepers. (May 1, Spotted Sandpipers, at

| Bristol, R. I).; May 3, Nashville Warb-

lers and Chipping Sparrows ; May 4, Whip-
poorwill, Wood ‘Thrushes and Golden
Crown Thrush, or Oven Bird; May 5, Cat-

_ birds; May 6, Yellow Warbler, Rose-breast-

| Ruby-throated

appetite or intention of eating one-half his |

gume. Witness the quantities of mergan- |
sers and other tough and unpalatable

ducks slaughtered by hundreds, and never
even picked up from where they fall. The
same is true of gulls, terns, loons, grebe,
and herons, never allowed to pass without
trying a wing shot. I believe as many
nice birds have been thus shot and thrown
away
purposes.

Mr. Jamus M. SourHwick.

Dear Str: Referring to Mr. William G.
Smith’s article on Myiadestes Townsendi,
in April Ranpom Notes on Narurat. His-
rory, I will say that he is mistaken regard-
ing the first capture. The nest and eggs
of this bird were first taken in 1874, I think.

as have been collected for business |

ed Grosbeak, Chestnut-sided and Prairie
Warblers, Wilson’s Thrush, Swamp Spar-
rows and Maryland Yellow-throats; May
7, Yellow-breasted Chats, Least Flycatch-
ers, Redstarts, Yellow-throated Vireo,
Baltimore Orioles and Tanagers; May 10,
Humming-bird; May 12,
Great Crested Flycatcher; May 17, Indigo
Buntings.

From Attleboro, Mass., a set of Red-
shouldered Hawk’s eggs reported April 8.
April 10, a nest with two young and two
eggs of Barred Owl, and on the 14th a nest
with two fresh eggs; May 6, two young
of the Great Horned Owl nearly ready to fly
were brought to me from Scituate, R. I. ;
May 13, a set of Song Sparrows observed ;
May 18, a nest of Golden-crown Thrush not
quite completed.

Newrorr Natrurat Hisrory Socrery.—
At the annual meeting of this society held
at Newport, R. I., 6th May last, there were
some remarks in the curator’s report as to
the immense superiority of complete or
even incomplete series of specimens above
strange and abnormal forms which are too.

' telligently shaped towards completion.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

43

often presented by well-meaning donors.
The importance of these remarks leads us to
quote that portion of Mr. A. O’D. ‘Taylor’s
report, which embodies them. ‘They are
worthy of note for all local museums where-
evercontemplated. Tnereport says: ** Dur-
ing the twelve months under review vari-
ous donations have been received, and have
been regularly acknowledged in the public
newspapers, so that a detailed list of donors
and contributions need not be recapitulated.
Objects have been presented from the vari-
ous departments of mineralogy, conchology,
botany, and zodlogy, while articles of ethno-
logical and archeological interest have oc-
casionally made their appearance, Isolated
specimens, however, when selected and pre-
sented, as they often are, because of their
deviation from the normal type, do not—
however interesting in their peculiarities —
convey the knowledge derivable from com-
plete series of specimens which would fairly
represent the links of development in groups
of organic life, and the various gradations
in inorganic structures. Such typical series
or sets of collections are still wanted. In
order that our collections should become of
real value and of practical aid in the study
of natural history, we must have different
series of connected and related specimens ;
if not completed, at any rate becoming in-
We
must emerge from the rudimentary. stage
indicated by a random assemblage of curiosi-
ties, and aim at procuring representative
series illustrative of our local fauna and flora,
and of the geological formation and minerals
of our neighborhood. Even at the risk of
repeating the leading thought behind the sug-
gestions of my first report, I take the liberty
of urging this essential on the consideration
of our members and friends.”

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Isand.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER XX.

Plethodon glutinosus, Baird, (Salamandra
glutinosus, Green). The Slimy, or Blue
spotted Salamander was originally described
by Professor Green from a specimen cap-
tured at Pittsburg, Penn., and later on re-
ceived the attention of Dr. Storer, who re-
ceived a specimen from Andover, Mass.

As we have never captured the form in
Rhode Island we can do no better than
give the description from this latter natural-
ist: ‘* Length. six inches. Whole upper
part of the body of avery dark brown,
thickly sprinkled with distinet light blue
spots. Sides appearing quite light colored
from the blue spots having become conflu-
ent. Abdomen lighter colored than the
back, exhibiting the spots more numerous
and distinct than the back. Head, three-
quarters of an inch long ; nearly half an inch
wide, flattened above. Eyes very promi-
nent; of a deep black color, widely separ-
ated from each other. Nostrils rather small.
Legs, co or of the body, and spotted like it.
Anterior feet, four-toed : posterior, five-toed,
and unusually long. Tail, length of the
body; much compressed throughout its
whole extent, save the extremities, the an-
terior of which is circular, the posterior
pointed.”

The description given above agrees well
with that given by later herpetologists, except
that attention has been drawn to the fact
that the tail becomes much compressed in
alcoholic specimens, giving to it a promi-
nent keel above and below. Indeed, so
much does alcohol change the form and
coloring of these soft bodied animals, that
unless one is familiar with the live speci-
mens, gross mistakes will occur in the study
of those preserved.

Dr. Holbrook mentions the Blue Spotted
as the most abundant salamander of North
America, often several individuals being
captured under the decaying bark of some
prostrate log. With us it is sure’'y an un-
common animal, and the same may be said
of its distribution in Massachusetts. It is
not reported from Maine, though Professor
Packard assures me he has met with it in
Labrador. Farther south and west it is
quite abundant, and specimens have been
captured in Texas and Wisconsin, showing
it to be a well distributed form. Of the
animal’s breeding habits nothing is known.

PowveErR made from the pounded flowers
of differeut species of Pyrethrum is a deadly
poison to the most of insects, while it is in-
nocuous toman. It is now being cultivated
in enormous quantities in California under
the name Buhach. — Canadian
Monthly.

Science

44

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

INGOs XV:

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

CaryA TOMENTOSA.— Mocxker-nut Hickory.

C. tomentosa, commoniy known as the
mocker-nut, is frequently seen in certain
localities in Rhode Island. There are
some finely developed trees of this species
upon the rocky ridges in the vicinity of
Diamond Hill. This tree, when well de-
veloped, is a more stately and graceful ob-
ject than the shell-bark hickory. Its trunk
is erect and tall, its head pyramidal in gen-
eral outline, yet varying enough to avoid
stiffness. The branches are of moderate
size, forming sharp angles with the main
stem. The bark differs from that of the
shell-bark in not having long, loose scales,
and being arranged in ridges made by close,
deep furrows. The recent shoots are stout,
terminated by large, round buds, covered
with prominent downy scales: The male
flowers appear upon catkins grouped in
threes, three to six inches long, the middie
one being the longest. The fertile flowers
are small and are composed of a_ four-
parted calyx, from which spring two ragged
stamens. The leaves are conspicuously
large, often twenty inches in length,
and composed of seven to nine obovate,
slightly serrated leaflets, downy under-
neath. The fruit is large, thick shelled,
varying much in shape, sometims four-
angled, giving rise to the name “ square-nut.”
The kernel is small compared with the
whole fruit, and although edible is far infe-
rior to that of the shell-bark. A character-
istic of the leaves, of service in identifying
the tree, is their strong resinous odor, partic-
ularly when they are young. The wood has the
prominent characteristics of the genus but
is not easily cleft, and is not quite as tough
as that of one or two other species of the
genus, It is difficult to distinguish the
woods of the different hickories, but the
buds, leaves, fruit, and bark of the differ-
“ent species show characteristics sufficient
for easy identification.

Carya GLAapra.—PiG-nut Hickory.

C. glabra, or the pig-nut hickory, is com-
monly diffused in Rhode Island. It is
a beautiful tree, with a shapely, cylindrical

head, having a bright, glossy green foliage,

erect and stately, making a fine landscape

adornment. It grows in company with
C. alba and C. tomentosa, but to most
observers is a more’ attractive tree than
the others. The bark is of a lighter grey
than than of those described. On young
trees it is broken into small ridged masses,
but, generally speaking the bark is
smooth. It is not uncommon to find
patches of yellowish lichens upon the
trunks of old trees and sometimes plates of
loose bark appear as with the shell-bark.
The branches are small, lower ones but
slightly curved upwards; the buds small,
egg-shaped and pointed. The leaves are
small compared with those of the two pre-
ceding species, smooth on both sides, five
to seven leaflets, sessile and narrow, taper-
ing at both ends. The terminal one is
obovate and upon a short footstalk.
autumn the leaves turn to a rich orange.
Those of the sheJl-bark drop early and with-
out coloring. The fruit of the C. glabra
is fig-shaped. Wilson Flagg in his Woods
and By-Ways of New England, says that

the original name of the fruit was fig-nut,” ~

and that ‘pig-nut” is a corruption of the
former. He thereby recommends a restor-
ation of the name ‘ fig-nut.”
observed that the nuts vary much in size
and shape upon different trees; but they
are usually thick-shelled and smooth, and of
bluish grey color. The meat is scant,
difficult to get out and scarcely edible when
obtained. It grows singly, or in bunches
of two to four, and is very abundant. The
tree grows to a large size and from the
compactness, toughness, and elasticity of
its wood it is highly valued as a timber tree.
As fuel the wood is scarcely inferior to that
of the shell-bark. There are many beauti-
ful specimens of this tree in the vicinity of
Providence and in other parts of the state.

The Topographical Survey.

‘‘'THE finance committee of the House
has given a hearing upon the matter of the
proposed topographical survey of the state.
The plan proposed is the same as at present
adopted in Massachusetts, where a survey
is being made in connection with the Goy-
ernment.” That such a survey be made
is eminently desirable.

ins

It should be ©

.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

45

The Block Island Cod and Haddock Fishery.

Fresu cod and haddock from the Block
Island fishing-grounds have arrived in Prov-

idence in large quantities in the past two |

weeks. During last week alone the amount
landed here was over 40,000 pounds, and
the receipts will probably continue quite
large for two or three weeks to come, as the

present season will last through the month |

of May. This kind of fish is caught about
twenty or thirty miles southeast of Block
Island, whence it is brought here and soid
off the boats at the dock for four cents per
pound. The fish have been of good size,
have arrived here in good condition, and
have sold quite readily. There are two sea-

sons for fresh cod and haddock,— the pres- |
ent one, which, as before stated, will last —
through the month of May, and the fall sea- _

son, which begins with the month of Novem-
ber, and continues until about the middle of
December. The fish are caught in trawls.
A trawl consists of a string of line that will
reach from 600 to1,000 yards. To thisstring
lines are attached about six feet apart. On
the end of each of these lines is a hook, baited
with clams, fresh herring, or flounders. On
each end of the long string to which the lines
are attached, is an anchor, which keeps the
trawl in position. A line reaches from the
anchor to the top of the water, with a buoy
attached to it, for the purpose of locating the
trawl. A trawl 1,000 yards long usually has
from 1,500 to 2,000 hooks. When two-thirds
of these hooks secure a fish, the catch is con-
sidered an excellent one, and when half of
them are filled it is a very good one. The
fisherman after he has dropped his anchor,

rows off and strings his line along with its |

baited hooks until he comes to the ‘‘ end of

his rope,” when he drops another anchor |

with the buoy attached, and the trawl is set.

|

Itis allowed to remain in the water from four |

to twenty-four hours. ‘The fishermen then

go to the buoy, pull up the anchor, and haul |

in the line, taking the fish offas the hooks
come to the surface of the water. While
they take off the fish the line is allowed to
go over the other side of the boat into the

water, so that when they have reached the |

other end of the string and the last hook is |

hauled up, the remainder of the string of
lines is already set for a new catch. This

is a busy season for the Block Island fisher-
men, and a great many are now engaged in
that kind of fishing.— From the Sunday
Journal, May 2, 1886.

About Cleaning Oily Specimens of
Lepidoptera, ete.
BY PH. ican, ae Neay

Ir a specimen becomes oily, it is gener-
ally believed that its beauty can never again
be restored ; but with a trifling cost anda
little labor any specimen will in a short
time have again its former lustre, without
injury to the insect. ‘This remedy has been
tried on the most tender Diurnals, as well
as onSphingesand Noctuids. It canbe used
on every insect. Shoulda specimen be oily
throughout, body and wings, it may be put
in the following fluid: One part of sul-
phuric ether to two parts of the strongest
alcohol, and left therein for about twenty-
four hours. Should the specimen be very
oily, another bath may have to be applied.

Should this second bath, after removing the
insect, be only slightly disco-ored, the insect
may be put in the last bath, which consists of
pure sulphuric ether, in which it is left a few
hours only. After being taken out and
partly dried, it is put on the spreading-board.

Another way of cleaning specimens, where
only the wings are oily, isthis : The specimen
is put on the spreading-board, under side up,
without fastening it in any way, and the
purest spirits of turpentine poured on it to
fully soak the wings, after which finely-pow-
dered pipe clay is strewn thickly over the
affected parts, and this left to dry. Should
the clay, after being dry, be yellow, the oil
is not all out of the wings, and the above has
tobe renewed. Should the clay be perfectly
white after drying, it can be relied upon that

| every particle of the fatty matter is drawn

out of the wings. ‘To remove the clay it
need alittle experience, though any one can
do it with a little care. Hold your specimen
on the upper part of the pin, and give the
pin a little jerk near the point, and the clay,
being brittle, will easily fall off. After it is
all removed the specimen may be brushed
off with a fine camel hair-brush until clean.
A specimen treated in the above ways will
never again become oily.—The Canadian
Entomologist, April, 1856.

46

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island. .

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXIX.
Since writing the last chapter for the
May number of Ranpom Nores, I have re-

ceived from Mr. John H. Thomson, of New |

Bedford, Mass., a pamphlet published by
him, entitled Zhe Land Mollusca of Bristol
County, Mass. ‘The portion of the county

Bedford, the towns of Dartmouth and West-
port, together with the adjoining town of
Tiverton, R. I. The climate of Tiverton,
Newport, and the other towns of Southern
Rhode Island, differs from that of Cumber-
land, Smithfield, etc., although only forty
miles apart, more than many sections of the
country separated by hundreds of miles.

_ houses.

ern Europe, Great Britain, and British —
| America.

It was first discovered in the United
It was
afterward found to be one of the few Euro-
pean species common to both continents.
It is known to English gardeners from its —

_habit of infesting pine beds and orchid

It has until now been quoted only

from Ohio and New York in this country.

explored by him comprises the city of New | shore of Lake Erie.

in Tiverton, R. I., on the rocky heights west

I have collected it at Sandusky City on the
Mr. Thomson finds it

of Stafford Lake.

| 95. Zonrres (GASTRODONTA) MULTIDENTATA, -

BINNEY.

Shell depressed, yellowish horn color,

_ thin, smooth, and pellucid ; whorls six ; aper-

The flora, too, is very different and itis not |

surprising that the fauna should differ as
well. In fact, Mr. Thomson has discovered
in the dense woods of ‘Tiverton, several
species of land shells not before known
to inhabit this state.

I am sorry not to |

have seen this pamphlet before, as I should |

then have given Mr. Thomson credit for
these species, and described them in their
proper places.
those species which have been omitted up
to this point in the classification, and then

proceed as usual, giving him proper credit |

for the remaining species.
94. Zonires (Hyauinra) Niripa, MUL.
Syns. :

Helix nitida, Miiller,
nor Drap.
succinea, Studer, 1789, non Miill.

“ “lucida, Drap., 1805.
Helicella nitida, Risso., 1826.
Oxychilus lucidus, Fitz., 1833.
Polita lucida, Held., 1837.

Zonites lucidus, Gray, 1840.
Aplostoma nitidus, Moq-Tan., 1855.

1774, non Gme.

ee

Hyalina nitida, Tryon, 1866. W. G.
Binney, 1869.
Shell depressed, moderately convex

above, and concave below, brownish horn
color, whorls four and a half; umbilicus
moderate but deep; aperture rounded.
More conical and a little larger than H.
arborea, Say. Inhabits Central and South-

I will therefore describe |
96.

ture transverse, narrow; from two to four
rows of five or six minute, white teeth; each
are seen through the shell, radiating from
the umbilicus; teeth situated far within,
and the last row not visible from the
aperture. Diameter one-eighth of an inch,
height one-sixteenth.

(Juoted from Maine, Vermont, New York,
and Ohio. Mr. Thomson finds it on high
ridges in Tiverton and Westport. ‘‘ Very
rare.”

Zonires (STRIATURA) FeRREA, Morse.

Shell depressed, not shining, steel gray ;
whorls three, rapidly enlarging ; aperture
large, rounded ; umbilicus small and abrupt,
showing all the volutions ; surface minutely
marked with fine revolving lines. Diam-
eter one-tenth of an inch, height one-twen-
tieth.

This species was discovered by Prof. E.
S. Morse in Maine, and was described by
him in Proc. Portland Soc. Nat. Hist., t.,
17, 1864. It has been found in Maine,
Massachusetts, and New York. Mr. Thom-
son finds it on Tiverton ‘* rocky ridge.”

| *¢ Very rare.”

97. Patuta (PLANoGyRA) ASTERISCUS,

Morse.

Shell light brown; whorls four, banded
by from twenty-five to thirty thin, transpar-
ent, prominent ribs; spire flat; suture
deep; lip sharp; umbilicus large. Diam-
eter one-sixteenth of an inch.

States by Dr. Ingalls at Greenwich, N. Y.,~_
who called it Helix hygrophila.

-

a7

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Discovered by Professor Morse in Maine ;
described in Proc. Boston Nat. Hist., vt,
128, 1857. Quoted from Gaspe, C. E.,
Lake Superior, Hudson River, N. Y.,
Salem, Mass., and near Portland, Me.
Morse says: ‘‘ It isa rare shell, and seems
confined to wet and boggy ground where
spruce and pine is intermingled with alder.”
Mr. Thomson says: ‘*‘ Westport. Very
rare ; under dead maple leaves near swampy
places.”

98.
Syns. :

Helix harpa, Say, 1824.

Pupa costulata, Mighels, 1844.

Bulimus harpa, Pfr., Chem.,

Binney.
Zobgenetes harpa, Morse, 1864.
Zoédgenetes, Morse, 1864, is a synonym
of Acanthinula, Beck., 1846.

Shell ovate-conic, light horn color, thin
and elastic; whorls four, the last two
marked by thin prominent ribs; suture dis-
tinct; aperture nearly round; lip sharp.
Length one-eighth of an inch.

This species is one of the very few ex-
ceptions among land snails in which the
young are brought forth alive. They are
hatched from eggs, but the eggs are retained
within the parent when this takes place.

It was first discovered in the Northwest
Territory, by Thomas Say, on theexpedition
to St. Peter’s River. L. L. Thaxer has
found it at Ascutney, Vt.
in various parts of Maine and it is quite
common near Portland in hard wood groves.
Tryon quotes it from Maine to Iowa.
said to inhabit British America, Norway,
Sweden, and Lapland.

PaTuLA (ACANTHINULA) Harpa, Say,

Reeve,

maples among leaves and moss.

Patula (Anguispira) alternata, Say,
described in the April number of Ranpom
Nores, is subject to much variety in both
color-and outline. A coarsely striated
form, with a well-developed carina is called

colorless variety called alba, Tryon, has been
found by Morse in Maine, and by Currier
in Michigan, while another form, smooth
and never carinated, with a shining trans-
lucent epidermis, has been found in New
York and called var. fergusonii, Bland.
This variety has also been found by Mr.

_ Thomson in Westport, Mass., and in Tiver-

tonyele., 1.

| 99. StrenorreMA Monopon, Rackerr, 1822.

| The shell

Morse found it |

Shell light russet; whorls five to six;
aperture flattened; lip narrow and turned
back. On the inner lip is a white tooth.
is covered with minute hairs
which give the surface a velvety appear-
ance. In the typical species the whorls

_ revolve around the axis at such a distance
, as to leave a wide and deep umbilicus, while

in a variety called fraterna, Say, they re-

_volve close together and the reflected peris-

tome covers the umbilicus, which in this
variety isa mere perforation. It is said to
inhabit the whole country east of the Rocky
Mountains. Mr. Thomson finds both the
typical monodon and the var. fraterna in
Tiverton, R. I., in old orchards and pastures.

100.

Shell depressed and thin, color shining
russet ; whorls five or six; aperture rounded,
bordered by a narrow white lip, with a slight
protecting tooth near the umbilicus. The
umbilicus is open, showing all the volutions.
On the inner lip is a strong white tooth.
Diameter nearly one inch. It is quite a
rare shell, but inhabits from Maine to Illi-
nois and southwards to Pennsylvania. and
prefers hill sides and mountains. Mr.
Thomson finds it in Westport and Tiverton.
Very rare, only near streams of water.

101.

Shell conoidally globose, thin, hirsute ;

Mersopon Sayu, BINNEY.

Mesopon WHEATLEYI, BLAND.

"whorls five and a half; aperture obliquely

keise}

lunate, the parietal wall armed with a tooth ;

_ umbilical region excavated, but imperforate.

Mr. Thomson finds |

it 7 T > Twear } Yat a | . a . “WW:
it in Westport and Tiverton in groves of | Diameter fourteen, height seven millimeters.

_ mountains in Cherokee County, N. C.

Reddish horn colored, the lip rose colored.

The only localities known heretofore are the
Mr.

| Thomson finds it rare at Tiverton ‘‘ rocky

| ridge,

+B)

with Striatura ferrea, Morse, a

' thousand miles north of its only known
: locality.
var. mordax, Shuttleworth, and a perfectly |

(To be continued.)

Tue new Egg Checking-List, and des-
‘ipti irds’ nests and by Mr
cription of birds’ nests and eggs, by Mr.

| Oliver Davie, unavoidably delayed for sev-

eral months, is now issued. See adv. page

Xxiil.

48

RANDOM‘4NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA. V.

Olausilia pygmiea Moll.

quadriplicata Parr.
raddei Siev.
raricosta Boettger.
raymondi Bourg.
reeviana Pfr.
regalis Parr.
regularis Parr.
retusa Olivier.
robusta Kiist.
rolphi Leach.

rothi Zelebor.

‘rotundata Parr.

rubicunda Kiist.
rudis Pfr.
rufocineta Kiist.
rufospira Parr.
rugicollis Ziegler.
rugilabris Mouss.
rugosa Drap.
rugulosa Kiist.
rutila Kiist.
saccata Kiist.
sacrificata Benoit.
sancta Bourg.
sandbergeri Rossm.
sandrii Kiist.
satura Ziegler.
saxatilis Parr.
saxicola Parr.
sealaris Pfr.
schmidti Pfr.
schuchi Voith.
schwerenbachi Parr.
scolopax Kiist.
scopulosa Parr.
sebenicensis Vidoy.

sejuncta Westerlund.

semicincta Boettger.
semicostata Kiist.

semidenticulata Pfr.
semilabiata Kutsch.

semilamellata Mouss.

semirugata Ziegler.
senilis Ziegler.
septemplicata Phil.
serbica MOll.
sericata Pfr.
serrulata Middend.
shanghaiensis Pfr.
sheridani Pfr.
sieboldi Pfr.

J}. RITCHIE, JR:

Clausilia sieversi Mouss.

silesiaca A. Sclitidt.
sirkii Parr.
slosarski Lubow.
solida Drap.
solidula Pfr.

soluta Kiist.
somchetica Pfr.
sorex Kiist.

soror Kiist.

sororia Parr.
sowerbyana Pfr.
splendens Charp.
spratti Pfr.

stabilis Ziegler.
stenzi Rossm.
stigmatica Ziegler.
stimpsoni A. Adams.
stossichi Boettger.
straminea Parr.
straminicollis Parr.
strangulata Fer.
strauchi Boettger.
striata Pfr.

strigata Pfr.
strigillata Miiblf.
strigosa Kleciach.
striolata Parr.
strobeli Porro.
strumosa Friw.
sturmi Kiist.
styriaca A. Schmidt.
suberistata Kiist.
subeylindrica Ziegler.
substricta Parr.
subtilis Parr.
subulata Pfr.
subuliformis Kiist.
succineata Ziegler.
sulcosa Wagner.
sumatrana Martens.
suturalis Kiist.
swinhoei Pfr.
syracusana Phil.
taczanowski Lubow.
tau Boettger.
taurica Kryn.
tenella Parr.
tenedricosa Kiist.
tenuicostata Pfr.
tenuilabris Rossm.
terebra Pfr.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

;
t

FROM THE COLLECTION OF

MR. REUDCHIE.

XXili

-~DUPLICATE VOLUTES,s&

No. Sp. Value. | No. Sp. Value.
1. junonia Chem., 1.$5.00 26. pacifica Sal., 1. $1.50
3. reticulata Reeve, 1. 2.00 2%. deshayseii Reeve, 1. 1.50
6. undulata Lam., 2 ie 25 28. imperialis Lam., 1. 8.00
11. scapha Gmel., 3. 5 31. musica Linn., 1. 25
12. vespertiliio Lam., 2 .50 35. hebrea Linn., 1. 2.00
13. ‘« Lam.Var.,1. 25 45. angulata Sw., 1. 8.00
16. nivosa Lam., Iso. .50 54. indica Gmel., 1 Ra a5
18. ruckerii Cross., 1. 2.50 AS. porcitna Lam., oe AY es
25. rupestris Gmel., ee OO $30.00

PRICK, $25.00.

Many of these Species can be duplicated only in London.

FROM GRAND MENAN.

Crimson-breast Barbet (Xantho-

; | loena heemacephla................ $.50 to $.75

Ten-rayed Starfish (Solaster en- | Wryneck (Yunx torquilla).... 50
deca). Sh OnCOoh Demag Goss oopomonD . 50.20 to $0.50 Common Coucal (Centrococcyx ru-

Hipennis)s cases yokes «sae wee .75 to 1.00

FROM INDIA.

Skins of Fruit Bats (Pteropos ed-

| Jungle

Ash-neck Crow (Corvus impudicus)
Gray Hornbill (Tockus

-75 to 1.00

TRON Sea ae 2-00\ 403.009) griseus) sp)... <- 2... see smtee 2.00
Skins of Honey Suckers (Lepto- | Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis
COMMA RIN TINTIN A) ate ch eters se, = © creche | CheelaWiesps);stnjrccece css oar Ae 2.00
Skins of Honey Suckers (Lepto-
ComarzeylOmiCan: a) civts.. sees | FROM MINNESOTA.
pins os Honey eae, (athe | Extra fine Badger (Taxidea A meri-
PYSA VIGOTSIi)..---.---e eevee eee | CANA) Bren seispersiciieleielersvcsstelevers «co 7.00

Green Barbet (Megalanna viridis) .50to .75

DAVIE’S
EGG CHECK-LIST

IS NOW READY AND IN STOCK.

INDIAN AND CHINESE
CURIOSITIES.

IVORY SKULL.
A very rare curiosity, carved by
the Japanese. Perfect in form, and
about the size Of the engraving.
Each $1.50, post-paid on receipt of
Illustrated price-list sent on receipt of 2 cent

| price.

| stamps. 2 :

| KF. M. GILHAM, 1122 Eighth Street,
Oakland, California,

Sent prepaid for $1.00.

XXiV RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

WANTED

5,000 Collectors of Natural History Objects,
Students, and Curators of Museums

TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE

~Goods | Advertise are Absolutely in My Stock ;+-

THAT

———MMJ Store is 100 Feet Jeep ———

and that I have thousands of

«BIRD SKINS, MAMMAL SKINS, JAINERALS, #
SHELLS, CORALS. SPONGES. 2 aaa

Contained in 16 Cabinets of 294 drawers, with surface capacity of over 1,270 square
feet, as well as 737 feet of Counters and Shelving, filled with mounted specimens, or
loaded with boxes of duplicates.

—— Tad

MY SKILLED ASSISTANTS

ARE PREPARED TO DO

2 AK BESY OF WAXIDERMY WORK:

On either Fresh Specimens or Dried Skins.

It is to your advantage to come to headquarters for good specimens, true to name
and well prepared.

JAIRES IN. SOUTHWICK,
PROVIDENCE, R. |.

J. A. & R. A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. I.

a ee ee

ue a

Send ey

5s Qed)

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM,
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Successor.
PR@WIDENCE, R. I.

XXV1

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

neti

The undersigned manufactures the Patent |

Monitor Locks and Improved Brackets and
Racks for adjustable shelves, and adapted to all
styles of Museum Cases.

Special new and improved machinery for cut- |

ting and polishing minerals, petrified wood,
etc., on hand or made to order.

Adopted and recommended by the principal
museums in the United States.
« Full information given on application to

ELISHA T. JENKS,
Plymouth Co. MID DLEBOROUGH, MASS.

Please mention this paper in correspondence.

$3.00 A YEAR.

Published for the American Ornithologists’ Union.
J. A. ALLEN, Editor.
ELLIOTT COUES,
ROBERT RIDGWAY,

WILLIAM BREWSTER,
MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN,

Associate
Editors.

The Aux will present, as heretofore, timely
and interesting papers on the subjects to which
it relates, and its readers may feel sure of being
kept abreast of the advances in the science.
The Aux is primarily intended as a medium of
communication between ornithologists. While
necessarily to some degree technical, it con-

character. Its notices of recent literature cover
the whole field of North American Ornithology,
and with the departments of ‘‘ General Notes ”’
and ‘‘ Notes and News”’’ render the journal in-
dispensable to those wishing the latest and full-
est intelligence of the subject.

L. S. FORSTER, Publisher,
35 PINE STREET, NEW YORK CITY.

INDIAN AND CHINESE
CURIOSITIES.

IVORY SKULL.
A very rare curiosity, carved by
the Japanese. Perfect in form, and
about the size of the engraving.
Each $1.50, post-paid on receipt of
Illustrated price-list sent on receipt of 2 cent

F. M. GILHAM, 1122 Eighth Street. _
Oakland, California,

price.
| Stamps.

to rience ks ake 3

BONE SNIPS.
A NEW TOOL FOR TAXIDERMISTS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-

Can be used to cut all small wires,

age.
bones.

Length seven and three-quarter inches.

but will be particularly useful for breaking
Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

WANTED.
Nice Skins or the Eggs

pa (5)

Passenger Pigeon.

\@x4xs4, <6 OR 5

TRAYS.

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
size just equal one of the next. They are the best pos-
sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.

| Samples by mail for five cents.

2 x 1146x34, per dozen....$ .10 per100
3 Xx 2x%, se a le {ae

AX 3x54.0 $6. ee Tg te

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They

| are too bulky to be mailed.

zsc. A SINGLE NUMBER.

tains a fair proportion of matter of a popular -

i We? hy Me ot

io

PROVIDENCE, JULY TF 1Sse.-+

No.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Yotes on Daturat History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Botany. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

Address all commur ications to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A.

A Visit to the Wolf Rocks.

Tuis romantic and curious glen with its
piles of gigantic boulders, called the Wolf
Rocks, because they formerly, with little
doubt, sheltered the wolf and other wild
beasts, is situated partly in Kingston and
partly in Exeter. The glen forms a deep
ravine, which runs northwest and southeast,
cutting across a long ridge or hill, forming
one of the highest elevations in the town of
Kingston. Leaving the Kingston railroad
station a drive of two miles over a romantic
road leads to a wood road or path to the
rocks. The ravine is about fifty feet deep,
the sides, especially on the north, quite deep
and covered with enormous boulders, some of
them ten or twelve feet in diameter. The
glen is about an eighth of a mile long, and
before reaching the eastern end the path
makes a turn to the left and opens somewhat
abruptly into an amphitheatre. Here the
scene is most impressive, the side towards
the northwest rising steeply some fifty or

sixty feet at least, and paved with huge |
boulders as if cast down by Cyclopean hands. |

The Wolf Rocks may find their analogues
in the White Mountains, but for Rhode
Island presents a scene of unusual interest.

The boulders are large, not much rounded,
and evidently had not traveled far from
the parent rock. Some
granite, with a flesh-colored feldspar, like
that quarried at Westerly; in others the
feldspar is whitesh, while many of the bould-
ers are of a dark gneiss, and there is a large
boulder of white quartz some four feet in
diameter. ;

|

| in as the ice melted.

are of coarse |

To explain the origin of the Wolf Rocks
we shall have to go back to the glacial
period, a time which had such a potent in-
fluence in shaping the scenery of New Eng-
land.

At the beginning of the ice age the land
stood so high above the sea that Long Island
Sound and Narraganset Bay were dry land.
Rhode Island, as well as southern New Eng-
land, out to the Elizabeth, Block, and Long
Islands, was mantled in ice, a sheet some
three to five hundred feet in thickness.
This sheet moved slowly from a little east
of north, southward, as proved by the ice
marks on Mount Pleasant in Providence,
and on either side of the bay south of the
city. The highest elevations were worn
smooth and somewhat ground down, and
the huge pile of débris formed a part of the
oreat terminal moraine of the New England
portion of the continental glacier.

If from the hasty examination made
under the guidance of I. G. Peckham, Esq..
and the Rev. Mr. Wells, of Kingston, our im-
pressions are correct, the ravine or gorge
containing the Wolf Rocks was formed be-
fore the ice sheet. The latter moving
southward, pushing before it and also, per-
haps, carrying onits broad back a load of
boulders broken off from the ledges to the
northward, dumped some of them into the
ravine, partly filling it up, while others fell
Such seems to be the
story of these boulders. None of them ap-
pear to have been great travelers, and it
would be a pleasant task for the local geolo-
gists or summer boarders in the pleasant vil-
lage of Kingston to track them to their origi-
nal birthplace. At all events, they are
resting in a romantic glen, one of the wild-
est and most picturesque spots in the state.

