3
3

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and

HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

LIBRARY

OF THE

MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY
15; 346

y BEQUEST OF
WILLIAM BREWSTER

—E_QV—q—eqe_6<«—<——————————

———— ees

ILLIAM BREWSTER

Sen okt
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ah

om Notes on Natural History’ is the title of a twelve-page

“devoted to the distribution of useful knowledge concerning the

departments of zoélogy, mineralogy, and botany,” published by

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

d us are carefully edited and neatly printed, and contain, besides the

iness advertisements of the publishers, many short articles relating to
subjects Bhove mentioned: including warious interesting bird notes.

- _ ————— aes =

FEB 2! 1921

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

li RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

Prof. Horsford’s Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, potash and iron, with phosphoric acid in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system.

As Food for an Exhausted Brain, In Liver and Kidney Troubles, In Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation, In Seasickness and Sick Headache,
In Inebriety, Despondency, and Cases of Impaired Nerve
Function, it has become a necessity in a large number
of households throughout the world, and is

UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED AND PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIANS OF ALL SCHOOLS.
It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. Its action will harmonize with such
stimulants as are necessary to take. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only,
and is Invigorating, Strengthening, Healthful, Refreshing. :
Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

Prices Reasonable.

Rumford Chemical Works, - Providence, R. I.
3S" BEWARE OF IMITATIONS.-<% :

Se eS

Transactions of the Linnean Society,

OF INEW=-¥ ORK
2Se4A pp. Royal B8Bvo.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. CONTENTS OF VOLUME Il.

(Frontispiece — Portratt of Linneus.)
Bay. DER. 71C. (HOARE Virb ARS Reb AGM ic
The First Installment of his (Frontispiece — Plate of Bendtre’s Shrew, nat. size.)
By Dr. C. HART MERRIAM.

Vertebrates of the Adirondack Region.

A Paper on the FISH CROW. — Vertebrates of the Adirondack Region,

By EUGENE P. BICKNELL.
A Review of the Summer Birds of the Catskills.
I. and II., either of which is sold separately, can be purchased of the Book-

Concluding the Mammalia.

Copies of Vols. ‘ h
sellers, or by addressing N. T. LAWRENCE, Treasurer, 4 Pine Street, New York City.
Price, Cloth Binding, $3.00 Each Volume ; Price, Paper Covers, $2.00 Each Volume.

Random Holes on atural His lovy.

WolL.2:

PROVIDENCE, JANUARY, 1885.

No. I.

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

Random Dotes ou Daturat History.

A MONTHLY D&VOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-

PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
BoTANY. 50 Cenrs A YEAR.
Address all communications to
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.1I., U.S. A.

Wirn the present number we enter upon | water, especially if turned in too fast, would

Vol. Il. of our magazine. Aware of some
deficiencies in the issue of the past year, we
shall, with greater experience, endeavor to
rectify them in the future, and, taking great

care that the material presented shall be |

correct, we think our magazine will be
valuable beyond the very moderate price of
subscription.
ever published upon the mollusca and rep-
tilia of Rhode Island, certainly valuable to
amateurs and students in either of those
branches, and a checking-list of the eyclos-
tomacea of the world, beside which we aim
to present papers and reports on other sub-
jects, in a manner as popular as is consist-
ent with scientific accuracy.

To those who have encouraged us by their

| terward I tried other
| small, with equal success.

subscriptions, we beg to extend our thanks. |

A New Wrinkle in Taxidermy.

WisHinG to turn a mounted bird into a |

skin and having but a limited time to de-
vote to the task, I tried an experiment.
Taking a tunnel and inserting the pointed
end in the stuffing between the edges of the
skin on the abdomen, I poured in a quantity
of hot water (nearly boiling hot) taking
care to regulate the injection so that it
should be rather slowly absorbed by the
stuffing, and holding the bird at various an-
gles, that every portion of the interior might
become soaked. The effect was magical ;
the skin quickly relaxed, and within fifteen
minutes I could bend the neck and make
other required changes without any risk of
a break.

| places.

dry.
It contains the only reports — :

birds, both large and
I found also that
the plan worked equally well with skins
which had been overstuffed or otherwise
badly made. Ina very few minutes they
would become nearly as tractable as when
freshly taken from the birds, and much

| more so than I have ever succeeded in mak-

ing them by the use of a damping-box.
The only difficulty experienced was that the

escape through shot holes and other rents
in the skin, thus wetting the plumage in
Of course after the ‘required im-
provements or changes have been made the
stuffing is so thoroughly saturated that the
skin must be placed in a very warm place to
I dried mine most successfully by
placing them on a furnace register and
leaving them exposed to the full blast of
heat for several days.

WittiAM Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.

The Cermatia Forceps.

F. E. GRAY.

Turis insect has been reported by a num-
ber of naturalists as being extremely rare

_ in the New England States, but, like many

' others, it is quite common in localities.

The

_ Cermatia is very easily distinguished from

My first experiment was with a gull; af-.

other Myriapods by its long legs and ex-
tremely long antenne, the latter being
longer than the body. In the adult speci-
mens, the body is about an inch in length,
the legs (except the hind ones) ? of an
inch, while the hind ones are in the neigh-
borhood of 2 inches, the total length from
tip of antennz to tip of hind legs being
about 44 inches.

The body is of a greenish-brown color,
striped with green, and the legs have three
green bands around them.

It is an insect that loves the shade in the
day-time, and should one by any means be
forced into a place where a ray of sunlight
can strike it, it will scurry back into as
dark a shadow as it can find. Itis found in

RANDOM NOTES ON

2

NATURAL HISTORY.

this city in considerable numbers, and fre-
quents the under edge of the weatherboards |
of houses, on the northerly side, and has |
been also found around tanks.

They are very voracious, and have been
noticed around the electric lights in pursuit
of prey. The Dryocampa senatoria seems
to be their favorite food, and they will pass
by our common night-flyers, and pay no
attention to them, when a Dryocampa is
near. They are predatory, and spring on

probably about two-thirds grown, as shown
by the size and condition of the teeth.

‘** Although the Mastodon became extinct
prior to historic time, its disappearance
occurred at a comparatively recent period,
geologically speaking. It seems probable
that it may have lived in North America,
down to within a few thousand years, prob-
ably within a few centuries of the discovery
of the continent by Europeans.”

their victim somewhat after the fashion of a |

spider. After once seizing their prey they
will not drop it unless forced, and even then

will use every endeavor to escape with it to |

some place of safety. They are very swift
in their movements, and are diflicult to cap-
ture, for while apparently motionless, when
one is about to pick them up, and is quite
sure of them, they exhibit the peculiar
propensity of the flea in not being there,
but somewhere else.

It is very hard work to obtain a perfect |

specimen, as they have a way of leaving

their legs in one’s hands.

common in the months of July and August.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 16, 1884.

Shrewsbury’s Mastodon—Mastodon Ameri-
canus.

Tue remains of one of these huge crea-
tures have just been unearthed on the farm
of Mr. Wm. U. Maynard, of Shrewsbury,
Mass. This being the first find in that state,
is of much interest. Similar remains have
been found in Ohio, Nebraska, New York,
and probably some other states; and the
papers have recently reported them for
Rhode Island. We think this last is an
error, for somewhat diligent inquiry fails to
establish the location or to find any pub-
lished record of the fact. A skeleton of
this animal is to be seen in Boston, in Dr.
J.C. Warren’s collection. It is 11 feet high,
17 feet long to the base of the tail, and the
tusks 10 feet and 11 inches long. Like the
elephants of to-day, these animals had a
large head, short neck, and a very heavy
body, supported by pillar-like limbs ; a long
proboscis enabled them to reach the ground
or the branches above them. In writing
about this present find, Mr. J. A. Allen

They are most |

A Novel Mineral Cabinet.

A peEpor in course of erection at West
Medford, Mass., in the materials of its con-
struction presents a new departure in build-
ing, and calls forth admiration from all
lovers of -natural objects.

The walls of the building are of field-
rock with freestone trimmings. Care has
been taken to select striking pieces, and
they have been:set as roughly as possible,
the spaces between being filled with showy
minerals. A large slab of slate projects at
| one corner, and a huge water-worn rock,
resting upon it, has a striking resemblance
to a bustyof George Washington.

In front is a tablet for the name, and this
is surrounded by twenty-four polished
squares of different granites, with round
balls of red granite at each corner.

A beryl crystal two feet in diameter sets
ohn one*partition, and a column of basalt
from the Giant’s Causeway, Ireland, pro-
jects as an example of blackness.

In the builions between the bay-windows
are large brain-corals, shells, quartz on
fluor, and smaller specimens of pink gypsum,
rose quartz, ete.

Other specimens are large and choice
clusters of quartz crystals from Arkansas ;
apatite in pink calcite, Canada; geodes of
quartz crystals, and chalcedony ; noble ser-
pentine; rhomb-spar; galenite; pyrite; ame-
thyst; malachite; purple fluorite; cyanite ;
garnets ;, and polished breccia; also fossil
corals, fossil wood, and ammonites.

Among the countries and towns repre-
sented by the species peculiar to them are
Siberia, England, Ireland, Cuba, Missis-
sippi, Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania,
| Diamond Hill, R. I., Middletown, Conn.,
Medford, Charlestown Somerville, Lynn,

says: ‘* These teeth belong to an animal , Fitchburg, Lee, and Newburyport, Mass.,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Warren and Franconia, N. H., and Sebago,
Me. [It will rank as one of our most nota-
ble buildings, built with novel material, and
presenting an object for much study.

W. S. BEEKMAN.

Precious Opal.

Since the time Pliny accurately described
his opalus, to the present day, this hand-
some mincral has been esteemed a gem,

though not always assigned the same rank ; |

for fashion, in its capricious vagaries, dis-
places and reinstates it in favor at irregular
intervals. Its innate beauty so happily
characterized in the lines,

“Milky opals that gleam and shine
Like sullen fires through a pallid mist,’’

coupled with the fact that it is perhaps the
only stone really defying imitation, has en-
abled it to eventually hold its own. The
high rank awarded it in ancient times was
undoubtedly largely due to the comparative
ease with which it could be worked, and
also to the fact that unlike all other precious
stones much of its beauty was revealed and
available without any labor. The strange

popular belief of modern days that opal is |

an unlucky stone to the wearer, appears to
be directly traceable to Sir Walter Scott’s
romance of Anne of Geierstein. In its
usual occurrence in seams or veins in por-
phyry and igneous rocks, it is plainly an
infiltration of gelatinous silica (silica in the
colloid state), often mixed with considera-

ble crystalloid silica, and retaining more or |

less of the originally combined water.
deed, precious opal proper seems, as a rule,
to contain more water than the other vari-
eties. Until within the past few years the
greater part of the material for commerce

has been of Hungarian and Mexican origin, |

but a new source of supply has been discoy-
ered in Queensland.

considered unique, the usual fiery reflections
are displaced partly, or even entirely, by
the most splendent metallic hues — greens

and blues of every conceivable shade — the |

individual colors in some instances being
arranged in more or less distinctly defined
bands or zones, or again imperceptibly melt-
ing into each other and vying with the plu-
mage of humming-birds in magnificence.
—F. W. S., in Ward’s Natural Science
Bulletin.

In- |

In the variety from |
this locality, which may in some respects be |

3

Genera of Pteropoda from Narragansett
Bay.

| Editors of Ranpom Noress:
My attention has been called to a brief
notice in your magazine of the Pteropoda,
or ‘* Sea-butterflies,” forming a part of the
shell-bearing Mollusca of Rhode Island. I
am able to add to that notice a few genera,
some of which have not previously been
recorded, from this locality. All of these
and several more have been collected by
the United States Fish Commission and have
been mentioned and described by Professor
Verrill, but in many instances the localities
from which the specimens collected by the
Commission were obtained are outside of the
limits of Rhode Island waters, while all the
Pteropods here recorded were found at
Newport, a few hundred feet from the shore.

The value of the present list is simply as
a contribution to the local distribution of
these animals. A description of two young
forms of a naked Pteropod is appended.
| I have in preparation a more extended ac-
count of the anatomy and development of
New England Pteropoda, where other stages
in the growth of the last mentioned genus
(Clione) will be described.

Of the shell-bearing Pteropoda or Tnxco-
_ somata, the following genera occur in Nar-
ragansett Bay :

| Cavolina.

Cymbulia.

| Styliola.
Spirialis.

The naked bodied Pteropoda or Gymnos-
OMATA are represented by at least one genus
and species (Clione papillonacea), two lar-
_val forms of which are here described for

the first time.
Cavolina.

The genus Cavolina is found every sum-
mer at Newport. The species resembles
closely C. tridentata Gray, and is generally
captured in the night-time.

Cymbulia.

The ‘* boat-shaped ” shell of the genus
Cymbulia was found in 1880 at Newport.
This beautiful genus, one of the largest of
Mediterranean Pteropoda, is easily recog-
nized by its slipper-shaped, transparent,
cartilaginous shell, with notched and serrated

_ edges. The single specimen was dead and

4

was thrown up on Bateman’s Beach. It is

probably C. calceolus Verr.

Styliola.

Several specimens of Styliola, probably
S. vitrea Verr., have been found at Newport.
Captured both by day and night.

Spirialis.

A Spirialis which is closely allied to S.
Gouldii Stimpson, occurs at times in night
fishing at Newport. Captured by day and
night.

Olione.
The adult Clione I have never taken in

Narragansett Bay, although two forms of

the young of a species which is identified
as Clione papillonacea Pallas, have been
captured in surface fishing. Captured by
day and night.

Stage 1.

The youngest stage of C. papillonacea
was taken at 10 a. m., and was at first re-
garded a worm larva. It was later recog-
nized as the young of Stage 2, which is un-
doubtedly the young of Clione.

The body is ovate, blunt at the anterior
and more pointed at the posterior pole.
Its length is 2.5 mm.

Four well-marked regions are found in
the body, which is girt by four rings of
cilia. Of these body regions the third,
counting from the anterior, is the largest
and the most posterior the smallest. ‘The
anterior or cephalic has a cup-shape, upon
the posterior rim of which there is a ring
of cilia, and on the top an infolding.

It is |

separated from the second by a deep con- |

striction just below the ring of cilia.

On each side of the median line extend- |

ing backward over the anterior portion of

the second body region, hang down two fin- |

ger-like projections which are the beginnings
of a heart-shaped organ, often called a

‘¢ foot,” found in that position in the adult. |

In a side view one of the finger-shaped
bodies last mentioned is seen in profile.
From the constriction just below the first
ring of cilia under this finger-shaped body,
the rudiments of the future ‘‘ wings” of the
Pteropod appear as little buds, one on each
side.

. The second and third body regions, which
together make the greater part of the body,
have the form of swollen cylinders separated
from each other by ciliated belts, the sec-

| other, can be easily seen.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

——

ond ciliated ring of the larva beings placed
on the anterior border of the segment which
is second in order of enumeration, counting
the head as a segment. The maximum di-
ameter is just below the third ring of cilia.
The terminal body-segment is pointed, con-
ical, tipped by a tuft of cilia or a flagellum.
The whole body of the larva is filled with
large spherical globules.

Stage 2.

A second stage, intermediate between that
just described and the adult, shows that both
may rightly be referred to Clione papillona-
cea. It has the head much more rounded
and the body more conical, tapering regu-
larly backward to the posterior pole. In
this larva one belt of cilia only was seen,
viz.: the small ring which is placed near
the posterior end of the body, or between
it and the third body segment. The head

_ bears two short tentacles, one on each side

of a median line in which lies the mouth.
The chitinous teeth are well developed. The
walls of the head are covered with small
papille. The two finger-like projections
mentioned above have consolidated and
formed a heart-shaped organ, the outlines
of which are similar to the form of the
same in the adult.

The constriction below the head in the
earlier stage has broadened, and the two
wing-like flappers which move so rapidly
and which give the name of ‘‘ sea-butter-
flies’ to the group, have become very promi-
nent. They are very thin and delicate,
crossed by a muscular net-work of exquisite
fineness.

Just below the heart-shaped organ lies a
median tooth, an unpaired projection point-
ing backward. ‘The whole surface of the
body-walls is covered with minute papille.
The walls are translucent, and in the body

‘cavity at the greatest diameter, just below

the wings, a globular mas$’ more or less
opaque, brown on one side and red on the
The posterior ex-
tremity of the second stage is formed of a
very small segment separated from the re-
mainder of the body by the persistent cil-
iated belt. This region has a bright red
color.

The stage of Clione just described was
taken in nocturnal fishing. Its length is
o> mm. J. Water FEWKEs.

CAMBRIDGE, Nov. 11, 1884.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 5

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NumbBer IV.

|

9. Chelopus insculptus (Le Contr) Corr. |

(Glyptemys insculpta Acassiz.) The
Sculptured or Wood Tortoise is found abun-
dantly in our rivers, and is often surprised
in pastures and woods some distance from
any water whatever.

separates the six anterior plates from the
six posterior. By means of these hinges
the turtle, having drawn its extremities
beneath the shell, is enabled to further pro-
tect them by closing the ‘‘ lids” of the
plastron. In size it considerably exceeds
the following species.

11. Cistuda Carolina Epwarps. ( TZes-

_ tudo carolina Lixn., Cistudo virginea AGAs-

When thus found it |

is leisurely crawling along, or feeding on ;, as |
: era: mushrooms.
the leaves of some favorite plant, until, dis- |

turbed, it suspends its labors and meets the |

intruder with hisses of defiance.
amination the shell is seen to be composed
of very distinct, concentrically sculptured
and brown-rayed plates ; a prominent ridge
being formed along the back by successive
longitudinal prominences. Below, the yellow
plastron is divided into twelve portions,
each bearing in its posterior and outer cor-
ner a large black blotch, around which is a
series of suture-like grooves, parallel with
the general contour of the plate.
lower side of the limbs, neck, and tail
presents a most beautiful orange color,
well blending with the other shades of the
body. In size the Sculptured Turtle some-
times rivals the ‘* Snapper,” specimens hay-

ing i se shell CE kK
ing been captured whos ells measured | qaain.

nine inches in length, though they seldom
exceed seven or eight. This species is

peculiar in its distribution; while I have |
found them very common about the Andros- |

coggin River, in Maine ; in Massachusetts,
around Boston and Plymouth, they are rare,
though in Worcester County they are very
abundant.

10. Emys meleagris (Suaw) Corr. ( Cis-
tuda Blandingii HoLBroox.) This speciesis
very rarely found in New England, though
abundant in its regular habitat, the prairies
of Iliinois and Wisconsin. A specimen
captured in Seekonk, Massachusetts (but a
short distance from Rhode Island), by Mr.

On ex- |
_ vertebral plates are keeled;

'terizes the

siz.) ‘The common Box Tortoise is abun-
dantly found in pastures and uplands, while
seeking its food of ‘*‘ toad-stools” and
In coloration this species
shows great variety, though there are con-
stant structural characters. The first four
the general
margin of the plastron is entire with no
deep notches, and has the hinges placed
as in Blandingii, though better developed,
enabling the animal to completely enclose
itself in its shell. The upper mandible is
not provided with the notch which charac-
previous species. The shell
measures between six and seven inches in

| leneth, and four inches in breadth.
Whe | 8 : :

The Box Turtle, unlike our other cheloni-
ans, has an especial dislike for the water,
and soon dies if placed in it. As regards

its breeding habits, I can learn nothing.

The longevity of turtles is remarkable ;
they seem to live until put to some violent
Nearly all collected show signs of
great age, and often those are captured

which carry dates almost incredibly old. A
| venerable Box Turtle, in the town of

Middleboro, Mass., was recently seen which
bore dates of the latter part of the last
century, as well as successive dates of this.
There have since been five generations in
the family of the one who first carved his

| name on the plastron of this respected resi-

William Olney, is, above, of a dark green |

color speckled with yellow, the shell being
convex, rounded, and smooth. Below, the
shell has much the coloring of the Sculptured
Tortoise, though it lacks the deep notch at
the anterior portion, and is chiefly different
in that itis provided with longitudinal liga-
mental hinges, which connect it with the
carapace; and a transverse hinge, which

dent.

Strange Behavior of a Blue Jay.

Mr. J. W. Bysxir, of Michigan City,
Ind., writes: ‘‘ Passing along the street a
few days ago, my attention was drawn to a
flock of English sparrows. They were mak-
ing a great outery, and upon closer observa-
tion I saw a blue jay had pounced on the flock
and had secured one of them in his feet.
He flew into a high tree near by, still hold-
ing on to the sparrow. Was it a case of
pugilism on the part of the jay, or did he
want the sparrow for food?”

6

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CuarTer XII.

Famity 22. Calyptreide, Gray, con-
taining twelve genera and more than one
hundred species, is represented in Rhode
Island by five species, as below. The Calyp-
treidz, or Slipper limpets, are found ad-
hering to rocks, or under stones, on both
living and dead shells of other species, and
to each other, from low water to forty
fathoms. They are numerous and widely
diffused, but reach their perfection in the
tropics, where they attain considerable size
and are remarkable for their peculiar forms
and the richness of their colors. Like the
oyster, when first born they are free to
move about and select a place to settle,
from which spot they never move again.
They adapt the form of their growing shells
to the inequalities of the surface on which
they may be fastened.

Genus CruciBuLum, Scuum., 1817.

Shell sub-conical; aperture wide, with a
cup-shaped appendage within, attached on
one side to the inner wall of the shell.

Susp-GeNus Disporma, Say. (CALYPEOPSIS,
LEssON.)
24. CruciBULUM (DISPOTHA) STRIATA, SAY.
Syns.:
Calyptrea striata, Say, J. Ac. Nat. Sc.,
Phila., v., 216, 1836.

Crucibulum striata,
Genera, 1., 366, 1858.

He

Shell oval, convex, covered with numer- |
ous equidistant, radiating lines; apex sub- |

acute, wax-yellow in color, turned a little
to the left side and to the posterior end. It
has a cup-like process within, attached by
one side to the shorter side of the shell.
Length four-fifths of an inch. Distribu-
tion, from New Jersey tothe Bay of Fundy.
(Verrill and Smith.) Northern N. J. (Say.)
Gardiner’s Bay and Montauk Point. (S.
Smith.) Vineyard Sound and Buzzard’s
Bay, 3 to 12 fathoms. (A. E. Verrill.)
Mount Desert, Me., 3 to 10 fathoms, com-
mon, and Bay of Fundy, low water to 30
fathoms, common. (A. E. V.) Whole

& A. Adams, |

| shells.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

coast of New England. (Stimpson.) I

have never found it in R. I.

Genus Crepiputa, Lam., 1799.

Shell oval, arched, boat shaped,jwith a
spiral apex pressed against the margin ; in-
terior with a horizontal partition covering
its posterior half.

25.
Syns.:

Crepidula glauca, var, Say, J. Ac. Nat.
Se,, Phila., a0. 226,01822:

Crepidula acuta, H. C. Lea, Am. J. Se.,
XLII., 108, 1842.

Crepidula convexa, Say, J. Ac. Nat. Sc.,
Phila, 1522751822.

Shell very convex, the var glauca not so
much so, color from greyish-green to dark
brown; apex acute, separated from the
body of the shell; within, shining, dark
brown ; aperture oval with a diaphragm
across, occupying less than half the inte-
rior, leaving a deep cavity extending to the

CREPIDULA CONVEXA, SAY.

beak; diaphragm brown, the free edge
white. Length half an inch, breadth a little
less. Distribution, Massachusetts Bay to

Florida, common; less abundant and local
to Gulf of St. Lawrence. Very abundant in
Rhode Island on stones and on small uni-
valve shells, such as Ilyanassa obsoleta, ete.
The var glauca is found on broad and flat
surfaces of stones, and larger bivalve
Mya. Pecten & Ostreea.

Gould says (Invert. Mass., 273, 1870.) it
is found on sea-weed, but I have never
found it so, excepting a few very small,

| young specimens.

26. CREPIDULA FORNICATA, LINN.

Syns.:

Patella fornicata, Linn., Mart., Lister,
Knorr.

Crepidula fornicata, Lam., Say, DeKay,
Stimp., Gould.

Shell oval, but with one side more ob-
lique than the other; apex prominent,
turned a little to one side, not separate
from the margin, externally dingy white,
figured with chestnut-colored lines, and the

| whole surface covered with a yellowish epi-

dermis ; aperture sub-oval, the edge simple
and entire, color light brown; diaphragm
white, oecupying one-half the aperture, one
side appressed to one side of the shell, the
other defined by a distinct line, the free

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

a

edge waved. Length about one inch and a
half, breadth one and a quarter or less.

This shell is very common in Rhode Is-
land, and is known by the popular name of
Cuddy-boat. Its distribution is from Cape
Cod south to Florida, and the northern
shores of the Gulf of Mexico. North of
Cape Cod it is local and not abundant to
the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is found
in the miocene of Maryland and the
Carolinas, also semi-fossilized at Nantucket
and other places along the coast. The
shells are found adhering to stones, to the
surfaces of oysters and scallops, and to
each other. When found on scallops they
are ribbed correspondingly to the ribs of
the scallop. Sometimes five or ten are
found of various sizes riding upon each
other, the largest at the bottom and graded
according to size.

Genus Ianacus, Morcu.

Shell depressed, apex posterior,
slightly lateral, lamina mostly concave in
front.

27. IaNnacus, PLANA, Say.
Syns. :

Crepidula plana, Say, Gould, DeKay,
ete.

Crepidula unguiformis, Stimpson, Per-
kins (non Lam.).

Tanacus plana, Dall.

Shell ovate, flat, as often concave as
convex, white, thin, sub-transparent ; apex
minute, pointed, terminal; interior white,
polished, iridescent; diaphragm convex,
less than one-half the length of the shell.
Length one inch to one and a half, breadth
nine-tenths. Its common habitat is in the
interior of the dead shells of other species.
In dredging we almost always bring up

dead shells of Sycotypus, Fulgur, and Na- |

ticas, inhabited by the hermit crab, and the
interior of the shell lined with numbers of
living Ianacus plana. Gould says, (Invert.
Mass., p. 272,) ‘+ itis found in the apertures
of other shells,” but it is also found on the
outside of oysters and other species, and
occasionally on stones. It inhabits the
whole Atlantic coast of the United States,
but it is not common north of Cape Cod.
Its shape is very variable, as it conforms
itself to the inequalities of whatever sur-
face it may be attached.

but |

Lamarck, in his remarkable work, Les |

yard in 69 and 458 fathoms.

Animauz sans Vertebres, Vol. vit., p.643, de-
scribed a shell from the Mediterranean Sea
as Crepidula unguiformis, a shell greatly
resembling, but distinct from ours, and
Stimpson and many other American authors
have supposed it to be the same, and have
given our shell the name of unguiformis,
because Lamarck’s name has the prece-
dence by right of priority, but as it is not
the same species, Say’s name should be
accepted as correct.

The three species described above, viz. :
plana, fornicata, and convexa, together
with the variety glauca, which was described
as a distinct species, were discovered and
named by Thomas Say, and their descrip-
tions published in the Journal Acad. Nat.
Sci., Phila., 1.;°225 to 227, July, 1822.

One other species only of this family has
been found near our coasts ; it is the Capu-
lus Ungaricus, Linn. A. E. Verrill says,
Cat. Mar: Moll., 519, 1882, ‘‘ Two living
specimens were obtained in 1881, which ap-
pear to belong to this species. They are
more delicate and have somewhat finer and
more regular radiating ribs than the ordi-
nary European form.” Off Martha’s Vine-

Its habitat
is Europe, from Iceland to the Mediterra-

nean.
(To be continued.)

Ferns.

In one of the journals of the American
Philosophical Society, Mr. Davenport credits
New York State with being the habitat of
52 species, California 48, Arizona 47,
Florida 47, Michigan 47, Vermont 45,
Pennsylvania 44, Kentucky 42, Massachu-
setis 42. Twenty-four species are confined
to Florida, and Schirzata to New Jersey.
Pteris aquilina is found in thirty-nine of the
states and territories. We desire to add,
for Rhode Island, nearly forty species, in-
cluding varieties. The rarest are Cam) to-
sorus rhizophyllus, Woodwardia augustifo-
lia, and Pellzea gracilis. Woodsia Ilvensis
is also scarce, and Strutbiopteris has never
been found in fruit within our limits.

A little boy in Georgia, who wrote to
Santa Claus for a pony, was wise enough to
add: ‘* Poserit: If he is a mule, Ples ty his
behine legs.”

Family.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CONCHOLOGICAL CHECK-LIST. XIII.

Sub-family. Realiea.

Realia abbreviata Pease.

acutilirata Pfr.
affinis Pease.
angulata Mouss.
aurantiaca Deshayes.
bachmanni Grdlr.
bankaensis Mouss.
bifilaris Mouss.
bilirata Mouss.
boraborensis Dohrn.
borneensis Mouss.
bulimoides Hombron.
caledonica Cross.
cattaroensis Pfr.
ceramensis Pfr.
cerea Pfr.

cheneyi Dohrn et Semp.
circumlineata Mouss.
clavulus Morel.
conica Troschel.
conoidea Mouss.
costata Pease.
costulata Mouss.
coturnix Cross.
distermina Benson.
dubia Pfr.

egea Gray.

elongata Mouss.
erosa Quoy.
expansilabris Pfr.
exquisita Pfr.
glabrata Pfr.
globosa Benson.
granum Pfr.

gutta Shutt.
hieroglyphica Fer.
huaheinensis Pfr.
longula Mouss.
major Morel.
malleata Pfr.
maritima Montrz.
moussoni Pease.
multilirata Pfr.
navigatorum Pfr.
nitida Pease.

Cyclostomacea Pfr.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Realia obscura Mouss.

Sub-family.
Bourciera fraseri Pfr.

ochroleneca Pease.
ochrostoma Pease.
ovata Pease.
pallida Pease.
parva Mouss.
parvula Mouss.
perforata Mouss.
picturata H. Adams.
plicosa Pfr. ;
producta Pease.
pupoides Anthony.
pyramis Pfr. ‘
radiata Pfr.

rangii Pot. et Mich.
robusta Pease.
rosea Gould.
rubella Pfr.

rubens Quoy.

rubra Gass.
sealariformis Pease.
scitula Gould.

sirki Parreyss.
solidula Pfr.
subsoluta Mouss.
subulata Mouss.
tahitensis Pease.
terebralis Gould.
turriculata Pfr.
turbinata Morel.
vallata Gould.
variabilis Pease.
variegata Morel.
ventricosa Jacquinot.
viridescens Pease.
zebriolata Mouss.

Optedi eros marginatum Leith.

rotundum Fairb.
subconicum Leith.

Cyclomorpha biangulata Pease.

flava Brod.

Cecina manchurica A. Adams.
Belongs here rather than in Check-list I.

Bourcierea Pfr.

helicinzeformis Pfr.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. lii
+44 SU) X:
a =
HAVE LATELY RECEIVED
NEW SHELLS. | Conus betulinus Lin, Ceylon...... $0.35 to $1.00
WWoluta Pacifica Soland, New Zea- | Helix nemoralis Lin, France...... 8for .15
[au nseetes re Sree 0 ees ee Mall, “Rrance..-. 2 ie ae
Pept ROBIIObin oe coos soe. 50 Helix hortensis Mull, France...... 3 ror —315
Cassis Pyrum Lam, New Hol- Helix virgata Mont, France........ plor. kp
RERUNS iter eet eis Gta se wc sistdua-<.c.e-s . .25 to 1.00
Olivella biplicata Sowb, Cal....... 05 to .10 > MINERALS
Nerita scabricostatus............. 10 to .25 E
Neral bicella Win. ...cc00se sass 10 to .15 | Beryl Crystals, Middletown, Ct....$0.15 to $1.50
Nerita peleronta Lin, W. I........ .05 to .10 | Muscovite Crystals, Middletown,.. .15 to .50
Trochus Cunninghamii Gray, New Sodalite, Litchfield, Me........... 40 to 2.00
RAGE cteieisvs Sic ec cis sekih ots 25 to .75 | Amazon stone, Pike’s Peak, Col.. .25to 3.00
Purpura (Trochia) succineta Mart, Sphalerite, Black Jack, Eng...... .25 to 2.50
WMA AO ALANG W, sidnes sve s beds 15 to .25 | Direct from Oberstein, a large
Ancillaria Australis Sowb, New case of polished agates, carne-
VEIN TOS 3 i 15 tO eRe) | lian, onyx, sardonyx, etc.,
Parmophorus Australis Lam, New | which, having arrived too late
AS ANAC Pera ie ahcirs «cia oioe Bees 15 to 25 | for holiday trade, we are dis-
Turbo Cookii Chem, New Zealand. .40 to 1.25 posed to sell low to lighten
Auricula Midae Lam, New Guinea. .40 to .75 | PUL0O) Cp meninbo atone a cies .25 to 1.59
Struthiolaria nodulosa Lam, New |. Also, Polished Crocidolite 3?x2... .75 to 2.00
"a eh. ae 50 to 1.25 |.

WANTED.

The following Minerals in exchange, or at reasonable rates for cash:

Pyrophyllite. |

Lazulite. | Cyanite,
Obsidian. Zincite,
Aligoclase.

Albite.

Lepidolite, deep color.

For which we offer as exchange:

Polished Agates.
Polished Crocidolite.
Fluor Spar.

Limonite.
Hematite.

Catlinite. Apatite Crystals.
Masonite. Selenite Crystals.
Chalcedony.

Rose Quartz, deep color.

Vesuvianite Crystals.
Rutile Crystals.
Spodumine Crystals.

Noble Serpentine.

Garnets Crystals.
| Magnetite, large Crystals.
Hematite iridescent Crystals.
Blk. Tourmaline Crystals, long,
in white Quartz.

ec “6

ce ee

Gypsum.

Peles’ Hair.

Sphene Crystal.

Geodesof Chalcedony or Quartz.
Quartz Crystal Groups, etc., etc.

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

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO US FOR IT.

iv

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

RARE SKINS AND EGGS

Sst RECEIVED AT ==

Douthwick & Jencks’ Patural Distory Store,
PROVIDENCE, "RoE

SKINS.

15a Balmer’ s: Mhrashenscrc..epeem <esere $2.00

17 Rufous-vented Thrasher........... 2.00

28 Plumbeous Gnatcatcher............ 2.00
39 Wollweber’s Titmouse........ $1.00 to 1.25
AS. Ibead-colored WMitann. co. 6 nmis sos -75 to 1.00
59a White-throated Wren. ........ 1.00 to 1.25

76 Swainson’s Warbler. .........- 13.00

Swainson’s Warbler, 2 inferior
Skins CAG orn ccs estes 5.00

$3: Lucy's \Memblencsiac sataricon 1.50 to 1.75
129 Painted Shedstantr. .<). 5. ccf s= «,.yshl« 2.00
131 Red-faceds Warbler... 2.7 .f eve are 4.00
137 Black-whiskered Vireo...:.:..%... 3.00
1440, StephemesVaneo se 0 s00 cc SE tyebetaxchcte 2.50
146, + Theat WRRSO Mite bles < nesaals eteiejeevers 1.00
163, -Hepatie>Panager ®, 2-5. 6%).5. M0. os, 2.25
1640 Coopers Tamarer:: . a. ssc cecs one sces 1.50
213: “DLE WEL SWS PALNOW cycie1c v= cise iefee, sicle.s 1.00
220) <ATIUZOWASPALLOW, <ro:e\sie.c «eee slo) « ovals 2.00
228) -CASSIDESES PALL O Wie. \o es os a. cgay 6 1.50
229 Rufous-winged Sparrow............ 4.00
241) ASPET Ui SeaVOMMlC Or cise ieye 0.0%» oreys oni bapa 2.50
253 Bilack-faced Seed-eater.............. 1.00
D268". SCOUMSROMIOleZ Acs sad. vss te Adalat 2.25
290b Blacke headed. Davin cies oci ai toe 1.25
DOD Ey PAUIZ Cama AY minyetctatc tose otereys|cfoleleis’s eieres state 2.00
QC LADTAMOL Jaye esas ciona ects coe satin ae 1.50
309°” Gindinees: Pl veateberss . « t¥.ccc ccs 3.00
Sita ‘Coopers Flycatcher... -2- .cce. es 2.50
314 Lawrence’s Flycatcher. .:........... 2.00
SIO Cougseckyeatelierss.cm sk ce- dee oo ae 8.50
ozo) Wiric hts sEiyecatcher® -5\.5secn. secs 1.50
350) Werniilion Mlyeatchers:c 227 «caches « «fs 1.25
333 Rose-throated Flycatcher........... 3.i
836 Black-chinned Humming-bird...... 1.50
854a Stephens’ Whip-poor-will........... 5.00 |
306. _Parangue Goatsucker..........22.+: 5.00
865 Strickland’s Woodpecker........... 2.50
Sit NGilaiwWoodpeckerss.).c.0c6. asec 1.50
403 Mexican Mottled Owl............... 3.50
4\1) WWihitney’s. Piomiy Owillsee ee... ae 3.00
AQ. LENA a DOG ecco wectecmcls saree coeiers 4.00

White-winged Dove.................

464 1.50
469 . TexgneG uanls <j: 1 cans areioert $3.50 to 4.00
485 Massena/Quail: <<: 5.:c05 20.200 oemeeeee 4.00
712 DuBSky Shearwater... -<. csc. ose eer 3.00
ECCS.

14a Bendire’s Thrasher, set 3........... 6.00
15 Curved-billed Thrasher, nest 4...... 2.40
15a Palmer’s Thrasher, single, $2.00, set

3, $6.00, ‘set fidas cast) Sonor 8. CO
17 Rufous-vented Thrasher, nest 3...... 6.00
29 Bilack-tailed Gnatecatcher, nest 4..... 8.00
37 Black-crested Titmouse, nest 6...... 7.50
50 Yellow-headed -Tit,- single, $1.50, set

.45-$6.00; net Be. 2) 3. ee 7.50
53 Brown-headed Nuthatch, nest 4...... 8.00
57 St. Lucas Cactus Wren, single, .75, -

BOD Ay aia accckantee! novela stotate rceareyere Onan ete 3.00
(1 American Titlark, nest 5.......--m- 12.00
88 Lucy’s Warbler, single, $2.25, nest 4.. 10.00
141b Plumbeous Vireo, nest 8, imperfect 3.00
231a Mountain Song Sparrow, nest 3..... 1.50
241 Abert’s Towhee, nest .3............ 5.00
268 Scott’s Oriole, nest 2, one imperfect 3.50
269’ - Hooded Orioles nest 32. 222-- se ose 3.00
330 Vermilion Flycatcher, nest 3........ 6.00
374 Gila Woodpecker, single, $2.00, set 4 8.00
379 Malherbe’s Woodpecker, set 2, $5.00,

SOU: As sclevsserere essrenri ne sis) oes ete 10.00
411 Whitney’s Pigmy Owl, single, $5.00,

set's; $15.00; seta s,s... tae etter 20.00
465. “Ground Dove mest 2.... .. Asn 1.50
642 Common Cormorant, collected in.

Labrador, set 8, $1.80, set 4...... 2.40
643 Double-crested Cormorant, collected’

in Labrador, set 8, $1.80, set 4.... 2.40
663 Great Black-backed Gull, set 3...... 3.00

NO. 581. LIMPKIN.

Single eggs, $2.75; set 3, $9.00; set 5, $15.00.

The price of Limpkin given in catalogue in
italics, is annulled.

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

AR aA
yA |
iy ¥ |
i { Hf, |

M ‘NM

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

vi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

Son UY i

On, an

Prot. Horstord's Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, potash and iron, with phosphoric acid in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system.

As Food for an Exhausted Brain, In Liver and Kidney Troubles, In Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation, In Seasickness and Sick Headache,
In Inebriety, Despondency, and Cases of Impaired Nerve
Function, it has become a necessity in a large number
of households throughout the world, and is

UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED AND PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIANS OF ALL SCHOOLS.

It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. Its action will harmonize with such
stimulants as are necessary to take. Wt makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only,
and is Invigorating, Strengthening, Healthful, Refreshing.

Prices Reasonable. Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

J LS fe Chemical Works, "Providers Revi
= S"-BEWARE OF IMITATIONS..<¢ HH ———

HAVE LATELY RECEIVED
NEW SHELLS.

Struthiolaria nodulosa Lam., New

Voluta Pacifica Soland, New Zea- ZeAalANG ose; sieroekin = cote os oie $0.50 to $1.25
Nam dS aaeieieisic ep <i sane ee eeie DOLDO) LOS 2sD0N) Conus betulinusiuin=|Ceylone. srs .35 to 1.00
Cassis Pyrum Lam., New Holland .25to 1.00 | Helix nemoralis Lin., France...... 38for .15
Olivella biplicata Sowb., Cal...... .05 to .10 | Helix Pisana Mull., France........ 3for .15
INerita scabricostabus..o.. ares oon 10 to .25 | Helix Hortensis Mull., France.... 2 fOr
NeritasAlbicella Din«. .. ... cs. «ces 10to .15 | Helix Virgata Mont., France...... 3 fOr aa
Nerita peleronta Lin., W.I1....... 0510 .10 | Helix CooperinngUitaln cas 2-1. \ciercieins .10
Trochus Cunninghamii Gray, New | Helix cicatricosa Gme., China.... -50
ZOMAN Go Oe steko He civisiave sense 3 oh .25to .7%5 | Bulimus fulguratus Jay, S. A..... .10to .20
Purpura (Trochia) succineta Mart. Ranella pulchra Gray, Japan...... 2.00
iNew, Zealamdits -\.ccj1-e eerie .15to .25 | Guildfordia triumphans Gray,
Ancillaria Australis Sowb., New ‘ Japan. seats sic «iso SCORES 2.00
ZCAIAN GG =F cats < wcloselee steer hee 15 to .:25 | Ficula Dussumieri Val., China.... .30to .50
Parmophorus Australis Lam., New Turbo (Prisogaster) niger Gray,
ZO AAT ors rats vetayese +) Kemer ete 15to .25 PO Rta. sot aiecis sie «ss reheat 15 to .25
Turbo Cookii Chem., New Zealand .40to 1.25 | Tectarius papillosus Lamk., E. I.. .25

Auricula Mide Lam., New Guinea .40to .75 | Tapes turgida Lamk............... 25

Random Motes on Natural History.

No. 2.

Vol. II. PROVIDENCE, FEBRUARY 1, 1885.

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
Borvrany. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

Address all communications to
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

258 Westminster St., Providence, RK. I., U.S. A.

We desire Nos. 1 and 2, of Vol. I. To

any person sending either of the above in
good condition we will send Ranpom Norrs
for six months, or if already a subseriber
will add six months to his subscription.

/ The Night Heron.

I Propose writing a few words about this
real curiosity — one of nature’s oddities.
He belongs to the family of wading birds,
and seems to enjoy nothing better than to
fill his crop with frogs, beside a reedy
pond on a moonlight night, and his powers
of digestion are something astonishing.
While out collecting eggs, my brother,
guided by the noise which could be heard
at some distance, came upon a _ heronry.
After floundering through mud, and vault-
ing slippery logs, and crawling on hands
and knees for half a mile ghe came where
hundreds of these birds had built their
nests in the trees —a cedar swamp — and
the nests, built of sticks and placed in the
forks, could be seen in every tree. Many
contained young, and they were such long-
legged and ill-shaped creatures that he con-
cluded to take a couple home. They bit
and seratched, and made more noise than
an army of ordinary fowls. One was partly
fledged, the other poorly covered with thin
down. On arriving home he found his
treasures troublesome; they required con-
stant feeding. So he gave the larger one
to me and the other to my brother Willie.
I called my bird Tommy. He was not
in the least bashful about letting you know
he was hungry, and sent forth his per-
suasive calls in a peculiar cackle, which he
kept up incessantly, and it was indeed a

strong-minded person who could long listen
to it without wishing he would stop.

I started off, and in about an hour came
back with a dozen frogs and three good-
sized fish ; — enough rations, I thought, for
a week. I was surprised to find Tommy
sitting up on his straw with a very contented
look on his countenance, and quiet as a
mouse. Some one must have fed him.
But where was Willie’s bird? He was no-
where about the room. But what could
that be, sticking out of Tommy’s mouth?
I looked closer. Good heavens! it was the
toes of Willie’s bird. His hunger had got
the better of him, and he had bolted the

companion of his youth and the sharer of |

his joys and sorrows. I stood in blank
amazement, and when the ludicrous side
of the scene presented itself, 1 burst into
laughter. Willie came to see what [ meant
by such unusual mirth, and I shall not soon
forget the look on his face when he saw the
toes hanging out of Tommy’s mouth. He
did not see anything to laugh at. ‘It
wasn’t his place to laugh.”

‘¢ Never mind,” I said, “ this is a decided
improvement. We now have them both in
one bird. We will go into partnership ; for
if Tommy goes on at this rate, it will take
all the time of one active man to get him
food.” - Willie thought he could transfer
his affections to Tommy, so we made him a
nest in an old chicken-coop, where he could
go and come as he pleased. We used to
bring him fish, frogs, snakes, and all sorts
of living things to eat, and it would have
done a dyspeptic good to see him dispose
of them. He used to swallow most of the
animals alive, and if you wished to laugh
until your sides ached, it was only neces-
sary to give him a good-sized snake, and
watch proceedings. He always came off vic-
tor, but I think it must have been a tucker-
ing operation, for he looked, when he had
forced the snake down the last time, and the
internal wriggling had ceased, as if he was
quite exhausted. Frogs, half the size of
your fist, went down his capacious maw
one after the other, like water down a

10

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

spout, and it was not until the legs of the |
last one were left dangling out of his mouth,
that he began to think of stopping. I |
once gave him a large hornpout. I had
heard before of getting outside of your din-
ner, but never expected to see it so well |
illustrated. Of all the gulpings, twistings,
and wrigglings I ever saw, that capped the
lot. He could not swallow it all, and after
he had worked industriously for a quarter
of an hour, he laid down on the grass at
full length. fish and all, to let nature digest
enough so that he could swallow the rest.
We had a stuffed duck, and put it in the
coop to keep him company. He was very
fond of it, and one day broke off the head
and put it down to keep company with the
other things that bad gone that way. A
wonderful change came over him fora day
or so. He ate nothing. Poor Tommy! his
last days were near. I wonder if he had
any regrets for his life of gluttony and dis-
sipation. I expected to find him dead on
my next visit, but instead found in the coop
the duck’s head, disgorged on account of
the arsenic on it, which was too much for

his complexion, and Tommy was chasing |

the chickens around the barn, for he was
fearfully hungry, having lived on nothing
but stuffed duck for two days. As he grew
older he killed his food before swallowing
it. Ithink he found that to have it jumping
around after it was down was gradually de-
ranging his internal mechanism, and scatter-
ing seed of indigestion liable to cause him
regret in after life.
enough to fly, he decided that rather than
try to live on scanty rations, such as three

When he was old)

frogs, two fish, and a snake or two daily, he |

would start on his own hook, and by dint
of hard labor ‘‘ keep the wolf from the
door.”

He would sleep part of the day and then
start for the brook. One day, while upon
one of these excursions, he met my friend
Jones fishing in the brook. No sooner did
Jones pull out a fish, than Tommy made a
swoop from the top of a tree, and before
Jones had time to be surprised, had gobbled
down fish. hook, and sinker, and stood wait-
ing to ‘‘ do sosome more.” Jones gathered
in his slack line, and then commenced to
pull Tommy in, who began screaming, fear-
ing he would lose his dinner. Jones was |
astonished and somewhat frightened. He |

pulled in as much line as seemed advisable
under the circumstances, cut it off, shoul-
dered his pole, picked up his string of fish,
and started for home. No sooner did
Tommy see the fish than he made a rush
for them, seized one, and pulled it off the
string. This completely unnerved Jones,
and he dropped the rest and had the satis-
faction of seeing them all slide down that
capacious gullet. There was a maiden lady
living near us, and one morning when she
went out to feed the chickens, Tommy was
sitting in a tree near by making a great
racket, for he was hungry. She kindly got
him a piece of meat, and down he came in

great haste, and got hold of the meat, along

with two of the lady’s fingers. Shescreamed,

and made tracks for the house, Tommy

meanwhile shutting down on ber fingers like

a steel trap. A boarder at the house came

to the rescue, and between them they man-

aged to get him off, when Tommy went

home, doubtless feeling as if he had been

swindled.

No matter how much he ate he never
grew fat. Somebody said it made him poor
to carry around all he consumed. He was
not naturally quarrelsome — he was too busy
devising means of subsistence — but self-
defence came natural to him, and he did
not know what fear meant. We had a fine
large rooster, well spurred, and as proud as
aking; the hero of many a battle. Tommy's
singing was too classical for him. (It was
for most of us.) So he marched up in an
important manner, and pitched in without
more ado. ‘Tommy evidently thought the
long-looked-for dinner had arrived. He
seized the rooster by the head, and began
thrashing him around in a truly fearful man-
ner. He thought ’twas another big snake,
that needed all his attention. When Tommy
let go it was painful to see our crestfallen
fowl. He slunk into the barn, as fast as his
dizzy brain would allow him, and under the ©
straw moped away the rest of the day, re-
cuperating and repenting of his rash act.
Pets of this kind usually come to a sad end,
and Tommy was no exception. One night,
about eleven o’clock, while trying to awaken
sympathy by his cackle, he received a dose
of cold lead. His stomach rebelled at this,
and, with a shriek, he fell dead. We planted
him in the garden, with a shingle to mark
his resting-place. S. F. Denton.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 11

R, I. Entomological Society.

Tue subject of the lecture by Professor
Packard before the Society on Wednesday
evening, Jan. 14, was ‘‘ Spiders.” There
are about eight hundred species known and
described in the New England States, of
which the type is our common garden spider.
We see its web in the corners of rooms, on
shade trees and shrubbery. The male is sel-
dom seen. The eyes are eight in number,
situated on the top and front of the head.
The jaws are very powerful and contain the
poison which is situated in a sac at the base,
and is forced through a duct by pressure
when anything is bitten, and forced out into
the wound through minute openings at the
end of the nippers. The bite is deadly to
all insects, but there is a question whether
itis harmful to the human family. Professor
Heintz, who was considered authority on
the subject, having studied them for years,
claims that the bite is harmless, having
caused them to bite him in different parts
of the body at various times with no evil
results.

But there is a species of large ones (Lath-

odectes) in Alabama, which has been re- |

ported as having caused the death of a num-
ber of persons. In Italy it is a common be-
lief among the ignorant that the bite of the
tarantula produces an uncontrollable desire
in persons bitten to dance until they drop
from sheer exhaustion.

One species of the tarantula, genus Ly-
cosa, is quite common with us, is large and
black, but spins no web. It lives in holes
in the ground and has the art of gathering
small leaves and forming a sort of ball,
fastening them together with silk, and plac-
ing it over the nest as a protection.

The spinning glands are six in number.
The thread is of fluid form until it reaches
the air, when it hardens into silk, and is
formed by each spinnaret uniting its con-
tents with the aid of the feet, thus forming
a single thread. In October, the young of
our common spinning spiders can be seen
floating over fields and gardens, often at a
great height. They stand on their fore legs,
elevating ’ the hind body in the air, and draw
out the silk with the hind legs, letting it float
in the air until there is enough to float them
with the aid of a light breeze.

The trap-door spider, or mygale, is found

.

in the southwest United States. It is very
powerful. The trap is made in the ground,
with the door flush with the surface, made
to open and close by means of a hinge.

Tourmaline.

Hardness, 7 to 7.5;
Gravity, 2.9 to 3.3. Is composed of silica,
alumina, and boron, with some magnesia,
and perhaps a fraction of iron or lithia, and
is one of the most interesting minerals in
the world, on account of the facets of ter-
mination often varying at opposite ends of
a crystal, and the fact that specimens dis-
located and curved are not infrequent ; also
for the property of dichroism, which is well
described in ‘* The Tourmaline,” by Dr. A.
C. Hamlin, who says: ‘* Some of the prisms,
when viewed parallel to their axes, appear
of a splendid crimson hue; but when the
prism is slightly turned, the red color van-
ishes as if by magic, and the stone becomes
white, or smoky, or green. Other crystals
are green when viewed transversely and
yellow-brown axially, or dark violet trans-
versely and green blue axially.” All speci-
mens do not, however, possess this prop-
erty.

The high-colored and transparent crystals
often present in their length much diversity
of color, such as deep red at one end and
light pink or white at the other; per-
haps red and green, with beautiful grada-
tions where the colors shade into each
other; while others viewed at the ends,
prove to be pink or red at the centre, and
green outside, as if the red had been first
made and then the green rolled around it.
Those found at the Chesterfield, Mass.,
locality, are often of this sort, while those
from Paris, Me., are world-renowned, and
exhibit all of these wonderful peculiarities.

We must not forget to note also the elec-
trical properties, which, when a crystal is
heated, are negative at one end, and positive
at the other, generally positive at the end
with the greatest number of facets, and this
state, says Dr. Hamlin, ‘‘ may be reversed
by intense cold.” If one of the prisms be
broken while in an electric state, excited by
heat, the fragments present opposite poles,
like artificial magnets. It is shown that, if
heated somewhat above 212° Fahrenheit, it

RHOMBOHEDRAL :

12 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

loses its electricity ; but, if the increasing
heat is continued to a certain degree, it
again becomes excited; but the electrical
poles are reversed.

Schorl, is a synonymous term, applied
particularly to the black variety, also called
aphrisite. Rubellite, sibarite, and daorite
are applied to the red varieties, achroite to
white, and indicolite to the blue, sometimes
almost black varieties, like those found at
Chester, Mass.

Near Warwick, Mass., is a deposit of

schist, containing accicular black crystals,
about half an inch to an inch long, ar-
ranged here and there in groups; radiating
from a centre in beautiful figures. Lately,
fine colored specimens have been found
at Hebron, Auburn, and Norway, in Maine.
* Work has been carried on at Mount Mica,
Paris, Me., and the yield for 1882 was some-
thing over 2,000, while colorless and brown
specimens which cut into fair gems have
been found at De Kalb, N. Y. The groups
(black) from Pierpont, and the fine brown
brilliants from Gouverneur, with peculiar
terminations, are opaque, and have no value
as gems.

The principal foreign localities for trans-
parent specimens, are : From Siberia, a great
variety of colors ; Brazil, purple, green, and
blue; Ceylon, green, yellow, brown, and
black ; the Isle of Elba white, and light or
delicate tints, frequently pink. A fine
group of pink crystals, on a matrix of
amethyst, now in the British Museum, came
from Burmah, and is valued at £1,000 ster-
ling.

Tourmalines are found in granyte, syen-
yte, feldspar, granular dolomite, and im-
bedded in sheets of mica. The black va-
riety, which is the most common, sometimes
occurs quite massive, and looks much like
hornblende, from which it may be distin-
guished as having no exact cleavage, nor
fibrous appearance, and if the end of a
crystal can be seen, its triangular shape is
significant of the tourmaline.

Specimens of the black sort, but of rather
poor quality, have been found in Rhode
Island, at Johnston, and Woonsocket. S.

What is meant by the bone of contention ?
The jaw-bone.

* American Gems and Precious Stones, by Geo. F.
Kunz.

Rodentia of Rhode Island.

TamiaAs StTRIATUS. CHIPMUNK: STRIPED OR
GROUND SQUIRREL.

