receptacle is distinctly conical, and as my 1859 edition of Gray says, under the generic title, "receptacle flat," I must acknowledge the kindness of Dr. Daniels, in identifying the plant from Nuttall's description.-E. Lewis Sturtevant, South Framingham, Mass., Oct. 19, 1881. CERATOPHYLLUM DEMERSUM IN FRUIT.-Gray, in his Manual, says that Ceratophyllum demersum L. is " common but rarely seen in fruit." I have to-day the pleasure of finding the plant in this somewhat uncommon condition.-Dr. Alfred C. Stokes, Trenton, Aug. 30, 1881. BOTANICAL NOTES.-The opening address before the Geographi- . cal Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, was given this year, by Dr. J. D. Hooker. Very naturally the address was principally concerned with the geographical distribution of plants, which was reviewed historically.-T. R. A. Briggs calls attention, in the Journal of Botany, to the fact, that hybrids occur between some of the species of Epilobium, and describes one between E. hirsutum and E. montanum. Have our species been observed to hybridize?-De Bary is publishing in the current numbers of the Botanische Zeitung, an important paper, on the Peronosporea. If possible a summary will be given in these columns before long. -The "Catalogue of the Plants of Indiana," which has been publishing in parts as extra sheets in the Botanical Gazette, has appeared in pamphlet form. In all there are recorded 1432 species of flowering plants and vascular cryptogams. Valuable notes are appended to many of the species. The "characteristic forest trees are the poplar (Liriodendron), maple, ash, elm, black and white walnuts, oak, hickory, beach, sycamore." The authors (Professors, J. M. and M. S. Coulter, and C. R. Barnes) further state in their preface that "the flora of the State is readily divided into four groups, each marked by the physical aspect of the region in which it is found; these regions may be called (1) 'the river valleys,' (2) 'the lake borders,' (3) 'the prairies,' and (4) the barrens'." -Brefeld's recent studies of Entomophthoræ, lead him to regard them as constituting a small family closely allied to the Ustilagineæ, or possibly through Entyloma, merging into the latter. As the Entomophthoræ are clearly oosporous in their sexual reproduction, Brefeld must consider the spores of Ustilagineæ as actually oospores, modified and degraded by excessive parasitism. This would bring the Peronosporeæ, Saprolegniaceæ, Entomopthoræ and Ustilagineæ into a series of allied orders, and would separate quite widely the last named order from the Uredineæ, heretofore usually associated with them. The reviews of Pfeffer's new book on the Physiology of Plants (Pflanzenphysiologie, Ein Handbuch des Stoffwechsels und Kraftwechsels in der Pflanze. Band 1. Leipsig, 1881) indicate that when completed, it will be a most valuable acquisition to the literature of this department of botany. Why cannot some of our publishers secure the translation of this work?The late Professor Parlatore, before his death, had planned a work on the Comparative Anatomy of Aquatic Plants, which unfortunately was left unfinished. The fragmentary work consisting of nine fine plates showing figures of cross and longitudinal sections of different organs, together with explanatory text, has been published in Florence under the title of Tavole per una “ Anatomia della piante acquatiche." Species of Alisma, Callitriche, Ceratophyllum, Hippuris, Myriophyllum, Naias, Nelumbium, Nuphar, Nymphea, Potamogeton, Trapa, Vallisneria. Victoria, and many other phanerogams, and of Isertes, Marsilia and Pilularia among vascular cryptogams, are included in the figures.—Dr. Karl Kraus' observations upon the flow of sap from cut surfaces of plants, promise when completed, to throw light upon the poorly understood subject of the movement of fluids in plants. The sieve tissue of the fibrovascular bundle appears to conduct fluids most abundantly, although other tissues can act as conductors, as the fibrous envelope of some bundles, and the immature trachery tissue of others. Even collenchyma may serve as a conducting tissue. Mature vessels (tracheary) conduct no sap, and parenchyma does so only when sap is exceedingly abundant. ZOOLOGY. THE CELOMA THEORY.