P.

BROWN UNIVERSITY.

—Providence Journal.

Mr. I. M. Turasuer reports a Yellow-
crowned Night Heron shot near Tiverton,/
R. I., about May Ist.

50

Silver Gar.

Tylosurus longirostris.

Axsout June 2d several specimens of this
fish were taken in the Barney River. One
was brought for my examination. It meas-
ured twenty-three and one-half inches
extreme length, and a cross section of the
body was an egg shaped oval, one and seven-
eighths inches across the longest measure.

The name ‘‘Gar” is said to be derived
from a Saxon word meaning ‘‘ needle,” and
in the Gulf of Mexico they are called
‘* needle fish”

; the form is strongly suggest- |

ive of the name, for the jaws extend into a _

narrow beak, set around with sharp conical

teeth, the lower jaw was three-eighths of an |

inch longer than the upper and measured
five and one-fourth inches. This inequality
is said to occur only in matured specimens.

The general color above was a dark
mottled and somewhat changeable green,
lighter toward the sides, and all the under
parts silvery ; the skin very smooth and with-
out scales; while from a median line drawn

the length of the side, fine lines or inden- |
The |

tations pointed diagonally backward.
dorsal fin, short and small. and nearly oppo-
site of the ventral fin.

Mr. Newton Dexter informs me that he

has captured this species in the Seekonk |
River, and he does not consider them at all |

rare in Rhode Island.
is from Massachusetts Bay to the Gulf of

The general habitat |

Mexico, northern Central America and in |

the West Indies.*

Observers state that the Gars swim rapidly
with undulatory motion near the surface of
the water, and seize upon such smaller fishes
as associate in shoals.

The bones are green in color, which has :
_ posed to regard my lantern as a superfluity,

a tendency to make the fish unpopular for
food, but the flesh is said to be of fine flavor,
and on the south coast of England a kindred

species is taken in large quantities and es- |

teemed a delicacy.
North American species, one of these com-
mon in Southern California.

* Natural History of Aquatic Animals, Government
Publication, page 458. U.S. Commissioner of Fish and
Fisheries.

There are three other | : ;
_ underbrush in a long, irregular

|

| wonderat an unprotected duck’s egg
| nipped.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

“Wuite collecting, about one hundred

/rniles north of Lawrence City, Wyoming

Territory, I came across an old hollow pine,
which had the appearance, by having some
feathers around a hole about ten feet from
the ground, of being inhabited. My friend
climbed up and looked in, exclaiming,
‘‘ Owls or snakes, but here goes,” at the
same time thrusting in his arm and pulling
out by the head a duck, which proved to be |

a female, Barrows Golden Eye (Bucephala
islandica). She was sitting on eight eggs,
green in color, of uniform shape, and
measuring two and one-half by one and five-

eighths, nlien were far advanced in ineuba- —
tion. ‘Two of them had the appearance of
being frozen, as the shells were cracked and
the contents protruding.

The next morning, “June 3d, I had to |
break the ice on a pond near by to procure
water for our camp. ‘That day it snowed
from daylight until dark; such weather
was enough to chill a china egg, and I don’t )

getting
SMITH.

2a earn arene

Wie:

A Florida Possum Hunt. ’

My friend and I were recently from the
North, and our Southern neighbors had
promised to take us on a ’possum hunt; so
one clear December evening, just after sun-
down, we started. There were six of us,
and fourdogs. We were well, but variously
armed. One had a spade, another an axe,
a third a hoe, a fourth a heavy cudgel, my
friend his double-barrel, and I brought up
the rear with a lantern, which proved to be
as u eless as the formidable armature.

Having filled our pockets with oranges
from a neigboring grove, we struck off into
the ‘* hammock,” a term applied to the
dense hard-wood forests as distinguished
from pine land. ‘The Southerners were dis-

and I heard covert sneers at the ‘‘ Yankee
notion.” To pay them I took care to hold
it so that they should be as much as possible
in the shadow as we stumbled through the:
line. TI
secretly hoped, too, that one of them would

_ step on a snake in the darkness, when I
_ would come to the rescue with the light.

But no such contingency occurred, and the

' moon rising, soon clouded my hopes.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ol

After we had fairly got into the ‘* ham-
mock,” the dogs were let loose, and we
could hear them far away, their cries grow-
ing fainter and fainter, till, to my unedu-
cated ears they were no longer audible.

bits, which brought down many curses upon
his head from our cracker guide.
was called when we reached an open space,
and we were told, as our guide expressed it,
that we were ‘‘ gwine ter wait till the dogs

done treed a ’possum.”

I selected a log a little removed from the
others, and with a Northerner’s caution in
regard to scorpions and centipedes, carefully
inspected the log before trusting myself to
it.

The hammocks of Florida are full of in-
terest to a naturalist. Their fauna and
flora are wonderfully varied. In the white
moonlight, the trees, draped with winding
sheets of ‘‘ Florida Moss,” looked ghostly
enough to satisfy the cravings of the most
supernatural. How
Northern forests — there, in the moonlight,
every outline is clear cut, every leaf shows
its shape, and the dark shadows suggest no
thought of concealment,— here every de-
cided outline is smothered by the long, gray
twiners of the moss, and a shadow, as
though of a unrepented sin hangs over the
wood. I was gliding towards the reverie
into which I am invariably drawn when in
the presence of Mother Nature, when I was
roughly awakened by a voice, shouting,
‘¢ They've got him!” Every one was up in
an instant, and then foilowed a wild rush of
nearly a mile through the thick growth,
over prostrate logs, and around ‘‘ sinks,” to
where the dogs were yelling like mad at the
foot of an immense oak — by far the largest
tree in the neighborhood. <A council of war

_was held — was ita ’possum or a ’coon ; and

how to get it down? It seemed to be pop-

a ’possum.
One dog showed a disposition to chase rab-_

_ guide seemed to settle
A halt |

tinued, ‘* right onto thet fust big limb, and
I reck’n its a ’possum.” That settled the
matter, though a yonng fellow did dare to
remark sotto voce, ‘‘ Derned if I reck’n its
Never yit seed a’possum take
sich a big tree.” The ipse dixit of the
matters with the
others, and the opinion of the ‘* Northers’
was, of course, not asked.

After some deliberation, and considerable
‘¢cursing” of the possum for choosing so

| big a tree, it was proposed to cut it down.

different from our |

After two rounds it became evident that, at
the rate we were working, the tree would
fall some time the next afternoon. A halt
was called, and more deliberation. Finally
a stout young fellow offered to climb the
tree. This was something of an undertak-
ing for the trunk was without a limb for
over forty feet, and was, moreover, about
twenty feet in circumference at the base.
However, we felled a smal] oak near by
against the larger, and by means of consid-
erable ‘‘ boosting,” he at last reached the
branches. The moon just then was obscured
by clouds, so we could hardly see him,
but we could hear him wondering where
the ‘‘ derned thing” was.

Suddenly a pistol shot from the tree-top
broke the silence, then another, and = an-

other. ‘*Got him?” No answer. Then
another shot. ‘*Got him? ” still no
answer. The moon, breaking through the

ular opinion that if it was a ’coon, the game |
wasn’t worth the candle, but as nothing |

could be seen in the thick branches, it was,
of course, impossible to decide between
Didelphys and Procyon.

Suddenly our guide, who had maintained
a wise countenance when questioned con-
cerning his opinion, exclaimed, ‘‘ I see him!”
There was a stampede to where he was
standing, and six pairs of eyes greedily
gazed at the tree-top. ‘ I see him,” he con-

| possum,’

|

clouds at that instant, showed a heavy body
clinging despairingly to the lowest limb.
Another shot, and the body loosed its hold,
and fell swiftly into the mass of excited
dogs, where it would have been torn to pieces,
had not the guide rushed in, and driven
them off with heavy blows, and held up to
our interested gaze — a ’coon !

The countenance of all dropped. I
heard some one behind me exclaim, no
longer sotto voce, ‘‘ Derned if I reckon’d
twas a’possum. Never yit seed a ’possum
take sich a big tree!”

We voted to give up the hunt that night,
and turned homewards. ‘The enterprising
fellow who had worked so hard for his
’ slung the ’coon over his shoulder
with rather a disappointed air. ‘The last
thing I heard as I turned in at our gate was,
“Derned if I didn’t reck’n that warn’t no
*possum ! ” Henry A. KEtry.

BELLEVIEU,

FLA.

52

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island. |

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.
NoumBer XXI.

Amblystoma punctatune Linn., (Salaman-
dra venenosa Barton, Salamandra sub-vio-
lacea, Harlan).
spotted Salamander, though not particu-

larly abundant, has nevertheless been many |

times observed by those interested in nature,
attracting attention because of its consider-
able size and brilliant markings of yellow on
an apparently black field. More specifically,

The violet colored, or |

the entire upper parts are of a bluish black,
fading to black onthe jaws and sides of the |
head. A violet or purple tint appears be-
low, and extends from the chin to the top |
of the tail. The bright yellow or orange
spots are large and oval, and are variously
- distributed in different individuals. Gene-
rally the head bears four or five, which ap-
pear atthe back of each orbit and behind
tne temples; while those of the body are ar-
ranged along each side in a more or less ob-
vious row, to extend on thetail. The limbs
often bear one or two smaller spots.

In size, the Spotted Salamander is
larger and more bulky than those hitherto
treated. It often measures five inches in
length, and I have seen a specimen that ex- |
ceeded seven inches. The feet are of con-
siderable size, and are of use in walking
only, being unprovided with webs. The
posterior pair are the larger, and of the five
toes the third and fourthare largest. Other
structural though generic peculiarities are
the ossified tarsus, and caspus or ankle and |
wrist joints, the fish-like vertibra, these,
having their centre hollowed out anteriorly
and posteriorly, and the large thick tongue,
attached at its base and free only along the
margin. The tongue is more or less folded, |

the folds starting from a posteriorly placed |

centre, and radiating anteriorly. The late-
ral folds of the body are eleven in number.

This species was probably first described
by an American naturalist in 1803, when

Dr. Barton exhibited a living specimen

before the Am. Phil. Soc., though no
definite description was then drawn up.

sent a description to Daudin, who published
jt in his work under the name S. venenosa

imposed by Barton. Barton finally published
his description of the animal, calling it S.

| sub-violacea, a name acknowledged by Har-

lan. Long before this, however, Linné had,
in the Old World, described the form, and

_his name is that now adopted by right of

priority. We thus see the confusion that
may arise from the too hasty description
of supposed new forms.

In its habits the present species is noc-—
turnal, being found during the day-time
hid away under rocks and decaying trees.
Not unfrequently it is found in some post-
hole or well, into which it has fallen, and
is unable to make good its escape. If ex-
posed to the rays of the sun it soon
shrivels up and dies; indeed, so necessary is
moisture to this animal, that it seems to be
provided with a special series of glands from
which exude, through pores in the skin, a
milky fluid. These are quite readily seen
ina healthy individual, on the head there
being several clusters.

Crocodile — Alligator.

Tue distinction between Crocodiles and
Alligators is based on the shape of the head,
which in the crocodile is long, tapering to a
narrow snout, in the alligator flat and

broad; but particularly on the fact that

the long canine teeth in the lower jaw of
the alligator fit into well-defined pits in the
upper jaw. These are represented in the
crocodile simply as notches. Our most
common species is Alligator mississippiensis,
and is restricted, I am informed, to the south-
eastern portions of the United States, while
several species occur southward to South

_ America, and a new species is lately re-

ported from China. Crocodiles also occur
in Florida, and their many representatives
are foundin the West Indies, South America,
all over Africa, in India, and the East India

_ Islands.

Among crocodiles in general there is a
separation between the plates of the head
and back, but in the Gavial found in India,
and which is said to grow to be nineteen or

twenty feet long, the plates are uninter-
Later on it seems that some person gave an |
account of the animal to Rafinesque, who |

rupted, and in the old males there occurs a
prominent and curious swelling at the end
of the nose. The prominent species in
South America is called a Cayman.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

03

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Telarid:

No. XVI.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

Carya amara.-—The bitternut Hickory.

C. amara, or the bitternut hickory, is not
common in Rhode Island. There are speci-
mens in the groves in the vicinity of Sayles-
ville, but few which are well developed.

hickories. It isa native of Rhode Island,
but not common. ‘There are a few fine na-
tive specimens in the vicinity of Stump
Hill. They are also seen in the yards, or
in the vicinity of old farm houses, where
they have been planted for their nuts and
shade. The tree does not grow nearly as
dense a head as the hickories, and lacks
the grace which belongs to some of them.
Still, in spots where there is ample room for
its wide spread, it is a very desirable tree

J

_ to plant.

Asan ornamental tree, it is the finest of |

the hickories. In the open grounds favor-
able to its growth, it attains the height of
sixty or seventy feet, with a semi-orbicular

form, stately and noble in its proportions.
The limbs are lithe and slender, starting
from a central stem, which tapers gradu-
ally from the roots to the top. The spray
is fine, and the leaves are on stems corre-
spondingly small. The leaflets vary from
seven to eleven, and are small, narrow, un-
equilateral and smooth on both sides. The
characteristics named give the tree an airy
gracefulness, which renders it highly at-
tractive. In the autumn the tree is still
more beautiful from the rich tints of or-
ange which appear on the foliage.

the tree may be readily identified. They
are small, the terminal ones flattened,

curved, and considerably lengthened, while |

the axillary ones are short and rounded.

The fruit furnishes the easiest means of
identification.
noticeable for the winged edges of the seams.
The nuts can easily be crushed in the fin-
gers, while the meat is so bitter as to be in-
edible, squirrels and boys alike refusing
them.

The bark is usually smooth with an occa-
sional loose flake upon old trees. It dyes a
permanent yellow, and was much used by
the Indians in coloring. The wood contains
the excellent qualities of the other hickories,

from which it is not usually distinguished. |

The hickories are distinctly American, their

place being taken in Europe by the wal- |

nuts.
Tue Butrernut.—Juglans cinerea.

This stately tree is closely allied to the

It is small, thin shelled, and |

| laughin’ matter.

3 ; | being stiff to the ends.
head, sometimes assuming the columnar | Dee Sn

No one is liab’e to mistake the butternut
for any other tree, unless it be for the black
walnut, J. nigra. ‘The body grows to a
large size, frequently four feet in diameter.
The limbs are few and stout, the branchlets
The limbsare long,
the lower ones nearly horizontal. The bark
is gray, smooth on young trees, somewhat
ridged on old trunks. It has long been
used for coloring shades of brown.

The sterile flowers are seen in May in
large green catkins, six or seven inches
long. The fertile flowers are upon terminal
downy stalks, two to seven in a_ bunch.
The well-known fruit ripens in October. If
properly dried, it yields a sweet, edible -
meat, but too oily for healthfulness. The
wood is light, slightly tinged with pink. It
works very smooth in finishing, and is com-

= gi Senor igh r e for cabinet work ai
The buds show characteristics by which | ye into ne Were pute, 10h sid tT Noneaand

nice inside work for dwellings. As the tree
grows very rapidly, the planting of it for
timber is worthy of consideration.

‘THe Woopcuauck.—W oodchuks isa very
curus animal. It is made of hair and eyes
and has two front teeth, and can see a man
with a gun when his eyes are shut and
bolted. Ihave seen a dog shake a wood-
chuk till both were black in the face. A
woodchuk can snivel up his nose, show his
teeth and look as homely as I ean without
trying. They sit on one end and eat with
the other. A woodchuk can get home faster
than a gun can shoot. He is round allover,
except his feet which are black. When
eaten they retain the flavor of their nests,
and seem to be cooked without being pared.
A fat woodchuk, when eat properly is no
They come under the head

_ of ‘‘ domestic animals,” and think their ain’t
' no place like home when a dog goes for ’em.”

54

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER. XXX.

Famity Achatinellide, three genera,
fourteen sub-genera, and about three hun-
dred and fifty species of beautifully colored
shells, confined almost exclusively to the
Sandwich Islands.

Family Cylindrellidz, four gencra, seven-
teen sub-genera, and over two hundred
species, inhabits the West Indies and Trop-
ical America.

Family Pupidz, consists of eight genera,
the largest of which, Clausilia, has seven
hundred species, none of which inhabit the
United States; the next largest, Pupa,
with about four hundred species, distributed
among twenty sub-genera, is represented in
Rhode Island by two sub-genera, and the
genus Vertigo, with one hundred species,
by seven species in North America, six of
which are found in or near Rhode Island.

Genus Popa, Lam., 1801.

Shell small, cylindrical or ovate-oblong ;
umbilicus slight ; plicate, striate or costel-
late, brown horn-color ; lip reflected, den-
tate or plicate within; columella the same,
the extremities usually joined by a raised
callus.

The genus is divided into nineteen sub-
genera, only two of which are represented
in the United States. They are Leucochila,
with eight species, and Pupilla, with seventy-
seven. Both of these sub-genera contain
species which inhabit Rhode Island.

102.
Shell cylindrical-oblong ;

Pupa (Levcocuira) ARMIFERA, Say.
apex obtuse ;

whorls six or seven, smooth, convex ; aper- |

ture small; lip reflected, much thickened

within ; teeth four to five, the largest being |

bifid, starting from the body whorl, at the

superior margin of the aperture ; umbilicus |

perforated. Length, one-sixth of an inch;
breadth, one-eighth.

This is the largest species of the sub-
genus found in this country, and is easily
distinguished by its waxen white color, and
its peculiar bifid tooth. It has been quoted
as abundant in the Middle and Western
States, extending as far east as Vermont,

| tween.

where it has been found on the shores of
Lake Champlain. Mr. Thomson has found —
it in Tiverton, R. I., near the shore of —
Stafford Lake. ‘‘ Rare.”

103. Pupa (Levucocuira) Conrracra, Say.

A widely distributed species, inhabiting
from Maine to Florida, and westward to
Iowa and Texas. It is not a very common
shell in New England, but is found under
the bark of decaying logs and stumps.
Morse says: ‘‘ Found in beech groves under
bits of rotten bark.” It has been found on
piles of old bricks. It has six whorls,
gradually tapering to a not very obtuse
apex. It is of a whitish color, translucent
and distinctly umbilicated. The lip is
broadly reflected, and the aperture is nearly
closed by four strong teeth, one of which,
situated on the columella, is spoon shaped,
and contracts the mouth so that it resembles
a horse shoe in shape. The mouth is so
filled up by these teeth that it seems strange
how the animal can protrude its body at all
through the irregular and minute spaces be-
Its length is one-tenth of an inch,
and its breadth one-twentieth.

104. Pupa (Levcocuiia) Corticarica, Say.

Shell cylindrical, white, shining; apex
obtuse ; whorls five, convex with well im-
pressed sutures ; aperture small, sub-orbie-

ular; lip reflected, white; umbilicus mi-
nute. Length, one-tenth of an inch;
| breadth, one-twenty-fifth. Distribution,

Maine to South Carolina, and from Wiscon-
sin to Mississippi.

Described by Say in 1817 as Odostomia
corticarica, changed in 1819 toPupa. The
character of the mouth of this species
varies in different individuals. Usually the
lip has a single tooth on the parietal wall,
near the centre, and a tooth-like enlarge-
ment near the umbilical termination of the

_ peristome ; sometimes there are two teeth

on the parietal wall; in other specimens
there is a tooth, not in the centre, but a

| little one side, and again some individuals —

have no teeth at all. It is found under the —
bark of dead trees near the ground. Mr.
George Hunt of this city found quite a
number of specimens in the crotch of a
dead oak tree some eight or ten feet from
the ground.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

105.

A pretty, turreted shell, gradually taper-
ing to a somewhat pointed apex; whorls
six, shining, color dusty brown; aperture less
than one-third the length of the shell; lip
white, expanded but not reflected ; umbilicus
minute ; mouth destitute of teeth. Length
one-fifth of an inch; breadth one-tenth.

Pura (Leucocuita) Fatiax, Say.

States, and in some places it is a great
nuisance in gardens, especially in straw-
berry beds. It eats both leaves and fruit.
A collector in Cincinnati once picked forty
specimens on one strawberry leaf. It in-
habits from Nebraska to Texas, and the
Middle States southward to South Carolina.
It may be considered a rare shell in New
England, and when found is extremely local.
Adams speaks of its being found in Ver-

mont, and Mr. Thaxter has found dead |

specimens in Woburn, Mass. It has been
found on Martha’s Vineyard, and Mr. Thom-
son finds it rare on the rocky ridge in
Tiverton, R. I., among oak trees. I once
found it in Cranston, near Providence,
under somewhat peculiar circumstances.
One day after a long tramp, I sat down on
the grass under a juniper tree on the border
of Cunliff’s Pond; after a short time I
happened to look down, and saw several
objects crawling on the legs of my pants,
I picked off one of them and examined it.
and found it to be a specimen of L. fallax.

I looked carefully among the grass around |
the roots of the tree but could find nothing. |

After quite a search in vain, I reseated my-
self in the same place, and in a little while
commenced picking off the shells from my
pants’ legs, until I had secured a half-ounce
bottle full. I have never seen the species
in any other locality in Rhode Island.

106.

Shell cylindrical, elongated; epidermis
brownish horn color; whorls six; apex
obtuse; aperture oval; lip thickened
within, and widely reflected; teeth five,
umbilicus minute. Length one-tenth of an
inch; breadth one-twenty-fifth.

It was first discovered by Thomas Say in
East Florida and described in Jour. Acad.
Me oct. riia., .,. 163, “'e2'? and
is said to inhabit all the states east of the
Mississippi River. It has not yet been
found in Rhode Island to my knowledge.

Pura (Levcocuira) Rupicona, Say.

55

107.

Shell oblong, cylindrical; whorls six to
seven, rounded ; color light brown, faintly
striated ; aperture nearly circular ; lip thick-
ened; umbilicus perforate. Length one-
eighth of an inch; breadth one-sixteenth.

This species was found by Professor

Pupa (Purpitia) Bapia, ADAMS.

_ Adams near Lake Champlain, and described
It is very abundant in the Western |

by him in Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist., IIl.,
331. Mr. C. B. Fuller first discovered the
species in Maine. It is very abundant in
places near Portland. Mr. W. C. Cleave-
land has found it on Oak Island, Chelsea,
Mass. It inhabits the islands in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence, and is quoted from New
York. Mr. Thomson finds it in Westport
and Dartmouth near the salt water, in old
dead trees and stumps. This species has
been confounded with P. muscorum, Linn.,
an European species, but is a larger shell,
with a less thickened lip. Some specimens
have a tooth on the parietal wall. Mr.
Thomson says, not one in fifty of those col-
lected by him has it.

108. Pura (Pupitta) Pentopon, Say.

This is a minute shell of a spermaceti
white color, though when found is generally
incrusted with dirt. It is found in wet
places under boards and bits of wood. Mr.
Thomson finds it at the foot of trees in moss
and under leaves near water holes. Although
not mentioned in books as being found in
such places, I have found it under piles of
round stones by roadsides in the country,
closely adhering to the stones. It is only
one-fifteenth of an inch in length by one-
fortieth in breadth, but notwithstanding its
small size, it has five whorls, and an aper-
ture armed with from four to nine teeth ac-
cording to its age. The largest tooth, sit-
uated on the middle of the parietal wall, is
curved to the left; at the front, nearly op-
posite the large tooth, is another, also slightly
curved to the left. The other teeth are
nearly straight.

It was described by Say in 1822, but his
description is incorrect in several particulars.
It inhabits from British America to Georgia,
and westward to the Rocky Mountains.
Common in New England.

(To be continued. )

Senp for the new A. O. U. Checking-
list, a book of 392 pages, price $3. It is
the standard authority.

56 | RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

JPELLES

FOR ORNITHOLOGISTS, OOLOGISTS, AND TAXIDERMISTS.

For Sale by J. M. SOUTHWICK.

Scalpel, all Steel........... cee ccc atee csc e er ccccer ce rccnecensemesece sjaveje is) =: 010 00) eel altake eet $0 60
Scalpel, ebony handle...........- ce ee cece cece cece eet e ete cece cece ence seeeceasecsseseees tens 75
Scissors ebesh<te4 ceetiess cc anewjsche oaemetes So si'du. oie Deipieieele aie" hie oie MBeheos wre 67s sla's estonia ae 1 00
Bone SHIPS... ....- <0 sete cawins selec since sic eensicnintinacnccccenceeeesiseesleweeeeesse sen vines eieeleleiiamiet 1 25
Spring FOorcepS.........ccccceee cee cece te cree ee ee ence reece seneneseeeesee cena sessereeeeees 75
Curved FOrceps .%. c.o5 ae encis wie « oe oe size Soe alenie civ 6s os\e «isle 0b wile $e Sieidie clsin!> s)ale)sin (a ai6yal0\sp (ohana L225
Long Stuffers, 12 inches ...........c2-es-000 nec seescee non w cig ea Dioperersye ose Blora, otoroleweve ee OTE 1 75
Pointed Tweezers, each 20c.; per COZEN.... 2... eee cece eee cece rece cece tee e sete eetenes sees 2 00
Curved Needles, each, 10c., 3 for..........c 2 cece scee ese ce see cern ceceeestcecccccssceras ses 25
Fine wire for fastening bill, per 02........ cc cece cece cece eet e eee ee cece cence ee te reer esersnee 10
Tags, with strings, per 100, 12c.; per 1,000.......... se eeee cece deen eee cece ee teen ee eerecece 1 00
Egg Drill, fine, short handle, each, 15c.; per dOZ........ see eee ce cere cece cence ec eeee cece eens 1 50

a long handle, 3-32... 2... .-.ccceecscecceccccersesewes woes cncstccercsnccssesmeunsis 25

oe ss BeBOe 2cceln site tis Sicrece ta cretetenelet erste oie eswicioieis ele sic eietevomielere aici een eeeee Gute cs

gs “s GBD cid oalees pitoic otek wicker tes ovosevine eiereielelencials cvecegetenetetelege store] s\c ele netetate he ete isteaeaeaas 50

fs ss Se BDe eras wie a creas los cittarerererolavereiaelslerelevemeayela tie teneielers suereiehsieiciele iets 715

x 8 G23) pee Cnet a an Se NPE MR RO OSOOBDOCC SO OUC COU S255 t 1 50
Blow-pipe, nickel........ 2... cece cece eee r ects cert eee e ee ncet tees tees seeetce seeeseeeestanes 25
Embryo Scissors, very fine......-. 2. cece cence cece cece cee e eee tee eee e nese tees ncceeererenens 1 50

CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No. 1. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring Forceps, 1

Long Stuffers, prepaid.........0.0c.besesececesecsee se tbeececaccsecccccscennsansns $5 00
No. 2. Same as above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and Nickel Blow-
Pipe, prepaid. ..... 2... ce ccc cece cccencecnecsccceccvecces crcnee: senccseuccscerees 6 50

These cases are of wood, with places fitted to each instrument, and are made strong and
durable.
ALL PREPAID.

<eSperimens WBeceised since Mp Last Issue.

é
¢ PER KGG,
en Eges Be Cavegare Hagle MR eee eke ee | 249 Lazules Bunting, nest and four eggs $ .25
441 ical Mee ailodkirawice eee 9.09 | 275 Great-tail Grackle, nest and four.. 50
451 i: Baldewaple = ai: sae S 5.00 | 321 puesto Wood rewee, nest and four
F “6 iN On 7 oe Peel ; OLS. 2 weer ce cre reece cserecseceee .30
se Gattaw Tern LL IL go | 385 Ruby-throated “Hummer, ‘nest and
681 2 Royal dlernt \...2 sheers: ‘AQ | tWO OPS fOr .. 6. 5-2 se ol eee 2.25
691 rT; Sooty ern... dvs. ceees "35, | 379 Malherbes Flicker, nest and four eggs .60
504 White-face glossy Ibis, set of four
HAT SSO a CO@siiaeee =.) sss: cs eee 1.50
154 Barn Swallow, nest and four eggs.. ee OS | 525 American Woodcock, set of three eges 1.00
169 Cassius Purple Finch, nest and four 543 Marbled Godwit, set of two eggs.... 1.25
OP OH. qe tie nn cn ois 50 cele winkel= mains .40 | 567 Black-neck Stilt, set of four eggs.... 1.00
ldfincl t and f In future publications I shall use the new
i Pees: ae es Sh: a ae .49 | numbers of the A. O. U. Check-list as well as
246 Blue Cross set of four. ‘wise 50 | those of Ridgway’s List.

~~:

—S se

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

XXVii

+ REDUCTION

IN PRIO

qe)

: Being convinced that some of the present Market Prices for

Bird Skins & Eggs

Are much too high, I beg to offer for your approval the following List of

EGGS AT SWEEPING REDUCTIONS.

27. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.............. $ 20
PMEPLIGASL Abs: stoceisteraicysiaicdceie'sl as-eleieioieines 15
DOM AC USAW LCD -jat<0re.s. cc pore. s:0 re Siaicie aie erec 15
149) logger-head Shrike. ....:55.c000.. 10
HAgaeaWinite-cumped =o 5.4.0 560 va cee oP 05
942. Cardinal Grosbeak.................. 08 |
244. Rose-breasted Grosbeak............ 15 |
AO GAZ UG ES TUTLIT Oe o/s: 1c1e,0 » «ia cle ciate «weiere 20 |
Pepe olack-bill Mag pi@...:. 2s .00 sees sos ee 25
301. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher............ 15 |
Meee LACK OWE ir csireice Sores ae cae ca ess 15 |
245 Acadian: Elycatcher. ....652. 000.0206 15 |
a2oa.ebraill’s Plycatcher s.. 6.6 oececees vs 15 |
369. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker......... 50
372. Red-bellied Woodpecker............ 30
375. Red-headed Woodpecker............ 08
IS LUOCMOSEUNNOR aicts'ccls'ciclsisioc ste gied come els 30
Boe Ol Ow -DIN CUCKOO)... 52 sce ees cc 20
Seo lack-bill CUCKOO). c/s. sisiclevsae cre fe 15
390.. Groove-bill Crotophaga.............. 2 00
Sole eAmerican Barn Owl: 2... sie siesiecse sees 50
395. American Long-eared Owl.......... 50
A402; Little Screech Owl.........000ccc008 40
AS eee ES IPPOWIN GO, OW) 2c cicreicie wl ocatTewslen os 30
APoMmsOATACATA HACIOL 5c oe tisvec sie 4 ccs a 1 50
Patt) Se VLU LS tae EL ch Wilkes «sis icicie ales. cve)avelociers save a 35
Aap CO OOMETS AW. Kev vieias c orvit's a oeleisisic's 06 30
432. Sharp-shinned Hawk................ 50
Asam ED TASES EL AW KG ce o(eccievs aienticie'e arelentom es 3 1 50
ASO Re talled LAW kK 2\../.de7 cc 06 a cekine he 50
436b. Western Red-tailed Hawk........... 1 00
Baie oo Wihite-tail Hawk... 3......6c008cesees 2 00
Hie WainsOms Hawk s,s os... ee «ccs ss 1 00
MRK Y: DUZZATC y2.. o7i0 oo <6 « oiciele e106 75
evs ACK VALE Ch gs areas «cb cla wowace 85
AGU NLOUNMIM OB) OVE a. o:cjec\s atsle.d oblate ches 05
AG eed GOUDEN ION GH a:ss'c.o.c'70 2 ocecle oh eae: 30
EO ABW LOM UIE K GY 2% c:s/occie's as v0 v0 MNCs a0 79
AA WIM ONE GALINLO AN. cia:5 << 0:0 sieeltere sie 1 00
ASQaeeAMMOTICAN GUUAL =... ctc0cs aside Redeine oe 10
A) MoH LO DLA aC) Iai oe 28, ce tolev rele nes Sereno 15
FEU ME CANCER: cfaseieie oie oe re 01 alavele AT MRoiae 10
ee O ALMTORNTA OMailics ccs css «owe cotta. 10
489.- American Egret...........ccccecceee 25
FE) ESTILO, Vu ELOL OMe rey 4 cre) 010.0 lasses 0 aneeen tale 15
Alem VOC CISH HW Ore be cere vicic ins co woe elettiene 30
Ae OUISIANATELOFON cscs... «eis oteeiterelers 10
AO et hleM ble) HGrOMe di... «ss «0 «aetloeee 10
496. White-crowned Night Heron........ 35
AUS ING ARUP ETLUOL Mele uiticicisis « < - «s a.qvenitor 20

SOI Whites. sci che) eae «+. 380
D2 Leap WAT Ooi, 2°09 le 3 acto externa oe 20
RolG.eekulldeert Plover. cs sosasacee eee 20
[OZ eeVVAISOM SukelOVELarimcscce cle ucimietiec ion ne 25

DAH VMN OCRReAaeeticee oe ot Soe nee 35

555. Bartram’s Sandpiper................ 40

557. Spotted Sandpiper.................. 10

O(a ClappertRailetrcy cc <'s.cvoake stereos 10

O4e:5 -RurplexGalllliminlezy. syciecrcretsee series 50

51/95 HloridarGallinnlessc.. .2. asta dee ee 10

5s0m EAmenricant© oOtusses. ws <0 semtoeecces 10

585. American Flamingo.... ............ 75

6022 BlacksMallards sc aca sane eer 40

605% =Rintalt Duck k acsccne eco tee 40

609°. -Blue-winged: Tal)... 02.2 %s cones ss 20

ClO Cinnamon healacsnwe een eeeaeeeeaes 40

GSR EGHEAGE sakes onan at coeere eee 20

627a. American Hider Duck......2.....<.. 20

G34e-eRuddy Dicks tcc saeco nee ete 1 00

640. American White Pelican............ 50

G41, - BrownePeli¢antecs sate eee. 20

6425 Common Cormorant... ..cneeeeec. Bs)

643. Double-crested Cormorant .......-- 35

6434, Hlorida ‘Cormorant........s2ceeeees 25

6455) Brandis Cormorant... ceeeree eee: 50

GAO Snake bird ecrisc ccc. oss sees 35

GoOke “Ganmetz.terrcereeiscre css6 «nice oe cick 20

GoG5 -Black-skimmer=. 9.4... 0. 02 eee 15

663. Great Black-back Gull.............. 50

6645--Westerny Gullo cctesc . . cee 40

OO, lenin CanlllapSooosesaesus 25 os 6abe 20

G69% Ring-pilled(Gullevrrec. . «mien: 30

GIO Gullebillifernine 4.4 o2:.\ce See 20

6205 Caspian ermiss teers s'sioae eateeeie ees 1 00

GSdree HONSTEI SLOP acisics «<i cogtereaneteies 15

686;- Common) Mernk:........2ercnaeeen 05

6876. Aretic: Derniees ac: ess... chee 15

6884 sRoseatee Lerncnc., cts nls ccm eee 08

G0 WeastuLerninecioc ss < »<.00 eee 10

GOlES SOObyaMennirritscs 6,1 +) ss coterie 35

W290" Western’ Grebe: s<icis.s <:. saiceeeeieaniee 75

Os. SOONG re iicedacsesencre <7 ss +.0 5 Ce 1 25

WA2. Razor-pilledmAuik:<.,.....cceemeeeece 20

(43: ‘COMMONSE UhiNiic. «2:0. cee 20

(454 ‘Tufted’ Puthiiess.<:. << <2. Jose. eae

1605, Black Gunllemotin: « «sc. ./c ceteeeeeiele 20

i63.. ‘CommionsGanllemot:..:..-. soem es 20

764. Thick-billed Guillemot.............. 20

i64a. Brunnich’s Guillemot. ..20%o202 .... 20

XXVIii

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

At my request Mr. J. Ritchie, Jr., has placed in my hands for Sale,

a selection from his <

——

Duplicate Cyprezeas,

NUMBERING ABOUT 75 SPECIES AND 200 SPECIMENS.