Tus little fellow is common throughout
the state. Not much hunted for, being
such small game; always pursued by boys
and dogs, and yet by no means shy, but
rather inquisitive. If you stop a few mo-
ments in his vicinity, he is sure to come
peeping at you from under a stump, or from
a pile of rubbish. With an interrogating
chirp, that sounds very like a bird, running
from you as you walk, making long bounds,
he disappears in the stone wall, and im-
mediately pops out his head again, to view
the situation and satisfy his curiosity. When
a very small boy, in Massachusetts, I once
chased a chipmunk alonga fence-top. Put-
ting all my energy into the work, I gained
on and seized him, but only by the tail.
He did not stop, and the skin giving way,
suddenly left me, astonished, with the mite
of skin and hairs in my hand, while the
owner disappeared with his rat-like append-
age. Iam sorry to this day.

The home and nest is a hole about two
inches in diameter, usually running beneath
some firmly-rooted tree or astone wall, and
there he lays up a large store of food, mostly
of corn, chestnuts, and shagbarks, with
sweet acorns and beech-nuts when they are
to be had. In gathering this store the au-
tumn days are spent most industriously.
Early and late he is running with his cheek
pouches distended most amazingly — often
four nuts at a time in that small mouth. The
entrance to the home is always perfectly
clean, and no sign of loose dirt, which he
must carry away to some distance. Any sort
of grain does not come amiss for food, nor are
the seeds of grass and small plants despised,
and in the summer, berries, larvee, and grass-
hoppers. In the spring, at corn planting,
he will most industriously go from hill to
hill, and clean out the first two or three rows
next to the stone wall, much to the annoy-
ance of the farmer. He retires to his hole
with the first cold weather of November,
and, except for an occasional escapade,
does not appear again until March.

One that I kept in captivity, though
handled with care and well fed, remained
very wild, and was continually escaping and

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

13

getting into all manner of forbidden places,
much to the disgust of madame. I was
obliged to let him go.

There are probably four young to a litter.

His length from nose to tail is 6 to 64 in. ;
tail 4 to 4$in.; chin and all under parts
white ; nose light tan with a narrow, me-
dium, dark-brown line, two lines each of tan
and dark-brown from the nose, through the
eye, to the ear; sides tan color, hairs gray at
roots, crown rufous mixed with black ; pos-
terior parts rufous brown; dorsal stripe
black edged with rufous, with parallel stripes
on either side, first gray and brown mix, then
rufous brown, black, yellow-white, and
black again; tail very narrow and mixed in
color, the hairs being colored in bands of
dark and light brown, two each. S.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER V.

II. Orper—Savria. The actual occur-
‘rence of a single representative of this or-
der within the limits of Rhode Island has
yet to be recorded, though there can be
little doubt of the ultimate capture of at
least one or two species of forms so ex-
tremely abundant further south.

Though the Lizards (Saurians), as has
been already said, pass so gradually into
the Ophidians that definite lines of demarc-
ation can with difficulty be drawn, the fol-
lowing points will assist to separate the
closely-related orders :

The lizards have the bones of the head
well joined together ; the lower jaw is also
united in front, preventing that lateral ex-
tension so universal among the ophidians.
As a rule lizards are provided with eyelids,
and the ear opens direct, 7. e., is not covered
by the skin of the head. The most import-
ant characteristic, however, is the posses-
sion of limbs, though in some forms they
are extremely rudimentary.

As regards the two lizards possibly in-
habiting the state:

(1.) Humeces fasciatus Linn. (Ples-
tiodon fasciatus D. & B., J. A. ALLEN’s
Report), or the Blue-Tailed Lizard, is
about seven inches long. The head and
body of a deep bluish black above, and

white below. Running from the anterior
part of the head are six yellow stripes, the
two dorsal of which unite at the occiput,
the one thus formed passing along the
middle of the back to the tail, where it
changes to a beautiful blue color. The
other four stripes change in the same man-
ner, after having gone the length of the
body parallel with the dorsal one.

This harmless little animal, though ex-
tremely rare in New England, is very gener-
ally distributed east of the Mississippi, and
as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. In
early morning, while tearing the bark from
partially decayed trees, in Louisiana, I have
surprised them numb and inactive, though
later on in the day it was with difficulty
that a single specimen could be captured,
so lively would they become.

(2.) Sceloporus undulatus HARLAN.
(Tropidolepis undulatus Hois.) ‘The com-
mon names applied to this form, so abun-
dant throughout the central and southern
portions of the country, are amusing. ‘The
“ Brown Swift,” indicative of the color and
the rapidity with which it scurries away on
being disturbed; the ‘* Pine Lizard,” be-
cause of its preference for pine woods,
often climbing to the tops of the highest

| trees; ‘* Alligator Lizard,” from a fancied

resemblance to that giant saurian ; but why
the harmless little animal should be called
a ‘* Brown Scorpion,” is beyond conjecture.
This lizard differs from the previous in hav-
ing the body much depressed, the scales of
the upper side strongly keeled, and in gen-
eral marking; the “ Pine Lizard” having
the back marked transversely by dark brown
and black waving lines, and the abdomen

| with longitudinal stripes and blotches.

The two representatives of the order

| Sauria thus treated are probably the only

forms that will be found to inhabit the state.
The first has been captured a few times in
Massachusetts, and the second in Connecti-
cut. There is no good reason, however, for
their not having been already recorded ; in
fact, the warm lowlands around Kingston
and Point Judith must offer extremely favor-
able conditions for these apparently rare
forms. If our museums and _ collectors
would turn their energy towards working
up the natural history of their own local-
ities, rather than with making fragmentary
displays of exotic faune, their results would
be of much more practical value.

14

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CuHarrer XIII.

Famity 23. Onustide. A peculiar
family of mollusks called ‘‘ carriers,” from
their habit of cementing fragments of shells

and stones to their outside surfaces, inhabit- |

ing the tropics.
Famity 24. Solariidz, also tropical.
Famity 25. Scalaride Gray, contains
but one genus, Scalaria, with about 150
species, mostly tropical, although a few in-
habit the colder waters, even to Greenland.

Genus Scavaria, Lam.

These shells are called by the English,
wentle-traps, and by the Dutch, winding-
stairs, from the step-like ring ascending
spirally up to the apex. The species all
resemble one another very closely, and are
nearly all pure white in color, and lustrous.
The Spaniards at St. Blas wear them for
ear-rings. They are quite rare, inhabiting
deep water. The type of the species and
the most beautiful of them all is the Sca-

laria pretiosa, Linn., which used to be sold |

for $200 per specimen, but can be bought
now for $1 and upwards, according to size
and perfection. The animal is carnivorous,
and when disturbed emits a purple liquid.
Three species are found in New England,
namely :

28. SCALARIA LINEATA, SAY.

Shell conical, pointed, white; whorls,
eight, rounded, traversed by sixteen to

eighteen ribs, not crossing the suture; a |

raised line originating from the junction of
the lips revolves on the lower whorl, and
defines the upper edge of a reddish-brown
revolving band; aperture round, with a
strong, white lip; no umbilicus. Length
one-half inch, breadth one-fifth. Found
by Mr. C. F. Shiverick, at New Bedford.
Buzzard’s Bay, southwards (Stimpson).
Vineyard Sound and Long Island Sound
(Verrill). Rare at New Haven (Perkins).

New Jersey to South Carolina and Georgia. |

Described by Thomas Say, Jour. Ac. Sc.,
Phila., 11., 242, 1822.
29. SCALARIA MULTISTRIATA, SAY.
Shell white, solid; spire acute; whorls

| fathoms (Haskell).

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

eight, very convex; suture moderate; ribs
from fourteen to twenty, equidistant,
moderately elevated and rounded on the
edges ; the spaces between the ribs marked
with microscopic revolving lines; aperture
ovate, one-fourth the length of the shell,
margined by arib ; umbilicus, none. Length
one-half inch, breadth 4. Dist., Massachu-
setts to Florida. Dartmouth Harbor and
Buzzard’s Bay (Shiverick). New Haven
(Verrill and Dr. E. T. Nelson). Living and

_ semi-fossil in South Carolina. Described by

Say, Jour. Ac. Sc., Phila., v., 208, 1822:

30.

Syns.:
Scalaria planicosta, Kiener.
y subulata, Couth., DeKay.
Groenlandica, Sby., Gould,

ScALARIA GROENLANDICA, CHEMN.

66

Stimp.

Turbo clathrus Groenlandicus, Chemnitz, |
Conch., xt., 1878, 1779:

The distribution of the two species above
described is southern, and few specimens
are found here at its extreme northern
limit, but this species is northern, extending
to the Arctic Ocean, and is rare here at its
southern extreme. It also extends east-
ward from Greenland, Iceland, etec., to the
shores of Europe, southward to Bergen.
Nahant Beach, and taken from fishes caught
in Massachusetts Bay, and at the Grand
Banks, abundantly (Gould). Eastport
(Cooper). Off Egg Rock, seventeen
Nova Scotia (Willis).
South Shoals, off Nantucket (Agassiz).
Fossil, Beaufort (Dawson), and in Great
Britain. It has been dredged in Block
Island Sound, seventeen to twenty-four
fathoms.

Shell turreted, tapering to a pointed apex,
of a dead, bluish-white color; whorls ten,
with eight to fifteen stony, flattened, oblique
white ribs, the intervening spaces crossed
by coarse revolving lines; aperture nearly
round ; umbilicus, none. Length one inch,
breadth one-third.

Famity 26. Ianthinide, Gray. This
family contains two genera, Ianthina and
Recluzia, and one fossil genus, Scalites,
Conrad.

Genus Ianruina, Lam.

This genus, spelled by some authors Jan-
thina, contains ten species, inhabiting the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The only

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 15

species ever liable to be found in Rhode
Island is the Ianthina fragilis, as stated in
Ranvom Notes, No. ut, p. 7.

31. IANTHINA FRAGILIS. DESH.

Syns.:

Helix ianthina, Linn., and all the older
authors.

Ianthina communis, Lam., Lister, and
others.

Ianthina fragilis, Desh., Bl. Sby., DeKay,
Stimpson, etc.

Shell very thin, translucent, helix shaped ;
whorls three or four, forming a short spire,
body whorl large, angular at the centre ;
below this angle the shell has a beautiful
deep violet color, above it it is pale, almost
white, except at the suture, where it is
tinged with violet; aperture large with no
operculum ; outer lips very thin, waved;
inner lip straight, forming an axis through
to the apex. Length four-fifths, breadth
one inch. These shells are called the violet
snail and oceanic snails; they inhabit the
Open ocean, are gregarious in their habits,
and float upon the surface, sleeping by day
and feeding at night upon the small blue
jelly-fish in immense numbers, from which
they probably derive the coloring matter of
the shell.
Stream, with the under part of the shell up,
and attached to the foot is an appendage
three or four inches in length, consisting of
a jelly-like substance filled with air bubbles,
on the under side of which are attached
their eggs. As this appendage is too large
to be withdrawn into the shell, an opercu-
lum would be of no use, and as they have
no power to rise or sink in the water, they
are at the mercy of the winds and waves.

For this reason after a westerly storm they |
are found on the shores of the British |

Islands, and after an easterly gale, on the
New England coast. In 1839, after a severe
gale, great numbers were collected on the

Island of Nantucket, and for this reason |

only I have included them among the mol-
lusca of Rhode Island.

Famity 27. Trichotropid, is repre-
sented in New England by one species, tri-

chotropis borealis, which, however, is found
only north of Cape Cod.

Famity 28. Turritellidze. Four species
of this family inhabit New England, north
of Cape Cod.

They float mostly in the Gulf |

Famity 29. Vermetide, Carpenter, rep-
resented by one species out of twenty-
seven of the genus Vermetus, Adamson,
1757.

32.
Syns.:
Vermetus lumbricalis, Gould, non Lam.
ue radicula, Stimpson, Shells of
New England, 37, 1851.

The shell consists of a long, rough, ash-
colored tube, marked its entire length with
unequal raised lines. The spire consists of
eight or ten closely-connected whorls, upon
each of which are two sharp, elevated
ridges. The shell grows spire downward,
unlike any other species we have, and in-
creases in length upward, spiral at apex,
and loosely twisted afterward, lengthening
out sometimes as much as ten inches.
Diameter of tube, one-quarter inch. Sel-
dom is an individual found separate, but in
numbers, intertwined together. Aperture
round, with a sharp edge, and closed by a
horny operculum. Described by Gould,
Invert. Mass.. 1st edit., as V. lumbricalis,
and supposed to be identical with the shell
from West Africa described by Gmelin un-
der that name. Stimpson, in 1851, proved it
to be a distinct species, and gave it its pres-
ent name. Found by Mr. 8. I. Smith at
Gardiner’s Bay, at the eastern end of Long
Island, and by Professor Adams in New
Bedford Harbor, in several groups. One
| group contained about fifty specimens, living
_ and inseparably intertwined.

(To be continued.)

VERMETUS RADICULA, STIMP.

Winter Notes.

Mr. H. A. Brush, Milton, Vt., writes us
as follows: ‘‘ A Great Blue Heron was pro-
cured by me Dee. 22, on the bank of the
Lamoille River. His feet were frozen, and
he had lived on fish from a little brook which
empties into the river. At the date of his
capture the ice was from six to eight inches
thick. This is the only specimen that was
ever seen in this town as late as this. Last
winter I procured two Great Gray Owls.”

A Prairie Warbler, just killed, was brought
to us Dee. 4th, and a Baltimore Oriole was
_reported amongst a flock of English Spar-
| rows at Uxbridge, by Mr. A. R. Taft.

16 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CONCHOLOGICAL CHECK-LIST. XIV.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Sub-order. Ectophthalma Pfr. Trochatella pulchella Gray.
Family. Helicinacea Pfr. regina Morel.
Sub-family. Stoastomea Pfr. rubicunda Gundlach.
Stoastoma agassizianum C. B. Adams. rupestris Pfr.

alderianum Chitty.
anthonianum C. B. Adams.
blandianum C. B. Adams.
chittyanum C. B. Adams.
cumingianum C. B. Adams.
fadyenianum C. B. Adams.
gaskoinianum Chitty.
gouldianum C. B. Adams.
grayanum Chitty.
greyvilleanum Chitty.
hollandianum C. B. Adams.
jadzenianum C. B. Adams.
jayanum C. B. Adams.
layardianum Chitty.
leanum C. B. Adams.
lindsleyanum C. B. Adams.
livesayanum Chitty.

moricandianum C, B. Adams.

moussonianum Chitty.
petitianum C. B. Adams.
pfeifferianum C. B. Adams.
philippianum C. B. Adams.
pikeringianum Chitty.
pisum C. B. Adams.
redfieldianum C. B. Adams.
reeveanum Chitty.
succineum Sowerby.
tappanianum C. B. Adams.
wilkinsoniz C. B. Adams.

Sub-family. Helicinea Pfr.

Trochatella callosa Poey.

chrysostoma Shutt.
conica Pfr.
constellata Morel.
crassicostata Sow.
elegantula Pfr.
excavata Pfr.
josephinz C. B. Adams.
luteo-apicata Poey.
methfesseli Pfr.
mouhoti Pfr.
opima Shutt.
petitiana Orb.
petrosa Gundlach.
politula Poey.

semilirata Pfr.
sloanei Orb.

stellata Velasq.
subunguiculata Poey.
tankervillei Gray.
virginea Lea.

Lucidella aureola Fer.

leana Fer.
lineata Fer.
reana Pfr.
undulata Pfr.

Helicina acuta Pfr.

accuminata Velasq.
acutissima Sow.
adamsiana Pfr.
adspersa Pfr.
agolutinans Sow.
albocineta Hombron.
alboviridis Wright.
altivaga Mouss.
amoena Pfr.
ampliata C. B. Adams.
anaensis Mouss.
andamanica Benson.
angulata Sow.
antillarum Sow.
antoni Pfr.
arakanensis Blanford.
arenicola Morel.
articulata Pfr.
aurantia Gray.
barbadensis Pfr.
bayamensis Poey.
behniana Pfr.

bella Pease.

bellula Gundlach.
beryllina Gould.
beskei Pfr.
biangulata Pfr.
bicolor Pfr.
blandiana Gundlach.
borneensis Martens.
botteriana Pfr.
bracteola Rangel.
braziliensis Gray.
brazieri Pease.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Vil

exchange.

8 EXCHANGE.

WE herewith give a list of the commoner skins and eggs we desire.
We want fine skins only and nicely prepared, and positively identified eggs.

Also a list of what we have for

Those having any

we want will oblige us by sending lists of the same, with the prices at which they are willing to exchange
them, taking ours at list prices; and also state what they want in exchange.
from those desiring to exchange who can get what we want but haven’t it at present.

291,
335.

351.
353.

Wood Thrush.
Gray-cheeked Thrush.

. Olive-backed Thrush.

Sage Thrasher.

Bewick’s Wren.

House Wren.
Lovg-billed Marsh Wren.

. Tule Wren.

American Titlark,
Golden-winged Warbler.
Orange-crowned Warbler.
Tennessee Warbler.
Cape May Warbler.
Summer Yellow Bird.
Mourning Warbler.
Philadelphia Vireo.
Northern Wax-wing.
Cedar Wax-wing.
Purple Martin.

Barn Swallow.
White-bellied Swallow.
Bank Swallow.
American Goldfinch.
Snow Bunting.

Smith’s Longspur.
Baird’s Bunting.
Yellow- winged Sparrow.

Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Finch.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Indigo Bunting.
Painted Bunting.
Baltimore Oriole.
Maximilian’s Nutcracker;
Pinon Jay.
Yellow-billed Magpie.
Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Wilson’s Thrush.

Short-billed Marsh Wren.

Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Red-eyed Vireo.

Warbling Vireo.

Yellow-throated Vireo.

Rough-winged Swallow.

Scarlet Tanager.

Indigo Bunting.

Bobolink.

American Raven.

Florida Jay.

Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Ruby-throated Humming-
bird.

Chimney Swift.

Chuck-will’s-widow.

SKINS WANTED.

322.
335.

354.
359.
366.
375.
376.

| 085.

387.
395.
396.
402a.
405.
405b.
406.
414,

420.
426.
433.
443,
459.
479.
480.
481.
489.
490.
491.

496.
515.
523.
525.
528.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Ruby-throated Humming-
bird.

Whip-poor-will.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

White-headed Woodpecker.

Red-headed Woodpecker.

Lewis’s Woodpecker.

Road-runner; Chaparral
Cock.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

American Long-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl.

Florida Screech Owl.

Great Horned Owl.

Arctic Horned Owl.

Snowy Owl.

American Peregrine Falcon;
Duck Hawk.

Sparrow Hawk.

Swallow-tailed Kite.

American Goshawk, adult.

Broad-winged._ Hawk, adult.

Passenger Pigeon.

Sage Cock.

Bob-white; American Quail.

Mountain Quail.

American Evret.

Snowy Heron.

Reddish Egret;
Egret.

White-crowned Night Heron.

American Golden Plover.

Mountain Plover.

American Woodcock.

Stilt Sandpiper.

Peale’s

ECCS WANTED.

354,
357.
360.
371.

378.
397.
405.

| 425,

426.
432.
443.
449,
451.
459,
480.
495.

Whip-poor-will.

Nighthawk.

Hairy Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpecker; Log-
cock.

Yellow-shafted Flicker.

Barred Owl.

Great Horned Owl.

American Osprey Fish Hawk.

Swallow-tailed Kite.
Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Broad-winged Hawk.
Golden Eagle.

Bald Eagle: Gray Eagle.
Passenger Pigeon.
Bob-white; American Quail.

Black-crowned Night Heron.

534.
536.
537.
541a.
549.
550.
555.

556.
560.
565.

497.
498.
500.
516.
520.
523.
525.
558.
566.
567.
569.
582.
583.
613.
638.
643a.
681.

We shall be pleased to hear

Pectoral Sandpiper.

Bonaparte’s Sandpiper.

Baird’s Sandpiper.
Western Sandpiper.

Yellow-legs.

Solitary Sandpiper.

Bartram’s Sandpiper;

Plover.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

Eskimo Curlew.

Wilson’s Phalarope.

Virginian Rail.

Sora Rail. Spring.

Little Yellow Rail.

Whooping Crane.

Whistling Swan.

Trumpeter Swan.

Snow Goose.

Lesser Snow Goose.

Hutchin’s Goose.

Wood Duck; Summer Duck.

Ruddy Duck. Spring.

Hooded Sheldrake.

Florida Cormorant.

Bonaparte’s Gull.

Cabot's Tern.

Black Tern.

Wilson’s Petrel.

Leach’s Petrel.

Western Grebe.

American Red-necked Grebe.

Spring.

Horned Grebe.

Loon. Spring.

Red-Throated Diver. Spring.

Field

Adult.

Spring.

American Bittern.
Least Bittern.

Wood Ibis.

Killdeer.

Piping Plover.
Mountain Plover.
American Woodcock.
Long-billed Curlew.
American Avocet.
Black-necked Stilt.
Red-breasted Rail.
Whooping Crane.
Sandhill Crane.
Wood Duck; Summer Duck.
Hooded Sheldrake.
Florida Cormorant.
Royal Tern.

* And fine sets of almost any of the other warblers.

viii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.
SKINS FOR EXCHANCE.
5. Dwarf Thrush. 262. WRed-and-white-shouldered 530. Purple Sandpiper.
36. Tufted Titmouse. Blackbird. 542. Sanderling.
54. Pigmy Nuthatch. 269. Hooded Oriole. 552. Willet.
56. Cactus Wren. 272. Bullock’s Oriole. 564. Northern Phalarope.
75. Prothonotary Warbler. 295. Arizona Jay. _ 592, Ross’s Suow Goose,
77. Worm-eating Warbler. _. 306. Western Kingbird. 595. Brant.
79. Blue-winged Yellow War- 307. Cassin’s Kingbird. 596. -Black Brant.
bler. 336. Black-chinned Humming- 610. Cinnamon Teal.
103. Yellow-throated Warbler. bird. | 619. Barrow’s Golden-eye.
119. Kentucky Warbler. 339. Broad-tailed Hummingbird. | 656. Black Skimmer.
124. Hooded Warbler. 343. Calliope Hummingbird. | 663. Great Black-backed Gull.
166. Pine Grosbeak. 362. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. | 666a. American Herring Gull.
173. White-winged Crossbill. 365. Strickland’s Woodpecker. | 679. Gull-billed Tern.
192. Ipswich Sparrow. 367. Black-backed Three-toed | 681. Royal Tern.
199. Henslow’s Sparrow. Woodpecker. | 685. Forster’s Tern.
200. Leconte’s Sparrow. | 369a. Red-naped Woodpecker. | 686. Common Tern,
216. _White-winged Snowbird. 369). Red-breasted Woodpecker. 687. Arctic Tern.
218. Oregon Snowbird. 374. Gila Woodpecker. 690. Least Tern.
219. Pink-sided Snowbird. 402. Little Screech Owl. | 691. Sooty Tern.
220. Gray-headed Snowbird. 436. Red-tailed Hawk. 709. Greater Shearwater.
226a. Oak-woods Sparrow. 442. Swainson’s Hawk. 732. Horned Grebe. Young.
239. Green-tailed Towhee. 456. Band-tailed Pigeon. 752. Sea Dove; Dovekie.
253. Black-faced Seedeater. 482. Californian Quail. 764a. Brunnich’s Guillemot.
261a. Red-and-black-shouldered 522. Wilson's Plover.
Blackbird. 529. Knot; Robin Snipe.
ECCS FOR EXCHANCE.
56. Cactus Wren. bi 274. Brewer’s Blackbird. | 640. American White Pelican.
63a. Western House Wren. “277. Boat-tailed Grackle. 642. Common Cormorant.
145. Bell’s Vireo. 301. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. 649. American Anhinga; Snake
149. Loggerhead Shrike. 317. Black Pewee. Bird.
149a. White-rumped Shrike. 378b. Red-shafted Flicker. 650. Gannet.
182. Green-backed Goldfinch. 411. Whitney’s Pigmy Owl. 656. Black Skimmer.
201. Sharp-tailed Finch. | 465. Ground Dove. 663. Great Black-backed Guil.
202. Sea-side Finch. 477. Prairie Hen. | 666a. American Herring Gull.
204. Lark Finch. 487. Great Blue Heron. '673. Laughing Guli.
204a. Western Lark Finch. 492. Louisiana Heron. 679. Gull-billed Tern.
217. Black Snowbird. 507. American Oystercatcher. 680. Caspian Tern.
240b. Californian Brown Towhee. 522. Wilson’s Plover, 685. Forster’s Tern.
260. Yellow-headed Blackbird. 552. Willet. 723. Leach’s Petrel.
261a. Red-and-black-shouldered 581. The Limpkin. 742. Razor-billed Auk.
Blackbird. 585. American Flamingo. 743. Common Puffin.
270. Orchard Oriole. 601. Mallard. 760. Black Guillemot.
272. Bullock’s Oriole. '627a. American Eider. 763a. California Guillemot.

=FVE
2:3 uy
a ==/-\—wa

BIRDS.—Contains the entire nomenclature North American Birds, and Price-List of skins,

eges, insects, and supplies, with instructions for preparing skins and eggs.
MINERALS. — Gives Dana’s species number, localities, and valuations, - - -
SHELLS. — Contains a very full

synonyms.

The three Catalogues for - - -

list of prominent species,
Also habitat and valuation, -

with

Price, 20 ets.
6 ee
authorities and

SAMPLE PAGES ON APPLICATION.

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

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO US FOR IT.

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

WO. ITT.

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

x RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

oun ie —-= YSE——_.

Prof. Horsford’s Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, potash and iron, with phosphoric acid in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system.

As Food for an Exhausted Brain, In Liver and Kidney Troubles, In Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation, In Seasickness and Sick Headache,
In Inebriety, Despondency, and Cases of Impaired Nerve
Function, it has become a necessity in a large number
of households throughout the world, and is

UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED AND PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIANS OF ALL SCHOOLS.

It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. Its action will harmonize with such
stimulants as are necessary to take. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only,
and is Invigorating, Strengthening, Healthful, Refreshing.

Prices Reasonable.

Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

Rumford Chemical Works,

SS" BEWARE OF IMITATIONS.~£%——

Providence, R. I.

The New Orleans Exhibition.

ProBABLy all of our readers are aware
that the United States Congress appropri-
ated $1,000,000 for the purpose of assisting
the State of Louisiana to inaugurate and
carry on for six months a grand exposition
of the manufactures and natural products
of the world, to be called the ‘* World’s In-
dustrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition,”
to be opened in December, 1884, at New
Orleans. <A most fitting celebration in
honor of the increased production of cotton
in America during the past decade. In 1784
America exported six bags of cotton, and
now we find reported a supply of 3,405,900,
000, or 85 per cent. of the production of
the world.

We have been for the past two months in
constant receipt of varying reports regard-
ing the financial condition and success of
the fair, the insufficient accommodations,
bad management in some departments, bad
weather, deep mud, etc. Many of the exhibi-
tors were late in applyi ing for space, and it

seems also possible that the managers of the
affair did not at first realize the magnitude
of their undertaking; but in spite of all
drawbacks a most notable exposition is well
under way.

Having accepted the office of Commis-
sioner of Rhode Island, Mr. Arnold B. Chace
proceeded promptly to develop the resources
of our little state, and her exhibit was in a
very complete condition on the opening day.

| About the middle of July Mr. Chace dele-

gated to our firm the arrangement of the
Zoology and Mineralogy of the state. The
time was short and much of the material
scattered abroad and to be collected. With
considerable misgivings we set about it, and
on the fifteenth of November we shipped to
New Orleans twenty-five large cases of goods
in charge of Mr. Hermon C. Bumpus, of
Brown University, and to his energy we are
indebted for the fact that our exhibit is re-
ported as having been the first one that was
absolutely in order in the Government and
State Building.

(Continued on page xi.)

Random oles on Uatural History.

Wool. TT

PROVIDENCE, MARCH 1, 1885.

No. 3.

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

Random Hotes on Yaturat 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 communications to

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

Aw egg check-list has just appeared, pub-
lished by Oliver Davie. It will meet a long
felt want, not only with beginners, but the
more advanced oologist. It is to be regretted
that a simpler form was not chosen, that of
comparison rather than wholly descriptive.
For instance, had Mr. Davie described as
accurately as possible the egg of the Wood
Thrush and then compared the Wilson’s

and Hermit with it, as being lighter col- |

ored, smaller, etc.; then the Robin’s as
exactly the same color but larger, and that

large specimens of the one and small of the |

other were indistinguishable, we think it
would have been better.

The Russet-backed Thrush’s egg would
be another type to which the Mocking-bird’s,
Tanager’s, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s
could be compared. A comparison of the
unknown with the known gives a better im-
pression than the finest description of close
shades of color. For the identification of
almost anything else Mr. Davie’s descrip-
tions would be admirable, but, alas! of what
avail are the most careful descriptions of a
large portion of our birds’ eggs when, with
their variety and similarity, they cannot be
identified by the practiced expert.

Mr. Davie proposes in the near future to
publish another edition, and invites sugges-
tions and corrections. We note a few of
the most prominent errors which we gleaned
during a hasty perusal. The number of
Robin’s eggs is ordinarily not more than
four, instead of five or six. Several of the

Warblers should be credited with four or |

five, instead of three or four. The White-
bellied Nuthatch rarely stops at four, but
lays from five to nine.

|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

two to four, but rarely three, two being the |

usual number. Passenger Pigeons lay but
one egg, despite the assertions to the con-
trary, which, however, no one seems able
to prove. * Roseate Spoonbill, two or three,
usually three or four. American Oyster-
catcher given two to four, very rarely over
three. Limpkin given ten to fifteen. Another
author recently stated two or three. Our
experience has been considerable with this
species, and the number is usually four to
seven. Flamingo given two. According to
Mr. Maynard this is exceptional, one being
the usual clutch. Noddy and Sooty Terns
given two to three. We know several who
have collected these species, but only one
ego to a set.

The Ipswich Sparrow in Rhode Island.

Tue last week in November found me at
Point Judith. After one day’s fruitless
search for this sparrow in the meadows on the
rocky portion of the shore, I repaired on
the next day, Nov. 27th, to the sandy beach
to the westward, along which is a double
row of sand hills extending a distance of
about a mile and a half. Upon these hills
is a scanty growth of long grass, but not ex-
pecting to find anything here I kept along
the beach around the hills to the marsh,
hoping that I might find the birds I so much
desired to get. But finding none, I returned
to the beach, pursuing my way back, when
a chirp attracted my attention to the sand
hills, and a moment later I had an Ipswich
Sparrow.

Having now discovered where to find them
I took the upper row of hills and my com-
panion the lower, and in this manner pro-
bably started all the sparrows on the hills,
and secured seven out of eight birds shot at,
six being Ipswich sparrows and the other
a Savannah. We started three or four
others.

When started they would fly from fifty
to one hundred yards, usually alighting in

; | the grass in the hollow between the hills.
Bald Eagles given | ie a 5

*See Random Notes, Vol. I., Nos. 38,4and 5.

RSI TH Ns On

18

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Two of them flew down on the beach, and
another was shot from the top of a weed.

| Editors of Random Notes 3

- I must range myself on the side of Mr.

After this day’s experience I considered ¥, A. Lucas in the matter of making the

them an easy bird to obtain, but the next
day’s quite undeceived me, for I went out
alone and succeeded in starting but three
birds, which were very wild, two of which I
shot at and saw them fall but could not find

|

them, as they were probably only wounded

and took care of themselves.

The third day my wife went with me, as |

on the first. I started but one bird, and
that after walking about half the length
of the hills. It would rise about forty yards
in advance of us and fly with long undula-
tions, usually until hidden from sight by
some intervening sand hill.

After chasing it almost the entire length
of the hills we made a circuit, and then be-
gan the chase back. There was little dan-
ger of its escaping us, as the sand hills were
so narrow it would not permit us to pass
one

Several snap shots were made when it
arose, and finally it was killed at the end of
the hills, after a chase of fully two miles. I
am positive that this chase of two miles was
for the same identical sparrow.

Song and Tree sparrows were both com-
mon along this range of hills, but were dis-
tinguishable at a glance.

Bird Migration.

In a letter from Mr. Francis Bain, of North
River, Prince Edward Island, he says: ‘*I
observe in a report of Dr. Merriam’s in Ran-
pom Nores,” that the date of the first ap-
pearance of the nighthawk in Prince Kd-
ward Island in 1884 is given as June Ist.

Now we observed this species at North
River on May 25th; and from records of its
arrival, kept for fifteen years past, I find that
there has been but aslight variation from that
date during this period. On six years the
date of its arrival is May 26th, and on the
remaining nine years it never varied more
than four days from that date.

In comparing my notes with those of other
observers, I find that the night hawk reaches
this island at much the same time as it is
seen at the opposite New Brunswick shore.”

MontaGue CHAMBERLAIN,
St. John, N. B.

opening cut from well up on the sternum,
especially in the case of skins to be set up
with spread wings, and also in the lower
order of birds, such as loons, grebes, etc.,
where the legs are far back. But I would
like to ask Mr. Lucas if he does not have

trouble with skins of large birds where the

wings are tied as he advises in last number
of Ward’s Bulletin. Ihave tried it in small
birds where the humerus is cut away ; but

on eagles, hawks, owls, etc., I find that if

all the wing bones are left in and tied

_ through the double bones, on returning the
_skin the humerus is sure to push up into

the neck. With this exception I like the
wing-tying, because it keeps them in place
better, both in the skin and the mounted
specimen.

Ranvom Notes recently queried as to the
first using of a hard body. In The Useful

| Companion and Artificer’s Assistant, by H

|

B. Allen, a chapter on taxidermy is given,
culled, evidently, from an English source,

_in which a body of wood is advocated.

We have recently taken a song sparrow,
partially albino, the throat, breast, and
scapulars pure white. A white cliff-swal-
low and bobolink have been observed in
this vicinity this season.

G. G. Dicoxey.
AcwortH, N. H.

We make the opening incision on the
back of all Geese, Ducks, Loons, Grebes
and other water-birds which have short,
thick feathers on the breast. ‘The advan-
tages are as follows: the breast is left in
one unbroken piece ; there being no incision
there are no grease stains; and if the bird
has been kept long, there is not the danger

‘of losing the breast feathers that there

would be if the tender portion were along
the opening cut.-— Hd.

A CnHrEwINK was seen by Mr. Seamans
Dec. 20th, which was by far the coldest day
of the month.

Mr. H. L. Clulee. Wallingford, Conn.,
reports the capture of two Purple Grackle
Dec. 31st, and that a Kingfisher is to be

| seen daily below the mill dam.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY

On the Blow-Pipe Reactions of Cryolite.

Havine occasion a short time since to use
a very easily melting flux, I thought of ery-
olite for this purpose, as all authorities on
the subject speak of its extreme fusibility.

Before relating my experience with this
Susible mineral, I wish to quote a few of the
many works I have consulted on the sub-
ject.

: “Very fusible into a white enamel, fusing
in a candle flame.”—Booth’s Ency., 1853.

‘‘Melts below a red heat and forms an
opaque glass on cooling.” — Watt's Dict.
Chem., 1870.

‘‘In the forceps fuses very easily, color-
ing the flame yellow. On charcoal fuses
easily to a clear bead, which on cooling be-
comes opaque.”—Dana’s Teat-Book of Min.,
1883.

‘* Easily fusible in the flame of a candle.”
— Brush’s Determinative Mineralogy, 1878.

It would appear from these quotations
and many others of a like tenor, that authors
copy each other’s statements, without veri-
fying facts by actual experiment.

Now for the facts.
small piece of cryolite in the flame of a
Bunsen burner, which, as everyone knows,
is very many times hotter than any candle,
lamp, or gas flame ; it did not fuse ; secondly
I threw a small piece into a hot coke fire,
used for melting gold in quantity. I stood
and watched it for about ten minutes and
then removed it with a pair of tongs, in
the same condition it went in, excepting
that it was whiter in color but not fused
even on the edges; then having a large
crucible full of melted copper (it takes 2500
degrees of heat to melt copper), I laid some
cryolite on the melted metal, shut up the
cover and left it there; after some time I
opened the fire and the mineral was there
just thesame. The fact is, that by long con-
tinued blowing, cryolite is difficultly fusible
on thin edges before the blowpipe. Why
should statements of this kind be repeatedly
copied into every work published on these
subjects? I hope in future editions this
mistake will be rectified. Yours truly,

H. F. CARPENTER.

** To the Editors of Random Notes.”’

To the amateur student, especially if work-
ing without a teacher, such an experience

19

as the above is worse than perplexing. It

| is most unfortunate that so marked an error

should appear in standard books of refer-
ence.— Hd.

Ozocerite, or Mineral Wax.

[BY FRANKLIN S. SMITH, B. S.]

Ozoceritr, from the Greek, ‘‘ Ozein,”
smell, and ‘‘ keros,” wax, is a mineral con-
sisting of carbon and hydrogen, and resem-
bles paraffin, or dirty wax. Its color is
generally yellowish brown. It is found in
Turkistan, east of the Caspian Sea; in the
Carpathian Mountains in Austria; in the
Apennines in Italy; in Texas and Cala-

_ fornia, and specimens have recently been
| found in New Jersey.

Commercially, it is
worked chiefly in Austria and other portions
of Europe, although we have in Utah a larger
deposit than in any other place.

Ozocerite from Baku was found by Peter-
son to have a specific gravity of 0.903, and

_ fused at 70° C. By distillation it gave:

I first tried to melt a |

iParatiine aes didicee oe ae 81.8
Gast RAs tye, chats betes we oe 13.8
Coke Sar AAS CoAT ce pee!

100.0

Ozocerite from Zietriska in Moldau, had
a specific gravity of 0.946, fusing point 20.50°
C., and distilled at 800° C. It occurs in thin
layers of brown to yellowish-brown color.
Its structure is leafy, and its fracture re-
sembles mother-of-pearl. It dissolves in
turpentine, naphtha, and fatty oils, but lit-
tle in ether or boiling alcohol, and has a
weak odor of coal oil.

“ Karth-wax,” or ozocerite, has been sup-
posed to be a residuum of oil that has evap-
orated. It is dug out with picks and shoy-
els, and is about the consistency of clay.
The shafts are from 350 to 600 feet deep,
and very close together; so close that in a
piece of land containing not over fifty acres,
there are ten thousand shafts. The walls
of these shafts are curbed with timbers, but
at the depth to which they go they are so
very thin that scarcely a day passes with-
out some of them caving in, breaking the
timbers like pipe-stems, and often burying
human beings beneath the great masses of
earth. The earth taken out of the shafts is
carted away a short distance and dumped.

20

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

These huge piles of earth which accumulate
exert such a pressure near the honey-combed
land, that the wax is often forced out of the
cracks with such rapidity that the workmen
are unable to save themselves. It once hap-
pened in a shaft 321 feet deep, that the en-
tire shaft was suddenly filled to the mouth with
wax. The veins of wax are from sixteen to
nineteen inches thick. These layers render
the strata rather uncertain — that is, they
slip on each other. Great fires have also oc-
curred in the mines. At Borislau, in Gala-
cia, in 1864, the mines produced 45,000 hun-
dred weight of earth wax.

The paraffin is softer and less transparent
than that from brown coal tar, and has a
fusing point of 60 deg. C., although some-
times as low as 45 deg. C. All ozocerite
oils on purification give a beautiful light
yellow oil of 0.81 specific gravity, of great
illuminating power and with a weak, mild
odor. The lowest specific gravity of ozo-
cerite is 0.74, while the highest is only 0.828,

hence the oil has a low specific gravity and |

a high boiling-point. Its inflammability is
therefore less than that of petroleum. The
lightness of ozocerite oil, together with its
large paraflin content, contradict the general
idea that ozocerite is formed by the evap-
oration of petroleum. It must have been
formed in some other way, of which we are
still in doubt, perhaps, as Perutz states, by
the oxidation of naphtha.

Ozocerite seems to change slightly by
exposure to the air. A piece exposed to
the air for a year became ash gray upon the
upper surface, while on the bottom it re-
mained a blackish brown. Odzocerite has
been found in South Amboy, N. J., in the
clay field of Mr. Otto Ernst. In a letter to
Professor Smock, of Rutgers College, he
says: ‘*I do not think it likely I shall find
any paying quantities of it, though I recollect
finding a lump ten times as large some years
ago. Its low specific gravity probably car-
ried it here by water, from the petroleum

fields. An analysis of this specimen gave:
Carbonslcue ee oe 86.46 per cent.
Hydrogen j2%..4..). « 7202 aes

99.29 per cent.
Very little has been made public concern-
ing improvements in making paraffin from
ozocerite, and manufacturers keep their ex-
perience as secret as possible. In Vienna

there are five factories in which are made
white wax, wax candles, wax matches, yel-
low beeswax, and colored tapers. In Europe
large quantities of ozocerite are used to wax
the floors of the houses.

In the United States the most important
uses made of ozocerite are to make chewing
gum and to adulterate beeswax.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

Numser VI.

1h WRONTAL. Oc. OCCIPITAL.

Guu. GULARS. P. PREFRONTALS.
1p. INTERNASALS. Po. PREORBITALS.

1 Gop, INFRALABIALS. Ps. POSTORBITALS.
L. LOREAL. Prs. PARIETALS.

La. LABIAL. K. ROstran

MEN. MENTAL. S. SuUPRAORBITALS.
ING NASALS. T. TEMPORALS.

Tnoucu the snakes of our state are few
in number they are, nevertheless, likely to
be confounded, the several species, having
considerable range of variation, giving the
amateur no little trouble in the determina-
tion of their identity. Many, during their
earlier growth, are quite differently marked
from their adult stage, and even the adults
of the same species, from different locali-
ties, exhibit considerable variation. The
only characters which can, to any extent,
be relied upon are those presented by the
arrangement of the scales, and by the
dentition. The plates of the head and scales
of the abdominal region are particularly val-
uable in separating the genera, and to this
end will be used in the following plan. It

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 21

should be borne in mind, however, that not | Nasal divided.

unfrequently, adjoining plates may coalesce, | Preorbital one.
and that the larger plates may subdivide. | OpuHIBoLus.

The first divisions of Rhode Island Ophidia —
are based on the non-possession or posses- | 18%. Serpents provided with porson fangs.
sion of poison glands and fangs. (It is a_ Frontal plate divided.
popular belief that the tongue is the ‘* poi- CRoTALUS.
son fang.” The fangs, properly speaking, — Frontal plate entire.
possessed only by venomous snakes, are
two long curved teeth in the upper jaw so
perforated by a canal that the poison, se-
creted by the salivary glands, situated Embryology of Fulgur Carica.

ANCISTRODON.

above the roof of the mouth, has exit near
the point of the tooth, making it thus at| Ararecent meeting of the Philadelphia

once a lance and injecting instrument. ) Academy of Natural Sciences, Mr. John Ford
On examining several snakes, some will | reported the finding of capsules of Fulgur
be found to have the scales along the back | carica, containing living embryos, near South
provided with a longitudinal rib; such Atlantic City, on November 16, 1884.
scales are said to be ‘‘keeled”; the com- _ As he had already secured live specimens
mon Garter Snake has scales of such a | in December, 1883, and in each of the six
character, while the scales of the Black | months following, this would prove the de-
Snake are perfectly smooth. The abdomi- | position of capsules by the species mentioned
nal plates are the broad scales by the move- | during the largest part of the year, instead
ment of which the serpent is enabled to of in the spring months only, as was for-
crawl; the last is often divided. By the merly supposed. Living embryos of F. can-
use of the following plan, the several gen- aliculata were also obtained monthly, dur-
era which are likely to occur in the state ing the same period.
can be determined. Several other strings of capsules, includ-
ing some of Ff. canaliculata, were secured
on the same occasion, but exposure to the
sun for a day or two had killed the embryos.
At the same locality were discovered two
_ species of living Pholades, P. crispata Linn.

A. Serpents not provided with poison fangs.
Scales of the back prominently keeled. |

No scales between /abials and orbit.
Loreal plate present.

Loreal omar ae and P. truncata Say, also a fine colony of
ae ; living Littorina irrorata Say; all of these
STORERIA.

species being new, it is believed, to that
Scales between Jabials and orbit. | part of the coast.

HETERODON. It is probable that the billet of wood in

_ which the Pholades were found had drifted

Scales of the back smooth, or nearly so, from some distant locality, as there do not

. Last abdominal plate divided. appear to be any conditions favorable to

Nasal plates separate. their existence between Brigantine Inlet
Labials seven. and Great Egg Harbor Bay.

Preorbitals two, unequal. In regard to the habitat of the Littorina

CoLuBeER. _ there could be no doubt whatever, as they

Preorbitals two, aboutequal. Were present in large numbers, and in a

anor nie _ flourishing condition, although dwelling lit-

Labssiecicht erally upon the sand, instead of on broken

ahr _ rock or pieces of timber, where the species

; is usually found. Itis southern in distribu-

ELapnis. tion, rarely occurring north of the mouth of
Nasal plates undivided. Chesapeake Bay.

Preorbital one.

CycLopuis. Wuy can’t a fisherman be generous? Be-
Last abdominal plate entire. cause his business makes him sell-fish.

22

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.
CuapTEeR XIV.
Famity 30. Cecidee, Carpenter, with
one genus.

Genus Cacum, FLemine. 1824.

Shell while young discoidal, when adult
tubular, cylindrical, arched, decollated. It
is born as a flat, spiral shell, but after mak-
ing two or three turns it suddenly leaves
the spire and grows out in a slightly arched
curve ; soon it drops the spire, plugging up
the broken end with a mammillated septure,
so that when adult it resembles a tusk,
with the small end decollated. They are

found in worm-eaten passages of dead shells, |

and are carrion-feeders.

33.

Shell clavate, arcuated, contracted at both
ends, pale yellowish horn color, and sculptured
with about twenty-five strong, rounded
ribs, giving the shell a waved appearance ;
aperture round, entire; operculum multi-
spiral, of eight whorls, corneous, concave
on the outer surface.
inch, breadth one-fortieth at its widest part.

CacUM PULCHELLUM, STIMPSON.

Length one-tenth |

It inhabits the Laminarian zone, and was |

dredged in New Bedford Harbor, adhering
to groups of Vermeti, and was described by
Wm. Stimpson, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.,
IV. HID) DSL. It
Rhode Island waters. but has never been
found, to my knowledge, its minute size
preventing its being collected.

34,

Distribution, Gardiner’s Bay, L. I., and
Vineyard Sound, Mass., four to ten fathoms.
In 1863 Dr. P. P. Carpenter described a
shell which he called Caecum Cooperi. In
1870 Mr. S. I. Smith described and figured
a shell which he found in Gardiner’s Bay,

Cacum Cooper, SMITH.

probably inhabits |

in the Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 1x., 394, |

which he also called Cacum Cooperi. In
the March number of Silliman’s Journal of
1872, Prof. A. E. Verrill, of Yale College,
published a list of the species of mollusca
found on the dredging expedition of 1871,
at Wood’s Holl, Mass., which were new to
science, and of those previously described,

| gray mud, eight fathoms.

beneath the skin

but omitted or overlooked in Binney’s Gould.
(Invert. Mass.,) published in 1870. Among
other shells in this list is a caecum, dredged
in Vineyard Sound. This proved upon ex-
amination to be the same as the Caecum
Cooperi of Mr. 8. I. Smith, but not the
original Cooperi of Carpenter. As the spe-
cific name was thus pre-occupied, he pro-
posed the name of Ceecum costatum, Ver-
rill.

The above explanation was read from a
paper by the author, on the ‘‘ Conchology
of Rhode Island,” before the Providence
Franklin Society, Nov. 22, 1872. In the
Report upon the Invertebrate Animals of
Vineyard Sound and Adjacent Waters, pub-
lished by A. E. Verrill and S. I. Smith in
1874, page 355, Sanderson Smith is credited
with having described this shell in Ann.
Lyc. Nat. Hist., N. Y., vm.,154, 1860, with
the following remarks: ‘‘ The first descrip-
tion of this species was overlooked by me;
as it antedates the description of the Cali-
fornian species to which Dr. Carpenter gave
the same name, the present species must be
called Cooperi.” I have never seen the
original description or the shell.

Famity 31. Eulimide, contains seven-
teen genera, many sub-genera, and about

four hundred and fifty species, the greater:

part of which are fossil. The genus Eu-
lima, with forty-nine living and forty fossil
species, is represented in New England by
one species, the Eulima oleacea, Kurts &
Stimpson, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1v.,
115, 1851. It has been dredged in Buz-
zard’s Bay, several miles from land, in soft
It has not been
found, to my knowledge, in Rhode Island
waters.

The genus Stylifer, found only imbedded
of star fish and sea
urchins, is represented in New England by
one species, Stylifer Stimpsonii, Verrill,
Am. Jour. Sci., ut., 210 and 288, 1872. Off
New Jersey, thirty-five fathoms; George’s
Bank, sixty fathoms; off Block Island,
thirteen to twenty-seven fathoms, 1880.

Famity 32. Turbonillidae, twelve gen-
era, is represented in New England by five
genera, two of which inhabit Rhode Island.

Genus TuRBONILLA, Risso.

Shell slender, many whorled, elongated,
longitudinally ribbed ; apex sinistral; aper-

: RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 23

ture simple, ovate; peristone incomplete ;

columella straight, not plaited ; operculum |

horny, sub-spiral. Seven species inhabit
New England, two of which have been
found in Rhode Island.

35.
Shell small, slender and pointed, pale
brownish white, glossy ; surface reticulated
by twenty-five to thirty blunt ribs, crossed
by fourteen revolving lines, which are inter-
rupted by the ribs; on the lower portion of

TURBONILLA INTERRUPTA, TOTTEN.

the body whorl the ribs vanish, but the fine |

revolying lines remain uninterrupted ;
whorls eight to ten, a little convex ; suture
well defined ; aperture one sixth the length
of the shell, ovate, angular behind; outer

lip simple and sharp; inner lip slightly |

everted. Length, 4 inch; breadth, ;4, inch.

This beautiful little species was first dis- |

covered by Colonel Totten, in Newport har-
bor, R. I., and described by him in Sili-
man’s Journal, xxvitt., 852, 1835, under the
name of Turritella interrupta. It has since
been found in various localities from Cape
Cod to South Carolina. It is not common
anywhere. I have found but six specimens
in Rhode Island in over twenty years. It
is more abundant in Vineyard Sound and
Buzzard’s Bay than in any other known lo-

cality. Obtained by dredging in three to
ten fathoms.
36. TURBONILLA ELEGANS, VERRILL.

This new species was discovered in Vine-
yard Sound, on a shelly bottom in eight to
ten fathoms, by Prof. A. E. Verrill and Mr.
S. I. Smith, during the dredging expedition
of 1871. Mention is made of the species
in the March number of Silliman’s Journal
for 1872, and a quite lengthy description in
the April number, page 282. It resembles
the preceding species, but is not as slen-
der and the whorls are more rounded. The
color of the shell is light yellowish ; whorls
ten ; spireacute. Length ;22, inch; breadth
zip: J have never seen the species, but it
is mentioned in Cat. Mar. Moll., 538, 1882,
as having been found in Long Island Sound,
off New Haven, and in Narragansett Bay.
Of the other New England species referred
to above, Turbonilla nivea, Stimpson, in-
habits the Maine coast. T. equalis, Say,
Vineyard Sound. T. Emertonii, same _lo-
eality, and Verrill’s new species, costulata,

captured at Newport.

_ areolata, stricta, etc., off New Haven, Conn.,

and Vineyard Sound. Perhaps some of
these may eventually be found in Rhode
Island.

GeENus OpostomiA, FLEMING.

The genus Odostomia differs from Turbo-
nilla principally by having smooth shells,
instead of being ribbed, a Jess number of
whorls, and in having a tooth or fold upon
the columella. The species are numerous,
distribution universal, from high water mark
to forty fathoms. I emphasize this word
high, as authorities say low water, etc., and
will explain my reason for saying this in the
next chapter.

Four species of Odostomia have been
found, and seven are liable to be collected
in Rhode Island, descriptions of which will
be given.

(To be continued.)

The Color of Birds’ Eyes.

IT HAVE been much interested in your notes
on the color of birds’ eyes. You give that of
the California woodpecker as white ; a friend
in California who sent me mine, wrote that
the eye was pink.

Two specimens of the pileolated wood-
pecker had red eyes, and I once mounted a
fine ¢ sheldrake, who had eyes nearly black ;
also, a @ long-tailed duck, whose eyes were
certainly white. I once saw an avocet in
full plumage with eyes nearly black, though
I believe they are usually red. I observe
that some taxidermists use brown and others
blue eyes in the English jay. What is right?
I should suppose brown, judging by the rest
of the family, though the Guiards jay does
have blue. K. J. Smiru.

We have invited observers to report to
us upon this important subject, and shall
be glad to publish any new notes.— Ed.

fice in November a Snowy Owl was
This is the only one
reported to us.

Tue winter thus far has been character-
ized by few winter visitors from the North.
Several parties in Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, and New Brunswick report taking
Hawk Owls, from five to a dozen individuals
each. =|

24 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CONCHOLOGICAL CHECK-LIST. XV.

Family. Helicinacea Pfr.
Sub-family. Helicinea Pfr.

Helicina brevilabris Pfr.
briarea Poey.
bryanti Pfr.
eallida Weinl.
campanula Pfr.
candida Pfr.
earacolla Moric.
carinata Orb.
eatalinensis Pfr.
chiapensis Pfr.
chrysochasma Poey.
chrysocheila Shutt.
ciliata Pfr.
cinctella Shutt.
cingulata Gass.
citrina Grateloup.
colorata Pease.
columbiana Phil.
columellaris Gundlach.
concentrica Pfr.
concinna Gundlach.
constricta Pfr.
contermina Semper.
convexa Pfr.
cordillerz Sallé.
cornea Sow.
coronula Shutt.
costata Gray.
crassilabris Phil.
crocea Benson.
crossei Semper.
culminans Mouss.
cumingi Sow.
decolorata Mouss.
delicatula Shutt.
depressa Gray.
diaphana Pfr.
discoidea Pease.
diversicolor Cox.
draytonensis Pfr.
dunkeri Zeleb.
dysoni Pfr.
egregia Pfr.
elongata Orb.
exigua Pfr.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Helicina exserta Gundlach.

faba Pease.
fasciata Lam.
festiva Sow.
fischeriana Montrz.
flammea Quoy.
flavescens Pease.
flavida Menke.
foveata Pfr.

fragilis Morel.
fulgora Gould.
fulva Orb.

fuscata Gundlach.
gallina Gass.
gambieni Paz.
ghiesbreghti Pfr.
glabra Gould.
globosa Gray.
elobulosa Orb.
gonochila Pfr.
gouldiana Forb.
granum Pfr.
guadaloupensis Sow.
guttula Pfr.
hzmistoma Moric.
hanleyana Pfr.
heatei Pfr.

heloisz Sallé.
hemispheerica Shutt.
hainanensis Molldf.
hernandezi Wright.
herweghiana Pfr.
hialmarsoni Pfr.
inconspicua Pfr.
interna Mouss.
jamaicensis Sow.
japonica A. Adams.
jucunda Gundlach.
jugulata Poey.
kieneri Pfr.
kusteriana Pfr.
laciniosa Mighels.
lazarus Sowerby.
lens Lea.

lifonana Cross.
lindeni Pfr.

lineata C. B. Adams.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY ea

(Continued from page x.)

These goods when placed in position oc-
cupied fifty-five feet by four of glass coun-
ter cases, and twelve by six of upright black
walnut museum cases. All the stuffed mam-
mals, with one exception, a Jumping Mouse,
were actual residents of the state. Among
them was a fine Otter, a Wild Cat, three
species of albinistic Squirrels, and one par-
tially Albino Muskrat. The season of the
year was unfortunate for procuring them in
good pellage, and it was only a few days be-
fore the goods were shipped that we secured
a specimen of the Varying Hare, while the
Raccoon escaped us altogether; we could
not collect one, and a genuine state speci-
men brought in to be mounted was refused
us; the owner would neither loan nor sell.

