G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 313 



dates of arrival, departure, nest-building, laying of eggs, and 

 liatching of young; the effect upon the relative abundance 

 of particular species in retarding their arrival or hastening 

 their departure that sudden changes of the weather, storms, 

 and early and late seasons appear to have ; and parallel 

 notes upon the appearance of the quadrupeds, fishes, and 

 reptiles of the region, and upon the times of flowering of 

 plants, are also solicited. The importance of collecting such 

 data is evident; when a sufficient amount of them is accu- 

 mulated students will have the material for new advances in 

 biology. 



NEW FOSSIL GIANT BIRDS. 



Professor Marsh continues his important articles upon the 

 fossil vertebrates of the United States in a paper, printed in 

 the American tZournal of Science, upon the Odontornithes, or 

 birds with teeth, in which he reviews the characters of cer- 

 tain genera, as Hesperornis, Ichthyornis, and Apatornis. He 

 gives the group the rank of a sub-class characterized by the 

 possession of teeth implanted in the jaw, and arranges them 

 in two orders the oy\g, Ichthyomithes, ^xiih. teeth in the 

 sockets, vertebra biconcave, sternum with keel, and wings 

 well developed ; the other, Odontolcce, with teeth in grooves, 

 vertebi-se as in recent birds, sternum without keel, and wings 

 rudimentary. The last-mentioned order has as its type the 

 genus Hesjyerornis rega/is, which was of gigantic size, the 

 length from the apex of the bill to the end of the toes being 

 between five and six feet. The rudimentary wings prove 

 that flight was impossible, while the powerful swimming legs 

 and feet were peculiarl}'- adapted to rapid motion through 

 the water. The tail appears to have been much expanded 

 horizontally, as in the beaver, and doubtless was an efficient 

 aid in diving, perhaps compensating for the want of wings, 

 Avhich the penguins use with so much effect in swimming un- 

 der water. 4 2>, June. 



A TAME SERPENT. 



A curious history is given by Mr. Buckland in Land and 

 Water of a pet boa-constrictor, seven and a half feet in length, 

 belonging to Mr. Mann, and which had become warmly at- 

 tached to that gentleman and his wife, evincing its affection 



O 