This Collection includes all of the more common species, and many of the rarer ones, notably

C. aurantium, umbilicata, thersites, capensis, punctata, scottii,
nigropunctata, sulcidentata, augustata, ete.

The Shells are all numbered to correspond with their labels, and the naming has been carefully
done by Mr. Ritchie himself, according to the best authorities.

42 PRICE FIFTY DOLLARS. ==

CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION.

Specimens.

Sal, jeubayelnars bitin Goooome bes ont docoo bone 2
ORCOLVINEG ULAUION pen, cet are isinye ce irtaiele nee reis 2
Shares Ibvelgeoessesoncooos po auac 1
DAPASCNIUS Sulit eicicioc/carercreaieleiele sie tiateiare 5
8, isabella Linn........ eeidete ye Casas oeiey 4
OMETLONES Malm pte eilere wreiereieneters eee eretere role 2
11, caput-serpentis Linn................- 5
ICES eh ne ire he ope odoconmoboo udonGo IC 2
LOverOsa Wigs sie as aro, cevcemc ee wiers ceisler ers 3
AG aArgUs) AME s 5. ite cies vie sejeleftslesi\=io8 2
Aeuhall aleve y es ceieraehaietara/efetelatate claetoarat 3
UStclanG@e stim alin ew ie. ae selsslecitsistaere 4
LO WONT ORL GL Viele sete cretatateronetel> isienetor 2
21, quadrimaculata Gray. ........ ....-.- Tt
22, irrorata Sol..... FS COON Doe 3
QIN COMP LOM GLA cl seh. cslee we orelale ce eieiere cei 1
24 TNS OCNSIS? GAY, -lsrercem clprertteye ciel eraeterevere cle 1
OS SPO LIA, Gre eres o cies stezelevers chars ed ctckatssefictene 2
Yoh Toner Sn inell, Gadotdencdeccados spononat 2
SGV AGE LINAS PANINI, stoseie'crele teleheveys <ietadeisisiers Pane 4
30; polite. RObDeEES: 2. ve «ctlessiaderieete ara eal
BP Ealonhaylaie tor oa) Ni eehereesac oane cocoate hobo 2
BBY aa LECT mts0 poaeEOHodonoasade ons ol don 3
of (eEDUrn Gad Bann’. cca: ciate aevopteiene TH sine onl
RSiroral are ioe el Gil aerate eae Onin Ges Oe eee 2
SO Wimiliarise Gel ef. ae mites ieee iat ee 2
39" ursellusiGmel)s.... «2:2: <jteraro ences sities 4
40, aurantium Mart................. Adar wl
ATS VEN CELLOS sti a erereiereretotete ehclevare ie eet 2
42S AVONOSAN GRAYS cree creche tes iecailelaseetals 3
45) SZICTAC LMM ciseaaraisic oar hele aicke casera 2
Ad ocellataaimmlercr.- issih emedel- io ror aoe 4
Ad HCAUTIC A Meee siecle Sr Cx Beaton 5
eens) ILD sco goodoo oom Nana Gacaddcoc 2
NS Spy oneal, Iilahile peonnbdonboscoudosdcac 5
ZAVSr noel CVS ommopibe: MocDod om oboceade 2
bi, panerenosacDillw... ... st. ae -tace e 4
B2RCUTI AW MOMAD 5, .:01., stale steseleistders shore ietete ote 3
EN ORC IRN cabopouceebsoacnoe soba ca Oe 1
Lyte cyavbler WN S Soonmerep coobnoesdane aC 5

Specimens.
No. 55, obvellata Linn...... a:ds s heehee 5
"66, MonetasIMN sinc bss... celle Brea
6S OF, BPULCA UID nicie ss cise. ele eee he:
‘* 58, mauritiana Linn..... jo elaictelgeereke erent 3
‘° 60,, cinerea: Gmell. ic 20. cs.c0 te eee 3
“< 62, arabicula). Gam. oscneeeeeee Fea
*< 65,, tabeséens' Sol).......-.. 3, oceeee eee 1
‘* 67, stercoraria Linn. var. rattus, Linn... 2
‘<< 69, pantherina:Sol... 72. i.e tee
“« 71, diluculum Reeve...... bo Uig.ae eames 5
*s-'43, testudinaria Linn’... -2s2-\-meeeee Arie real!
14, poraria Linpisc.t.5: see vid we 4
‘(55 CAPCBBIE“GTAViccs ars caereen aCe 1
ae iPal biAlb.ed Lili) tWamterinaritana heb: tdadaac 6
‘¢. 77, cruentata Gmiel...c.. 2. ace 2
6¢ "15 NarsWarlOlarias: icv: chee eee 2
$18: SCOttheBrOd <4 .ctyaau eects AG ite 1
© - 80) Onyx MAM, 3 .2\<) 5. cee ctstate ain re een 2
‘© 84; punetulata, Gmray.. ck create crete 2
‘* 86, helvola Linn: 3. 2535s se eee 5
‘6 88. luridaduinn'. 20.02.26 ate eee 2
‘* 89, thersites Gray..... RPA es A 1
*- 90; sowerbyliKiéns .. <s..cmaseeeeeeeees 2
¢- 95. turdusseamwse nee Sib aioe 2
© 96, umbilicata SOW... 2. .0s =< cto emeeeeerae 1
St) O7., reticulata Mant... isi.s-5 2st) oe eee 2
‘c= 98, ue var. histrio Gm. 42s 1
699. arabica uiNM\... om «tele eerenee soe te
oO (0) mee var. intermedia Kien....... 3
6 104, interrupta, Gray:. .. «ccf natasietrlereenae 3
105, tignis plamn<. << 22. cetera eer 3
‘108; fimbiatasGmel... < . cclae wetee erent 3
6-109} stolida linn. . ....5...4). oes eee i
‘111, sulcidentata Gray =°: -.\cecese erate 1.
65113; nigropunctata, Grays). .ase eee 1
* 114, esontropia Ducl: 23 seeeeeeeeee eee 1
*¢-119, melanostoma Leath: <0... san seneiens 1
60"'128,; Map PamlakWN!. ../-'5 ge cbelore cfeletele eteeitete 1
<"180; angustata Gmel: . cece eeceeeeeereeee 1

Address J. M. SOUTHWICK, Providence, R. I.

J.A.& R. A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. I.

a

2

cg
r

BL. II. oo NO. VIII.

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM,
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Successor.
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

xxx

The undersigned manufactures the Patent
Monitor Locks and Improved Brackets and |
Racks for adjustable shelves, and adapted to all
styles of Museum Cases. .

Special new and improved machinery for cut-
ting and polishing minerals, petrified wood,
etc., on hand or made to order.

Adopted and recommended by the principal
museums in the United States.

Full information given on application to

ELISHA T. JENKS,

Plymouth Co. MIDDLEBOROUGH, MASS.

Please mention this paper in correspondence.
Re Tt — -

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology.

$3000 A YEAR. - - - - 75c. A SINGLE NUMBER-

Published for the American Ornithologists’ Union.
J. A. ALLEN, Editor,

ELLIOTT COUES, :
Associate
Editors

ROBERT RIDGWAY,
WILLIAM BREWSTER,
MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN,

The Aux will present, as heretofore, timely
and interesting papers on the subjects to which
it relates, and its readers may feel sure of being

kept abreast of the advances in the science.
The Auk is primarily intended as a medium of.

communication between ornithologists. While
necessarily to some degree technical, it con-
tains a fair proportion of matter of a popular
character.
the whole field of North American Ornithology,
and with the departments of ‘‘ General Notes’’
and ‘‘ Notes and News”’’ render the journal in-
dispensable to those wishing the latest and full-
est intelligence of the subject.

L. S. FOSTER, Publisher,
35 PINE STREET, NEW YORK CITY.

INDIAN AND CHINESE
CURIOSITIES.

IVORY SKULL.
A very rare curiosity, carved by
the Japanese. Perfect in form, and
about the size of the engraving.

Each $1.50, post-paid on receipt of

price. Illustrated price-list sent on receipt of 2 cent
stamps. ; 3

F. M. GILHAM, 1122 Eighth Street.
Oakland, California,

BONE SNIPS.

A NEW TOOL FOR TAXIDERMISTS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-

age.
bones.

Can be used to cut all small wires, but will be particularly useful for breaking
Length seven and three-quarter inches.

Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

WANTED.
Nice Skins or the Eggs

gil 25/0) pee

Passenger Pigeon.

size just equal one of the next.
sible partitions.
Samples by mail for five cents.___
2x var per dozen. ee a0 per100

4x 3x34, sf £¢
| 6
|

TRAYS.

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
They are the best pos-
Easily changed about, easily cleaned.

113 “
a5.

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate.

They

| are too bulky to be mailed.

Its notices of recent literature cover

:
:
1

Random Hotes on Natural History.

No. 8:

= Vol. III. PROVIDENCE, AUGUST 1, 1886.
Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.
F : 5 + ; Down he flew upon the green-sward,
7 Randour Dates att Tatu at History. ere the cat a bed had found,
; = 2 pf ee hen the sly eat pounced upon him
A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE- | And bore him down to the ground.
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE- Ah” the night-hawk cried, “ you’ve tricked
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY,. MINERALOGY, AND me,
Borany. 50 Cents A YEAR. Now I’m in a pretty plight!

. pine I had thought to dine upon you,
Address all commur ications to So you would not yow! to-night!”

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, : ‘ :
With bright hues the east was glowing,

258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A. And the moon hung in the west,

When the tom-cat ceased his labors,
And stretched on the grass to rest.
What’s in a Name? He had found the bony night-hawk
Tough to tear and hard to bite;
And oft in his sleep he murmured:
“*Tom-cat will not yow! to-night.”

The following from the Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner,
will serve to show how much “ Patsy’? knew about
the ‘‘ Night Hawk.”’

Tom-caT witt not Yowt To-NicHT; oR, THE Another Enemy in the Poultry Yard.
Nicat-Hawk’s Last ADVENTURE. ———

For several seasons, I have been using

PATsy.

Maple Valley’s sun was setting,

O’er the hill tops far away, in my poultry yards kept for domestic
Flooding all the land with beauty, use, the Plymouth Rock, and found it in

At the close of one bright day; : eryen
And the last rays kissed the feathers every way a most satisfactory val lety >. But
) Of a bird so free and high, itis not my present object to ‘‘ write up”’

pe a Maat cee any fowl of the earth or air exceptone which
z the reader must presently admit can not be
ee osem and stately, painted in color of too black intensity. The

In the air so cool and free,

Far below he saw the chickens spring laying season had opened and the at-

ee apple oan ates, tendant of the poultry had been very much
, , nt my supper, 3 : : ;

As he winged hie airy fights. elated by the richness of his egg harvest,

“But I cannot catch a chicken when I found him one day quite dejected by

eee one cot yow ls uornigtst the loss of his finest pullet. He said that she

“‘T,” he said, “‘ am called the night-hawk, had been struck by a hawk some days before,

And a lofty name I bear; and had just died from the effects of the

But it makes me awful hungry, wi :

Sailing in this keen, cool air. wound. The next day he reported another

I era longing ey By supper, case of the same kind, and the experience

uf I shall not get a bite ° ; ilv il j . =

If the chickens are kept wakeful was repeated daily until it became both mo

By the tom-cat’s yowls to-night. notonous and inconvenient. Six of the best

hens had been wounded and most of them

cueeercund 2 pee you prowling, were dead. The hawk theory was exploded

Looking for a mouse or rat,

And I’d gladly make a supper but none more satisfactory had been sug-
Off you, Maple Valley cat, gested. We would have suspected hogs

If I only had the courage, ee Are =
But I fear your scratch and bite. which frequented the woods adioining the
If I dared to, I would fix you. poultry yard, but the wounds were always in-
eee Coca yaw)to-nict flicted upon only one part of the body of the
»<* Ah! at last I see you’re sleeping hen and no corresponding impression of
Underneath the apple tree ; another set of teeth could be found. ‘The de-
ae ee secon tee ee struction of the fowls still continued and its
. Nevermore you'll squall at evening, cause still baffled our efforts at comprehen-

And the chickens put to flight, sion, until one day a boy working on the farm
For I’m going to devour you, 2 =

And you will not yow! to-night.’ happened to pass the fowls ranging in the

l@)
53
=

woods near their yard, and discovered the
enemies. The hens were running with loud
screams from a flock of crows pursuing them.
One crow was perched upon a large hen’s
back at which he was pounding and tearing
with his beak in order to pluck out the
feathers. When he succeeded he flew off to
‘* feather his nest,” leaving his victim with
a large wound inher back, from which she
was todie inafewdays. The crafty wretches
had insidiously obtained the confidence of
their daily companions, the hens, by walk-
ing about with them in the woods and pre-
tending to be very sociable, while in reality
they were plotting their base designs of a
‘* forced levy.” Have they not proved them-
selves eminently worthy of the appellation
‘“black rascals,” and has such an experience
ever been reported before? To me the lat-
ter was both novel and painfully instructive.

P. S. Hunter.
The Poultry Monthly.

To Prepare Turtles for Skins or Mounting.

Tue under shell of a turtle is called the
plastron, and is joined to the upper shell ou
each side for a little distance which varies
in the different species ; therefore, a fine sharp
saw is the first requisite, with which to di-
vide as neatly as possible both of these con-
necting pieces of shell. then with scissors
cut through the skin all around the hinder
part of the plastron, as close to the plas-
tron as possible, and yet leave an edge
of skin to sew to, when making up or
mounting the creature. The plastron
may then be turned back like the cover to
a box, the legs disjointed and skinned, as
with any animal, and all the bones left in ;
skin the tail and take out the bone, disjoint
the neck, and skin as faras possible, which
will be just back of the eyes; remove the
brain and the flesh back of the eyes, and
the muscle in the hinder portion of the jaw.
The eyes must be removed from the outside
and with great care to prevent cutting the
lids. It is sometimes desirable to cut
through the skin on the under side of the
tail for about half its length, and also
through the soles of the feet or flippers, as
it faciliates the turning of these members.
Poison all partsthoroughly with arsenic and
alum, or arsenical soap. In mounting make

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

an internal skeleton of wire as for a mam-
mal, and stuff with sawdust or chopped
tow.

I HAVE received from Col. N.S. Goss
his revised catalogue of the birds of Kansas,
allowing to that state three hundred and
thirty-five species, and describing with care
and exactness, the eggs and the building
habits of such as are positively known to
breed in that state. An addition to orni-
thological literature of much value and in-
terest.

Colonel Goss has followed in his arrange-
ment and nomenclature, the A. O. U.
Check-List.

Sword-fish Xiphias Gladius.

Just at present (July 10) that litt'e piece
of Rhode Island, New Shoreham or Block
Island, anchored ten miles out at sea is hay-
ing high jinks over the annual appearance
of sword-fish. They appear to our islanders
about July 1, attracted by the usual abun-
dance of food, which is largely mackerel,
menhaden, and squid, and in fact any small
fish that come in schools. The best fishing
ground lies on the shoals, to the south and
southeast of the island, and the sport affords
a decided revenue. Many sportsmen are
attracted to the island and the steamer
“Ocean View” is frequently chartered by
them fora day’s fishing. The success is
various. A report to the Providence Jow7-
nal, July 15, states:

‘¢ Sword-fish seem to be running heavier
than usual of late, most of them weighing in
the neighborhood of three hundred pounds.
The three taken by the ‘Ocean View’ Mon-
day weighed 981 pounds dressed, and the
five of Tuesday 1,395 pounds.”

Another report says : ‘*‘ One party brought
in thirteen sword-fish weighing about two
hundred and fifty pounds each; while the
next day fifteen were captured.

A correspondent of the Hartford Times
writes from the island :

‘¢ This exciting fun is now at its full tide.
It is splendid sport.

“The vessel is fitted with a little standing

place called ‘the pulpit,’ down in front of —

the bows, outside, among the bowsprit and
anchor chains. On this a harpooner stands

~ with harpoon in hand.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

To this murderous
iron a long, light, strong line is fastened,
and to the other end of this rope is fastened

an empty barrel.

“ Now the sword-fish is a ‘ queer critter.’
Whether he weighs 200 or 700 pounds, he
is the same sly, ferocious, aggressive fellow,
the most terrific foe a man can meet in the
water, unless it is a man-eater shark, and

probably the sword-fish can give even him |

some ‘ pints.’ He is actually malicious, wan-
tonly ugly. His sword is a bony prolonga-
tion of his snout, often three feet long, and
used as he can use it, it is a terrible weapon.
He can not only attack, and even killa
whale, but will always attack a man, if he
can get at him, and will not seldom attack a
ship — burying his sword deep in the plank-
ing and breaking it off.

“ Well, our harpooner on the littie ‘Ocean
View’ being duly warned by a shout from the
lookout, who has discovered a swordfish off
on the weather bow, gets ready to throw his
lance. The fish after filling up with mack-
erel — on which he feeds — floats near the
surface motionless, his sharp, sickle-shaped
dorsal fin alone sticking out above the water
and serving to betray his position. If the
boat approaches ‘across his bows,’ so to
speak, or ‘head on,’ he will lie perfectly

still, let it almost go over him; but you |

can’t follow him from behind; he is suspi-
cious of that situation, and is off. He can
dart like a flash of lightning. No other fish
has such power of force and swiftness in
darting. It is this that makes his otherwise
not strong and rather harmless sword such
a formidable weapon. The harpooner throws

his lance, burying it deeply in the fish ; per-

haps throws it almost clear through his vi-
tals; at any rate, the strong barbed iron
‘holds.’ The instant the harpoon is hurled
over goes the barrel, too, thrown by a per-
son who is watching for that exact moment
— for the wounded fish darts off at an incred-
ible rate, and makes the foam and spray rise
well up over the barrel. This barrel reveals
his course as well as hampering him and
wearying him; and one of the crew now
lowers a boat and goes after him to ‘ play’
him, draw him in, and try to exhaust him.
If he can only once get a loop around the
slender bottom of that widely forked mack-
erel tail, he is sure of landing his prey and
not till then.

59

“One of their fish proved to be a sly coon.
The man in the boat had followed him a
mile or so out from the little steamer, and
was ‘playing’ him, in the way of weary-
ing him out, when he was puzzled at the
queer conduct of the fish. The latter seemed
to be limp and _ spiritless —the line had
ceased to be ‘taut,’ and the interviewer
thought the fish must be giving up the whole
business, when like a shot from a rifled can-
non, crash ! came the ugly sword right through
the boat’s bottom. It penetrated the bot-
tom, then passed through the tin bailing dip-
per that lay in a hollow reserved for that
utensil, near the boat’s stern, then through
the plank cover, that fitted over that little
cupboard in the floor, to make it flush with
the rest, and striking the man on the heel,
knocked him head first to the other end of the
boat. His boot heel saved him from being
cut. The wounded fish that performed this
exploit then succeeded in drawing out his
sword, leaving only some pieces of its broken
edges near the end, as mementoes of the ad-
venture. The hole thus made in the boat
gave its startled occupant all he could do to
‘bail out’ fast enough to keep afloat; but
he made signals for help, which were seen
and answered by the little steamer, and,
eventually, both man and swordfish were se-
cured.

‘“‘ One of these ugly swordfish last Friday,
stuck his sword into the mackerel schooner
‘Volunteer,’ one of a fleet of mackerelmen
who are fishing here, from Gloucester, Cape
Ann. That fish wasn’t so fortunate; his
weapon proved to be firmly imbedded in the
ship’s bottom, and in his frantic plunging
he not only broke it off, but tore out with
it some of his head. He was soon after
found dead; but he had given the schooner
such a blow that it felt to those on board
as if she had struck something that jarred
ner all over; and on going down into the
hold to look at*the bottom, there was found
the sword —it had gone clear through.”

The general history of the swordfish as
taken from the Natural History of Useful
| Aquatic Animals, by George Brown Goode,
affirms that the range is from Jamaica, lati-
tude 18° north, to Cape Breton, latitude 47°
and along the coasts of Western Europe,
entering the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.
The various names for the fish in different
| languages are simply variations on the one

60

given it by Aristotle, the father of zodlogy,
twenty-three hundred years ago, and re-
tained until now.

‘¢ The ancient city of Siena, secluded and
almost forgotten among the hills of North-
ern Italy, should have a peculiar interest
for Americans. Here Christopher Colum-
bus was educated, and here, in the height
of his triumphs as a discoverer, he chose to
deposit a memento of his first voyage across
the seas. His votive offering hangs over
the portal of the old collegiate church, closed
for many years, and rarely visited save by
some American tourists. -It consists of a
helmet and armor worn by the discoverer
when he first planted his feet on the New
World earth, his weapons, and the weapon
of a warrior killed by his party when ap-
proaching the American coast — the sword
of a swordfish.”

There seems to be no record of this fish
entering the rivers of America, though thev
are said to do so in Europe.

There seems to be an absence of the or- |

dinary habits of breeding season with us.
None of the fish are ever taken with eggs,
and they do, not associate together.

Cap- |

tain Ashby says they are always distant |

from each other at least thirty or forty feet.

Young fish are taken in the Mediterra-
nean in the winter, that will weigh from one-
half to twelve pounds, but the smallest re-
ported from this locality are four feet long,
including the sword, and weigh from thirty
to forty pounds; the largest eight and one-
half feet long, with sword, and weigh three
hundred pounds gross. These fish are a
light plumbeous hue, darker on the back
and white on the belly.

Mitchell and DeKay state that in 1791 a
specimen sixteen feet long was exhibited in
New York.

The fish disappear with the month of |

August, and where they pass the winter is
a matter of conjecture.

The sword-fish is infested with many |

species of invertebrate parasites, the gills,

subject to attack ; while among the verte- |

brates the shark is his worst enemy.

THE great mass of mankind can only
gaze and wonder; if they undertake to
think, they grow listless, and soon tire out.
— Uncle Esek.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Wild Flowers of Warwick.

Tue earls of our Rhode Island Warwick,
ifin our coming peerage there are ever
such, will we think, assume the Rudbeckia
for their floral emblem. It is certainly a
knightly if not regal ornament. And it
abounds throughout the Warwick region
where we spend the summer. Perhaps the
less pedantic know it better by its com-
mon name of ‘‘ cone flower,’ or better yet
by the title yellow daisy. The latter is a
pretty fair name for it, as popular names
go. But nomenclature aside, what a mag-
nificent creature is this weed! The centre
isa chocolate-colored cone — around which
radiate the long strap-shaped, orange-col-
ored marginal flowers. Occasionally they
are large enough to be mistaken for sun-
flowers —and in structure are finer. To us
they always suggest something oriental, but
as a matter of fact they are essentially west-
ern. Most of our weeds come hither from
Europe; this from our own prairies. It
may be that our now incessant communica-
tion with the newer states will bring us an-
nually more and more of their indigenous
plants.

The question of what constitutes a weed
is of constant recurrence. The answer de-
pends largely upon the stand-point of the
observer. Whatever is troublesome is a
weed, but the same thing transposed to
another location may be prized as an
elegant flower. In the bright little book,
On the Wing, by Mrs. Blake, we have
just read how in California they try to cul-
tivate our too common white daisy or ox-
eye. With us it is a beautiful nuisance.
In return we grow in our garden the univer-
sal California poppy, (Eschscholtzia) for
the value of its glorious yellow flowers.

On these Buttonwood plains we have
often remarked there is always a prepon-
derating yellow. The progressive series is
something like this, St. John’s wort in June

_andearly July, followed by wild indigo,
stomach, intestines, and the flesh are all |

golden-top Aster (Crysopsis), sensitive
plants, and in August and September a
variety of golden rods. The most splendid

| of the latter has, in this state, almost a re-

stricted location near Old Buttonwoods Ho-
tel, but there it is very common. It is the
Solidago rigida of science. The heads are
larger and fuller than in any other species,

; ?

ore Tee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

and are disposed in a flat corymb of intense
yellow. The plant blooms in September,
and always tempts us back to our summer
repose.

It is surprising what these apparently
sandy plains will yield in the way of flowers.
Beside the golden daisies, before referred
to, there is at present a glorious display of
lilies. Everywhere one finds the hand-like
spike of a pale blue lobelia. A singular
plant which is here very common is the
colie root (Aletris farinosa). It has a ro-
sette of radical leaves, oblong in shape,
and straight nerved. From the centre of
these rises a tall scope bearing a lot of white
mealy-looking flowers. The meadow beau-
ties are now very abundant, forming bril-
liant patches of rose purple. The calyx is
a dark red, and is urn-shaped. The sta-
mens have long yellow, singular-looking an-
thers hanging forward and opening at the
top. By pressure the pollen is projected
from the apical pores. This genus (Rhexia)
is the sole representative at the North of a
vast family of tropical plants, many of them
large and gorgeous. They are distinctive
of South America. We have found stray
specimens of the ragged orchis, and of the
hinged loose stripe, Lythrum alatum, which
according to the books is here far out of
range.

Two species of polygala are quite fre-
quent, and one of them extremely pretty.
The young student will find them hard to
describe. There is a small yellow-flowered
flax, the delicate blue Linaria, the daisy
fleabane, and the white top aster. If we
step aside into moister soil we will find
many other things. Among these, the
most showy are the calopozons and gozo-
nias, both of them members of the beautiful
orchis family. All of this lineage are with
us terrestrial, but in the tropics their are
Jargely air plants, gorgeous in hue and ex-

/ gument and proof.

61

flower, and is perhaps, the best known of the
carnivorous plants.

We see so many persons wandering aim-
lessly among these wild flowers, and often
seeking their names in yain, that we are
led to pen these few notes to aid their steps
if possible. To us the process of accumu-
lation has been a long one. Let no one
_ suppose either that it has been easy. If

| there is any art worth knowing that can be

so characterized, we have not met it. Bot-
any at its best calls to-day for a large men-
tal equipment. One should bea good clas-
sical scholar, (hence we have no quarrel,
but only love, for good old Latin and
Greek,) should be a good chemist and phy-
sicist, and it would be of advantage if he
knows entomology. Butabove all he must
be an observer and reasoner, seeing all
things, judging all things, and open to ar-
W. W. B.
Butrronwoops, July 13.

The Growth of Unio Complanatus, Lea.

I HAD never before been able to learn

how long a time it took a Unio to ma-

ture. There is a brook on our place,
that I have dredged from one end to the
other and never could find any shells
but Anodonta subcylindracea, Lea, A. un-

| dulata, Say, A. fluviatilis, Lea, Spheerium

striatinum, Lam, Physa heterostropha, Say,
Planorbella campanulatus, Say. Now the
brook runs into the Raritan River, about
one and one-half miles from our place, and
besides we made a small pond; the dam is
three feet in height, so that no Unio could

| get into the pond and brook above. Oct. 30,
| 1881, 1 planted eighteen specimens of U. com-

planatus ; they were one and one-half inches
in length when I planted them. On April 29

’

traordinary in form. Their colorand shapes |

are corelated with the visits of insects. As

Gray says, ‘‘ free lunches are never pro- |

vided without a hope of recompense.” ‘The
treat is the nectar or honey, the removal
the transference of pollen from flower to
flower. .
Another little plant, forever associated
with Darwin, which we here find commonly
along the remains of the old horse railroad
to Apponaug, is the sun dew.

It is now in |

| can

| 1883, as I was dredging this pond, to my sur-
_prise I found five Unio complanatus, and

they measured over four inches in length ;
hardly any variation in all five. Now the
brook is quite full of them, and in an hour I
get one hundred or more. As they
were growing about eighteen months, they
/must have grown over one and one-half
| inches in a year.

I should like to hear if any one has ob-
served the same development before, or
| knows the facts of their growth.

Tuomas Morean.

62

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXXI.
GrENus VERTIGO, MULLER, 1774.

Shell minute, rimate, oval, frequently
sinistral; apex obtuse; whorls five or six ;
aperture, irregular, multi-dentate ; lip white,
expanded.

There are about one hundred species of |
- are not lamelliform and within the aperture,

Vertigo distributed between four sub-genera,

of which Ala, Jeff., contains eighty-five. |

This is the only sub-genus represented in
America. The American species are eight

in number and of these, six inhabit New |

England. They resemble each other so
closely that it is only by the teeth that they
can be distinguished apart until after a
long experience in working up these species.
The teeth are scarcely visible to the naked
eye, and require a microscope to determine
their character.

Very little indeed, can be said about |

these minute shells. Their habits and ap-
pearance are very similar, and a scientific
description of one will apply to all, except-
ing as regards the number of teeth, their
position, ete.

109. Vertigo (AL#A) Bo“iesrana, Morse. |

This species was discovered in Maine and
described by Prof. E. S. Morse, Ann. N. Ya
Lye., VIII., 209, 1865. It was named after
the Rey. E. C. Bolles, an enthusiastic con-

chologist, formerly curator of the depart- | ‘
_ length, three one-hundredths in breadth,

ment of mollusca at the Peabody Academy
of Science, at Salem, Mass.

It isa very rare shell and extremely local. |

It has been quoted from Maine, New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts, New York, Norfolk,
Va., and Tiverton,: R. I. I have never
seen it in our state, but in Rehoboth about
three miles over the line in Massachusetts,
I have found it on stones and leaves abun-
dantly under a butternut tree by the side of
the road. About half a mile from this lo-

cality I found others under precisely the |

same circumstances, but know of no other |
spot where they can be obtained, save under |

those two butternuts. The shell has four
whorls, amber colored, sub-translucent;
apex obtuse ; within the mouth are five teeth,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

one prominent and a little curved, on the
parietal wall; two similar ones on
columella margin, and two lamelliform,
elevated teeth at the base, within the aper-
ture. Size of shell sixty-five by thirty-five
one-thousandths of an inch. ;

110. Vertico (Atma) Goutpu, Binney.

Described by Binney in Proc. Bost. Soc.
Nat. His., I., 105, 1848. Itis of a light
chestnut color, with four and a half whorls

' and five teeth resembling those of Bolles-

iana excepting that the two on the base

but spring up from the labial margin and
are shaped like the other teeth. This species
is found under leaves in the woods and is
found throughout New England and the
Middle States. Length one thirty-second,
breadth one sixty-fourth inch.

111. Vertigo (At#s) Mitium, Goutp.

Described by Dr. A. A. Gould (for whom
the previous species was named) in Jour.,
Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., II., 401, 1840. It
was first discovered at Oak Island, Chelsea,
Mass., in November, 1839, after a warm rain.
It is distributed from New England to
Texas, but is seldom observed on account
of its extreme minuteness, being even
smaller than Carychium exignum. It has
six teeth, two on the parietal wall, one on
the middle of the left lip, one on the base

of the aperture, and two on the outer lip

within the mouth. It has a large and deep

_ umbilicus, but four whorls, dark amber col-

ored, and is the smallest species of the genus.
‘‘It is four one-hundredths of an inch in

and weighs five one-thousandths of a grain ;
and this tiny shell incloses a pulsating heart,
a lung, stomach, liver, and all the organs
we find in the larger snails” (Morse).
Found under decaying leaves in woods, and
sometimes under stones in pastures. Mr.
Thomson has found them in green moss
hanging from white oak trees.

2:

Described by Thomas Say in Jour. Acad.
Nat. Sci. -Phila:;-V.. 375, 1822.- Whims
amber colored and highly polished ; whorls
five; aperture semi-oval with from four to
eight teeth. There are generally two and
sometimes three on the parietal wall and

Vertigo (At#a) Ovata, Say.

the -

—_—-—- -— *

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

the others are distributed around on the
margin of the lip.