In representing the birds we were obliged
to be satisfied to considerable extent with
skins, as again the time allowed was not
sufficient tomount them. This department is
represented by 338 specimens of 126 species,
including one case of stuffed small specimens
arranged as a wall picture, and several sin-
gle specimens of the larger sort, such as
Eagle, Loon, Heron, etc.

This was followed by an arrangement of
the Turtles, mounted and naturally tinted,
including all the varieties likely to be found
in Rhode Island, except perhaps two of the
marine forms. Our other reptiles and ba-
trachians were represented by alcoholic pre-
parations, and the paucity of species is in
marked contrast with those of the Southern
States.

The Crustaceans, Lobster, Horse-shoe Crab,

(Limulus polyphemus) and a dozen other
species, all found within the waters of the
state, were carefully stuffed and painted
generally from living models) as nearly as
possible to the brilliant hues of life, such as
could hardly be conceived of by those who
have not seen them fresh from the water.

Our exhibition of insects is not very com-
mendable, being confined to one exhibition
case containing about two hundred of the
most notable or brilliant forms.

The Conchology we were able to repre-
sent by about one hundred species.

For our exhibition of fossil forms, as we
do not deal in them, we are indebted to the
kindness of Brown University. The col-
lection loaned contained nearly all the car-
boniferous flora of the state, being particu-
larly valuable, as the identification has been
demonstrated by Professer Leo. Lesquereux,
the only living authority.

In like manner while we carry a full stock
of fine minerals for exhibition or study pur-
poses, to obtain some of the fine local spe-
cimens we were obliged to draw freely upon
private cabinets. To these friends we are
much indebted. This parf€ of the exhibition
embraces all the species of any importance
that occur, but might have been extended
much further in individual and handsome
specimens, if space had not been limited.

The specimens belonging to us are for
sale, and we are prepared to estimate at any
time for similar collections, wholly or in
part, correctly labeled, and mounted on
cherry or ebonized blocks, or in card-board

hme.

| MPORTANT.S

trays.

Since the appearance of our Catalogue in March, 1883, Odlogy has taken a long
stride, so that another Price-List has become a necessity.

PRICES OF ALL THE GOODS EXCEPT EGGS REMAIN THE SAME.

—THE—

eNeey =F RICE-LIST OF EGGS

Will appear in Apri or May, and be sent as soon as issued to all who apply for it.

We

would advise attaching this new list to our Catalogue.

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS.

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Tue statements in an article on cryolite
in a previous issue and our editorial having
been called in question, we have made
various experiments desiring to correct any
false impressions. We found that before
the blow-pipe on charcoal, cryolite in small
quantities fused to a liquid; in the pincers,
with a well-directed R. F., it reduced and
changed form; in gas-flame we were able
to turn ends and thin edges to a white
enamel, and in candle flame, by carefully
introducing a fragment into the hottest
part a limited fusion was produced.

It does not, like stibnite (noted as No.
1), melt and drop. The term “ easily
fusible” seems to admit of much greater
latitude of meaning than we had imagined.

f A Collecting Trip to Cape Cod.

CuatHam is the southeastern point of
Cape Cod. ‘To the eastward, at a distance
of one-half to tiree-quarters of a mile, is
the sand-bar, and between are the flats over
which a sail-boat can float at high water,
while at low tide so much is bare that there
is not enough water in the channels to get a
row-boat across.

We reached Chatham about noon of May
21,1883, and lost no time in putting on our
hunting-clothes, as the tide was ebbing,
and we wished to spend the afternoon on
the bar. As we were being pulled across
a fog was beginning to settle, which was
soon very thick, and three birds, one apiece,
were,all we obtained.

Our row back to town was an eventful
one, which we shall not soon forget, for,
mistaking the roar of the ocean at the inlet
for the rush of the incoming tide across the

|
AND |

flats, we came very near being swamped,
and not till our boat was partly filled with
water from the rolling billows, did we pull
into still water, to await the clearing up of
the fog, or morning, we knew not which.
Being strangers, we left the rowing to our
boatman, a boy of sixteen, who thought he
knew where he was going, and did not want
to admit that he did not. Suflice to say,
when we pulled away from the threatening
danger, we found a sail-boat moored, which,
being recognized by the boatman, our cor-
rect course was laid, and we were soon do-
ing justice to our host’s well-spread table.

The day following was also foggy, and!
poor was our success, a few Wilson’s Terns,
Piping Plover, and Turnstones being all,
until, approaching a small sand bar on our
return, a group of birds loomed up looking
much larger than reality, but a shot laid
out one Black-bellied Plover and one Red-
breasted Sandpiper, both fine specimens.

Before daylight of Wednesday, the 23d,
we were on our way to the bar. The two
preceding days, besides being foggy, had
been windy and considerable rain had fallen,
but with our gossamer coats and hip boots
we were well protected. ‘The present day
was, however, free from fog, and for the
first time we could look about us.

Most plentiful of all were the Terns
which were to be seen flying in every direc-
tion, while on certain sand-bars they were
resting in large numbers. When a school
of small fish is discovered the Tern pauses
in its flight, and hovering over them, turns
its head with bill directly downward, and an
instant later descends the same as a King-
fisher. Others follow, and soon the whole
flock are diving, rising to the proper height,
and diving again. Occasionally a Tern ap-
proached within gunshot, and if shot others
would pitch over it, and several could be
secured. We had in this way cut down
several Arctic Terns and a few Bonaparte’s
Gulls, two or three wounded of which were >
drifting away from us, and I had run to”
where our boat was beached in order to row
out and secure them.

26

We came across in the early morning on
the ebb tide, and now, several hours later,
the tide was coming in and at the present
time was running swiftly. Just before I
reached the boat my attention was attracted
toa few small birds about three hundred
yards away. Their motions were exceed-
ingly graceful, and they appeared as light as
bubbles on the water. They seemed to be
at play, constantly springing from the water
and flying first one way and then another,
as if playing tag or puss in the corner.
The instant I caught sight of them I invol-

untarily said ‘* Phalaropes.” i

x

(To be continued.) 4 ’

:

Notes on the White-breasted Nuthatch.

(Sirra CoROoLInENSIS. )

Fottowine the idea of John Burroughs,
I procured some beef bones and _ nailed
them on a large willow tree in such a posi-
tion that I could readily see them from my
study window; with the intention of at-
tracting and noticing a few habits of our
friend, the Downy Woodpecker.

Rather to my gratification I found
that one of my little friends, a White-
breasted Nuthatch, appreciated my kind-
ness more than the Downys. ‘The bones
appeared to remain for several days en-
tirely unnoticed, and I had almost given
up hope, but on one snowy Sunday morn-
ing I happened to see my little friend busy
at the bones; he would tug hard at a piece
of fat until he pulled it off, if it happened
to be a small one he would eat it, and if
any rather longer piece was secured he
would adjourn to a crack in the bark not
far off and very neatly hide it in the crev-
ice, and in a few cases would fly to an ad-
joining tree, and do the same with other
pieces taken from the bones. By watch-
ing through an opera-glass I could see the
end of the meat thus hidden protruding
from the crack. What his idea was in so
doing I cannot say, unless he acted on the

principle of the dog who buries his bones, |

** to lay by for a rainy day.”

One day when watching him work he
stopped to take a look around, and caught
me standing at the window, when he took
his immediate departure, as if he thought
he was intruding on private property and

| are conspicuous.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY,

was under danger of immediate arrest by
myself. Loath to return so long as I was
at the window, he kept flying from tree to
tree, looking to see if I was about, and
not till I left my place did he venture back.

Another rather interesting little instance
happened about these bones. One morn-
ing while my little friend was busily par-
taking of his meal of beef, there came upon
the scene a female Downy Woodpecker
(the males have the red crown, this bird
not having any). The Nuthatch immedi-
ately on the fresh arrival turned away from
his feast, and quietly went around the
trunk of the tree in search of other food.
Whilst Miss Downy was helping herself
there came upon the scene with a great
chirruping several English Sparrows, who
arranged themselves along a small branch
directly over the bones, and in silence eyed
the above mentioned lady. No sooner had
Miss Downy left, than the sparrows came
down in a body on a large knot just below
the bones, but they could not get within
reach of the prize, for, unlike the Nuthatch
and Woodpecker, they had not the power of
running up the side of a tree. It was very
amusing to witness the apparent disappoint-
ment of the sparrows on finding them-
selves so badly baffled in their designs.

» Joun H. STEELE.

Aprit Insectrs.— The first flowers of
spring teem with insects of many orders,
but especially the Hymenoptera of the
genera Andrena, Halictus, Melissodes, and
Nomada, which have issued from their
underground nests. The honey-bee (Apis
mellifica), the carpenter-bee (Xylocopa
virginica), and the bumble-bee (Bombus)
Among Coleoptera, the
blister-beetles (Meloidz) and the tiger-
beetles (Cicindelide) are noticeable; and
the painted clytus (Cyllene pictus), with
its black-and-yellow banded coat, will be
common in houses where hickory-wood is
used in the fires. Among Lepidoptera,
the blues (Lyczenidze), the monarch or
milk-weed butterfly (Danais archippus),
the Graptas and Eudamus bathyllus will
be seen. Among Orthoptera, the Acridium
americanum and QC&dipoda pheenicoptera
will be noticeable among wintering forms
on account of their large size. — Science
Almanac.

RANDOM NOTES ON

Insect Collecting.

BF. E. GRAY.

Tuis is a subject about which much has
been written, and there are many different
ideas about the methods used, so that some-
thing new may be gained from each writer.
I have been asked many times, what poison
I used, and how I made my lure for night
collecting. My experience may develop
some points that will be of advantage to
others.

The first thing to be thought of is the
poison to be used to kill the specimens.
Some have a preference for ether, others
for cyanide of potassium. I find that the
best chloroform is by all odds the safest,
cheapest in the end, and produces better
results than any other poison. Ether requires
a longer time to kill than chloroform, while
cyanide will not answer with many of our
delicate-colored insects unless they are re-
moved from the collecting bottle very shortly
after being caught, for if left in a minute
too long, the powerful poison will act on the
delicate coloring matter and either com-
pletely destroy it or render it several shades
lighter, thus spoiling the insect as a speci-
men. And what collector would wish to
stop, should he be on the jump for an hour
ata time, in a locality where insects are
plenty, and no time to pause without the
risk of losing some rare specimens, for it
takes but a few minutes to spoil a specimen,
so quickly does the cyanide eat into the tis-
sues of the body and wings. It answers
very well on our larger coleoptera, as they
are very hard to kilJl, but even then, care
has to be taken, for it is dangerous to han-
dle, or even to breathe the fumes, as it is,
with one exception, our deadliest poison. I
have used chloroform for several years, and
it has given me the best of satisfaction,
with no danger in the handling. Cyanide
stiffens the muscles of insects so that it is
very difficult to set up a specimen after be-
ing killed, even if it is softened by expos-
ure to steam; while chloroform merely stif-
fens them for a few moments, they quickly
relax, and can be set up with ease several
hours after being killed. I have had some
of our most delicately colored moths soaked
with chloroform in a collecting bottle for
nearly half a day, and within two minutes

NATURAL HISTORY. 27

after their removal the chloroform would
evaporate, and the colors come out as
bright and clear as in life, and even after
remaining in my cabinet for years, show no
change in color, and for this reason I am
inclined to think that it tends to fix the col-
oring matter, instead of hurting it.

Experience has taught me that few
boxes and bottles are necessary, unless for
an extended trip of several days. For a
hunt around the suburbs of the city, I pro-
vide myself with a folding net, with a han-
dle about four and a half feet long, for lep-
idoptera, a large-mouthed bottle holding a
half-pint or so, and a smaller one for cole-
optera, for in dying, the hard bodies and
sharp tarsi of the beetles are apt to injure
the wings of moths and butterflies, when
put in the same bottle. Then, with a half
dozen small boxes of different sizes lined
with cotton, and a ‘‘digger” (a broad-
bladed old chisel) for working around
stumps and trees, I am fully equipped.
The chloroform I carry in a small vial in a
vest pocket. In preparing my collecting
bottle, I cut three thicknesses out of cotton
batting to fit inside the bottle, and glue
lightly around the edges to prevent slipping,
and when on the ground I pour ten or more
drops of the chloroform on the cotton, re-
newing it in about an hour. When I have
a number of insects in either bottle, I re-
move them to the boxes, and add to the
same until they are fall, for I find there is
less danger of damaging specimens when
closely packed than when only two or three
are placed in each box. Paper cut for the
purpose is a good thing to carry for large,
fine specimens.

For a lure for night collecting, I have
found that the best is made with a pint of
ale or beer, either fresh or stale, with about
a pound and a half of dark brown sugar
thoroughly dissolved in it. Many collectors
put the lure on the trees in the daytime and
then collect from them in the evening; but
I have found that when this is done the
ants, those pests of insect society, will gen-
erally cover the lure before I am ready for
work at night, and in such numbers that it
is impossible for a moth to alight. About
sunset I lure eighteen or twenty trees, put-
ting one or two brushfuls of the lure on
each, and then, after waiting fifteen minutes
or so, find that it works to a charm. For

28

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

a lantern I use a large size ‘‘bull’s eye.”

The best nights for collecting with the lure
are those in spring when the weather is
what we call ‘* muggy.”
1883, when collecting from a lure, I cap-
tured 120 moths, besides a number of bee-
tles, from a clump of eleven trees. The
moths caught
Noctuids and Geometrids.
ing with lure can be commenced about
March 1st, and continued until the flowers
bloom; then taken up about the middle of
August, when our beautiful catocala moths

can be taken in considerable numbers, be- |

sides many of our rarer Geometrids. I find
that it is almost useless to lure the walnut

|

In the spring of |

_its presence known by an alarm.

or hickory tree, as very few insects will be |

taken from them, for what reason I cannot
explain. If there is any tree where the sap
is running freely in the spring,
an abrasion of the bark ora cut fiom an
axe, don’t neglect visiting it day and night,
as many insects will be caught thus which
would not visit a lure.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

eee VIL.

Havine, by aid of the plan given in the
previous number, determined the genus,
the reduction to species, when we have
several species under a single genus, as is
the case with Tropidenotus, is, for Rhode
Islanders, a comparatively simple opera-
tion. It will be’ noticed, however, that the
several descriptions do not follow the arti-
ficial order of the plan, but are arranged
in their natural order, the highest form
being treated first.

1. Crotalus horridus Lixynr. The Banded
Rattlesnake was described by Linné, in
1758, as the most venomous of the serpent
tribe, growing to a length of six feet, and
as thick as aman’s arm. ‘Through the ob-
servations of later naturalists, however, the
‘¢ rattler” seems to be a reptile venomous

only to aslight degree, when compared with | lections as I have examined, nor any in-

such forms as the deadly cobra of India.
Though the sting of Crotalus may be ex-
tremely painful, it should never prove fatal
if properly attended to. Sucking or cau-
terizing the wound, and drinking large |
quantities of spirits, are said to generally

either from |

| them.

check the serious effects of any ordinary
attack. In our state the rattlesnake is oc-
casionally met with among the northern hills.
On being surprised it is ‘lazy, and, instead
of at once taking the offensive, ordinarily
gives its alarm, provided itis old enough to

| possess a rattle, and then, if further pressed,
in spring are mostly the |
Night collect- |

may strike. Even if this happens the
venom is not necessarily forced from the
fangs, the snake seeming to realize that its.
supply of poison is not unlimited and if
once exhausted it will be compelled to re-
main harmless until the glands have se-
creted enough to again fill the reservoirs.
This is not the only form which makes.
Many
of our “adders” when in dry leaves, by
rapidly vibrating the tail, produce a sound
so nearly resembling that of the ** rattler,”
as to even cdleceive an expert. The rattle,
a most common cabinet curiosity, is made

up of aseries of horny rings, each consist-

ing of a posterior tongue-shaped portion,
which is held in the hollow, cup-like, ante-
rior portion of its succeeding fellow by a
terminal knob, the so-called ‘+ button.’ It
will thus be seen, that if a portion of the
rattle is broken off, a‘‘ button ” will always.
remain. As such an accident is not unfre-
quent, and since several new rings may be
added during a season, the number of rings.

| can in no way indicate the age of their pos-

sessor. It might further be added that
many common snakes are provided with an
horny appendage at the terminationof the tail.
This should not be mistaken for a rudiment-
ary rattle by the amateur; the young as.
well as the old rattlesnakes are armed with
poison fangs which at once distinguish
In general form, Crotalus is short
and stout, seldom four feet long.

2. Ancistroden contortrix BAtRD AND
Grrarp. (Trignocephalus contortrix Linné.)
The copperhead, viper, or deaf adder, has.
been placed among the Rhode Island snakes.
because of the numerous instances of its
capture in neighboring localities. I can
find no native specimen in such local col-

stance of its capture. This with the pre-
vious species are the only poisonous varie-
ties likely to be found in our limited area,
or in fact anywhere in eastern United
States. Any facts in regard to either form
would be particularly valuable.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L, W. RUSSELL.
No. I.

Ir is the purpose of the writer to prepare
for Ranpom Nores a series of brief articles
upon the trees indigenous to Rhode Island.
Avoiding, as far as consistent with accu-
racy, mere technical terms and descrip-
tions, it is intended to record such facts
concerning our native species of trees as
will afford an intelligible and fairly com-
plete view of them at the time of writing.
Whatever is peculiar to their growth or ap-
pearance, in this locality, will, so far as
known, be stated. The local effects of
climate and exposure, and of the different
soils, upon the growth and production of
the different species will receive attention.
The economic value of the different kinds
will be noted. And, finally, the relation-
ship which our trees sustain to us as beau-
tifiers of our homes and landscapes will
receive occasional mention.

The necessity for brevity in the sketches
to be given compels the omission of much
that might be of interest, especially to the
general reader; but it is hoped that what
may be offered will, in some degree, pro-
mote the objects for which this periodical
is published.

Generally speaking, the country com-
prised within the limits of New England is
a natural forest region. The denudation
which has taken place within Rhode Is-
land has been gradually effected, as the
settlement of the region demanded the land
for agriculture, and the forest growth for
timber and fuel. ‘The islands of the state,
once heavily wooded, have long since been
laid bare; and a considerable part of the
land bordering upon the Narragansett Bay
and in the immediate vicinity of the larger
towns, has shared the same fate. Sterility
has. frequently followed the destruction of
the forest upon large areas ; but where the
denuded tracts have been neglected by the
plow and have been protected from brows-
ing by cattle, the natural tendency of the
soil shows itself in a new growth of trees.

But there are still considerable tracts of
the hard, stony lands, in the remoter parts
of the state, almost exelusively devoted to
the growth of wood; and, in nearly all
parts of the state there are copses and

29

rows of trees preserved for their protection
or as ** wind breaks,” and great numbers of
small groups and of single specimens are
allowed to stand for their shade and land-
scape beauty.

The state is believed to be notably rich
in the variety of its natural ligneous
growth. About fifty species of native trees.
(growing to thirty or more feet in height)
are found here. ‘Taking lead among these,
in number of species, in economic value
and scenic attra®tiveness, are those of
which we first treat,— the

CUPULIFER®, OAK FAMILY.
QuERCUS, OAK.
Quercus alba, White Oak.

The oaks, here and elsewhere, are natur-
ally divided into two sections :

1. Those which mature their acorns dur-
ing the autumn of the first year. 2. Those
which do not mature their acorns until the
autumn of the second year. Annuwal-fruited
Oaks, and bdiennial-fruited Oaks. Of the
former the White Oak, Q. alba, may be re-
garded as the type. In Rhode Island it is.
a stately tree, found in numerous localities,
in all parts of the state. It is found in com-
pany with other species of the oak, with the
hickories, and various other trees, and is
frequently mingled with a straggling growth
of pitch pines and white birches. In certain
localities it occupies the ground almost to
the exclusion of other trees. Many years
ago, when there was an active demand for
ship-timber, for water-wheel shafts, etc.,
the hillsides and valleys of the state were
culled for the best timber of this oak. This
work made serious inroads upon the tree.
A few specimens, too sturdy and rugged for
the axe, escaped. ‘To-day they are among
the noblest trees of the state. The follow-
ing specimens may be mentioned as espe-
cially noteworthy: A large symmetrical tree,
upon Mr. Chas. E. Hall’s farm, Fruit Hill,
North Providence ; height, 65 ft.; spread,
87 ft.; girth, 4 ft. up, 15 ft. 2in. A large,
finely proportioned tree, one mile below
Hamilton Mills, North Kingstown; girth,
3 ft. up, 13 ft. 45 in. The body is short,
but it has a magnificent spread of top.
The ‘‘Catholic” oak, in Lonsdale, is
worthy of special note. The tree now has
a spread of 86 ft. It was probably much
greater before its original branches were

30

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

cut off. Its height is 70 ft., and its girth,
5 ft. up, is 154 ft. Dr. C. W. Parsons has
taken several measurements of this tree,
the first being in January 1858, when its
girth, 4 ft. up, was 13 ft. 4 in. It is said
that, through the agency of the Rev. J.
C. Richmond, acorns of this tree have been
distributed through many towns of Ger-
many, where its progeny are now growing.
The religious services, which in former
years were often held under this tree, have
clothed it with a sacredness which reminds
us of the venerated oaks of Europe in the
days of the Druids.

The characteristics of this tree in Rhode
Island, as it appears in well developed spe-
cimens, grown upon open ground, may be
summed up as follows: Size, 1st class;
short body, wide-spreading top, generally
symmetrical, limbs stout, often much con-
torted, the branchlets short and stiff, strik-
ing out at wide angles; buds, small; leaves
without bristles (the same is true of all
the species in the White Oak division), pre-
senting beautiful models of curving;
acorns small, in a deep cup, sweet and edi-
ble; bark white, in loose scales. ‘The tree
is of slow growth, and may be called young
at the age of a century.

Such has been the destruction of this tree
that it is doubtful if there are a hundred
well-grown, fully-developed specimens in
the state.

Of all our northern oaks this is the most
valuable for timber, ranking next to the
southern ‘‘ Live oak,” and it is excellent for
fuel. The distribution of this species is very
extensive, it being found in nearly all sec-
tions of the United States, and as far
north as Lake Winnipeg. It finds a con-
genial home in Rhode Island.

Mr. E. J. Suir writes: ‘‘I have lately
tried an experiment in cleaning shells. I
boiled some cones and a few others for

three or four minutes in a strong solution |
of potash, and the epidermis came to pieces |

and fell off, leaving the shell clean and
smooth, with no evil effect at all. Three
or four ounces of Babbitt’s potash to a pint
of water is about the proper strength. (The
mixture may be saved and used many
times.) Scrub the shell with a stiff brush,
and when it is dry rub with a cloth very
slightly oiled, to obtain a fine gloss.”

| propriate.
| length and one-tenth in breadth.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XV.

37. ODOSTOMIA BISUTURALIS, SAY.

Syns.:
Jaminia exigna, Couth. Kuster.
Odostomia exigna, Gould. Stimp.

Rissoa rupestris, Forbes.

Chemnitzia bisuturalis, Stimp.

Turritella bisuturalis. Say.

Odostomia bisuturalis. Modern authors..

“Shell thin, pellucid, small, conic ; whorls.
five, wrinkles almost obsolete, a revolving
impressed line near the suture; suture not
deeply impressed ; spire gradually tapering,
rather longer than the aperture; aperture
rounded at base and _ perfectly entire.
Length rather more than one-tenth inch.
Inhabits Boston Harbor.”

The above is Say’s description.
Ac. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1., 244, 1821.

Gould’s Invert. Mass., p. 328, 1870, says =
‘* First found by Mr. Couthouy at Chelsea,
near the ferry landing, adhering to decay-
ing wood.” Couthouy described it in the
Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 11., 92, 1838,.
under the name of Jaminia exigna. How
can this be? If Couthouy discovered it
first, its name should be Odostomia exigna,
as it belongs to this genus and not to jami-
nia or turritella, but Say described it in
1821 as above, although not accurately in
all points, yet enough so to give his name
priority. The revolving line just below the
suture, making the suture to appear double,
gives it its specific name, which is most ap-
The shell is one-fifth inch in
It is.
white or light greenish in color, under a
brownish epidermis, its apex is obtuse, and
at the base is a small umbilicus, near which,
on the inner lip, is a transverse white tooth
or fold. It is one of the most common
species in our bay, but from its minute size
is liable to be overlooked. It is found on
oysters and other living and dead species
from the bottom of the bay, but is more
plentiful on stones and dead shells between
tides, and is found abundantly in the shelk
sand thrown up on'the shore by storms. I
have taken nearly a hundred living speci-

Journ.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

mens off a stone no larger than my hand
lying nearly at high-water mark. It in-
habits Massachusetts Bay to Long Island
Sound.

38. ODOSTOMIA TRIFIDA, TOTTEN.

This species was discovered on the Island
of Rhode Island by Colonel Totten, on
valves of scallop shells (Pecten irradians,
Lam.), and described by him in Am. Journ.
Sci., Xxvi., 868, 1834, under the name of
Actzeon trifida. It inhabits the same local-
ities as the preceding species, and is as
abundant in Rhode Island, if not more so.
It closely resembles bisuturalis, but is a
little more slender in appearance, being one-
fourth inch long by one-tenth wide. Its
apex is acute, color glossy white, whorls
eight in number, flat, separated by a sharp
depressed suture, with three revolving lines
below the suture and numerous fine lines on
the front of the body whorl; the outer lip
showing on the sharp edge the impressed

lines ; otherwise it resembles in all respects

the above bisuturalis.
89.

Syns.:

Jaminia producta, Adams.

Chemnitzia producta, Stimp.

This species also inhabits the same local-
ities as the two preceding, but is not at all
common in Rhode Island. It is light brown
in color, with eight whorls, nearly flat. It
is more slender than either of the others,
being a little over one-fourth inch in length
by one-fifteenth in breadth; the apex is
blunt, as if one or more whorls were re-
moved; the surface is faintly marked by
lines of growth; aperture about one-fourth
the length of the shell, ovate, rounded in
front, columella flexuous. It also differs
from the others in having no umbilicus. It
was discovered by Professor Adams, near
Fairhaven, in 1839, and described in Bost.
Journ. Nat. Hist., u1., 322, 1840.

40.

Syns.:

Pyramis fusca, Adams.

Jaminia fusca, Adams.

Chemnitzia fusca, Stimp.

This species was discovered by Prof. C.
B. Adams, at New Bedford, clinging to
planks near low-water mark, and described
in Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., 11., 282, 1839. It

OposToMIA PRODUCTA, ADAMS.

OposromMia FuscA, ADAMS.

31

resembles the preceding, but differs in sev-
eral points. The apex is more obtuse than
in bisuturalis, it has one to three more
whorls, with a smooth surface and no re-
volving line under the suture; the aperture
is broader and modified by a twist of the col-
umella; the color is violet brown, glossy,
darker at the tip. It is quoted from Vine-
yard Sound to New Jersey. Quite rare in
Rhode Island. Length one-fourth inch,
breadth three-fortieths.

41. OpDoOsTOMIA DEALBATA, STIMPSON.

‘¢ Shell ovate-conic, white, smooth, pellu-
cid; whorls six, rather convex; aperture
ovate, hardly effuse ; furnished with a small
inconspicuous fold. Length =j'; inch,
breadth 5%. Dredged in Boston Harbor,
three fathoms, ona shelly bottom.” (Stimp
son. )

New Haven, Conn. (Perkins).
never seen this species.”

42. ODOSTOMIA SEMINUDA, ADAMS.
Syns.:

Jaminia seminuda, Adams.

Chemnitzia seminuda, Stimp.

Turbonilla seminuda, H. & A. Adams.

Shell acute-conic, white and glossy, trans-
lucent; whorls six or seven, the upper ones
and one-half the body whorl covered with
numerous ribs or folds crossed by three re-
volving equidistant lines, making the sur-
face to appear covered with net work, while
the lower half of the body whorl has four
revolving lines, not reticulated; outer lip
thin, scalloped by the lines. Length +4)
inch, breadth ,%>-

This species was discovered by Prof. C.
B. Adams, at Dartmouth, adhering to the
valves of scallop shells, and described in
Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., 11., 280, 1839.

Inhabits from Massachusetts Bay to
South Carolina. Common in Vineyard
Sound and Buzzards Bay, in 2 to 10 fath-
oms. (Verrill.) Greenport and Hunting-
ton, L. I. (S. Smith.) Fort Macon, N.
C. (Coues.) Not very common in Rhode
Island.

The only other species which might pos-
sibly inhabit our shores is the Odostomia
impressa, Say, Journ. Ac. Sci., m., 244,
1822, being quoted from Long Island Soun }
to South Carolina. Say saw but two spe-
cimens, which he collected on the coast of
Maryland.

‘¢ T have

(To be continued.)

32 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CONCHOLOGICAL CHECK-LIST. XVI.
J. RITCHIE, JR.

oOo

Family. Helicinacea Pfr. . Helicina pisum Phil.
Sub-family. Helicinea Pfr. platychila Mhif.
Helicina lirata Pfr. plicatilis Mouss.

littoralis Montrz.
littoricola Gundlach.
lundi Beck.

lutea Lesson.
macgillivrayi.
macmurrayi Pfr.
maculata Sow.
malleata Pfr.
margaritacea Lea.
marginata Gundlach.
martensi Issel.
maugeriz Gray.
maxima Sow.
mediana Gass.
microdina Morel.
miltochila Cross.
miniata Less.
minuta Sow.
moquiniana Recluz.
moreletiana Pfr.
multicolor Gould.
musiva Gould.
nemoralis Gupp.
neritella Lam.
nicobaria Phil.
nitida Pfr.

nobilis C. B. Adams.
node Arango.
notata Sallé.

nuda Arango.
occidentalis Gould.
occulta Say.
oceanica Pease.
oleosa Pfr.
orbiculata Say.
orbignyi Pfr.
oweniana Pfr.
oxytropis Gray..
pallida Gould.
paraensis Pfr.
parva Sow.
parvala Pease.
pellucida Sow.
pfeifferiana Arango.
phasianella Sow.

plicatula Pfr.

poeyi Pfr.

politula Poey.
porphyrostoma Cross.
primeana Gass.
psorica Morel.
pulcherrima Lea.
pygmzea Pot. et Mich.
pyramidalis Sow.
raresulcata Pfr.
reeveana Pfr.
reticulata Pfr.
rhodostoma Gray.
rhynchostoma Shutt.
robri Pfr.

rostrata Morel.
rotella Sow.

rotunda Orb.

rubella Wright.
rubicunda Pease.
rubromarginata Gundlach.
rufescens Pease.
rugosa Pfr.

rustica Pfr.
sagraiana Orb.
salleana Pfr.

salvini Tristr.
sanguinacea Pfr.
scropulorum Morel.
scrupulum Benson.
semperi Mouss.
shanghaiensis Pfr.
silacea Morel.
similis Sow.

sinuosa Pfr.

solida Pease.
solidula Gray.
sophia Brazer.
sordida King.
sowerbyana Pfr.
spectabilis Gundlach.
spheeroidea Pfr,
straminea Morel.
straminea Pease.
strebelli Pease.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xV
DESIRABLE GOODS wy Gopher (Spermophilus Frank-
etl) ie teusAo c.id-n GOCE c< < 1.50
To be found at the Striped Prairie Squirrel (Spermo-
’ phiius tridecem-lineatus), Kan. 1.25
t al ISPOR fore Senora Ground Squirrel (Spermo-
Al Ir D philus spilosoma)............. 1.50
Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicia-
— oh ——— LIS!) ea ey etenretie veins sacs 3.00
Woodchuck (Arctomys monax), R.
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS pepe ak OME Sey 2.00 to 2.50
7 Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Ordii),
Riativerateeyoleiatetsvotensteteics)-) ia ¥e tharetae 2.00
PROVIDENCE, RB. I. —(Thomomys talpoides).......... 1.50
SSS SSS — (Perognathus fasciatus), Kan....1.50
| — (Perognathus penicillatus), Cal..1.50
MAMMALS. White-footed Meadow Mouse (Hes-
Bat ae ee meO papistrellus), Eu- peromys leucopus), R. I........ 15
EP Na ei etareleincecetainiaje/d'eiiniava sates $ $1.00 | Meadow Mouse (Arvicola riparia),
Bat (Wesper tilio murianus) Eu- aM retayavatetateis tel etocnctersteraeiave <haftewee 1.00
Meeetate lates sekeleleiors shove:cleyaveiors ie ave 1.00 | Mus agrarius, Europe.............. mr (3)
Red. “Bat aalaphe nove boracen- Red-backed Mouse (Evotomys ruti-
RS MLUsee eletacie'sis s clalole wisie viv ere le's .60 LusiPapperi)) Massie sens comes 15
Silver-haired Bat (Vesperngo noc- Jumping Mouse (Jaculus hudson-
ITEC) 1S ol Loge pe pecepO One. By (3) TUS) pokes, Memes = so vepsteneyeics a austere vase ateners 1.25
Carolina Bat (Vesperngo fuscus), Muskrat (Fiber zibethicus), R. I.,
Vee erteletsieictcis. signs onic cs 'eces o,0.08 A (3) WATS Srapece sis 2c; srtistoe els ovals ayo are lacabarets 1.00
Shrew (Blarina brevicauda)........ .75 | Northern Hare, (Lepus A meri-
Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cris- White Rabbit, canus), Me...1.75 to 2.00
DUD) bt OB oGGG 00D oRRanD CAREC 1.25.! Jack Rabbit (Lepus callotis), Minn.3.00 to 4.00
American Wild Cat (Lynx rufus).. 6.00 to 9.00 | Gray Rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus)... 1.50
American Fox (Vulpes fulvus), R. I. 5.00 to 8.00 | Prairie Hare (Lepus campestris)... 3.00
Wolf Coyote (Canis latrans)...... 9,00
Grey ron Vulpes (urocyon) Virgin- TURTLES.
ip CO boh es coucesoraceaare 7.00 | Gopher (Xerobates Carolina), Fla.. 3.00
Otter (Lutra Canadensis), Fla., R. I.10.00 to 12.00 | Box Tortoise (Cistudo Carolina),
Mink (Putorius vison), Dak., R. I.. 3.00 to 6.00 Rev lig IAS sriates. ie lores of a clkeeiale 1.50
Common Weasel (Putorius nove Speckled Terrapin (Nanemys gut-
SOTAGEDRIG) hee lee choc sie cake ietee 1.00 to 1.50 Gaital) solver Dict hectares race oferets 1.00
Ermine Weasel (Putorius erminea), ae Terrapin(Chrysemys picta),
IR, - locicc 66 CO COO R COE IEEoe 2.50 RR licvlotne cus oie eva tratvalerasracie she, aveceete 1.00
Bridled Weasel (Putorius frena- ete Terrapin (Glyptemeys in-
HUES) pe All raiayaciafalarctale axcrerstels c se csis 2.50 SCULP UD) sa atstarare ssezarete oes arolehte 1.00
Pine Martin (Mustela Americana), Shappiie Turtle (Chelydra serpen-
= Seer CS aa 3.00 GU) pe a, Deeryereisisjste » hcieitoncrererestore 2.00 to 4.00
merican Badger (Taxidea Ameri-
ae 5.00 to7.00 + SCHOOL COLLECTIONS OF
Skunk (Mephitis mephitica), Wis.. 3.00 to 6.00 BIRDS.
Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Vt....... 5.00 to 8.00 | Gollection No. 1 contains 50 Birds,
Harp Sealyoung (Phoca Gronlan- representing 20 different families. 25.00
ee ed 4.00 to 6.00 Collection No.2 9 contains 100 Birds,
Opossum (Didelphys Virginiana) representing 40 different families. 50.00
pica Ss Sica eC baaae Powe aes ane 4.00 These birds are in the form known as skins,
Gray Squirrel(Sciurus Carolinensis), which is the most convenient shape for handling
R. 1, te Fla......-. OO a macs 1.00 | and study. All will be correctly labeled with
en 150 | Doth scientific and common names.
Gray Squirrel (Sciurus fossor), Cal. 1.50 SCHOOL COLLECTION OF
Abert’s Squirrel (Sciurus aberti), MINERALS.
Die mOlAC Kea VaTsserreciccre s+ sa. 2.50 | E
Fox Squirrel (Sciurus ludovicianus), | Two hundred minerals and rocks, labeled
Miyake ee ee... 1.50 to 2.00 | and arranged in trays, and representing all the
Red Squirrel (Sciurus hudsonius), | prominent species in systematic mineralogy.
ere Might ean... 15 100.00
ye erenys volucel- AMATEUR’S COLLECTION.
i) penne isretatalertalertereietarcteiclaie sis «+ : : 2
Peek or striped Squirrel (Ta- tp 2 125 minerals and rocks in trays and labeled.
mias striatus), R. I., Mich..... .60 to .75 $50.00
Say’s Chipmunk (Tamias lateralis), 20 good minerals, named, but of small size, by
Gola. 2.3 Reece ose: © a eaiess AEDs Mail. VCO PAL ct alelaas scie-o.c4 ss ov aLehoeemae $1.00

xvi

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ditional Lists will be issued by supplements.

14a

SUPPLEMENT TO
* NEW PRICE-&IST OF E:GGS. *

Our New Price-List (of Eggs only) has just been issued, and annuls all former quota-
tions. It contains only such species as we feel confident of always having in stock. Ad-

Price per Egg. Price per Egg.
. Bendire’s Thrasher; single...........-...-$2 00 231a. Mountain Song Sparrow; set of 3........ ee all)
Curved-billed Thrasher; nest and4eggs.. 60/240. Cafion Towhee; set of 3..........eeseeee> 50
. Palmer’s Thrasher; single and sets of 2, 3, 253. Black-faced Seedeater ; single and nest
RINGS Heemereeierstetetele eis sisis eictetetate elele/elcterere 2 00 ANG!) s/s cece ctetsloleres Bieere ie eal eto
Rufous-vented Thrasher; set of 3......... 2 00| 256. Lark Bunting; single and set of 4...++--- 75
Rocky Mountain Bluebird; single and sets 275, Great-tailed Grackle; set of 4...+.--++++: 75
OLA AN GRIRAEE eee es asia le kins Sere el bets 35 | 330. Vermilion Flycatcher;singleand nest and 3. 2 00
Townsend’s Solitaire; single.............. 1 50| 363. Texan Sapsucker; single and set of 3....- 1 25
Tufted Titmouse; single.................- 1 25 | 374. Gila Woodpecker; single and set of 4..... 2 00
. Oregon Chickadee; set of 6.......,...-..- 50| 379. Malherbe’s Woodpecker; sets of 2 and 4.. 2 50
Yellow-headed Titmouse; single and set of é 411. Whitney’s Pigmy Owl; single and sets of 2
Sis o Raa AMtoresIe Te ete erovertie os violays eetvise aye.suess 5 BVA 's coin vic olelalnie clos cs clolcisiuiv s/elelsielelaisiten
Brown-headed Nuthatch; single and set 474. Willow Ptarmigan; single....... Remo cin al
Ot Bosco soos aang snbocqenseu osuoSudeoDed 50 | 475a. Greenland Ptarmigan; single......--.+-+ -- 3 00°
Short-billed Marsh Wren; single and set 496. White-crowned Night Heron; single and
OliGriaeiete eeraets Bisge aye hyelatetetore lotete ietecretots 75 BOb OF 4. occ. caus sce cisteleeetboseclssce . 200
American Titlark; nest and 5 eggs......... 2 00| 521. Snowy Plover; single.........-.-.+« Hao 2)
Lucy’s Warbler; single and set of 4....... 250 543. Marbled Godwit; single and set of 4...... 2 50
Black-throated Green Warbler; nest and 547. Green Shank; set of 4.....eesseeees seielets SONOD
MQ GOsemeobt ee ata eie-qiats Cleies ase ieecaree 1 00 | 567, Black-necked Stilt; single and set of 4.... 1 00
Small-billed Water Thrush; nest and4eggs 1 25 | 612. Green-winged Teal; single.......-----»-. 50
Violet-green Swallow; set of 4............. 1 00 | 620. American Golden-eye; single......-.+---- 1 25
Cassin’s Purple Finch; set of 4..... .. ... 60 | 639. Frigate Pelican; single...........++-+ --. 3 00
Brewer’s Sparrow; single and nest and 3... 35 | 672. Herrmann’s Gull; set of 3........ cc eicie ei oO
Oregon Snowbird; single...............06- 1 00/702. Yellow-nosed Albatross; single..........- 5 00
Gray-headed Snowbird; set of 4........... 1.50| 712. Dusky Shearwater; sets of 1........++-+ -- 400
Black-throated Sparrow; single........... 1 50| 745. Tufted Puffin; single....... Rielsictevoteste OG eA!)
ALASKAN EGGS,
COLLECTED “BY MR: EDW:ARD W. NELSORE
AND CONSIGNED TO US.
Price per Egg. Price per Egg.
. White-rumped Redpoll...........seeeseee. $ 75 | 594c. Larger White-cheeked Goose........<«.... 4 00
Lapland Longspur.......... aietorelenisictericteterers 80 | 598. Emperor Go0se......-esceesceecceseceee .- 450
SWWillll vy as ak tea rasta leizioie' ciele ssetaleleieiolelei ots ciel 1125 | (605. Pin tal nek erelesieies-!slele's/e1s icidictetaetoteie clateie me
Baird’s Sandpiper........... ieletoteteleieleliete - 2 00| 614. Scaup Duck...... sagnga0008 weleleicleteiere ‘ewe? MOD
. Western Sandpiper........ Wanhooccausoe . 2 00| 623. Long-tailed Duck......... sooaseo0eonoe eect 40
Red *Phalarope. i... ....cc.se aicletsie els cievonets 2 00) 630. American Scoter........:seeers. Foca sea 200
INOrtHesnis HMA TOPE sec cls/e'eleitieleleisielelalcs's!6l-te 60 | 660. Glaucous Gull........-..ese0. Saocdwobor eiefe OD
Little Crane .......... pistelnteielteieeleleiets sicistets 4 00| 687. Arctic Tern....... Sofetetejsfatcrolere die!s sl ejereisieloioeh Mee
WiHISbL Io oma etetersteie elas 's.s slo uieteteteielerelelels -- 400) 739. Pacific Diver........0..s00 aeteiclel sterols Sis elele ROO
. American White-fronted Goose..........- 250) 748. CrestedeAuk. 6.20. 0. ccencece oferspoterenetetete 4 00
« Hutchins’ Goose... .....<... aietoenfermosee . 3°00 | 750: ° Teast) Atakann... .. end DIOWN.s «tees eneleis 2 50

SOUTHWICK .& 3BAICKS:
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

THE NEW PRICE-LIST OF EGGS WILL BE SENT ON APPLICATION.

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

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
PROVIDENCE, R. I.

Xviii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

——
ON wr USE we

Prof. Horsford’s Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, potash and iron, with phosphoric acid in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system.

As Food for an Exhausted Brain, In Liver and Kidney Troubles, In Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation, In Seasickness and Sick Headache,
In Inebriety, Despondency, and Cases of Impaired Nerve
Function, it has become a necessity in a large number
of households throughout the world, and is

UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED AND PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIANS OF ALL SCHOOLS.

It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. Its action will harmonize with such
stimulants as are necessary to take. Kt makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only,
aud is Invigorating, Strengthening, Mealthful, Refreshing.

Prices Reasonable. Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

Rumford Chemical Works, 7 FroMpene R. [.
———)S"BEWARE OF IMITATIONS..2¢—— ———

DAVIE’S EGG CHECK-LIST TRAYS.
—OoFr— No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
: . size just equa] one of the next. They are the best pos-
IN orth American Birds. sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.
Giving Accurate Descriptions of the Color and Size of SERVES Dag 20/9 SVE DAL. :
the Eggs and Locations of the Nests of the Land and | 2 x 116x34, per dozen. . LOeperntO0ssas Aap ics o.. leh

Water Birds of North America. 3 x 2x%, =) ele oe 8 aiais arses ae TR
ary Ae Bxage oa) SES Re aan Hie Uy ea 85
PRICE, 60 CTSs., PREPAID. (sp. ei: 5pm emme the Fes Se IES Se ides snanpeedoeee 1.00

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS, Providence,R.T. 22s oz,more of one size at one hundred rate. ‘They

BIRDS.—Contains the entire nomenclature North American Birds, and Price-List of skins,
eggs, insects, and supplies, with instructions for preparing skins and eggs. Price, 20 ets.

MINERALS. — Gives Dana’s species number, localities, and valuations, - - = Ghee

SHELLS. — Contains a very full list of prominent species, with authorities and
synonyms. Also habitat and valuation, - - - - - =» LOS:
The three Catalogues for - - - = - - - = 26 8s

SAMPLE PAGES ON APPLICATION.

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

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO US FOR IT.

Ves

Random Aloles on Uatural History.

Vol. IT.

PROVIDENCE, MAY 1, 1885.

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

Random Hotes on Iaturat 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 communications to
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.1., U.S. A.

A Collecting Trip to Cape Cod.

(Continued.)

vd As soon as the boat was in the water I was
m

aking for those birds for all I was worth,
and in a few moments a pair of Northern
Phalaopes lay upon the water about forty
yards apart. While picking them up, the
boat drifted by the swiftly incoming tide,
was several hundred yards from sere it
started, and after beaching it at the nearest

point I hastened to my companion, whom I |
dispatched for the two lads who rowed for .

us, while I put cotton in the mouths of the
birds we had taken and did each up in a
paper. The boys were loth to leave their
decoys to hunt the new birds, even when
we offered them five cents each for every
bird that was killed, no matter who killed it.
The boys did not pull very energetically
until a flock of thirty or forty were sighted,
when they partook of some of our enthus-
iasm. This flock was moving against the
tide with the same playful motions, those
in the rear flying over and dropping in the
water in front of the others, and in this way
about one quarter of them were in motion
all the time.

Our lads succeeded in pulling alongside
at a distance not to scare them, and, getting
ahead, we paused broadside directly in
their course. On they came, entirely un-
conscious of danger, and our fire killed
and wounded seven or eight. We drifted
nearly half a mile northward while picking
them up, and then began the hunt for them
again. This time we sighted them nearly
half a mile south of where they were previ-
ously, but, though the lads pulled hard,
they were unable to get in front of them

| the boys earned $1.85 each,

No. 5.
again, or even within gunshot trom the
side. Over and over one another they

went, keeping the same distance ahead and
to one side, until, reaching the narrows,
they wheeled, and flew away to the north,
farther than we could keep our eyes upon
them.

We put about and met them coming, as
before, and secured a couple, after a hard
pull. Repeating this a few times more,
with poor success, we found the flock had
separated into smaller ones and pairs, and
we had little trouble in securing them.
They were now resting or swimming, and
not constantly leaving the water. One
buneh of nine was all cleaned up with our
four barrels. In less than three hours’ time
and had a
very good opinion of Phalarope hunting.

The next day, at flood tide, we found
another flock of considerable size on the
flats and succeeded in getting sixteen more.
This flock was about the inlet, and we fol-
lowed them as far to the ocean as it was
safe for a dory to go. We now saw where

| we had been on the Monday night previous,
| actually into the edge of the breakers.

The female Northern Phalarope is much
handsomer than the male, and though not

| able to equal the Wilson’s in beauty, yet in

spring dress it is one of the very handsom-
est of our shore birds. These Phalaropes
are known to fishermen as ‘‘ whale birds,”

and are usually to be met with off shore,
and probably not within several miles of

| the land.*

After the Phalaropes had gone upon the
ocean we set out our decoys and secured a

' fine lot of Red-breasted Sandpipers, Turn-
| stones, and Sanderlings.

We saw flocks of
Black-bellied Plover, but could not decoy

| them, as they are very shy and difficult to
obtain in the spring, and if one individual
| is among a flock of other birds, it leads and

' usually keeps them out of danger.

Arctic and Wilson’s Terns were abundant,

* Mr. Dutcher, in the January, ’84, Auk, writes of the
abundance of this bird at Long Island during the
same two days that I met them.

34

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

but each seemed to keep in flocks by them-_

selves. But one Roseate Tern was obtained.
A few pairs of Least Terns breed on the
sand bar. They seemed to be mating, for
they were flying in pairs at a height of 100
yards from the ground, one chasing the
other almost constantly. One Greater
Yellow-leg and a single pair of Red-breasted
Snipe were observed. A flock of about
thirty Bonaparte’s Gulls, all in the young
plumage, would fly about and very near us,
seeming less shy than any of the Terns.
We obtained from a boy one set of Piping
Plover’s eggs just before our departure on
the 29th, and when we left nearly all the

migrants had passed, except Sanderlings.
= = } 4, MA,

May Insects.

In this month the hibernated legion is
warmed to new life, and the number of spe-
cies occurring is too great to warrant special
indication. The large tiger swallow-tail
(Papilio turnus) darts swiftly about, while a
lot of humbler butterflies are seen. Those
gigantic beauties of the night, the Cecropia
moth (Platysamia cecropia) and the Poly-
phemus moth (Telea polyphemus), are seen
hanging listless as they just issue from their
cocoons, or pass bat-like at dusk overhead.

Some of the hawk-moths (Sphingidae) al-

ready begin to hover at twilight over honey- |
moth

yielding flowers. The carpenter
(Xyleutes robiniae) will be found early in

the morning. resting on the trunk of the black |
locust, from which the empty pupal exuvium |

sticks out asanindex. A host of Hymenop-
tera make their advent ; and noticeably the
gigantic saw-fly (Cimbex americana) will be
found ovipositing in willow leaves, and the

pigeon Tremex (Tremex columba) in old

maple trunks. The buffalo-gnat (Simulium)
swarms in the lower Mississippicountry. The
fruit-grower finds the plum curculio (Cono-
trachelus nenuphar) making its dreaded cres-
cent-mark on his fruit, and the canker-worms
blighting his apple-trees. The housekeeper
observes with dread the various clothes-moths
(Tinea) and the carpet-beetle (Anthrenus
scrophulariae) .
month is chiefly characterized, first, by hosts
of delicate May-flies( Ephemeridae) ; second,
by the swarms of May-beetles (Lachnos-
terna fusca), which begin to defoliate oak-
groves and poplar trees.—Science Almanac.

But the latter part of the |

In reply toa letter concerning the breed- —
_ ing habits of White-bellied and Violet-green
Swallows, Mr. R. P. Chandler writes: ‘* The
White-bellied Swallow nests in dead limbs of
trees and old nest-holes of woodpeckers,
and lines the nest with feathers. It has
a strange habit of flying around with sharp
turns whenever the nest is disturbed, and if
a feather is tossed from the nest into the air
it will invariably dart after it, and catch-
ing it in its mouth will return with it at
once, and without regard to the collector
replace the feather in the nest. I have
known of a number, and have taken three
myself by placing my hand over the hole
after the swallow had entered. ‘The Violet-
green Swallow, while nesting in similar situ-
ations, is very shy, and also does not build
to any extent in the valley, being found only
(to my knowledge) in or near the moun-
tains.”

Correction. — In our issue of last March,
in an article by Mr. E. J. Smith on the color
of birds’ eyes, Pileolated W oodpecker should
read pileated; Guiard’s Jay, Guiana Jay,
_ and the plumage of the Avocet should read
fall instead of full plumage.

Pe Common Cormorants IN RHODE ISLAND.
—A fine specimen of this bird in full
breeding plumage was sent to us from New-
port, R. I., March 27, and another was re-
ceived which was killed at Nayatt Point April
10. These are the first specimens taken in
this state that have come under our observa-
tion.

_/~More Hawk Ow zs. — One taxidermist
reports receiving eighty and another twenty
Hawk Owls during the past season. A re-
markable fact concerning this bird is that
while it visited our three northern states and
New Brunswick by the hundreds, to our
knowledge not a single specimen has been
taken as far south as Massachusetts.

* Mr. H. C. Cuamptin writes us that he has
‘received a partially Albino Robin. The fol-
lowing day we received a similar specimen
from Washington Territory. Among our
birds the American Robin, or migratory
thrush, is oftener than any other species
found in an albinistic form. During the
past nine years we have owned six fine
specimens, one of which, a pure white, is
~ now in the collection of Mr. F. T. Jencks.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

35

The Rodentia of Rhode Island.
(Continued. )

Tue FLYING SQUIRREL (SCIUROPTERUS
VoOLUCELLA), (PALLAS), GEOFFREY.
Tue nocturnal habits of this beautiful

species render an estimate as toits abundance |
The specimens that have |

rather difficult.
come to our notice have been obtained in
Cranston, Johnston, West Greenwich, and
Bristol, and it is probable thatit is by no
means scarce.

The hours of daylight are usually spent in
sleep, in hollow trees, often in old nest-holes
of woodpeckers, where are born from four
to six naked young. April 16, 1884, Mr.
Charles Doe found a nest lined with soft hair,
like that of a rabbit, with four young, esti-
mated to be only a few days old. It was situ-
ated about five feet from the ground, in an

- old stump so much decayed that it was easily

tumbled over and broken in pieces. The
mother ran a little distance and stopped, and
when pursued made little more exertion than
was necessary to keep out of reach, seem-
ing with a method to entice the intruder
away from her home. Early in May Mr.
Doe found another nest, fifteen feet from
the ground, in a maple, and an interesting
incident in connection was the fact that in
a tree only six feet away was a Red-should-
ered Hawk’s nest, from which four eggs
were taken.

Late in April, 1883, a female was brought
to us, and shortly after, four young were
born. We fed the family on nuts and fruit ;

they grew rapidly, and by the middle of

July were well furred and nearly as large
as the mother. They were charming pets.

According to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, they
maintain a liberal diet of nuts, seeds and
buds, beetles and perhaps other insects, and
do not hesitate to eat flesh, in confinement
eating birds’ eggs and dead birds, the heads
of which they particularly relish.

The mature animal is about six inches
long, the tail five inches; the fur is very
plentiful and silky ; all the upper parts are
dark gray, washed over with brown; all the

either side of the body grows out, present-
ing, when the limbs are extended, a flat
surface from the wrist to the ankle. By
means of this development it is able to
make, with no apparent effort, most astonish-
ing flights or leaps from the tops of tall trees.
As Audubon says, “One would be seen
darting from the topmost branches, and
with wide extended membranes and out-
spread tail, gliding diagonally through the
air, till it reaches the foot of a tree about
fifty yards off, when at the moment we ex-
pected to see it strike the earth it suddenly
turned upward and alighted on the body of
the tree.”

In the Rhode Isiand State collection, now
at New Orleans, is an albino specimen, re-
ported as captured in Johnston. The entire
pellage is a smoky white.

We have never known of a capture dur-
ing the winter months, nor of the taking of
a specimen of the larger species, the North-
ern Flying Squirrel (Sciwropterus volucella
hudsonius) (Gmelin) Allen. The probabil-
| ities are that it does not occur with us. S.

A Seasonable Diet.

MERGANSER GoosaNDER Fisn Duck. —
This bird is perhaps the greatest fish mur-
derer extant. Much has been said about
the Mink,Otter, Herons, Loons, and Cormor-
ants as fish destroyers, but in many years
of experience in preparing specimens I have
never before found such a gorge in any of
them, and think they are respectable deni-
zens compared to our present subject, which
was recently killed at Lake Ontario. I re-
moved 127 fish from its throat, ranging
from one and a quarter to three and a half
inches in length, and consisting of full-
grown minnows, young bass, and others.
Whether these were intended for a meal
or a lunch only, is hard to determine.
The bird evidently was observing Lent with
some relish. THos. W. FRAINF.

Rocuester, N. Y., March 26.