-Since Haeckel's publication of his Gastræa theory, the most important generalization in embryology is the Coloma theory of the brothers Hertwig. It is an expression of the history of the nature and changes of the middle layer of the blastoderm. They define two types of middle layer as follows: In the first, it is formed of separate cells which wander from the epiblast and hypoblast, which in some instances appear round the mouth of the gastrula. This they call the mesenchym. In the second type, the layer is divided as two strata of cells from the epiblast. To this form they restrict the name mesoblast. Moreover in the animals which present the mesenchym, there is a cavity between the epiblast and hypoblast, which is not the true body-cavity. Such are the Plathelminths (flat worms) Bryozoa and Mollusca. To this series they give the name of Pseudocalia. The echinoderms, brachiopods, round worms, arthropods and vertebrates possess a mesoblast. Here the two layers of the mesoblast separate and form the walls of the body cavity, which is divided by the intestine into two chambers. To this division is given the name of the Enterocælia. Animals are thus divided into two divisions, those in which the blastoderm consists of two layers, and those in which it is formed of four layers. 1 The consequences of these modes of origin are seen in charac1 Jenaische Medicinische Zeitung. 1881. teristic structures of the adult. Thus in the Mollusca the vessels of the circulatory system are diverticula of the general body-cavity with which they freely communicate. On the other hand the circulating vessels of the Enterocala never communicate with the body-cavity, but originate from the digestive system, or independently. In the Pseudocalia the nervous system is derived from the mesenchym, except perhaps the supracesophageal ganglia of Mollusca. In the Enterocala, on the other hand, the central system is developed from the epiblast, and the peripheral system from the epiblast and external layer of the mesoblast. THE TORTOISES OF TUCSON.-There are two land tortoises and a fresh-water turtle found here that are not given in the list of reptiles for Southern California, by Dunn and Fisher, published in the April number of AMERICAN NATURALIST. One of the terrestrial tortoises1 resembles at first glance the common box tortoises, Cistudo virginiana, but differs in the ornamentation of the plates on the carapax and on the sternum. The whole exoskeleton is marked with brown and yellow stripes and spots; brown predominating on the carapax and yellow on the sternum. The only specimen in my possession I found crossing the road seventy miles south of Tucson, in Pima county, Arizona, some distance from permanent water. My specimen is five and a-half inches long, four inches broad and two and three-quarters inches high. The other land tortoise is a large animal. This fellow is found on the basaltic mountains in the most arid parts of this dry country. He is a vegetarian, feeding, as I am told, on cacti. His. flesh is highly esteemed as food by the Indians and Mexicans. You will perceive that his mandibles are notched or toothed. His legs are covered with bony scales, and his front toe nails are made long and strong for digging amongst the rocks, while the hind feet are round like an elephant's. When molested he draws in his head and closes the aperture with his legs by bringing the knees together in front of the head; the hind legs are also drawn in until the posterior spaces are closed hy the feet, and in this way all vulnerable parts are protected by impenetrable armor. In preparing the specimen, I found on each side, between the flesh and carapax, a large membranous sack filled with clear water; I judged that about a pint run out, though the animal had been some days in captivity and without water before coming into my possession. Here then is the secret of his living in such a dry region; he carries his supply of water in two tanks. The thirsty traveler, falling in with one of these tortoises and aware of this fact, need have no fear of dying for immediate want of water. 1 Cistudo ornata Agass. The fresh-water turtle is found in the Santa Cruz river at Tucson. This is a small stream about twenty feet wide at low water; it rises in Arizona, on the east side of Patagonia mountains, flows southerly into Sonora, Mexico, then turns northward and again enters Arizona between the Santa Rita and Oro Blanco mountains. The water sinks beneath the surface for the greater part of its course, except in the rainy season, and is only a flowing stream for a short distance at this place, and is supposed to empty into the Gila river, near Maricopa wells.