Vertigo ovata, or Pupa modesta asit was
formerly called, is the largest of our species
of this genus, being three-fortieths by one
twenty-fifth of an inch. It is found only
in wet places, under chips, leaves, stones, etc.
I found once a large number of them at
Pawtucket, in a ledge of rotten slate.
breaking off pieces of the slate, the shells
were seen between the layers of the stone.

By |

It was close to a small pond and the stones |

and shells were quite wet.

1138. Vertigo (AL#A) SmrLtex, Gouip.

Described by Dr. A. A. Gould at the
same time with V. milium as above. It is
a smooth, light chestnut colored shell, more
cylindrical in shape than the other species
of the genus; apex blunt; whorls five ;
length one-fifteenth of an inch, breadth one-
thirtieth. Its distinguishing character is its
circular aperture, destitute of teeth, and its
sharp lip. It is found in the woods under
leaves in Canada, New England, and New
York. Mr. Thomson finds it in damp places
in interstices of old logs in company with H.
electrina.

114. Vertico (At#a) Ventricosa, Morse.

Described by E. S. Morse, Ann. N. Y.
Lye., VIU., 1, 1865. Foundin Maine, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
and New York.

Shell umbilicate, ovate-conic, light col-
ored, polished, apex obtuse; suture deep ;
whorls four; lip widely reflected, the right

margin flexuose, within thickened and col- |
ored. Lengthseven one-hundredths, breadth |

forty-five one-thousandths of an inch.

Family Limacide. Shell rudimentary
a calcareous plate, not spiral, concealed un-
der the mantle, and covering the respiratory
cavity.

Family ‘Tebennophoride. Animal a
slug with neither external nor internal shell.

Family Arionidz. Animal naked, with
mantle concealing a few calcareous grains
representing a shell plate.

These three families all contain species
which inhabit Rhode Island, but are not
included in the she!l-bearing mollusca.

Family Succineide, six genera, six sub-
genera and more than two hundred species,
is represented in America by the genus
Succinea; this is divided into five sub-

| obliqua, Say, Tiverton, R. I.

63

genera, of which two inhabit the United
States. These are, Succinea restricted, to
which Studer, 1830, gave the name of
Tapada, and Brachyspira, Pfr., 1855. There
are about forty species in this country, four
of which inhabit Rhode Island.

115. Swucomnea (Tapapa) Avara, Say.

This species was described by Say in the
appendix to Long's second expedition to
the St. Peter’s River, 1822, as follows :

‘¢ Shell sub-oval, pale reddish yellow, sub-
diaphanous, fragile, covered with an earthy
crust; whorls three, minutely wrinkled ;
body whorl very large; spire small; aper-
ture sub-ovate, large, two-thirds the length
of the shell. Length three-twentieths of an
inch. Inhabits the Northwest Territory.”

Succinea avara is now catalogued from
nearly every state in the Union, east of the
Rocky Mountains. It is found about the
margins of muddy streams, and sheltered
under loose objects in moist places, but is
also found in Rhode Island, under leaves in
the woods far away from any water.

The young shells have a large rounded
aperture, and scarcely any spire; they are
always covered with a coating of dirt.
Under the glass they prove to be covered
with fine hairs which collect the dirt. As
they grow larger this peculiarity disappears
and the shells have a deep straw color.
Mr. Say’s specimens evidently were nct full
grown, as the size of the adults is seven-
twentieths of an inch, the aperture Is one-
half the length of the shell and the spire Is
quite long.

Succrnea (TApapA) OBLIQUA, SAY.

This is a large, in fact, the largest Amer-
ican species of Succinea, being one inch in
length, by three-quarters in breadth. It
has never been quoted from New England
by any author, but Mr. Thomson in his
Land Mollusca of Bristol County, says: *'5.
Very varia-
ble, but generally the typical form is found
in swaley places on hillsides; very nearly
allied to S. ovalis, Gld.” S. obliqua does
not resemble S. ovalis, Gld., and I am in-
clined to think Mr. Thomson has mistaken
some large specimens of S. Totteniana, Lea
for the obliqua of Say. The next chapter

| will contain descriptions of S. ovalis, Gould,

and of S. Totteniana, Lea.
(To be contin ued.)

64

Chemically Pure Gold.

Mr. H. F. Carpenter, gold and silver
refiner, at 29 and 31 Page Street, in this
city, has succeeded in producing, by a pro-
cess known only to himself, a chemically
pure gold for the use of photographers who
wish to make their own chloride. The term
‘¢ chemically pure”? means a good deal. It
is almost impossible to obtain anything ab-
solutely pure in the strict meaning of the
term. Fine gold, as sold by refiners and
used in the manufacturing of jewelry, is not
perfectly pure; it contains a trace, and
sometimes a good deal more than a trace, of
silver, copper, and other base metals. Its
intrinsic value is $1.03 per dwt., and is sold
at that price and allowed for in sweep and
other waste at the same price, there being
no profit whatever in selling this metal.
The chemically pure gold, 490° fine, Mr.
Carpenter sells for $1.10 per dwt., and the
article is worth its difference in price to
those who desire it perfectly pure. Mr.
Carpenter is a graduate of Brown Uni-
versity, and was the first person in the
United States to refine photographic wastes.
While studying chemistry at the university
(in 1860), at that time a youth of eighteen,
he conceived the idea of utilizing the waste
from photographers, which was being thrown

away, as jewelers’ sweepings were some years |
| peared, and presume that naturalist and

previous. He has had a longer experience

than any other person in this line (twenty-

five years), and is doing business for pho-

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

tographers all over the country, as well as
his regular business of gold and silver re-
fining in general. He manufactures besides
the chemically pure gold, a chemically pure
nitrate of silver, and chloride of gold for

photographic use.— The Jeweler, Provi-

dence, R. I.
Literary Note.

Messrs. J. B. Lippincorr & Co. have
in press a Manual of North American

Birds, by the eminent ornithologist, Prof. —
Robert Ridgway, curator department of —

birds, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
Dic:

The author has had unrivalled advantages
for the preparation of a treatise of this
character, arising from his own field expe-
rience, as well as his connection with the
National Museum, and the free access which
has been granted him to various other pub-

lic and private collections of birds, both in.

this country and Europe.

The work is to contain some four hundred
and twenty-five illustrations suitably exe-
cuted, and will conform to the geographical
limits, classification, numeration, and no-
menclature adopted by the American Or-
nithological Union.

We doubt not it will be one of the most
important and original contributions to the
literature of the subject which has ever ap-

sportsman alike will find in it an invalu-
able aid.

“ Specimens Bereised since Op Last Issue, &

Numbers on the Left are those of the New A. O. U. List.

~ SKINS OF

55-640). ‘Slrort-billedeGinll 5 3 eos sol iesewre oa hb sisi eee care wicks heise a cepeie era ciolcioi cle oe eitmena ORCC EEnGE
GS=GS I SR OY alo sh en ms eres ccs oes soarors aicrepsteieleveleieiensraiewehe eapeiele tere cehalcterayoeeteehetenatePenctsl «tel rater eae 150 to 2 00
PISGSiSEATCLIC SU GBT Eb ccae.s « cioroant oerarsare eG eens PS iaea bs ctsoxsioeene Rees oe eee 75 to 1 00
11 2a=0 9040 EWE MINS’ Si GiOOSC! oic:c <rotecs o.c.3 oicussoue oreletote etcvetele ee elerolc veralsrcvals)sle acebeistetehayeraionc elas tenens 3 50 to 5 00
20625882 “Sand laill Cramp ye oc cc cla ctels, o.ccareain's elevate oreie obete aratatei ctaleiavel e tale velaneteeeiereeie ise iove ci cereta 3 50 to 5 00
S3nH494 Harriss: Hawkes. s. siuciclec ratraravetarncciereoieie eerie ae letetareio eke tiieteheree Raeeeeroeelossieeetere 3 00
Boe Beisel se Wee nit ee ci, ene Aees Sure temo u se Onc Toso ARCCOOOmSOD o< 0 cad apoE OOe 6 00
aol—402- Gray Sea Wagle ce <5. clei. ss ecelsteisieis afeloieisicrain cleiejalelo ole \c\ele ols )e/=Ackaliaieleel</aialel-«/0)+1~\s 6 00 to 7 50
BdA—Aale eB Ald Mae lepine ecetaveicecleve's (asa \otele evel clsin|ctepeteteretcreleteloisia eyerel tote ie) laloie atate Rete Ie Reltel-te.7- lal core 6 00 to § 00
SO LAM SHE SO wil strerreitectc cioce sce el eters FE ioea ik GIN aha to ak ave chateaus Gra shane itis Se MRMMetete es esteaia' ey oats 2 00 to 8 00
514-165 Evening Grosbeak................... PEE TOnD BODO MIUG 0 > COO OOSe 150 to 2 00
DOT=2ZAG HB live: GOSH WK eichese cc «oie, ovale cbsveleretalesctapebelonereyclereiel ove lovers: ole co ererate alee Mercics Sus ae 75 to 1 00
A few extra fine Resplendent Trogoms......,....-.+ssescceeseeeee-eseeees 6 U0

ae ee ee

ee ey

a id) Na

27. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.......... fate ratisiales $

PN Gee MISC ASG Lil tereisic!s) <lstrisie (ee «\s ss) s Glgalasicieters s/sjaie s
BO AGLUS( VWWViDOD ais s ocisie wore sys ainagies sit alse oe
149: Togger-head Shrike..........--.cceseeee
149a. White-rumped Shrike................-.
Poy UAT GrOSDCAK ya45j<.0<% 2 byaaisie ces 8 sins
244. Rose-breasted Grosbeak................-
EO MTA DOESNT OIN Oj oeic sie) o sas cle siete ofajerele wie oe
Door ACK ADIL MIA PIS siete los) 6s0.< estrere’s-e om ofa sisiene
301. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher................
MPR SACKS OW CO mi aicicisicisivieicc seo sicicct a ctele ciciein
ete eNCACIAM ENV GALCHOI. «icc Aciscets Selene vine
Am LEMS LORY CAUCH ED se. <\0< wolaleiclareiiviveisis «ie, 's
369. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker............
372. Red-bellied Woodpecker................
375. Red-headed Woodpecker........... ....
2toiks, CARON ABDI S eo SRS ODOM IA TIOIS Gas GEIEe
FO Rpm OMNOW=DILL CUCKOO. coce'c os cee.tie pein? so ae
Boo wack bill Cuckoo.) wcicies sh ose us ecielessiets
390. Groove-bill Crotophaga.... .... .......-
Ure IMELIC ANE ADM AONV leis cae c'c.cjsis par nlelers: ovine «
395. American Long-eared Owl.............
Ue aIUGLOMSCLECCMIONW «ccc 6 s+ lcrecle camera's
408. Burrowing Owl............ SSocngos0dcder
Dyes OC ANACAT AEC) Wilts acre Sivas ais: 010-0 Rietalsiciareisy rese's re
FEU eBOV AAT S EUMSEGL AWW: }5c0/ oo acta’ stel aye s/0r> s esieleiel v/sivieie/e's
43hlo (QUOTES 8 7 he popabesida gman 5. dics
Abe AL PSUS” EVA Wik feats vis ole sce s viele tim 's\0.0
See NREL AN UIS; DER AW laters a1 laGle's.cve sje sieje oseielenstinis's. 676s
eee LWE CPOs ELA Wi Kes are caici cio 0 vee civieepe nleleie.« «s
436b. Western Red-tailed Hawk..............
PEA] MeV VENUE =U Cplelit Wily .<.~/01si0's: «lgleiavs che a croleyeie7e
WAV ee OV AIUSOM SEPA WAG Nels «sels oct caritiesh arte cies
AD Are G VME IUZZ ALC cis s(s'clecieis,s ofchainrs eletcicrele <6
ETS HRC VEU GUE \ers a) iste tats hase Selsie soe Slee
AOU eR OLOURTUNE: DOVO. 010 o/ar0oles.cie\eials cfs ateleeieis vice
AG MeN EOLUIOID ONC «i orelars </oln'eie:0 +c leieis elejereivisie 0’
AIA AAV AE OE ME KV 5) o1chel alors) a1r/aio'e ove siajeterthsvevel ee Sar8
ANN ALLO Wa SLAIN D1 «| «1 « v.01 o\c w eielsistelere.eyeleists
480 American Quail........... BHR eb ooOotee
ESM See TALC Ay GULL linc re:avarcterata ents ole a tormamtevetdnie siete e
ASU EGR ATCC) UAL ler es 2/cloe cfs « 5 sictetlalatia ee artic
dios = LOnvihoy ae OCHA Se EnemEEe co ooCoanoue
ASO Re AMGVICAIN EEL O bei cie ete «<0: co siacdyeteieineislelsreiere
EM SN WYP ELOLOM ice) eiciescieio\ + 11 oa. lclelalsielelelersiece
Ap IVECO CISHI IU STO Uc; ofs sicls.s.0.0'0 « cfelerointnieietersiels
Lo AOLMIS IAIN El CLOWa:c/<izissre 0. « 0s aieietnieteietnieicls
PO eat lOe Es IO MEL ONOM cieie:s's/«0 + vis snlelstaitiese cis «
496. White-crown Night Heron..............

498,

Least Bittern

Nitin

ig

(

Being convinced that some of the present Market Prives for

Bird Skins & Eggs

Are much too high, I beg to offer for your approval the following List of

EGGS AT SWEEPING REDUCTIONS.

Cr ary

DOL SWiNiteelibisivsaaeorteete ce coe ae eee ay
DLN GAP WAM G' ce ricls echapwieieiovera mate elelatrere sere see
blG so lldesrabloversen. ccs eeeeneen ee
22, WAISOMSPelOVens case. so einai cen eee
Bogh x Walle Gtee Beta cldacis Coe Eee ee
ODD. = Bartrans Saud piper. csaselles vesicles late
bbi = Spotted) Sand pipern. ...issiineveleriee es ee
oGl=-Clappermtallivssinc. secede tehioe oecdee c
Sicseekupple Gallimuleus s+ sete mee aeeceeass «
OfO es MloridayG allimilei: «caer aeeeene aes oe
do0be -AmericanOoGtee..-.o- cca none etek coe
08>. American sHilamin gosta ncanscee seen cles
G02 Black eMialllandyrccccccs oma tne stots
GOSS ckintaliDicker. cite o ohcicer woes
609: ¢-Blue=winged’ Teale. ceviocaes s oenie ee cea
GLOm.Cinnamonel eal? a. sen seeeeei een one
G18 Redhead vicuta te noc cree nee
627a. American Hider Duck..........-.....--
634 Ruddy. Ducks: waa chee teem one tala c
640. - American, White, Pelicani<2......... -«.
GELS BYOWMeREliGaMier stra. cris o/s eee eee
642; Common*Cormonant..: a-. na ceeeees cece
643. Double-crested Cormorant..............
623A MlOridaiCormoraliis «<> sceseomecee cook
Gis brandt:s= Cormorant... css comet tone
G49- 0 Snake Dindeiaatwa's.cc:« «chee ere
GoO SS Giant etn a ots .co ile: sie: ca eeeete eet ene
GbO35 *Black-skimamer.o. so... actin ees oe
663. Great Black-back Gull..:% 3....¢......-
GGL VWrestern: Gr ullllle cyerei cers’ 5 screeeemerevenetor nets
O6GFsEberring: Ginllicse oes «2:0 is aeons cies
G60 S2Ring-billeduGaullly..... +. .2neeateeeiemt ee.
G9 Gullpilehernits scx: occ sateen
GS0F Caspian Geri: cleve.c. sors «cic earstereeetetonietere srs
OSD sa OTSterzS LeU ia cimisis ois dete ee eee
O805, COMMON LLEGLI 2 cc.c os «+ «ss, enero ion is
OST SAT CHCULErN ccs w:ca 5 ciece eerie oimink
G88. NOSCALO COD cs: ore! overs" s.< oye iol, Otol oars
G90 Se east eleniterns <.cr cic.’ s's.0e 0 ceieinnertaree ss
OMe SS Oaiiy diG os SapoomBOORGE ooo ocadoouadc
R29 ss sWvrestern’Grebe.:...... 5.2 aeons
TOO SMH OOM st nse ck vic ok soc 2 > 2 Peete iene a
Ee RRAZOL=DUL SATUS «soos Sos rotates laisse nies
(4355 Commonge ut... s/c c/o coterie ete ces
(45 Dutted JP wins. x <0... cc's crgepemietoriver mie ces
h60; > blacks Guillemots. «,.1./<.. .yalettemettseiereicets «<<
(63-5 Common), Guillemot... «stetbeeledaietes « </s
764. Thick-billed Guillemot...............0..

er i ey

XXxXii

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

At my request Mr. J. Ritchie, Jr., has placed in my hands for Sale,

a selection from his

Duplicate Cyprzeas,

NUMBERING ABOUT 75 SPECIES AND 200 SPECIMENS.

+ This Collection includes all of the more common species, and many of the rarer ones, notably

C. aurantium, umbilicata, thersites, capensis, punctata, scottii,

done by Mr.

The Shells are allnumbered to correspond with their labels, and the naming has been carefully
Ritchie himself, according to the best authorities.

nigropunctata, sulcidentata, angustata, ete.

== PRICE FIFTY DOLLARS.=—+

CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION.

Specimens. | Specimens.
No. 1, punctata Lint......ee see eee eee eccrine 2 | No. 55; obvellatasbinn: <<< -<-.2 sc «cue 5
2; EE AYIYsl Hi pe els Saphoten pplnece ano dbo. sone 2 56, moneta: Manni. sie «.sces oc ela de eee gies i:
‘s 3, exanthema Linn.........-ceeses eee eeeeee 1 Sg 57, Spurca GiAN.6 ac. 1 =< «a cleieetreenees sce
2S RS IEM NB. 9 AOA Sequin AD ec panodrocodt ox. 5 <e 58; MAUTIMABM GTI... . «04.2. clement Pee octicntc:
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ee 54, BTU TUS GUT Woearatetaie’s 1s :akcrecie Sisrovsnetarstegcrateln cicte 5

Address J. M. SOUTHWICK, Providence, R. I.

J. A. & R.A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. -.

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“4
XXXIV RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.
Specialties in Museum Hardware. +TME+AUK+
A, S A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology.
= | $3.00 A YEAR. zc. A SINGLE NUMBER.

FIG.2,

The undersigned manufactures the Patent
Monitor Locks and Improved Brackets and
Racks for adjustable shelves, and adapted to all
styles of Museum Cases.

Special new and improved machinery for cut-
ting and polishing minerals, petrified wood,
etc., on hand or made to order.

Adopted and recommended by the principal
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lull information given on application to

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age.
bones.

Published for the American Ornithologists’ Union.
J. A. ALLEN, Editor.

ELLIOTT COUES,
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Associate
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The Aux will present, as heretofore, timely

| and interesting papers on the subjects to which

it relates, and its readers may feel sure of being
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communication between ornithologists. While
necessarily to some degree technical, it con-
tains a fair proportion of matter of a popular
character. Its notices of recent literature cover

| the whole field of North American Ornithology,

and with the departments of ‘‘ General Notes ”’

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dispensable to those wishing the latest and full-

| est intelligence of the subject.

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INDIAN AND CHINESE
CURIOSITIES.

IVORY SKULL.
A very rare curiosity, carved by
the Japanese. Perfect in form, and
about the size of the engraving.

Each $1.50, post-paid on receipt of

price. Illustrated price-list sent on receipt of 2 cent
stamps.

F. M. GILHAM, 1122 Eighth Street,
Oakland, California,

BONE SNIPS.
A NEW TOOL FOR TAXIDERMISTS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-
Can be used to cut all small wires, but will be particularly useful for breaking
Length seven and three-quarter inches.

Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

——@ TRAYS. ©

No Capryet should be without them.

Two of one size just equal one of the next.

They are the best possible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned. Samples

by mail for five cents.

2 x 11x3, per dozen....... $.10, per 100....... $.65 | 4 x 8x3, per dozen....... $.13, per 100 Nemieneloe $.85
6é

6c
3 x 2x4, oD) A ee aroveateke Se

-75 | 6 x 4x4, ss fetes. 15, pee

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They are too bulky to be mailed.

SS

Vol. III.

- PROVIDENCE, SEPTEMBER 1, 1886.

No. 9.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Yotes on Yaturat History.

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Address all communications to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,

258 Westminster St., Providence, RK. 1I., U.S. A.

Aw article has appeared in the Ornitholo.

gist and Odlogist, Vol. I1., No. 8, touching
upon American taxidermists, and some opin-
ions adverse to their work, expressed by
Montague Browne, F. L. S.

We are all obliged to see things from our
stand-point, and I must quote my own ex-
perience, which is that, while I always or-
der the best, I can (with a few notable ex-
ceptions,) seldom obtain European skins
that average as fine as those made by my

American collectors; perhaps the best are
kept at home, and the seconds sent to the
American market.

I freely admit that there are collectors in
America who make unsightly bird and
mammal skins, but the standard of quality
has very much improved during thé past six
years, and I can produce a score of Yankees
whose work in that direction cannot be sur-
passed the world over.

It has been my experience to find collec-
tors who, from motives of economy, pre-
ferred to take the chances of ordering their
supply from the cheapest possible source, or
to follow the still more questionable policy
of exchanges, unloading frequently the
poorest stock they had to strangers, whose
ability as preparators was entirely unknown.
Surely such persons must not expect to ob-
tain for themselves the best commodities.

My last and recent order from an En-
glish dealer was for a number of American
skins; they were all selected from my
lowest quoted price, and a dealer’s discount
expected beside. My best skins cannot go
to Europe on such terms.

THERE are some queer problems connecter
with the present movement for the protec-
tion of American birds.

I note the fact that women who, from mo-
tives of utility, economy, or beauty, are in-
clined to wear plumes, wings, and birds
upon their costumes, are especially con-
demned ; and properly enough an appeal is
made to their emotions and their gentle sym-
pathy, to discard such ornaments. Perhaps,
however, it is not commonly known that for
the manufacture of a very large portion of
those ornaments, the plumage of domestic
fowls (dyed in colors) is freely used; also
the heads, wings, etc., of domestic pigeons
and game birds, otherwise waste products
of our markets.

I have patiently waited for some one to
appeal to the men. Audubon is said to
have regretted it after he had killed a_ bird.
It is to be doubted if some of our modern
sportsmen ever regret (though they do hold
stoutly and honestly to the observing of le-
gal seasons), if they did they would be
ashamed to report so frequently through
well-known channels, strings of fish and
bunches of birds, killed certainly for the
pleasure of the slaughter, since, by a little
mathematical calculation, it would seem that
the requirements of the camp, the family,
or family and friends, must be greatly over-
supplied.

The statement has been made that the
negroes of the South are killing for fool,
every thing they can find, mocking birds
sharing the fate of other songsters, large and
small. If thisis true, itis most unfortunate.
Yet it is possible that the food is needed in
many cases. The favored residents of our
cities do not need game for their sustenance,
and the usual high price places it beyond
the reach of the poor.

I have knowledge of hundreds of ducks,
(shot in the season), and left to flutter on
the water, dying and dead, because they
were not fit to eat, not worth picking up, and
of marsh birds killed and brought home,
smelling terribly ; they certainly were not
eaten, and could only be used to prove that

66

the owner had a good gun, steady nerves,
and good luck.

Men will not cease to go shooting; but
cannot some one with the ability to write
popularly, so work upon their sensibilities
that they will cease destruction within a
reasonable limit; and if legitimate game is
scarce, so control themselves as to husband
their cartridges for another trip ?

Surely the women are not alone to blame.

LOVELAND, COL., July 20, 1886.

As probably but a small percentage of
your readers ever had an opportunity to
scale the Old Rockies, perhaps a brief ac-
count of a trip that I have just undertaken
will be of interest to some of the real lovers
of nature. :

On the 6th of July we hired a man and
team to haul us and our outfit as faras Wil-
low Park, which is about eight miles west
of Estes Park, which lies at the foot of
Long’s Peak; that is as far as we could
travel by wagon. The rest of the journey
must be accomplished either mounted on a
bronco, or on foot. I preferred the latter,
as I feel safer on terra firma.
there about noon the next day, discharged

our teamster, and pitched our tent, killed |
a few ground squirrels for supper which we |

disposed of with a vengeance, and soon
turned in. The next morning we started
out on a collecting trip.
species of birds but they were all in poor

plumage and entirely useless for specimens. |

We found Williamson’s red naped, Lewis’,
Harris’, and red shafted woodpeckers,
Steller’s jays, black-billed magpies, robins,

We reached.

We found many |

Arctic blue birds, turtle doves, plumbeous |
vireos, Parkman’s wrens, and a few others,

and they all appeared to be breeding.
also found jack rabbits and cotton tails,
woodchucks, four-striped and _ thirteen-

We |

striped chipmunks, and one old female

dusky grouse, and a brood of about ten
young.
eastern quail.

The next morning we started on foot to
try to reach timber line, (that is the line
beyond which no timber grows), which the
settlers claimed to be about five miles, but
they admitted they had never footed it. I
thought it was nearer twenty by the time we
reached it, which was accomplished in about

They were about as large as the |
_ sent us hunting for a friendly rock.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

four hours. We followed what is called the
Big Thompson or old Indian trail that
passes clear over the divide. I have no
doubt that it was a better road when they
used it than it is now, as it is almost im-
passable at places because of fallen logs.
Within a few years there have been exten-
sive forest fires through that section, which
was a very heavily timbered tract, and
the trees have fallen in all directions;
this makes bad traveling. The settlers
of to-day are either too indolent or have not
the time the red skins had to clear, so the
poor bronco had to face the music; but
we had one advantage, if we could not climb
over we could crawl under. The clouds
looked very threatening, the thunder rolled
in the distance, and by the time we reached
timber line the rain commenced in good
earnest. This is where, at this time of the
year, you can experience a good thunder-
storm at noon, almost every day. I
think we have not had above six fine days
in six weeks; but the storms are mostly
confined to the mountains, although some-
times they get off on a tear. One man
in this vicinity lost two hundred and three
sheep by hail one day last week, and at
least three-fifths of all the wheat crop in this
county has been destroyed by the same
enemy. When the storm had abated, it was
time to start back to camp, so we had no
opportunity to collect at all that day,
although we saw several varieties of Lepi-
doptera new to me. The next day we
started Out again, and a third party accom-
panied us as guide, as we intended to reach
the divide if possible. We packed one
horse with our camping outfit, and our guide
rode a second horse with guns and rifle;
we had no use for the latter but then it was
good company. Once in a while a fellow
will meet a grizzly or a hungry mountain
lion, but they won’t wake up the camp if
they can steal your grub without it.

We footed it, as before. The storm
again set in before we had gone far, and
It de-
layed us some, but we made timber line in
time to put in about two hours collecting.
The only birds we found were American

tit-larks, broad-tailed hummers, interme- .

diate white-crowned sparrows, and one pair
of Townsend’s flycatchers. The rocks
around where we camped were swarming

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

67

with coneys, a little animal rather smaller
than a prairie dog, that kept up an inces-
sant chattering until dark. We _ were
camped close to the only spring near
there, and that might have been the cause of
their discomfiture. The pines grow stunted
in this region, and as many of them were
loosened from the rocks we rolled them
together and built a roaring fire to keep off
the inevitable mosquitoes, which were num-
erous and hungry, and also any hungry car-
nivora that might be prowling around,
although they mostly exist in the imagina-
tion. We cooked and ate our supper, and
turned in, and slept as only hunters can
sleep. We had no opportunity to dry our
bedding so we had to roll into them wet.
Although we had snow banks above, below,
and all around us, the air was quite mild.
We were up and finished our bite be-
fore sunrise and struck for the range, leav-
ing our horses where we camped. We trav-
eled several miles over snow banks and
grassy slopes. Where the snow had gone
off, flowers of the most beautiful tints and

fantastical shapes were blooming in pro-.

fusion, and the whole air was enriched with
their fragrance. What a contrast, to gather
a beautiful bouquet with one hand and snow
with other at the same time! We found one
pair of old ptarmigans with a brood of five
young. ‘They all scrambled into the rocks
and hid on our approach, but the poor little
fellows had to hand over their mite as a con-
tribution to science, which they did reluc-
tantly. We also found one single male
adult, and one male dusky grouse.

We collected some fine specimens of Lepi-
doptera on the road and they obliged us to

retrace oursteps, and keptour legsand insect yecent article upon the Warwick flowers,

nets busy until wereached camp. Everything

was there but the horses, but we found them |

within a mile; soon had them packed, and
started down the hill, reaching the bottom,
tired and hungry, about sun-down.

At the foot of the trail there is a pile of
rocks covering about a quarter of an acre,
and rising nearly perpendicular about fif-
teen feet. It stands on an almost level
piece of ground surrounded with heavy tim-
ber on three sides. The man that owns the
ground called my attention to it.
it was an old fort, and although he had
lived there several years he had but recently
discovered it as such. I started to look it

He said |

over, expecting to find another Cardiff
giant or Silver Lake serpent got up for
the job. But I found it had been
a stronghold of no mean proportions ;
whether it had been fortified by whites or
red skins I cannot answer. On the top of
the fort all around the outer edge, heavy
stones were placed in courses to about three
feet in height, forming a very formidable
breast-work, with port holes either for arrows
or rifles. Large pitch pine trees were also
laid horizonta ly, and heavy stones placed
on them, but the trees have gone to decay
and ceased to hold the stones in the place
where they were formerly. I searched, with-
out avail, for several hours to discover some
trace or relic of its former occupants, but
on descending I found a cave on a level with
the ground where there had been a fire, as
the walls were thickly covered with soot and
grease. There were a great many remnants
of charred bone lying around, but with my
small knowledge of osteology I could not
decide to what class of mammalia they be-
longed, with the exception of the half of a
lower jaw bone with all the teeth intact,
which was decidedly human. I think that
probably some early pioneers, closely driven
by Indians, had fortified themselves there,
perhaps to be starved or murdered, and
their remains burnt to hide the crime; but
I hope some of your readers will be able to
throw more light on this dark subject.
Wo. G. Smira.

Wild Fluwers of Warwick.— II.

Tue very kindly reception given to our

tempts us once again to take up the subject.
From accident, rather than design, we omit-

| ted many interesting plants from our former

list. There are many things attractive to
the botanist alone, and in the economic
sense, good for nothing. Yet one never
knows when the most despised of natural
products is to become useful. Even the
microscopic diatoms have found their value.
So, in the pursuit of pure science, the in-
vestigator often alights upon a_ truth.
Then a chorus of surprise comes up from
the private box of the critics, and a shout of
‘* Didn’t I tell you so?”

But all this is apart from the proper mat-

68

ter of this essay. Our ‘‘ cursed spite” does
not lead us, as it did the Prince of Denmark,
to making straight the crooked paths, or to
reforming abuses.

How did we happen to omit the wild car-
rot from our former article? It isamong the
most striking of the plants now in bloom.
It will be recognized at once by its broad
umbels of pure white flowers, often with a
single central flower of a maroon color.
These clusters as they ripen, become de-
pressed until in the fruiting condition there
results avery pretty bird’s nest. Very like
fine lace are the flowers of the carrot. Is
its root good eating? Well, we should say,
as a rule, avoid all umbellifere in a wild
state. The parsnip is often dangerous.
Moreover, the plaguey things all have so
great a family resemblance that they may
deceive the very elect. It would be a seri-
ous mistake to eat either of the hemlocks
under an impression that it was a garden
vegetable.

We now find on the Buttonwoods plains
the smallest of the milk weeds (Asclepias
verticillata). It is usually a foot or less in
height, with narrow, whorled leaves and an
umbel.of small flowers, succeeded by long
pods. These contain, by-and-by, the well
known winged seeds of all milk weeds.
Our region is rich in asclepias. We have,
often along the shore, the tall common spe-
cies, and in moist places everywhere the red
Asclepias iniarista. On the sandy plains
we will find, besides, the crumple-leaved As-
clepias obtusifolia. But the really hand-
some one is the orange-colored butterfly
weed (Asclepias tuberosa), very frequent
along the railroad near Hill’s Grove and
Apponaug. It is possible that in the future
the charming silk-like coma of these plants
may become a commercial product. At
preseut it serves to bear away the seeds like
tiny parachutes, or to ornament parlors, or
to aid Mr. Gibson as a model in some of his
matchless drawings.

The first of the golden rods (Solidago
arguta) has put in an appearance. It isa
tall species with a branching wand, each
portion of which is bent over and bears the
heads on one side. In dry places, every-
where, the Solidago nemonalis will be in
bloom in a few days. Itis a smaller plant,
_with a bluish green aspect to the foliage ;
indeed, it has rather a dusty look. The

‘shore.

RANDOM NOTES CN NATURAL HISTORY.

heads are minute and not nearly so brilliant
as in many other species. We notice the
smaller evening primrose (Znothera pumila) —
everywhere. The large and showy one, be-
loved of the big mother, grows mostly near
the shore. Every one knows its lemon-yel-
low, fragrant flowers. Let young people
notice whether the stamens or the pistils
are first functional. We give them this as
a pretty problem.

We have spoken already of the meadow
beauty (Rhexia) now so very conspicuous
about here. From its dainty name and its
habit and its proud connection we ought to
like it. Asa matter of fact, it is always a
trial to endure a magenta shade, something
of which nature is rather fond.