Yo Messrs. Dickry & ALLEN write: ‘‘ The

under parts a glistening white, often with a, iris of the Snowy Owl is straw, of the Sharp-

creamy tint; the tail is flat, very closely

furred, and usually carried out behind in a |

graceful curve, or allowed to drop below the
body. The large and prominent eyes
are a most notable feature; the skin on

shinned Hawk red, as observed from living

specimens. The White Owl was sent from
Dakota. We have given him a very large

cage. He takes his beefsteak regularly and
is not averse to eating roast or stewed beef.

36 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
No. IE. .
QUERCUS. OBTUSILOBA — Micueravx.
(QUERCUS STELLATA — Willdenow.
Post Oak —Rough or Box Oak.

The Q. obtusiloba is not a common tree
in Rhode Island. ‘There is but one locality
in the state, Known to the writer, where it
is found, and that is in the vicinity of the
northern bend of Wickford harbor, in North
Kingstown. About three miles from Davis-
ville station, on the Stonington railroad,
less than a mile from ‘* Devil’s Foot Rock,”
south, and near to, the ‘‘ Driftway” road
leading to the residence of Hon. Joseph
Spink, is an interesting group of this
species of oaks. They grow upon some
ridges of drift or coarse gravel, which slope
to, and join, low marshy ground extending
to a spur of the harbor. I have been
unable to find record of this tree growing
upon any other spot so far north as this.
Micheaux speaks of it asa notable fact that
he found the tree on the west bank of the
Hudson opposite New York ; and attributes
its occurrence at this point to the softening
influence of the sea breezes. At Oak Bluffs,
Martha’s Vineyard, are found many trees
of this species, forming, near the shore, a
characteristic and attractive feature of the
scenery there. ‘The existence of these trees
at the Wickford locality is one of several facts

connected with the ligneous growth of the |

state, going to show that in Rhode Island
the distinctive floras of the northern and
central sections of the country to a consid-
erable extent meet and mingle with each
other.

This tree, when well developed, is one of
very marked characteristics. In open
ground, it forms a low, orbicular head of
remarkable density. The branchlets and
leaves lap over each other in such a manner
as to suggest a thatched roof, and standing
beneath it one could hardly catch the sun-
light. The tree limbs very low, the
branches striking out at first at right
angles, ,ater, bending downward, and, gen-
erally, much contorted. The leaves have
strikingly notable features. They are cori-
aceous, stiff, dark-green, and very rough on

the upper surface; on the lower, whitish,
softer and downy. They are on short,
stiff, footstalks, and are so arranged at the
ends of the branchlets, in close-set, stel-
lated tufts, as to suggest the term, ‘* stel-
lata.” The typical leaf has a deep sinus on
each side, about one-third from the base,
the upper portion being divided into three
divergent lobes, which are often subdivided.
The buds are short, thick, and rounded,
but not large. The acorns are small,
nearly sessile, in a broad cup, covered by
numerous smooth, close scales. ‘They are
sweet and edible, neat and attractive. This
oak belongs to the annual-fruited section,
and is closely allied with the Q. alba. ‘The
bark is grayish-white, rough, deeply fur-
rowed, and broken into oblong portions.
The wood is highly esteemed for timber,
having most of the valuable characteristics
of the Q. alba, or white oak. This tree

grows well on a light, sandy, or gravelly —

soil, and would probably do so in sheltered
places anywhere in Rhode Island. It
should be stated that different specimens of
the Wickford group of these trees vary so
much in essential points as to furnish relia-
ble evidence of their hybridizing with other
species of oaks.

Lecture by D. W. Hoyt, on Soundings in
and Around Narragansett Bay.

Tue twelfth and closing lecture in the
Franklin Society course was delivered by
Mr. David W. Hoyt, vice-president of the
society. His subject ‘Studies of
Soundings in and Around Narragansett
Bay.” It was illustrated by maps and
diagrams.

After alluding generally to the results of
deep-sea soundings, Mr. Hoyt directed the
attention of his hearers to a colored map of
Narragansett Bay, one color representing
the water that is between fifty and one
hundred feet deep at the present time, and
another color representing the water that
is more than one hundred feet deep. He
then showed what would be the outline of
the coast if the continent were raised fifty

Was

—" piles, 4 ba r
ee ee ee.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

feet. In this case every island in the bay
would disappear, all of the islands being
merged with the main land.

Of the bay, |

only a small river would remain, running |

from northeast to southwest. This river
would be generally half a mile wide, and in
no place more than two miles wide. If the
continent were raised one hundred feet, all
that would be left of Narragansett Bay
would be a little patch of water, which
would be out some distance in the present
Atlantic. This bay that would remain
would be very shallow, and about nine
miles long and seven miles wide. Long
Island Sound would become a small bay,
Block Island and Long Island would be

37

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NumsBer VIII.

3. Ophibolusdoliatus var. triangulus Core.
The Milk Snake, or Chequered Adder, was
undoubtedly at one time quite abundant.
though its fearlessness in approaching ccl-
lars and other frequented places while in
search of mice has so often resulted in its
death that the species is now becoming
quite rare. Itis a most beautiful animal,

of a milk-color above and ornamented with

|

one, but Block Island and Martha’s Vine- |

yard would not be one.

All the islands in |

this locality would become parts of the |

main land. Buzzard’s Bay would disap-
pear. If the continent were raised 200:

feet, all that would be left of Long Island |

Sound would be two little lakes, all the
shoals fifty-five miles southeast of Nan-
tucket would become part of the dry land,
and Cape Cod would become extended
north to the latitude of Boston. All the
water thirty-four miles south of Beaver
Tail would disappear. Narragansett Bay
would be a deep-seated feature of the
earth’s surface, many miles south of its
present location. The lecturer then went
on and explained in detail the wearing
away of the coast to its present form, the
glacial theory, with which scientists are fa-

_ its new surroundings.

miliar, and the new theory of the school of |

younger scientists, who maintained that
the earth is rigid, and that the changes on
its surface have been caused by the rise and
fall of the water. The theory is propounded
to account for the change of level that at
one pole or the other, great accumulations
of ice changed the centre of the earth’s
gravity, which drew towards themselves the
water, and the water being thus drawn
towards the ice, changed the level. There
is no question that the unglaciated pole
would have its water lowered. To the lec-
turer this theory commended itself in pref-
erence to the one that has previously pre-
vailed. In the course of his remarks the
lecturer said that Narragansett Bay was
not caused by glacial action. It runs back
farther than that, although it was doubtless
in some respects modified by such action.

a dorsal row of brown blotches and two
lateral rows of spots of a similar color.
The abdomen is silvery-white, tessellated
with black. The general outline of the
body is slender, the reptile sometimes
reaches the length of four feet.

4. Diadophis punctatus Baitrp and
GirarD (Coluber punctatus Lixne). This
bright-colored little fellow, the Ring-necked
Snake, is quite abundant in certain portions
of the State, and is at once distinguished by
its white collar and black tie, dark green
back and bright orange-yellow front, the
ventral scutes often bearing one or more
dots. In its habits the Ring-Snake is a
most timid animal, spending much of its
time hid beneath the bark of old logs or
under stones. From its beautiful coloring
and pleasing habits this form is often made
a pet of, and soon becomes accustomed to
Its food consists of
grasshoppers and other insects, to capture
which it is often seen, especially after
showers, some distance from its place of
concealment.

5. Cyclophis vernalis Gunter. The Green
Snake is a most gentle and _ harmless
ophidian, allowing itself to be handled in
the roughest way without offering the least
opposition. Specimens are often captured
and made pets of, living in confinement for
considerable periods of time. In nature
they are found in the moist meadow-lands,
where they are concealed by their protective
color, and where they find an abundance of
insect life well suited for their food. The
Green Snake is not alone found on the
ground, however, but is an active climber,
and may not infrequently be seen entwined
among the branches of bushes and low

| trees.

38
6, 7. Elaphis guttatus var. vulpinus
Garman (Scotophis vulpinus B. and G.).

This form, the Fox Snake, has not been
recorded in Rhode Island, nor has its con-
gener, the Alleghany Black Snake Elaphis
alleghaniensis. This latter form has re-
ceived considerable attention from its dis-
tribution. It was first detected in New
England along the Connecticut Valley,
where it attracted attention as a black
snake having the scales keeled, the ordi-
nary Coluber constrictor having the scales
smooth. Both representatives of Elaphis
have been captured in Massachusetts.

8. Coluber constrictor "AINNE, or the
Black Snake, is too well known to need
specific description. Itis found all over the
Eastern United States, ranging from Nova
Scotia to Texas, and most often found in the
neighborhood of water, being particularly
partial to thickets of alders, where it can
tind toads, mice, and birds. As it is an
excellent climber, it is often seen among
the branches of small trees and bushes,
hunting for young birds “in the nest.”
While on these plundering expeditions the
reptile is often followed by a troop of small

birds in the greatest flutter of excitement.
' The Black Snake does not always remain in
unfrequented localities, however, but is
often surprised in old fields, by the road-
side, and will even enter barns and seize
chickens. At these times the rapidity with
which it retreats on being disturbed has
given the animal the name of “ Racer.” As
long as retreat is offered there is no resist-
ance, though if cornered, or during the
breeding season, the usual mild temper gives
place to a most irascible disposition, which
is very characteristic of the animal when
in confinement, as it is always quarreling
and biting its fellow-prisoners as° often as
the opportunity presents itself. That he
is a constricting,snake, as the name would
imply, is extremely doubtful, as no repre-
sentative has ever been observed to kill its

prey by pressure of the encircled folds of

the body.

The young of this species are peculiar ;
instead of being black as the parent, they
are an olivaceous color, ornamented with a
dorsal series of dark-edged brown pots,
with lateral rows of spots of still darker
shade. The head is dark chestnut mottled
with brown.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CuHaprer XVI.

Famity 33. Pyramidellide, Gray.
represented in New England.

Fami.y 34. . Littorinidz, Troschel, con-
sists of eight living and two fossil genera.
The littorinas or periwinkles are mostly lit-
toral shells, feeding upon sea-weed, and
are found on the sea-shore in all parts of
the world. Two genera, Littorina and
Lacuna, are found in Rhode Island.

Not

Genus Lirrorina, FERUSSAC.

Distribution, 175 species, four of which
inhabit Rhode Island. Shell turbinated,
thick, pointed, few whorled; aperture
rounded, outer lip acute, columella - flat-
tened, imperforate ; operculum pancispiral.
Animal edible.

43. lLyirroRINA PALLIATA, SAY.

Shell globular, solid, smooth and shining,
color extremely variable, from pure white,
through yellow, orange, reddish, slate and
brown to nearly black ; sometimes banded,
striped or spotted with light and dark
shades, but generally of some uniform color ;
whorls four, the body whorl very large, the
others small and scarcely rising above it ;
spire depressed ; apex obtuse ; suture very
faintly marked; aperture nearly circular ;
outer lip beveled within to a point, inner
lip broadly flattened, white. This shell
rejoices in some eight or more synonyms.
It was described by Say, Journ. Ac. Nat.
Sct., Phila., u., 240, 1822, under the name
of Turbo palliatus, and has been found
from New Jersey to the Arctic Ocean;
Greenland, Spitzbergen, Finmark and Nor-
way, also in the British Isles. In Europe,
it is known under several names, by au-
thors who do not recognize Say as its dis-
coverer. Gould gives its length as eight-
tenths of an inch, breadth, nine-tenths.
There can be no locality where they are
more abundant than in Rhode Island, but
they never grow here to near the size men-
tioned. They are found at Rocky Point
abundantly, and in all other places in our
bay where there are rocks, feeding upon
the rockweed. ‘They are equally abundant

on the ocean rocks at Newport, and far

up the river where the water is only slightly

salt.
44.

This shell has more than twenty different
names. It is very variable in size, shape,

Lirrorina RuDIS, Donovan, 1800.

etc., and these varieties have been named |

over and over again by different authors.
It inhabits from Long Island to the Arctic
Ocean; Greenland, Iceland, and Europe,
and as far south as Spain. The English
shells are much larger and more solid than

the American, but a variety found there, | bridge, or on rocks, or exposed to the surf

and called Littorina patula, Jeffries, almost
exactly resembles our Rhode Island species.

Gould gives its length as one-half inch,

breadth, two-fifths ; but in this little state
shells do not seem to attain the size of
those in Massachusetts; at least, some
species do not.

This species is found in company with
the preceding, on rocks, but generally much
higher. They are the first shells to be
uncovered by the tide, and are often to be
found above high-water mark, where they
are only occasionally reached by the spray.
They frequent old wharves, and are found
more plentifully on small stones than palli-
ata, which prefers rocks.

The principal distinguishing character-
istics of rudis and palliata are as follows:
Rudis has an elevated spire, with a distinct
sutural line ; palliata,as described above, is
precisely opposite; the surface of rudis is
covered with conspicuously cut revolving
lines ; palliata is smooth and shining; the
lip in rudis is compressed in front so as to
form an angle; in palliata it is nearly
round, and the color of the shell is gen-
erally of a uniform ashy gray, or slightly
yellowish or olive, although sometimes
banded with white, but does not exhibit the
variety of colors. of palliata. There are
several other minor points of difference,
but these will sufficiently distinguish the
species.

45. Lirrorina TENEBROSA, MONTAGUE.

Prof. A. E. Verrill, in Invertebrate Ani-
mals of Vineyard Sound, page 357, 1874,
considers this species only a variety of
rudis, but most authors will not indorse this
opinion, and, I think, although it resembles
rudis very much, its habitat and a close
examination of the shell and animal will

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Jind of locality.

39

prove its non-identity. The three species,
palliata, rudis, and tenebrosa, inhabit the
same extended range, but not the same
It is found in salt
marshes, on stems of grass and on mud.
When the tide comes in it tries to avoid it
by climbing up the stems of the grass, and
as the tide retires it crawls downward. It
observes the same peculiarity of habit when
found, as it sometimes is, upon wharves
and bridges where the water is sluggish. It
would not be found where the current is
strong, as under India Point or Red

of the open ocean. It is covered by the
salt water but a very brief period during
the day, and can live out of the water sev-
eral days. The animal has a dark, olive
head ; that of palliatais orange. The shell
is about the size of Littorinarudis, with a
spire not so elevated as in rudis, but more
so than in palliata; it has five or six
whorls (one more than the other two),
marked with revolving lines, but not so
heavily as in rudis; its color is dark
brown, checkered with interrupted lines or
spots of buff color; this is the most promi-
nent characteristic; the interior of the
aperture is purplish brown, that of rudis is
brown edged with yellowish white, and that
of palliata is tinged by whatever color the
exterior happens to be.

46. LitroRina LITTOREA, LINN.

This shell is the periwinkle par excellence ;
the most abundant shell of Northern Eu-
rope, and is consumed as an article of food
in immense quantities. Two thousand tons
are annually eaten in London alone, em-
ploying a thousand people in gathering it.
In Liverpool every street corner has its
winkle stand, kept by old women, who sell
the luscious univalve, boiled and ready to
be eaten, just as we have, in their season,
baked peanuts, roasted chestnuts, etc.,
The animals are picked out with a pin, and
the shell thrown in the gutter.

In some manner, this species was intro-
duced into Halifax, N. S., where it became
naturalized, and has gradually spread down
the coast. Ina paper by the writer, read
before the Providence Franklin Society,
Noy. 21, 1871, the remark was made,
that ‘‘ this species has been found on the

(Continued on page ix.)

40

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Family.

CONCHOLOGICAL CHECK-LIST. XVII.

Helicinacea Pfr.
Sub-family. Helicinea Pfr.

Helicina striata Lam.

striatella Pot. et Mich.
striatula Sow.
subdepressa Poey.
subfusea Menke.
subglobosa Poey.
subleevigata Pfr.
submarginata Gray.
substriata Gray.
suleata Pfr.
sylvatica Orb.
tahitensis Pease.
tamsiana Pfr.
tectiformis Mouss.
tenuilabris Pfr.
tenuis Pfr.
testudinalis Mouss.
theobaldi G. Nevill.
tilei Pfr.

titanica Poey.
togatula Morel.
trochiformis Sow.
trochulina Orb.
tropica Jan.
trossula Morel.
turbinata Wem.
uberta Gould.
umbonata Shutt.
unidentata Pfr.
unifasciata Gray.
variabilis Wagn.
vernalis Morel.
versicolor Pfr.
vinosa Shutt.
viridis Lam.
vitiensis Mouss.
wrighti Pfr.
zebriolata Pfr.
zephyrina Duclos.
zoe Pfr.

Schasicheila alata Menke.

bahamensis Pfr.
minuscula Pfr.
nicoleti Shutt.
pennacea Morel.

Alcadia brownei Gray.

citrinolabris C. B. Adams.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Sub-family.
Georissa blanfordiana Stoliezka.

Family.
Ceres salleana Gray.
Proserpina bidentata C. B. Adams.

Alcadia consanguinea C. B. Adams.

dissimulans Poey.
dubiosa C. B. Adams.
gonostoma Gundlach.
gossei Pfr.

hirsuta C. B. Adams.
hispida Pfr.

hollandi C. B. Adams.
incrustata Gundlach.
macilenta C. B. Adams.
major Gray.

mamilla Weinl.
megastoma C. B. Adams.
microstoma C. B. Adams.
minima Orb.

palliata C. B. Adams.
pusilla C. B. Adams.
rubella Pfr.
solitaria C. B. Adams.
suecinea Pfr.

velutina Poey.

Phaneta everetti H. Adams.

Georissea Pfr.

fraterna Theob. et Stol.
frustillum Benson.

illex Benson.

liratula Stoliczka.
pyxis Benson.
rawesiana Benson.
sarrita Benson.

Chondrella striata Pease.

Proserpinacea Pfr.

depressa Orb.

discoidea C. B. Adams.
eolina Duclos.
globulosa Orb.
linguifera Jon.

nitida Gray.

opalina C. B. Adams.
pisum C. B. Adams.
pulchra.

swifti.

Proserpinella berendti Bland.
Cyane.

‘

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

xix

(Continued from page 39.)
coast of Maine, and perhaps before many
years will find its way into our bay, and be-
come one of our staple articles of food.”
In 1880 I noticed it at Newport, and in
1882 at Nayatt Light-house, and last
summer it was found everywhere in our
bay. It is abundant enough with us now to
feed the entire population of the state, and
no doubt, when its virtues become known,
_ will prove a very valuable and popular edi-
ble. I throw out a hint to owners of oyster-
beds, if they are troubled with an excess
of sea-weed, to gather quantities of these
shells and scatter them over the beds, [as
they live upon sea-weed and will do the
oysters no harm. ‘The shell is variable,
but is always quite solid, a little glossy,
about one inch or more in length, some-
times an inch in breadth, generally black or
brown in color, with six or seven whorls,
apex acute. and suturesimple, fine and well
marked. Gould’s Invertebrata of Mass.
has a page and a half of-description of this

species.
(To he continued. )

Ranvom Nores for January, 1885, con-
tained a list of rare eggs and skins from
Arizona; February, a long list of skins and
eggs wanted, and of what we have for ex-
change ; and April, a price-list of' mammals
and turtles, and a supplement to our new
price-list of eggs. Any of the above num-
bers, 6 cents each.

Audubon's
Birds of North America.

7 VOLUMES,

Original Octavo Hdition.

FOR SALE BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS.

WANTED, ALIVE,

Several Young of the FLYING SQUIR-
REL and the RED SQUIRREL.

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS.

|
|

PRICES FOR MOUNTING
MAMMALS.

PAUCHOPC est. sees ss $50.00
FS head with shield.. $9.00 to 10.00
PAS RUG atiats >. ce cea tsia « 4 2.00 upward.
Pintraloes 625/27: Sees 2 é 125.00
‘+ head with shield .. 35.00
aie nee cece eke oF 1.00
DPAvelwag’s s". 5% Gaeeeah ...
IEG ges Siero he . en 30.00 to 50.00
bear (erizzly)...0gys..ee: 75.00
Cat Gwild)..\. sete a 3. 7.00 to 10.00
Deere VATCINIA > kee se, 60.00 to 75.00
‘¢ head with shield...... 10.00 to 12.00
Elk head with shield ...... 20.00 to 30.900
ING» Or ae 5 a Be 8.00 to 10.00
DORs a teen 5 amar, < s: 1.25
Dy 10 GR Rake Sree 12.00
Mink: 213 25c5 + heen 4.00 to 5.00
Mole, Mice..... 1225
MUSK Rat cae ica ceeetere oot 2.00
Oni Peel aeme aes oe 10.00
IPAMGHET Rena x so eee ce sce 50.00
Rabbit (common gray) 3.50
OO oe JACK) .(, emer ten aa, Fz 5.00
e -varyine Hare: 2. . 4.00
RACEOOUN ca 2s: eee <b 8.00 to 10.00
Seals...... SSO MEE Chere care 6.00 to 12.00
Squirrels, ground. ........ 1.50
oe 520 Ae Oka LTD
By AE RN 8 a 2.00
: HONE...) SRR ts eS es 2.00
SG Katee c's (AR cca the 4.00 to 6.00
Turtles. ... 1.75 to 5.00
ad 2) Ra special prices.
Wieaseltaa. «cera es ss 2.00
WW OLE eee eee. . Ree ew so 15.00 to 25.00
WANTED.
A first-class Specimen or VOLUTA

VEXILLUM, for which a liberal price will
be paid.
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

xx

> 2. ow ae at

~— Tpoved. Arteial Glass. Eyes

For Taxidermists, Jewelers, Soap Mfrs. and Fancy Work.

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17 23 2 10 08 60

18 26 2 30 09 70

Wy 28 2 50 rn 85

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ZL 40 3 50 18 1 20

ae 50 4 50 20 1 50

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Diameter.

No.

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f=
om |
a 3 3 3 = 3 = =
oD |
s N om) (oe) 7 N oO co
s =H a co oo on) rn) NX
t~ ito) 1d = oO N re (=>) }
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Gis 2 » st ast fhe! cater <8. . » ~ » » » " ~ ~ Ss
oo ~ 7 7 ~ » - s ~ ~ ~ ’ - s ~~ - ~ “ a
[ae
ma Hin Se OD Oo fs) sH ie) ito) ~~ (o.@) es) N sH io)
mr Sam rm rm rm ae rm N N N N
mean @ dH 19 Oo te OD © m NN ine) sH itor) So ~ (oa) for)
— ae — m — = m- = re -

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A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

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XXli RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

one ons sere —— USES

Prof. Horstord’s Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
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Prices Reasonable. Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

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ye

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ee eee ee ae eee

‘

ee ee ee

Vol. II.

PROVIDENCE, JUNE 1, 1885.

No. 6.

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

Random Hotes on atural History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
FUL KNQWLEDGE CONCERNING THE VARIOUS DE-
PARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND
Bovrany. 50 Cents A YEAR.

Address all communications to
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,
258 Westminster St., Providence, R.1., U.S. A.

We desire Nos. 1 and 2, Vol. I. To
any person sending either of the above, in
good condition, we will send Ranpom Notes
for six months; or, if already a subscriber,
will add six months to his subscription.

Tue annual meeting of the Newport Nat-
ural History Society was held Thursday
evening at the Redwood Library. The
special fund deposited for the aquarium
amounts to $1,298.80. Prof. Raphael Pum-
pelly was elected president for the ensuing
year.

The report of the curator contained so
many pertinent suggestions relative to the
making of natural history collections, that
we can do no better than to print, for the
benefit of small societies, so much of it as
our space will permit After preliminary re-
marks, the curator said: ‘‘A list of the do-
nations is appended to the present report ;
and the objects themselves, it is satisfactory
to state, have during the last few days been
deposited in a room, which, after careful con-
sideration, has been rented for one year by
the society, as a central depot. This room
is in the rear of the Sanitary Association’s
office, opposite the Redwood Library, on
Bellevue Avenue; and, while singularly
modest in its dimensions, your council be-
lieve it may suffice for some time for the
purposes in view. These are to preserve
carefully the donations presented, and
to have a central point to which further con
tributions can be sent.

Referring to section V. of your by-laws, I |

beg respectfully to point out that you have
there provided that only such objects as
have a scientific value are admissible to

your museum. ‘This is a salutary provision,
without which, natural history collections
are apt to degenerate rapidly into a hetero-
genous assemblage of odds and ends, devoid
of scientific value, and elucidating no
leading features or principles.

Your avowed aim is that which should be
the guiding theory of all local museums,
namely, the formation of collections illustrat-
ing the local geology, the local fauna and
the local flora, both terrestrial and marine.
Such an aggregation of collections, when
carefully classified and named, would in
time be well worthy of aspecial building or
museum for its reception. To the man of
science it would be invaluable for reference ;
and to our teachers of youth it would be a po-
tent aid in grafting on the minds of our boys
and girls that love of natural history, which,
wherever their lots may be cast in mature
life, cannot but prove an unfailing source
of pleasure and improvement.

The second class of objects to be concen-
trated in your Newport museum of the fu-
ture, though much less important, must
not be overlooked. Specimens belonging
to any branch of natural history from other
parts of the United States, and series of ob-
jects from foreign countries, have a positive
value ; and it would be a mistake to ignore
the deep interest which the general public
take in miscellaneous objects of this char-
acter.

Section V. of your by-laws reserves space
for such; but what is respectfully and ear-
nestly contended for in this report, is the ne-
cessity of subordinating this miscellaneous
element (which can find appropriate and
full development in the general museums
of large cities like New York, Boston, or
Philadelphia) to the main object our so-
ciety should keep in view, namely, the for-

| mation of local collections.

Some practical suggestions may possibly
not be regarded as out of place from your
curator in such an initial report as the pres-
ent one. The following branches of natu-
ral history do not present much difficulty in

_ their practical investigation; many of the

42

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

members may, during the coming summer,
collect in the selected departments now
specified, namely, minerals, carboniferous
and other fossils, shells. of which one mem-
ber might undertake the littoral, a second
the fluviatile, and a third the land shells ;

insects, one undertaking the Lepidoptera, a |

second the Coleoptera, and a third the spiders
or Arachnida ; marine Algz or sea-weeds, the
collection and manipulation of which are
well suited for lady members, as their pre-
paration requires both patience and delicacy
of touch ; plants, one undertaking the grasses,
another the ferns, another the flowering
plants, and so on. Limitation to one family
of a class is a good rule for a collector, for,
if too wide a class be attempted, a partial and
imperfect list is often the result.

These seem to be the simplest methods
by which collections can be set afoot;
and afterwards brought into your deposi-
tory, where the specimens may be identified,
named, and a scientific arrangement begun.

All collectors should bear in mind to note
carefully the locality from which specimens
are obtained, with any special circumstance
bearing thereon. Insome classes of objects,
such as lithological specimens, unless details
are recorded with perfect accuracy, and
accompany the fragments of rocks, the
specimens themselves become quite worthless
for any scientific purpose.

These suggestions, admittedly imperfect
in their extent, are respectfully laid before
you, in the hope that some real out-of-door
work may be commenced by the members
this year, in the field, on the shore, and on the
surrounding waters.

Such work is in itself a reward; and it
should be remembered that no matter how
small or incomplete our collection may be
at first, ifinvestigation be steadily continued,
the persistent accumulation of typical speci-
mens in any branch of natural history is vir-
tually the recording in visible forms of
actual facts in the domain of nature. Upon
such tangible facts, when combined and com-
pared with the mental inductions that follow
from previously ascertained phenomena, is
formed the true basis on which all scientific
conclusions rest.

I have the honor to be, ladies and gentle-
men, your obedient servant,”

A. O’D. Taytor, Curator.
Newport, R. I., May 7, 1885.

The Rodentia of Rhode Island.

(Continued.)

Muskrat: Musquasn, Fiser Zreperuicus

(Linn.), Cuvier.

AmoneG the wild animals found in this
state, the Muskrats are the most plen-
tiful, found everywhere, by pond and river,
and frequently in little mud-holes, surpris-
ingly close to active business enterprises.
They are, however, armed with abundant
cunning and caution, and their presence
would, to a casual observer, be unsuspected
on account of their nocturnal habits. In
some of the streams and ponds in the vicin-
ity of Providence in the early spring and
near sundown, they are very active, and
even earlier in the day a practiced eye will
detect them sitting snugly on some old
stump or stone; the chances are, how-

ever, that the rat will make the first discov- ©

ery, and flounce with lightning speed and a
noisy splash into the water.

Their summer houses are burrows in the
banks and the entrance under water, often
at quite a distance from shore. The bur-
row slants upward towards the surface of
the ground and often has side galleries and
several points of entrance. I have informa-
tion of a burrow in Lincoln that can be
traced back for thirty feet in a direct line.
In these burrows the young are born, from
six to eight of them; these large families
enable the species to hold its own against
its many enemies, gunners, trappers, and,
as reported, the fox, mink, owls, and
hawks.

The winter huts are composed of grass
and roots with very little mud. The shape
is that which would naturally occur from
piling up matted bunches of grass, about a
mouthful at a time, and the entrance is
under water. Dr, C. Hart Merriam sug-
gests that these houses serve in part as
food. I cannot discover that such is the
case in this state, but our winters are not
very severe, and there is seldom anything to
prevent the obtaining of fresh food, prefer-
able to the dead and dry material of the
hut; aside from aquatic plants and an
occasional foray upon some _ vegetable
patch, fresh water clams (Unio) are their
favorite food. These they carry to certain
chosen spots before eating them, and the

\

a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

43

empty shells are found in very consider-
able piles. I have carefully examined
these shell heaps, and, although I some-
times find on the edge of ‘the valves
what might be a tooth-mark, the major-
ity of them were uninjured and _ the
others were so slightly broken that it
could have done no possible harm to the
mollusk. How the animal obtains entrance
to the shells remains therefore a mystery.
Dr. John D. Godman, in The Rambles
of a Naturalist, says it is by inserting the

claws between the valves and tearing them |

open by main force. I do not think it pos-

sible, as the
would break the delicate edges and the
thinnest knife-blade can hardly be in-
troduced between the valves when the mol-
lusk is in a healthy condition.

There seems abundant testimony that
some Muskrats eat fish, and perhaps each
other. It is certain
furiously among themselves, but of positive
cannibalism, or

learn anything.

rN.” W..
indebted for much information,
large experience, and does not know of any
case applicable to Rhode Island, his traps
have, however, been several times visited

has had

by mink and the confined rat mutilated or |
several in- |
stances of dead Muskrats lying unmolested |

demolished, while there are
for days in ponds where there were other
living ones.

Mr. Thatcher bears evidence to their
ability to remain under water an aston-
ishing length of time ; swimming swiftly
away, their course can be determined with
some accuracy by minute bubbles that rise
to the surface. A most remarkable instance

happened in a fresh-mown meadow in East

Providence, where the spring rains had left
a pond not over two feet deep and entirely
surrounded by gently sloping land. My
friend with a companion drove a Muskrat
into this pond, where it dove and disap-
peared. After waiting twenty minutes,
during which the glassy surface of the
water was unruffled, knowing that the
creature could not have a burrow in such a
place, Mr. Thatcher waded all around the
pond and finally across it, discovering
through the shallow and clear water the rat

application of any force |

that they fight |

the finding of any fish |
bones on their feeding grounds, I cannot |
| ruary, 1884.
Thatcher, to whom I am |
limited space, does not by any means ex-
’ | haust the subject, and for a most enter-

lying close on the bottom, where he re-
mained until Mr. Thatcher, coming up eare-
fully behind, planted one toot firmly on
him and finally crippled him with the other
The animal will average twenty- two
inches from tip to tip. The upper parts
and outside of hind legs are very dark

| brown, a chestnut brown on the belly sides

of head and body, but on parting the hairs
an under pellage of light bluish gray is very
noticeable, the tail, black, flattened, covered
with small scales and sparsely dotted with
hairs, is about seven inches long.

* The Muskrat has a wide range through
North America and maintains its foothold
successfully against the destructiveness of
mankind. It extends from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, and from the Rio Grande to the
barren grounds of Arctic America. The
Species is quite abundant in Washington
Territory, and extends almost to the ex-
treme northwestern point of America.

A specimen curiously albinistic was
taken in Cranston, Nov. 11, 1883, and re-
ported in the issue of this magazine, Feb-

This article, already too long for our

taining description of the animal and its

| habits we recommend our readers to Vol.

II. of the Transactions of the Linnean
Society, of New York. Ss.

Besipes the White-cheeked Warbler which
is in my collection, taken May 30, 1879,
the capture of which was recorded in the

| Nuttall Bulletin, I have seen one other, It
_was in the spring of 1880, in a swamp
amongst the twigs of
"blueberry bush, sipping the “nectar from

a large blooming

the little white bells. I was but a few feet

from it, and readily recognized it. It was —

very tame and too near to shoot, but dur-—

ing my efforts to get at a proper shooting ©

distance, it took alarm and vanished from

view. J. N. Criark.
SAYBROOK, Conn.

REMEMBER two very important objects in
ventilation, and two which go hand in hand :
To warm the air, and, at the same time, to
keep it moist— Sanitary Gleanings.

* Pacific R. RK. Survey, Vol. VIII.

44

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

(
BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NoumsBer IX.

WE now come to a genus very generally
represented throughout the more temperate
regions of the globe, and having in our state
three species, all of which are familiar forms.

9. Tropidonotus sawrita SCHLEGEL, or
the Ribbon Snake, is at once recognized by
its elongated form, the tail equaling one-half
the length of the body from snout to anus.
In general coloring it resembles the next
species, though the longitudinal bands are
generally better defined. This is one of our
most abundant reptiles and may be counted
by the dozens, by a careful observer, during
a half-day excursion in our more moist and
sunny fields bordered by hedges. With 7’.
sirtatis, it is called the Striped or Garter
Snake by those who have not taken the trou-
ble to compare the two. The present spe-
cies was described as Entcenia saurita by
the early writers, a name that is still pre-
ferred by some.

10.
tatis Linné). The Striped or Garter Snake
is by far our most abundant ophidian, and
is seen everywhere; by the road-side, in
stone-heaps, under fences, on lawns, and not
unfrequently in old cellars and under out-
houses. So familiar is this animal, that a
description seems almost superfluous, but
that it may not be confounded with the Rib-

bon Snake, the following points will assist. |

The body is rather stout, and the tail short,
it being only one-fourth the length of the
body from snout to anus. In,coloring it is
rather darker than 7’. saurita, being of a
deep brown or black; the dorsal stripe nar-
row and more or less irregular, and the lat-
eral stripes broad, more or less spotted, and
passing gradually into the green olivaceous
color of the abdomen.

The two species just described are per-
fectly harmless, their diet is exclusively in-
sectivorous, and that they should, from a
spirit of malicious destruction or from mere
prejudice, be mercilessly put to death when-
ever seen, is the result of a popular tradition
of which every liberal-minded man should
be ashamed.

Tropidonotus sirtatis (Enteenia sir- |

11. Tropidonotus sipedon Ho.Brook
(Nerodia sipedon Barrp and GrrarD).
The Water Snake or ‘‘ Water Adder,” is one
of our harmless reptiles which are regarded,
by many people, as poisonous to the ex-
treme. It differs from the two already men-
tioned species of the genus, not only in
general ornamentation, being of a uniform
dark brown color above, shading into red-
dish on the sides and mottled with dark
brown, but in having the scales of the body
arranged in a greater number of rows; those
of T. sirtatis and saurita never exceeding
twenty-one, while 7’. sipedon has at least
twenty-three. This animal is quite abun-
dantly met with along the borders of brooks
and ponds, and not infrequently crawls into
the neighboring meadows and low lands in
search of frogs, where it often meets its death
from the scythe. In the water it is very
active, often being seen some distance from
the shore, swimming around among the lily-
pads in search of frogs or fishes, which it is
very expert in catching, a pickerel a foot
long haying been taken from the mouth of
one, which was, however, being rather
worsted by its ‘* Tartar.”

The genus Storeria is represented in
Rhode Island by two small species. The
first has three large, irregular, white blotches
just back of the occipital plates, arranged
in transverse order, and the scales in fifteen
rows, while the second is without the oc-
cipital ornamentation, is of a lighter color,
and has the scales arranged in seventeen
rows.

12. Storeria occipitomaculata Bairp and
Girarp. The Spotted-necked Snake is not
uncommonly found along road-sides, where
it basks in the sun and finds small insects, on
which it feeds.

13. Storeria dekayi Barrp and GiRaARD.
Like the previous species, is not uncommon.
It is fond of the neighborhood of meadows,
where it captures grasshoppers, crickets, and
otherinsects. Specimens have been captured
from different localities east of the Missis-
sippi, from Maine to Louisiana.

14. Heteroden platyrhinus LATREILLE.
The Hog-nosed Snake, or ‘‘ Blowing Adder,”
or “ Flat-head,” is quite abundantly found
throughout the state, being generally an in-
habitant of the more dry and sandy locali-
ties. With all its fierce appearance and
demonstrations, it is perfectly inoffensive

VS oC LC CC eee

——s

co ee eee

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

45

and cannot be induced to bite. On irrita-
tion, it seems to become perfectly exhausted
with fear, and will act more like a huge cat-
erpillar than an able-bodied ophidian. ‘The
peculiar shaped snout, which is seen in a
previous number, in the cut illustrating the
plates of the head, is said to be used as a
shovel in burrowing. The name ‘ Blowing
Adder,” has been given from its habit of

inflating and spreading itself when sur- |

prised.
The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
No. III.

QUERCUS BICOLOR — Swamp White Oak.

Of the annual-fruited oaks the two, Q.
alba and Q. obtusi loba, treated of in the
previous articles, belong to the lyrate-
leaved sub-division, while the remaining
annual-fruited oaks of this state are classed
with chestnut-leaved sub-division, so called
from the resemblance of their leaves to
those of the chestnut, castanea.

(). bicolor is frequently met with in the
moist springy grounds of Rhode Island.
Here, as in the eastern counties of Massa-
chusetts, it forms a notable characteristic
in the scenery of swampy regions. It
thrives well, too, on ground dry enough for
cultivation, if the subsoil be retentive of
moisture. This species does not commonly
mass itself in forest groups, as other oaks
often do, to the exclusion of most other
trees ; but the specimens are found scattered
about in spots specially suited to them,
frequently overhanging streams and pools
of water. The tree itself is an object of
picturesque beauty, often made more so
from the situation in which it grows. As
finely shaped specimens are found in this
state, probably, as anywhere in the country,
although they grow larger further south
and west. They form a cylindrical head,
reaching, in this region, from forty to sixty
feet in height. The limbs begin very low,
but the lowest are short, irregular and
bushy, bending downward as though to
reach the ground. An intricate interlacing
of the branches is a characteristic of the
tree, particularly in exposed situations.
The bark on the trunk and larger limbs is
whitish, the older portions attached in long,

loose scales. The bark of the young
branchlets is of a light, grayish green.
The foliage is dense. ‘The leaves are
wedge-shaped at the base, much expanded
above, scarcely toothed, but coarsely sin-
uate-crenate, downy underneath, particu-
larly when young, having 6 to 8 pairs of
primary veins from the prominent mid-rib,
which are covered with a rusty down. The
leaves are on short foot-stalks, six to seven
inches long, two to four inches broad.
Several leaves come out close together, the
lower ones being much the smallest, and
but slightly sinuous. They are thick and
leathery, and dark-green above, turning to
dull yellow hues in fading. It is easy to
distinguish a branch in winter by the short,
rounded, obtuse buds. The blossoms ap-
pear, in this climate, during the last of
May, the male blossoms on threads two or
three inches long, from the lower buds only.
The female blossoms appear from the axils
of the expanding leaves above, single or
in twos, upon foot-stalks which increase in
length until autumn, when they bear fruit
two inches or more from the base. The
acorns are roundish-ovate, broad and
pointed, in a deep cup, rough outside,
sometimes fringed on the margin. The
fruit is sweet, not usually abundant.

The wood is tough, compact, and firm,
forming timber scarcely inferior to that of
the white oak. The heart-wood is dark,
the sap-wood light in color, — hence, the
term ‘‘ bicolor.” ‘The trees of this species,
in this region, exhibit many variations, both
in their general appearance and in their
details.

Fine specimens of this tree are still
growing in Providence, especially on the
open lots in the vicinity of ‘‘ Cat Swamp.”
The largest in this region, known to the
writer, are by the borders of the ‘* Ten-
Mile River,” below ‘‘ Hunt’s Mills.” Its
northern limit is the southern part of
Maine, but it is found in many localities
south to the Gulf states, and west to the
Mississippi River. It is a fine, vigorous
tree in Rhode Island.

A KNOWLEDGE of science obtained by
mere reading, though infinitely better than
ignorance, is knowledge of a very different
kind from that which comes from contact
with fact.— Hualey.

46

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHaAPTer XVII.

47. lLatToRINA rRRORATA, SAY.
Syns.:

Turbo irroratus, Say. Jour. Acad. Scei.,
Philg. 1., 239 2n82".

Phasianella suleata, Lam. Animaux sans
Vert., vir.,. 54, 3822-

Littorina sulcata, Deshayes.

Shell thick, greenish, with numerous
raised, revolving, equi-distant lines, dotted
alternately with brown and white spots,
some round and others like a little dash;
the lines growing larger and more raised as
they approach the body whorl; _ spire
acute; aperture white, the outer lip thin
and lineated with chocolate, the inner lip
yellowish brown. Length one inch,
breadth three-quarters.

This shell is of southern distribution,
ranging from Maryland to Florida, and the
northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
The finest specimens I have ever seen were
sent me by Mr. John Ford, of Philadelphia,
who obtained them at Atlantic City, N. J.,
and was surprised at finding them so far
north. (See Mr. Ford's article in the
March number of Ranpom Notes, page 21.)

The reader may ask, why, after the above
remarks, do you include this species among
the Rhode Island Mollusca? In reply I
quote from Verrill’s Invert. An. of Vineyard
Sound, page 357, 1874: ‘* Vineyard
Sound, sparingly. Long Island Sound,
near New Haven, rare. Stratford, Conn.,
on high sedge (Linsley). Huntington,
Long Island, (S. Smith). Many of the
shells of this species found on our shores
have undoubtedly been brought from Vir-
ginia and Maryland with the southern oys-
ters planted in our waters, but it is proba-
bly indigenous in certain localities.”” There
are probably more southern oysters planted
in Narragansett Bay and Providence River
than in any other spot in the world, yet
with all our facilities for examining them, I
have never heard of Littorina irrorata
being found, dead or alive. in Rhode Island.

Genus Lacuna, TURTON.

Etym.:

Lacuna, a fissure.
Syns.:

Temana Leach.

Dist., sixteen species.

Shell small, ovate conical, thin; aper-
ture semilunar; columella flattened, with
an umbilical fissure. One species only in-
habits Rhode Island, belonging to the

Sup-Genus Epuerta, LEACH.

48. Lacuna (Epeueria). VINcTA,?
MONTAGUE.

Syns. :

Turbo vinctus,
Dillwyn, etc.

Turbo quadrifasciatus, Fleming.

Lacuna pertusa, Conrad.

Lacuna vincta, Gould, DeKay, Stimpson,
and others.

Shell ovate conic, encircled by four or
five purplish-brown bands and very numer-
ous minute undulating lines ; spire pointed,
composed of five whorls, separated by a fine
sutural line of a dingy white or purplish
horn color; aperture nearly orbicular ;
outer lip sharp, thin; inner lip white, flat-
tened and excavated by a smooth crescent-
shaped groove, terminating in an umbilicus.
Length one-half inch, breadth three-tenths.

New York to the Arctic Ocean;
Greenland, Iceland, Lapland, Scandinavia,
Great Britain, France; Pacific Coast to
Puget Sound ; Long Island Sound ; Watch
Hill, R. I. (four to five fathoms) ; Vine-
yard Sound; Buzzard’s Bay; very abun-
dant north of Massachusetts Bay; Maine
to Labrador. :

The names of many shells, as well as of
animals and plants well known to natural-
ists in Europe, have been applied to Ameri-
can species by European and American
authors, because they resembled at first
sight those with which they were previously
acquainted. Upon closer examination,
| naturalists find those species which were
considered identical with those from other
countries, to be entirely distinct, and con-
sequently have to be re-named, while their
former names, together with their syno-
nyms, are dropped, as they apply to other
species. Many naturalists are of the opin-
ion that there are no species of animal or

Mont., Turt., Wood.,

OO ee ee

; RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

vegetable life, common or identical in two
countries separated by an ocean, excepting
those introduced by accident or inten-
tionally, thus becoming acclimated.

I do not believe a single species of ter-
restrial or jfluviatile shells inhabiting the
American Continent, to be identical with
one from any other country, excepting such
species as Hyalina cellaria, Tachea horten-
sis, and a dozen or so of others which can
easily be accounted for. In the case of the
marine shells, a few of the Arctic species
may be identical in Great Britain, Norway,
Iceland, Greenland and British America.
Thus, Lacuna vincta is an European
species, is common in England, and was
described by an English author. I have
specimens from the coast of Maine which
resemble the European shell very much and
may be the same species, but those found
in Rhode Island do not resemble the Maine
specimen or the English ones at all. The
description does not apply and its habits
differ entirely from that given by authors,
viz.: “Found alive among the roots of
Laminaria and other marine plants, at-

tached to stones or shells, dragged up by |

storms from deep water.”

We find them in our bay on the sea-weed |

in company with Bittium nigrum, by
wading in the water a foot or more in
depth, and even above low-water mark, and
on floating sea-weed also. Our specimens
are not over one-quarter of an inch in length,
the bands on the body whorl varying from
one to four, generally a brown narrow line
just below the suture, then a broad band of
light color, and then two alternate lines of
dark and light; some of them have a white
line near the suture and another at the
base, with a broad brown band between;
one specimen I have seen has an ivory-white
line at the suture, then a narrow chocolate
line, then an ashy-gray broader band, then
another narrow chocolate line and another
white one, followed by two more alternate
brown and white ones, terminating in a
brown base.

These shells all have the peculiar fissure
at the umbilicus, proving them to be
Lacune, and as no other species of this
genus appears to inhabit this section, may
it not be a new species? Possibly they are
all young shells, as I have never seen any
but full-grown ones from other localities. I

4°7

shall be pleased to have the opinions of
other conchologists on this subject.

Famiry 35. Planixide, three genera
and about eighty species, all absent from
our fauna.

Famiry 36. Cerithiide, six genera and
about three hundred species, is represented
in Rhode Island by two genera, Cerithium
and Triforis, descriptions of which will be
given in the next chapter.

(To be continued.)

June Insects.

Durine this leafy month, when nature’s
pulses beat most strongly, insect-life is at its
acme. ‘The army-worm marches through
meadow and grain-field, and a host of destruc-
tive species gather force and spread dismay.
The woods and meadows abound in gaudy
butterflies, and multiform caterpillars feed
voraciously. The commoner firefly (Photi-
nus pyralis) rises slowly from the moist
ground at eve, and intermits its soft, glow-
ing light. But the month is chiefly char-
acterized by the appearance of that singular
periodical, or seventeen-year Cicada (Ci-
cada septendecim), with its tredecim, or
thirteen-year race. The woods rattle with
its hoarse beat about the first of the month,
and broods appear in some locality or other
nearly every year. The present year (1885)
is a memorable one; for a very extensive
seventeen-year brood, which appeared last
in 1868, and has been fully recorded every
seventeen years since 1715, may be looked
for on Long Island and in Monroe County,
N. Y., in southeastern Massachusetts, in
parts of Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia,
in northwestern Ohio, in southeastern
Michigan, in Indiana, and in Kentucky. —
Science Almanac.

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

VENTILATE your sleeping apartment every
day after arising; but warm it to comfort
before sleeping in it again.—Sanitary Glean-
ings.

48

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shad Fishery.

Proressor Spencer F. Baird, of the
United States Fish Commission, telegraphed
yesterday to Mr. Henry T. Root, of this city,

of the State Commission, that one million |

more of shad would be sent from Washing-
ton for the tributaries of Narragansett Bay ;
and that they were to be placed in the Palmer
River.
Massachusetts, in the vicinity of the old Or-
leans, or ‘‘Shad Factory,” and empties into
the bay through the town of Warren.
This river for years has been renowned for

the immense quantities of shad taken from |

its waters, its natural conditions being
especially favorable for the propagation of
this kind of fish. That the United States
Government is aware of this is shown by the
fact that the number of fish to be placed
there now is just double the number sent
here in 1881, 500,000 being sent on and
placed in the same spot.

The theory in regard to placing these shad |

is, that they mature in three years and then
return to spawn to the waters where they

were originally placed. That is, these shad |

that are placed there now will strive to get
back there in 1888, wherever they may hap-
pen to be. This is pretty thoroughly de-
monstrated by the fact that the 500,000
which were put there in 1881 did return in
1884, for shad had never been so plen-
tifulin a great many years as they were in
1884, and are now. Formerly the price was
from twenty-five to thirty cents a pound;
now good shad are retailing at twelve cents.
These fish come gratuitously from the gov-
ernment and cost the state nothing, except
the expense of handling them when they get
here.

The fish are hatched artificially in Wash-
ington in glass jars, under the direction of
the United States Fish Commission, the de-
tailed management being under Col. Mar-
shall McDonald, and the government appro-
priates for this business $250,000 per year.
The eggs from which the fish are hatched are
taken every day, while the shad are running,

from the fish in the Potomac River, and being |
impregnate witha very small quantity of milt |

from the male shad,-are taken to Washing-
ington every night where they are hatched.
The government has stations all along the
Potomac River, where the fish are caught in

This stream has its head waters in |

_ dead eggs from the surface.

seines. After being hatched they are about
half an inch long, and in this form are sent
to the various streams throughout the coun-
try favorable to the propagation of shad.
Formerly these eggs were hatched in
wooden boxes in the current of the Potomac
river. but various improvements have been
made lately in this hatching process, and
now they are hatched in cylindrical glass ves-
sels. ‘The top of the jar is closed by a me-
tallic disk, perforated with two holes five-
eighths of an inch in diameter, one admitting
the tube which introduces the water into the
jar, and the other a tube which serves as an
outlet for the water and the removal of the
The current of
water flowing in through one of the tubes is
introduced at the bottom and filters up
through the eggs, enveloping each egg ina
stratum of fresh water, and placing each under
the best possible conditions of development.
The dead eggs will all remain at the top,
while the fertile eggs will keep together at
the bottom. As soon as the fish are
hatched out they begin to swim around vig-
orously in the hatching jar. They pass into
the exit tube and are carried over into
the receiver, in which they may be collected
to any number desired, being retained there
without injury until itis convenient to make
ashipment. From 15,000 to 18,000 eggs
may be readily placed in each jar. The station
where this operation is carried on has the ¢a-
pacity of hatching 21,000,000 at one time, and
a capacity of 900,000,000 for one season.
This process of hatching is a great improve-
ment over the old system, the incubation of
eggs being at first effected in troughs having
the bottoms covered with a layer of gravel,
upon which the eggs were placed, and over
which a current of fresh water was allowed
to flow. The system now in use was devel-
oped by Col. Marshall McDonald, and was

exhibited in May, 1881, before a meeting.

of the Biological Society held in the base-
ment of the Smithsonian Institution, and in
the spring of 1882 it was decided to convert
the old Armory building into what is now
known as the Central Hatching and Distrib-
uting Station.— Providence Journal, May 9, 1885.

and Collectorsof ORNITHOLOG-
ICALSPECIMENS. Send for ll-
lustrated Circular of POCKET
SHOT Guns, especially adapted

for Small Birds; goods WAR-
RANTED, oo FREE. J. A.
ROSS & ey 16817 Dock
Sq., Boston, aes Name paper.

eas a

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. Xxili

WY ye RARE BIRDS AND E:GGS. x

. EPORTS from our collectors in all directions seem to indicate that we shall re-
. ceive LARGE AND VALUABLE CoLuectTions from them, containing many species

mw rarely offered for sale. We have already received from Florida several sets of
Bald Eagle’s Eggs, anda few skins of the same ; also some White Pelicans ; and
expect shortly, from that quarter, not only a fine lot of American Egrets and Snowy
Herons, and other common birds, but one Flamingo, some Roseate Spoonbills, Ivory-
billed Woodpeckers, Great White Herons, etc.

Our Stock of Texan Birds and Eggs will probably be the finest ever offered for sale.
From Washington Territory we have received one case containing several species of
Gulls, among which are the Glaucous-winged, Pacific Kittiwake, and others of more com-
mon occurrence on the Pacific coast ; Oregon Ruffed Grouse, and other Oregon species and
varieties. Specimens in that section have a tendency to run to rich dark brown tints.

From Southwestern California and the Rocky Mountains we also have great ex-
pectations.

We receive most of our spring collections through July and August, so be on the
look-out for September and October Ranpom Notes.

SKINS LATELY RECEIVED.

15. Curved-billed Thrasher............. lp Tonia be DAC nA Gat Sete vs s.0 oaae fe aces cc 3 50
itagewineconte ’s Chrasher..:....sccc->- <0. SOOM 00.) Pe laAGh NULEUEG Rs o0ic .. «oc Secale odes «OL DO
33a. Western Golden-crowned Kinglet... 75 | 471.a Sooty Grouse.....................-. 4 50
et emote V a GIVOUSE sitter /n%s 21s 0 clicteieje's ayo 6 2 00 | 473b. Oregon-ruffed Grouse............... 4 00
mip. Oregon Chickadee..........0e2s00000- 1D, | 063.40 REGsEMalarope :aick\.\. . <a spte = ceicieg «6 </e 4 00
EMCEE ANE IL CO scroll o cans + ocid scenic’ 3 00 | 568. Mexican Jacana................ .... 3 50
Me sALCG Se UNUM: ccc o. cqunce es cs 2 00 | 576. Little Black Rail..... 1b Aibper acres olan ets carats 8 00
eee GAT K SPATLOW™. vise. 2 os cciies 3 cei Ze00Meoo Lurple-Gallimule:......-cdeessenssccen 6 D0
Ba Ue HOCK SPALTOW: «00 ccs e seca caine ceases 3 00 | 627. European Eider, one pair taken on
232. Aleutian Song Sparrow............. 5 00 the coast of Maine; per pair.... 8 00
297b. Smoky-fronted Jay........-....... 5, BD) || tee Slebrebicr IONClee, Teaco onoo Cooneaes or 8 00
359. Ivory-billed Woodpecker, %........ 1ANOO0M E6455. brandtis'Conmorant... ...caaseeiscoonen 5 50
“s Gee de ot 12 00 | 662. Glaucous-winged Gull............... 4 00
af ee Dailey er 7), (YO) ||, (PB MVGRICI Celso GReReeee sob onus So aee 6 00
390. Groove-billed Crotophaga........... 200M R44. — Eorne deb mdimiyes. «. <2. s.. ceteris eiretok 6 00
409. California Pigmy Owl....... Porod— o00 | 748. (‘Crested Amer « sn... os ckiacdaics sain 7 50
ALBINISTIC SPECIMENS.
One Western Robin, partial. ............. $0.75 | One Grass Fineh, crown white............ $0.75

RARE ECCS.

16a Leconte’s Thrasher, set of four ...$12 00|215 Black-chinned Sparrow, nest and three $9 00

We have just issued a New Price-List of Eggs, which will be
sent free upon application.

Xxiv

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. >

WE DESIRE, THIS SEASON, MANY SETS OF EGGS, WITH NESTS, —
THE FOLLOWING PARTICULARLY :

Wood Thrush.

Wilson’s Thrush.
Mocking-bird.

Red-eyed Vireo.
Warbling Vireo.
White-eyed Vireo.
Purple Martin.
White-bellied Swallow.
White-throated Sparrow.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Indigo Bunting.

Meadow Lark.
Great-crested Flycatcher.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Black-billed Cuckoo.
Wild Pigeon.