-E. T. Cox. INTELLIGENCE OF A CAT-Several years ago my grandfather moved from his farm into this city. Among the domestic animals on the place at that time was an old cat with one small kitten. These they intended to leave, placing the kitten in a room where a broken pane of glass would allow the cat to pass back and forth at will. The last load was nearly ready to start, when my father, who was making some final preparations, was attracted by an exclamation of surprise from his mother, and looking around he beheld the cat strutting along with the kitten dangling from her mouth. Without any interference on the part of the ladies, who were on the wagon, or by any member of the family, she marched directly to the load, and after surveying it a moment, jumped upon it, where, after a short search, she chose an inverted table and placed her charge in it. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to add that she was not left at the farm. This story has a double charm for me. In the first place I know it to be true; secondly, it shows remarkable intelligence in the subject of it. We all know how watchful a cat is of her kittens and how eager she is to carry them back when removed from their bed, so it seems altogether out of the usual course when one, of her own accord, removes, as this one did, knowing undoubtedly that they were to be taken away.-N. H. Hurd. MIGRATION OF BIRDS.-One of the most interesting reports presented to the last meeting of the British Association, was that of the committee on the migration of birds. Observations have been received from 103 lighthouses and lightships, which show that the migration of one species of birds or another is almost continually going on; but the great migrations are in the autumn and spring. From the facts gathered at lighthouses and lightships, it appears certain that many thousands of birds must perish at sea. The white fixed lights attract the greater number of birds, the mortality at Skerryvore for October, 1877, amounting to no fewer than 600, chiefly, the common thrush and the ring-ousel. Revolving lights are also fatally attractive, for at the Casquets, during the four hours from II P. M. to 3 A. M., October 7, with the wind S.S.E. and rain, land-rails, water-rails, woodcocks, ring-ousels, song 1A species of Cinosternum.-Ed. thrushes, and swallows, were seen around the light, and of these there struck the glass and killed themselves, one land-rail, one water-rail, four ring-ousels, and no fewer than 100 swallows. The larger birds do not often strike the glass in the revolving lights, but follow the rays. So far the observations show that all birds, with few exceptions, are migatory--even sparrows, which invariably leave Heligoland before the end of September. Sudden Interest in Japanese ORNITHOLOGY.—In the report of some difficulties encountered by a well known library in New York, in their efforts to meet the public taste, we find a reference to an ornithological work which is as new to us as the reported interest in that science is surprising. The Herald says: "President P. said that the management has spent three dollars for standard works to every dollar that has been expended on novels. The demand for the Birds of Japan' was so great that the directors had to buy sixty copies; and for other costly works the demand exceeded the directors' ability." Perhaps one of the readers of "Unbeaten Tracks" may give us the means of properly classifying the ornithological specimen referred to.-W. H. Dall. ASILUS AND LIBELLULA.-So far as I am aware, robber-flies are not credited with capturing prey larger than themselves. But last August my attention was attracted, one day, by a medium sized dragon-fly fluttering on the ground, and looking closely I saw a robber-fly, about three-fourths of an inch in length, quietly clinging to his body just under the right fore-wing, and sucking his blood. Haste forbade my waiting for the end of the struggle, but the issue was not uncertain.-F. E. Todd, Tabor College, Iowa. TERNS AS FLY-CATCHERS.-Last August, near Fort Sisseton, D. T., I noticed many black gulls (Hydrocheilodon lariformis) in the air catching dragon-flies. They appeared to catch them by their tails, and after several pinches with the bill, with a raise of the head they gulped them down. All this was done very gracefully, while they were on the wing.-7. E. Todd. SPECIMENS OF MELANTHO WANTED.-Sets of from five to ten specimens each, of all the species of the genus Melantho, from every available locality. Please correspond with R. Ellsworth Call, 17221⁄2 Woodland avenue, Des Moines, Iowa. Liberal exchanges will be given in Strepomatidæ or Unionidæ. Material is wanted at once. Any specimens with the animal either dried or in alcohol especially desired. ZOOLOGICAL NOTES.-Some of the causes affecting the decrease in the number of our birds are discussed by Mr. H. W. Henshaw, in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club for October. Besides the effects of disease, accident, the attacks of other animals, which probably act as but a slight check in the increase |