Related to the evening primrose is the
rattle-box (Ludwigia attennifolia), which
one will find on the old horse railroad to
Apponaug, wherever it is moist. It has
yellow petals — if you are up early to catch
them. They are readily deciduous, but then
the persistent calyx, coherent to the pod, is
as lovely asa flower, It often assumes very
brilliant tints of red. Perhaps it goes with-
out saying that the popular name (which, by
the way, is not distinctive), is given on ac-
count of the rattling of the seeds in the cap- _
sule.

Bindweeds have always been our admira- _

tion, and they grow very finely near the
Their large pink parillions are more
beautiful than most morning glories. The
name of this plant is Convolvulus sepium.
The parasitic dodders, looking like coils of
copper wire, are its run-down or degraded
cousin. So are we in the habit of speaking
of parasites in politics or in plants.
way, do they ever have such in politics?
The two Spirwas will be met with. The
pink one is known the Yankee-land over as
hard-hack. The white or pinkish-white one
has the name of ‘‘ meadow-sweet.” Both
are charming in a bouquet.

But, with a long vista still before us, we
are exceeding our limits and tiring our read-
ers. Better a few herbs served judiciously
as entrees than a whole repast of vegetables. —
This, then, is our excuse for the peculiar —
character of the shore dinner here offered,
as well as for the spices and condiments in- —
termixed.

W. Woes
Butrronwoops, R. I., July 238, 1886.

By the | 5

=v ee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

69

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER XXII.

5. Amblystoma opacum Baird, (Sala-
mandra opacum Gravenhorst, Salamandra
fasciata Green).

The Marbled or Opaque Salmander
strongly resembles in outward appearance

its larger congener, the Violet Colored Sala-
mander.

limbs comparatively feeble, allowing the
animal to crawl but slowly; the head is
less expanded laterally, and the body is
well rounded, cylindrical, and terminated
by a short tapering tail. The markings are
also quite characteristic, being of a pale
brown or greenish-blue shade, and appearing
not as rounded spots but as transverse
bands. These are often of considerable
width as they leave the flanks, but become
narrower as they reach the dorsal line.
The eleven costal folds, the peculiar plaited
tongue, and the ossified tarsus and fish-like

vertebrze obtain of course in this species, |

as in the previous, being generic peculiarities.

The Marbled Salamander is often to be |
met with in wells, several specimens in the |

museum of Brown University having been
found in drinking water. It is probable,
however, that the animals were thus cap-
tured through accident, since the short,

rounded tail and small, unwebbed feet do |

not well indicate an aquatic life. Their
motions, moreover, when in the water, are

slow and awkward, it apparently being | igen peau

an effort to keep the body right side up. It
is probable that, while crawling on the damp
and moss-grown stones of the curb, the un-
fortunate animals not infrequently lose their
hold and only reach terra jirma by making
the passage of the pump.

In confinement they make perhaps a more
strange than interesting pet. A box partly
filled with some damp moss, such as grows
in cranberry swamps, Sphagnum, will well
please them, and so long as small insects
and moisture is supplied, they will thrive.
The length of five inches is seldom exceeded.

It is quite possible that in the wanderings

The two species, though the.
ground color of each is black, need never |
be confused, since the present form has the |

of some person interested in herpetology
there may be found within the limits of our
state, the so-called Tiger Salamander or
Amblystoma tigrinum; though Mr. Alien
says that there is no positive evidence of its
capture east of New York, Holbrook con-
sidered the evidence suflicient to include
Massachusetts in its habitat. It is probable,
however, that confusion has arisen from the
strong though superficial resemblance that
the present species bears to A. punctatum.
Confusion ought not to arise, however, since
the species are quite distinct. The ground
color of A. tigrinum is above, brown rather
than black, below cinereous, the yellow spots
are more numerous and smaller, and the size
is often much more than that of either of the
species hitherto mentioned, the length at
times being over ten inches. The animal
is said to like best the decaying logs of
damp woods.

Pleurocera neglectum, Anthony.

FOR RANDOM NOTES.

WHILE collecting recently in the Little
Muddy Creek, I found some shells of inter-
est, that I consider to be the above speci-
mens. When taken’ from the water they
are covered with a ferruginous deposit,

which being removed shows a polished and
bright banded surface that is pleasing to the
eve:

They do not agree with Mr. Anthony’s
description in regard to the bands. He
says: ‘‘Sometimes the last whorl is encir-
cled by two dark brown bands, of which the
uppermost is also visible throughout the

These usually have three distinct bands
on the last whorl, and two are visible on
the next three or four preceding whorls ;
they vary from narrow and faint lines to
broad and dark ones; some specimens are
without bands, and the apex is eroded on
nearly every shell. The species is abun-
dant at the above locality, but not common
in this vicinity. A. A. HINKLEY.

Du Bors, IL.

[The specimens received with the above

article were Pleurocera neglectum, Anthony.
Ep. |

70

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXXII.

This species is found only in New
England, New York, and in Canada. It was
first described by Mr. Isaac Lea in the
Proceedings of the Philosophical Society,

|
|

|

1841, and named after Colonel Totten, of |

U.S. Army, who, while stationed at New-

port, R.I., discovered several new species of |

mollusea, in dredging in Newport Harbor.
We sometimes find it in woods, but more
commonly in fields, or rather in low, wet
meadows, on the margins of ditches. I have
found it in quitelarge numbers under pieces
of broken limestone, at the quarries in

Smithfield. The shell is obliquely ovate, of |

a greenish yellow color, thin and shining;
whorls three; the body whorl very large,
spire not prominent; suture impressed, but
not so deeply as in S. avara.
full grown specimens is three-quarters of an
inch; the size of the aperture is three-
quarters the length of the shell, oval, oblique,
and so open that the animal can be seen,
even when contracted within the shell as
much as possible. The animal is of a sal-
mon color, and the shell is so translucent as
to enable one to see the color of the viscera
within.
117. Succinea (Bracuyspira) Ovatis, GLb.

Succinea ovalis, Gould, non Say., Ad.,
Bin., Pfr., Morse, Tryon.

Succinea DeCampii, Tryon.

Brachyspira ovalis, Tryon.

Thomas Say, in 1817, described a shell

- shell.

The size of |

which he called Succinea ovalis, and in 1824 |

he described S. obliqua, (a western species
much resembling S. totteniana,) which he

afterwards proved to be identical with his S. |

ovalis. Dr. A. A. Gould discovered and

described in the first edition of Gould’s In- |

vertebrata of Massachusetts, 1841, a new
shell, which he called S. ovalis.
lis, Say, and S. obliqua, Say, are synony-

As. ova- |

mous, and as authors are agreed to call it |
S. obliqua, the name of S. ovalis, Gld., is |

retained.
The shell is very delicate, fragile, highly
polished, quite elastic, and so transparent

|

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

as to allow all the organs of the animal to be
seen through it. It is of a pale horn color,

and is longer and narrower in proportion
_ than the other species.
_ shell is one-half an inch; of the aperture

more than three-quarters the length of the

_ shell; whorls three, the body whorl com-
116. Succinea (Tapapa) Torrentana, Lea. |

pressed ; spire short but elevated and acute.
Animal amber colored mottled with black
dots. Inhabits the Northern and Middle
States to Wisconsin.

They are generally found in wet grass,
near the margins of ponds, but I have found
them in Valley Pond, crawling on the stems
and leaves of aquatic plants, a foot or
more from the surface of the water, and
several feet from the shore, rendering it
necessary to wade out to them in order to
collect them. How came they in such a po-
sition, when they can neither swim, nor di-
rect their way in any manner in the water?

Family Veronicellide, one genus, no

Family Vaginulidee, two genera, no shell.
Family Onchididee, four genera, no shell.

OrpDER BASOMMATOPHORA.

Shell not operculated, few whorled, us-
ually covered with a horny epidermis; ani-
mal having flattened, triangular or sub-cy-
lindrical tentacles, contractile but not invert-
ible, with eyes at their bases, sessile. There

are six families of this order, two of which

are represented in New England.

Family Auriculide contains fifteen gen-
era, ten sub-genera, and about three-hun-
dred and seventy species. ‘Three of these
genera, viz.: Alexia, with twenty-one spe-
cies, Carychium, with fifteen, and Melam-
pus, with one hundred and twenty species,
are represented in Rhode Island by one
species only.

118.

Auricula myosotis, Drap., 1801.

Carychium myosotis, Ferr., Moq.-Tan.

Auricella myosotis, Jurine.

Pythia myosotis, Beck.

Conovulus myosotis, Reeve.

Conovulus denticulatus, Forbes
Hanly.

Auricula denticulatus, Gld , DeKay.

Melampus borealis, Conrad.

Auexta Myosoris, Drar.

and

Alexia Myosotis, Pfr., Morse, Tryon, W. |

G. Binn., ete.

The length of the

ee ee ee

iA

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

At

Shell ovalelongated, thin, smooth, and
shining ; apex acute, suture distinct ; whorls
seven or eight, the body whorl three-fourths
the length of the entire shell; aperture
long and narrow; lip simple, with two or

three white teeth on the inner margin.
Length one-third, breadth one-eighth of an
inch.

This is probably not a native species,
although found in most of the sea-ports
from New York to Nova Scotia. It inhabits
Central and Southern Europe and the south
and southwest of England, and may have
been imported into this country, clinging to
the sides of ships. It is quite common in
Boston on old wooden wharves, where it
follows the tide as it ebbs and flows.

Lieutenant Brown found it at Newport,
R. I., and his specimens were described
under the name of Melampus borealis, in
Siliiman’s Journal, XXIII., 345, 1833. In

some places it is found on isolated stones, |

which are submerged at high tide. It is
never seen away from the vicinity of salt-
water, and being an air breather, it must
take in a supply of air sufficient to last
during an hour or more, in which it is com-
pletely under water. It will live several
days away from salt water, but becomes be-
numbed and dies on immersion in fresh
water. Although common at Newport, I

have never been able to find any around the |

wharves in Providence. Probably the
water here is not clean enough for them.
It is a mystery how anything can live in it
or near it.
ED:

Syns.:

Pupa exigua, Say, Gld., DeKay, Adams,

Binney.

Bulmimus exiguus, Binn.

Carychium exile, II. C. Lea, Troschel.

Carychium exiguum, all modern authors.

The genus Carychium is widely distribu-
ted over the north temperate portions of the
earth ; they are found from Siberia and Lap-
land as far south as Spain and Italy. One
species is found in India on the shady side
of mountains at an elevation of 5,000 to
9,000 feet. C. exiguum, Say, is the only
species of the genus in America, and has
been found in almost every state in the
Union. It is a beautiful little shell, white,
translucent and shining, tapering gradually
to a rather obtuse apex; whorls fine, con-

Carycuium Exicuum, Say.

vex, very oblique, with transverse strial ;
aperture obliquely oval, white; lip thick-
ened, with a slight projection on the outer
margin, and another, more prominent tooth
on the parietal wall. Length, one-sixteenth,
breadth, one-fortieth of aninch. When the
animal is moving along over the leaves the
shell is carried in a horizontal position.

Binney says: ‘* Around Boston it is found
at or below the surface in swamps, growing
among mosses.” Morse says: ‘ Lives in
very wet and boggy places in woods.” Its
habitat in Rhode Island seems to be very
different. On the 4th of July, 1866, the
first carychium exiguum was found in Rhode
Island. Twenty years ago the little village
of Albion was out in the country, and over
on the Cumberland side of the Blackstone,
were deep thick woods. High up on the hill»
in the shadow of the dark woods was a
stone wall running north and south ; on the
east side of this wall were piled heaps of
dead leaves, two or three feet deep, appar-
ently having been undisturbed for years.
It was among these leaves I found more
than a hundred specimens of this tiny spe-
cies. The next year I again visited the
spot, and obtained about twenty more.
Since then the woods have been cut down,
several houses built near, and the locality
destroyed by hens, which have scratched
the leaves all over, and probably devoured
the few remaining mollusks living under
them. From that time until last summer
I never found another specimen, and
thought no new locality would ever be dis-
covered ; but a new one has been found,
and a better one that the first. In the town
of Johnston, just beyond Neutaconkanut
Hill, over in the woods on the left side of
the road, are some ancient lime-pits, where
two hundred years ago or more, somebody
excavated for lime in these hills. The
holes are partly full of water in winter and
spring, but are dry or nearly so, and filled
with dead leaves in summer, and that is the
time to go and the place to find enough C.
exiguum to satisfy even a co.lector for ex-
changes. (To be continued.)

A MAN who lived in the swamp daily
prayed to Jupiter for health. ‘* Pray from
the hill-top, and your prayer will be
granted,” answered Jupiter.— H. C. Ful-
ton.

72

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Leather-Backed Turtle.

(SPHARGIS CORIACEA.)

Asoutr the 30th of July, two schooners |

sailing for sword-fish in the vicinity of South-
east Point, Block Island, captured, as the
correspondent of the Providence Journal

has it, ‘‘ Two large sea animals, of a vari- | 4 ! l
_ tive of that of a turtle, but differs in two re-

ety which no one at the island has ever
seen before.”
That anything marine could be brought

to that port and not find a name, led to
some rather wild conjectures, such as the

possibility of a hybrid between a seal and >

_a turtle, a new variety of aquatic life, or
even an unknown species, and the new ar-

_ spects.

wings ; indeed, the captain says he moved
in the water like a bird flying rather than
like a fish swimming. His strength may be
judged from the fact that once, as he turned,
a fluke struck a bundle of 250 shingles and
sent it sliding as if it had been a feather.
Instead of a shell under the body there is a
kind of plate or rather strong cartilage.
The shield which covers the back is sugges-

It is not so hard, seeming like very
hard rubber. This creature has no scales.
but has its covering arranged like planks,
six in number, each six inches wide, with
the rear ends narrowed to conform to the
shape of the animal. Instead of cracks de-
pressed between the planks, there are ridges

raised above between the longitudinal sec-

rivals were visited by many experts who |

named them everything from a gopher to a
box-tortoise. The very good general de-
scription given by the Journal correspond-
ent, which I take the liberty to reprint,

stamped them at once as, ‘* Luths,” ‘‘ Trunk |
Turtles,” or “ Leather-backed Turtles.” “ At |

length the prize was hoisted upon the deck
of the schooner, where he made frantic ef-
forts to escape and pounded heavily with
his huge flukes. As he lay he measured five
feet ten inches in length with his head drawn
back as far as possible, with a spread of six

feet eleven inches to the forward flukes or |

flippers, and of three feet ten inches to those
next the short, blunt tail.
breast his body is twenty inches in diameter,
and two feet six inches from side to side.
His head, which resembles that of a seal in
shape, with similar nostrils, skin, and weep-
ing eyes, but lacking hairs, is nine inches
wide and eight inches deep or thick just
back of the eyes. The head cannot be
drawn within the shell, as in the case of
turtles. The upper jaw resembles that of a
turtle in shape, but is cartilaginous. The
lower jaw is like that of a turtle in shape,
but is not hard. The neck is very full and
muscular. He inflates his throat like a frog,
and then expels the air after from half a
minute to two or three minutes with a puff-
ing, blowing sound. His shoulders, strong,
round, and full, are twelve inches in diam-
eter. His forward flukes are two feet six
inches long, eleven inches wide, and from
one-half of an inch to three inches thick.
He moves them much as a bird moves its

From back to |

tions of the shield. There are six sections
and seven ridges. The shape is almost ex-
actly that of the shield on which the God-
ess of Liberty leans on coins. His skin

is mottled, a mixture of yellow, pink, and

dark blue black, the last the predominant
color. A few barnacles were on the neck
and back. The expression of the face is

mild, and he seems to be gentle in disposi-—
tion, making no effort to injure those around ~

him, but trying rather to get away.”

The museum of Brown University of Proy-
idence has a specimen, taken some years
since in Rhode Island waters, one has been
captured near Portland, Me., and one taken
in 1880 near Cape Ann, is reported to have
made soup equal to that of the green tur-
tle. Specimens will frequently weigh one

_ thousand pounds, and their capture is re-

ported from the temperate and tropical
waters of all oceans and the Mediterranean
Sea.

The creature represents in the at present
accepted arrangement of zodlogical speci-
mens, a family, a genus, and a species com-
bined, which goes to make a good specimen
a very desirable adjunct to any museum,
the quoted price for such, being about $176.

They are, however, very difficult to pre-
serve properly. In this connection it is un-
fortunate that these creatures, having died,
were sunk in deep water, only one plastron
(or back) a yery useless part being re-
tained.
agreeable odors they might have been
anchored just beyond low tide, for a little
time, or at least the head preserved.

If it was necessary to be rid of dis-

eS ee ee, eo

oe

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

XXXV

DESIDERATA IN GENUS CYPRAHA.,

barcalyi Reeve.
bicallosa Gray.
bregeriana Crosse.

broderipii Gray.

candida Pease.
castanea Higgins.
chrysalis Kiener,.

. echrysostoma Kiener.

clara Gaskoin.
coffea Gray.

crossei Marie.
fusco-maculata Pease.
gemmula Wkf.

| goodalii Gray.

gracilis Gaskoin.

| guttata Rumph.

helenz Roberts.
jenningsiana Perry.
lentiginosa Gray.
leucodon Brod.

| menkeana Desh.

notata Gill.

pardalina Dunker.

| paroula Philippi.

peasei Gaskoin.

petitiana Crosse et Fisher.
reevei Gray.

sauliz Gaskoin.

semiplota Mighels.

| thomasi Crosse.

compta Pease.
contaminata Gray.

leucostoma Gray.
marginata Gaskoin. |

valentia Perry.

I wish to acquire as many of the above species as possible, and will treat with museums or
collectors possessing duplicates on a basis of sale or exchange.

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,

PROVIDENCE, R. I.

Wanted.

FINE BIRD SKINS
With full data, and poisoned with Arsenic.

A.0.U.—R.

Kittiwake Gull.
Bonaparte’s Gull.

Wilson’s Petrel.

Spotted Sandpiper.
Passenger Pigeon.

Flicker.

Chimney Swift.

Couch’s Kingbird.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.
Olivaceous ~
460-319 Coues’s
470-329 Fulvous
470a—329aBuft-breasted a
472-331 Beardless sf

40-658

60-675
109-722
158-626
815-459
412-378
423-351
446-305
451-310
4550

ALO; 0U.—R.

4720, Ridgway’s Flycatcher.
616-157 Bank Swallows.
719-61 Bewick’s Wren.
725-67 Long-bill Marsh Wren.
758a-4a Olive-backed Thrush.
ccs
With full data.
144-613 Wood Duck.
315-459 Passenger Pigeon.
390-382 Belted Kingfisher.
423-351 Chimney Swift.
494-257 Bobolink.
501-263 Meadow Lark.
517-168 Purple Finch. ~°
529-181 American Goldfinch.

Lately Received from Ceylon.

Red Woodpecker, Brachypternus

OVLOMUU Sseye ss taictoreittaie esas. cyave. ace $3 75
Golden-Backed Woodpecker, Bra-

chypternus puncticollis ...... 2 50
Crimson-breasted Barbet, Xantho-

lema hemacephala.......... 50
Indian Roller, Coracias indica.... 1 50
White-breasted Kingfisher, Hal-

GYONISINYVENENSIS: cc ccc se cec ss 1 50
South Indian Hoopoe, Upupa cey-

HARTEGMISIS erecta creveten eisicicyl ol aie! ais 3 00
Trochalopteron fairbanksi........ 2 00
Orange Minivet, Pericrocetus flam-

HAVRE Stokes Vefetayefomiavnetetels sce Die. a, dere 3-00
Paradise Flycatcher, Tersiphone

PUM S Mee perevae sealers oie ovsielo e's e's 0s $3 00 to 5 00
Magpie Robin, Copsychus saularis. OO 15
Fairy Blue Bird, Irena puella..... 1 50
Bush Bulbul, Fora tiphia......... Bou 715

Rufus Babbler, Malaco-cerecus ru-

POSCONS waif ier seers iste one eye cioes $ 3d
Loten’s Sun Bird, Cinnyris toten-

BIShee scion ics are Sha eres 1 25
Purple Sun Bird, Cinnyris asiati-

CUS etsy ekcristetssiisthicis soe sis sjare 75
Ceyloneese Sun Bird, Cinnyris

ZGYVIATNIGUS mrcietssiscreisns 21s 2 ceisiewe $75 to 1 00
Tiny Sun Bird, Cinnyris minimus. 1 00
Weaver Bird, Ploceus philippinus 50

Ceylon Spur Fowl, Galloperdix bi-

Calcarataemcmeci sisi sice oe sicic's 1 50
FROM INDIA.
The Whistling Thrush or Lazy
School Boy, Myiopbonus hors-

iG) (hb) Grads anand DOOOBUSEaEGeO: 5 00
Also, 1 Specimen Calline albiven-

ULIS VCR YEN eens ss.cs 0s 5 ele 15 00

a

KEXVi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

GLASS CAPPED BOXES. s

FOR OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY.

No danger of losing labels. No dust can collect on the specimens.

Circular of Prices on application.

The lines lettered A. B. C. correspond in length with the depths of the boxes.
The shoulders of these boxes are beveled

, thus preventing the edges turning over
when placing on the lids.

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Provipence, R. I.

J. A. & R. A. REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCE, R. T.

oy OL. IIl.

4

ee = ee

eee ee eee eee eee Roe ee eee

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM,
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Successor.
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

XXXVIili

ppectalties in Museum Hardware.

— =
gee\ :

The undersigned manufactures the Patent |
Monitor Locks and Improved Brackets and |
Racks for adjustable shelves, and adapted to all |
styles of Museum Cases.

Special new and improved machinery for cut-
ting and polishing minerals, petrified wood,
etc., on hand or made to order.

Adopted and recommended by the principal |
museums in the United States.

Full information giveu on application to

ELISHA T. JENKS,
Plymouth Co. MIDDLEBOROUGH, MASS.
Please mention this paper in correspondence.

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY.

A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology.

$3.00 A YEAR. - - - - 75c. A SINGLE NUMBER.

Published for the American Ornithologists’ Union.
J. A. ALLEN, Editor.

ELLIOTT COUES, ;
Associate
Editors

ROBERT RIDGWAY,
WILLIAM BREWSTER,
MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN,

The Aux will present, as heretofore, timely
and interesting papers on the subjects to which
it relates, and its readers may feel sure of being
kept abreast of the advances in the science.
The AUK is primarily intended as a medium of
communication between ornithologists. While
necessarily to some degree technical, it con-
tains a fair proportion of matter of a ‘popular
character. Its notices of recent literature cover
the whole field of North American Ornithology,
and with the departments of ‘‘ General Notes ”’
and ‘‘ Notes and News”’ render the journal in-
dispensable to those wishing the latest and full-
est intelligence of the subject.

L. S. FOSTER, Publisher,
35 PINE STREET, NEW YORK CITY.

GLASS CAPPED BOXES.
For Objects of Natural History.

NO DANGER OF LOSING LABELS.

| No Dust can Collect on the Specimens.

SEND FOR CIRCULAR.

BONE SNIPS.

_ A NEW TOOL FOR TAXIDERMISTS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-

age.
bones.

Can be used to cut all small wires, but will be particularly useful for breaking
Length seven and three-quarter inches.

Price $1.25, prepaid, by mail.

No Casinet shoutd be without them.

Two of one size just equal one of the next.

They are the best possible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned. Samples
by mail for five cents.

2 x 14x$, per dozen....... $.10, per 100.......$.65 | 4 x 3x4, per dozen nc DOOE $.13, per 100 Sadacec $.85
3 x 2x3, Be copoctsc not wie ML orcinichepers .75 | 6 x 4x4, aes LO, | ~ SS eerie 1.00

Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate.

They are too ay. to be mailed.

Random Motes on Natural History.

Wol> IIT,

PROVIDENCE, OCTOBER 1, 1886.

No. 10.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

Random Hotes on Daturat History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
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PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Borany. 50 CeEnTS A YEAR.

Address all communications to

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258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A.

The Black-Footed Ferret.

Waite hunting one day last December,
I saw some tracks in the snow, that much
resembled the foot-mark of the mink, but
being a long distance from water, I ccn-
eluded it could not be that animal. I
found it was a persistent hunter, as the
tracks led to nearly every hole in a large
prairie-dog town, but it had not attempted
to descend into the hole at any place. The
dogs are dormant the greater part of the
winter, and their holes get filled on the out-
side with snow as was the case then.
After following the tracks for a while, I
gave itup. The next day I put up several
steel traps, and on the following morning I
was agreeably surprised to find a fine male
black- footed ferret, Putorius (Cynomy-
onax) nigripes, in one of them. This spe-
cies was named by Aud. and Bach., the
word cynomyonax meaning the king of the
prairie dogs, of which I have no doubt it
would be if it could but catch them. The
ferret is strictly nocturnal, while the prairie
dog retires very early, and a.dog hole is so
constructed that a ferret would not venture
to descend it, knowing that it could never
get outagain. Ihave now the domesticated
English ferret, and have tried many times
to get them into a dog hole but never could
succeed.

Their holes run in the ground on an easy
slope for about two feet, then drop perpen-
dicularly for several feet, and no ferret could
get out unaided. Ihave puta ferret into
a box with several dogs in it, and it com-
menced slaughtering them just as if they
had been so many rats.

I cannot indorse the powers of extermina-

tion recently attributed by some writers to
P. nigripes, regarding their descent into the
burrows of the dogs to clean them out of
house and home.

I have tracked several since and have
captured three, but never saw one that
had attempted to enter the holes.

There are always a great many mice that
live in dog holes and they are most likely the
objects sought for. The last two ferrets I
trapped were both killed by the swift fox
while in the traps, showing that they also
have more than one enemy. ‘The male
was about seventeen inches in length from
the nose to the rump. The female about
three inches shorter. The upper parts
were of a darkish brown, under side lighter,
feet, tip of tail, and forehead surrounding
the eyes black. ‘The teeth were all worn
short and blunt, denoting that they were no
‘*tenderfeet” as the Coloradians call all new
settlers.

I have no doubt but the swift fox is its
common enemy, as the ferret would have
no show to either fight or run against it. It
is evident the fox did not kill for food, but
followed the natural laws of extermination.

A great deal has been written about the
mutuality and brotherly love existing be-
tween the prairie dog, burrowing owl, and
rattlesnake. Well, those that have seen
them plying their daily avocations know as
well as I do that it is all bosh. The dog is
an industrious, clean house-keeper, and
would never let off apartments to a dirty,
slovenly, noisy owl, coming home at all
hours both day and night loaded with all
varieties of putrefaction, and as for the
rattlesnake, he is like the process server in
“Ould Ireland,” when he goes in, the tenants
soon get out.

I have read and heard that dogs always
go down low enough for water ; now here in
the old Rockies, at some places, they would
have to go through hundreds of feet of rock
to get water. I do not believe they ever
drink at all, any more than a jack rabbit
does, or many other rodents.

Wm. G. Smiru.

714 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

No. XVII.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
The American Beech. — Fagus ferruginea.

Tue beech is indigenous to regions of
temperate climate in both hemispheres.
But one species is native to the United States
and that is not regarded by botanists as
specifically distinct from the beech of Europe
and western Asia. The beech in Rhode
Island is not a common tree, but is scat-
tered sparingly in most parts of the state.
Here it occurs most frequently along the cool
banks of the streams, but is occasionally
found elsewhere, usually among deciduous
trees.

The beech, whether in the forest or upon
open ground, is a singularly neat, attractive
tree. When free to develop itself in open
spaces, it limbs low, the lower branches
forming a nearly horizontal spread, those
higher gradually taking sharper angles un-
til the whole forms a symmetrical, orbicular
head of large dimensions. The limbs of
such a tree are long and lithe, striking
out from the centre close to each other,
their combination forming the central stem
of the tree. The aspect of a forest beech
is in marked contrast with a ‘“ pasture” tree
of this species. In a beech-growing region
it is common to see wide reaches of woods
almost exclusively of this tree. In such a
place the trees shoot up straight and almost
limbless from fifty to eighty feet, the few
branches at the top meeting and mingling
with each other, forming ashade which only
here and there admits the sunlight. The
bodies as well as the limbs are smooth in all

stages of their growth. excepting that upon |

old trees the lower portions are generally
neatly covered with a rough lichen, different
patches showing a variety of dark gray
shades.

The roots of the beech run very near the
surface of the ground. This fact, taken
with its density of shade, prevents the usual
forest undergrowth of shrubs and small trees.
The leaves under the trees lie in compact
layers, formed year by year, decaying but
slowly. Thus a forest of beech forms a syl-
van scene of a remarkably neat and comely
appearance.

The buds of the beech are long and pointed,

and composed of closely imbricated scales
covering the plaited leaves. The leaves are
noticeable for the prominent midrib and par-
allel veins each ending inasingle tooth. ‘They
are shining above and hairy when young.

. * * . e
The young leaves contain a sub-acid juice

not disagreeable to the taste. The fruit can-
not be mistaken for that of any other tree.
It is an oily, edible, three-cornered nut en-
cased in a four-valved, bristly bur. These
nuts vary much in size and shape upon dif-
ferent trees. It is probable that by proper
selection and cultivation the nuts might
be made valuable as an edible product.
Beech woods in Europe, and in this country
even, are valued as feeding-ground forswine,
the nuts being known as ‘ beech mast.”
The nuts when roasted form an agreeable
substitute for coffee, and the oil from them
furnishes in lamps a pleasant light. For
the blossoms one must look among the open-
ing tufts of leaves at the ends of the branches
where they appear, the sterile ones in pretty
roundish tassels, from silky stalks two inches
long. The fertile flowers are in sessile
bunches at the axils of the leaves. From
these the burs and nuts gradually develop
during the summer months, ripening and
falling with the frosts of October.

The straight boles of the forest beeches
are in such demand for-the turner’s use in
making chairs, tool handles, ete., that even
the valleys of the Berkshire Hills and the
remoter parts of northern New England are
being rapidly denuded of these trees. A
noticeable characteristic of the wood is the
dark color of the heart-wood as contrasted
with the almost white sap-wood. The greater
or less degree of the development of the
heart-wood gives rise to a distinction among
woodmen of the ‘‘ white” and ‘‘ red” beech.

Among the finest single specimens of
beech known to the writer, in this state, is a
wide-spreading, stately tree about a half a
mile north of Silver Spring, by the bay-side.
It limbs very low, and although now in midst of
shrubs and trees of small growth, it must
for many years have stood quite alone.
There are other fine trees of the same spe-
cies near by. There are also fine specimens
of forest beeches in the ravines within and
near by the Butler Hospital grounds. One
of the most perfect models of this tree which
we have ever known is upon Engineer Shedd's
farm in North Kingstown. It is of impos-

~—er ——S e

.RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ing dimensions and shows all the distinguish-
ing characteristics of a freely-developed
tree. The beech deserves far more atten-
tion as a shade tree than it has yet received.
It grows freely, has a very deep shade, is
neat and clean throughout, being notably
free from insects or blight. The ‘* purple”
beech is a beautiful ‘* sport” from Ger-
many. The fern-leaved beech is also a
European sport and one of the most grace-
ful trees grown. Altogether the beech is a
noble tree.

Wild Flowers of Warwick.—lIIL.

Tue middle of August brings a number
of flowers peculiar to that season. “Among

these, one of the prettiest is the ‘‘grass of |

Parnassus.” of popular language, or the

Parnassia of science. This plant which
belongs to the Saxifrage family, grows in
swampy places inland or even near the shore.
It has a number of smooth, radical leaves,
from among which rise several one-leaved

stems, bearing a_ solitary, large, white
flower. The five petals are beautifully

veined with green, and at their base there
are curious forked appendages resembling
filaments. It is guessed that they may
have something to do with the protection of
the nectaries against small, intrusive insects.
In appearance, the flowers suggest some of
theanemones. They are always great favor-
ites. With them, one finds the cotton
sedges, which are such excellent substitutes
for birds’ plumage in the hats of ladies.
We wish our earnest plea would lead fash-
ion from acruel to an innocent custom.
But we must correct our own women folk
before we criticise the general public.
** Aye, there’s the rub!” Another curious
marsh plant is the Xyris flexuosa. Seek-
ers will know it when they find a rather tall,
grass-like stem, of a brown color, support-
ing a brown head of scales. From this
protrudes a curious, yellow, three-parted
flower. Polygala sanguinea grows in sim-
ilar places, with reddish or purple clover-
looking heads, and roots smelling of winter-
green. Bartonia tenella isa plant of the
gentian family, greenish and insignificant,
of the same association. Certain plants
have this habit of congregating together.
Given one, we can decide upon the probable

75

presence of the others. Where we find the
cardinal we also look for the monkey-flower,
the spearmint, the purple and white thor-
oughworts and the turtle-head. Allof these
are now in blossom.

It is the time for the Gerardias, of which
we have many species—either yellow or
purple. Many of them are known as wild
fox-gloves, a rather good name, although
the true fox-glove (Digitalis) is not a native.
The common purple gerardia grows by way-
sides, the flowers too easily deciduous. A
similar one loves the sea beach. The large,
handsome yellow ones frequent the woods
as partial parasites, by their roots it is im-
possible to cultivate them. Notice how
their leaves blacken in dying. This is part
of the diagnosis of a parasite. While speak-
ing of such thieving plants, we should men-

| tion the dodder (Cuscuta), growing over
_ bushes and resembling coils of copper wire.

Immediately after germinating the plant
cuts off connection with the earth and lays
hold of some neighboring herb or shrub
which thereafter is made to do its work.
Hence the dodder has no leaves of its own.
It possesses small white flowers in clusters.

| As if to foreshadow the habit of the plant,

its embryo is a mere coiled radicle, without
seed leaves.