Mourning Dove.
American Coot.

Inthe February number we gave a long list of the Skins and Eggs we particularly |

desired, also lists of what we have for Exchange.

mon Bird Skins and Eggs.

We aiso wish many of our most com-

At the close of the present collecting season we shall be

pleased to receive lists of the same from any who wish to Exchange.

FROM THE LESSER ANTILLES

We have lately received a shipment contain-
ing many interesting specimens.

offer
CORAL
Sea-fans (red or yellow) Rhipidogor-
oiay tabellumissese sae cle 5 ts cie ge nets 25 to 50

Sea-plumes, red, Pterogargia setosus,

Sea-plumes, purple, Xipidogorgia an-

Gbps. Pallas. . sep wees oc ever seekers 30 to 50
Sea-plumes, yellow, Xipidogorgia cit-

cutee pel OFS8 MS eins AA RRO Oo oe wop.bi 7)
Manicina areolata, Ehr, Bahamas.... 20 to 50
Dichocoenia poreata, M. Edw’, Baha-

DIAS tare Scyeve yn eee ass elas « acters aie 75 to 1 25
Agaricia agaricites, M. Edw’, Baha-

AIAG orsteyede ci akotrstoteustiee oy aisis (alee. velcro neve 1.00 to1 25

ECHINODERMS, DRY SPECI-
MENS — URCHINS.

Hippona esculenta, A. Ag., Baha-
mas, without spines............ $0 25 to $0 50

We can now |

Diadema setosum, Gray, Baha-

mas, without spines........... $0 30 to a)
Echinanthus rosaceus, Gray, Ba-
hamas, with spines, $1.00, with-
| OU... 5. 55 lence clncs-c0+ccnesdes 50 to rb)
| Metalia pectoralis, A. Ag., no
SPINES 35.. owepee ole ois s.oke. sete 2 00
Meoma ventricosa, Lith. Baha-
Mas, With SPM). «<<. selects 150 to 2 00
SPONGES.
Tuba vaginalis, D. and M............. 40 to 60
Tuba; pliciferasam:(.'.- 2)... cies ieee 40 to 60
STARFISH.
Oreaster gigas, Lath., Nassau, very
large (1d invdvamreter))|s<\sh:eslcl-\se« $1 00 to 1 50
SEEDS.

Guinea pea, Black-eyed Susan (Albus preca-
torius). Grey bean (Guilandina bunduc). Small
bright red bean (Adenanthera pavonia). Any
of the above, 15 cents per gill; post, 5 cents;
or $2.50 per gallon by express.

NO. VII.

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

eeu rH WICK & JENCKS,
PROVIDENCE R. I.

XXvV1 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

Om nas

Prof. Horsford’s Acid Phosphate,

(LIQUID.)
Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Mass. A preparation of the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, potash and iron, with phosphoric acid in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system.

As Food for an Exhausted Brain, In Liver and Kidney Troubles, In Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation, In Seasickness and Sick Headache,
In Inebriety, Despondency, and Cases of Impaired Nerve
Function, it has become a necessity in a large number
of households throughout the world, and is

UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED AND PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIANS OF ALL SCHOOLS.

It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. Its action will harmonize with such
stimulants as are necessury to take. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only,
and is Invigorating, Strengthening, Healthful, Refreshing.

Prices Reasonable. Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

Rumford Chemical Works, "Providence, Roe
= 8" BEWARE OF IMITATIONS.-<4————

HEMAN L. CALDER, | TRAYS.

t No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
& 3 + | b P SI E n size just equal one of the next. They are the best pos-
= e A e Pa ® ©) PI A S e P, sible partitions. Easily changed about, easily cleaned.

Samples by mail for five cents.

258 Westminster Street, 2x V6Xx94, per dozen... 10 per 100....- «obec soa
3 X 2x34, Sen es SR pales s) steel eee 15
PROVIDENCE, B&. I. 4x 3x34, 6 ESS 2 18 ES ;
sy sé “ee = %6
Mail Orders a Specialty. Improved facilities for Nat- | PS poet Do a —_
ural History Card and Label Work. Correspondence Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They
solicited. are too bulky to be mailed.

BIRDS.—Contains the entire nomenclature North American Birds, and Price-List of skins,

eges, insects, and supplies, with instructions for preparing skins and eggs. Price, 20 cts.
MINERALS. — Gives Dana’s species number, localities, and valuations, - - Gus
SHELLS. — Contains a very full list of prominent species, with authorities and

synonyms. Also habitat and valuation, - - - - - =) TORS

The three Catalogues for - - - - - - - - 25 °

SAMPLE PAGES ON APPLICATION.

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

Discount on ALL orders; WRITE TO US FOR IT.

Random Motes on Matural History.

Wool? IT.

PROVIDENCE, JULY 1, 1885.

NO. at:

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

Random Notes on Yaturat History.

A MonvtTHLy 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
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

258 Westminster St., Providence, R.J., U.S. A.

WE desire Nos. 1 and 2, Vol. I. To
any person sending either of the above, in
good condition, we will send Ranpom Notes
for six months; or, if already a subscriber,
will add six months to his subscription.

Wingless Birds.

African Ostriches. — Well-known
all belonging to the true Cursores; are the
Ostriches, the Emu, and the Cassowaries,
The best known species is the Ostrich,
Struthio camelus, an inhabitant of the
African continent. This bird, which has
been celebrated since the most remote
antiquity, and a dish of whose brains was
an epicurean dish in Old Rome, measures

from six to eight feet in height; its feet |

consist of only two toes; the head and
neck are nearly naked, the general plumage
very lax, the quill feathers of the wings
and tail remarkable for the length of their
barbs, which, though furnished with barb-
ules, are completely separate from each
other, and form the well-known ostrich
feathers of commerce. ‘The ostriches live
together in large flocks, feeding upon grass,
grain, wild melons, etc., and, like the galli-
naceous birds, which they resemble in their
food, have an enormous crop and a strong
gizzard. In a state of nature it picks up
and swallows small pebbles; but in con-
finement it has swallowed brickbats, knives,
old shoes, scraps of wood, tenpenny nails,
bits of iron, and feathers; one went to the
length of swallowing in succession the
whole of a brood of young ducks ; whether
impelled by normal hunger, a morbid appe-

ex- |
amples of wingless or brevipennate birds, |

tite, or sheer mischief, is an open question.
Another tried to swallow its blanket. The
voracity of the Ostrich formerly gave rise
to the belief that it fed on iron. The
African ostrich is polygamous and gregari-
ous. The female scratches a hole in the
sand, in which she lays ten or twelve eggs
in an upright position. The male and
female both sit upon the eggs during the
night, and this sitting, supplemented by the
heat of the sun, hatches those in the middle
of the nest, the outer ones, when the centre
eggs are hard and the young birds nearly
hatched, being quite fit for food; the eggs
weigh upon an average three pounds, and
are regarded as great delicacies. Though
equal in weight to twenty-four hen’s eggs,
one is not thought enough for a meal, and
in one instance two men finished five eggs
in the course of an afternoon. The ap-
proved method of cooking is to place the
egg upright on the fire, break a hole in the
top, through which a forked stick is forced.
This is made to rotate by rubbing with the
hands, and so beats up the contents while
cooking.

American Ostriches. —The American
Ostriches contain two species, Rhea Ameri-
cana and R. Darwinii, and are scarcely more

| than half the size of the African species,

from which they also differ in having the
head and neck covered with feathers, and
the feet furnished with three toes. The
feathers of the wing and tail, though
elongated, possess none of the beauty of
the African ostrich, and are only employed
in the manufacture of light dusting-brooms.
They are very abundant in the large plains
of America. The food consists mainly of
grasses, roots, and other vegetable sub-
stances, but they will occasionally eat
animal food, being known to come down to
the mud-banks of the rivers for the purpose
of eating the little fish that have been
stranded in the shallows. Darwin, who
had frequent opportunities of observing
these birds, has given an excellent account
of their habits. He says: ‘‘ They take
the water readily, and swim across broad

50

and rapid rivers, and even from island to
island in the bays. They swim slowly,
with the greater part of the body immersed,
and the neck extended a little forwards.
On two occasions I saw some ostriches
swimming across the Santa Cruz River,
where it is 400 yards wide and the stream
rapid.” It is polygamous; the male bird
prepares the nest, collects the eggs, which
are frequently laid by the females at random
on the ground, and performs all the duties
of incubation. Darwin says four or five
females have been known to lay in the
same nest, and the male, when sitting, lies
so close that he himself nearly rode over
one. At this time they are very fierce, and
have been known to attack a man on
horseback, trying to kick and leap on him.

The Australian Emv.—The Emu _ of
Australia, Dromaius Nove Hollandie, is
nearly as large as the African ostrich, mea-

suring from five feet to seven feet in height. |

It has three toes on each foot, and these
are furnished with nearly equal claws.
The head and neck are covered with
feathers, the throat being bare; the plum-
age of the body, closely resembling long
hairs, hangs down on each side of the body,
from a central line or parting.
birds, at one time abundant in Australia,
are now becoming extinct, for natives and
Europeans are fast thinning them, the

the emeus for food, but not allowing boys
or women to partake of it, the flesh being
reserved for warriors and _ counselors.
Europeans and settlers run it with dogs,
trained on purpose, for food, sport, and
also for a valuable oil, of which as much
as six or seven quarts are yielded by a
single emeu. This oil is of a light yellow
color, is used as an embrocation for bruises
or strains, and, not readily congealing or
becoming glutinous, is also useful for oiling
the locks of firearms. ‘The birds are mono-

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

green color, and the young, when first
hatched, are elegantly striped with black
and gray. In defending itself it does not
kick forward like the Ostrich, but sideways
and backwards like a cow.

The Cassowary and the Mooruk.— The
Cassowaries, of which there are two — the
Cassowary proper, Casuarius galeatus, and
the Mooruk, Casuarius Benettii— are
natives of the Eastern Archipelago. The
former, standing five feet high, is distin-

_ guished by the possession of a peculiar
_ horny crest or helmet upon the head, by

the wings being furnished, instead of
feathers, with about five cylindrical stalks,

_ destitute of barbs, and by the large size of

the claw on the inner toe. The head and
neck are naked and wattled, and of a bright
red, variegated with blue. The rest of the
body, which is very stout, is clothed with

| long, glossy black pendent feathers, more

| substances.
tint.

| Emu.

closely resembling hair than those of the
It feeds upon herbs, fruit, and
seeds, and, like the Ostrich, swallows hard
The eggs are of a greenish
The eye is fierce and resolute, and
the character of the bird is tetchy, and apt

_ to take offence without any apparent provo-

These |

gamous, the male performing the office of |

incubation ; the nest is made by scooping
out a shallow hole in the ground in some
scrubby spot, and in this depression a
variable number of eggs is laid. Dr. Ben-
nett remarks that ‘‘ there is always an odd

with nine, others with eleven, and others
with thirteen.” These eggs are nearly as
large as those of the Ostrich, but of a dark

cation. Scarlet cloth excites its ire, and it
has a great antipathy to ragged and dirty
persons. The height of the Mooruk is

| three feet to the top of the back, and five
former eating the eggs, and hunting down |

feet when standing erect. The color is
rufous, mixed with black on the back and
hinder portions of the body, and raven-
black about the neck and breast; the loose
wavy skin of the neck is colored with iri-
descent tints of bluish purple, pink, and an
occasional shade of green ; the feet and legs
are large and strong, of a pale ash-color,
and exhibit a peculiarity in the extreme
length of the claw of the inner toe of each
foot, it being nearly three times the length
of the claws of the other tees. Instead of
the helmet-like protuberance of the Casso-
wary, it has a horny plate resembling

_ mother-of-pearl darkened with black-lead.

| paddles,

The Penguins. — Another set of birds, if
not wingless, must also be mentioned.
These are the Penguins, in which birds the

| wings are reduced to a rudimentary charac-
number, some nests having been discovered |

ter, are destitute of quills, and are covered
with a scaly skin, forming flat, fin-like
the scales being rudimentary

feathers. In the water, which appears

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 51

their natural element, they use them in
swimming and diving. On shore they use
the paddles as anterior legs. From the
backward position of their feet the Pen-
guins can only stand in a very upright atti-
tude, in which position they may be seen in
countless numbers arranged in as compact
a manner and in as regular ranks as a
regiment of soldiers, and classed with the
greatest order, the moulting birds in one
place, the young ones in another, the sitting
hens by themselves; the clean birds in
another place, etc. So strictly do birds in
a similar condition congregate, that, should
a bird in a moulting state intrude amongst
those which are clean, it is immediately
ejected from among them. — J. W. Wonfor,
Brighton, Eng.

Our Rhode Island Violets.

To all English speaking people the violet
isdear. Perhaps this is from the manner
in which it has become enshrined in our
literature. The verses of Chaucer, Milton,
Shakespeare, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Bry-
ant, are redolent with its sweet perfume.
While here in America we have many
species of violet, none compare in odor
with the familiar English species, the Viola
odorata of gardens. ‘The first of the native
species to bloom here, say about the 20th of
April, is the arrow-leaved or Viola sagittata.
It is found more commonly on uplands, and
in meadows, and has leaves ranging from
ovate through halberd-shaped, to sagittate.
We next find, in more moist localities, say
near the margin of swamps, or in wet copses,
the Viola canina, or Dog Violet. One must
not confuse the name of this with the pretty
liliaceous plant, called dog-tooth violet, the
Erythronium of botanists. About the first
of May, also in moist places, we begin to
pick up the little white violet, with beardless
petals, the lower prettily streaked with
lines, and with round, heart-shaped or reni-
form leaves. ‘The flowers are delicately
odorous. Growing with this, but usually a
few days later, appear the two white species,
V. lanceolata, and V. primuliaefolia.

The yellow, round-leaved violet, Viola
rotundifolia, is one of our rare plants. — It
is a dainty little thing with leaves an inch
broad at the time of flowering, but increas-

ing to a goodly size later in the season, and
finally lying flat on the ground. It is stem-
less, whereas our other species of yellow
violet is leafy-stemmed. ‘This is the downy
yellow, or Viola pubescens, of which there are
two distinct varieties besides the typical
plant. These last mentioned yellow violets
are quite frequently found in our state, and
when found are usually abundant. They
are among our choice wild flowers, and are
easily cultivated. Ina garden they are too
prone to spread and prove troublesome.
The blue violet, Viola cucullata is com-
mon everywhere in low, wet, or marshy
grounds, and, as Gray says, ‘‘is very varia-
ble in size, shape of leaves and sepals, and
in the color and size of the flowers, which
are deep or pale violet blue or purple, some-
times nearly white, or variegated with
white.” Of it we have one distinct variety,

| palmata, with leaves cleft or parted.

Our most showy violet is the Bird-foot,
Viola pedata, which makes, as Hawthorne
says, “‘a gush of violets along a wood-path.”
Nothing gives us finer masses of color.
Take it, as we have seen it, near the Ston-
ington railway, or the Narragansett Pier
road, and it is a thing to remember. We
read of the field of the cloth-of-gold. Here
are meadows painted with most delicate
lavender. A very handsome variety, V.
pedata, var. bicolor, is sometimes found,
with ‘* two upper petals deep violet, and as
it were velvety, like a pansy.” The plant
does well in cultivation, increasing in size.
I should think Viola Canadensis might turn
up in the state, but I have never found it.
I should look for it near Wallum Pond or
on the borders of Connecticut.

Wie aW.. (BaAtmry.

PICKLE FOR Skins. Three-quarters of a
pound of alum, and one and three-quarters
pounds of salt to a gallon of water. Mix
and heat to boil; cool in a wooden vessel.

Mr. William G. Smith writes us from
Loveland, Col.: ‘‘I took a nest of Coot’
eggs, on May 30, and after forty-eight
hours attempted to blow them, when I
found young chicks in them still alive. I
placed the remainder under a domestic hen,
and, after sitting a few bours, she hatched
one out, and prospects are good for hatch-
ing them all.

52

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NUMBER X.

CLASS — BATRACHIA.

We have now disposed of those animals
of our state which are known as reptiles ;
which have the body covered to a more or
less extent with scales, and the toes, when
present, armed with claws ; and we come to
the lower Batrachians, which have the skin
unprovided with protective horny out-
growths and the toes clawless.

As was remarked in connection with the
reptiles, there has been as yet but little
work done in this department, and the num-
ber of known species must of necessity be
ereatly increased by a little exertion on the
part of collectors, especially in the more
southern portions of the state, where, in
localities, the flora is said to resemble to no
little extent that of the Southern States.

Our Batrachians may be divided into two
branches: Anura, including those forms
that, when adult, are tailless, like the Toads
and Frogs, and Urodela, the tailed Batrach-
ians, of which the salamanders are illus-
trative. Of each division there are about
ten representatives liable to be found in the
state.

1. Orpver AnurA. The genus Bufo is
represented by the common Toad, B. ameri-
canus of Le Conte, and B. lentiginosus

the entire eastern portion of the continent,
and known by all at sight.

In the early spring, and remaining some-
times until late in June, these animals con-
gregate in the warm, shallow pools of our
meadows and fairly make the air ring with
their trills. While thus calling they seem
to be unmindful of danger, and with ‘‘ croak-
ing bag” inflated, they may be roughly
handled without evincing any other signs
than those of annoyance. They seem to

afar off, may know of their whereabouts and
direct their course accordingly. Hiberna-
tion is performed in some shallow bur-
row in an old field, or possibly in the mud
of some pond or spring. Mr. Allen men-
tions a case where an old well, on being
cleaned out, was found to contain several

individuals of this species, all in a state of
hibernation, and some, judging from the
depth of the debris that had collected over
them, apparently having been entombed for
a length of at least ten or fifteen years; the
temperature of the well being considerably
lower than that at which they naturally be-
come active.

The eggs of this species are the long
slimy ribbons seen so often in the spring,
floating or attached to aquatic plants. The
tadpoles, the time of the development of
which depends on the temperature, are small
and black, and can be easily distinguished
from the large larvee of the frogs.

In its distribution the toad is singular,
being a more or less local animal, in some
situations abounding, while in others it is
seldom seen. It is crepuscular, sauntering
out during early evening, and often choosing
as its route a frequented path, where it is
often injured by the careless pedestrian.
The day is spent in some retired hollow of
the animal’s own construction, or under a
board or flat rock. The amount of de-
structive insect life captured in a single
evening’s stroll by one of these harmless
animals is truly amazing. It need never be

| confounded with any other anurous batrach-

ian, as the jaws are toothless, the toes
webbed, and the skin warty — characters
which at once distinguish it.

2. Scaphiopus holbrookii Baird (S. soli-
turius) Holbrook. The Spade-foot Toad is

' undoubtedly heard in Rhode Island at times,
americunus of Cope, an animal inhabiting |

though of its capture I am not aware. It
differs from the common toad in having the

jaws provided with teeth, and from the
_ frogs in having the web of the hind feet but

poorly developed.
Though a small animal, the Spade-foot’s
voice is described as being far more power-

ful than that of the combined energies of all

its relatives, and so peculiar as to attract
the attention of the most indifferent. Aside
from this distinctive peculiarity, however,

_ the animal is characterized by a horny scale
have no anxiety except that their kin, of |

on the inside of each metatarsus, which is
used in burrowing, and gives origin to the
peculiar name ** Spade-foot.”

As to the habits of this rare animal, they
are peculiar indeed. The appearance is
only periodical and at chosen localities ;
sometimes not being heard for years, and
then, possibly on the occurrence of proper

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY,

conditions of weather, appearing in perfect
multitudes, only to disappear again so soon
as the breeding season is over, and the
droughts of summer begin. It is thought
that they burrow to some depth in the soft
soil of the lowlands, and there remain in a
partially torpid state until urged into activ-
tity by he advent of a genial spring.

The Breeding-Places of Millio _Sea-
Fowl.
/ Ar sunset we bade the land good-bye at

Sea Wolf Island, and laid our course for

Bird Rock, in the mighty Gulf of St.
Lawrence. All night and all next day not

and steady, and at dark we shortened sail
that we might not run by the rock in the
night, or worse yet, run into it. Our pilot
was a young fellow of eighty-one, who all
his life had been a fisherman, and had been
to the Labrador coast so many times that
he had lost the record. Coming on deck that
evening, I found the staunch old man on the
lookout forward, as we had sworn friend-
ship before this. We sat and talked as the
schooner slipped quietly along through the
dark water.

I told him of how, in boyhood’s days, I
had read of the great Bird Rock in Audu-
bon ; how in later years, in distant lands, I
had visited the breeding places of many
different birds, but this rock was my earli-
est love, and of my anxiety to see it.
Touched by my eloquence, the old man
swore he would make no errors, and that
next morning early we would be there.
** For,” said he, ‘‘ with the wind a leetle
in my favor, I can smell it twenty-five mile
off.”

With which assurance I was fain to
trust to him and turn in, and sure enough
at daylight there was the great rock loom-
ing up ahead, and what a sight it was, well
worth the trip for itself alone. Many able
pens have described it, and, as I think, hav-
ing seen it, with poor success, so I will not
attempt it; but you must try to imagine a
high, triangular-shaped rock, with precip-
itous sides 400 feet in height, towering up
in the lonely waste of waters, fifty miles or
so from the nearest land, each face of the

53

rock a half a mile in length. Against its
foot the waves break and roar eternally,
and all the seams and ledges of its steep
face above the seething sea are white with
breeding sea-birds, as though a heavy snow-
storm had just visited it, and all the air
around it for miles is filled with flying,
circling, plunging sea-fowl. Here, for ages
past, the gannets, gulls, auks, guillemots or
murres, etc., have nested in safety, as
numberless as the blades of grass of a vast
prairie.

It was a sight to see, not to describe, and
the most thoughtless youngster on board
gazed in wonder at a scene I warrant he
will not forget.

(The Canadian government has now, at

_ great expense, placed a light on the summit
a sheet was touched, the wind holding fair |

of the rock, and the birds, alas! will have

_ to scatter, and find another resting-place.
| Where they may go it is hard to say, for

there is none so secure as that. Vast num-
bers will linger there for years to come, no
doubt, but the bulk of them will seek new
quarters.

At Murr Rocks, behind which we ran for
shelter, we found a couple of fishermen’s
huts, and going ashore we bought several
bucketfuls of murrs’ eggs, which had been
gathered earlier in the season, and put in
brine. In this way they keep good a year.
The way fresh eggs are made sure of is
this: A party visits the rock on which the
birds breed by the tens of thousands, se-
lecting a place of an acre or so, they smash
every egg on it. Marking the spot, they
go again in a couple of days, and all the
eggs they find there are of course fresh. In
former years a regular business was car-
ried on by the eggers, and vessels were
loaded with them for the Canadian markets.
This wasteful method promised soon to ex-
terminate the birds, and the Canadian goy-
ernment very properly put a stop to it.
Now they are once more abundant, and
supply the natives with a very important
item of food. The murr egg is one of the
most curious in nature. It is as largeas a
domestic duck’s, but pear-shaped; the
ground color is either green or white, and it
is dotted, splashed, and streaked with
blotches and lines of black and dark um-
ber. Each bird lays one egg on the bare
rock.— Deck, in Prov. Sunday Telegram.

54

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Tue Cerithiide family, or Cerites, are a
very numerous group of turreted shells, with
a notch or canal in front.

species are tropical in their distribution.
They inhabit salt, brackish, and fresh water.
The genus Potamides, Brong, or fresh water
Cerites, numbering about fifty species, are
all tropical or sub-tropical, living in fresh
and brackish water (streams and swamps).
The genus Cerithium, Brug, contains about
one hundred and forty species, distributed
among thirteen sub-genera, two of which,
Bittium and Cerithiopsis, are represented
in Rhode Island, each by two species.

49, Ceriraium (BitriumM) NIGRUM, STIMPSON.

Syns. :

Cerithium reticulatum, Totten, Am. Jour.
Sci; XXVIII; do2-

Pasithea nigra, Totten, Am. Jour. Sci.,
SO: Cision olde

Cerithium Sayi, Menke, Gould, DeKay,
Stimp.

Dist., Mass. Bay to South Carolina.

Shell small, turreted, whorls six to eight,
the upper ones of a dark bluish or blackish
color, the lower ones of an ashy gray ; sur-
face covered with about twenty ribs, reticu-
lated by revolving lines, of which there are
six on the second whorl, five on the next
above, and so on; on the body whorl the
net work extends downward to the centre ;
below this are six revolving lines, without
the ribs; aperture one-fourth the length of

the shell; outer lip sharp, scalloped by the |

revolving lines; canal a mere fissure ; shell
umbilicated. Length three-tenths, breadth
one-tenth inch. The young of this species
are found very abundantly on the sand be-
tween tides at Nantucket, Martha’s Vine-
yard, New Bedford, Narragansett Bay, and
Long Island Sound. These are always red-
dish black and have a round aperture, or

They are found |
in all parts of the world, but the typical

nearly so. The adults are found from low
water to eight fathoms on alge and eel grass.
They attain their growth in two or three
years, and when full grown have an oblique
aperture, flaring at the base and suddenly
everted.

50. Crerrraium (Birrtum) Green, ADAMS.

Shell small, reddish black (resembling
very closely the young of the preceding
species), elevated-conic, whorls ten to
twelve, flattened, traversed by numerous
ribs, of which there are on the body whorl,
from twenty to twenty-five, crossed by three
revolving lines, producing three sets of
granules, the lower one the largest, so that
the base of each whorl appears to jut over
the other; as these lines revolve up the
spire, the lower one disappears, then the
middle one, and finally the last one vanishes,
leaving the upper part of the shell near the
apex quite smooth; two black threads
emerge from the aperture and revolve around
the base of the shell; aperture one-eighth
the length of the shell, nearly circular, with
a deep but short canal, partly closed over
by the lips. Length one-fifth of an inch,
breadth one-twentieth. Found by Prof. C.
B. Adams on seaweed in Dartmouth Harbor,
a few feet below low water mark, and
described by him in the Jour. Bost. Soc.
Nat. Hist., u., 287. It inhabits the same
localities assnigrum, but is not at all com-
mon in Rhode Island. Very rare at New
Haven (Perkins). Boston Harbor (Stimp-
son). Long Island (S. Smith). Fort Ma-
con, N. C. (Coues).

51. Cerriratum (Ceriruiorsis) EMERSONII,
ADAMS.

Shell small, conical, glossy, reddish-brown ;
whorls sixteen or seventeen, flat, each with
three rows of granules; suture deeply
impressed; aperture small, one-sixth the
length of the shell, with a short, twisted
canal; outer lip crenulated. Length one-
half inch, breadth one-eighth.

Discovered at Nantucket, and in New
Bedford harbor, by Prof. C. B. Adams, and
described in the Jour. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.,
1., 284, under the name of Cerithium Emer-

_sonii, in honor of the president of the

society, Mr. G. b. Emerson. Huntington
and Greenport, Long Island (S. Smith).

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

55

Cape Cod to South Carolina (Verrill). I
have found but one specimen in Rhode
Island.

52. Crriraiom (CERITHIOPSIS) TEREBRALIS,
ADAMS.

This species inhabits the same localities,
and is of the same shape and size as C.
Emersonii, but the surface of the shell,
instead of being granulated, has three sharp,
elevated revolving lines on each whorl, of
which there are ten, and numerous fine,
longitudinal lines between the ridges. It
was discovered at New Bedford by Mr. C.
F. Shiverick, and described by Prof. C. B.
Adams, in Jour. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.,
m1., 320.

Genus Triroris, DEsHAyEs, 1825.

Shell sinistral, turreted, sculptured, gran-
ular; aperture small, produced anteriorly
into a closed tubular canal.

Dist., about one hundred species, one of
which inhabits Rhode Island.

53. 'TRIFORIS NIGROCINCTUS, ADAMS.

Shell small, blackish red, granulated by
three revolving series of beads; whorls
twelve, reversed, the aperture being sinistral
or left-handed, differing in this respect from
any other marine shell we have within our
limits; spire acute ; aperture oval, one-fifth
the length of the shell, ending in a twisted
canal one-third the length of the aperture,
situated on the left side of the shell. Length
three-tenths inch, breadth three-fortieths.

The name, nigrocinctus, was not well
chosen for this species, as the shells when
fresh are of a uniform color, the black
revolving line at the suture being scarcely
distinguishable. In faded or light colored
specimens it is very apparent. However, it
cannot be mistaken for any other species
inhabiting our coasts. It was discovered
by Professor Adams in Dartmouth harbor
on seaweed, and described by him in Jour.
Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., u., 286.
Invert. gives no other locality. Perkins says
they are rare at New Haven. Verrill gives
from Cape Cod to South Carolina. We find
them here on Ostraea Virginica, attached to
the dead shells lying in the heaps thrown |
out by the oyster-openers in different parts —
of the city.

Gould’s |

' a growth cut ten or more years ago.
| rare to find a well-developed tree of this

(To be continued.)

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
No. III.

Qurrcus Prinus — Cuestnut Oak.
Var. monticola.

There are at least three varieties of the
Q. prinus in Rhode Island. The variety
monticola, rock-chestnut oak, is found upon
some of the rocky hills of the state, quite
abundantly upon the ridge of which the
Diamond Hill granite quarries form a part.
The trees now standing upon this ridge are
generally small, being mostly sprouts from
It is

species in this state. The largest which I
have seen are not more than a foot anda
half in diameter and about twenty-five feet
high. In the open ground the tree grows
to a low, rounded head, symmetrical and
of considerable beauty. The leaves which
I have gathered average seven inches in
length, including the petiole, which is about
one inch long. The general shape is obo-
vate, considerably narrowed at the base,
the widest part being fully half its length.
The margin is distinctly, but not deeply
toothed. The midrib sends out from six to
twelve pairs of straight, prominent veins,
which determine the number of teeth. The
leaves are of a shining green above, lighter,
and, when young, downy beneath. They
clothe the tree with a dense foliage.

The tree fruits but sparingly, and the
acorns, being very sweet, are quickly taken
by the squirrels, so that it is difficult to get
well ripened specimens. ‘The acorns are
large, in rough cups, not distinctly scaled,
borne upon footstalks about one inch long.
The branches come out at sharper angles
than is common with most other oaks, and
are finely divided at the extremities. The
bark is smooth until the tree is quite old,
when it becomes divided by clefts, long,
but not deep, and quite near each other.
The bark resembles that of the chestnut
tree, but is somewhat lighter and very com-
pact.

Where this tree is found in sufficient
quantities it is highly esteemed both as tim-
ber and fuel; but in Rhode Island it is
so searce that its characteristics are but

56

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

little known. It will thrive among rocks
and in the fissures of ledges, in the dryest
places, wherever it can get a foothold.
Upon many rocky hills of this state it would
be valuable for propagation.

Var. humilis.
CHINQUAPIN Oak.

We are accustomed to associate strength,
massiveness and grandeur with the name
‘‘oak” ; but the Q. prinoides, commonly
known as the chinquapin oak, is a pigmy
in the family, growing only from two to four
feet high and an inch or two in diameter.
Its native habitat is upon dry, sandy. or

gravelly plains and ridges and among ledges
where little soil is found. Its usual com-
panion is the ** scrub” oak, which, although
but a large shrub in size, quite overtops it,
and obscures it from ordinary observation.
It usually sends up a half dozen or more
shoots from one root, although occasionally
but a single stem, it then being a perfect
miniature tree, laden with flowers, in early
June, or with fruit in autumn. The catkins
of sterile flowers appear in clusters, two
inches or more in length, a rich saffron in
color, graceful and beautiful. The acorns,
although small compared with those of
many other oaks, often bear the stems to
the ground with their weight. They are set |
in dainty, obscurely scaled cups, narrowed
at the base, nearly sessile, each being usu- |

ally accompanied by one or two abortive
acorns. The acorn itself is ovoid or sub- |
globose, of dark brown, almost ebony |
color, and shining when ripe. Wild ani-
mals, birds as well as quadrupeds, and
swine devour the acorns with avidity, which
are sweet and nutritious. The leaves are
obovate in shape, considerably narrowed at |
the base, upon foot-stalks one-half inch in |
length, dentate—wavy upon the edge. They
have a prominent midrib, sending out seven
or eight pairs of straight, alternately
arranged veins, distinctly reticulated with |
each other. The branches are straight, |
coming out at sharp angles, and are of a
light-gray, or ash color, ¢ghe main stem be-
ing nearly black and frequently variegated
by light patches of lichens. The bark is
excessively bitter, abounding in tannin.
The use of this tree is evidently as a |
“nurse,” or protector, for certain timber |

trees, when young. Such trees planted
among the ‘* chinquapins ” would get estab-
lished, and overtopping them, leave them to
die, or as a harmless undergrowth. When
forestry shall have attained its proper place
in this country, the utility of some of our
shrubby growths, now regarded as worse
than worthless, will be duly recognized.

I first learned of the existence of this in-
teresting member of the oak family in this
state, by reading the remarkable works of
Micheaux, the elder and the younger, upon
the trees of North America. He says that
it is found in abundance upon the plains of
Providence. My search was first rewarded
by finding it in North Providence, among
the ** scrub” of the unsettled parts, where
it still exists. Since then, I have often
come across it in rambles in various places,
but in nearly every instance upon sterile
soil. Emerson speaks of it as often occur-
ring in Middlesex County, Mass., and as
occupying, almost exclusively, acres of
ground upon Martha’s Vineyard.

Color of Birds Eyes.

Downy Woodpecker, dark red, hazel.

White-headed Woodpecker, red.

Red-shafted Woodpecker, red or brown.

California Woodpecker, white, sometimes
yellowish, bluish, or brown.

Williamson’s Woodpecker, red brown.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker, yellow.

Pileated Woodpecker, yellow.

Black-backed Woodpecker. brown.

Banded-backed Woodpecker, brown.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, red.

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, red.

Red-headed Woodpecker, brown.

Lewis’ Woodpecker, brown.

Hawk Owl, yellow.

Great Gray Owl, straw.

Saw Whet Owl, yellow.

Long-eared Owl, yellow.

Short-eared Owl, yellow.

Richardson’s Owl, straw.

Little Screech Owl, straw.

California Screech Owl, yellow.

California Pigmy Owl, yellow.

Burrowing Owl, yellow.

Great Horned Owl, yellow.

Barred Owl, dark brown iris, deep blue
pupil, effect black.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. XxXvi

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Carefully and Distinetly all Names and Addresses.

We have almost continually two or three letters filed away that have not been signed
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contained stamps or postal note, the writers usually write again after a time, explanations
are then in order, and matters easily adjusted ; but in the interim, and about some others
that are never explained, we are doubtless subjected to many railing accusations.

BONE SNIPS.

We have finally obtained Scissors that combine good material and powerful lever-
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OSTRICH EGGS. (‘See article page 49.)

A smooth, cream-colored egg, about six by five inches, $3.00 each, prepaid.
FLAMINGO ECGS. Post-paid, $1.00 each.
ALLIGATOR EGGS. 25c., postage ic.; or five post-paid for $1.00.
EMU’S ECCS.

A handsome deep green egg, five by three and a half inches, $2.50 each, prepaid.

HUMBOLDT’S PENQUIN.......... ..--- 0. cece cece cee e eee: $1.25

We have just issued a New Price-List of Eggs, which will be
sent free upon application.

BOUTHOICK & JENCKS.

XXVili RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

A
SOUTHWICK & JENCKS.
FROM THE WEST INDIES. FROM PANAMA.
Corals. Shells.
Manicina areolata............2eseee- 10 to 50c Cuina)tectum@t@ry 1 Eto 25
Gr per Woks «eRe <22 740717 $1 00 to 200 | Cuma Kiosquiformis, Ducl...........-. 5to 15
Agaricia agaricites.......-...-..+0++-- 75 to 1 25 Uvanilla Huetiee... js.¢cc, 5 to 20
Dichoceenia porcata...............206. 50 tol 25 Turbo (Gallopéma) saxosus, Woods) aatianie
Astrea ANANNS «+s Je boc e se se cas 10 to 15 Murex -regius’ Wood: .....::./s0uaae 25 to1 50
Siderastnea GAG TANS pele s- sieeve lel asl. 10 to 50 An bicologmWal. |... Sg 50 to 1 50
Porites asterzeoides...........-....55- 25 to 1 00 ef eae Gme «| aS Re 50t0 160
Red or Yellow Sea Fans, selected, each 25 to 50 ef
a ee ‘© assorted, per doz. - 2 00
Sea Plumes, selected.................. 25 to T5 FROM CUMBERLAND,
as ‘s assorted, per doz........ 2 00 ENCLAND.
Muricea elongatas2.-...-.-- c+ c-0r-- 25 to 15 Minerals.
Xipidogorgia citrina.................-- 40 to 75
MUricea Spit bates ds stats tects 20 to 75 | Fine Specimens Barite................ 75—3 00
gt es Dog-tooth Calcite..... 75—2 50
ors: ss z: Nail-head Calcite. .... 50—2 00
Strombus pugilis, perfect and lustrous, “6 “ Specular iron & quartz 50—1 50
of rich orange or red color........ 10 to 25 és ‘6 Hematite (Kidney ore) 50—2 50
Strombus pugilis cleaned, per doz.... 1 25 “ “ Fluor (small cubes)... 25—2 00
eC rene Oe ier 7 | « « —— Blende (Black Jack). .10—10 00
Trochus pica, handsome black and “ 6 Iridescent Pyrite. .... 50—5 00
white, with silver mouth...10 to 25 ‘ ‘< Campylite............ B—1 25
es shee ep uite ol. J. esa, gee oosod 5to 15 « “ Galetite... 2 ee 50—2 00
Pinna muricata, postage dc............20 to 40
Seeds. New Bird-Skins.
Guinea Pea, Black-eyed Susan, per gill 15 |" 452 Gray Sea Hagle................. 6 00 to 7 50
(POBEAGO NE) aketeeicin ars «jist wi wo eierae a Us 1 ated eS beeen 3 00
Albus precatorius, per gill, (postage 5c. ) 15. | 003 GIOSSY UbIseercii cre ecieeeieee ear 3 50 to 4 00
Gray Bean, Guilandina bundue, per gill tay ye < SSF O'S oi miata siete 65
(postage De.) iA aiee.. neces hin. 593 White-fronted Goose............ 3 50 to 4 00
Small Red Bean, Adenanthera pavonia, 15 Fe © sO 8. vache nea 1 50
per gill (postage 5c. ).. ...-......- OTL Mew Giillieerrctt «21. af) teteeret 2 00 to 2 50
All $2.50 per gallon by express. < SPU BER Ss6m GabDoo odocsd¢ 35
FROM SQUTHERM CAPT Young Birds in the Down.
FORNIA. a et :
Shing Gf 337 CostaelEiummer....c2.- 1 50 | White-tailed Hagle.... 0.0.5... scissor 2 50
‘é 215 Black-chinned Sparrow... 3 00 Red-necked Phalarope eife (oh wire thw (cles ate tested riatnels 3 00
“6 141a@ Cassin’s Vireo..........-- 1 25 Glossy DIS ais, Sapeereic’ ss xs, olcleteravedeholes steerer 2 00
‘6 323 Western Yellow -bellied Golden-eye -Daek:. «:/....2semaaes- setttees 2 00
Flycatcher..........++: 50 to 75 Scaup Duck. bees). «i Sake ee ee 2 00
Pintail-Ducksgeece. =: ~~ see eee 2 00
Mammals. | Hider Dek... 2aiem- «i+. scieis actsinis anaes 1 50
Harris’s Squirrel (Spermophylus Harrisi) 1 50 | Red-breasted Merganser............... .+- 1 50
Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Phillipsi)..... 2 O00) | eMew: Gall: spate a's cel v cteicleeree ceteris 1 50
Pouched Mouse (Circelodipus parvus)... 2 00 | Eared Grebe.....................-.---e0e- 1 50

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

NO. V.IEF-

A MONTHLY, 50ECENTS PER ANNUM.

PUBLISHED BY

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xxx RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

FOR DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION,
NERVOUSNESS, DIMINISHED VITALITY, ETC.,

2 ee
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Prices Reasonable. Pamphlet giving further particulars mailed free. Manufactured by the

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——1t@"BEWARE OF IMITATIONS,.~e¢————

~+# PROCEEDINGS | TRAYS.

No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
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OF THE

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Reports of very interesting and instructive papers | 6 x 4x34, To | SOD 1.
delivered before the Society. One hundred pages. | Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They
Price, 50c. | are too bulky to be mailed.

BIRDS.—Contains the entire nomenclature North American Birds, and Price-List of skins,
eggs, insects, and supplies, with instructions for preparing skins and eggs. ee 20 cts.

MINERALS. — Gives Dana’s species number, localities, and valuations, - - 6

SHELLS. — Contains a very full list of prominent species, with authorities and
synonyms. Also habitat and valuation, - - - - - =) 10S
The three Catalogues for - - - . - - - - 25 ‘*

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Random {Hotes on Uatural History.

Vol. II.

PROVIDENCE, AUGUST 1, 1885.

No. 8

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

Random Hotes on Yatural History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
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BoYraANY. 50 CENTS A YEAR.

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

Notes on Food of Raptorial Birds.

BY CHARLES DURY.

Tue hawks and owls are popularly re-
garded as very injurious birds, and always
killed when opportunity presents itself.

The food of many species varies much
with the season, and it is rather astonish-
ing that our resident species are enabled to

find subsistence during very severe winter |

weather. I give, in a brief manner, the re-
sult of the dissection of the bodies of the
following species, from my note-book of 1884
and 1885:

Rep-SHoutpereD Hawk (Buteo lineatus).

Dec. 4, 1884. Male. Filled with grass-
hoppers. Bird killed near Winton Place.

Noy. 13, 1884. Male. The stomach was
filled to distention with grasshoppers (Calop-
tenus femer rubrum).

Dec. 2. Male. Filled with grasshoppers
and mice. Several others examined during
winter, contained mice.

The remarkable fact here is, that this spe-
cies feeds on grasshoppers, and can find
them as late as Dec. 4th.

Bap Eacre (Haliaetus leucocephalus).
Noy. 10. Young female contained fish.
Jan. 15. Young (very large) female
contained balls of rat-hair.
RouGu-LeccGep Hawk (Archibuteo lagopus).
Jan. 15. Female. Stomach filled with
parts of four large field mice.
Jan. 27. Male. Filled with mice.
This is rather a rare bird in this locality.
Great Hornep Own (Bubo Virginianus) .
Several exainined were empty, but the

|

stomach of one male on May 13th, contained
a few feathers, a small bunch of hair, and a
beetle (Lachnosterna fusca) .

Nov. 20. Female. Contained a quail.
Noy. 24. Male. Contained part of a
chicken.

Barrep Own (Syrnium nebulosui) .

Noy. 11. This bird contained a partly-
digested screech-owl (Scops Asio), feathers,
body and feet.

Nov. 30. Male. Contained mice.
Jan. 16. Female. Contained mice.
Jan. 16. Male. . Stomach contained

part of a red-bellied woodpecker, including
head and bill.
Suort-Earep Owt (Brachyotis palustris).

Nov. 9. <A male was filled with mice —
cues others contained mice.
Noy. 11. A female contained two Euro-

| pean Pree for which service she de-

served a better fate than to be shot.
Coorer’s Hawk (Accipiter Cooperii).
May 11. Stomach contained young bird.
May 24. Male. Stomach contained

partly-digested hermit thrash.

Feb.7. Stomach contained one European
sparrow.

Barn Own (Strix Flamme).

Since my paper published in the JouRNAL,
Dec., 1883, several others have been taken
in this vicinity; in all of them were mice
and their remains.

SHARP-SHINNED Hawk (Accipiter fuscus) .

Jan.18. A sharp-shinned hawk, a male,
pursued a European sparrow into a store on
Third Street, this city, and captured the
sparrow inside the store. The door was
closed and the hawk secured alive.

ScreEcH-Owt (Scops Asio).
This species has been unusually abundant ;
very many have beenexamined. I enumer-
ate a few of these.

April 10. Male.
mostly beetles.

Filled with insects,

—

~ pen rear SE A ER TIED TS OF RT OORT ROT OAR LA PR RAE On a SNE Ee PIRES EO EOL LATA EG
eee TCS SANSA LOA Ep ONAN D >

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

58
May 22. Female. Contained beetles. grown. They all appeared to simply have
Oct. 10. Eight owls, in all of which were | had their skulls opened, and the brains re-

insects, mostly beetles.

Nov. 8. One owl contained millipedes.

Nov. 24. One owl, male, contained in-
sects.

Dec. 5. One owl contained mice.

Dec. 11. One owl contained mice.

Jan. 13. One owl contained thirteen

large larve, commonly called cutworms
(larve of Agrotis), and several millipedes.

Jan. 25. One owl contained mice and
one European sparrow.

These little owls are very beneficial birds.
They seem to feed on insects, in preference
to anything else, if they can get them. I
have been puzzled to tell where the owl of
January 13th obtained the cutworm larve.
The bird seemed to be a resident, as its
feathers were soiled with black coal soot,

commonly seen on the birds that linger

long in the vicinity of the city. The rap-
torial birds are almost always very fat, prov-
ing they take good care of themselves.

Nore. — Since the reading of this paper,
the letter appended has been received. It
explains itself:

CircLEVILLE, March 5, 1885.
Mr. Cuarres Dury:

Dear Sir —I noticed a report in yester-
day’s Daily Enquirer, of a paper read by
you before your Society of Natural History,
on Rapacious Birds.

Allow me to add some testimony to our
much-needed knowledge of birds of this class.

For many years I have personally known
the value of our large horned owl as a ‘‘ rat-
ter,” and will cite one instance in particular
as proof.

About eight years ago, one of my men
discovered a pair of owlets of the large-
horned variety, in an old sycamore stub,
near my stables on my farm, and concluded
to capture them alive. With some risk to
himself, he succeeded in securing them, but
not without a regular fight with the old ones,
who gave him a few wounds. In the nest
where he got the young owls, he noticed
several full-grown Norway rats, with their
skulls opened, and the brains removed. On
descending to the ground. he also noticed
the bodies of many rats around the tree, and
cut of curiosity counted them, and found
the bodies of 115 rats, most of them full-

moved ; and from their undecayed appear-
ance, must all have been captured within
the previous week, or ten days.

On account of their nocturnal habits, from
my personal experience and observation, I
consider the owl, especially the great horned
owl, a bird of great value to the farmer, es-
pecially as a ratter.

Yours, O. E. Nites.

Journal of the Cincinnati Society of
Natural History, April, 1885.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.
BY L. W. RUSSELL.

No. IV.

Quercus prinus.
L/ .
(Variety unnamed. )

Or the biennial-fruited oaks found in

_ Rhode Island there is a single specimen be-
_ longing to the chestnut-oak division, which

deserves special mention. I do not find any

| description in botanical works by which it
_ can be identified as any named variety. I

am inclined, with some of our local botanists,
to regard it as a hybrid, probably of the Q.
alba and Q. bicolor, both of which are found
abundantly near it.

So far as the writer can learn, no other

| specimen of its peculiar characteristics is
| known in this state or elsewhere.

The view
of this being a hybrid is the more probable
from the well-known tendency of the oaks
to cross.

This tree is located in Providence, a half
mile from Seekonk River, in an unimproved

_ lot near the junction of Arlington and Presi-
| dent avenues.

It is about forty feet high,
with wide-spreading top, the lower limbs
striking out horizontally, but not having the
contortions common to the white oaks. The
general aspect of the tree, however, in the
distance is that of the white oak. The
bark resembles that of the sub-division to

| which it belongs, being much like that of a

chestnut tree. The leaves are peculiar.

| They average with the petiole, which is

about an inch long, seven inches in length,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

59

and half as wide. ‘They are ovate in shape,
narrowed at the base. |
The prominent mid vein sends out six or
seven pairs of prominent lateral veins, at
sharp angles, which determine the number
of divisions of the leaf blade. The margin |
is deeply indented, the sinuses being fully an
inch cut, with one-third that width. This
gives amore prominently toothed division to
the leaf than is found in other varieties. The
branchlets are heavily foliaged, the leaves
lying upon each other in an imbricated man- |

ner. The young leaves are slightly downy
underneath, pale green, darkerabove. The |
foliage of the tree is certainly characteristic |
and remarkably attractive.
|
|

The fruit marks the tree as varying from |
the named varieties of the Q. prinus. Itis |
fully one and a fourth inches in length, in |
a cup one third as deep, prominently tuber-—
cled. The fruit resembles that of the En-
glish oak, Q. robur. |

The wood, as examined from a dead |
branch, is coarse grained, and of dark color. |

The tree described is dying rapidly. One |
half wiil not leave out again; the other part |
appears vigorous at this writing, and is fruit- |
ing abundantly, this year. It has fruited |
but sparingly for several years, last year
not at all. The variety is certainly worth
propagating, not alone from its rarity, but
from its beauty as a shade tree.

It should be remarked that the soil upon
which this tree grows is a rich loam, moist —
but not swampy, and it is in a sheltered |
situation, with ample room for development.

This completes the list of annual-fruited
oaks in Rhode Island, unless a doubted re-
port should prove true, that the mossy-cup
white oak, Q. macrocarpa, is to be found
in the northwestern corner of the state.

Recapitulation of the annual-fruited
oaks :

Wuire Oak Division.

Q. alba — White oak.

Q. obtusiloba — Post oak.

Cuestnut Oak Division.
Q. prinus.
Var. bicolor —Swamp chestnut oak.
Var. monticola — Rock chestnut oak.
Var. prinoides —Chinquapin oak.
Var. not named.

Wuaris meant by the bone of contention?
The jaw-bone.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

’ BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.
Noumper XI.

WE now come to the arborial Batrachians,
the tree-frogs, or, as they are more com-
monly called, the ‘‘ tree-toads.” These ani-
mals have teeth in the upper jaw and on the
palatine bones, the latter appearing in the
center of the roof of the mouth. The toes
are all provided at their extremities with
sucking-disks, and those of the hind limbs
are more or less united by a web. By
means of these sucking-disks, and assisted
by a viscid fluid, secreted from the lower
surface of the toes, the tree-toads can, not
only secure their hold on the slender branches
of the trees and fearlessly jump from bough
to bough, but they can crawl up the smooth
surface of a window-pane or the perpendicu-
lar walls of a room. The palmation of the
hind limbs is of use with our forms only
during the breeding season, when the males
and females congregate in the warm pools
and shallow pond holes, making the air ring
with their shrill pipings.

Hyla versicolor Le Conte. The common
tree-toad is one of the most beautiful mem-
bers of the genus, and well merits its specific
name, as it possesses the power of changing
its hue to a most. remarkable degree. Or-
dinarily when found it is of a greenish white
shade, a color giving the crouching animal
the appearance of a piece of putty. In the
angles of the legs, as well as on the sides of
the abdomen, a beautiful bright yellow ob-
tains. The pale white is, however, soon
changed to darker shades and may become
almost brown, a shade which harmonizes
with the limbs of the trees on which the
animal lives. The length of the body, ex-
clusive of the hind limbs, is about two inches.
The ‘* trill” of the tree-toad is familiar to
all as a call heard during the warm, sultry
evenings of spring and summer, and resem-
bling the noise produced by a watchman’s
rattle.

When thus calling, the animal may be
easily found by a person locating himself
near the base of the tree in which the ani-
mal rests, and observing the bases of the
several limbs as they spring from the trunk.
The animal generally chooses this situation
for his calling tower, and so interested is he

60

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

in his vocal powers that rather than leave
off in the midst of hig piece, he will allow
himself to be taken in the hand.

In captivity the tree-toad makes an in-

teresting, though noisy pet. <A starch-box
containing some damp moss and a small
dish of water, and well supplied with insect
life, will render the animal perfectly con-
tented, and he will live in health during the
season.
tree-toads seem to be of a most contented
disposition. An individual has been known

to remain in a single tree for months ata |

time, and possibly for successive years.
Specimens have been found hibernating in
the dead wood at the bottom of hollow trees,
and also in the soil among the roots.

The Rodentia of Rhode Island.

oer es.)

Wuitr-Footep Mouse; Derr Mouse;
Fietp Mousr; Hresperomys Lecopus (Rar)
Le Conte.

I HAvE before me ten specimen skins of
this small Rhode Island Mouse, the pellage
varying from leaden gray with a slight rufus
tint along the sides, the under parts and feet
white, in a young specimen taken Nov. 19,
1884. to the full coloring of adults taken at
different seasons, which isasoft yellow brown
color above with the back dark, where the
hairs are tippe d with a darker shade nearly
black, all the under parts, the feet and
the under part of the tail, pure white. The
average length from nose to tail is three and
one-half inches, the tail nearly as long as the
head and body. ‘The eyes are mild, round
and full, standing out prominently from the
head.

T have found this species abundant in the
central and eastern part of the state, and
as it seems to adapt itself to almost any sort
of field or woodland, it is probably plenty
everywhere. It is a nimble little creature,
and the second one I ever caught sought
safety by running up a slender tree some
twenty feet, and when my companion fol-
lowed it jumped boldly off, and very nearly
escaped me. The memory of that large
man shinning a tree for one small mouse is
now a little amusing.

Mr. Daniel Seamans caught, May 18, near

Even in their out-door life, the |

| Rockland, R. L., a fine female, and for two
| days I had her alive. She allowed any

amount of handling, without attempting to
bite, and I anticipated much pleasure in
studying her habits ; but the following morn-
ing she was missing, and the head was
eaten from a dead snake that had been left
near the cage. During captivity she ate
freely of crackers, canary seed, cheese,
meal, and clover. The afore-mentioned in-
cident proves also some carnivorous pro-
| pensities.
From three to six young are said to be
produced at a birth, at any time from April
to November, and there are probably sev-
eral litters each season.
All the nests that I have found were of
grass and dead leaves, nearly round and
slightly matted, and placed in holes in trees
from a foot to five feet above the ground.
Dr. Merriam says, that in certain open situa-
tions, they excavate chambers in the earth
several inches below the surface; in these
various situations they hibernate somewhat
irregularly during the coldest weather. Mr.
J. A. Allen, in the Bulletin of the Museum

of Comparative Anatomy, says he has found

as many as five huddled together in a torpid
state, while Dr. Merriam reports them as
abroad except during the most severe
weather. For their winter needs they lay
up a large store of seeds. Dr. Merriam

says he has removed two quarts of shucked
beechnuts from a single hoard.

It would seem that Hesperomys, like the
common House Mouse, sometimes exhibits
remarkable vocal powers, a song well con-
tinued of considerable compass and very soft
and clear. In the American Naturalist,
May, 1871, and December, 1871, are two in-
teresting reports upon this subject.

/ Tue King Rail, in my collection, was
taken in Saybrook, January 14, 1876, near
the west shore of the Connecticut River.
It was started by the dog from a patch of
rushes, whence it rose and flew a short dis-
tance, its flight resembling that of a duck,
which, at first sight, it was supposed to be.
I have heard of the Rail hunters securing
others, but this is the only one Ihavehad. I
once found a nest of this bird here, and have
some of the eggs yet, but it was many
| years ago that I “took them. J. N. Cuark.

ave

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 61

Euttercups.

Few persons realize how many different
kinds of buttercups we have here in Rhode
Island.
uralized from Europe, and mostly restricted
to our Eastern sea-board, is the first to ap-
pear. It fills one with joy, as does the first
dandelion.
and shining, is well beloved of children.

They gather large handfuls of buttercups |

to test their own appreciation of butter.
Ere the bulbous species has entirely disap-
peared from our lawns and meadows, comes
the later Ranunculus acris, very handsome
in leaf and flower, but in neither so showy,
in our opinion, as is the creeping buttercup,
found in wet places. The early crowfoot,
Ranuneulus fuscicularis, is very local with
us. We have found it but once, in East
Providence. The bright yellow flower is
an inch broad, and the plant is known at
once by its cluster of thick, fleshy roots.

