THE FUX OF SEEING THINGS 



51 



Black Eggs. 



BY RICHARD DOERIXC, BROOKLYN, NEW 

 YORK. 



At home we were all lovers and stu- 

 dents of nature. Besides a hortus sic- 

 cus, we had diverse scientific collections. 

 and amongst these a collection of the 

 hirds' eggs in our region. Distinct 

 from the latter we also had a special 

 collection of the eggs of chickens, 

 pigeons and other domesticated birds. 

 There were, for instance, hens' eggs of 

 all sizes, some as small as a dove's egg, 

 others as large as a goose egg. The 

 colorations too were manifold. All 

 tints, from snowy white to almost or- 

 ange, were represented. 



One day a boy brought us a package 

 containing hen's eggs that were black. 

 His parents had fed their chickens with 

 the acorns of the red oak, and these 

 had been the cause of the unusual col- 

 oration. The tannin contained in the 

 acorns had entered into chemical com- 

 bination with the lime of the eggshells 

 which contained enough iron to form 

 a laver of ink. 



also valuable — the certainty that the 

 new variety does not occur in each re- 



gion. 



Here is a chance for every observer, 

 no matter how inexperienced, to do his 

 bit toward the progress of science. In- 

 formation should be sent to Professor 

 George H. Shull. 60 Jefferson Road, 

 Princeton, New Jersey. 



Pitcher-leaved Ash. 



Professor Shull, well-known for his 

 work at the Long Island Station for 

 Experimental Evolution, asks for in- 

 formation concerning the "pitcher- 

 leaved ash." 



It appears that certain ash trees — the 

 discovery is Professor Shull's own — 

 have one or more leaflets nearlv everv 

 leaf of which is a peculiar pitcher 

 shape. This is especially true of the 

 terminal leaflets, and is most readilv 

 observed in the young tree. When this 

 variety was first reported in 1905. it 

 seemed probable that the single grove 

 at Cold Spring Harbor is unique — the 

 starting place, it appeared, of a new 

 kind of tree. Within the year, how- 

 ever, two new localities have turned 

 up in western Pennsylvania ; and it 

 becomes highly probable that there are 

 others in the country. 



Professor Shull asks, therefore, that 

 naturalists and observers shall, during 

 the coming spring and summer, watch 

 for these pitcher ashes and report to 

 him any findings. He desires in partic- 

 ular to know the extent of area cover- 

 ed by the observation, and the number 

 of normal trees seen as well as pitcher- 

 leaved trees. Negative information is 



Potato Inclusions. 



New York City. 



To the Editor : 



I was interested in the article that 

 tells of a "beechnut" that was found in 

 a potato. A similar event occurred in 

 some of our potatoes last winter, only 

 the objects found were "chufas," a sort 

 of sweet grassnut. I rather question 

 the statement that the objects in the 

 potatoes were beechnuts and hazelnuts, 

 but I can understand how a growing 

 chufa could penetrate the growing tu- 

 ber. The potatoes were probably 

 planted in a field formerly given over 

 to chufas. I can see no reason why 

 the growing potato should enclose 

 beechnut or a hazelnut any more read- 

 ily than it would grow around a peb- 

 ble or other inert substance in the 

 earth. I do not remember that I ever 

 heard of a pebble in a potato no mat- 

 ter how stony the ground in which it 

 was grown. A series of experiments to 

 throw light on this matter would be 

 interesting. I am inclined to believe 

 the potato will not enclose any such 

 substance, but if potatoes and chufas 

 be grown in the same box I should not 

 be at all astonished if many of the po- 

 tatoes might be penetrated. 

 Yours very truly, 



Clement B. Davis. 



Beech Nut Included in Potato. 



Detroit, Mich. 

 To the Editor : 



I have noted the remarks of Mr. C. 

 B. Davis in regard to potato inclusions 

 and his doubts as to their being beech 

 nuts or hazel nuts. I wish to assure 

 you and Mr. Davis that these articles 

 were certainly found in the potatoes! 

 Most of these nuts were eaten when 

 taken from the potatoes and I imagine 

 no one could mistake the flavor of a 

 nut or confuse it with that of a "chufa" 

 tuber. If you will closely observe the 