Frequently as we stroll to the station
across the meadows we pick up in the grass
that dainty orchid, the Spiranthes gracilis,
with pure white flowers twisted in a spiral
around the summit of a green stem. Later
there is another species with larger flowers,
the Cernua, which is exquisitely fragrant.
The moon-wert ferns, or Botrychia, are also
just appearing in the meadows. As the
groundnut, Apios tuberosa, has repeatedly
been sent us for a name in the last few days,
we should speak of it here. This is the pea-
vine everywhere seen in copses, with close,
rather globular bunches of peculiar purplish
or even flesh-colored flowers, with the
powerful odor of violets. It has large,
edible tubers. The wild balsams, or jewel-
weeds, or hunter’s horns, everybody knows,
the Impatieus fulva of the books. Touch-
me-not is a name for the garden species.
The names fairly indicate the quick, impul-
sive way in which the pods bursts and scat-
ters the seeds. Most of the Geraniaceze
have some such trick, and all the genera,
nearly, a different one. Readers should

76

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

consult in this connection Sir John Lub-
bock’s fascinating little book, ‘* Flowers,
Fruit and Leaves.”
Series of McMillian & Company. We are
sure that it will give delight to all who peruse
it, and open their eyes to many new facts.
Go to the Public Library or Athenzeum.
But we must draw these remarks to a
close. Sam Weller tells us that the art of
letter-writing consists in pulling up at the
precise moment when the recipient desires
more. We do not always know that point,
but try to stop as near to it as possible.

Ww. W. B.

Butrronwoops, Aug. 22, 1886,

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.
BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NumpBer XXIII.

Tue remaining Batrachians which ap- |
pear in this list are those which have been |

observed in neighboring states, and though
indigenous representatives have as yet not

been captured here, a brief description has |

been appended that those interested may | peautiful shade trees in our Providence

| streets, particularly the lindens, have been
' infested with numerous representatives of

determine such forms as are likely to find
their way into collections.

6. Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Cope
(Pseudotriton salmoneus Baird, Salaman-
dra salmonea Storer, Salamandra porphy-
ritica Baird). The Salmon-colored Sala-
mandra is supposed to be one of those forms
which may be said to be everywhere uncom-

It is in the Nature |

mon color, dark along the back, and
brighter on the flanks, becoming pale below.

7. Hemidactylium scutatum Schlegel.
The Four-toed Salamander is characterized
by possessing but four toes on its posterior
feet, a peculiarity which distinguishes it at»
once from all other Salamanders likely to
occur within the state. Of the genus, it
is the only species, and its habits are said
to be entirely terrestrial. Why a terrestrial
form should thus be deprived, and have its
remaining toes reduced to mere rudiments,
is difficult to explain. In its movements it
is lively and even active, crawling about over
decaying wood and among fallen leaves
without the least sign of clumsiness. It is
protectively colored, being ashy brown
above, shaded and spotted with black.
Below it is silvery. In length it seldom
exceeds two and one-half inches. Professor
Cope includes Rhode Island in the habitat
of this animal, and Professor Verrill says it
is not uncommon about New Haven.

Plant-Lice, Lady-Bugs, and Sparrows.

Durine the month of June many of the

the family Aphidide, or plant-lice. Atten-
_ tion to other business has prevented any
_ careful examination of them, but there

mon. Specimens have been captured in
Maine and Massachusetts, and diligent |

search will undoubtedly reveal the animal’s
presence in Rhode Island. While other
Salamanders when captured make no effort at
defense, the present animal is at times quite
ferocious and as it is of considerable size,
being four or five inches in length, and
snapping savagely at its tormentors, it is,
while in rage, quite a formidable little an-
imal, though of course to man quite harm-
less. Another peculiarity is its fondness for
cold water, enjoying cool springs rather than
warm brooks, though it may be found in
swamps. In the Alleghany region, among
the mountains, it is quite abundant from
New York south. Its name is indicative of
its general coloration. Above a rich Sal-

appeared to be two species, one green, the
other nearly black; these last, advancing
their legions into the orchards, seemed to
prefer especially the cherry trees. It is
well known that these pests always appear
with the first opening of the leaves in
spring-time, retiring only with the cold
days of late autumn, and during the in-
terim they multiply at the rate of ten or
more generations, preying upon all the
different parts of trees and plants, from the
leaves to the roots, and doing damage
beyond estimate.

In Half Hours with Insects, by A. S.
Packard, Jr., (page 105), M. Fougard is
quoted as stating that a certain species,
‘+ Puceron lanigére” produces eleven genera-
tions. Each generation averages over one
hundred individuals, resulting in the fol-
lowing tabulation :

RANDOM NOTEHS ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Generation. Produce.

eerebretovete 1,000,000 one million.
100,000,000 one bundred millions.
Ratetore csc) « & (ole eiere 10,000,000,000 ten billions.

{HOD CABOBEES 1,000,000,000,000 one trillion.

Eitfasie.s sis.88 100,000.000,000,000 one hundred trillions.
see «- -10,000,000,000,000,000 ten quadrillions.

10 ....1,000,000,000,000,000,000 one quintillion.

Again, Professor Huxley is quoted as
saying that the tenth brood alone, if all its
members survive the perils to which they
are exposed, contains more substance than
five hundred million stout men, or more
than the whole population of China.

They have appeared to me especially
numerous this season, and many of the
leaves have blackened and curled up, while
the others assumed a wet and waxy appear-
ance, occasioned by the ‘‘ honey dew,” an
exudation from the lice, which sprinkled
the pavement, and fell into the faces of
pedestrians. These insects pierce the leaves
with their beaks, and eat almost continu-
ously, which they are able to do by means
of two tubes placed on the last segment of
the -abdomen, through which the excess of
fluid passes out as the afore-mentioned honey
dew.

Many flies and bees, and especially ants,
were attracted to these infested trees. A
history of the relations common between
the ants and plant-lice is of great interest,
but too long for this article.

Matters remained about in this condition
until July 1, when as I was walking on
Broadway, about 7 a.m., I noticed the
English sparrows, executing peculiar man-
ceuvres, running up and around the trunks
of the trees like woodpeckers. At a loss
to account for this, I started for the nearest
tree, obtaining a good view of a sparrow,

thing and flew away. I noticed also that
the sparrows flattened their tails against the

trees to brace or hold themselves, after the |

fashion of woodpeckers and creepers, and
wondered how much of that food, influence,

and exercise would be required to bring | : } ; ore
_ Albino Flying Squirrel (sciuroptorus volu-

about the peculiar stiffness and pointed

ends on the tail feathers characteristic of |

those birds. There were more lumps upon
the trees, and it was easy to decide that they
were the larvee of some beetle, and a fur-
ther examination discovered occasionally a

77

perfect specimen. Some of these I sent to

| Mr. G. W. J. Angell, of New York, know-

ing that from his fine cabinet collection he
could at once identify the species. I sug-
gested also that this new arrival was some-
how connected with, and probably preda-
tory on, the aphide. His reply was as
follows :
‘* New York, July 7, 1886.

“« Editor Random Notes :

‘¢ The insect you send me for determina-
tion is one of our well-known coccinellids,
(commonly called lady birds, or lady-bugs, )
Anatis 15, punctata, Oliv. In regard to

_ its predatory character, I would state that

it is a fact well known to entomologists that
all the coccinellidze and their larve (with
the exception of Epilochna borealis, Fab.,
which feeds on the squash) prey on
Aphide. See the excellent article, ‘ Plant
Lice, their Friends and Enemies,’ by Benj.
D. Walsh, in Practical Entomologist, Vol.
II., No. 4,.p. 57. Coccinellidz also prey
on the eggs, larve, and pup of the Col-

| orado potato bug (Doryphora 10. lineata,

Say) see American Entomologist, Vol. I.,
No. 38, 1868, and are also the enemies of

| the chinch bug, see American Entomologist.

Vol. I., No. 10, 1869. These facts are suf-
ficient, I think, to show the great value of
our coccinellidze in the economy of nature,
and hence the evil done by the English spar-
row in so ruthlessly destroying our friends
and benefactors, the lady-bugs.”

And this brings me to what would seem
to be one more link in the chain of evidence
against the English sparrow.

A similar behavior by these birds was

| observed in other localities by Mr. Samuel

Gorham and Mr. Charles Achorn. We all

| failed to discover that they eat the lice, but

who hastily seized a whitish lump of some- | the evidence is not conclusive, as no dissec-

tions were made.

Messrs Dickey AND ALLEN report the
recent capture at Charlestown, N. H., of an

cella), the captor, a cat.

I quite frequently receive reports of the
capture of squirrels, moles, birds, and small
game in general, by domesticated cats.

=) die

78

Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER X XXIII.
120. Metampus Bipentatus, Say.
Syns. :

Melampus biplicatus, Pfr.

Auricula biplicata, Desh.

Auricula cornea, Desh.

Auricula bidentata, Gld., DeKay, Kuster.

Melampus bidentatus, Say, Russell, Pfr.,

W.G. Binney, etc.

Shell ovate-conic; whorls five, the body
whorl three-fourths the length of the shell ;
the others are flattened, forming a short
blunt spire; suture distinct; aperture long
and narrow ; outer lip thin and sharp ; inner
lip furnished with two folds or teeth; with-
in the outer lip are seen several ridges which
do not reach to the margin. Length one-
half inch by three-tenths in breadth.

It inhabits marshes on grass just below
high tide.
grass to escape the rising tide, but can bear
submergence in salt water without injury.

extremely rare north of Massachusetts Bay.

It crawls up the stems of the |

It is found everywhere near Narragansett |

Bay and along the ocean shore as far south
as Florida.

The young shells are usually smooth and
dark brown, ornamented with two or three
revolving bands. As they grow older they
become eroded
rough and of a greyish white color.
ridges within the outer lip are not developed
until the shell is fully matured so that it is
rare to find a perfect specimen, 7. e., having
the ridges and bands with the smooth sur-
face and brown color united in one individual.
not in

Family Otinide,

America.

represented

Family Limnzidee.

The members of this large group of mol-
lusks inhabit fresh water rivers, ponds, and
ditches in all parts of the world and it is
almost impossible to find any body of water,
however small, which does not contain one
or more species of this family. While on a
visit to Germany this spring, I noticed in a

and the surface becomes |

The |

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

small town, ditches of stagnant water stand-
ing in front of some of the houses, not over
three feet in witdh, and from two or three
inches to two feet in depth, evidently recep-
tacles for the sewage of the adjoining
houses, yet in these ditches were living thou-
sands of specimens of at least seven different
species of this family.

These animals although living in water
are air breathers like all of the Pulmonata
and therefore they are obliged to come often
to the surface to obtain air. They float
along on the water, with the foot or creep-
ing disc just level with the surface, and the
shell hanging down beneath. By expel-
ling a portion of the air contained in the
lungs they can immediately sink to the bot-
tom. They lay their eggs in spring and
early summer on stones and sticks in clus-
ters surrounded by a gelatinous substance.
Under the microscope we can watch day by
day the development of the eggs and _ final-
ly the little mollusks eating their way out of
the jelly with which they are surrounded,
and provided even at this time with a minute
shell. Like the terrestrial mollusca, both
sexes are united in each individual.- All
the air-breathing, fluviatile mollusca belong

: 2 _ to this one family which is divided into four
It is very common in Rhode Island though |

sub-families, three of which are represented
in Rhode Island.

Sub-family Limnzeine, with twelve gen-
era is represented in Rhode Island by three
genera and eight species.

121. Limnza (Raptix) CoLumELLa, Say.

Shell thin, fragile, horn colored; whorls
four, longitudinally wrinkled ; spire promi-
nent, acute; suture not much impressed :
aperture ovate, dilated. Mr. W. G. Binney
in Fresh Wuter Shells of North America,
1865, has included (as synonymes) a dozen
or more shells described by different authors
at different times; some of these are un-

_ doubtedly distinct species of themselves.

There is one variety, differing much from
the typical species, which was originally de-
scribed as new, and in my opinion ought to
be considered as a separate species. The
author, however, afterwards seemed disposed
to regard it as astrongly marked local varie-
ty of columella, because it had never been
found in any otber place than the muddy
pool in Cambridge where he first discovered
it, and other writers since have taken his
later view of the subject. This species I

——————— errr elem

EE

- RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

79

have found in large numbers in Rhode Island
but only in one place. It was named Lim-
nea chalybea by Gould in Silliman’s Jour-
nal, XXXIIL., 196, 1840.

Limnza columella as found here. resem-
bles a succinea in color, shape, and size,
although quite large ones are found in the
pond at Lonsdale, near the railroad, nearly
an inch in length. It is a delicate, fragile
shell, almost transparent, with an aperture
four-fifths the entire length of the shell, so that
the whole body of the animal can be seen by
looking in at the aperture. It attains the
growth early in the spring. The animal is
dark with small whitish spots, the tentacles
are broad, pyramidal, compressed, and the
eyes are small, black, and situated at the
inner base of the tentacles.

The variety called chalybea is covered
with a bluish-black epidermis and the inte-
rior of the shell is the same color of a little
lighter shade. The shell is as thin as the
typical columella, but is not so brittle and
rings like hard burnt crockery. The spire
is more pointed, the aperture more expand-
ed and the fold on the inner lip more con-
spicuous. The locality for this variety is on
the left side of the cross road from Lons-
dale to the Diamond Hill road. It is an ex-
cavation containing more or less water the
year round—a very dirty, stagnant pool
containing all sorts of rubbish. Collectors
who are susceptible to poison had better
keep away from this place, as a dog wood
tree grows over it, and the water in it being
supplied only by the rain, and is being con-
stantly evaporated by the sun, the pool is
simply a concentrated infusion of dogwood
leaves. How the mollusks stand it is a mys-
tery, but personal experience has taught me
to ‘‘keep in the middle of the road” when
passing that locality.

122. Liwna@a (LIMNOpHYSA) CAPERATA, SAY.

‘¢ Shell sub-oval, yellowish horn color ;
spire half the length of the mouth; apex
acute ; whorls slightly wrinkled across, with
very numerous elevated, minute revolving
lines; suture not very deeply impressed ;
aperture rather dilated; fold of the labium
not profound. Inhabits Indiana” (Say).

‘« This species is found in the British pos-
sessions as far north as Hudson’s Bay and
through the northern tier of states from
New England to Lake Superior” (W. G.

Binney). Found in Rhode Island, so far as
I know, only at Harris Lime Rock in Smith-
field.

Professor Adams described in 1840 a new
species of Limnzea which he called umbili-
cata, found in New Bedford, Mass. It has
a large umbilicus for so small a shell,
about a quarter of an inch long, while cape-
rata has none. Mr. W.G. Binney follows
Haldeman and Kuster in calling it a syno-
nym of Limnzea caperata, but I am satisfied
that it is neither a synonym nor a variety of
caperata, but rather of Limnzea humilis,
Say. My reason for this will be explained
under the description of L. humilis.

123. Limnaa (LIMNOPHYSA) DESIDIOSA SAY.

This species was first found by Mr. Au-
gustus Jessup, in Cayuga Lake and de-
scribed by Say in Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc7.,
Phila., U1., 169, 1821, as follows: ‘‘ Shell
oblong, sub-conic ; whorls five, very convex,
the fourth and fifth very small, the second
rather larger; aperture a little longer than
the spire; suture deeply indented ; labium,
calcareous deposit copious, not perfectly
appressed at the base, but leaving a very
small umbilical aperture.”

It has been found from New England to
Kansas, but is not common in Rhode Island.
Its habitat is on the margins of pools and
muddy ponds, but it may be seen on stones
in the river, under the bridge at Olneyville.
Its length is from one-half to seven-tenths
of an inch. I have never found any in
Rhode Island to exceed four-tenths of an

inch.
(To be continued.)

TENNESSEE WARBLER IN RHODE ISLAND.
— On the morning of Saturday, September
18, Mr. Walter Angell captured in an or-
chard at Centredale, Johnston, a fine speci-
men of the Tennessee Warbler, (Helmin
thophila peregrina). It was a single speci-
men in company with a flock of Pine Warb-
lers, (Dendroica vigorsii). I think the
species has not previously been reported
for this state. f

PureLe GALLinuLe.—(lonornis martin-
ica). A specimen was captured alive in
Warwick, R. I., about the middle of Au-
gust. The second occurrence reported for
Rhode Island.

80 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF GENUS CLAUSILIA. VI.

teres Olivier.

tersa Parr.
tetragonostoma Pfr.
tettelbachiana Rossm.
thebana Blanc.
theobaldi Blanford.
thermopylarum Pfr.
thessalonica Friw.
thomasiana Charp.
tiberiana Benoit.
tichobates Parr.
tinei Bourg.
torticollis Olivier.
transiens MOll.
translucida Ziegler.
tridens Chemn.
trinacrina Boettger.
tristrami Pfr,
troglodytes Parr.
tschetschenica Pfr.
tuba Hanley.
tumida Ziegler.
turgida Ziegler.
turrita Pfr.
unicristata Boettger.
unidentata Kiist.
ungeri Zelebor.
urlaiensis Zelebor.
valida Pfr.
validiuscula Martens.
vallata Mouss.
varians Ziegler.
varicosta Boettger.
variegata A. Adams.
varnensis Pfr.

vasta Boettger.
ventricosa Drap.
venusta A. Schmidt.
vesicalis Friw.
vespa Gould.
vestusta Ziegler.
vibex Rossm.

vicina Fer,

villee MOll.

vinacea Heude.
virginea Pfr.

virgo Mouss.

voithi Rossm.
waageni Stolickza.
yocohamensis Cross.
zebriola Kiist.
zelebori Rossm.
zeigleri Kiist.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

marginata Ziegler.
marisi A. Schmidt.
maritima Kleciach.
martensi Herk.
massenz Pot. et Mich.
masoni Theobald.
mathildze Kleciach.
medleycotti Tristram.
meisneriana Shuttl.
mellz Stab.

menelaus Martens.
menonia Parr.

menschendoeferi Bielz.

messenica Martens.
miles Kiist.

milleri Pfr.
mipnuscula Parr.
mirabilis Parr.
mitylena Albers.
modesta Kiist.
modesta Ziegler.
moésta Fer.
monilifera Parr.
monizianu Lowe.
montana Stenz.
monticola G-Austen.
moveletiana Blanc.
mouhoti Pfr.
mucida Ziegler.
munda Ziegler.
muralis Kiist.
muriata Parr.
nzevosa Fer.

nana Kiist.
narentana Parr.
negropontina Pfr.
nervosa Parr.
nilssoni Westerlund.
nivea Pfr.

nobilis Pfr.
nonybarica G-Austen.
notabilis Kiist.
obesa Pfr.
obeiscula Lowe.
obvoluta Friw.
oleata Rossm.
oleosa Westerlund.
olivieri Roth.
olympica Friw.
opaca Kiist.

ornata Ziegler.

(This column was omitted by error from List No. IV.]

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. XXXix

ae ss Cad
ARE& TROPICAL &
%i *
Among my late arrivals are a few specimens each of

Paradise Birds.

COLLARED EPIMACHUS, KING PARADISE,

Epimachus magnus. Cinnurus regius

MAGNIFICENT PARADISE,

Dyshyllodes magnifica.

REPUBLICAN PARADISE,

Schlegelia wilsoni.

RED PLUMED PARADISE,

Paradisea raggiana.

LESSER PARADISE,

Paradisea minor.

TOUGCANS.

SEVERAL HANDSOME SPECIES. (UNNAMED. )

CROWNED PIGEONS, _ | GROUND PARRAKEERT,
Gonra Victoriz. | Pezoporus formosus.

é Halcyon smyrnensis.
Musophago violacea.

hee AS
ROSY COCKATOO, | Brachyurus cuculatus.
Cacatura roseicapilla. | REGENT BIRD,
PENNANT’S LORY Sericulus melinus.

LYRE BIRD,
Menura superba.

SWAINSON’S LORY, RING PARROT,

Trichoglossus, nove hollandiz. Palzornis torquatus.
LATELY RECEIVED FROM COLORADO,
Semin OF THE BLACK FOOTED FERRET,

Putorius (Cynomyonax) nigripes.

JUST RECEIVED ON CONSICNMENT,
A COLLECTION OF CONES, 40 SPECIES.
A COLLECTION OF MITRES, 25 SPECIES.

LIST AND PRICES ON APPLICATION,

Platycercus penanti.

xl RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

GLASS CAPPED BOXES.

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xii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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The Auk is primarily intended as a medium of
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FIG.2.

The undersigned manufactures the Patent | :
Monitor Locks and Improved Brackets and | aes S: Bone ieee ‘
Racks for adjustable shelves, and adapted to all 35 PINE STREET, NEW YORK CITY.
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Special new and impioved machinery for cut- |
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Please mention this paper in correspondence. | SEND FOR CIRCULAR.
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We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-
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Random Hotes on Matural History.

Vol III. i)

PROVIDENCE, NOVEMBER 1, 1886.

No. U1.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter.

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BoTany. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

Address all communications to

JAMES M. SOUTHWICK,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A

Kames in Rhode Island.

I nap the pleasure of examining, last
summer, two interesting examples of this
rather common form of glacial deposit. They
both lie in the town of Burrillville, one
being on the farm of Job Ballou and the
other about a mile northeast, on the farm
of Isaac Steere.

The former is about half a mile in length,
extending in nearly a north and south line
with only slight curves. At the north end
it is perhaps fifteen feet above the level of
the pasture-land around, but gradually be-
comes higher southward until it ends
abruptly with an altitude of fully fifty feet.
The summit of the kame is gently rounded
and just about wide enough for a railroad
track. In fact the whole ridge has almost
exactly the appearance of a railroad em-
bankment.

At the north end an excavation has been
made sufficient to show the character of the
materials. It seemed to be of mixed sand
and gravel similar to most of our modified
drift, and having in places the oblique
lamination often seen in banks of such
material.

This kame is on the side of a gently
sloping tract of country, and has a little
stream a few hundred yards to the west-
ward. The greater part of it lies in open
pasture-land, and on this account its extent
and regular shape arrest the eye from quite
a distance.

The other is very similar in general ex-
tent and conformation, but lies mostly in
in the woods, and is less easily examined.

|
1

At its northern extremity it seems to
widen out and enclose a large and very

regular sink-hole. ‘This is perhaps forty
feet in depth and as regularly oval in
shape as if it had been formed artificially.

The origin of these kames and sink-holes
does not seem to be very well understood,
although several theories have been offered
to account for them. They were probably
formed by some peculiar conformation of
the great glacial ice sheet that once covered
all New England, by which sub-glacial
streams resulting from the melting ice,
piled up and arranged the eroded drift

material within or beneath the slowly
moving mass. Tatil oni

Autumnal Suggestions.

ALREADY there are symptoms of the ap-
proaching autumn. The red maple in the
swamps is coloring on one side; the sumacs
here and there hang out their scarlet banners.
Everywhere the golden rods begin to assert
supremacy, and the blue and white asters
show their stars in the copse. Long wreaths
of blossoming clematis clamber over the
bushes — things of exquisite beauty. There
is an abandon and reckless grace about the
clematis, or Virginia tower, which commends
it to the artist. What is there, we wonder,
about the leaves which to us suggests a
storm-beaten flock of birds? This notion,
which we deem original, in a week’s time
we will find has long ago occurred to some
other writer. Truly there is nothing new
under the sun.

Among other intimations of autumn is, we
are told, “the gathering of swallows on the
telegraph wires. Do they in this manner
communicate a message of departure to
comrades further north? There are more
things in heaven and earth than we or Ho-
ratio wot of. Secollops will soon begin to
drift up Cowesett Bay. followed by the
white-winged fleet of fishing-boats. Even
at noon-tide we hear the rattle of the cicada,
that policeman of August, who is perpetually

82 RANDOM NOTES ON

sounding his alarm. It was old Anacreon
who said :
“ Happy the cicadas’ lives,
For they all bave voiceless wives.”

What depth of connubial experience sug-
gested these ungallant lines? Daily we ex-
pect to hear the katydid, due in this part
of the world about the 8th of August.
When we say daily, let no one suppose that
we are ignorant of their habit of singing at
at night.

We have often wished that Tennyson,
who has done so much to embalm the Eng-
lish wild flowers, could know our golden
rods and asters.
Arthusian idyl. Our own poets are begin-
ning tocomprehend them, and we find many
American verses aglow with these Septem-
ber blossoms. Other composites, too, are
prominent in the landscape, notably the tall
purple thoroughworts (Eupatorium purpu-
reum) and the iron-weed, or Vernonia. The
common white thoroughwort is not very
showy, but is curious from its perfoliate
leaves. We mean by this that the leaves
are opposite, and unite around the main
stem or axis, so as to leave a sort of cup at

the junction. Insome plants, like the teasel,’

this cup is full of water, and isolates the
portion of stem above from the approach of
unwelcome insects. Flying creatures, on
the contrary, like bees, are welcomed by
many alluring devices, as by color, nectar,
or pollen. Very strange and interesting is
this whole matter of the relation of insects
to flowers.

The emerald globes of wild grape, in the
happy terms of Mrs. Whitman, now begin
to ‘‘turn to amethyst.” If any are yet
ignorant of this author’s ‘* Still Day in
Autumn,” they should findand read it. Few
word-pictures are truer to nature, or so
tinged with local color. Why cannot we
have her prose pieces collected and published
as well as her poems? Everything she
wrote was a finished composition, in which
each word was chosen and weighed for its
appropriateness. Her name must ever
stand high in our Rhode Island Valhalla.

We should not leave this subjéct without
a word of tribute to the cardinal flowers, the
summer’s crowning glory. By some cool
stream, glassy from its depth, and over-
hung with alders and willows, over which
again the larger trees form gothie arches,

They would well grace an |

NATURAL HISTORY.

we will see long ranks of scarlet cardinals
stand majestic.
and prize them.
woodsy ; their charm is lost by plucking.
W. W. B.

ButTronwoops, Aug. 10, 1886.

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island.
NumsBer XVIII.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

Tue Brircues.-— BeTULACe.
The Black Birch, Betula lenta.

Tuere are five species of birch found na-
tive in Rhode Island. They are the black
birch, B. lenta, the yellow, B. eaxcelsa, the
red, B. nigra,the white, 5B. alba, the paper,
B. papyrace. Of these, B. nigra and B.
papyrace are simply local, and the others,
except the white birch, can hardly be re-
garded as common.

The birches, as a genus of trees, must
take a second rank in importance in this

state. Farther north, they are, relatively,
more numerous and important. In the

northern parts of New England the birches
occupy, as the chief forest tree, extensive
tracts. Theseare frequently found along
the flanks of the mountains, belts of wood,
almost exclusively of yellow birch. In the
British Territory of North America the
birches form the chief growth of immense
tracts. Approaching the higher latitudes
these trees appear gradually more dwarfed,
until near the Arctic Circle they dwindle to
_mere knotty, compact shrubs a foot or two
high, the last of woody growths, except the
willows.

Some of the birches are among the most
graceful and attractive of deciduous trees.
The black birch, when freely developed, is
in this state, a large, round-headed sym-
_ metrical tree, with long slender limbs, and
dense, heavy foliage, giving the branches a
weeping tendency. But few such trees are
seen as they are rarely left single. They
are usually found in Rhode Island along
the banks of streams and ponds, where the
location is cool, and the roots can find abund-
/ant moisture. Although nowhere very
-abundant, they are scattered in consider-
‘able numbers, in the locations named.

This is the place to view
They are of the woods

a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Upon the edge of a pond on the banks of a
stream, the long lithe branches reach towards
the water, sometimes dipping into it, form-
ing a beautiful fringe-like border.

The bark is dark iron-gray in color,
smooth when the tree is young, rough and
in scales upon the outside upon old trunks.
The bark of the young shoots has a sweet,
aromatic taste. giving it the name of ‘* sweet
birch.” The leaves are oblong, ovate, and
heart-shaped at the base, tapering to a

point, finely serrate, smooth, dark green |

upon the upper surface, paler beneath, veins

straight, prominent and hairy uponthe un-—

der side.

The sterile blossoms upon their jaunty pend-
ent aments, are among
of spring. The aments both the fertile and
sterile, are formed in July of the season
previous to the blossoming. The fertile
aments are short, sti‘f, and erect. The
seeds are furnished with a circular wing or
samara, by means of which they are freely
scattered abroad. It is not uncommon for

them to germinate upon a mossy log or in|

rocky crevices, from whence they grow,
throwing out branch-like roots, making the
tree, as it develops, a most pitcuresque ob-
ject.

The wood is fine grained, of a silky lus-
tre, and has a pinkish tinge, from which it
is sometimes known as ‘‘ mahogany ” birch.
Veneers made from wood formed by the

juncture of limbs of this tree are of nota- |

ble beauty, being much prized in cabinet
work. The toughness of the wood makes

it valuable for yokes, wooden bowls, and |
As fuel it ranks next to |

other wood-ware.
the rock maple, while its aromatic odor in
burning, makes it very pleasant for an open
fire.

For the lover of trees the black birch has
many points to.commend it. When well
developed, it is stately and graceful, the

the first harbingers |

light airiness of its ramification preventing |

any aspect of stiffness. Its blossoms are

the delight of early spring gleaners; its |

fuliage and shade are cheering all summer,
while the orange tinting of the leaves in
autumn gives them attractiveness to the last
of the season. ‘The specimens observed by

83

Mashapaug Pond, in the woods near Sil-
ver Spring, and along the banks of the
streams in the vicinity. When the fine
qualities of this species of birch are better
known, it will be prized as a shade and or-
namental tree.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C, BUMPUS.

NuMBER XXIV.

8. Spelerpes bilineata Baird (Salaman-
dra bilineatas Green). The 'T'wo-lined Sala-
mander has the teeth small, the tail short
and compressed, the flanks presenting
thirteen or fourteen grooves, and the inner
toes longest. The posterior limbs are, more-
over, nearly double the anterior in size.
In coloring, yellow predominates, while there
are two narrow lines of a deep black shade
passing along the back from the orbits,
nearly the entire length of the animal. The
tail is dark along the sides while below and
continuing on to the belly a_ beautiful
unspotted bright yellow shade obtains.
Though small and delicate, seldom exceed-
ing three inches in length, the Two-lined
Salamander is extremely active, sometimes
seen skipping about from under one damp
rock to another, or, after rain or in the dusk,
emerging from its biding-place to search for
the then inactive gnats, and other small in-
sects. Itisinteresting to examine the lower
side of the animal and observe that the in-
tegument is so delicate and trausparent
that the intestines can be seen passing along
as a dark line; quite like that presented by

_ some of the smaller fishes.

The three previous genera are united
with the genus Plethodon into a family
known as the PLerHoponriD&, which is char-
acterized by having the carpus and tarsus
unossified, though the vertebra are as in
the genus Amblystoma, already described.

9. Desmognathus fuscas Rafinesque, (Sal-

_amandra picta Harlan, Salamandra quad-

ramaculata Holbrook). The Painted Sala-

| mander is the only one of four North Amer-

the writer in this state appearin a healthy, |

thrifty condition. Near Providence may

be found fine speciinens on the borders of

ican species of the present genus likely to
occur within the boundaries of Rhode Island.
The genus Desmognathus is the sole repre-
sentative of the family DesmoGNaTHIDz,

84

a family differing from those hitherto treated

in several structural peculiarities, though

externally indistinguishable from the PLE- |

THODONTID&, with which they have been
often confounded.

Desmognathus fuscus is perhaps the most |

abundant of North American forms. It is
over three inches in length; has four- |

teen costal folds; a long tail equaling the |

animal in length, and keeled along its up-
per part. It is brown above with gray and
pink shades, the latter being muchmore ap-
parent in the young than in the adult an-
imal.
pale shades predominating. The animals
enjoy most the shallow and rapid waters of
mountain rivulets. In places under every
stone an adult animal or its larva is found
to take concealment, from which it darts
forth on being disturbed, rapidly swimming
from rock to rock evidently quite dissatisfied
with all.

A most interesting fact in connection

with this animal must not be omitted: Pro- |

The flanks and belly are marbled, |

fessor Baird has noticed that the eggs are

wrapped in a long string around the body
of the female, who now seeks a damp situa-

tion where she remains until all are hatched. |

This method was for a long time supposed

to be only characteristic of the so-called |

Alytes, an anurous Batrachian of Europe.

Before closing with this list I feel it my |
duty to thank those who have assisted me _

by giving facts or in making more complete
the collection in the museum of Brown
University. This now, especially through
the courtesy of Professor Baird, contains

types of all the forms which I have here |
mentioned and will be, I trust, of much help |
to those who may interest themselves in|

this branch.

Anemones,

Wui.eE on Chesawannoc or Hog Island,
on the twenty-ninth day of September,
I climbed down the broken away part
of the old wharf, on the east side of
the island, for the purpose of observing
the Littorina littoria, which were cov-
ered with serpula to an extent I had
never seen. J do not think a_ single

shell among hundreds were free from these |

white threads, and the effect both under
water and up and down the sides of the
wharf, where the Littorina had climbed,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

was very striking from quantity. While
looking to see if the serpula confined its
work to the shells, or if the stones were like-
wise attacked, I saw suddenly blooming
beneath me in a hollow of the wharf under
water, four sea anemones ( Mytridium mar-
ginatum). ‘They were fixed upon one stone,
and varied in size from a dime to a half dol-
lar at their point of attachment. This is my
impression as to their size; I had no means
of measurement. By some cautious move-
ment of stones near by, I found two or three
others, and making signals to friends in a
boat at hand, wewere able by use of the
boat to make farther search, and soon
came upon two more, one much larger than
either of the first found.