Besides these species, we have the two |

curious aquatic species, one with white
flowers (ft. aquatilis), and the yellow-flow-
ered R. multifilus. The last, which is
smooth when growing in water, becomes
hairy inits occasional terrestrial forms. It
is, when in water, isolated from insect
molestation, but, when the water is re-
moved, requires to protect itself by pubes-
cence. One of the noticeable things about
the white water-crowfoot, is its frequent de-
velopment of two sorts of leaves. Of
these, the immersed kind consists of long,
capillary divisions, while the floating ones
are round, flat, and lobed. Again, we
have the larger and smaller spear-worts,
though these are local in their distribution.
The seaside species, R. cymbaluria, is
more commonly seen. It is found also
near salt springs or lakes, as in New York
State, in Nevada, and in Utah. Two very
small-flowered species of buttercup we now
find in blossom in damp woods. These are
‘the species abortinis and recurvitus of bot-
anists. Tous they possess beauties, per-
haps not obvious to those who fail to per-
ceive that a weed is ‘‘but a flower in dis-
guise.”

It will be seen from this list that we are |

well provided with buttercups. | Undoubt-
edly many of them are unmitigated weeds,
‘to be warred upon always and everywhere.

The bulbous species, which is nat- |

Its bright yellow cup, polished

——

But we must be pardoned for thinking that
without any buttercups one would be less
rich. Their gold is cheap, it is true, but it
is sterling. We could better spare some
more pretentious flowers.

ae]
_ B.

‘“ W. W. BalILeEy.
JUNE 5, 1885.

Mr. S. Schollfield, of Providence, has
brought to our notice a rose in full bloom.
From its centre among the stamens had
grown out a new stem, terminating in a per-
fect and quite well developed bud. We re-
ferred the specimen to Professor W. W.
Bailey, of Brown University, and he has
favored us with the following article :

My Dear Sir: The rose you send me
illustrates what is known as prolification of
the flower. It is interesting as bearing
upon the theory of metamorphosis as made
known nearly simultaneously by Wolff and
Goethe. Itis in effect a flower reverting
to a leafy branch. Often the change,
especially in roses, is complete, the petals
changing into green leaves. We under-
stand a flower to be a branch metamor-
phosed or changed, or perhaps it is better
to say, specially developed, for the accom-
plishment of reproduction. Uponthis branch
the leaves are modified into petals, stamen,
and pistils, a higher grade of organs than
foliage-leaves. But unusual circumstances,
such as excess of moisture, may induce a
branch which had begun to develop into a
flower, to revert to the lower function of
leaf-producing. This is what has happened
here.

Me. Geo. H. Ragsdale, Gainsville, Texas,
sends us a double nest, about which he writes
as follows: “The two nests sent last week
in the bunch of mistletoe I take to be those
of the Orchard Oriole and Lark Finch, the
latter built in and on the former, probably
after the Orioles had vacated. ‘The nests
were placed in a Black Jack tree thirty
feet high.”

A MAGAZINE writer asks: ‘* How shall we
utilize the Indians?’ This is a difficult
question to answer, but perhaps the best
plan would be to petrify them and sell them
for cigar-store signs. This idea is worthy
of consideration.

62

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XIX.

Famiry 37. Melaniide, comprises sev-
eral hundred species of fresh water shells,
inhabiting all the warmer parts of the world
excepting North America.

Famity 38. Strepomatide, are also
fresh water shells, about five hundred
‘species, mostly confined to the United
States, but not known to inhabit New Eng-
land.

Famity 39. Risscellide,
‘sented in Rhode Island.

Famiy 40.
mense number of species, inhabiting all
parts of the world, some genera in fresh
water, and others in salt water, while some

not repre-

Sus-Famity, 4. Rissoine, not repre-
sented in Rhode Island.
Sus-Famity 5. Hydrobiinz, contains

twelve genera, two of which, Littorinella
and Amnicola are represented in Rhode
Island.

Sus-Faminies 6 and 7. Lithoglyphine
and Pomatiopsinz are not found in Rhode
Island, although one species of Pomatiopsis
is found in the western parts of Massachu-
setts and Connecticut.

GENUS LITTORINELLA, BRAUN.

Syns.:

Paludinella, Loven (not Pfr.). Littorini-
dea, Eyd and Soul.

Dist., World wide, in brackish or salt

| water.

Rissoidz, contains an im- |

are amphibious. The animals are all herbi- |

vorous. This family is divided into seven
-sub-families, viz. :

Sus-Famiry 1. Bythininz, two genera.

re be Skeneinz, one genus.

Rissoininze, four genera.
Rissoinz, three ae
. Hydrobiine, fifteen **
. Lithoglyphine, six ‘
Pomatiopsinz, one genus.

Bythinine, not repre-

be 66

ce 66
oe 66
6e a4

6 66

1 Ore OO bo

Sus-Famiry 1.
‘sented in America.

Susp-Famiry 2. Skeneinz, contains one
‘genus, Skenea, Fleming. Represented in
New England by one species.

o4.

Shell minute, flat, discoidal, deeply um-
bilicated, showing all the whorls, three in
number; apex slightly elevated ; aperture
round, dilated, in contact with, but not
forming any part of the preceding whorl.
Length, one-twentieth of an inch, breadth
-one-thirtieth. Habitat, on and under
stones at low water mark, on rocky ocean
shores, and among the roots of our common
‘corallina. Dist., France and England, Nor-
way, Spitzbergen, Iceland, Greenland, and
Labrador to Long Island Sound.

Found in Rhode Island only at Watch
Hill, so far as now known.

Sus-Famity 3. Rissoininz, not repre-
‘sented on our coasts.

SKENEA PLANORBIS, FABRICUS.

55. LiITTORINELLA ACULEUS, GOULD.

Syns.:
Cingula aculeus, Gld., DeKay.
Rissoa aculeus, Stimpson.
Shell minute, ovate-cylindrical,
gated, light yellowish horn color ;

elon-
whorls

| six, separated by a deep suture; apex ob-

| lar microscopic revolving lines ;

| Hill, R. 1 CVerrill).

tuse ; surface of the shell covered with regu-
aperture
one-third the length of the shell, oval, ob-
lique; lips simple, just touching the body
whorl, leaving a small umbilicus. Length
three-twentieths of an inch; breadth one-
fifteenth. Found on stones at low water
mark. It resembles the next species very
much, but is distinguished by its habitat
and by the revolving lines. Long Island
Sound to Greenland. Common at New
Haven, Conn. (Verrill). Gull Island
(Smith). East Boston (Gld.). Watch
Whole New England
coast (Stimp.).

56.

Syns.:

Turbo minutus, Totten.

Cingula minuta, Gould, DeKay.

Rissoa minuta, Gould, Stimp.

Shell minute, ovate-conic, elevated, yel-
lowish-green, usually coated with a dark
pigment or vegetable growth; whorls five,
apex obtuse, suture distinct. Operculum
horny. The shape of the shell and of the
aperture, umbilicus and operculum is almost
exactly like those of the preceding species,
but the surface is destitute of revolving
lines and the breadth of the shell is one-

LItTORINELLA MINUTA, TOTTEN.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

tenth of an inch (aculeus is one-fifteenth) ,
while the length of the two species is the
same, three-twentieths. It was described
by Col. Joseph G. Totten in Silliman’s
Journal, VOL. XXVI., page 369.

Gould says of this species: ‘ It is found
plentifully on seaweed and on moist banks,
about high water mark, especially on the
thread-like plants which grow in ditches
and brackish pools, in company with Litto-
rina tenebrosa.”’

I have never been able to find one on
seaweed, or in any situation where Lit-
torina tenebrosa is found. I have found
them on empty clam-shells between tides,
and in shell sand thrown up above high
water mark, about one-quarter grown, and
have had just such looking specimens sent
me from Massachusetts and Maine, but the
best locality in Rhode Island is on the sand
between tides, in water almost fresh and a
little muddy. I collected at one time a
great number of specimens of extraordinary
size and perfection at Bishop’s Bend, be-
tween Ingrahamville and Bucklin’s Island
on the Seekonk River.

57.
This species I know nothing of, but in-

clude it here on the authority of Prof. A.
E. Verrill, who obtained it at Watch Hill,

LITTORINELLA EXARATA, STIMP.

among rocks and algze in four or five fath- |
He says it inhabits from Ston- |

oms water.
ington, Conn., to Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Genus AMNICOLA, GOULD AND Ha.p., 1841.

The fifty-seven species of Rhode Island
shells which have been described in these
papers thus far are all marine, or inhabitants
of salt water. The species forming the

genus Amnicola, however, are all fluviatile |

or fresh water species, not merely brackish, | published the same in the Central Falls

but confined entirely to ponds, fresh water
rivers, etc. Amnicola is confined to the
United States, and contains about ten
species, two of which inhabit Rhode Island.

58. AMNICOLA LIMOSA, SAY.

Syns.:
Paludina limosa, Say.
Paludina porata, Ad. Philippi.
Amnicola porata, Gould, non Say.
Amnicola limosa, Binney, Hald., Perkins.
Shell small, conic-globose ; smooth, usu-
ally covered with mud or slime, but under
this coating, dark brown to light olive-green

}

63

in color; whorls four, convex; suture
deeply impressed ; aperture nearly circular ;
lips sharp; inner lip just touches the body
whorl, leaving a large and deep umbilicus.
Length three-tenths of an inch; breadth
one-fourth. Gould, in the Invert. Mass.,
first edition, calls our shell the Amnicola
porata of Say; later authorities pronounce
it A. limosa, Say, and state that porata does
not inhabit New England. W. G. Binney,
in Land and Fresh Water Shells of N. A.,
gives the only habitat of porata, Say,
Cayuga Lake, Big Sioux River, and Moose
Factory, B. A. Ina letter to the writer,
Mr. John G. Anthony said: ‘‘ A. limosa,
Say, is not positively known to concholo-
gists, and I doubt the Rhode Island shells
belonging to that species.” I hope these
remarks will bring out some opinions from
other workers in this direction, as we have
an abundance of the shells and would like
to have its name settled. It is found in
our rivers, ponds, brooks and ditches, ad-
hering to submerged sticks and plants, but
seems to prefer stones and the empty
valves of Unios and Anodons.

59. AMNICOLA GRANA, SAY.

Syns.:

Paludina grana, Say.

Amnicola Brownii, H. F. Carpenter.

This species is found abundantly in Cun-
lifPs Pond, at Elmville, three or four miles
south of Providence, and in no other local-
ity in Rhode Island, that Iam aware of. I
discovered them in 1870, and supposing
them to be a new species, I named it as
above, and read a description of it in a paper
before the ‘* Providence Franklin Society,”
Tuesday evening, March 26th, 1872, and

Weekly Visitor, the next week. I have
sent specimens of these shells to very many
conchologists, and as they pronounce them
to be Say’s A. grana, my name is dropped.
The following is my original description,
which is not exactly like Say’s in all re-
spects, but it is correct: ‘* Shell small, thin,

| translucent, of a light green color, when di-

vested of the thick, dirty epidermis which
covers it, turrited, elongate, composed of
five gibbous whorls; operculated and um-
bilicated ; apex very obtuse; suture very
deep; aperture nearly circular, a little
broader at the base; lips continuous, sim-

64

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ple, the superior edge of the inner lip not
touching the preceding whorl, except in
young specimens.
inch in length by one-fourteenth in breadth.
Diameter of aperture one-twenty-fifth inch.
Full grown specimens attain a length of
three-twentieths inch.”
(To be continued.)

A Hint to Conchologists.

Tue following easy way of removing the
smaller species of univalve mollusks from
their shells without injuring the latter, may
prove of interest to our conchological
friends :

As the old saying goes, ‘first get the

Average size one-tenth |

|
|

shells, then drop them into a pan of wa- |

ter close to the boiling point, and let them

boil from one to two minutes, but no longer.
Then, by inserting the point of a pin into
the foot and turning the latter toward the
inner lip or columella,— revolving the shell
at the same time in an opposite direction,—
the animal may be extracted without the
slightest trouble. As soon as_ possible
thereafter the shells should be carefully
brushed, using a soft tooth-brush for the

purpose, and those having an outward gloss —

well rubbed with a fine cloth or chamois

skin, while those that are naturally dull, or |
covered with'an epidermis, should be oiled |

lightly with the purest of olive oil only.
Cotton-seed oil will make them offensive to
the touch as well as to the sight.

- tunately this boiling process will not an- |

swer for large specimens, as the amount of
time required to sever their muscular at-
tachments inevitably destroys the internal
nacre, and therefore the value of the shells.
It is pleasant to know, however, that the
small and more delicate species can be so
easily managed, saving, as the operation
does, much valuable time to the student,
and many a trial of his patience and temper
as well. JouHn Forp.
PHILADELPHIA, PENN., June, 1885.

Unfor- |

“ Wuar nose is more brilliant than a wine |

bibber’s? Volea-nos, to be sure. And the
‘chief glow comes from the ‘ crater.’”

Mylacris Packardii.

Tue above name has been lately given to
an insect of the Carboniferous Age, by the

creat American authority, Professor Scud-

der, editor of Science, Cambridge, Mass.
Its locality was Bristol, R. I., on the shores
of Narragansett Bay, south of Peck’s
Rocks. ‘The possessor, the Rev. Edgar F.
Clark, gave it the temporary name of Blatta
Americana. The canonical name given by
Professor Scudder was in honor of Professor
Packard, of Brown University, who also
possesses large entomological reputation.
The insect belongs to the cockroaches of
geologic antiquity, of peculiar form.

Color of Birds Eyes.

California Barn Owl, nearly black.
Glossy Ibis, brown.

White-faced Glossy Ibis, red.
White Ibis, pearly blue.

Scarlet Ibis.

Roseate Spoonbill, carmine.

Wood Ibis, dark brown.

Great Blue Heron, pale yellow, straw.
Great White Heron, pale yellow, straw.
White Egret, pale yellow, straw.
Snowy Heron, pale yellow, straw.
Louisiana Egret, red.

Reddish Egret, red.

Little Blue Heron, yellow.

Green Heron, yellow.

Night Heron, red; young, brown.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron, orange.
American Bittern, light yellow.
Least Bittern, light yellow.
Florida Gallinule, red or brown.
Mallard Duck, brown, hazel.
Black Duck, brown.

Pin-tailed Duck, brown.

Gadwall, reddish brown.

Wigeon, brown.

Green- winged Teel, brown.
Blue-winged Teel, brown.
Cinnamon Teel, orange.

Shoveller Duck, orange-red.
Wood Duck, red.

Greater Scaup Duck, yellow.
Lesser Scaup Duck, yellow.
Red-head Duck, orange.
Canvas-back Duck, red.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

XXxi

BONE SNIPS.

A NEW TOOL us TAXIDERMISIS.

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.
“LATELY RecelVeDe-
Eggs at Oetatehe (prepaid)........:..each #8. 8 Just Received from Washington
Wee Gi 1B Oe AR Sconacuans Gude °
Bers of Humboldt’s Penguin, (pr ou Hews Territory.
Eggs of Flamingo, (prepaid)... ... ...... 1.00 | 96 Audubon’s Warbler........ $ .60to .75
Eggs of Alligator, Oe TES FooTeDro GaSe -80 | 105 Black-throated Gray War-
Diy SLO Herpes ree $1.00
C ; 449 iGolden: Eagle... «0... pies) $7.50 to 10.00
Just Received from Florida. Fine | 45¢ and tailed PiSGOn. «ceeeoe as 1.50 to 2.50
° ATL SDuskyGrousep-iss clint 3.00 to 4.00
Specimens of 527 Red-breasted Snipe, (spring
plumare)isecans- eer = 1.00 to 1.25
MGB ATIC ho sci sajeisic\sicle «6 $6.00 to $8.00 | 529 Knob; Robin Snipe, (spring
486 Great White Heron........ 25.00 plumage) ascen eeiene 1.25 to 1.50:
486* Ward’s Heron.............. 3.00 to 4.00 | 5389a Red-backed Sandpiper,
489 American Egret..... ...... 2.50 to 3.00 (spring plumage)........ 1.25 to 1.50:
AD snowy Heron.......-.....- 2.00 to 2.50 ' 541a Western Sandpiper........ 1.50 to 2.00
DODMNVOOG UDIS).<.0)siccs ecco 6 ee. 2.50 to 3.50 | 548 Marbled Godwit... ....... 1.25 to 2.00
505 Roseate Spoonbills, adult.. 7.00 to 10.00 | 553 Wandering Tatler.......... 5.00:
_ Roseate Spoonbills, young.. 3.50 to 5.00 | 559 Hudsonian Curlew......... 1.50 to 2.00
640 White Pelicans........... .. 6.00 to 10.00 | 701 Short-tailed Albatross,
641 Brown Pelicans............ 3.00 to 4.00 (YOUNG) cere cs icloletey circle 7.50
>tPRICES FOR MOUNTING MAMMALS. }<
ANTE) OUD S6 dog Seige MOOG ABSA o $50L00) PP MuUSKaR AG. tt.tican selec © eleisee eter 2.00:
id head with shield....... SOOO CO MNOL004| Otterkerre se destons tints eclelerseiieriee 10.00
PANO ALO Ireler-te/-teorerelelc) ciotetalolc’s/<) ste «tele ZQOUUPWALGs |) ANCHE). «isles eles sie velen ele 50.00:
STITT Os o coo DONOOO bono OaneGdado c 125.00 | Rabbit (common gray).........- 3.50
oS head with shield......... 35.00 ss (RACHA Sais ois ate stoteretcietoie.« 5.00
Belin cog pote bn 66bq DBO OCOORORaBO SC 1.00 oe (varying Hare?.... «se. - 4.00
LIED VIGI6n 6 cigbbewa DA COORD ODO OOGn aC IREYEOCON G6 anngo0 dodaoonaoacocadc 8.00 to 10.00
GRD GAIise ye yisicrosis's 5,6,0..4,6 0: bie, 8's SOOO MORO OON SE Sealsmeeiacticimeiecioss «science eerie te 6.00 to 12.00
EGON (OTIZ ZV) - ciovcisle cis wsi'sise « eins 75.00 Squirrels, ONOUNC ee ee ernest 1.50
Gata VAG) tate iarcte is s'sicre:e.s cc. 9s s,0c000 7.00 to 10.00 MOGivccsweies seca sleteteysres 1.75
NDBOE AVITOUMI Mey ecie-Aieies acs <a.sie0 60.00 to 75.00 Oe CEN a cosdadadesgad 906 2.00:
‘* head with shield... ....... 10.00 to 12.00 ue OP oC OHO MMO e.D aCOe 2.00
Elk head with shield..,......... ZOIOO O30: 00) We Skunks .3<2cie se cctce se ces estenele 4.00 to 6.00
HO Necins siaeisewersmiisicts eels @ oe sss see S200 FOMOLOO” | PMUrtlesy soc cio sve se sels <'s «sss esieleieye 1.75 to 5.00
JING 360 00 Goidubeo-d Roe eae 1.25 ss larcer ese es «sclera Special prices
ILAVIERX G6 COU DOE OOO ORO CRORE DALOOWAWICASCI i. fe:ctererelstenctetesistete'+’s’ele ce caterers 2.00
MITA Least atavovers fave ataie’D sisievoye sibs oe ates 4 AROORTOR OS OO) Wilt :.\s:0\s)cectetostctersiats«'s ss css wiatarers 15.00 to 25.00
J 1.25

ei RANDOM NOTES ON

DESIRABLE GOODS

To be found at the

Natural History Store

mee)

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

PROVIDENCE, R. I.

MAMMALS.

Bat (Nyctinomus nasutus), Texas. . $0.7
Bat (Vesperngo papistrellus), Eu-

HWOWNEGoadGosoae Jocoosco us aoKeS 1.00
mane ivesportilig murianus) Eu-

POPE sisieltts’s ho sels 4 Mbeere ahelerc/cte, «0 ehehe 1.00
Red Bat (aes nove boracen-

Bis); Re Dies ck cept ic vteis cctes = .60
Silver-haired Bat (Vesperngo noc- ;

tivicans); Ev. seen. ss te oe as 15
Carolina Bat (Vesperngo fuscus), "

Ish Mescere = sara lotelcts RRS cia sree ae :
Shrew (Blarina brevicauda),........ 75
Star-nosed Mole (Condylura~ cris-

UNE booadeci aoe In cOnebeOagOOUBS 1.25
American Wild Cat (Lynx rufus). ..$6.00 to 9.00
American Fox (Vulpes fulvus), R. I. 5.00 to 8.00
Wolf Coyote (Canis latrans)........ 9.00
Grey Fox,( Vulpes [urocyon| Virgin-

Fans) ‘Cols . ct Sep wreiae ote see wists 7.00

Otter (Lutra Canadensis), Fla., R. 1.10.00 to 12.00
Mink (Putorius vison), Dak., R. I.. 3.00 to 6.00
Common Weasel (Putorius nove

Doracensis),-Retliaes. sess seen 1.00 to 1.50
ae Weasel (Putorius erminea),
RET GR cosenpecaceenee ese ae 2.50
peainy Weasel (Putorius frena-
GUS) Cal. sown cbe acre lessee 2.50
Pine Martin (Mustela Americana),
Oiaee scree wip se SHER Ie tine clave Sotoens 3.00
American Badger (Taxidea Ameri-
cana), Kan. ..2'o: cecal ck se. 5.00 to 7.00
Skunk (Mephitis mephitica), Wis.. 3.00 to 6.00
Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Vt....... 5.00 to 8.00
Harp Seal, young (Phoca Greenlan-
ICA) eis Sotare Seurtinsceiats sete steers 4.00 to 6.00
Opossum (Didelphys Virginiana),
Deis see oie sass os ee ele a cole. cco 4.00
Gray Squirrel (SciurusCarolinensis),
Rely, AWS, Aa octet cleric. «,aicteie 1.00
Gray Squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis),
black var., Fla., Mich........ 1.50
Gray Squirrel ‘(Sciurus fossor), Cal. 1.50
Albert’s Squirrel (Sciurus aberti), |
black tyar:, Coltaae cece ssc cect 2.50
Fox Squirrel (Sciurus ludovicianus),
Michie SD) alin cljteo veteelora.o'e, yao 1.50 to 2.00 |
Red Squirrel (Sciurus hudsonius),
DS SMAT CIE «for ta crere sisis'el.s Wie spate 75
Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volucel-
Val) Selon aerators Bice uaciasls 75 to 1.25
Chipmunk, or striped Squirrel (Ta-
mias striatus), R. I., Mich.. .60 to .75

Say’s Chipmunk (‘Tamias lateralis),

Col eb

CC ec ce )

NATURAL HISTORY.

(Spermophilus Mexicanus)........ $1.75
Harris’s Squirrel (Spermophilus

Harrisi) Pec. dane seen soles 1.50
Gray Gopher (Spermophilus Frank-

Init)" “Ooi. «Sa e el ees 1.50
Striped Prairie Squirrel (Spermo-

philus tridecem-lineatus), Kan. 1325.
Senora Ground Squirrel (Spermo-

philus spilosoma)............. 1.50
Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicia-

TLUS))|, OAM: ors. slaeneeteronicioeleteeiete 3.00
Woodchuck (Arctomys monax), R.

Ws (Cbisis. src aleve Memreree 3 <) ae 2.00 to 2.50
Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys On

KAM bi Riders cieepieteis ete is eee

—(Thomomys talpoides).......... t 50
— Perognathus fasciatus), Kan.....1.50
— Perognathus penicillatus), Cal. ..1.50
Pouched Mouse (Circelodipus par-

VS). ST Ae ere a See eee 2.00
White-footed Meadow Mouse (Hes-

peromys leucopus), R. I........ 15

| Meadow Mouse (Arvicola riparia),

Rei Rie i nicks octosle tee nee erat 1.00
Mus agrarius, Hurepe..-. ......-n. 15
Red-backed Mouse (Evotomys ruti-

lusigappert)) Mass ascrecceneer 15
Jumping Mouse (Jaculus hudson-

ius); Riv... coaches au 1.25
Muskrat (Fiber zibethicus), R. L.,

Wis... oh: t coeltd hempeeay,., Pane 1.00

Northern Hare, (LepusAmeri- |

White Rabbit, canus), Me... 1.75 to 2.00
Jack Rabbit (Lepus callotis), Minn. 3.00 to 4.00
Gray Rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus).... 1.50

Prairie Hare (Lepus campestris)... 3.00
TURTLES.

Gopher (Xerobates Carolina), Fla.. 3.00
Box Tortoise (Cistudo Carolina),

TR: ies Mass eee ster 2 cist 1.50
Speckled Terrapin (Nanemys gut-

tata), R.. Lies acterss cesaices 1.00
Pane Terrapin(Chrysemys picta),

Be Di cic, aac ouric lo eo eer ne 1.00
Engr as Terrapin (Glyptemeys in-

SCulp tay) j.cy S\tevactevsncratale oe erent. 1.00
Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpen-

Huot) Ph Moot Acoododdusdsados- 2.00 to 4.00
SCHOOL COLLECTIONS OF
BIRD-SKINS.

Collection No. 1 contains 50 Birds,
representing 20different families. 25.00

Collection No. 2 contains 100 Birds,
representing 40 different families. 50.00

SCHOOL COLLECTION OF
MINERALS.

Two hundred minerals and rocks, labeled
and arranged in trays, and representing all the
prominent species in systematic me

00.0

AMATEUR’S COLLECTION.

125 minerals and rocks in trays and labeled.
$50.00

20 good minerals, named, but of small size, by
mail, prepaid 51.00

eo eer ee ee ese eee eee fee ee ee

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XXXiV RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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READ AT THE FIELD MEETING OF THE PROVIDENCE |

FRANKLIN SOCIETY, AT STIRLING, CONN., JUNE
6, 1885, BY PROF. W. WHITMAN BAILEY, OF
BROWN UNIVERSITY.

PRAY who are all these ‘‘ists’’ and ‘‘ites’’ ?
What mean these unaccustomed sights ?
Who come with hammers and with boxes
To thus disturb the dens of foxes?

What cause for this uncouth attire,
Adopted both by dame and squire ?

Are these State Farmers on a spree ?

Or is this some society ?

What do they here across the line,
Where wooden nutmegs grow from pine?
Methinks the average rustic may
Address himself in some such way,

And call us, of the desks and schools,
Perhaps, who knows? a set of fools,

To go rampaging o’er the stones,

At mortal risk to flesh and bones,

Just to ‘‘ corral’’ some snake or lizard,
Or pop a blue jay through the gizzard.
There are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio, than are given birth;

And ’tis by these that savants learn,
Who fossiliferous bowlders turn,

Or ‘‘ yank the yarbs”’ up by the stem,
And clap long Latin names on them.

’Tis but a little that we know,

For a]! our most prodigious show.

Yet there are those, you know them well,
Assembled here, who from a shell

Or stone of some historic beach,

A sermon eloquent can preach;

Can, from a fern, produce the life

That once upon the earth was rife;

Or, from some meteoric dust

Create our planetary crust.

There are those, too, who’d stir your marrow
With tales suggested by an arrow,

A trifling bit of flint or glass

Which we more careless ones would pass.
If I interpret signs aright,

Our Chairman may, or surely might,
From his own note-book read a page

Of many a forest monarch’s age;

For all of us, of course, ayree,

He’s most at home when “‘ up a tree.”’
There is another of our band

Whom I could never understand,

Who calls him old ? Just let him try

|
|
|
|

To walk him off his legs; not I.

Who knows, as he does, all the nooks ?
The forest glens, the bubbling brooks?
The well where hangs the shiniest dipper?
The spot where blooms the lady slipper ?
Where first you'll find the Epigza

Or liverworts, each vernal year?

Where the shy orchis’ spike is seen ?
And where the ferns are earliest green ?
Why! put him in the wood alone,

He’d find his way by lichened stone,

Or some mysterious sign, that we

Less favored mortals cannot see.

His voice is calm ; his words are few
And simple, but we heed them too;

For ripe experience tells him then,

Just what tosay, and where, and when.
But pardon me! I’m not to toast

Each member here; but two at most.
My jingling rhymes must now give way,
Let’s hear what others have to say;

Let each one open up his box

And show his share of plant or rocks,
Or if his treasure’s in his head,

We’ll hear his learned talk instead.
Forgive the doggerel I have read.

A Rhode Island Clambake.

Hisrory oF THE CLAM FROM THE Mup
TO THE TABLE.

A THOUSAND people—men, women, and
children, old and young, rich and poor, of
all sorts and conditions, seated in rows on
stools at long, uncovered, white-painted
deal tables, and engaged in the discussion
of a clam dinner, is a sight without a par-
allel under the sun, is impossible to pic-
ture or describe, and must be participated
in in actu to have any small realization of
what it may be Jike.

The name of the man who first discovered
that a Rhode Island clam was a delicacy is
lost in oblivion. Let it remain so; the
honor would be too great for any one name
tosupport. But the clambake on the shores
of Narragansett probably dates further back
than the Williams’ family cemetery. Old
people yet living remember the days before
excursion steamers, rival ‘‘resorts,” and
clambake clubs, when a day’s trip ‘‘ to the
shore” was the proper thing, and the bake
both the picnic meal and its main attraction.
Clams are baked, to-day, too, as they were
years ago, and no one wants them different.

66

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Tea P |
Not only is the bake the same old bake

with all its old fashioned flavor —a real an-
tique in a world of would-be ancient and-
irons. blue china, and ancestry, but also is
the clam the same old clam.
tinguishes the Rhode Island long-necked
clam from its low quality relation, the Coney
Island quahang, by terming it a mya are-
naria. Kew Rhode Islanders care about the
distinction ; they can tell a real clam with
their eyes shut. A New Yorker may turn
up his nose at the delicacy and chew on his
quahaug, which must afford him about as
much satisfaction as a piece of A. W. Faber’s
rubber. Rhode Island has clung to this
dear old clam, despite all opposition and
sneers—as she has to other as sacred and
worthy institutions.

As at present served, a clam dinner pre-
pared to fill, as it often is, from five to fifteen
or twenty thousand people in the course ofa
few hours, is a stupendous affair, and from
the bottom up is a work to be admired as a
whole, and wondered at in its details; and

Science dis-

few of the thousands who in the course of |

the summer season sit down to clam dinners,

tion.
THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE.

First and foremost there is the clam.
Most of the clams used at the shore resorts
of Narragansett Bay come from the flats
across the bay from Nayatt, on the Conimi-
cut shore and on Green's Island. As far
up as Pawtuxet and about Sabin’s Point,
the clams are considered hard, glue-shelled

clams may be raked out after the manner
of the non-professional digger; a shovelful
of mud is turned up at a time and the clams
it contains are raked out with the clam hoe.
Consideration of either of the above meth-
ods is sufficient for a true understanding of
the happiness of the clam at high water.
The clam ordinarily lies in the mud from
two to eighteen inches; a clam that would
bury itself much deeper than eighteen inches
is not to be looked upon with favor. It is
a wearing-life that the clam diggers lead,
working as they do in the water and so
hard as to be constantly wet with perspi-
ration.

At Rocky Point alone last year some
4,000 bushels of clams for the bake alone
wereused. The regular clam gang is seven-
teen or cighteen men, but on big days it is
necessary to increase the force to fifty or
sixty men. This year the clams on Green’s
Island are only one year old, and are ready
for the bake—a remarkable case of clam
growth. It appears that when the clams
are in great abundance they grow very

_ slowly, and those used last year from Green’s
appreciate the work entailed in its prepara- |

and gritty; but across at Bullock’s Point @! ;
| given time than any other man.

they are good, and the Bullock’s Pointers
get their clams right at home.
of the clams are got by ‘“‘churning.” The
clam gang wades out over the bed and
shovels up mud and clams and everything
that comes along into big wire baskets,

Two-thirds |

which, when about full, are lifted out of the |
water, and a rinsing and shaking washes |

out the mud and leaves the clams. Two
men and a boy attend to each basket, one
man shoveling in the mud, the second get-
ting out the clams and the boy ‘: culling”
them. Churning can only be done at about
half-tide, when the water is two or three
feet deep. The suction on the shovel is
tremendous, and they are made exception-
ally strong. When there are good tides,
on the ful! and change of the moon, the

Island were about three years old; but, be-
ing few of them ‘‘ set” one year ago, they
grew large enough for use very rapidly.

As the men are paid for their digging by
the bushel it is evident that on skill and
hard work depends the amount of money
the digger gets, while ‘‘ churning” is evi-
dently more profitable than ‘‘ raking.”
They get about eighty cents a bushel and
every shore resort has its ‘‘ thoroughbred”’
digger, who can get out more clams in a

Well, once the clams are out of the water
and in the boats they are towed to shore
where they are piled in a shed, picked over,
and carefully washed. Five orsix men are
employed constantly at this work at the
larger resorts. The preparation of the pile
on which the clams are to bake is the next
step, and this is done on much the same
plan everywhere: a pile of wood is laid, on
every layer of which cobble stones are
placed and the burning of the wood heats
the stones and makes them ready to have
the clams thrown ontop. At Rocky Point,
instead of building the pile on the ground,
it is laid on a surface of stone, cemented

_ with fire clay, and some such plan has been

adopted in other places. This allows of the

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 67

stones being pulled off after the wood is con-
sumed and the plate swept clean of ashes ;
when the stones are piled on it again.
Over the hot stones a mass of rockweed is
piled, and the sight of a line of waiters
with tubs of clams between them, running
at breakneck speed for the pile, forming a
circle about it, and emptying the tubs on top
with a concerted effort, is familiar. Over
the whole the canvas is laid, seaweed is
heaped and a fragrant steam arises from the
pile. Twenty minutes later the clams are
ready for the table. And the accompanying
dishes of clam-cakes, baked fish, fish chow-
der, lobster, green corn, brown-bread, and
water melon. Between twenty-five and
thirty waiters are required to serve all up in
the larger dining-halls.

The shells are about the only things left
after a well organized excursion party has
attacked a clambake. These are carted off
and dumped on some stretch of waste land.
The accumulated shells of a season of some
eighty days, is considerable. They lie in
the sun until the following spring. Then
they are spread over the roads, and prime
roads they do make.

Said Capt. J. H. Northup, who has been
the captain of the Rocky Point clam gang
for some eleven years, “DoI expect the
clams will get run out entirely? Well not
just yet, and at present the prospect is some-
thing wonderful for next year. I never saw
such a ‘set’ of clams as are all along the
shore now; if they all lived, there would be
enough clams to supply the world next year.
Just come with me and take a look.”

The tide was about half in, and the mud
flats were scattered over with all sorts of
refuse, shells and weed. The captain bent
down and picked up what looked at first
like a minute, broken-off bit of clam-shell,
but, as it lay in his hand, a closer look re-
vealed it a perfectly formed clam shell, a
beautiful object, not as big asa baby’s little
finger nail, as white as alabaster, and the
light showing pink through its delicate sub-
stance; the least pressure would have
crushed it to almost invisible atoms.
‘* That’s a clam,” said the captain, ‘* that’s
maybe three weeks old, and you'll find mil-
lions about here. As quick as they get any
size they will begin to burrow down into the
mud. The whole shore is covered with them,
and in all my experience of thirty years I

never saw such a ‘set.’ They are so thick
that the prospect is they will not grow fast,
and it will take two or three years for them
to get big enough to bake unless they die
off. A handful of these will make more’n
a bushel when they are grown up.”

Pawtuxet has very aptly been termed
‘¢Clamtown,” as that is the chief industry
of the village, there being no less than six-
teen firms and persons engaged as dealers,
employing during the summer season from
one to fifteen men each, making a total of
seventy-five men engaged in the business.
Besides furnishing the clams for several
shore places, each of the fifteen employers
deliver them in Providence by team, and
several barrels are shipped each day to dis-
tant places. The total number of clams dug
each day and delivered by the several deal-
ers, average, during the present season, not
less than one hundred and fifty bushels.

— Providence Journal,

One frosty morning, early in November,
as I was watching a small flock of Yellow-
rumped Warblers skipping and frolicking
amongst the rustling plants in my garden,
I noticed one very peculiar bird amongst
them, and in a few moments had it in my
hand. It resembled a very small Vireo, and
a drop of blood on its beak, enlarging it,
strengthened the illusion, so that I was
confident that I had some new species of
that family. But upon examination I re-
cognized a rare old acquaintance, the
Tennessee _ Warbler.
seen one so late in the autumn.

aZUNG Cran

The Rocky Mountain Goat.

APLocERUS MONTANUS.

Or late we have had from Europe several
calls for skins of this rare species. While
we lope in time to be able to supply these
specimens, the great difficulty of obtaining
them should be appreciated.

The creature has a general resemblance
to a goat, while the body is much like a
sheep, but it is after all more nearly allied
to the antelopes. It is rather larger than
the average domestic sheep, and the very
long hair, which is of a yellowish white
color, coarse and brittle, falls down all over
the body, tail, and upper part of the legs,

I had never before

68

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

and a beard or tuft of the same hangs from
the chin; the horns, hoofs, and edges of
the nostrils are black; the horns are much

like those of the chamois,— smooth, coni- |

cal, and turned slightly backward.

Under the long hair is a thick coat of
silky white wool. An article by John Keast
Lord, F. Z. 8., in an old number of The
Student and Intellectual Observer, published
in London, gives a most interesting descrip-
tion of the animal, its habits, and the use
which the Indians of British Columbia and
Vancouver’s Island made of this wool, using

rude looms, and weaving blankets — often of |

good designs and colored patterns, some-
times mixed with feathers, but oftener with
the silky hair of certain dogs, which they
bred with great care for that purpose.

The highest levels of the Rocky Moun-
tain and Cascade ranges are its almost inac-
cessible home, and there among the little

stretches kept green by the melting of per- |
petual snow, where its food of grass, moss, |

and young fronds of Pinus contorta is to be
found ; the young, probably one at a time,
are dropped in May or June, and are seen
running with their mothers in July. From
Professor Ward’s Natural Science Bulletin,
we copy the following :

‘¢The Rocky Mountain Goat is one of the
most difficult to procure of our North Amer-
ican mammals. Not only are the herds few
in number, but they live high up in the
mountains in the most inaccessible places,
taking refuge — so say the hunters — where
even a dog cannot follow them, and it some-
times happens that after a goat has been
killed the body cannot be reached, or else
falls from a cliff, and is so mangled as to be
useless. Even after specimens have been

secured and ‘ backed’ to camp, the trouble |
is by no means ended, for in order to get |

them to the nearest station it is necessary

to transport them over rough and rocky |

mountain passes and across swollen and
turbulent rivers, at imminent risk of loss.

Specimens received have been on the road |

for over four months.

the mountain goat is found:

‘¢* The Mountain Goat is very scarce —
only found in a few places. They range
very high up among the rocks and cliffs.
They do not seem to be a shy animal, but

The following are ex- |
tracts of letters from two of our (Professor
Ward’s) correspondents in the region where |

after killing one it is extremely difficult to
get it out. Ihave on two occasions killed
a goat, and could not possibly get to the
animal.

***Could you see, or I describe to you, the
configuration of the mountain chasms and
peaks where the Indians procure the animals
in question, you would understand what a
task it is to procure a specimen that is not
mangled, torn, and utterly ruined (except
for food), by a fall of perhaps thousands
of feet into some gloomy abyss, when the
shot is fired that kills. In this connection
Imay be allowed to mention that lastautumn,
the Indians while bringing me a carcass
of a goat, a distance of eight miles to reach
my ranch (at the foot of the main range),
lost horse and carcass over a precipice,
so that to avoid trouble with the Indians,
I purchased horse as well as goat.’ ”

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NoumBer XII.

2. Hyla pickeringii Le Conte. (Hylo-
des pickeringii Holbrook.) ‘The Piping
Tree Frog, or March Peeper is one of our
most abundant Batrachians, myriads being
heard at certain seasons of the year, though,
due to their small size and unobstrusive ways,
they are seldom met with by the more cas-
ual or indifferent person. When searched
for, however, they are, especially during
the months of spring, found in large num-
bers, usually about the dead grass or dry
leaves bordering some warm shallow pool,
or inundated field.

The amateur, bent on seeing a March
Peeper, quietly steals towards the pool where
hundreds are calling, but is surprised to find
that long before he reaches the orchestra
all music has ceased. This timidity on the
part of the musicians is very remarkable.
A passing bird, or even a shadow will often
produce immediate silence. The Peeper is
a restless fellow, however, and soon to the
attentive eye, a slight disturbance betrays
his whereabouts, as he endeavors to crawl
out on some floating leaf or half submerged
mass of straw, before he inflates himself for
work.

The method of calling is interesting.
Having drawn in along breath, the male

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

69

(the females are dumb), by means of two
slits, each near the angle of the jaw, inflates
a loose sac, lying below the transverse mus-
cles of the floor of the mouth, and thus re-
tains it until a sufficient number of ‘* peeps ”
have been given to exhaust the supply of

air, or until disturbed, when the sac imme- |
Before thus peeping ©

diately disappears.
it has been observed that the frog invari-
ably crawls from the water to some slightly
elevated spot.

By the middle of May or the first of June
the breeding season is over with, and the
exhausted animals retire to the neighboring
woods and gardens to live in silence for a
few weeks, but they are soon heard again
during the sultry days of August, now, not
from the meadows, but from the trees of the
uplands. At this season, however, they
are less noisy, and their numbers being scat-
tered, they attract but little attention. As
they are, with the wood-frog, the first of the
Batrachians to appear in spring, so they are
the last to retire in the fall, and even in mid-
winter a few warm days are sufficient to en-
courage their musical powers. While hiber-
nating they are known to remain under dead
leaves.

Many interesting facts in connection with
this animal have been published by Mary
H. Hinckley. ‘The eggs, which differ from
those of our other frogs in that they are laid
singly instead of in strings or groups, in
from seven to twelve days after their de-
position, give rise to tadpoles.

When in the water these unfortunate
animals are preyed upon by many enemies,
of which newts, larger frogs, the larve of in-
sects, birds and smaller mammals are the
most destructive. A spider, Dolomedes sex-
punctatus, was observed to walk out on the
surface of the water, and dive and secure

the helpless tadpoles as if to make of them |

a regular diet. Long before their tails have
become absorbed, to escape the war of ex-
termination waged against them,
miniature frogs climb up on the stalks of
grass or on floating leaves and there, out of

|

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

Quercus rubra — Rep Oak.

In the previous numbers of this series,
the annual-fruited oaks of the state have
been treated. In this article, and several
subsequent ones, the biennial-fruited group
will receive attention. It should be here
recalled, that the chief point of separation
into these groups is, that of the time re-
quired from the blossoming to the ripening
of the fruit,—the first perfecting it the
first season; the second, in the autumn of
the second year. In the ‘‘ biennials,” the
acorns appear hardly larger than a pin’s
head during the first season, the new growth
of the branches shooting out beyond them,
so that in the second season, when they
begin to grow, they seem to come directly
from the branchlets, without the usual pre-
paration of blossoms.

Another noticeable distinction is, that the
‘‘annuals” have leaves with lobes or teeth
rounded or blunt at their extremities, while
the lobes of the ‘‘ biennials” are all ter-
minated by sharp bristly points. The wood
of the ‘‘ annuals” is, as a group, much bet-
ter for most purposes of timber than that
of the ‘* biennials.”

The Quercus rubra, red oak, gives name,
from its abundance and prominent charac-
teristics to the group the ‘‘red oaks.” Q.
rubra is not very abundant in Rhode Island ;
still, there are scattered trees by the cool
banks of the streams, and in the northern
part of the state, among the hills, they are
occasionally seen in groups. In central
New England, and especially in Massachu-

_ setts, they reach their perfection of growth

these |

_ the Blackstone Park brook ;

dangers way, await the approach of some |

unsuspecting mosquito or small fly.
The extreme small size, pale reddish

brown color, sucker-like toes and the cruci- |

form ornamentation of the back prevent
this species from being confounded with any
other.

and beauty. In Providence some fine spec-
imens of forest red oaks may be seen near
and a well-
grown tree, of remarkable beauty and sym-
metry, is now standing upon the steep,
sloping bank of the river, just below the
Merino mill.

The tree, in full development, forms a
magnificent rounded head, with a massive

_ trunk and numerous smooth, clean-looking

70

limbs, usually striking out from the trunk
and each other in sharp angles. The bark |
is notably smooth, even up the main stem,
until the tree is twenty-five, or more, years
old. The color is generally greenish gray,
varying with age and location.
furrowed upon old trees, but is less rough
than that of most oaks.

The foliage varies greatly upon different
trees, but the characteristic leaf is oblong,

base. There are five or six sinuses on each
side, rounded, but not deeply cut, giving
rise to as many lobes, each terminated by
a bristly point.

The fruit need not be mistaken.
the largest of that of any native oak.
placed in a wide, shallow cup covering very
little of the acorn.
bitter, but is readily eaten by swine.

The wood is so porous and brittle as to
be of little value for most timber work.
is extremely difficult to dry out the sap of

It is

the wood ; hence, the woodmen say that it |

will never season. But for chair work,
especially for artificial steam-bending, it is
in high repute, and for that purpose and for
barrel staves, the forests are being culled
of this tree.

It is a tree of very rapid growth and well
adapted for a shade tree. The leaves are
of a bright, shining green all summer, and
change to fine tinges of red in the autumn.

It is always a clean, healthful-looking tree, | 4,6 under surface of stones near Brooklyn,

and rarely harbors disagreeable insects. It
is a difficult tree to transplant, as are most
nut-bearing trees, and for resetting the trees
should be started in a nursery, and there
treated to tap-root pruning.

The tree varies so much in Rhode Island
as to vive rise to at least two marked vari-
eties besides the typical red oak ; one grow-
ing sparingly upon the banks of the See-
konk River, perhaps elsewhere, having very

long, lance-like leaves, usually somewhat | ana, Leach, introduced to this port by ship-

| ping, and so described it in his Cat. Mar.

one-sided, often with a crooked midrib ;
another variety grows quite plentifully upon
the borders of the Pawcatuck River and
other portions of the southern part of the
state.

the leaves are correspondingly small. I
have also seen specimens of this variety
near the Diamond Hill station.

It may be added that the range of this

The acorn is extremely | soe :
genus, Assiminea, Leach, one species of

It |

This has much smaller acorns than |
the typical ones and in a deeper cup, and |

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

_ oak is very great, growing farther north
than any other oak, even to near the Hud-
son Bay, and upon the slopes of the Alle-
ghanies as far south as they extend. It

_ will also flourish upon all kinds of soil,

It becomes |

from a swamp to the crevices of the rocks

_ high up the mountain sides, where it forms

itself into burls and low impenetrable heads

_ yards wide but not a foot high, the last of
_ the deciduous trees to defy the blasts.
wider towards the end and narrowed at the |

It is |

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XX.

Famity 41. Assiminiidz, contains one

| which inhabits Rhode Island.

60. ASssIMINEA MODEsTA. H. C. Lea.

Syns:

Assiminea Grayana, Verrill, non Leach.

Cingula modesta, Lea.

Shell small, conical, imperforate, smooth,
thin, glossy, light chestnut brown, tinged
with greenish or grayish from the seaweeds

on which it lives; whorls five or six with

/ an acute tapering spire; last whorl large,

| and Truneatella truncatula.

round. Length, one-eighth inch; breadth,
one-twelfth.
This species was found by H. C. Lea, on

L. I., and described by him in Proc. Bost.
Soc. Nat. Hist., 1., 205, 1845, under the
name of Cingula modesta. It has since
been found at Huntington, L. I., between
tides. In 1880 Prof. A. E. Verrill discov-
ered a shell at Newport, R. I., at high
water mark, on decaying seaweeds, between
the docks, together with Alexia myosotis,
He supposed
it to be the European shell Assiminea Gray-

Moll., 1882. Since then he has compared
these ‘Newport specimens with the English
ones, and has become satisfied not only
that they are unlike, but that they are the
same as Lea’s modesta, and in the second
Cat. Moll., 1884, he gives a full description
of the shell, with extended remarks on the
same, calling it Assiminea modesta, (Lea)
Verrill.

RANDOM NOTES ON

NATURAL HISTORY. 71

FamiLy 42. Valvatidz, contains one
genus, Valvata, Miiller, inhabiting ponds
and ditches and sluggish streams. ‘There
are three sub-genera, two of which are
found in New England, each represented by
a single species.

61. Vatvata (TROPIDINA) TRICARINATA,

Say.

Syns.:

Cyclostoma tricarinata, Say, 1817.

Valvata tricarinata, Say, Desh, Menke,
Hald., Gld., DeKay, Adams.

Valvata carinata, Sowb.

Valvata bicarinata, Lea.

Valvata unicarinata, DeKay. .

Tropidina tricarinata, Chenu.

Shell small, depressed, thin, nearly trans- |

parent, of a greenish color; whorls three

to four, flattened at the apex, and separated |

by a canaliculate suture; the whorls are

deep, and funnel shaped ; aperture circular,
lip simple ; breadth one-fifth inch.

This is a very curious species, and is sub-
ject to much variation in form, and in the
number of carina. The bicarinata of Lea,
having two keels, and the unicarinata of

DeKay, having but one, are referred to this |

species. Professor Adams found in Ver-
mont specimens perfectly simple and round,
having no carina, to which he gave the
name of var simplex. Specimens are found
having all degrees of carination, showing
them all to be the same species. Say
found his specimens in the Delaware River
and afterward in the Missouri; DeKay in
Lake Champlain and in the Erie Canal;
Lea in the Schuylkill; Adams in Vermont ;
Perkins says, 1870: ‘‘ It is common in all
the ponds and streams around New Haven,
Conn.” It has not been observed in Rhode
Island, but may yet be found here, as it has
a very extended range.

Haldeman says of this species: ‘‘ The
ova are deposited from the first day of
March to the end of July, in transparent
masses, one-twentieth of an inch in diam-
eter, each containing a number of germs of
a bright green color, dotted with yellow.

62. Vatvata (LyoGyrus) PUPOIDEA,

GOULD.

Shell small, imperforate, elongated-oval,
opaque, chestnut-colored when divested of

the rough, dirty pigment which usually coy- |

ers it ; whorls four to five, minutely wrinkled ;
apex obtuse ; the body whorl disjoined from
the preceding one; aperture circular; lip
simple, not touching the body whorl; oper-
culum horny, concentric, apex central.
Length one-tenth inch, breadth three-for-
tieths.

This shell was described in Silliman’s
Journal, VoL. xxxvur., page 196, 1840, by
Dr. A. A. Gould. It was first found at
Fresh Pond, Cambridge, Mass., on stones
and submerged sticks, and since then in
Canada, Maine, and Connecticut. On this
account I include it among Rhode Island
shells, as it has not yet been found here,
and I have never seen the shell, and know it
only by the description and figure in Gould’s
Invert. Mass.

Famity 43. Paludinide, contains three
genera of fresh water shells, which are con-

ical or globular in shape, with a thick olive-

ie 7 3 5 111 » | fi °
encircled by three keels; umbilicus broad, | ereen epidermis.

Two of these genera are
represented in the United States, and one,
Paludina, Lam., in Rhode Island. The
genus Paludina contains about one hundred
species, divided among seven sub-genera,
three of which inhabit our country, viz. :
Paludina (restricted) or Vivipara, Melantho,
and Tulotoma. Our shell is the

63.

It would be useless here to give the very
extended synonymy of this species. Mr.

PaLupInaA (MELANTHO) DECISA, Say.

| Binney, in his Fresh Water Shells of North

America, gives the names of twenty syno-
nyms of this shell, five of which are certainly
distinct species. Our shell was described

/under the name of Lymnea decisa, by

Thomas Say, in 1817, in Nicholson’s Ency.
In 1819 he changed the name to Paludina
decisa. This name was adopted by Gould,:
Haldeman, Adams, DeKay, Kuster, Reeve,
Binney, and others. In 1862 Mr. Wm. G.
Binney applied the name of Melantho decisa
to it, which name it has retained.

So many descriptions have been given by
various authors to shells referred to this
species, that I can do no better than to
quote the original description by Say:
‘¢ Shell sub-conic, olivaceous, truncated at
the apex; whorls four, wrinkled across,
entire ; within bluish white ; operculum cori-
aceous, elevated on the disc, and concen-
trically striated. Length one inch, breadth
three-quarters.” It is found in ponds and

72,

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

muddy streams. Several years ago, when
the water of the Blackstone River was
drawn off at Pawtucket, I examined the bed
of the river, just above the upper dam, and
among several other species, was an abun-
dance of these shells buried in the mud,
where, under ordinary circumstances, their
existence would not be suspected, or if so,
they could not be obtained, being under
several feet of water. Sometimes they are
found under shelving banks or in mud near
the margins of large ponds. They are
stout and solid shells, varying in color from
yellowish-green to dark olive. Our Rhode
Island shells have a uniform dark olive
green epidermis, and the apex is invariably
decollated. At Albany, N. Y., where Me-
lantho decisa and integra live together in

the Hudson River, this species is always |

decollated, while the apex of integra is per-
fect. They do not deposit ova like the
other fresh water snails, but retain the
young within the shell, and when they make
their advent into the world they are pro-
vided with a shell of three complete whorls.

All the shells thus far described in these
papers are marine or salt water species, ex-
cepting five species which are fresh water
shells. These five are water breathers and
live at the bottom of our ponds and rivers,
and are not obliged to come to the surface
to obtain a supply of air. They are also
provided with an operculum, or door, with
which they close the mouth of the shell. It
is attached to the foot of the animal, and
when the animal retires into its shell, the
operculum is the last portion to go in and
completely closes the aperture. ‘This oper-

_culum is not composed of carbonate of lime

like the shells of mollusks, but of phosphate
of jime and animal matter, like the shells
of crabs and lobsters, and much resembles
horn. There are also very many other fresh
water snails, which breathe air and are not
furnished with an operculum. These belong

| to a different sub-class from those hereto-

_fore described and from many others to
follow, but will be taken up in their order

at a future time.
(To be continued.)

CHECK-LIST OF BRITISH FRESH-WATER SHELLS.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

Paludina contecta Millet.
vivipara Linn.
Bythinia leachii Sheppard.
tentaculata Linn.
Hydrobia similis Drap.
ulvz Penn.
ventrosa Montagu.
Valrata cristata Muller.
piscinalis Muller.
Neritina fluviatilis Linn.
Linnea auricularia Linn.
olabra Miiller.
glutinosa Miiller.
involuta Thompson.
palustris Miller.
peregra Miiller.
stagnalis Linn.
truncatula Muller.
Physa fontinalis Linn.
hypnorum Linn.
Planorbis albus Miller.
earinatus Muller.
complanatus Linn.
contortus Linn.
corneus Linn.

Planorbis dilatatus Gould.
glaber Jeffreys.
lineatus Walker.
nautileus Linn.
nitidus Muller.
spirorbis Linn.
vortex Linn.

Ancylus fluviatilis Muller.

lacustris Linn.

Spherium corneum Linn.
lacustre Drap.
ovale Fer.
rivicola Leach.

Psidium amnicum Muller.

fontinale Drap.
nitidum Jenyns.
pusillum Gmelin.
roseum Scholtz.

Unio margaritifer Linn.

pictorum Linn.
tumidus Retz.

Anodonta anatina Linn.
eygnea Linn.

Dreissena polymorpha Pallas.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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xXxXXV

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THE FOLLOWING MINERALS IN EXCHANGE, OR AT REASONABLE RATES FOR CASH:

Magnetite, large crystals.

Black Tourmaline, long crystals in white quartz.
Tourmaline crystals, in colors.

Rutile crystals.

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Lepidolite, deep color.