We moved three small stones to a cove
opening out of Bristol Harbor, hoping that
the conditions of their new surroundings
will be favorable to the increase of this
beautiful creature, and left undisturbed in
their original home a sufticient number to
ensure their continuance in that place.

H. M. K. Browne tt.

Abnormal Embryos.

In Science Observer, No. 49, Prof.
Samuel Garman discusses at some length
the occurrence of twins and triplets among
the young of the trout and salmon, under
culture in hatcheries. In the discussion of
the subject some twenty-four examples
have been selected, which, drawn by Mr.
S. F. Denton, serve to illustrate the princi-
pal abnormal peculiarities. The conclusions
at which Professor Garman arrives seem
logical, and have already attracted consider-
able attention among those who are inter-
ested in embryology.

Professor Garman says: ‘+ In the absence
of exact data for comparison, in regard to
relative abundance, frequency of occurrence,
etc., it only remains to offer a few conject-
ures as to the cause and manner of origin
of these monstrosities.

‘Were we to adopt for these cases the
general conclusion that one spermatozoon
only is concerned in the fertilization of
each egg, we should be driven to conclude
that the embryo has, by more or less com-
plete division, split up to form the monster
or the group. And we can not claim that
the freak results from fusion without admit-

“se -. S a se

7 eee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

85

ting that more than one spermatozoon
enters the egg. That the embryo should
be sp it up to such an extent as to produce
the various forms noted is quite improb-
able; but that deformities of the em-
bryo do not occur from fission is undoubt-
edly true. A hypothesis that would ¢o far
toward satisfying the queries is this: An
egg might have several micropyles. Many

of the eggs bearing deformities are not |
more than the usual size; plurality of
micropyles would meet their cases better
than double yolks. I* does not seem at |
all necessary, however, to demand even the
malformation of the egg in this manner.
Prof. Alex. Agassiz furnishes a clew in his
statement that in all his experience in col-
leeting eggs at sea, he has never yet found

one of these freaks. If we compare the
conditions at sea, and at the hateheries, we
shall find immense differences. At sea the
eggs are laid only when fully matured ; this
is not always the case at the hatchery. To
be sure, there are differences in the species |
at the two localities, but we do not know
that any of the various species that have
been collected among pelagic fishes have
been reported productive of deformities.

In the hatchery, about the time the eggs
are ripe, the female is caught, and more or
less force is used in taking the eggs. Natu-
rally with those that are fully ripe others
not so mature are taken. The finishing
touches being put on the outer covering of
the egg, the capsule is most likely to prove
unfinished if the eggs are taken too soon.
The contents may be perfected, though the |
capsule may not be completed. While the
capsule in maturity may resist the intrusion
of spermatozoa, compelling entrance at the
micropyle, in imperfect condition the same
capsule would prove a less effective barrier at
its pores or elsewhere. In the imperfection
of the capsule we may find at once a means
of accounting for the occurrence of the ab-
normal forms and groups on the egg, and for
their frequent apperance at the hatchery.
It does not seem unreasonable to conelude
that the occurrence of the monsters at the
hatcheries is in great measure due to for-
cible and permature extrusion of the eggs,
consequent imperfection of the capsules |
admitting spermatozoa at various poiuts,

possibly before aggregation of the germinal
inatter at one of the poles bas taken place, |

and resulting in the formation of two or
more embryos, which may or may not
coalesce.”

Sitta Canadensis.

I woutp like to note through your columns

of the capture by myself in Clarendon _—

County, S. C., on the 4th of October, 1886,
of a fine malespecimen of Sitta Canadensis,
I was collecting in a thick swamp, and ob-
served a small bird fluttering about the ter-
minal branches of a large Tripolo, or ** Gum”
tree, after the manner of a Dendreea. The
height of the tree prevented my determining
the bird, but the dark colored head seemed
unusual, and so I shot and brought down
the unknown.

I can find no direct quotation of any pre-
vious capture of this species for South Car-
olina.

Audubon says, ‘‘ Southern limits seldom
farther than Maryland, ee ee yr
the approach of winter venture as far as
South Carolina, although never seen in
the maritime districts of that state.”

Unless I am mistaken this will prove the
first occurrence of S. Canadensis, certainly

_ in the seaboard in South Carolina.

E.uison A. Smytu, JR.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.
CuHarpTeR XXXIV.

124. Limnaa (LimNopuysa) ELODES, Say.
SHELL tapering, elongated, inelegant ; color
nearly black: whorls five to six, sometimes
perfect at the apex, but generally decol-
lated; aperture about one-half the total
length of the shell, sub-oval; lip thin,
sometimes with a reddish thickened margin ;
inner lip covered with a white enamel not
closely appressed at the umbilicus. Aver -
age length of shell nine-tenths of an inch.
Itis very variable in form and size, and the
largest ones are thinner than the acult
small specimens. I have one in my col-
lection an inch and a quarter in length.
Found from Hudson’s Kay to Pennsylvania
and from New England to Oregon.

Like the preceding species, it was first
discovered by Mr. Jessup, and described
by Say at the same time with it. Many
conchologists are of the opinion that this

at

86

species is identical with L. palustris, Miil-
ler, a species which inhabits the whole of
Europe and Siberia. This is not my opin-
ion, but if they should be identical, its
name should be L. palustris, Mull, as that
species was described in 1774.

L. elodes are found all over Rhode Island
-in slow and rapid streams, stagnant ponds,
or wherever there is an abundance of de-
caying vegetable matter. Very large speci-
mens may be obtained from a pond near the
railroad, just this side of the Lonsdale
station, while the most perfect ones are
found in the Providence and Worcester Canal
near Log Bridge, where they are very
abundant. They must be collected in June
to obtain them in their best condition, for
after that month only young ones can be
found alive. They attain their full size and
age by the first of July, and at this time
they cluster together and begin to devour
each other’s shells. The young mollusks
grow rapidly during the summer and fall,
and on the approach of winter bury them-
selves in the mud until the spring opens.

125.

There are eight or ten species of Limnza

Limna (Limnopuysa) Humicis, Say.

found in the United States, which have been |

referred by different authors to the species,
making as many synonyms of it as their
opinions concerning it, As most of these
are probably distinct species, I will mention

only the one variety which is found in |
Rhode Island, which differs from the typical

species.

olive, or sea-green color when clean, but as
found living, it is almost always covered
with a coating of mud. Those found in
this vicinity are easily cleaned, but the
western specimens, covered with the cal-

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY,

pressions in the earth filled by rain or melt-
ing snow in spring, and dry during the
summer. On the cross road from Lonsdale
to the Diamond Hill Road, about half-way,
on the right hand side, under a tree close
to the road, is a good locality, where in
spring they can be found clinging to stones,
and in the summer in the dried mud. If
placed in a vessel of clean water they will
crawl out of the vessel and will live several
days out of the water, but if not replaced
by this time they will die, although they
live all summer after the pond has dried
up, by the side of stones, which condense
a little moisture from the atmosphere, even
in the dryest weather.

The variety alluded to above, was called
Lymnea umbilicata by Professor Adams,
who described it in the Am. Jour. Sei.,
XXXIX., 374, 1840. Some authors con-
sider it as a distinct species. W.G. Binney
in Land and Fresh Water Shells of North

| America, Part II., p. 56, 1865, makes it a

synonym of L. caperata, Say. Several

_ years ago I visited a small pool at Paw-

tucket, called the ‘“ Fountain,” a depres-

| sion about twelve feet in diameter, perhaps

two or more feet deep. filled with water
most of the year. In summer there are
times when it is nearly dry, and on one of
these occasions I collected a few specimens
of what was then a new species tome. A
short time afterward I showed them to
Prof. E. S. Morse, who pronounced them
L. umbilicata, Adams. Two years after,

_ having used most of my specimens for ex-
Limnvea humilis, as Say named it in 1822, |
is a small, ovate-conic shell, of a light |

changes, I again visited the spot. To my
surprise not an umbilicata could be found,
but in their place were plenty of the typical
L. humilis, of which none were present on
my former visit. Unless the umbilicatas

| were young or undeveloped humilis, in or-

careous mud of that section, require a little |

dilute chlorhydric or hydrochloric acid to re-
move the lime. The animal is of a bottle-

green color above, dotted with amber spots, |

and paler beneath. Shell seven-twentieths of
an inch in length, with four or five whorls,
a little shouldered or flattened above ; body
whorl two-thirds the size of the shell; aper-
ture a little more than half the length of
the shell, rounded; inner lip reflected over
a small umbilicus. It is found on the
margins of muddy pools, especially in de-

der to explain this curious phenomena, we
must call in an act of special creation dur-
ing the period of two years, and the utter
extinction of the former species.

Besides the genus Limnzea, containing
over two hundred species, of which five in-
habit Rhode Island, as above, there are
also eleven other genera in the sub-family
Limnzeine, of which two are represented in
the United States. These are Physa, with
one hundred or more species, and Aplexa,
with twenty-five. We have two species of
Physa and one of Aplexa in Rhode Island.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

126. Pxuysa Anciuiaria, Say.
Syns:

Physa obesa, DeKay, N. Y., Moll., 1843.

“Shell ovate-globose, pale yellowish ;
whorls four, rapidly attenuated ; spire trun-
cate, very little elevated above the general
curve of the shell; suture not impressed ;
aperture rounded in front, seven-eighths the
length of the shell. Animal bright lemon
color. It inhabits from New England to
Louisiana, and is very plenty in some
localities, though not abundant in Rhode
Island.”

It was described by Say in the Jowrn.
Acad. Nat. Sci., V., 124, 1825.
a length of over one-half inch by seven-
twentieths in breadth. It becomes stout
and thick by age, and the reddish rib
along the outer lip and the enamel on the
columella becomes quite hard and solid.

left-handed, 7. e., they have the aperture on
the left side of the shell and are called sin-

istral, in distinction from all other fresh ,

water shells inhabiting America which are
dextral or right-handed.

127. Puysa Heterosrropua, SAY. ©

The synonymy of this species is terribly
mixed. Our conservative friends who hate
to drop a word which no longer has a
meaning, but who would still be contented
to call spiral shells, land, fresh water, or
marine, of any shape or style, by the name
of Helix, might, perhaps, agree with Mr.
Binney, who in Fresh Water Shells of
North America adds about a dozen dis-
tinct species of shells to the already numer-
ous synonymy of P. heterostropha.

Say first described this shell as Lymnea
heterostropha in Nicholson’s Encyclopedia
in 1817, but changed the name to Physa
Weis2l in Jour. Acad. Nat. Sei., IL.,
172. ‘* Shells sinistral, sub-ovate; color
yellowish, chestnut, or blackish; whorls
four,— the first large, the others very small,
— terminating abruptly in an acute apex;
aperture oval, three-quarters the length of
the shell, within of a pearly lustre, often
blackish ; lip thickened on the inside and
tinged with a dull red.”

This species is abundant everywhere in
ditches, ponds, and rivers all over North
America, north of Mexico. It resembles
P. ancillaria but is distinguished from it by
the following characteristics: ‘The animal

Itattains |

| describing species

All the species of Physa and Aplexa are | shells.

87
of heterostropha is olivaceous, surface very
smooth and silky ; ancillaria is bright lemon
color. The shell of ancillaria has a shorter
spire, a more angular outline, the suture is
more closely appressed to the whorls, and
the surface of the shell is perfectly smooth.
The surface of heterostropha under a glass,
is covered with waved, revolving and longi-
tudinal lines. It attains a larger size than
ancillaria, and when fully grown, the lip is
thickened and the broad, pearly layer of
enamel on the columella has a very promi-
nent fold.

(To be continued.)

Hyalinia Wheatleyii, Bland.

In chapter XXIX., page 47, of Ranpom
Nores, June, 1886, I published an error in
101 of Rhode Island
This chapter was devoted entirely
to the new species found by Mr. John H.
Thomson, of New Bedford, Mass., which
had never been seen by me, or hitherto
found in our state.

This species was called Mesodon wheat-
leyii, Bland, a species found in North Car-
olina, and described by Mr. Bland, in Ann.
N. Y. Lyc., VII., 118, 1860. I supposed
this to be the shell meant by Mr. Thomson,
and not knowing that Mr. Bland had given
two Helices the same specific name, I
reprinted Bland’s description of Mesodon
Wheatleyii. I have since been informed by
Mr. Thomson, that this was not the shell
discovered in Tiverton, but on the contrary
a very different one, namely, Hyalinia
Wheatleyii, a small shell also found in
Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina,
and described by Mr. Bland in 1883. Lam
happy to correct the error at once, and be-
low is the true description of the shell in
question :

101. Hyaninra Wueatteyit, BLAND.

‘¢ Shell umbilicated, depressed, thin, shin-
ing, pellucid, brownish horn color, finely
striated ; spire sub-planulate, suture slightly
impressed ; whorls little convex, the last
rapidly increasing, more convex on the base,
scarcely descending at theaperture ; umbil-
icus rather wide, margins of peristomes
approximating, joined by a thin callus.”
Diameter one-fifth of an inch.

It resembles in some respects H. electrina,

Binneyana, and arborea.
H. F. CARPENTER.

83

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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FOR SIZES, SEE DIAGRAM, PAGE A.

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—

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xliii

Sd

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sa) oe)

BEST FOXES BEST DOGS ca )

[> 2)

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a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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xlvi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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Vol LIT.

PROVIDENCE, DECEMBER 1, 1886.

No. 12.

Entered at the Providence Post-Office as Second-Class Matter,

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With this number, Ranpom Nores on
Narurat History will have completed its
third year of issue, and will be discontinued
as a regular publication.

Some errors have appeared in its col-
umus which I trust, have been rectified in
later issues. On the subjects to which it
was devoted I have endeavored that it
should be comprehensive and explicit, espe-
cially as regards Rhode Island natural his-
tory.

From the first, as I anticipated, the ex-
penses of its issue have been in excess of
the subscriptions.

Thousands of sample copies have been
distributed.

I desire to express my thanks to those
whose regular subscriptions have shown
their appreciation of my e‘forts to present
articles that should be popular so far as
could be consistent with accuracy.

Whilst regretting to leave unfinished the
very abte articles upon the mollusca and the
trees of Rhode Island, there yet seems to
me no special need for this publication ex-
cept to advertise my business.

In view of the numberless claims upon
my time by my constantly increasing busi-
“ness, I can now do this to better advan-
tage through other channels.

Ir a sufficient number of subscriptions |

can be obtained it is proposed to print dur-
ing the coming year the ‘ Shell-bearing
Mollusca of Rhode Island,” by Mr. H. F.
Carpenter, complete, in book form. The
price will be $2.00 per volume. Subscribers
are not expected to pay until the work is
ready to be issued.

| into an established facet.

The Nebular Hypothesis.

BY E. A. PLUM.

In endeavoring to explain the formation of
the solar system, scientists have advanced
many theories; one of which, called the
nebular hypothesis, bids fair to develop
This theory sup-
poses the system to have existed originally
in the form of a vast cloud of igneous va-
por, “ without form and void” and in condens-
ing gradually, to have assumed the form
of a greatly flattened spheroid, from which
the sun and all the planets were evolved.

Immanuel Kant, one of the greatest of
the world’s metaphysicians, was probably
the first to advance this theory in its unde-
veloped form; but we must credit that
great French scientist, Laplace, with having
presented it to the world in its present fin-
ished form, and also with having brought
about its almost universal popularity. The
more we study the writings of Laplace on
this subject, the more are we impressed
with the grandeur of this theory, and the
more are we convinced that it is the true
solution of a great problem that has puz-
zled philosophers of all ages.

In order that we may better understand
the nebular hypothesis as it is now be-
lieved, let us first briefly consider some of
the striking peculiarities of the solar sys-
tem. First, we find that all the planets
revolve around the sun in the same direc-
tion. Not only is this true of Mercury,
Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune, but it is also true of
a host of other small planets, all of which
are moving with mathematical precision
around a common centre. Again we learn
that each of these bodies has its orbit on
nearly the same plane. and all, including the
sun, have axial motions in a common diree-
tion.

How shall we account for these remark-
able facts? If we ask the question, could
all this have happened by chance, our rea-
son answers, no; but reason working
through the minds of such men as Laplace

,

90

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Kant, Herschel and others, holds up before
us this grand hypothesis, and if we seek
our explanation here, these perplexing
questions will soon cease to trouble us. Let
us then, keeping before us the facts just
stated, trace the development of the solar
system from “the beginning,’ using the neb-
ular hypothesis for our guide.

We begin with an almost infinite mass
of igneous vapor, whirling in space. As
this vast mass cooled and condensed, the
outer portion, called the peripheral por-
tion, attained a velocity so great that it en-
tirely overcame the power of gravity. As a
consequence, the peripheral portion became
detached in the form of a ring — as water
is thrown from a revolving grindstone.
The ring continued its rotation about the
mass till its own oscillations caused it to
break into pieces. ‘These pieces gathered
themselves in the form of another globe,
revolving around the first. In the progress
of time, the principal mass, continuing to
condense, threw off another ring, which
likewise became a globe. ‘This process
was repeated from time to time, and the
globes thus formed became the planets, and
the remaining mass is the sun,which is still
cooling and shrinking, and may yet throw
off other rings.

Let us now turn to the detached globes.
The larger are farthest from the sun, be-
cause they were detached when the whole
mass was largest. Each began to repeat
the process of condensation. Some of the
larger ones, from the same cause that
brought themselves into existence, threw off

rings which eventually became their sat- |

ellites. Owing to difference in size and
velocity some planets threw off more than
others.
eight rings, one of which still remains un-
broken. Our earth detached but one, and
then became too solid to repeat the process.

Mercury, Venus, and Mars—all smaller |

than the earth—attained the solid form
before the peripheral portions could become
separated.

We might cite various other facts that
help to prove the truth of the
theory. We will mention but one. ‘The
spectroscope reveals to us the presence of
certain minerals in the sun, which are iden-
tical to those found on the earth. Are we
not justified in assuming that this fact alone

Saturn, for instance, threw off |

nebular |

is sufficient proof that the earth and sun
were once a part of one great mass?

Some have objected to the nebular hypo-
thesis, because they think it conflicts with
the teachings of the Bible. It does noth-
ing of the kind. On the contrary, it agrees
perfectly with the bibical account of the
creation. What better description of a
vast infinite cloud can we find, than is con-
tained in these words ‘‘ without form and
void.” ‘The hypothesis only supposes that
“God has brought the world into existence
by the use of second causes, exactly as He
brings a plant into existence.” The maples
around about us have all undergone “de-
velopmeuts.” The delta of the Mississippi
is undergoing “development.” Many islands
of the sea owe their existence to the law of
development. All nature is governed by
this law. God has evolved the solar system
according to method, exactly as He evolves
a tree from the seed. The nebular hypo-
phesis only assumes to take us back to the
beginning of natural development. There
it leaves us; and, as Alexander Winchell
writes: ‘‘ we dare go no farther; we can
go no farther. If science leads us here, she
deserts us at this point, and leaves us to
lean only on the arm of Omnipotence. Be-
yond is only God. The beginning of the
history of creation does not stretch into in-
scrutable eternities. We discover the firm
rock of support from which all existence
hangs. It is the ‘Rock of Ages!’ We feel
comforted and strengthened in knowing
that ‘in the beginning God created.’”

The Amethyst Locality of Burrillville, R. 1.

Minera collectors of this state have

| long been aware that crystals of amethys-

tine quartz of singular clearness and purity
have been found ata place known as the
‘‘Battey Farm” in the town of Burrill-
ville.

Nearly forty years ago, while an exca-
vation was being made on this place fora
barn cellar, many quarts of these crystals

were found and given away or preserved in
the family.

Some of these were of rare beauty and
would have graced any cabinet.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 91

The dirt from this cellar was dumped
along the road near by, and for years after-
wards, one could pick up beautiful crystals
after a shower had washed the dust from
them, so as to reveal their purple facets.

The crystals seem to have originated in
a bed or seam of vein-granite, in gneiss or
mica schist.

The bed rock in which this vein occurs
is of a peculiar rusty-brown color, is much
broken up by joints, and appears to consist
mainly of quartz anda little mica. Ido
not remember to have seen any rock closely
resembling it elsewhere.

It is easily recognizable after being once
examined, and I have traced it in a narrow
belt from the south end of Herring Pond
in a direction about south southwest, to a
point just beyond the ‘‘Battey place,” a
distance of nearly three miles.

This rock is well seen where the Provi-
denceand Springfield Railroad cuts through
it, between Oakland and Harrisville.

Amythysts of good size and shape have
been found at this point also, but they were
in the drift and were pale in color, some-
what marred and far less clear than those
farther south. Lumps of kaolin are also
found at this locality, with the crystals, and
probably originated from the feldspar in
the vein-granite which held the amethysts
in its cavities.

I had the exquisite pleasure at one time
of emptying a‘‘ pocket” of its amethysts in
a much decomposed block of this granite.
Some of these crystals were clear as glass
and highly colored. In many of the larger
specimens the color does not seem to be
evenly distributed through the erystal but
is in layers parallel to the faces of the
pyramid, giving rise to ‘‘ phantoms.”

Tam not aware that any competent geol-
ogist has ever examined this locality care-
fully, but I think it would present some
points of interest to one who could inter-
pret its records, although the ground has
been dug over so much that it is difficult to
find any amethysts now. TJs Be

A FINE specimen of American Barn Owl,
Strix pratincola, was taken at Sand Pond
about the third of this month, and on the
eighth Mr. Charles H. Lawton obtained, at
_ Newport, a very nice Razor-bill Auk,
Alea torda.

Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island.

NuMBER XIX.

BY L. W. RUSSELL,

Tut Yevrrow Brireu.— Betula excelsa.

Tue Yellow Birch, Betula excelsa, belongs,
as a common forest tree, to regions having
a colder climate than that of Rhode Island.
It is found scattered in considerable num-
bers, however, in cool, moist localities in
this state. It is rarely seen here, either in
open ground or as a forest tree, in its full
development, Farther north, in New Eng-
land and in Canada, it is in the woods, a
lofty tree, rising sixty or seventy feet with-
out a limb, bearing a few feathery, spreading
branches, overtopping, usually, the other
trees with which itis mingled. When grown
upon open ground from the start, it is a
wide spreading tree with a symmetrical or-
bicular head. In sucha situation, the limbs
strike out low, are long and lithe, the
lower ones taking a graceful curve down-
wards. At first the limbs form very sharp
angles with the main stem and with each
other; but their slender habit of growth,
combined with their elastic quality in yield-
ing to the winds and coming back to position
redeems the tree from any aspect of stiff-
ness. Indeed, it is a tree of notable grace
and beauty, deserving a prominent place in
arboriculture.

The tree is easily distinguishable from
other birches by its bark. The bark upon
the limbs, except the smaller spray, and
upon the body, unless the tree is old, is yel-
lowish, having a firm, silky luster. The
outer portions hang in thin plates, which
quiver even ina light breeze. Upon the
body of old trees the bark appears in dark,
ragged plates, easily broken off.

The leaves of this birch are oval in shape,
somewhat narrowed, or slightly heart-shaped
at the base, coarsely serrate, and upon
short, hairy footstalks. They appear in
twos except near the ends of the spray,
where they are alternate. In the autumn,
they take on fine shades of orange and yel-
low.

The catkins of the male flowers appear in
pretty, yellowish tassels with the opening of
the leaves. They are shorter and thicker
than those of the black birch. The female

92

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

flowers are in short, erect, cone-like catkins,
formed of stiff, three-lobed scales contain-
ing three winged seeds each, which fall out
in autumn.

The wood of this birch is light in color,
with a yellowish.tinge. As fuel, if well sea-
soned, it ranks high, next to rock-maple.
It is an important market wood from the
Northern New England States. Like the
wood of the birches generally, its value is
iessened for timber by its lack of durability
when exposed to alternate moisture and dry-
ness; but for turners’ uses, for lasts, and
some other purposes it is in constant de-
mand. ‘The tree roots very freely, the bulg-
ing from the body of the main branches be-
ing prominent and often fantastic. In rocky
situations, the roots frequently over-run a
boulder or fragment of a broken ledge,
clasping it with a Titan’s grip.

In regions where the soil and climate is |
best adapted to this tree, it frequently occu- |

pies the ground almost exclusively. This is
particularly true in belts upon high hill-sides
and the middle portions of mountain slopes,
between the belts of maple and ash and

those of the red oak and the spruce and fir | a

balsam. A marked example may be seen
upon the southern slope of the Monadnock

from the Mountain House to the summit.

I think the tree would thrive well in most
parts of Rhode Island; at any rate, it de-
serves the attention of those interested in
the trees adapted to local growth.

THe Rep Bircon.— Betula nigra.

The Red Birch, B. nigra, is reported to be
found in one or two localities in the north-
western part of this state. It grows, natu-
rally, by streams of water, usually bending
over the brink. It is easily identified by its
reddish, ragged bark, hanging from the
trunk and larger limbs in long, loose flakes,
an inch or two wide. It grows quite large
with considerable spread. It grows quite
abundantly from New Jersey south to

Georgia.
Tue Canoe Bircn.— Betula papyrace.

The Canoe Birch, B. papyrace, is merely
local in Rhode Island. It is found in con-
siderable numbers upon the Diamond Hill
range, near the Massachusetts line, but is
rarely met with elsewhere in this state. It

is a tree of more northern growth. In
Northern New England and Canada it reaches
lofty proportions. The bark of larger trees
furnished the material for the canoes of the
Indians. The trunks are tall, straight, and
beautifully white. It has properly been
named the ‘‘ Lady of the Forest.” The
leaves are quite broad, dark-green, and
coarsely serrate. The wood is white, fine
grained, and valuable for the turner’s use.

Tue Wuire Bircw.— Betula populifolia.
The White Birch, or Little Gray Birch, B.
populi folia, is common in Rhode Island.

| It will grow in mere sand or gravel, hence,

is often associated with poverty. It grows
rapidly, and springs readily from the stump
when the treeiscut. It takes usually a cyl-
indrical form, tapering sharply at the top.
When a half dozen or more sprouts grow
from a single stump, their combination forms
a wide spreading, symmetrical group of
much grace and beauty. The limbs are

_very numerous, the spray being fine and

delicate. The whole tree is very elastic.
Covered with ice, as they often are in winter,
they form objects of beauty unequaled in
The leaves are very shining and par-
ticularly noticeable for their long pointed

Mountain, N. H., in ascending the path | tips. Their footstalks are long and slender

causing them to quiver in the wind like
those of the aspen poplar. The impervious,
resinous bark causes the wood to decay
when the tree is cut down, unless it is split
or deprived of its bark for seasoning. ‘The

| tree is smallin comparison with most others of

its genus, but sometimes attains a height of
forty feet with a diameter of a foot in the
body. Considering the rapid growth of the
tree and the fact that it will flourish upon
the poorest ground, it is not to be despised.

With respect to their bark, our birches
may be distinguished as follows:

Black Birch.— Bark black, peels off with
difficulty ; scaly on old truuks.

Yellow Birch.— Bark yellow, silky or me-
tallic luster; adhering closely, excepting
thin, loose, stringy flakes.

Red Birch.— Bark reddish or copper, very
loose, thin plates looking exceedingly rag-
ged.

Canoe Birch. Bark white, chalky;
easily peeled, very resinous.

White or Gray Birch.— Bark grayish-
white, containing numerous knots, highly
resinous.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

93

The Coast Fox ( Vulpes littoralis), Baird.

BY E. W. BLAKE, JR.

Next to Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz is the
largest of the group of islands off the coast
of Southern California. It is situated about
three hundred miles south of San Francisco,
and lies nearly twenty-five miles off shore.
The island is about twenty-three miles in
length, and inits widest part, perhaps seven
miles broad.
stock company, and is employed as a sheep
ranch, about twenty-five thousand head be-
ing kept there.

In general character the island is mount-
ainous, the highest peaks being about
twenty-eight hundred feet above the sea.
Between two long ridges, extending nearly
the entire length of the island, is a narrow
but comparatively level valley, where stand

the ranch-house and its adjoining sheds— |

the only buildings on the island. Along the
shore are lines of lofty cliffs, with occa-
sional coves or harbors which form the ex-
tremities of canons running up the sides of
the mountains.

In winter Santa Cruz is covered with
grass and flowers, and there is plenty of
water in the cafons, but in summer every-
thing becomes dry and the streams shrink
to mere rivulets, or disappear altogether.

A volume might easily be filled with an
account of the curious birds and animals
upon the island; it is the purpose of the
present sketch to describe the habits of one
species which is not very generally known —
the coast fox, ( Vulpes littoralis) , Baird.

The coast fox is found only upon the
Santa Barbara islands, and seems to be en-
tirely distinct from the fox upon the main-
land. Upon Santa Cruz it is very common ;
I have often seen a dozen in a morning’s
walk. The most noticeable peculiarity of
the Coast Fox is its diminutive size. Full-
grown individuals measure only about thirty
inches in length, including the tail. The
coloration is as follows: above, including
the upper half of the tail, silver gray ;
beneath, including the lower half cf the
tail, reddish fawn color ; chin and throat pure
white, forehead and a spot at the corner of
the mouth, dusky brown; a dark stripe
along the tail.

As Santa Cruz is but rarely visited, the
foxes have become wonderfully tame.

Santa Cruz is owned by a.

While I was camping out upon the island

during the past summer (1886) the foxes

soon learned to come around camp about
dinner-time, to secure the scraps of meat
and fish which were thrown to them by my
companions and myself. Our camp was in
a canon, where the stream had washed out
adeep channel for itself in winter, and di-
minishing in summer, had left a convenient
place beneath the overhanging banks. The
foxes would approach quite boldly to the
very edge of these banks — within a few
feet of our heads — and carry off whatever
we left for them. Nor were their incursions
entirely confined to legitimate spoils. Any
small article, edible or not, which we left
lying about camp in the evening, was apt
to disappear in the night,—gloves, stockings,
handkerchiefs, sponges, soap, even a pocket
of fish-hooks were thus mysteriously spir-
ited away. In general, however, the missing
articles were discovered not far from camp,
lying where the foxes had dropped them,
but some of them we never saw again.

As we saw the foxes every day, we soon

| learned to distinguish them by their indi-

vidual peculiarities, and even named sey-
eral of our most regular visitors. ‘‘ Dick,”
‘¢ Jenny,” ‘* Pete,” and ** Uncle Joe” came
nearly every afternoon ; sometimes all four
would be eating together. They were es-
pecially fond of fish, whether raw or cooked,
but did not refuse corned beef, ham, or ba-
con. They even ate ship’s biscuit, and
‘¢ Dick” was once discovered surreptitiously
licking the grease from a sauce-pan, but
their favorite delicacy was spoilt blackberry
jam. We had brought over a can of this
preserve, which upon examination proved
unfit for use, so we abandoned it to the
foxes. In two days the can was as clean
as the most exacting housewife could desire.

On going down to the beach one day, we
found it literally covered with hundreds and
thousands of little fish, about the size of
sardines, some dead, and others still alive.
They had evidently been driven into our
cove by a school of big bass, and were be-
ing cast up by the surf and left on the
beach by the receding tide. We picked up
about eight hundred and fifty — weighing
eleven pounds in all—and took them up
to camp. We soon found that we had a
good many more than we could eat, and we
gave the foxes a treat. They were very

Ot

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

much excited, and after devouring as many
us they could, proceeded to carry off the
rest to their hiding-places among the rocks
and bushes. They carried them, of course,
in their mouths, sometimes taking five or
six at once. That night, we could see in
the bright moonlight many dusky forms
roaming up and down the beach. It seemed
as if all the foxes in the canon were come
to take advantage of the unwonted oppor-
tunity.

The foxes did not often quarrel over their
food, and even when they did, their only
demonstrations of anger were muttered
growls or hisses. On the other hand, they
were apparently of very affectionate and
playful dispositions, chasing each other in
sport, and licking one another like kittens.
Indeed, their actions and appearance,
strange as it may seem, reminded us far
oftener of cats than of dogs. They had an
eminently feline gait in walking and run-
ning— gliding noiselessly and_ stealthily
through the underbrush, or darting with
remarkable agility up the precipitous hill-
sides. Moreover, upon tasting anything
disagreeable, like mustard, pepper, or salt,

they would nervously shake a forepaw in a |

manner wonderfully like a cat.
As the climate in summer is very fine, we

slept out in the open air, without a tent, and |

not infrequently were awakened by feeling |
something clambering over us, or tugging |
at the blanket, and, as we started up, saw |

a badly frightened fox scampering away
into the darkness.

Although we continually saw them during
the day, the foxes are in general of noctur-
nal, or, at least, of crepuscular habits.
During the evenings the canon resounded
with their barkings. This bark or cry is
a very peculiar and quite indescribable
sound; a fair imitation of it may be pro-
duced by turning the handle of a well-filled
coffee mill half-way round, sharply and sud-
denly.
anil crevices in the rock, or sheltered re-
treats in the thick bushes, during such time
as they are not abroad, and one of my com-
panions once came upon one fast asleep,
under a low bush, during the heat of the
Catv

Their food seems to be of the most varied
and miscellaneous character. The berries

The foxes commonly inhabit caves |

tually do a good deal of climbing, for we
more than once discovered them awkwardly
perched in the top of a good sized bush,
eight or ten feet from the ground. Besides
berries, they eat crabs, for which they
search diligently along the rocks at low
tide. While walking among the hills near
the sea one morning I discovered the half
decayed body of an old ram, which had
evidently died a couple of days before.
Upon coming nearer I observed the tail of
a fox protruding from a huge hole in the
side of the carcass, and as I approached the
fox came out and ran up to me, apparently
impelled by curiosity. He presented a
spectacle more easily imagined than de-
scribed ; suflice it to say that his appearance
afforded ample evidence of the nature of his
repast.