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Brookite.

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AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY, 1865-’71, 8vo., contains 2,500 pages,
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Price, $50.

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For Taxidermists, Jewelers, Soap Mfrs. and Fancy Work.

TERMS INVARIABLY CASH WITH ORDER.

COLORED EYES. BLACK EYES.

No PE Pr: Pr; Pr Pr.

aaa Pair. | 10 Pairs. Pair. |10 Pairs. | 50 Pairs
r 03 30 Ol $5 20% 39
2 is 30 01 05 14
3 04 34 01 05 16
4 04 36 01 08 20
5 05 40 02 08 25
6 05 45 02 10 30
7 06 50 02 12 35
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Diameter.

iS)
Fs

Diameter.

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ig ALL ORDERS OF EYES SENT PREPAID.

f=]

a 4 3 : : 7 z

oe

= GN =) foo) ao] NN =~

a + = of g co as
Wd
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l~ ito) Vor) =< ae) N =

N N N N N N N

He iG) SS) (CO) Os Co irs. Ct) = 1® oO t~ CO =) N >a
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XXXViii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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We have for Sale ONE DUPLICATE SET, bound in Three Vols., Half Calf.
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Random Motes on Hatural History.

Vol. II.

PROVIDENCE, OCTOBER 1, 1885.

No. 10.

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Address all communications to
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Mammal Skins.

Remove the skins with the least possible
delay, particularly in warm weather, and
from the smaller specimens. Make a
straight cut from the breast, between the
fore legs, along the belly, to the vent. Be
careful not to cut through into the cavity and

intestines, and do not at any time stretch the |

skin.
as to leave all the bones in them.

Cut off the legs close to the body, so
Push

them carefully out of the skin, down to the |

claws, or as far as can possibly be done, with-
out cutting it entirely free. Clean all the

_ meat thoroughly from the bones, if the speci- |

men is tobe made up dry. Cover them and
the skin with Arsenic Preservative, or Ar-
senical soap, wind a very little cotton or tow
around them, to prevent their contact with
the skin, and turn them back. Then with-
draw the bones from the tail; this can be
done by the nails of the finger and thumb
of the left hand, or two flat slender pieces of
wood held firmly at the root of the tail, or
place around it the small opening that oc-
curs in a pair of scissors, just back of the
blades and forward of the finger holes, then
with the right hand pull the bones stead-
ily, and they will come out of the skin.
Now turn the whole skin backward, (inside
out) until the junction of the ears and skull
is reached ; use particular pains in separat-
ing these and the eyes from the skull.
the lids of the eyes are cut they will often
tear further and make a conspicuous damage.
Cut the ears off close to the skull; careless-
ness in this respect leaves a large and un-

If |

/ next to worthless

skin the ears as far as possible, and thor-
oughly poison the whole, putting back the
cartilege. Proceed to the mouth, and cut
the lips off close to the gums. In the thick
lips and eyelids of large animals, pass the
knife between the inner and outer skin, and
see that the preservative is well introduced
there.

Clean the whole skin thoroughly, from fat
and flesh, (the specimen will soon become
unless this is done),
poison every part thoroughly. It is a good
plan to puncture the tip of the tail. In the
larger specimens with long fur, like foxes
and wolves, raccoons, ete., it insures the in-
troduction of the poison the whole length,
and admits to air for uqick drying.

The lips are now caught lightly together
by two or three stitches on the inside, the
skin turned back, and filled lightly with
cotton or tow, to its proper shape, and
the opening stitched lightly together. It is
well to introduce a wire or small stick into
the tail when it is small and slender, as with
mice, rats, ete. Long and large tails should

| be brought forward between the legs, or

turned over the back; the legs should be
brought snugly together under the body, and
the whole specimen thoroughly dried, not
in the sun or by a fire. Do not leave skins
turned wrong side out; do not leave them
to dry twisted out of shape, and the legs
pointing in every direction. A well made
skin of a small mammal is as pretty as that
of a bird, and will sell better and mount
better than the offensive looking specimens
commonly seen. Clean the skull thoroughly,
poison it, and mark it distinctly on a label to
correspond with the number of the skin, or
fasten it securely to the hind legs of the
specimen.

On account of the space they occupy, and
cost of transportation, large skins should
be filled out but very little, or not at all, and

after drying can be folded as snugly as

sightly hole where the ear opens through |

the skin. On large specimens it is well to

possible.
In curing skins use always, when it is to
be obtained, arsenical soap or a mixture of

_ powdered alum and arsenic, in proportions

i 3

of six and four parts by weight respectively.
An application of spirits of turpentine to the
nose, ears, feet, or any spot that seems
tender and likely to shed its hair, is very
beneficial.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.
Nos Vil.

Quercus tinctoria — BLack Oak.

(). tinctoria, commonly known as _ the
black oak, is the most abundant member of
the biennial oaks in Rhode Island. It still
occupies, for all the ruinous tree-cutting of
our people, numerous areas of many acres
each, almost to the exclusion of other trees.
On the plains of Providence, and below
along the bay, it has notably had possession
of the ground. With many well-preserved
groups still standing, there are scores of |
single specimens now growing, which from
their symmetry and beauty, and in some
instances their massive proportions, appeal |
alluringly to lovers of trees. A few of these
will be mentioned later.

The general appearance of this tree in its
full development, which is nowhere finer than
in this state, is that of a widely expanded |
orbicular mound of well-balanced limbs, sup-
porting a dense foliage of shining green. |
This, in open ground, supported by a short
sturdy trunk.

On approaching these trees we find the
bark black, thick, deeply furrowed, and |
transversely broken, so as to make irregular
oblong pieces, firmly united underneath.
The inner surface is yellowish in color and |
excessively bitter, which quality extends to
that of the smallest branches. The young
branchlets are brownish, tinted with red or
green, and somewhat furrowed. Before the
recent discoveries in dyeing materials, the
inner bark was much used for coloring, giv-
ing, primarily, shades of yellow, but, mixed
with other, a variety of beautiful colors.
It was largely shipped from Philadelphia.

The fertile blossoms come from the axils
of the leaves, and like those of all the bien-
nial oaks, do not develop their fruit until |
the second year. The staminate flowers
are long, pendent catkins, forming a pretty

_of the barn in Roger Williams Park.
_upon a sloping bank bordering the swampy

appearance, as they do upon the oaks gen-
erally.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The acorns are flattish at the base, about
one-half an inch long, usually finely striped
from base to apex with alternate bands
of dark and lighter brown. The meat of
the acorn is yellowish and very bitter, like
the bark. The acorn is set in a deep cup,
made up of scales with recurved tips: The
fruit is very abundant, and it would seem
should serve some good purpose besides
that of propagating its species, and of feed-
ing wild animals. The leaves are the glory
of the tree. They are on long, slender foot-
stalks, deeply cut, sometimes almost to the
mid-rib, by rounded sinuses, showing three
pairs of lobes and a terminal on each, end-
ing with a bristly point. They are a lively
green covered with a natural varnish which
heightens their beauty of form. In the
autumn the leaves turn into shades of orange
and yellow, often slightly tinted with red.

The wood is probably the best, as timber
or fuel, of any of the biennial oaks. It
should, however, be fastened, in work where
durability is important, with wooden pins,
as it decays readily around iron nails.

One of the grandest specimens of this
tree in the state is now standing in the rear
It is

ground which its roots probably reach. This
tree is about twelve feet in circumference
near the ground, and seventy feet high. Its
age must be very great, but it is still vigor-
ous. In the vicinity of the Broad Street
entrance to the Park, both within and out-
side its limits, are some finely developed
trees of this kind. Indeed, the Park owes
much of its sylvan attractiveness to the
numerous trees of this species occupying
the dryer wooded portions.

It is rare to find this tree further north
than the southern part of Maine and New
Hampshire, but it is common in the middle
Atlantic states, and its range extends far to
the south and west. Isis notably variable,
running into some other species by almost
insensible gradations.

As a substitute for the white, mealy ap-
pearance seen around the eyes of birds,
the following is recommended: ‘‘In a
coffee-pot of water put scraps of slightly
sized white paper, boil six hours; take out
and squeeze through a colander, pound ina
mortar to a fine paste, dry well and pound
again to a fine powder.”

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

Noumser XIII.
WE now come to the frogs proper, of

which there are in this state five species, |

all included in the single genus Rana.
The frogs differ from the tree-toads by hav-
ing their toes unprovided with viscous
disks and in being aquatic and terrestrial ;
they are at once distinguished from the

toads in that the upper jaw is provided |

with teeth, and they are separated from the
Scaphiopide in being unprovided with the
spur so characteristic of that family.

1. Rana sylvatica Le Conte. The Wood
Frog is one of our most abundant Ba-
trachians, as it is one of the most beau-
tiful and interesting. Often the writer has

| the Atlantic slope to Virginia.

been told of a peculiar looking frog that
was seen in some grove, hopping about |

on the fallen leaves and, though away from |
To |
Had it a black patch on each |
side of the head? the answer has always |
This very dark brown patch |

water, seemingly perfectly at home.
the query:

been ‘* yes.”

is characteristic, and though specimens be |
captured, ranging in length from one to |

four inches, ali will be found to bear this
badge.
Though most abundant in the dry oak

groves, the wood frog is not unfrequently |

met with in open meadows and about
brooks and other small bodies of water.
In the latter situations it is to be found
early in March, as it is one of the first
frogs to awake from winter sleep and be-
gin domestic duties. It is probable that
the eggs are well matured before hibernation
begins. To pass this period, a warm slope
is selected where there is an abundance of
fallen leaves, into which the reluctant ani-
mal, often not until driven to it by snow,

works a small burrow and awaits the re- |

turn of warm weather.

In its coloring this species is very varia- |

ble and is an interesting form on which to
note the changes, so characteristic of the
members of this class. Not only does a

single individual often change its hue ina.
few minutes of time, but the hues are lim- |

ited, to a greater or less extent, by the sea-
son of the year. In the spring often the
play of shades is limited to the dark

75

browns and blacks, though as the season
advances, lighter shades are adopted, spe-
cimens of a light flesh-color being not infre-
quently met with in mid-summer. It is a
mistake to maintain that this change of
color is influenced by surroundings, as the
change often goes on while the surround-
ings remain the same. It may be true,
however, that the animal not infrequently
takes advantage of this power, and thus
renders its efforts at concealment more
effective.

In its geographical range R. sylvatica
is found along the valley of the St. Law-
rence as far west as Wisconsin, and along
The West-
ern Wood Frog, a variety of the present,
extends the habitat to the Pacific Ocean.

Color of Birds Eyes.

Golden-eye Duck, golden yellow.
Barrow’s golden-eye, golden yellow.
Butter-ball, ) Rule

Bufile-head, 5 ;
Long-tailed Duck, )}
Old-squaw, ;

Harlequin Duck, reddish brown.
Stellar’s Eider, brown.

American Eider,

Pacific Eider,

King Eider,

American Black Scoter, brown.

Velvet Scoter, yellow.

Surf Duck, pale yellow.

Ruddy Duck, reddish brown.
Merganser, carmine.

Red-breasted Merganser, carmine.
Hooded Merganser, yellow.

Common Gannet, white, cream.

Brown Gannet, white.

White Pelican, pearly white.

White Pelican, young, brown or dusky.
Brown Pelican, white.

Common Cormorant, green.
Double-crested Cormorant, green.
Florida Cormorant,

Violet-green Cormorant,

Snake Bird, carmine.

American Swan, hazel.

Common Puffin, brown.

Sea-dove, or Dovekie, brown.

Tufted Puffin, brownish yellow.

brown.

76

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

Famity 44. Ampullariidee, large globular
shells, living in fresh water lakes and
rivers, retiring into the mud during the dry
season.

The species are more than one hundred
and fifty, divided among four genera, and
four sub-genera, all inhabitants of tropical
or semi-tropical parts of the world. A few
species are represented in the southern
parts of the United States.

*Famiry 45. ‘Truncatellide. Animal
amphibious, inhabiting margins of streams,
salt marshes, etc. There are six genera,
four sub-genera, and about one hundred or
more species.

Genus TRUNCATELLA, Risso.

Of the six genera comprising the Trun-
catellidze, this genus alone is represented in
America. It is called the looping snail.
It progresses by contracting the space be-

ric caterpillar.

the Truncatella truneatula, Drap., which

also happens to be the one which inhabits |

Rhode Island.
of this genus.

64,

Ihave never seen a description of this

There are sixty-two species

TRUNCATELLA TRUNCATULA, DRap.

species ; have never seen a specimen of the |

shell; have never heard of its being found
anywhere in the United States excepting at
Newport, R. I., and all I know about it is
the following quotation from A. E. Verrill’s
Cat. Mar. Moil., p. 525, 1882:

‘This species was found by the writer,
living in considerable numbers, and of all
ages, among the docks of Newport, R. I.,
July, 1880.
seaweeds thrown up at high-water mark,

under side of stones.

‘*Common on the coasts of Europe in
similar localities. Perhaps introduced on
this coast by shipping, but it may have
been hitherto overlooked. It was asso-
ciated with Assiminea Grayana and Alexia
myosotis.”

_ Polyplacophora,
tween the foot and the lips like the geomet- |
The type of the genus is |

It occurred among decaying |

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Famiry 46. Cyclostomidse. This is an
immense family of operculated land shells,
breathing air. It is divided into five sub-
families, thirty-two genera, fifty sub-genera,
and contains over twelve hundred species,
not one of which inhabits New England.
There is one species only in the United
States, which inhabits Key West, Florida,
but hundreds of species of these beautiful
terrestrial mollusks cover the numerous
islands of the West Indies.

Famity 47. Helicinide. This is also a
large family of operculated land shells. It
consists of nine genera, seventeen sub-
genera, and over five hundred species,
mostly confined to the West Indies. Four
species inhabit the United States, one in
Texas, one at Fort Dallas and Key Bis-
cayne, Florida, one near New Orleans, and
one from Texas to Georgia, and from Ten-
nessee to Florida. None are found farther
north.

It was stated in Chapter V., Ranpom
Nores, Vol. I., p. 9, 1884, that the sub-class
Prosobranchiata is divided into four orders,
viz.: Pectinibranchiata, Scutibranchiata,
and ‘Nucleobranchiata.
We have now given descriptions of all the
Rhode Island shells belonging to the first
order of the sub-class Prosobranchiata.
There is but little difference in the animals
of the second order from those of the first ;

in fact, the description given in Chapter V.,
of Pectinibranchiata will very closely ap-

ply to the Scutibranchiata. The very latest
authority recommends the suppression of
this order and its sub-orders entirely, and
the merging of its members in the previ-
ously described Pectinibranchiata. I shall
therefore depart from the arrangement
originally intended (in regard to this sub-
class only), and drop the name of Scutibran-
chiata, and proceed to enumerate its families
and genera as though a continuation of the
Pectinibranchiata.
Famity 48.

Neritide: four genera,

| seventeen sub-genera, and over three hun-
both among the vegetable matter and on the |

dred and seventy species, all foreign to our
fauna.

Famity 49. Liotiide: two genera,
nine sub-genera, and twenty-five species ;
also foreign.

Famity 50. Rotellide: two recent and
eight fossil genera, with twenty-eight re-
cent species, all foreign.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. al |

Famity 51, Phasianellide: three gen-
era, three sub-genera, and twenty-eight
species, all foreign.

Famity 52. ‘Turbinide; two recent

. genera, eighteen sub-genera, and about one

hundred and thirty species, all foreign.
Famity 53. ‘Trochidze. This immense
family contains over three hundred species,
distributed among four genera and fifty-six
sub-genera. Only one of these genera,
Margarita, Leach, is represented on the
Atlantic coast of the United States. The
species of this genus are deep water in their
distribution and are mostly obtained from
the stomachs of fishes. They are also
boreal and inhabit the cold waters of the
Arctic and Antarctic poles. Of the nine
species of this genus which are credited to
the New England coast, but two might pos-
sibly be found in our waters. They never

have been found here to my knowledge, but |

we will give them the benefit of the doubt.

65. MARGARITA HELICINA, Fapricus.
Syns. :

Turbo helicina, Fabricus.

Turbo inflatus, Totten.

Paludina inflata, Menke.

Margarita arctica, Leach, Sly., DeKay,
Gld.

Margarita helicoides, Beck.

Margarita helicina, Stimp. and modern
authors.

Shell orbicular, depressed, thin, smooth
and shining, of a bronze metallic tint and
iridescent; whorls five, convex, the body
whorl large with fine revolving lines on the
base; suture well impressed; aperture
round, expanded; lip sharp; umbilicus
large and deep; operculum multispiral.
Length one-fifth of an inch, breadth three
tenths. Their habitat is on leaves of
Laminaria in deep water, and are some-
times thrown up on ocean shores during a
storm. They are found as far north as
Greenland and in Baffin’s Bay.

66. MARGARITA OBSCURA, CoUTHOUY.

Shell conical, depressed, solid; spire dull
reddish-brown ; base ashy ; whorls five, con-
vex, angulated in the middle by from one
to three revolving ridges, and covered with
numerous fine lines, those at the base
almost microscopic ; aperture round, pearly
within ; lip sharp ; umbilicus large and deep,
bounded by a sharp angular ridge ; opercu-

lum horny, multispiral. Length one-half
inch, breadth seven-twentieths. It is a
beautiful little species, the surface being of
a brilliant silvery lustre with crimson re-
flections, after the exterior epidermis is re-
moved. It is found in the stomachs of fishes
caught off Nahant, Mass., and Stonington,
Conn. ‘*Common in Massachusetts Bay,
Casco Bay, and Bay of Fundy, from low

water to 100 fathoms.” (Verrill.)
Famity 54. Stomatellidee, all foreign.
Famity 55. Pleurotomariide, all for-
eign.

Famity 56. Bellerophontide. This
family comprises a very large group of Pa-
leeozoic fossils. I believe there is not a sin-
gle species of recent or living mollusca be-
longing to it.

Famity 57. Maclureide, contains twelve
species of fossils belonging to the genus
Maclurea, Lesueur.

Famity 58. Haliotidz, one genus, four
sub-genera, and seventy-five species, all for-
eign.

Famity 59. Fissurellidz, six genera,
and nearly two hundred species, all foreign.

(To be continued.)

Gift to Brown University,

Miss Anna A. Stout, of New York, an-
nounces her intention of bestowing upon
Brown University the valuable herbarium
of her brother, the late William Stout.
The collection is especially rich in ferns,
and is accompanied by a fern library of
about twenty volumes. Miss Stout has al-
ready mounted over 1,800 sheets of ferns
alone, and estimates that from 800 to 1,000
more will be needed. Probably Dr. Gar-
ber’s Florida phznogams will require 350
more, and the Atkinson collection of North-
ern Himalayan ferns 560 to 570 sheets.
Besides these there are many valuable
duplicates of well-known collections, avail-
able for exchange. What is now sorely
needed is a fund for the endowment of the
botanical chair. A daily struggle for bread
and butter is scarcely compatible with the
best results either of teaching or research.

WHEN you are drowsy from reading or
work, sleep until you are rested. Nature,
by feelings of fatigue, calls for rest.

78

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Phryganea.

Tue old English word Cadas means a_
case for security. The word still lingers in |

tea-caddy. The case-worm or larva of

Phryganea is a soft-bodied creature, but it —

has a firm head and strong jaws. It is sup-

plied with six legs, well adapted for loco- |

motion, and with two hooks at the end of
the tail by which it secures itself in its
case. It is a rapacious and pugnacious in-
sect. It feeds upon fresh-water mollusks,
larvee, polyps, etc. As a builder it makes
use of the materials at hand. The old
Free Masons may have taken a lesson from

mind when he sang,—

“That is best which lieth nearest,

Shape from that thy work of art.”
Sometimes the case is made of sticks,
sometimes of grains of sand, and, in Great
Britain, sometimes of the shells of the
small river-snail (Planorbis), even while
their proper owners have them in occupa-
tion. The cases not only serve for protec-
tion but for anchorage also, and they are
found to be the heaviest where the current
is strongest—the creature having added
materials to increase the weight.

If the caddis be deprived of his case, it
will at once set to work to construct
another; and, in confinement, it will build
of materials supplied to it, such as small
fragments of glass and coral and the broken
teeth of combs. However rough the out-
side of the case may be, the inside is per-
fectly smooth, for it is lined with the same
cement which binds the materials together,
and which is exuded from the mouth of the
creature.

It is interesting to watch the caddis shift-
ing his ground, moving his habitation from
one part of the river-bed to another. So
much of the body as will allow the legs free
motion is protruded, and the creature
strains like a horse with a heavy load,
whilst its dwelling moves forward more or
less steadily accordingly as it presents a
smooth or roughened surface.

Before the pupa change takes place the
caddis draws itself entirely into its snug
quarters, and spins a strong netted eover-
ing over the entrance to the case. Having
thus ‘‘ barred the door” against intrusion,

it dozes off into the long sleep, the waking
from which shall be an introduction to a
new life, in another element.

The Phryganide in their perfect state dif-
fer from others of the Neuroptera, in that
they are covered with minute hairs.
Hence Westwood and other English natural-
ists have classed them as a separate order,
the Trichoptera (Gr. Opc&, hair; ztepov, a
wing) or hairy-winged insects.

In dress the Phryganide are a sober peo-
ple — browns, drabs and yellows are their
favorite colors. Cross-venations give
their wings a netted appearance. Their
antenne are long —in some instances very

it;' and Longfellow might have had it in | oB&. @nd_the wings are carried Toneiiagls

nally. The females deposit their egg-
masses early in August on some surface
projecting from the flood. Woodward tells
us (Int. to Mod. Class. of Ins., Vol. II.,
page 62) that occasionally they descend
the stems of water-plants and lay them un-
der water. The egg-mass resembles minia-
ture frog-spawn. It is an accumulation of
drops of gluten containing embryons in the
form of minute green specks. ‘The young
larvee burst forth in September, and pro-
ceed at once to construct their dwelling.
They afterwards repeatedly ‘‘ lengthen
their cords and strengthen their stakes”
according to their requirements.

‘* Our rivers abound with jish of various
kinds, which at particular seasons derive a
principal part of their food from insects,
as the numerous species of the salmon and
carp genus. These chiefly prey upon the
various kinds of Trichoptera in their larva
state called case or caddis-worms, and in
their imago, May-flies.” (irby and
Spence, Int. to Ent., Letter IX.)

The adult salmon proper, Salmo salar,
is believed by the best authorities, to eat
little or nothing during its sojourn in fresh
water. It leaves the ocean fat and returns to
itemaciated. The above remark, therefore,
does not apply to Salmo salar; but it does
apply to others of the genus, and especially
to the English Salmo fario. or common
trout ; and the Canadian Salmo fontinalis,
the brook trout; and Salmo naymacush,
the lunge. The lake shad (Coregorius al-
bus), also is well known to have a keen
relish for the Phryganidz in their winged
state. — Report of Ontario Entomological
Society.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

79

Educational Museums of Vertebrates.*

From what is known of man’s present
constitution and environment, and from
what is commonly believed respecting his
future form, condition, and associates, it
seems to follow that all kinds and degrees
of zodlogical instruction, whether anatomi-
cal, histological, physiological, pathological,
psychological, or religious, should be based
upon some knowledge of vertebrated ani-
mals. As aiding to make this knowledge
real and lasting, every educational institu-

tion, of whatever grade, should have a_

vertebrate museum.

From many vertebrate collections the
average visitor carries away, besides the
sense of fatigue, certain impressions which
are inadequate or erroneous, or if correct,
uncomplimentary.

The following plans and methods are fol- |

lowed in a preliminary re-arrangement of |
the vertebrate collections at Cornell Univer- |

sity: The exhibition-cases should contain
only specimens which can instruct or in-
terest the visitor. Not only should facts
be displayed, but fundamental principles
should be illustrated. Quality is more im-
portant than quantity, and arrangement is
usually more needed than acquisition. True
economy consists in paying liberally for
what is wanted, rather than in taking what
is not wanted as a gift. The usefulness of

a specimen, and thus its real value, is to |
be measured, not by its rarity or cost, but |

by the degree in which it exemplifies im-
portant facts or ideas. Many specimens
should not only be labeled, but also ac-
companied by figures and explanations.

In addition to, or more often in place of
the three great series — physiological, tax-
onomic, and geographical — which are com-
monly attempted in museums, but which it

is rarely possible to complete, specimens |

representing an equal amount of time or
money would have a higher educational
value if divided among a considerable num-
ber of special series, each illustrating some
morphological or teleological principle.
Some of these series are strictly artificial,
yet useful; as, e. g., animals exterminated
by man; those which supply us with food,

*Taken from the abstract, in Science, of the address
of Dr. Burt G. Wilder, before the American Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science, 1885.

|

|

medicine, weapons, clothing, or materials

for habitation; fabulous, mythical, and
sacred animals; and those which are men-
tioned by Shakespeare, and in the Scrip-
tures.

Instead of vainly attempting to obtain
and exhibit all the species of all the groups,
most educational museums would attain
more satisfactory results by selecting the
more interesting or instructive forms from
all classes, and limiting their efforts to
complete groups for a few, upon. which, as
well as upon a larger number, may be illus-
trated the principles of classification, and
of individual and geographical variation.

Among special series other than system-
atic, are analogous forms and_ structures
which are sometimes mistaken for one
another, but more readily discriminated
when brought together. Such series are
the rostrated animals, spinous forms, and
those which have parachutes. Physiologi-
cal series would contain the hibernating
animals, those which are blind or nearly so,
and such as are provided with scent-glands,
tusks, and all poisonous vertebrates.

A local collection should embrace all the
animals of the vicinity, and will benefit the
student, both as an example for him to fol-
low or improve upon, and as exemplifying
the laws of geographical distribution and the
influence of environment. The local col-
lection need not contain anatomical prepara-
tions, but should exhibit both sexes, and
all stages of growth of each species,— its
mode of life, friends and foes,—so as to
interest also the children, farmers, fisher-
men, hunters, and other residents of the
neighborhood.

Although more than a quarter of a cen-
tury has passed since the modern scientific
doctrines respecting the methods of creation
began to be accepted ; although opposition
to the general idea of organic evolution is
now nearly confined to the stubborn and ill-
informed ; and although its substantial
truth is tacitly admitted, or openly claimed,
in nine out of ten higher educational insti-
tutions in this country,—I have yet to
learn that any considerable part of a col-
lege museum has been specifically devoted
to the exhibition of the facts which are
described or figured in most zodlogical
manuals, and in many works upon popular

| science.

80 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

CHECK-LIST OF BRITISH LAND SHELLS.

Arion ater Linn.
flavus Muller.
hortensis Fer.

Geomalacus maculosus Allman.

Limax agrestis Linn.
arborum Chant.
flavus Linn.
gagates Drap.
levis Muller.
marginatus Muller.
maximus Linn.
tenellus Muller.

Testacella haliotidea Drap.

maugei Fer.

Vitrina pellucida Muller.

Zonites alliarius Miller.

cellarius Miiller.
erystallinus Miiller.
excavatus Bean.
fulvus Drap.
glaber Studer.
nitidulus Drap.
nitidus Muller.
purus Alder.
radiatulus Alder.

Patula aculeata Muller.
pygmea Drap.
rotundata Muller.
rupestris Studer.

Helix arbustorum Linn.
aspersa Muller.
cantiana Montagu.
caperata Montagu.
carthusiana Muller.
concinna Jeffreys.
ericetorum Miiller.
fusca Montagu.
hispida Linn.
lamellata Jeffreys.
lapicida Linn.
nemoralis Linn.
obvoluta Muller.
pisana Miller.

J. RITCHIE, JR.

| Helix pomatia Linn.

| pulchella Miller.
revelata Fer.
rufescens Pennant.
sericea Miiller.
variabilis Drap.
villosa Drap.

| Buliminus acutus Muller.

montanus Drap.

obscurus Miller.
Cionella acicula Muller.
lubrica Miiller.

| Agraulina tridens Pulteney.
| Pupa marginata Drap.

ringens Jeffreys.

secale Drap.

umbilicata Drap.

| Vertigo alpestris Alder.

angustior Jeffreys.
antivertigo Drap.
edentula Drap.
lillieborgi Westl

minutissima Hartmann.

moulinsiana Dupuy.
pusilla Miller.
pygmea Drap.
substriata Jeffreys.
Balia perversa Linn.
Clausilia biplicata Montagu.
laminata Montagu.
parvula Studer.
rolphii Leach.
rugosa Drap.
solida Drap.
Succinea elegans Risso.
oblonga Drap.
putris Linn.
Alexia bidentatus Montagu.
denticulatus Montagu.
myosotis Drap.

| Carychium minimum Muller.

Cylostoma elegans Miller.
Acme lineata Drap.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xXxxix

DESIRABLE GOODS 541a Western Sandpiper........... 1 50 to 2 00

543 Marbled Godwit.............. 1 25 to 2 00

To be found at the 553 Wandering Tattler............ 5 00

’ 559 Hudsonian Curlew... ........ 1 50 to 2 00

Natural Historp Store 593 White-fronted Goose.......... 3 50 to 4 00

oa’ “White: Pelican. . os. .0 50. .ede st 6 00 to 10 00

; Ctl Brown) Pelican. .2... <0 mee 3 00 to 4 00

=a 701 Short-tailed Albatross (young) 7 50

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS, SHELLS.

PROVIDENCH, RB. I. Bulimus albus, Sowb., Chili.......... $ 10

Radia | “> elongatus, Bolton j..4-seem-le 10

‘* fulguratus, Jay, Fiji Islands..10 to 20

BIRD ECCS. ‘* multilineatus, Say, Fla........ 5

407a European Hawk Owl........---se0e- $2 00 ‘* sepulchralis, Poey, Bahamas. . 10
SEAUIEMVV AX: WALD’. 6016 1010 010 ate 0) alels eee aeinann. 250 | Orthalicus gallina sultana, Chem.,

630 Purple Sandpiper................. we 1, OU BRAZIL acc te tone ciolersie sia. crcle ee 15 to 25
686 European Swan.............ceeeeee 1 50 | Cerithidea iostoma, Pfr., Raritan Isl-

622 Harlequin Duck..............:; fawn OO NGS ie peter a ete east) oie) ai= 'sis terete es LOE oy

J22) Tkiiee TONG Gre6er pode sddee0 Oddo OOOOnG0r 250 | Cerithium septemstriatum, Hayti..... 10 for 10

BOMB MONS JACTCT 2. -cle.- 2 0- le cece ee 1 50 sf (Pyrazus) sulcatus, Born. .. 5

4124 Iceland Gyr Falcon........ .... .... 6 00 | ne atratum, Brug., Hayti...... 5
Pagmeisine-pilled Gull... 2.6... ve nce anes 1 00 | Chondropoma weinlandi, Pfr., St. Do-

64 Eranklin’s Rosy Gull:............... 3 00 | JOT ORan eno ooo AOO! BObeooUodoDGKer 10
408a Florida Burrowing Owl............. 4 00 | Chondropoma biforme, Pfr., Gonave

402a Florida Screech Owl...............-- 3 50 UST ANG S eit sepaeerereie crete vais] ore ete eae 10 for 10

871 Pileated Woodpecker............... 1 50 | Cyprza arabicula, Lam., Panama..... 10

Oe risysbieeh, Enmrelhingsuguadcaesaanor 25 to 50

BIRD SKINS. “« spadicia, Swain, California ...50 to 75

96 Audubon’s Warbler........... GOitOm (on «¢ _undata, Lam., Mauritius...... 10 to 25

105 Black-throated Gray Warbler.. $1 00 ** cruenta, Gme., South Pacific..15 to 40

PBUMOABSIN’S VITCO..-....-050--505 1-25 ‘¢ — limacina. Lam., Ind. Ocean...15 to 30

215 Black-chinned Sparrow...... 3 00 | Cypreea intermedia, Gray........... $15to 25

823 Western Yellow-bellied Fly- | Conus princeps, Linn., Cent. America.20 to 75

CALE HO I iy eeie cine tasie aie 50 to 75 | Cylendrella Grunerii, Pfr., Bahamas.. 10

364 Nuttall’s Woodpecker........ 2 00 to 2.50 | Helix crispata, Fer., Hayti............ 38 for 25

366 White-headed Woodpecker.... 1 75t0250 > ‘‘ Milleri, Pfr., W. I.............. 3 for 25

449 Golden Eagle................ 7 50 to 10 00 ‘* Troscheli; Pir, Bahamas......-. 3 for 25

col EG GE Ce 600to800| ‘ provisaria, Bahamas............ 2for 10

456 Band-tailed Pigeon...... Sse oO to) 50 [ sacamon beck OUbpat ce aeeaete 25

Bam USKY, GLrOUSE:. 0.215.200 00 s'0080 8 00 to 4 00 | Terebra hastata, Kien., Bahamas...... 10

486 Great White Heron.......... 15 00 to 25 00 | Planoxis pyramidalis, Gme., E. I...... 15

486* Ward’s Heron........... ...-- 8 00 to 4 00 | Nerita guillouana, Recl., MalayIslands10 to 15

489 American Egret.............. 2 50 to 3 00 | Monoceros muricatum, Brod., Panama20 to 25

ATOM SNOWY ELCLON...... 20-0200 000 2 00 to 2 50 | Argonauta argo, Linn.............. 2 50 to 4 00

BOMMWVOOG TDIS. « ..0060c.c00i os ses «ale 2F00stors OO) | LUurpura Crispatay Calipso ote celerrelee 10to 20

505 Roseate.Spoonbill, adult...... 7 00 to 10 00 | Melampus coffea, Linn., Cuba....... 2 for » 10

af s¢ young..... 83 50 to 5 00 | Trochus pellis serpentis, Wood....... 25 to 50

527 Red-breasted Snipe (spring Conus purpurasceus, Brod., Panama..25 to 50
UTA EO) eyareteralevereveve ayers, si01 e+ axe 1 25 to 1 50 | Macroceramus lineatus, Brug., Var

529 Knot; Robin Snipe (spring glabrata weinland, Hayti.......... 10

PUNT ACC) eiereserelerels aicroveive. sess 1 25 to 1 50 | Strophia alvearia, Dill., Bahamas...... 05

539a Red-backed Sandpiper (spring Acatina octona, Chem., St. Thomas... 05

DIUIMAME) iain s cisice ates cess cas 1 25 to 1 50 | Strophia martense...................- 05

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19 28 2 50 11 85

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xlii RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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Random Hotes on Matural History.

Vol. II.

PROVIDENCE, NOVEMBER 1, 1885.

No. 11.

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

Random Dotes on Hatural History.

A MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF USE-
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258 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., U.S. A.

First Meeting of the Franklin Society
Sept. — 1885.

BY PROF. W. WHITMAN BAILEY.

THEY come from the hills, and the bright sunny
fountains,

They come from the rivers, the plains, and the moun-
tains,

From sea-side and summit our savants return,

While we of the laity anxiously yearn

To scrape up the bits which by accident fall

From the table they spread in their banqueting-hall.

How ruddy and brown, too, our travelers look,

From lengthened perusal of Nature’s own book:

*Tis surely salubrious diet they found

Wherever they ’stablished their fair hunting-ground.

Ob! could we but into their diaries peep,

Perhaps we would find what might well murder sleep,

So great would the interest be in the notes

Of fossils upturned and of dredging from boats,

How the devil fish reared his extensible arm,

How the catamount yelped, how the hare gavealarm,

How the screech ow! in agony hooted until

The timid supposed him the prophet of ill,

How the loon o’er the lake like a lost spirit moaned,
And how with rheumatics a bed-fellow groaned;
Could we see in their boxes, a wealth we’d behold —
Fine crystals of quartz and pyrites like gold,
Orthoceras shells, and perhaps ammonites,
Pterodactyls and mammoths and small trilobites;
Here bits of stone pestles and arrows and bones,
And here see the rubbish, a mass of loose stones.
Now into port-folios we venture to gaze,

For this is the botanist’s province always,

And from the rare weeds and the flowers they press,
The region they traveled perhaps we can guess.

But suppose these thesauri are hid from our view
By our churlish companions, what are we to do?
We must wait till they turn on their river's of talk,
Or give thought expression by pencil or chalk.

Bat for one. we must owu our impatience is great —
Mr. President, start them; we really can’t wait.

Since the writing of the following article
on the Hoary Bat a fine specimen has been
shot in East Providence, R. I., and is now
in the possession of Mr. G. W. Field.

Hoary Bat.

ATALAPHA CINEREA (BrEauvors) PeTers.

Dr. C. Harte Merriam says the capture
of a specimen of the Hoary: Bat must for
some time to come be regarded as an event
worthy of congratulation and record.

We cannot boast of having captured one,
but have just been so fortunate as to re-
ceive one alive from West Freetown, Mass.,
It has since become the property of Brown
University.

As we have never before seen a living
specimen, and no capture has been re-
corded for Rhode Island, we can do no
better than to quote liberally from a most
interesting article by Dr. Merriam in the
Transactions of the Linnean Society, Vol.
Ls Den das

‘““The Hoary Bat can be recognized, even
in the dusk of evening, by its great size, its
long and pointed wings, and the swiftness
and irregularity of its flight. It does not
start out so early as our other bats, and is
consequently more difficult to shoot. The
borders of woods, water-courses, and road-
ways through the forest are among its fav-
orite resorts, and its nightly range is vastly
greater than any of its associates.

‘¢‘Imagine for a moment, sympathetic
reader, that you are an enthusiastic bat-
hunter, and have chanced to visit some
northern forest where this handsome species
occurs. The early evening finds you, gun
in hand, near the border of a lonely wood.
The small bats soon begin to fly, and in the
course of fifteen or twenty minutes you
may have killed several, all of which prove
to be the silver-haired species ( Vesperugo
noctivagans). The twilight is fast fading
into night, and your eyes fairly ache from
the constant effort of searching into ob-
scurity, when suddenly a large bat is seen
approaching, perhaps high above the tree-
tops, and has scarcely entered the limited
field of vision when, in swooping for an in-
sect, he cuts the line of the distant horizon
and disappears in darkness below. In breath-
less suspense you wait for him to rise.

82

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

crouching low that his form may be sooner
outlined against the dim light that still lin-
gers in the northwest, when suddenly he
shoots by, seemingly as big as an owl,
within a few feet of your very eyes. Turn-
ing quickly you fire, but too late! He has
vanished in the darkness. For more than
a week each evening is thus spent, when,
perhaps, on a clear cold night, just as the
darkness is becoming too intense to permit
you to shoot with accuracy, °°’ you are on
the point of turning away, something ap-
pears above the horizon that sends a thrill
of excitement through your whole frame.
There is no mistaking the spccies—the
size, the sharp, narrow wings, and the swift
flight serve instantly to distinguish it from
its nocturnal comrades. On he comes, but
just before arriving within gun-shot, he
makes one of his characteristic zig-zag
side-shoots, and you tremble as he moment-
arily vanishes from view. Suddenly he re-
appears, his flight becomes more steady,
and now he sweeps swiftly toward you.

No time is to be lost, and it is already too |

dark to aim, so you bring your gun quickly
to your shoulder and fire. With a piercing,
stridulus cry, he falls to earth. In an in-
stant you stoop to pick him up, but the
sharp grating screams, uttered with a tone

of intense anger, admonish you to observe |
discretion. With delight you cautiously take |

him in your hand, and hurry to the light to
feast your eves upon his rich and handsome

markings. He who can gaze upona freshly |

killed example without feelings of admira-
tion, is not worthy to be called a naturalist.

‘*'The Hoary Bat occurs about the Red
River settlement in British America, and Dr.
Richardson obtained it at the Cumberland
House on the Saskatchewan, in lat. 54° N.
Robert Kennicott procured it in the Hudson
Bay Company’s territory, further north
than any other species of bat has been
taken. It is a sunm-r resident of high
latitudes. In the Wes: it has been taken
in Arizona and New Mexico, but only, so
far as I am aware, at considerable altitudes.
In fall and winter, isolated individuals have
been procured from localities so far to the
southward of its usual habitat, that I am
constrained to believe it a migratory species.
Nothing appears to be known about the
breeding habits of the Hoary Bat. On the
evening of the 30th of June, 1883, Dr. A.

| R. I., September 19, 1885.
| ple from hip disease, caused by bathing too

K. Fisher shot a large female (measuring
422 mm. in spread of wings) at my home
in Lewis County. It had already given
birth to its young, and each of its four
mammz bore evidence of having recently
been nursed.

‘* That the species ruts about the first of
August there can be no reasonable doubt,
for I saw more of them from the 30th of
July till the 6th of August than I have
ever seen in all, before or since, and twelve
adult specimens killed during that brief
period were all males. They were not feed-
ing, but were rushing wildly about, evi-
dently in search of females. Many flew so
high as to be out of range, though directly
over head. The only young one I have
ever seen was shot here August 6, 1883, by
Walter H. Merriam. It was nearly: full
grown (measuring 400 mm. in extent)
and different from the adults chiefly in being
lighter colored.”

EERE
John Snowdon Howland.
SE ES

J.S. Howranp, better known as Snow-
don Howland, died at his home, Newport,
He was a crip-

frequently in the salt water when a boy.
Though a great sufferer, and for many
months at a time confined to his bed, he
was ever cheerful.

He was one of our best odlogists, and
the collection he leaves is second to none in
quality and very few exceed it in size. The
taste with which it was arranged in his cab-
inets was such as to make it attractive even
to those not interested in such things.

We can ail appreciate the pleasure of
making a collection, but probably few of us
can realize the satisfaction it gave him, or
how much it alleviated his years of suffer-
ing.

While we miss one whom we have so re-
spected and honored, we cannot feel sad
when we think that his sufferings have ended.

BLY, J

The new Check List of North American
Birds, and Code of Nomenclature, adopted
by the American Ornithologists Union, will
be issued duriug the coming December. It
will be an octavo volume of about 300
pages.

RANDOM NOTES ON

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

No. VII.
Quercus coccinea — SCARLET Oak.

Q. coccinea, or the scarlet oak, is fre-
quentiy met with in Rhode Island. It
grows in company with the black oak, Q.
tinctoria, to which it is closely related. In-
deed, in a grove of the two kinds, they
pass into each other by such fine grada-
tions that it is only by a few points of dis-
tinction that they can be distinguished from
each other.

It is one of the handsomest of our native
oaks, more noticeable for its graceful,
shapely growth than for the strength and
sturdiness which characterize most of the
oaks.

Upon open grounds it forms a somewhat
stately, orbicular head. ‘The limbs are nu-
merous, long, and, for an oak, rather slen-
der, dividing into fine branchlets, which
give an airy lightness to the aspect of the
tree. The trunk is usually straight and
covered with a bluish gray bark, divided,
but not deeply, by short clefts. The bark

is not as thick as that of the black oak, not |

so dark, nor so deeply cleft. The inner
portion of the bark is of a pink or reddish
tinge, while that of the black oak is yellow.
The buds are conical, obtusely pointed, and
smaller than those of the black oak. The
leaves are smaller, more deeply cleft, and
thinner than those of the black oak. In
the autumn, they are of a brilliant scarlet
and form one of the most attractive beau-
ties of the woods.

The acorn is small, nearly globose, but
somewhat lengthened, deeply set in the
cup, which has large, close scales, that ter-
minate abruptly, without fringe. The ker-
nel is white and much less bitter than
that of the black oak. The wood is in-
ferior, both as fuel and timber, to that of
the black oak, with which it is commonly
confounded, except by close observers.

Although not the most stately of our
oaks, it is a rapid grower, and on account of
its beauty at all seasons, and. especially in
the autumn, it is-deserving of cultivation as
a shade and ornamental tree.

This tree reaches a high degree of perfec-
tion in Rhode Island. In its distribution,

NATURAL HISTORY. 83
it occupies the same regions as the black
oak, the latter being regarded by recent
botanists as simply a variety of the scarlet
oak.

There are a number of fine scarlet oaks,
of well-marked characteristics, by the road-
side leading from Olneyville to Dyer’s
nursery; and in the grove opposite to the
entrance to the grounds may be found some
specimens ff, interesting varieties of the
black and wearlet oaks. It may be here
properly mentioned that the groves and
river banks in the vicinity of Mr. Dyer’s
residence.affer a noteworthy variety of
finely-developed native forest trees.

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER XIV.

2. Rana catesbiana Shaw. (Rana pipiens
Linn. The Bull Frog is the largest anurous
Batrachian of North America, specimens
having been known which measured twenty-
one inches in length. Though the larger
representatives of the succeeding species are
often confused with this animal, a full-grown
Bull Frog, with all its independence, thought-
ful air, and perfect composure, is never to be
mistaken. Lest, however, the more imma-
ture representatives be mistaken for their
more plebeian associates, a few characteris-
tic points, which will determine their iden-
tity, will perhaps be acceptable to the
novice.

The most striking difference is in the so-
called cuticular folds: a pair of ridges
passing posteriorly from the back of the
eye, over the tympanic membrane. These
folds in the Green Frog continue as far as
the last vertebra, outlining in their course
the position of the distal ends of the trans-
verse processes of the several vertebre.
In the Bull Frog these folds stop soon after
passing the large drumhead-like areas behind
the eyes —the tympanic membranes. The
Bull Frog is also without the underlying
metallic tint generally characteristic of the
Green Frog. Other differences in color are
misleading and cannot be relied upon for
specitic determination. The color and even
the marking being likely to vary in either
species.

I have captured specimens of the Bull

84

Frog when they were of the most beautiful
pale emerald, and marked with spots and
blotches of the lightest brown. A few

hours of confinement have sufficed to ren- |

der them of a deep brown color, the green
almost entirely disappearing, and the mac-
ulation only appearing on the closest scru-
tiny.

Though familiar to every one, the Bull
Frog is not the most abundant species of
the genus. It is often seen by those row-
ing on our ponds and rivers, as it sits on
some warm bank, ready to plunge into the
water on being too closely observed. It

+ oO . . ba ‘ = |
will generally, however, allow one to A) es gen SoS.

proach near enough todropa small grapple,
decorated with some _ bright - colored
worsted, before its capacious mouth, and,
judging the value of its food from its ap-
pearance only, the fastidious patriarch soon
finls himself in the angler’s fish-basket,

meal to lure the equally omnivorous pickerel,
or to garnish the table of the epicure.

As to the voracious nature of this animal
Mr. J. A. Allen writes:

‘‘I have taken from its stomach young

| pets.

specimens of Chrysemys picta an inch and a |

halfin length. And woe be to the hapless
young frog that hops into a pool where sits
one of these greedy monsters! When col-
lecting birds I have on several occasions
had specimens, whici fell into the edge of
the pond when shot, stolen by them. In
one instance a medium-sized Bull Frog
seized and attempted to swallow a cedar
bird (Ampelis cedrorum) that had fallen
near him; he succeeded to his apparent
satisfaction, although the tips of the wings
and tail of the specimen projected from his
mouth, while he sat composedly waiting for
the other end to digest. On another occa-
sion a more active fellow gobbled up a rare
Warbler that chanced to drop near the
water, and, to my great disgust, swam off
with it beyond my reach. Many farmers
have learned by sad experience of their
ability to swallow small ducklings.”

The geographical distribution of the Bull
Frog is extended, it being found from Que-
bec to California, and from the great lakes
to the Mexican Gulf; in these limits, how-
ever, it is most abundant in the northeast-
ern portions.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.

CHAPTER XXII.

Famiry 60. Patellidee. The shells com-
prising this extensive family are called lim-
They are not spiral like most of the
gasteropods, but dish-shaped, more or less
conical; the aperture comprises the entire
under side, and of course they have no
operculum ; they adhere to stones and are
not easily detached unless we come upon
The family is divided into
three sub-families, Lepetina, Acmaeinz
and Patellinze, the second of which only is
represented in Rhode Island.

Sub-family Acmaeinz contains four gen-
era and about thirty species. The only

; . : : _ species inhabiting our state belongs to the
from which he will only emerge in_piece- |

genus Acmza, Esch., sub-genus Collisella,

Dall.

67. Acm#A (COLLISELLA) TESTUDINALIS,
MU.Lier, 1766.

Syns.:

Patella testudinalis, Mull., Fabr., Dill.,
Wood., Lam.

Patella clealandii, Sly., Flem.

Patella amoena, Say.

Patelloidea amcena, Carth.

Patelloidea testudinalis, Lea, DeKay.

Lottia testudinalis, Gould.

Lottia antillarum, Sly.

Patella clypeus, Brown.

Tectura testudinalis, Stimp., Dall., Per-
kins.

Collisella testudinalis, Dall., 1870.

The above list of synonyms are but a
few of the many names which have been
given to this species. It is a very common
species in the boreal regions of Europe,
Asia, and America. It extends southward
in Europe to England and France; to
Japan in the North Pacific ; inhabits Green-
land to Cape Cod, but rare south of it.
It has been quoted from Watch Hill, R.L.,
but I have never heard of any author
speaking of it except as an ocean species,
that is, found on ocean shores, but it is
found in our bay at Warwick Neck light-
house, and as far up as Rocky Point, at
least fifteen miles from the ocean... Our
specimens are small, from one-half to three-

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

85

quarters inch in length, but in Maine they
are an inch, and in Europe one and a half
inches long. They are very abundant in
Norway, Scotland, and Ireland, where they
are used for bait, and in times of scarcity,
for food.

A description of this species is difficult,
as the individuals vary so widely. Shell
oblong-oval, elevated ; apex behind the cen-
tre, pointed and turned towards the head
of the animal; color greenish-white, with
brown stripes; within, the centre is gener-
ally dark brown, and the margin checkered
with brown and white spots. It resembles
in form, though on a larger scale, our com-
mon fresh-water limpet, Ancylus fuscus.
Its habitat is on stones from low-water
mark to twenty fathoms or more.

There is a variety of this species whose
habitat is only on the narrow leaves of
Zostera marina (eel grass). Whether this
is only a variety of testudinalis or a dis-
tinct species, I am not prepared to say;
many authors consider it distinct, and it
certainly differs as much in appearance,
and more so than some species which are
universally acknowledged to be distinct. If
the normal testudinalis resembles Ancylus
fuscus, Ad., this variety still more resem-
bles our other fresh-water limpit, Ancylus
parallellus, Hald. The specimens do not
vary as much as the testudinalis, but are
very uniform. ‘The shell is long and nar-
row, only three-tenths of an inch broad by
one-half inch or more in length; the sides
compressed, thin and fragile ; ends obtusely
rounded; color reddish-brown, checkered
with yellow oval or circular spots; the in-
terior showing the exterior markings. This
species is called Alveus, Conrad, var., or, by
those who consider it distinct, Acmzea
(Collisella) alveus, Con. I am disposed to
think it a distinct species by itself.

OrpeR PoLYPLACOPHORA, GRAY.

Famity 61. Chitonide, Guilding. The
order Polyplacophora differs from the other
orders of the sub-class Prosobranchiata in
both animal and shell. In this order the
sexes are united in each individual, while
the shell is multivale, or composed of eight
separate transverse plates, inserted in a
coriaceous mantle, forming an extended
margin around them. There is but one
family, as above, and two genera, Chiton
and Chitonellus.

| inhabit Rhode Island.

| white and dusky pubescence.

Genus Cuiron, Linnaus, 1758.

The earlier naturalists considered these
unique shells to belong to the Malentozoaria
of Blainville, or articulated mollusks, and
included them among the Barnacles or
Crustace ; they also called them multi-
valves. They were deceived by tbe ap-
pearance of the shell, which consists of
eight arched plates, but are not valves, as
were supposed, nor articulated in any way,
but arranged like shingles on a roof, and
let into the tough mantle of the animal, at
the ends, by the sharp, smooth edges.
These plates are more or less sculptured,
and the margins either bare or covered with
hairs, spines, or other ornamentation. They
are found in all parts of the world, but un-
like most shells, the finest species are not
tropical, but inhabit the colder shores of
North and South America. There are more
than 250 species, divided among about fifty
sub-genera. Seven species are credited to
New England, of which two are known to
Possibly some of
the others may yet be found here. The
two species known to inhabit our bay are
as follows: —

68. CxHiron (CH2&TOPLEURA) APICULATUS,

SAY.

Shell oblong-oval, color grayish ; anterior
plate a crescent, with three or four con-
centric lines and numerous dots arranged
in regular lines along the margin; the next
six plates have on their dorsal triangles,
twenty to thirty longitudinal series of beads,
or pointed, elevated dots; on the lateral
triangles, which are elevated above the dor-
sal ones, are scattered dots like those on
the anterior plate; posterior plate, with the
series of dots like those on the dorsal tri-
angles of the six central plates, a central
tubercle, and the remainder with scattered
dots like those on the anterior plate. Mar-
gin coriaceous, with alternate stripes of
Length one
inch, breadth three-fifths. It inhabits from
South Carolina to Cape Cod, and is found
on stones in dredging and on dead shells of
Busycon, Natica, ete.

69. CHITON (TRACHYDERMON) RUBER, LOWE.

Shell small, oval, elevated, sarinated 5
plates smooth and shining, even under the
lens; color light red, sometimes with flashes

36

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

of crimson across one or two plates; the
keel at the centre is sometimes striped
with crimson spots; interior rose-red, paler
at the margins. Length one-half inch,
breadth three-tenths.

Found in the maws of fishes and on stones
dredged from deep water. Habitat from
Connecticut to Greenland, Iceland, Nor-
way, and Great Britain.

All Chitons when disturbed roll them-
selves up into a ball, and on this account
are sometimes called sea-woodlice. In col-
lecting the smaller kinds it is better not to
try to separate them from the shell or stone
to which they may be attached, but take
home shell and stone together. If the ani-
mal is killed when rolled up in a ball, the
shell cannot be straightened again without
breaking it; the only way is to place the
Chiton between two boards after it has
straightened itself, and kill it with hot
water, and let it remain between the boards
until the shell stiffens in this position, other-
wise its tendency is to roll up, even when
the animal is dead.

OrperR NUCLEOBRANCHIATA.

These are pelagic animals, swimming by
means of fin-like lobes of the foot; some
have a transparent, glassy shell, others
have no shell at all. There are three fam-
ilies, five genera and about fifty species, all
absent from our fauna.

This chapter completes the description
of all the species of mollusca which inhabit
Rhode Island, belonging to the first sub-
class of Gasteropoda.

(To be continued.)

An Uncommon Fish.

SrncE the last issue of Ranpom Noress,
there has been secured, from a seine in
Greenwich Bay, a specimen of Selene
vomer, or, as it is more popularly called, the
Moon Fish or Horse Head. The latter
name is particularly applicable, as the face
bears a striking resemblance to those seen
on ancient coins representing the Roman
charger, a resemblance carried still fur-
ther by the mane-like disposition of the
dorsal fins. In the general outline the
Horse Head is of an irregular pentagonal
form, nearly as deep as it is long, and so
compressed, that the greatest distance from

side to side measures no more than the di-
ameter of the eye.

The most striking features, however, are
the elongated portions of the dorsal and
ventral fins. By actual measurement the
dorsal filaments are in length more than
twice the depth of the fish. These fila-
ments are remarkably like the waxed-ends
of a shoemaker. The Cobbler Fish is the
nearest relative to the Horse Head.

Though the present species is immature,
measuring only three inches in length,
specimens from other localities have been
found of nearly twice this size.

In its geographical distribution this
animal is found in the warmer seas of both
the Atlantic and Pacific, its northern limit
being, heretofore, Long Island Sound.—
H. C. Bumreus.

The Click Beetle, Skip Jack, or Spring
Beetle.

BY H. H. VEITCH.

THERE are many different kinds of beetles
in Worcester County, known under the
above names, and all belong to one family,
the Elaterid@. It is of the genus Agrtotes
that I would write in particular. ‘The dif-
ferent species of this genus are the parents
of the wire-worms that abound in most gar-
dens, and are considered by farmers so in-
jurious to vegetation.