During the spring, the foxes undoubtedly

-devour the eggs of the smaller birds, when

they are fortunate enough to secure them ;
the gulls, cormorants, and oyster-catchers all
nest on the isolated rocks.

More than once we came upon foxes
blind in one eye; sometimes both eyes were
half closed up. We attributed this mis-
fortune to the long spines of the cactus
(Opuntia engelmanni) which abounds upon

| the island.

The jays (Aphelo coma insularis) Hen-
shaw, do not seem to be much afraid of the
foxes, and we often saw amusing quarrels
between the two. On one occasion a fox
was eating a good sized piece of fish bone
on the bank previously referred to, and a
jay was perched upon a low branch about a
foot above his head. Every time the fox’s
attention was distracted for a moment from
his meal, the jay would dash down from his
perch and try to carry off the bone, but
always without success, though he occasion-
ally captured a morsel of fish.

Although the foxes were, as I have stated,
wonderfully tame we did not succeed in in-
ducing them to take food actually from our
hands, though they would often approach
within a yard of us when we held out some
tempting morsel to them. I have no doubt,
however, that they would have soon con-
quered this natural timidity if we had re-

/ mained longer at the island, as we took
_ care not to frighten them in any way, valu-

of certain plants are undoubtedly their main |

reliance, and to obtain these the foxes ac-

ing too highly our remarkable advantages
for observing the habits of these curious
animals in their natural state.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

95

Sea Beaus.

We would like to ask any of your readers
who have been in Florida whether the so-
called ‘‘sea beans” employed in jewelry
grow there?
Cuba where they are ‘‘ at home” and have
heard that the common name was given
from their being found at sex. They might
easily drift to the main coast but have they

found the soil and climate suited to their de- |

velopment in Florida?

We have brought them from |

|
|

The yellow bean ** Bromis Spinosus” is

commonly known in Cuba by its Mexico-
Indian name Guacalote ; its old aboriginal
name was Guanana. The boys of the Vuelt-
arriba (veulta de arriba), or eastern part of
the island use these yellow guacalotes as a
kind of money, playing their cards and va-
rious games of chance for them, and even
passing them as money for some articles.
The roundness and smoothness of the smal er
yellow ones cause them tobe much employed

in games similar to our marbles, which they | Het

eall ‘*horyitos” or little holes, ‘* uflate,” and

‘* pila.” In one game of ** pila” four of these |

beans are used, three being placed together
and the fourth piled above them ; in another
they strive to overturn a ‘‘ little house” and
call the game from this ‘* casilla” from what
they build up of the beans. The small,
perfectly rounded ones are known as * teri-
toes” or ‘** mingoes,” while a large, flat, vari-
ety is called ‘‘ catatas.” Among the yellow-
ones a gray bean is often mixed which is
the Guilandina bondue scientifically.

As the boys of the eastern end of the island

favor the gaucalote, what is more natural |

than the hostility shown by the boys of the

western end? So in the Vueltabajo (vuelta de |

abajo) where the fine cigars come from, the
red beans are employed and the yellow ones
scorned. The red ones are commonly
called mates, and we have been unable to
find its scientific name in a very minute
work on Cuban natural history. Was the
author a Vueltarriban boy ?

The boys of Bayame name the last bean
left in playing their games the gaubino.

H. M. K. B.

‘¢7T NEVER argy agin a success,” said Arte-
mus Ward. ‘‘ When I see a rattlesnaix’s
hed sticking out of a hole, I bear off to the
left, and says I to myself, that hole belongs
to that snaix.”

| | have them

/ and

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXXV.

128. Apctexa Hypnorcum, LINNE.
Syns.:

Physa elongata, Say.

Physa glabra, DeKay.

Physa elongatina, Lewis.

Physa turrita, Sowb.

Bulinus hypnorum, W. G. Binney.

This species was described by Linnzeus
in 1758, as Bulla hypnorum, and afterwards
described in English works under ten dif-
ferent synonymous names, none of which are
included in the above list. It seems to be
one of few species which inhabit the cireum-
polar and temperate regions of Europe, Asia,
America. Shell very thin, fragile.
transparent, sinistral, oblong; color, pale
yellow; whorls, six or seven; spire taper-

g, acute; suture impressed; aperture ob-
liquely ovate, narrow, one-half the length
of the shell; columella callously edged.
Length seven-tenths of an inch, breadth
three-tenths. This is the description of the
European specimens, and will apply to those
of British America and the Western United
States. In 1821 Say described a shell which
he called Physa elongata, which has been
referred by most authors to hypnorum. The

| specimens vary a great deal from different

localities and those from Rhode Island com-
pared with the typical species might easily
be taken for different species, we find them
here much smaller in size, rarely over three-
tenths of an inch in length, very slender,
brittle, and thin, with no callously ridged col-
umella, and with one to two whorls more than
the larger, more solid English specimens.
labelled Physa elongata in
my cabinet, side by side with another tray
of hypnorum from England, and to look at
them together, nine out of every ten persons
would say they were different species.

In Am. Jour. Conch., Il., 7, 1866, is a
list of new localities for Physa, in which is

the following remark : ‘‘ Physa integra, Hald,

Rhode Island, (Coll. Tryon).” I woutd like
to ask for further information. I know of
no such species in the state, and would like
to know on whose authority this remark

_ was based, also the precise locality etc., etc.

96

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Sub-family Planorbine.

The shells of this sub-family are all dis-
coidal, spiral, and the apex sunk in the nu-
cleus of the coil; whorls three to seven,
smooth or striate, sometimes keeled.

The animals have the orifices of their gen-
erative, excretory and respiratory organs on
the left side like those of Physa, but their
shells are dextral like all other gasteropods,
with few exceptions. This sub-family con-
tains two genera, Planorbis and Segmentina,
both of which are represented in Rhode
Island.

GeENus PLANORBIS GUETTARD.

All the shells of this genus existing in the
Old World, belong to one type and number
only about thirty species, eleven of which in-
habit Great Britain and the remainder scat-
tered through Europe, Africa, India, Ceylon,
and Australia. On the other hand we have
over seventy species in America, belonging
to five or six distinct types or sub-genera.
They are all very sluggish in their habits and
prefer stagnant pools.

129.

Mr. Say discovered a shell in a canal near
New Orleans and afterwards other speci-
mens of the same in Mexico, which he de-
scribed in 1834 in the American Conchol-
ogy, published at New Harmony, Ind., un-
der the name of Planorbis lentus; previous |
to this, in 1817, he described a shell which |
he called Planorbis trivolvis. Authorities
quote both species from all parts of the |
Uuited States, but the subject is somewhat |
mixed. J have never found or heard of P.
trivolvis being found in Rhode Island, but
have plenty of P. lentus. if one can tell any-
thing by descriptions and plates. Professor
Adams in speaking of this shell refers it to
P. trivolvis in the Shells of Vermont, and
in his list of ‘* Middlebury shells ’ to P. cor-
pulentus. Gould says: ‘* This shell has
hitherto borne the name of trivolvis in
New England, but it is not the trivolvis
of Say, and is either his lentus or a new
species.” Gould’s figure and description
of lentus is referred by Hadleman to P.
fallox. W.G. Binney says: ‘It is not the
lentusof Say,” and 1efers it to trivolvis. Per-
haps trivolvis and lentus are the same spe-
cies, modified by localiy, ete. But I am of
the opinion that our Rhode Island lentus is

PiLanorsis Lentus, Say.

a distinct species from the trivolvis of the
Middle and Western States.

It is a discoidal shell, concave on both
sides, the spire sunken in on the upper side
showing three volutions, just like the umbili-
cus on the under sides of many helices ;
lower surface cup-shaped, formed of four
whorls ; aperture large ; lip sharp, thickened
within by a dark reddish-brown callous ; color
of the shell brownish or chestnut ; diameter
seven-tenths of an inch.

My specimens were found in a meadow
overflowed with water near Ashton, on the
Cumberland Hill road. What seems strange
in the instincts of these animals is, that
although the place overflowed is quite large,
and after searching in vain, by wading into
it in several places, and in looking carefully
around its entire curcumference, not a shell
could be found ; they were found abundantly
in one spot, exactly under the shadow of a

| willow tree, standing at the edge of the pond

near the road. Other species of shells were
found in all parts of the pond, but of this
Species none, excepting those under the tree.

130. PrLanorsis (Hertsoma) BICARINATUS,
Say.
Syns. :

Helix angulata, Rackett, Wood, Hanley.

Helix bicarinatus, Eaton.

Planorbis engonatus, Conrad, Lister.

The sub-generic name, Helisoma, was
given by Swainson in 1840, to those species

_ of Planorbis which are ventricose in form,

with but few whorls, and in which the spire
is sunken below the body whorl. ‘This sub-
genus includes eight species of North Amer-
ican Planorbis, only one of which, bicarina-
tus, inhabits Rhode Island.

The shell is orbicular, deeply excavated and
carinated on both sides, color brownish
yellow ; spire sunken, forming a cavity
nearly as deep as that on the under side ;
whorls three and a half, visible on both
sides; aperture large, embracing a large
part of the body whorl and vaulted above ;
lip white and expanded, interior brownish
red; diameter of shell one-half inch. It
ranges from New England to Kansas, and
from British America to Georgia. It is not
very common in Rhode Island, but is found
in still water, on the margins of large ponds
and not in muddy pools. It is quite abun-
dant in the Providence and Worcester

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

97

Canal near the Mineral Spring Pike and in
Cunliff's Pond.

131. PLanorpis (PLANORBELLA) CAMPANU-
LATUS, SAY.
Syns. :
Planorbis bellus Lea.
‘¢ biearinatus, Sowb.

Planorbella campanulata, Chemn.

Helix angulata, Shep.

This and one other species, found in
Mexico, constitute the sub-genus, Planor-
bella of Haldeman, characterized thus:
‘* whorls few, aperture campanulate or bell
shaped, prominent.”

This species is widely spread from Nova
Scotia and New England through the
northern tier of states to Minnesota. It is
not abundant anywhere except in certain
local spots. It was first found by Mr.
Augustus Jessup in Cayuga Lake, New
York, and described by Say in 1821 in Journ.
Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 11.,164. Shell dis-
coidal, sinistral, brownish green in color,
lighter at the sides; the right side exhibits
a little more than two volutions, which are
elevated to an obtuse ridge, and forms an
umbilicus which nearly perforates the shell ;
the left side shows four volutions, and
forms a shallow cup; the whorls are very
regular and symmetrical up to the last
portion of the body whorl, where it is sud-
denly distorted and enlarged, forming a bell-
shaped throat; the aperture is dilated and
angulated on the left side ; lip brown within;
diameter one-half inch. Dead _ shells are
found plentifully on the banks of the Black-
stone River, at Pawtucket in the spring,
among the débris left by freshets, but Valley
Falls Pond is the place where they are
ate alive, also in Sneach Pond in Cumber-
and.

Hazel - Copses.

We often think that the loveliest things
in the woods are not the flowers, but the
green buds, the leaves, and fruits. At pres-

ent our attention is called to this fact by |

the grace and elegance of the hazel-copses.
On each branch hangs a group of nuts, and
each nut is inclosed in a superb casket witb
crimped and scalloped edges. The vessel
itself fits closely to the nut, and its lower
or body part often assumes shades of deli-

cate brown, otherwise the whole object is of |

tender green. The rough leaves of hazel,
too, with their doubly serrated edges, are
things of beauty. Already the shrub bears
the young tassels of next year. So in
nature, do youth and age walk hand in
hand.

In these days, when all sorts of objects
are glorified by the art-lover, has the hazel
ever received its need of attention? In
Rhode Island we have another species, not
so common, the so-called beaked hazel. It
is notso handsome as its relative. Do squir-
rels or boys hereabouts eat these nuts?
All of a sudden they disappear. That fil-
berts are good, every dessert service shows.
Often an animal is the first to indicate the
the value of a vegetable. Rarely does an
insect mistake its food plant. Cattle have,
ere now, discriminated differences which
the botanist only half surmised. So are
we linked with chains invisible, but binding,
to the lower forms of creation. W. W. B.

The Dispersion of Seeds.

GEOGRAPHICAL botany or the distribution
of plants over the earth has deservedly re-
ceived the attention of the profoundest stu-
dents. Humboldt, Decaudolle, Grisdad,
Hooker, and our own beloved Gray, have all
taken up the subject at one time or another.
It presents many problems to exercise the
most philosophical minds. Plants are so
affected by environment and conditions that
one must know something of kindred scien-
ces, such as geology and physical geogra-
phy, and even meteorology, to approach it
understandingly. But among the most fas-
cinating chapters of modern botany are
those which treat of vegetable dispersion.
Let the reader to substantiate our words,
consult the admirable lecture on Sequoia
(the giant tree of California), in Gray's
‘¢ Darwinians,” or the wonderful Introduc-
tion to the Flora of Australia, by Sir Joseph
Hooker, or the same author’s preparatory
remarks in the Flora of New Zealand.

It is a smaller and lighter side of the sub-
ject to which we now desire to direct atten-
tion, viz., to some of the ways in which seeds
or fruits are disseminated. In popular lan-
guage the two are often confused, and no
wonder, as they frequently resemble each
other. Suffice it here to say that a seed
proper is a definite and restricted body

98

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

having its own coatings ; towhich. however, —

those of the fruit may adhere. By a fruit,
in science, we mean the ripened pistil, with
all adhering portions and the contained
seed.

seed, not always widely, but at a distance
more or less remote from the parent.

Thus animals.

Nature’s object is to disperse this |

the future offsprings have a show in past- |

ures new and under more favorable con-

ditions, as the parents may have exhausted —

the original soil.
sult many devices are resorted to. One of
the commonest is a tuft of hairs, simple or
plumose, such as we know in the thistle and
dandelion, where it is attached to the fruit,
or in the milkweeds and willow-herbs(epil-
boium), where the seed itself is so endowed,
we rarely, if ever, find both pod and seed so
furnished. In other words, there is no
waste of devices. If one gathers the float-
ing thistle-down, in many cases he will per-
ceive that the parachute has dropped its
precious burden near home. How beauti-
ful are these featherly baloons, wafted
about by the slightest breeze.

Among trees it is more common to find |

winged seeds or fruits, as the case may be.
Thus, the maples, elms, and ashes, all have
such. In the lime or linden the whole clus-
ter of berries is borne off attached to the
bract.
the rotatory movement, giving the body a
divergent propulsion. In the ash the wing
twists on its axis, and forms a sort of pro-
peller fluke. Hooks and grapvels are fa-
vorite mechanical contrivances. The heads
of burdock are covered with retrorse hooks.
Every one knows how the little fruits of the
bed straw (Galium) attach themselves to
garments. So do the troublesome beggars

Notice as these fall from the tree |

ticks and the jointed pods of desmodium, |

and many fruits of the forget-me-not fam-
ily. The armature of some foreign fruit
is very formidable ; he must pity the unwill-
ing agents of dispersion.

Many seeds are expelled from the fruits
by curious mechanical contrivances.
witch-hazel shoots off its seeds as from a

pistol. Some of the violets and the related
ionidium throw them many feet. The

squirting cucumber ejects them in a jet of
liquid. The wild geranium throws them at
maturity by the tension of a spring. The
blossoms turn the pod inside out with a jerk.
There are seeds that at a particular time,
say when they reach moist soil, release from
their surface long flexible hairs which bind

| tree near my house.
The |

Yo bring about this re- |

ay goekood ,
OG Get BLA 35.

them to the earth. The seed of mistletoe
is viscid, and causes it to adhere to the sur-
face of trees, its future medium of growth.

We must not forget that many fruits are
covered with a luscious pulp, at maturity
colored, and attractive to birds and-.other
The continued seed is either re-
jected or undigested. Darwin tells us that
wading birds carry many seeds attached to
the mud on their feet. So the migrations
of animals and the operations of man tend
to scatter plants over the earih. They pass
on attached to fleece or feathers, to cotton
buds, to wool, and other fabries. We can-
not wholly dissociate ourselves from these
hamble attendants. They follow us every-
where, for good or for evil. Sometimes
they spring up as useful plants or showy
flowers. Quite as often they disturb us as
pestilent weeds.

In an article of this length it is quite im-
possible to present more than the barest
outline of this subject. We have long been
amassing notes from personal observation
and from careful reading. The more we
study, the more astonished and delighted do
we become. ‘There is absolutely no end to
the beautiful adaption exhibited. It is but
tantalizing to offer the public this mere
luncheon when the feast, free to all, is so
bounteous. W. W. B.

Aix REMARKABLY fine specimen of ruddy
duck —a male — in perfect plumage, with
the neck and upper parts brownish red,
lower parts silvery, shaded with dusky, sides
of the head white, crown black, bill a very
striking blue, has just come into my hands.
It was taken in this locality“and is regarded
as a rare bird, being the first that has come
under my manipulation in this condition of

THos. W. Pea

4/

N oriole built a nest in a small apple
I watched the building,
and soon discovered there one egg. A
week later there was only one egg and no
female appeared for several days. I then
took the egg. The male still lingered about
the tree, and three weeks later a female
came and laid a set of eggs, and reared her
brood late in the summer. I surmise a cat
had killed the first female. I watched the
constancy of the male through his month of
loneliness with much interest.

AOS aN oy (CTA IRS-

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 99

Ir will be interesting to entomologists to
note that a fine specimen of Heliconia char-
itonia was captured near Beaufort, S. C., in
March, 1886. As this fly has been taken in
Florida, itis not remarkable, butstill worthy |
of note, to record this more northern range.
Our Carolina swamps are so little searched
by naturalists, and this more from their im-
penetrability than from other cause, that it
is not surprising what results will repay the
ardent collector who forces his way through
the knife-like leaves of the bamboo thickets
with which the swamps are overgrown, as
is evinced by Mr. Wayne’s rediscovery of
Swainson’s Warbler. Kirtland’s and Bach-
man’s Warblers are possibilities that go far
to smooth a rough path. Even the moccasin’s
deadly sting loses its venom at the thought
of such captures, and swamp fever cannot
be mentioned in the same breath.

I would also like torecord the observance
by myself at ee 5 aus times this past
August, of ominicensis on
Sullivan’ s Island in Charleston Harbor. A
year or so ago Mr. Wayne and Mr. Brewster
took the nest and eggs and parent bird of
this species on the same island. BR. A. 8,

“
vd

<
On examination of the sixteenth annual
report of the Entomological Society of On-
tario, I find a tabulated description of
fifty-two species of butterflies belonging to
the province of Quebec, also a very interest-
ing article on the catocalz or underwing
moths, describing with care thirty-two spe-
cies. Most of these butterflies and moths are
to be found in the United States, particularly |
our Northern and New England sections.
Any entomologist who has not ready access to
many works on insects, should try to secure
a copy of this work, for beside the articles |
inentioned, the sixty pages are replete with

articles most instructive and interesting.

A Quick MetrHop or CLEANING GREASY
Co.ropTerA, Erc.—Lately I have employed
the following method with the happiest re-
sults. It may be old and well known, but
Ido not remember to have seen it sug-
gested. Dip the insect one half to one
minute in spirits of ammonia (Liquor am-
mon), wash in water (the hotter the bet-
ter), and the thing is done. Offensive

>”

beetles like Zrox Silpha, etc., can be

cleaned and purified instantly. How far the
ammonia may be employed in cleaning Lep-
idotera and other insects, I do not know,
but it renewed the beauty of two very
greasy specimens of Cossus Centerensis.

This liquid also dissolves the verdigris
that forms on the pins passed through in-
sects ; but the insect must remain longer
in the ammonia and be more carefully
washed.— Canadian Entomologist, June,
1886.

‘* How ro Restore THE RuBBer RINGs oF
Cans.— The rubber rings by the use of
which fruit cans are made air-tight, after
being used, become hard and unyielding, so
much that fruit seldom keeps as well when
they are used the second time. Though
new ones cost but little, it is not always con
venient to get them. Every one should
know that the elasticity of the old ones can
be restored, and that they can be made as
good as new by soaking them a half-houri
a mixture of ammonia and water — two-
thirds ammonia and one-third water. Try
it.”

Ir a sufficient number of subscriptions
can be obtained it is proposed to print dur-
ing the coming year the ‘Shell bearing
Mollusca of Rhode Island,” by Mr. H. F.
Carpenter, complete, in book form. The
price will. be $2.00 per volume. Subscribers
are not expected to pay until the work is
ready to be issued.

Séienée X Observer,

Devoted particularly to the Collection and Dis-
tribution of

@ ASTRONOMICAL * INTELLIGENCE, @

Published by the

BOSTON SGIENTIFIG SGEIETY,

J. Rircuir, JR., EDiror.

Fifty Cents per Volume of Twelve Numbers.

Address:
SCIENCE OBSERVER,
Box 2725, BOSTON, MASS.

TABLE OF CONTENTS,

Alle nigricans, 23.

Alligator, 52.

Another Enemy in the Poultry
Yard, 57.

American taxidermists, 65. _

A Trip in the Rocky Mountains, 66.

Autumnal Suggestions, 81.

Anemones, 84.

Abnormal Embryos, 84.

Amethyst Locality of Burrillville,
Revs 90:

Bumpus, Hermon C., Reptiles and
Batrachians of R. L., 7, 14, 21,
35, 43, 52, 69, 76, 83.
Bailey, W. Whitman, To a Friend
at West Point, 9.
Some Early Wild Flowers,
34.
Wild Flowers of Warwick,
60, 67, 75.
Autumnal Suggestions, 81.
Hazel Copses, 97.
Dispersion of Seeds, 97.
Blue Jay, Strange Behavior of, 33.
Bohemian Waxwings, 34.
Birds, etc., seasonable notes, 37, 42.
Buhach, Poison to Insects, 43.
Barrows’ Golden Eye, 50.
Birds of Kansas, Note of Check-
list by Col. N. S. Goss, 58,
Birds, The Killing of, 65.
Battey, T. J., Kames in R. I., 81.
Amethyst Locality of Bur-
rillville, R I., 90.
Blake, E. W., Jr., The Coast Fox,
93.

Check-lists, New, A. O. U., 1.

Collecting Trip to the Magdalens,3.

Carpenter, Horace F., Shell-bear-
ing Mollusea of R. L., 4, 14, 22,
30, 38, 46, 54, 70, 78, 85, 95, 99.
Hyalinia wheatleyil, 87.

Check-list of Shells, Clausilia, J.
Ritchie, Jr., 16, 24, 32, 40, 48,
80.

Caterpillars. their destruction, 28.

Crocodile, 52.

Chemically Pure Gold, 64.

Diamonds in the United States, 10. |

Eutomology Work of the Govern-
ment, 1.

Egg Collection of John Snowdon
Howland, 19.

Eggs of the Rock Wren, 17.
Townsend’s Flycatcher,
25, 42.
Mountain Chickadee,
25.

Fishery, cod and haddock, 45.

Ferret, Black-footed, 73.

Flying Squirrel, 77.

Fischer, Ph., Cleaning Oily Lepi-
doptera, 45.

Forest Trees of Rhode Island, 6, 11,
20, 29, 36, 44, 53, 74, 82, 91.

Hamlin, Prof. Charles E., his de-
cease, 9. :

Hornaday, Willian T., My First
Capture of a Tiger, 26.

Helix, 27.

Hyalinia wheatleyii, 87.

Immaculate Eggs of the Song Spar-
row, 8.

Kunz, Geo. F., Diamonds in the
Wipess, nO!

Kames in R. I., 81.

Kelly, Henry A., Possum Hunt, 51.

Lunda cirrhata, 17.

Lepidoptera, Cleaning oily speci-
mens. 45.

Literary Note, Ridgeway’s Manual
of N. A. Birds, 64.

Leather-backed Turtle, 72.

Mollusca, Shell-bearing, of R. I.,
Horace F. Carpenter, 4, 14, 22,
30, 38, 46, 54, 62, 70, 78, 85, 89.

Mica, 23.

Myiadestes townsendi, 25, 42.

Newport Nat. Hist. Soc’ty, 42.

Night Heron, Yellow Crown, 49.

Notice of W. T. Hornaday’s book,
Two Years in the Jungle, 25.

Ornithological Explorations
Leonhard Stejneger, 17.
Ornithology, Economie, 41.

by

| Possum Hunt, 51.
| Pleurocera neglectum 69.

Plant-lice, Lady Bugs, and Spar-
rows, 76,

INDEX TO ADVERTISEME

The figures refer to the issue of RANDomM Notes, the letters to the page.

American Ornithologists Union
Check-list 1, iv; 4, xvi; 3, xii.

Auk the, 7. Xxviz Sp xaos OKT)
ily ehhinle 12, |

10, Xxxvill;
xIvi.

Bone Snips, |, ii; 5, xviii; 6, xxii;
(62. SAME Mp, 2.0,09 SE 0. O70

10), XXX VATE exis 125)

XIvi.
Bird Eggs, 1, iii; 4, iv; 7, xxvii; 8,
SRR:

Bird Skiniss 5 a) 2) ove dy exes os)
xxiii; 7, page 56; 8, page |
64°50 ex xv LOY exe

11, page 88; 12. xl vii.
Biack-footed Ferret, 12, xlvii.

Catalogues, 1, ii; 2, vi.

Curiosities, 5, xviii; 6. xxiii; 7, xxvi;
(oP) 2.0.0.6 16 ]) TOO. h

12, xlvi.
Glass Eyes, 11, xliii; 12, xlvii, xlviii.

Davies’ Egg Check-list, 2, vi; 6,
XXiil,
Minerals, 4, xv.
Museum Hardware Specialities, 7,
> AMO Ee.O.c W) vowe.gkyare M0):
| SEK VI clea) xl vale
Newport N. H. Soc., proceedings,

Wylie 25 Valse, Vi

Ostrich Eggs, 1, ii.

' Owls, 3, xi.

Glass Capped Boxes, 9, xxxvi; 10> |
XXXVI) AOR Woche

Vor. 4h

Purple Gallinule, 79.

Reptiles and Batrachians of R. I.,
7, 13, 21, 35, 43, 52, 69, 76, 83.

Rhode Island Birds, 2.

Red-shouldered hawk breeding, 11.

Russell, L. W., Forest Treesof R.
I., 6, 11, 20, 29, 36, 44, 53, 74,
82, 91.

Ritchie, John, Jr., Check-list of
Genus Clausilia, 16, 24, 32, 40,
48, 80.

Receipt for Cement, 25.

Specific Gravity of Minerals, 2.
Smith, William G.,
Eggs of Rock Wren, 17.
Mountain Chicka-

dee, 25.
Townsend’s’ Fly-
catcher, 25.
Barrows’ Golden

Eye, 50.
A Trip in the

Rocky Mts., 66.
Black-footed Fer-

ret, 73.

Stejneger, Leonhard, Tufted Puf-

fin, 17.

Sea Doves, 23.

Silver Gar, 50.

Sword Fish, 58.

Sitta canadensis, 85.

Sea Beans, 95.

To a Friend at West Point, 9.
Tufted Puffin, 17.

Turkey Buzzard, 19.
Townsend’s Flycatcher, 25, 42.
Turtles, to prepare skins, 58.
Turtles, Leather-backed, 72.
Tennessee Warbler in R. I., 79.
The Nebular Hypothesis, 89.
The Coast Fox, 93.

Unio complanatus, its growth, 61.
Vorticella, 8.

Wild Flowers, 34, 60, 67, 75.
Wolf Rocks, 49.
W oodchuck, 53.

Yelpiug a Gobbler, 33.
Yellow-crown Night Heron, 50.

Nis:

OSdlogy of New England, 4, Xv.

Peacock Skins, 5, xx.

Shells, 1, iii; 2, viii; 8, xii; 4, xv;
4, Xvil $1 B)P oxRst GG) exercise
XXXVI; $, xxx; TO}

Science Observer, 1, iv; 2, vii; 5, xx.

Supplies for Naturalists, 3, ix; 4,
Xv; 5, xix; 6 xxii; 7, page 56.

| Southwick, James M., 11, xliv.

Trays, 1, i 2, vis 4) avee Opens
6,/XxX11; 7, ox) xx OF
xxxiv; 10, xxxviii; 11, xlii;
12, xlvi.

2; Vile (Oy, Valls) Gyexcmin as

>. © Qi tite Wp. ©. 9.6905 9.0 ihc

| Wants,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xlvii

Specimens Gately Dereited.

Numbers on the Left are those of the New A. O. U. List.

iz ES TANT Ss. OE.

55-670 Short-billed Gull....... BME ooo et TONS eats Dota ccltlacinsieveies sc acjetetcles . 00 to $4 00
65-681 Royal Tern. .......... > SoODERIOO sounoboc tHaG eee crete iatcfevetn rey <\c/a'sta\c eieieialers 150 to 2 00
PART LTC RNTESEIID | | s. <5 Ree <-6 staiaicvarsiete c ctatitintele arele's eayelprcine sein a’eone soe oesave To-tor 1/00
ag MEIOTIC LITIN IS A GLOOSC. «octets ss/clelee elaigie o's.ce ticle © = + ccieie eine wiciioreieichsclee's'e ois ones 3 50 to 5 00
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HIATT ISTS ELL Wi Kets sro cmeitnetcte tes cisis.cce oe a'bfats.e 0, s's\sseleee © yay arate is eneerers wh wlts[on he ale 3 00
Sho oe earlan’ S) Hawkee sce asiee. 0’ ACER OO CRE ICIS GSE IG A eID DB Conta On ape 6 00
SO 7) (GHAR ISERIBETMGLS bab6> . 6 - oogt eaou bode DUGEE De OOOSnOd HeubbbUs Hr SOO nGpapApor 6 00 to 7 50
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give lil TONBYOW yee Be GG RISE c.0 0 OUIEIREER OCD OO EERE ee orate CIPI a Perea an rir na 200 to 8 00
Pe AMET eT GO LOS OCA Key. eetaiele> o> fslalelelsielals of< ais «je r'ais 0 ele ele crelo\e s/o a 'elelete «+o poles die 80 to 1 25
Fat TS IT OR GCTOS UC UK oroterer ss orci etetoe ois emetic ceietas cea arSiditlc elasia aidivls nie ewie valeeedsawe 45 to 60
Metewsextta tine Resplondent LrOtOnstese sce wcrc esa icic'c eee 6 eee ss asin oe 6 00

E’ROM SOLORADO,

pas OF THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET,

Putorius (Cynomyonax) nigripes.

Wrice~lkist of Gyes.

dm | || 7 es
Ee STYLE 1. | STYLE 2. | STYLE 3. | STY LE Pi BLACK. E fs
tos 1 Extra. 2 Extras. 3 Extras. £2
a Z| 1 Pr. | 10Prs. |} 1 Pr. | 10'Prs. || 1 Pr. | 10 Pers: | 1a | aOLers: || 1 Bre | 10 Prs. | 50 Prs. || 2
| sis
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3 04 35 05 a0) I" eee Re A Ree on Mek Il, ON 0 | .16 || 3
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5 05 40 .06 45 aietey | | 2 08 25 5
6 05 45 .06 50 10 Senin || | |e G2 10 | .30 6
7 06 50 07 .60 10 sie 02 12 35 7
8 07 60 .08 .70 12 ate || 02 .14 40 8
9 .08 .70 09 80 | 12 Be Vill || .03 .16 .50 9
10 .09 .80 sili 1.00 || .15 | 1.40 16 1/50: - |) ° 208 18 70 || 10
11 11 1.00 13 1.20 16 PSOne else) 70) || 04 20 80 || 11
4 12 el Onsen 214 1.3 “18ie i)" 1660 20 1.80 04 22 1.10 |} 12
13 14 1.30 | alia) 1.50 22) 200i 25 2 40 04 ao 1.20 13
14 16 TeBOMle eo? 2.00 i220 27 2.60 .05 135 1.40 || 14
15 18 1.70 24 2.20 e267 )|. 2.50" | 30 2.80 .06 45 1.60 | 15
16 22 2.00 27 2.60 ee) 270. |e 3 20 .07 50 1.90 || 16
17 23 2.20 30 2.80 2 | 3.00 36 3.50 18 60 | 2:00 17
18 26 2.50 on 3.00 36 340 | 42 4.00 .09 TOW le Sass 18
19 32) *| 3.00 36 | 3.50 40 | 380 || .46 | 450 Al... Seabee see. ae
20 36 3.50 .40 3.80 .46 | 4.50. || .58 5.50 14 BLO aararetere 20
21 .40 3.80 .46 4.50 BO | 480 | 64 6.00 || .18 OOP | eecceumtet
22 .50 4.80 .60 Z 40 B70, |p G.BOAGIE .<.80 7.50 .20 TBO eee 5 99
23 .60 5.30 72 6.30 180) 97.408 I, 9-90 8.50 199 C5 Wee. || 98
24 65 Geral .84! 7.50 .95 | 8.70 1.10 | 10.00 .24«| 2.00 Bee. 24
25 1D 7.00 90 8.40 || 1.00 | 9.80 || 1.20 | 11.00 .28 2.50 aisiere 25
26 .90 8.50 195 | 10!0 |" 1.208), 11.50 130 | 12.50 .B4 SiO0n Paso. 26
27 | 1.00 0 50 1290. |) divo00) 21.3019) 12:50 1.40 _13.00 40 3.50 Rt, 27
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