These beetles may be found in the field
or garden from June to September among
piles of rubbish or rotten sods. They lay
their eggs in July and August, attaching

‘them to the roots of vegetables, such as

potatoes, corn, beans, peas, etc., in little
clusters containing forty or more. These
hatch out in September and October, and
the young larve find sufficient food to last
until spring in the decomposing roots to
which the eggs are attached.

In cultivating my garden in May I have
often turned over clusters of these wire-
worms adhering to the roots upon which the
eggs were deposited the previous summer,
At this stage of their development they are
about an eighth of an inch in length, and
not exceeding a horse-hair in thickness.
They now separate, and in future it is each
one for itself.

When a year old, they acquire the shin-

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

87

ing mahogany brown color characteristic of
thé larve of the Elateride. The second
year finds them the common wire-worms.
In June and July of the third year, they
complete their growth.

The larva now swells, the skin becomes
greatly distended; at length it ruptures
longitudinally and the perfect insect issues.
I would state for the benefit of farmers that
fall plowing will not destroy these pests.
I have this winter subjected the tiny larvze
to a cold of fifteen degrees below zero,
without the slightest injurious effect.—
Worcester County Naturalist.

The Tragopans, or Horned Pheasants
(Ceriornis) ,

Have a powerful body, moderate-sized wing,
and short, broad tail, composed of eighteen
feathers. The bill is very short and rather
weak, while the strong, flat footis furnished
with a spur. Two small, fleshy, horn-like
appendages are situated behind the bare
patch around the eye, and the naked skin
on the throat is prolonged so as to forma
pair of pendant lappets. The rich plum-
age of the male lengthens into a crest at
the crown of the head, and is most beauti-
ful both in its hues and markings, whilst
that of the female is comparatively of
sombre tint.

THE SIKKIM HORNED PHEASANT.

The Sikkim Hornep Pueasant (Cerior-
nis Satyra) is of a bright carmine-red on
the brow, crown of the head, nape, and
shoulders ; a broad band, that passes from
the temples to the back of the head, and a
narrow line around the lappet at the throat,
are also of the same glowing hue; the up-
per back, breast and belly are red, enliv-
ened with white spots edged with black ;
the mantle and upper tail-covers are brown,
but each feather is delicately striped with
black, and has a black spot at its extremity ;
some of the feathers on the upper wing-
covers are also dotted with red, the dark-
brown quills are bordered and streaked with
dull yellow; the tail-feathers are black,
striped with dark brownish-yellow.

The eye is deep brown, and the foot yel-
lowish-brown; the fleshy appendages and
lappets are blue, spotted here. and_ there
with orange-yellow.

| the former.

The male is twenty- '

seven inches long, the wing measures eleven
inches and a half, and the tail eleven inches.
The plumage of the female is principally
brown, darkest on the back, and enlivened
by numerous black and red spots and
streaks, as well as by the white shafts and
dots of the feathers. Her length is only
twenty-four inches, and that of her tail ten
inches.

This species, which was the first known
to naturalists, inhabits the Nepaul and Sik-
kim Himalayas, being more abundant in
‘*T have,” says Jerdon, ‘‘ seen
it in spring at an elevation of about 9,000
feet above the level of the sea; and in win-
ter it descends to between 7,000 and 8,000
feet in the vicinity of Darjeeling, and per-
haps lower in the interior. It is frequently
snared by the Bhotees and other Hill-men,
and brought alive for sale at Darjeeling. Its
call, which I have heard in spring, is a low,
deep, bellowing cry, sounding like ‘‘ waa-
ung-waa-ung.” Its general habits are no
doubt similar to those of the C. melano-
cephala, which have been more accurately
described.”

THE JEWAR, OR WESTERN HORNED PHEASANT.

The Jewar, or WEsTERN HorNeD PHEAS-
ANT (Ceriornis melanocephala) , differs from
the species last mentioned principally in the
predominance of black in the coloration of
the under side. Inthe male the feathers on
the top of the head are black, with red
tips; the nape, upper part of the throat, and
shoulder are scarlet; the feathers on the
mantle dark brown, ornamented with very
delicate black lines, and, towards their
extremities, with small black-edged white
spots. The feathers on the breast and belly
are black, spotted with white, and slightly
shaded with red; the quills are pale black,
spotted and edged with brown; the tail is
black, striped with brown and white at the
ends of the feathers. The eye is nut-brown,
the bare patch that surrounds it bright red,
while the fleshy horns are pale blue; the
lappets on the throat are purple, dotted
with light blue at the sides, and bordered
with flesh-pink ; the beak is horn-grey, and
the foot reddish. The maleis from twenty-
seven to twenty-eight inches long, and from
thirty-five to thirty six broad; the wing
measures ten inches and a half; and the
tail ten inches. The plumage of the female

88

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

is varied with different shades of brown and
black on the upper parts of the body, and
with greyish brown, black and white on the
under side; the back is enlivened by pale
yellow markings, and the under side by
irregular white spots. The lengthof the fe-
male is twenty-three inches, the breadth
thirty-one inches and a half; the wing
measures nine inches and a half, and the
tail eight inches and a half.

These birds are found from the western
borders of Nepaul to the extreme North-
west Himalayas; they are not very common
near Simla and Mussooree, but are more
plentiful near Almora.

‘* Their usual haunts,” says ‘‘ Mountain-
eer,” *‘ are high up, not far from the snows,
in dense and gloomy forests, where they
live either alone or in small scattered par-
ties. In winter they descend the hills, and
tnen their favorite haunts are in the thickest
parts of the forests of oak, chestnut, and
morenda pine, where the box-tree is abund-
ant, and where under the forest trees a
luxuriant growth of ‘ringalt’ or the hill
bamboo forms an underwood in some places
almost impenetrable. They keep in com-
panies of from two or three to ten or a
dozen or more, not in compact flocks, but
scattered widely over a considerable space
of forest, so that many at times get quite
separated, and are found alone.” Jerdon
tells us, ‘‘ that if undisturbed they gener-
ally remain pretty close together, and appear
to return year after year to the same spot,
even though the ground be covered with
snow. for they find their living then upon
the trees. If driven away from the forest
by an unusually severe storm or any other
cause, they may be found at this season in
small clumps of trees, wooded ravines, or
patches of low brushwood.

‘* At this season, with the exception of
its cry of alarm when disturbed, the Jewar
is altogether mute, and is never heard of its
own accord to utter a call or note of any
kind; unlike the rest of our pheasants, all
of which occasionally crow or call at all
seasons. When alarmed it utters a succes-
sion of wailing cries, not unlike those of a
lamb or kid, like the syllables ‘ waa, waa,
waa, each syllable uttered slowly and dis-
tinctly at first, and more rapidly as the bird
is hard pressed and about to take wing.
Where not repeatedly disturbed it is not

particularly shy, and seldom takes alarm
till a person is in its immediate vicinity,
when it creeps slowly through the under-
wood, or flies up into a tree; in the former
case continuing its call till again stationary,
and in the latter till it has concealed itself
among the branches. If several are to-
gether all begin to call at once, and run off
in different directions, some running into
the trees, others running along the ground.
When first put up they often alight in one
of the nearest trees ; but if again flushed the
second flight is generally to some distance,
and almost always down-hill. Their flight
is rapid, and the whirr produced by the
wings peculiar, so that even when the bird
is not seen it may be distinguished from any
other species. Where their haunts are
often visited, either by the sportsmen or the
villagers, they are more wary, and if such
visits are of regular occurrence and con-
tinue for any length of time, they become
alert in a very high degree ; so much so that
it is impossible to conceive a forest bird more
shy or cunning. They then, as soon as
aware of the presence of any one in the
forest, after calling once or twice, or with-
out doing so at all, fly up into the trees,
which near their haunts are almost always
evergreens of the densest foliage, and con-
ceal themselves so artfully among the
tangled leaves and branches that unless one
has been seen to fly into a particular tree,
and it has been well marked down, if is al-
most impossible to find them. In spring,
as the snow begins to melt on the higher
parts of the hills, they entirely leave their
winter resorts, and gradually separate and
spread themselves through the more remote
and distant woods, up to the region of birch
and white rhododendron, and almost to the
extreme limits of forest. Karty in April
they begin to pair, and the males are then
more generally met with than at at any
other period; they seem to wander about
a great deal, are almost always found alone,
and often call, at intervals, all day long.
When thus calling, the bird is generally
perched on the thick branch of a tree, or
the trunk of one which has fallen to the
ground, or on a large stone; the call is sim-
ilar to the one they utter when disturbed,
but it is much louder and only one single
note at a time—a loud energetic ‘ waa,’
not unlike the bleating of a lost goat — and

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

xliii

can be heard for upwards of a mile. It is
uttered at various intervals, sometimes every
five or ten minutes for hours together, and
sometimes not more than two or three times
during the day ; its purport most probably
is to invite the females to the place. When
the business of incubation is over, the
broods, with the parent birds, keep collected
together about one spot and descend tow-
ards their winter resorts as the season ad-
vances; but the forests are so densely
crowded with long weeds and grass that
they are seldom seen till about November,
when these have partially decayed, so as to
admit of a view through the wood.”

The Jewar feeds chiefly on the leaves of
trees and shrubs; of the former the box and
oak are the principal ones; of the latter,
thugall and a shrub something like privet.
It also eats roots, flowers, grubs, insects,
acorns, seeds, and berries of various kinds,.
but in small proportion as compared with
leaves ; in captivity it will eat almost any
kind of grain. Though the most solitary
of our pheasants, and in its native forests
perhaps the shyest, it is the most easily
reconciled to confinement ; even when caught
old it soon loses its timidity, eating readily
out of the hand, and little difficulty is ex-

' perienced in rearing it.

DESIRABLE GOODS

To be found at the

Matural Historp Store

2)

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

PROVIDENCE, RB. I.

BIRD SKINS.

96 Audubon’s Warbler....... Gece) COONLO) Fn
105 Black-throated Gray Warbler.. $1 00
WvagiCassin’s Vireo...........-0.-6 1 25
215 Black-chinned Sparrow...... 3 00
323 Western Yellow-bellied Fly-
CANCE, vise csi. s sicleeis e sieis cies 50 to 75
364 Nuttall’s Woodpecker........ 2 00 to 2.50
366 White-headed Woodpecker.... 1 75 to 2 50
Bae GOON Wagle...s.. ce. s wees 7 50 to 10 00
PRUE UAC... f. ccicisne es ses eee 6 00 to 8 00
456 Band-tailed Pigeon............ 1 50 to 2 50
Sie Dusky Grouse...........- .... 3 00 to 4 00
486 Great White Heron.......... 15 00 to 25 00
EGS VVALCES LEO LOD, ..yero erecyievercyeiorcwiere 3 00 to 4 00
489 American Egret.............. 2 50 to 3 00
BM ONOWY ELCLVOM...,,,.</010;s oj0/+' +0010 2 00 to 2 50
PORVOO DDIS..:....cciaaiss ile esse t's 2 50 to 3 50
505 Roseate Spoonbill, adult...... 7 00 to 10 00
he as young..... 3 50 to 5 09

527 Red-breasted Snipe (spring
UU SEO.S)) ears ere eeisie kote seieice-s 1 25 to 1 50

| 529 Knot; Robin Snipe (spring
| PlUMALE) ete. + tees sete 1 25 to 1 50

5389a Red-backed Sandpiper (spring
PUTER Galas oivts =. 5 ats haces ae 1 25 to 1 50
d541a 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
593 White-fronted Goose.......... 3 50 to 4 00
G40 Rite Pelicanme-meceacrerece 6 00 to 10 00
6419 Brown’ Pelicaninn. o.4.<:- +. 08 3 00 to 4 00
701 Short-tailed Albatross (young) 7 50

FOREICN BIRD SKINS.
Tragopans, Horned Pheasants.

We have now on hand a few good skins of
these fine birds.
Red Tragopan (Ceriornis satyra) 8 00:
Black Tragopan (Ceriornis melanocephala) 10 00:

BIRD ECCS.

erneeceee

407a European Hawk Owl................ $2 00
GO) \N/ES RAE. o ccononapod Hobd Goobnoo6ue 2 50:
5380 Purple Sandpiper................... 1 00
586 European Swan.............scc.se-; 1 50
(PY Jseyeo niin IDWEleacgonoeccdcoogos DADS 1 50
G2OM Kino eid errs cts .vis-soies acters 2 50
B90 MSH ULODGES ACGERS 2ia:.,<..,0,514 saeetaaeis ele 1 50
412a Iceland Gyr Falcon................ 6 00
669) Ring-billed) Gull... 02925 4. Unies ocie0 1 00
674.) Hranklin?spRosy Gill. <))-\ meee) 3 00
408a Florida Burrowing Owl............. 4 00
402a Florida Screech Owl............0... 3 50
| 871 Pileated Woodpecker..... .......... 1 50.

xliv RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

SUPP Ll Eom

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

For Sale by Southwick & Jencks.

_>—>—_—

Scalpél, all Steel... 2.5.6.0 c0 ene eseeewe $0 60 | Egg Drill, long handle, 3-32.......+. -+-- of 2p
Scalpel, ebony handle..........-+-+.+++: 75 | es es D-32 > «cents f- 35
Scissors TUCkbae oe erodes ooo Sater 1 00 | ee Shh. 9 6-32. (oan 50
Bone Snips’. 2. tijamiemmee | ale ste steae os ers 1 25 | * mY 8232.10), . Baten 15
Spring Forceps .......-.eeeseee seen secre T5 ff if 16-3252. ile seeeeee 1 50
Curved Needles, each, 10c , 3 for.... .... 25 | Blow-pipe, nickel... .. ...-..-+.c0ee-se0ee 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

i000 reer ee ean eee 100 | Ib. 25c.; per 10]bs.........+.22.scceeee 2 00
Egg Drill, fine, short handle, each, loc., Arsenical Soap, per Ib. in glass bottle... 50

roeie Cla7gé pppocc0s ae ois cis «1 9 CRYST TC 1 15t} ,

CASES OF INSTRUMENTS.
No. 1. Set of Skinning Tools in Case. Contains 2 Scalpels, 1 Scissors, 1 Spring

Forceps, 1 Long Stuffers,....-...-.0.eeeceeee nsec eee s settee en peteeees $5 00 prepaid.
No. 2. Same as. above, with smallest drill, also numbers 2 and 4 drills and SSDS.
Nickel BIOW=pipe < «.2/s «oye vporiseqds - fel nein sons ve ee enna ie cae 6 66" *

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

oS oo
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This size, per 100, 20c.; per 1,000, $1.75, post-paid
Drying Paper, per dozen sheets...... $0 15
Fadi aie “ os 100: sheets,.....:.2.. sea) IMOD
Mounting Paper, per sheet, 2c.; per
dOzen’. jo ecke cn +s eee hie eee 20
fae Mounting Paper, per ream........... 4 75
Genus Covers, each 4c.; per doz. 40c. ;
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reece re ecru eres UL NAYC) Niece eco a sere ea slats, copper riveted........... .. 1 25
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EE REE eo RE Ee ye bee fie i neo eer 6eé 66 66 66 14x5 x38 r a | 95

(Hverything advertised above, except the POISONS, sent postage paid.)

Fk A. & R. Pe REID, PRINTERS, PROVIDENCF, Reals

A MONTHLY, 50 CENTS PER ANNUM.
PUBLISHED BY

SOUTHWICK & JENCKS,

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

xlvi RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

SAMPLE COPY FIVE CENTS.

If you are interested in BIRDS, their NESTS, or EGGS, in the Collecting of BEETLES,
or TAXIDERMY, then send for a sample copy of

THE +HQOSIER+NATURALIS£,

An Illustrated Monthly, devoted to Zodlogy, Taxidermy, and Collecting.

EXCHANGE COLUMNS FREE TO SUBSCRIBERS.

Address: JONES & TROUSLOT, Valparaiso, Ind.

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.

~# PROCEEDINGS +4 | TRAYS.

| No CABINET should be without them. Two of one
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: | ox Bx84, fh oped 9) erence 85
Reports of very interesting and instructive papers | 6 X 4x4, sinew ol VF Seeicecsiesncianingiae 1.00
delivered before the Society. One hundred pages. Fifty or more of one size at one hundred rate. They
Price, 50c. | are too bulky to be mailed.
Neen ee ee
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SOUT Kk as

BIRDS.—Contains the entire nomenclature North American Birds, and Price-List of skins,
eggs, insects, and supplies, with instructions for preparing skins and eggs. Price, 20 cts.
MINERALS. — Gives Dana’s species number, localities, and valuations, - = = 6°55
SHELLS. — Contains a very full list of prominent species, with authorities and
synonyms. Also habitat and valuation, - - - - - =" 10%
The three Catalogues for - - - - - - - - 25 ‘

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Random Aotes on Natural History.

Vol. II.

PROVIDENCE, DECEMBER 1, 1885.

No. 12.

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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Special Notice.

Havine been for more than a year, unable
to use my eyes for any close work, and
with no prospect of recovering their use for
many months to come, I sold, on Oct. 30,
1885, my interest in the firm of Southwick
& Jencks to my partner James M. South-
wick. With many thanks for patronage in
the past I would ask a continuance of the
same to him in the future.

Frep. T. JENCKs.

Harbor Seal.

PHOCA VITULINA, LINN.

Tuts animal, the only representative of the
family commonly found on the eastern coast
of the United States, presenting so great va-
riety in size and color, is known in different
localities by different names. From its
abundance in bays and harbors it is often
called the Bay or Harbor Seal, and being
not infrequently found in fresh water, it is
known, especially further north, as the
River Seal.

The geographical distribution of this
animal isextended. In America it is found
along the Atlantic coast from Greenland to
the Carolinas, and along the Pacific from
Behring Strait to Southern California. It
is not restricted to the New World, however,
but is along the Scandinavian peninsula
the commonest species, and extends its
range further south, being occasionally met
with in the Mediterranean. It is an animal
that not infrequently ascends rivers, and is
even found up the St. Lawrence as far as
the Great Lakes, and has been taken in

Lake Champlain. On the New England
coast seals are commonly observed on the
low islands, at the mouths of rivers or in
sheltered bays, where they can sometimes
be counted by the score as they lie basking

_in the sun, or quarelling with one another.
| On surprising such a colony, with a splash,

all have disappeared, though their heads
can soon be seen as they come to the
surface fur air, or to examine more closely
the object of their fright. They now often
utter a quick bark or ‘outteral whine, which,
together with their canine-like head, has
given rise to the name which is sometimes
applied to them, Sea Dog.

In our bay the seal is found throughout the
year, though more abundantly seen during
the winter months. About two years since
a specimen was killed at Riverside, the

skeleton being now deposited in the museum

of Brown University. A mounted specimen,
also captured in the bay, is to be seen in
the cabinet of the Franklin Society.

Few mammals present greater variation
in color than the present. Specimens range
from a uniform yellowish-brown to uniform
dark brown, and sometimes nearly black,
and are spotted with blotches lighter or
darker than the underlying shade. The
more common coloring, however, is brown-
ish-yellow with darker spots and patches,
the lips and eye-lids being lighter rusty
yellow. The males, which exceed the
females in size, sometimes measure six feet
in length. The young at birth are a uni-
form soiled or yellowish-white, changing to
the ordinary darker shades at the first molt,
this occuring before, or within three or four
days.

An interesting account is given of one
which was born in the gardens of the Zoo-
logical Society of London. Immediately
after its birth it, by rolling and turning
about, completely divested itself of its outer
covering of fur and hair, which formed a
mat upon which it rested for several hours.

The rutting season is supposed, from re-
ports made by the Newfoundland fishermen,
to be in September, the young one from

90

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

each mother being born the following May.
In these northern seas the skins of this
animal, called the Hair Seal, are regarded
as being of considerable value on account
of the beautiful markings which they pre-
sent, and are used for coats, caps, gloves,
women’s underwear, and to cover trunks,
boxes and canoes. ‘The flesh is also of
value, being considered the most palatable
of seal-beef, though this, to the uninitiated,
is saying but little.
are very active, destroying large numbers,
and not infrequently taking them from the
net of the fisherman, even while he is at
work.

In domestication the Harbor Seal becomes
very docile, and soon learns to perform

many odd tricks, though they are often |

troubled, while in artificial reservoirs of
water, by their eyes becoming sore and
inflamed.

The first description of this animal was
made by Linne in 1754, since which time,
as aresult of its extended geographical
range and wide range of variation in color
and size, the animal has received over a
score of synonyms by those who have had
insufficient material for proper identification.

large head, broad nose, and short limbs.
The heavy dentition is very characteristic,
the molars being broad and thick, and set
obliquely in the jaw.

Victoria Regia.

Wuite collecting on the Amazon in the
vicinity of Santarem, a small town situated
at the mouth of the Tapajos River, I was
fortunate enough to find a group of those

immense water-lilies known by the name of |

the Victoria Regia. They were growing
near the head of a lagoon among the tall
grass which, in the wet season, floats and
grows on the surface of the water. ‘There
were about a hundred leaves, and six or
more blossoms.

The leaves were from four to seven feet
in diameter, and the edge of the largest one
I measured was nine inches above that por-
tion of the leaf which rests on the water.
The under side of the leaf is cellular, and
resembles honeycombed tripe in everything
but its color, and is covered with spines.
The stem, which was an inch in diameter,
was also covered with spines.

In capturing fish they |

| inferior quality of pop-corn.

| animals.
| holes in the leaves were the work of insects,

The bud was six inches from base to
apex, and about four inches at the widest.
The blossom when fully expanded measured
over a foot across. When the bud first
opens the flower is pure white. It then
commences to turn pink, and the color
deepens until the flower wilts, so that when
a number of plants grow together one may
find all shades of color from pure white to
dark pink.

Each seed-pod contains about half-a-pint
of seeds, and if the seeds when fresh are
placed over a brisk fire they will pop, and
can be used for food, tasting much like an
The leaves as
they float will sustain for a short time a
considerable weight, but owing to their
being full of holes, they cannot support
more than a few pounds without eventually
sinking.

On one of the leaves I found a nest of
the jacana (Parra jacana). It was made
of a small heap of grass and rubbish, and
contained two strangely marked eggs.

The peculiar formation of the under side
of the leaf gives considerable stiffness to it,

and the formidable array of spines that
_ cover this surface and the stem, no doubt,
It is more robust than most seals; has a |

serves to preserve them from the attacks of
I could not make out whether the

or of nature. Certain it is that if there
were no holes the heavy rains of the wet
season would fill the leaves and sink them.
I gathered a large number of the seed-pods,
and sent a quart or more of the seeds to a
gentleman in Para, who sent them to Eng-
land, where, I have since learned, they
created considerable interest as the plants
raised from them in hot-houses proved to be
of a new variety. W.. Hoge

I cuir the following from J. V. R. Swan,
acting Consul General’s report at St. Peters-
burg, Russia. It contains some new facts,
that will be of interest to your readers no
doubt.

‘¢ In one of the villages in the government
of Toula the peasants are interested in the
breeding of canaries. Eighty homesteads
thus find profitable occupation. The breed-
ings are sold in Moscow and the neighbor-
hood. Inthe huts engaged in this under-
taking from five to ten breeding-cages are
the average. This industry is also partly

a ee eee ee

RANDOM NOTES ON. NATURAL HISTORY.

91

developed in other villages in the neighbor-
hood of Toula. The breeding of canaries is
also largely carried on in the government of
Kalouga.

‘*In many villages of the Temnikoft dis-
trict (government of Tamboff) pigeons are
bred as domestic animals and their skins
sold as peltries to the furriers and others,
mostly Jews, who visit the weekly bazaars
and fairs to make such purchases. This deal-
ing in pigeon skins is a decided innovation
of later times, and cruelly dispels the illusion
of travelers and writers as to this bird’s
sanctity amongst the commonalty.”

The skinning of pigeons to sell their pelts
in commerce is something I do not under-
stand unless they are intended for export to
be used as hat trimmings.

Yours truly, Jas. M. WaDE.

Our Friends the Spiders.

BY REY. FOREST F. EMMERSON.

[From the proceedings of the Newport Natural His-
tory Society.]

WE come now to the true web-builders,

the spinners and weavers of nets. I shall

endeavor to describe three classes of webs:

First. There is the regular geometric
web of the common garden spider, though

it is doubtful whether there is ever found a |
In a geometric web, |

true geometric web.
truly such, the concentric circles would
meet.
mon spider’s web. Instead of meeting the
circles pass by each other as they come
around to the point of starting, and thus

form, not a geometric circle but a spiral.

In the construction of this so-called geo-

metric web, the guys and stays are first at-_

tached to surrounding objects; then the

radii are made, running from a common |
The guys, |

centre to the circumference.
stays and radii are made of a firm, dry,
inelastic silk. When this preliminary frame-
work is done, the spider weaves on the con-
centric circles, attaching each circle to each
one of the radii by the direct application of
the spinners so as to make them adhere.

These circles, not only with this spider but |

with all spiders, are made of an elastic silk,
covered with a viscid gum, which, after the

thread in globules so numerous and go
minute that it is estimated that on a web

|

But this is not the fact in the com- |

sixteen inches in diameter there are 100,-
000 of them.

Second. The eccentric web. The
Charleston spider is known in the scientific
books as Nephila plumipes, meaning the
feather-footed golden fleece, so-called from
the fact that there are bunches of feathery
growth on the joints of its legs, while one
pair of spinners produces a silk of very fine
quality and of the color of gold. It was
discovered during the war on the islands in
Charleston harbor by an officer of our army
who is a naturalist. It builds an eccentric
web. The focus of this web is near the top
where the spider takes position head down-
wards, waiting for prey. The radii, guys
and stays of this web are made of in-
elastic threads of silvery color, while
the circular lines are of elastic, viscid silk
of golden color. Though usually making
one thread of all the spinners, it is believed
that spiders may use one or all of the spin-
ners at will. But why the golden spinners
should produce silk ordinarily dry when
reeled from the body, and viscid when used
for the concentric circles of the web is not
as yet understood. It may be that the
same spinner sends out the line and at the
same time covers it with the viscid gum, or
one spinner produces a filament while
another covers it with the gum. At all
events with three pairs of spinners the
Charleston spider spins four kinds of silk ;
the golden dry, the golden viscid and elas-
tic, the silver dry, and the pale blue.

As I have before intimated the circles of
the web are not concentric, or spiral, as in
the regular web of the common spider.
They do not pass completely round a com-
mon centre, but are cast over the upper
radii in loops and brought back upon them-
selves in an opposite direction, never pass-
ing a point above the focus. Inthis web
some ofthe circles (and this is a peculiarity
of this spider) as well as the radii, guys,
and stays, are made of the dry silk.

Third. The triangular web. Professor
Wilder, of Cornell University, found a
spider a few years ago near Ithaca, N. Y.,
which does not seem to have fallen under
the notice of observers elsewhere. He calls

| it the ‘‘ triangular” spider, from the fact
line passes into the air, gathers on the

that it builds a web, not geometric or eccen-
tric, but triangular in shape, and this trian-
gular shape is proof of a purpose which

92

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

shows almost human intelligence. A base
line as a stay or support of the web is at-
tached vertically to the trunk of a tree ad-
hering only at the two ends. From this
four lines, always this number and no more,
start at equal distances from each other
and converge to an apex, or acute angle,
and then extend asa single line to some
fixed point. These four lines correspond to
the radii in the ordinary web, and the trans-
verse elastic lines correspond to the con-
centric circles of the same.
finished is considerably longer than the dis-
tance between the two points of attachment,
and this slack line is for a purpose which
is the most striking evidence of the intelli-
gence of this spider. The spider takes up
the slack herself; and wonderful as is the
piece of work which she has accomplished,
her management of this web in taking her
prey is still more wonderful. Although in
spinning the ten transverse lines she is
believed to make 9,000 movements with
her hinder feet, yet, without a moment’s
rest, she takes her place when the web is
finished, on the single line between the
apex and the point of attachment behind
her. Hauling the single line taut behind
her with her hinder feet, she draws in the
web and makes it taut with her first and

second pairs of feet, precisely as a man

would haul a sagging hammock by pulling
at the single line at the end. The third
pair of feet when desired may lightly hold
the slack rope.

She is now ready for business. For
hours, if necessary, she holds her place,
pulling taut the line and keeping the web
firm in position. When the unlucky insect
comes in contact with her web, she sud-
denly lets go with her fore feet all the slack
line, and the web being lower and heavier,
the apex line is drawn taut, the net falls
outward and downward upon itself in a
kind of collapse, the transverse elastic
and gummy lines are brought nearer to-
gether, and thus the entanglement of the
prey is insured. The spider then creeps
cautiously out on one of the radii, aud if
she is not sure of her game runs _ back,
draws everything taut as before, and if the

insect is still in the toils again lets go with | wind.

But furthermore, and still more wonder-
ful, she has another method of using her
web. Contrary to the popular belief that
animals have but one way of doing things,
they often have several, conforming their
action to circumstances. For sometimes
this spider, instead of simply letting go the

slack line, takes more desperate measures.

Fastening a new line to the tree behind her

_ for her support, and reeling from her body
_as she advances, keeping thus a line of pos-
The web when |

sible retreat in the rear, she cuts the apex
line with her jaws, still holding to the line

in front of the cut she has made, and sup-
_ ported in the rear by the new line attached

behind; she then again advances and
grasps all the radii where they meet and
cuts them with her jaws; advances again,
rapidly, and bites off more still, holding by

what remains with her fore feet; at each

successive cut, as she advances, the web
slackens, recoils and falls into collapse,
just as it did in the former case when she

simply let go the slack line, until, finally,
| spreading her feet far apart she gathers up

_ blanket over her prey.

the radii once more and with a quick move-
ment throws the whole of the web like a
Then grasping the

' whole mass she transfers it to the third pair

of feet which roll it over and over, while
she holds on to the ruin of the web alone

_ with her fore feet, and with the hinder feet

she draws out from her spinners broad
bands of new silk, winding it around and

' around the struggling insect, now hardly

visible. Having reduced insect, web, and
all, to a rounded mass, she seizes the whole
mass, the insect in his silken shroud, more
dead than alive, and mounts with it to the

recent scene of her waiting patience and

asnap; she has been known to repeat this —

six times in succession before venturing a
personal encounter with her victim.

there devours her prey. Thisspider thus
completely sacrifices its web, the product
of so much toil and skill, and the capture of
a single insect involves the ruin of the cun-
ning machine elaborately built to accom-
plish it.

As to webs in general, it may be said
that as the radii are generally covered with
the viscid gum, the web is very elastic,
yielding to the struggles of insects without
breaking, and withstanding the force of the
If the wind is strong, however, the
spider shows her intelligence by loading the
web with sticks and small pebbles to hold
it firmly in place.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

93

Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island.

BY HERMON C. BUMPUS.

NuMBER XV.

2. Ranaclamitans Merrem. (Rana fon-
tinalis Le Conte.) The Screaming, Green
or Spring Frog is with us a most abundant
animal, to be found at all periods of the
year in those open brooks and_ springs
which are not covered with ice, and inhabit-
ing every ditch, small pool, or muddy brook
during the spring and summer months.
The young of this species are very abun-
dant in the shallow valleys of our oak and
chestnut woods, where they congregate in
pools left by the melted snow, and, during
the warmer portions of the day, scramble
over the half submerged branches, or quietly
bask in the:sun’s rays.

Asa person wanders through the woods
on a spring day, he is startled by suddenly
surprising one of these happy colonies, the
individuals of which, in their efforts to find
concealment, splash into the water with
screams of fright, there to immediately find
no suitable hiding-place, however, but in a
moment to let their uneasiness give way to
curiosity as they allow themselves to come
to the surface and eye the object of their
confusion.

On observing one of the little fellows as
he rests on the water, one is impressed with
the singular example of protective resem-
blance which he exhibits. The general
form presents no points contrasting with
the surrounding twigs and irregularly curved
leaves. The color is remarkably like that

of the algw, banded with dark stripes of a |

shade of rotten bark and maculated with
spots of minute patches of fungus.

Though now of small size the Green Frog
can be distinguished from the Bull Frog by
the characteristic features given in the
previous number.

The young Green Frogs are not always,
however, allowed to thus live in peace and
happiness, for not unfrequently there is
concealed in some dark recess of their nur-
sery a gigantic Bull Frog who makes a daily
meal of one of their number, or, worse still,
they are presided over by a pair of their own
kind, possibly their own parents, who do
not hesitate to make away with large num-
bers of the aspiring youth.

Like many other animals of wide geo-
graphical range, the present species, pre-
senting in different localities different vari-
eties, has been described under several
different names. So eminent a naturalist
as Holbrook considered the more northern
representatives to be of a distinct species,
following the description of Le Conte, de-
scribing them under the name of Rana fon-
tinalis, a name, by the way, which is well
chosen as illustrating the habits of the
animal.

Though during the day the Green Frog
remains so near the water that a few jumps
will enable him to reach the element of
comparative safety, in rainy weather when
the grass is wet, and during the damp nights,
he not infrequently wanders away from
water in search of insect life or new fields
of plunder. While on these excursions
he may be surprised by the Night Heron,
or picked up by the larger owls.

Rana clamitans is, with us, only exceeded
in size by the Bull Frog. Specimens
measuring over eight inches in length, from
the snout to the tips of the toes, are not
uncommon.

Successful Rearing of some Young Dusky
Ducks.

I nave known of the experiment being
tried more than once before without success,
and have heard it emphatically asserted that
the species was untamable ; but my neighbor
has explodedthat theory and now has three
of the birds among his flock of domestic Pe-
kins, where they eat their share of the
meal and assert their rights among the flock
as eagerly as if they were to the manor born.
This clutch of eggs was found by a boy and
set under a hen, who brought out seven
ducklings. Someescaped early from their
pen and were seen no more. A neighbor’s cat
further despoiled the flock, when the re-
maining three were taken by my neighbor
and attached to his flock of young Pekins
with whom they at once affiliated and be-
came ring-leaders in mischief and wander-
ing where the old mother duck could not
follow for the cord that tied her up. A
roomy yard now detains them all, where

they are developing in good shape, already

over three months old..— J. N. CLARK.

94

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

The Native Trees of Rhode Island.

BY L. W. RUSSELL.

Nos aVLLI.
Quercus palustris — Pin Oak.

THe Quercus palustris or pin oak is not
a common tree in Rhode Island. It grows
only in the southern part of the state, and
sparingly there. It is found in the great
Kingston swamp, occasionaly on the banks
of the Pawcatuck River, and, probably, by
the banks of streams leading into it. This
is probably about on the line of the north-
ern limit of this interesting tree. It grows
more plentifully in the Central states of the
Atlantic coast, where it attains the size of
a large tree. In Central Park there is a
magnificent specimen of this tree, seventy
or more feet in height.

pool, but will grow finely on dry ground.
Near the Stonington railroad bridge, which
spans the Pawcatuck near Wood River
Junction, may be seen some well-developed
specimens of this tree. Several old trees of
this species overhang the stream just below
the bridge, and others, young and thrifty,
grow in the gravel embankment near by.
The largest specimen I have seen is in Ash-
away village, by a pool of water, north of
the Baptist church.

This is the most graceful of our native
oaks. The limbs divide into lithe, waving
branchlets, which, especially near streams,
have a weeping habit.

cut, and on slender stalks. They are
smaller than those of the other biennials.

Quercus illicifolia —Scrup Oak.

Quercus illicifolia or scrub oak, some-
times called “ bear” oak, is common upon
the sterile grounds of Rhode Island.
Many acres are occupied by it, almost to
the exclusion of other tree or shrub growth.
Its worthlessness is its protection. It is
too small for timber or even fuel, in most
localities, and the cost of clearing land
occupied by it is usually greater than the
land is worth when cleared, unless near the
city or populous villages.

It prefers a |
position where it can overhang a stream or |

The leaves are |
bright, with almost a metallic sheen, deeply |

The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode
Island.

BY HORACE F. CARPENTER.
CHAPTER XXIII.

Susp-CLass OPpiIsTHOBRANCHIATA.

Tuts, the second sub-class of Gastero-
poda, is composed of mollusks in which the
sexes are united in each individual, while
in the first sub-class Prosobranchiata, the
sexes are separate. The animals of Opis-
thobranchiata are called sea-slugs, because
the shells are small and thin, and either
partially or wholly concealed by the animal.
Some have an internal, others an external
shell, while many are without any shell at
all. There are two orders, Tectibranchiata
and Nudibranchiata.

OrprR TECTIBRANCHIATA.

Famity 62. Philinide. This family
consists of nine genera, two of which,
Philine and Scaphander, inhabit the Atlan-
tic coasts of the United States. Three

| species of Philine inhabit New England,

north of Cape Cod, and one, a new species,
Philine amabilis, Verrill, was dredged 100
miles south of Newport in 120 fathoms.
Verrill also reports four other species of
Philine from Martha’s Vineyard to Cape
Sable, Nova Scotia. Two species of Scap-
hander are quoted, one from Casco Bay,
Me., (S. puncto-striata), and a new
species, S. nobilis, Verrill, off Martha’s
Vineyard, in 1,000 to 1,300 fathoms. These
nine genera contain about forty-five species,
none of which are found in Rhode Island.

Famity 63. Tornatellidee, composed of
two sub-families, four recent and several
fossil genera, is represented in Rhode Island
by a single species.

70. ToRNATELLA PUNTCO-STRIATA,
ADAMS.

Sys. :

Actzon puncto-striata, Stimpson.

Shell small, white, elongated-oval ; whorls.

_ five, the body whorl large, three-fourths the

length of the shell; the surface of the upper
whorls, and of the body whorl above the
aperture, smooth; the lower half of the
shell encircled by ten to fifteen revolving,
deeply-cut lines, which are indented by

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

95

minute punctures at regular distances ; each |

whorl is flattened at the suture, which is
deep and channeled ; aperture narrow, two-
thirds the length of the body whorl; outer
lip sharp and regularly curved; inner lip
thickened, with a distinct fold on the colu-
mella ; umbilicus depressed, open in young
specimens. Length one-tenth, breadth
three-fortieths of an inch.

It was first discovered by Prof. C. B.
Adams, in mud dredged in New Bedford
Harbor, and described by him in Journ.
Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., u1., 323, 1840. Of
the twenty-two species of Tornatella, known
to us, our shell is the smallest yet found.
Thave taken a few specimens alive in dredg-
ing, and find recently living shells washed
up on sandy shores, in shell sand and in

heaps of seaweed thrown up beyond ordi- |

nary high tide.
South Carolina.

Famity 64. Cylichnidz, contains three
genera, all of which are represented in
Rhode Island.

Inhabits from Cape Cod to

Genus CynicHna, LOvEN.

This genus inhabits deep water generally,
and its distribution is world-wide. There
are forty species, two of which inhabit
Rhode Island.

@.
Syns. :

Yolvaria alba, Brown, 1827.

Bulla triticea, Couth., 1838.

Bulla corticata, Moll., 1842.

Cylichna alba, Stimp., Dall., Tryon, ete.

Shell cylindrical, solid, smooth, of a dull
white color, covered by a thin, rusty epi-
dermis ; surface with minute revolving lines
and delicate lines of growth ; spire none;
in place of it is a circular pit, from the mar-
gin of which the lip takes its origin, rising
a little, then passing downwards in a straight
line, forming a long, narrow aperture ; in-
ner lip curved at the base, making the
aperture at this point double its ordinary
width. Length one-third, breadth one-tenth
inch. Found in the maws of fishes caught
in Massachusetts Bay (Gould); Maine
(Mighels) ; Greenland (Morch); Great
Britain (Brown); from Block Island to
the Arctic Ocean ; northern coasts of
Europe ; northwest coast of America, south

CyLICHNA ALBA, Brown,

| setts Bay to South Carolina.

to Silka (Verrill). I have found one spec-
imen in Narragansett Bay.

72. CyLICHNA oryzA, TOTTEN.

Shell minute, white, glossy, largest in the
middle and tapering at each end; spire de-
pressed to a shallow pit; body whorl en-
veloping all the others; surface smooth ; at
each end are a few microscopical revolving
lines; aperture long and narrow, wider at
the base ; resembles the previous species
very much, except that it is shorter in pro-
portion to its breadth. Length one-fifth,
breadth one-tenth inch. It was first dis-
covered by Colonel Totten, in Newport
Harbor, and described by him in Silliman’s
Journal, xxvut., p. 350. Afterwards found
by Professor Adams in New Bedford Har-
bor in mud. Inhabits from Cape Cod to
South Carolina. Not uncommon in Green-
wich Bay at Apponaug in shell sand.

Genus Urricuius, Brown.

73. UTRICULUS CANALICULATUS, Say.

| Syns.:

Volvaria canaliculatus, Say, 1826.
Bullina canaliculata, Say, 1832.

Bulla canaliculata, Gould and DeKay.
Bulla obstricta, ck ae
Utriculus canaliculatus, Stimp., Dall.
Shell cylindrical, white, shining, covered

| with faint lines of growth; spire a little

elevated, with a minute but prominent apex ;
whorls five, the summit of each having a
shallow rounded groove; outer lip arching
forward ; inner lip enameled, with a small
tooth on fold near the base. Length one-
eighth, breadth one-tenthinch. Massachu-
We find it
in Rhode Island on sandy beaches.

Another species. U. Gouldii, Couth.,
inhabits from Massachusetts Bay to Grand
Manan.

Genus DiApHANA, Brown, 1833.

Syns.:

Amphisphyra, Loven.

74,

Shell small, obliquely-ovate, tumid, thin
and brittle, greenish white ; whorls four, all
terminating on a level; body whorl the

DIAPHANA DEBILIS, GOULD.

96

whole length of the shell, including all the
others, and partially detached from them
above ; surface smooth ; aperture the entire
length of the shell, narrow at the spire and
constantly widening to the base; outer lip
slightly waved; inner lip covered with a
thin coat of enamel, partly covering an um-
bilicus. Length one-tenth, breadth a little
less. Cape Cod to the Arctic Ocean ; north-
ern coasts of Europe (Verrill). Stoning-
ton, Conn. (Linsley). Very rare south of
Cape Cod. I have never seen one in our
bay.

Famity 65. Bullide, contains three
genera, one of which is represented in
Rhode Island.

Genus Buiia, Linnzus, 1759.

There are fifty species of Bulla, distrib-
uted all over the world, inhabiting sandy mud
flats, slimy banks of river mouths, and
brackish places. They are carnivorous,
feeding on bivalves, and serving in their turn
as food for fishes. There are three species
in New England, but only one in Rhode
Island.

75. BuLua SOLITARIA, SAY, 1822.

Syns. :

Bulla insculpta, Totten, 1835.

Shell oval, bluish white, fragile, the body
whorl enveloping all the others and covered
with numerous revolving minute and regu-
lar lines ; spire depressed, invisible, some-
times opening in a small pit; aperture
narrow at the top and broader at the base ;
outer lip sharp, thickened a little at the base,
forming a slight fold at the umbilical region.
Length one-third, breadth one-fourth inch.
Say described this shell in the Journ. Acad.
Nat. Sc., Phila., 1., 245, from a solitary
specimen found on the coast of Maryland,
and supposed by him to be very rare. Col.
J. G. Totten afterwards found shells at
Newport, R. I., which he described in
Silliman’s Journal, xxvut., p. 850, as
Bullainsculpta. Gould and DeKay adopted
his name in their works, but in Binney’s
Gould, second edition, Say’s name was re-
stored. ‘The two species are now considered
identical. Massachusetts Bay to South Caro-
lina. Common in the muddy lagoons and salt

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

ponds along the shores of Vineyard Sound,
Buzzard’s Bay, and Long Island Sound,
(Verrill). I have dredged alive a few half-
grown specimens in our bay. Over twenty
years ago I found quite a number of dead,
full-grown shells on the sand at Mark Rock,
but have never been able to get any more
since that time at that locality or elsewhere,
until last summer (1885). One day last
August I was informed that there were quan-
tities of these shells on the shore at Camp
White. I started the next day for the locality
and, sure enough, there were thousands of
them there, full-grown, but dead, and all
cleaned out beautifully, and showing by their
appearance to be very recently living. I
gathered several hundreds of them, and the
next day an unusually high tide swept away
every trace of them from the shore, and
since then not one has been seen, They
inhabit mud flats covered with eel-grass,
facing sandy shores, in one or two fathoms
water. They are extremely fragile shells,
and are seldom seen in cabinets in a perfect
condition.

Famity 66. Aplustridee.
ee 67. Lophocercide.
vs 68. Aplysiidee.
ce 69. Pleurobranchide.
70. Umbrellide, all absent
from our fauna.
Order Nudibranchiata contains seven

families, eleven sub-families, 108 genera,
and over 600 species. These animals are
all destitute of a shell, except in the embryo
state, and although many species may in-
habit our waters, on this account they are
excluded from the shell-bearing mollusca of
Rhode Island.

(To be continued.)

Color of Birds’ Eyes.
Color of eyes of adult. Red-tailed Hawk,
(observed in two living specimens), Straw.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, adult, red.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, young, straw.
American Golden Eye Duck, straw.
Pileated Woodpecker, straw.

Dickey & ALLEN.

On account of change in our business
and pressure of work, this number is un-
avoidably delayed.

TABLE OF CONTENTS,

Aplocerus Montanus, 67.
Atalpha cinerea, 81.

Bailey, Ae ean Buttercups,

Firs Meeting of Franklin
Society, 81.
Lines read at Field Meet-
ing me Proy. Franklin
Soc.,
Our R. . Violets, 51.
Bat, Hoary, 81.
Batrachians, Reptiles and, of R. I.,
.C. Bumpus, 5, 18, 20, 28, 37,
44, 52, 59, 68, 75, 83, 92.
Beetle Click, ‘Spring, H. H. Veitch,

Birds, ‘Check-list Of IN; VAG 82,
Breeding-places of Sea Fowl,
53

Egg Check-list, 17.
yes, color of, 23, 56, 64, 75,
96

Food of Raptorial, Charles
Dury, 57

Migration of, 18.

Wingless, 49.

Winter, 15, 18, 23.

Blue Jay, Strange Behavior of, 5.

Brown University, Gift to, 77.

Buhach, 47.

Bumpus, Hermon C., Reptiles and
Batrachians of R. I., 5, 13, 20,
28, 37, 44, 52, 59, 68, 75, 83, 92,

Buttercups, Ww.w. Bailey, 61.

Cape Cod, Collecting trip to, 25, 34.
Carpenter, Horace F., Shell-bear-
ing Mollusca of R. es (5 aE
22, 30, 38, 46, 54, 62, 70, 76, 84.
Ceriornis, 87.
Cermatia forceps, F. E. Gray, 1
Check-lists, British F. W. Shells,
J. Ritchie, Jr., 72.
British Land sayolls, J.
Ritchie, Jr.
Pe ole okt, J.
Ritchie, Jr., 8,16, 24,

32, 40

N. A. Birds, 82.

Collecting trip to © sau) Cod, 25.
Color of Birds’ Eyes, 23, 56, 64, 75,

96. ;
Coot’s Eggs, 51.
Conchologists, Hint to, 64.
Cormorants in R. I., 34.
Cryolate, Reactions of, 19, 25.

Duck, Mergsander
Fish, 35.
Ducks, rearing young dusky, 93.

Gooseander

Dury, Charles, food of Raptorial
Birds, 57.

Embryology of Fulgur carica, 21.

Emmerson, F. F., Our Friends the
Ss piders, 91.

Eyes, ‘Color of Birds’, 23, 56, 64, 75,
96

Ferns, Distribution of, 7.

Fewkes, J. W., Genera of Ptero-
poda from Nar ragansett Bay,3

Fish, an uncommon, Selene yor-
ner, 86.

Franklin Society, lst meeting, W.
W. Bailey, 81.

Fulgur carica, Embryolog y of, 21.

Goat, Rocky Mountain, 67.
Gray, F. E., Cermatia Forceps, 1.

Hawk Owls, 34.
Heron, Night, S. F. Denton, 9.
Howland, John Snowdon, 82.

Insects, April, 26.
June, 47.
May, 34.
Collecting of, F.E.Gray,27.

King Rail, 60.

Mammal Skins, 73.
Mastodon Americanus,
bury, Mass., 2.
Migration of Birds, 18.
Mineral Cabinet, a novel, 2.
Mollusca, Shell-bearing of R. Ie lal-
Carpenter, 6, 14, 22, 30, "38,
46, 54, 62, 70, 76, 84.
Museums, Educational,
brates, 79.
Mylacris Packardi, 64.

Shrews-

of Verte-

Narragansett Bay, Soundings in,
D. W. Hoyt, 36.

Nest, Double, 61.

Newport, N. H. Society, 41.

N. O. Exhibition, R. I., at the,

Oy Xe

Nuthatch, White-breasted, J. H.
Steele, 26,

Opal, 3.

Ostriches, 49.
Owl, Hawk, 34.
Snowy, 35.
Ozocerite, Franklin S. Smith, 19.

Pheasants, Horned, 87.
Phoea vitulina, 89.
Phryganea, 78.

VoL. Il.

Prolification of Rose, 61.

Providence Franklin Soc., Lines
read at Field Meeting, W. W.
Bailey, 66.

Pteropoda, Genera of, from Narra-
gansett Bay, J. W. Fewkes, 3

Reptiles and Batrachians of R.I.,
H. C. Bumpus, 5, 13, 20, 28, 37,
44, 52, 59, 68, 75, 83, 92.

Rhode Island, Buttercups, W. W.

Bailey, 61.
Clambake, 65.
Comorants in, 34.
Entomological Soci-

ety, 11.

Ipswich Sparrows
bole are

Native Trees of, L.
W. Russell, 29, #6,
45, 55, 58, 69, 74,
83, 94.

Newport, N. H. So-
ciety, 41.

teptiles and Batra-
ehians! of, -H. C.
Bumpus, 5, 135205
28,37, 44, 52, 59,

68, 75, 83, 92.
Rodentia of, 12, 35,
Mol-

42, 60.
Shell-bearing

lusea of, H. F. Car-
penter, 6, 14, 22,

30, 38, 46, 54, 62,

70, 76, 84.
Violets, W. W.

Bailey, 51.

Ritchie, John Jr., Check-list. Brit-
ish F. W. Shells, 72
Check-list British Land
Shells, 80
Conchological Check-lists,
8, 16, 24, 32, 40.
Robin, Albino, 34.
Rocky Mountain Goat. 67.
Rodentia of R. I., 12, 35, 42, 60.
Rose, Prolification of, 61.
Russell, L. W., Native Trees of R.
1 29, 36, 45, 55, 58, 69, 74, 83,
94.

Seal, Harbor, 89.

Selene Vorner, 86.

Shad Fishery, 48.

Shells, Cleaning, 30.

Sitta Carolinensis, J. H. Steele, 26.

Sparrow, Ipswich, in R. I., 17.

Spiders, Our Friends the, F. F.
Emerson, 91.

x)viii

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

Taxidermy, 18.
Pickle for Skins, 51.
To turn mounted bird
into skin, Brewster, 1.
Tourmaline, 11.
Tragopans, 87.

Ventilation, 43, 47.

Vertebrates, Educational Museums
of, 79.

Victoria regia, 90.

Violets, R. I., W. W. Bailey, 51.

Warbler, Yellew-rumped, 67.

White-cheeked,in Conn., -

43.
West Medford Depot, 2.

INDEX TO ADVERTISEMENTS.

The figures refer to the issue of RANDOM NOTES, the letters to the page.

Audobon’s Birds of N. A., 5, xix.
Auk, The, 3, xii.

Birds’ Eggs, 1, iv; 4, xvi; 6 xxiii;
Up 2eanls by seach th
O00, 3 UN}, S:0:5.4b-¢ F
11, xliii; 12, 1.
Alaskan, 4, xvi.
And Nests Wanted, 6,
XXIV
Exchange, 2, viii.
School Collection of,
4, xv; 8, xxxil.
Bird’ Skins olives 6; scx) 7,
XXviii; 8, xxxi; 10,
o.o.db-<ben lly od hive
Exchange, 2, viii.
Wanted, 2, vii.
Birds of N. A., Audobon, 5, xix.
Birds, Young, in the Down, 7,
XXVili.

Calder, Herman L., Printer, 6,
3.0.08 (5 >.0.ayaly

Catalogues, see Southwick &
Jencks.
Conchological Manual, G. B.

Sowerby, 11, xlii.
Coral, 6, xxiv; 7, xxviii.

Davies’ Egg Check-list, 3, xii.; 4,
xiv; 5, xviii.

Echinoderms, 6, xxiv.
Eyes, Glass, 1, iii; 2, viii.
Glass Eyes, 3, xii ; 4, xiv; 5, xviii; |
Up Pog) (hy > eq 0hO 1/4 95.0.Q lo tin
(22.65 th 5 e6.dhiy 3Oo. oq I)
2o-o.Q ith odiy HI o-dbiie ips Shah

Hoosier Naturalist, 10, xxxviii;
Lda a2 ex livia.

Horsford’s Acid Phosphate, 1, ii;
Det VA Nos Kees VE Os) VILLI
(i, OOH ((Hae-Aals eh 3e-0:<

Linnean Society Transactions,
Leas

Mammals, 4, xv; 7, xxxviii; 8,
3.6.0.4 |e
Mammals, Mounting, 5, xix; 8.
0.8.0
Mica Sand, 9, xxxv.
Minerals, 1, iii; 7, xxviii; 9, xxxv;
12, xlviii.
Amateurs’ Collection, 4,
xv; 8, xxxil.
School Collection, 4, xv;
8, xxxii.
Wanted, 1, iii.
Wanted in
1, iii.

exchange,

Newport N. H. Soc., Proceedings,
shee, Uhso-6.0 79 I) So.o-qy the
dite exlviil-

Ostrich Eggs, 12, 1.

Philadelphia, Conchological Pub-
lications of Academy of Nat-
ural Science, 9, xxxv; 10,
XXXxvViii.

Ptarmigan, 3, xii.

Ross, J. A. & Co., 48.

Seeds, 6, xxiv; 7, xxviii.
School Collection of Birds, 4, xv;
8, xxxii.
Minerals, 4,
XVs\0; Xk

Science Observer, 9, xxxXiv. |

Shells, 1, iii; 2, vi; 7, xxviii; 10,
5.0 6.0b.<Aa 7, I

Southwick & Jencks, 1, iii, iv; 2,
vi, Vii, viii; ~S;) xipew eve
Xvi; 56, xviii 6; xxiijve.
7, XXVi. XXVIlj EX VAlle Seo
XXXi, ‘XxKil;) Oexxacive
XXXVlil, XxXxix, xl odin.
xiii, xliv; 12, xlvi, xlix, 1.

Southwick & Jencks’ Catalogues,
2, Vili $3, Xills 4,°Xiv so, exile
6G, Xxil4 7, Kexvies, exces
Xxxiv;) 10) xxxvilise esc,
12, xlvi.

Sponges, 6, xxiv.

Starfish, 6, xxiv.

Supplies, Naturalists’, 11,
12, xlvii.

xliv;

Taxidermists’ Tools, 7, xxvi; 8,
XXxi; 9, xxxiv; 12) xlvicm2:
xlix.

Trays, 4, xiv; 5, xviii; 6, xxii; 7,
Xxvi; 8, Xxx; Ojo xedy Or
Xxxviii; 11, xlii; 12, xlvi.

Turtles, 4, xv; 8, xxxii.

Voluta vexillum wanted, 5, xix,

NEARLY READY.

THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNnton Cueck-List

— or —

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, (4f2m0% te Gaion for

) 85 Pine St., New York City.

RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. xlix

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1 RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY.

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