THE CINCINNATI QUARTERLY 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



Vol. I. JULY, L874. No. 3. 



Prof. Freif, of Zurich, and some American Teneina. — By V. T. Cha3I- 

 BERS, Esq., Covington, Kentucky. 



How few persons seem to know, or be alive to the world of beauty 

 which surrounds them. With the mass of mankind who give no atten- 

 tion to nature or her beauties, this can not be otherwise; but even 

 with those who really love nature, who love to study her works and 

 Avays, how little of it is known outside of some special province to 

 Avhich they have applied themselves. The specialist gives himself up 

 to the study of his favorite branch of science, and finds himself fully 

 occupied with the beauties, or the material for thought and specula- 

 tion which he finds there. But there is another class of persons who 

 have much love for nature, who would gladly walk in her quiet, pleas- 

 ant paths, but who have not the time or means to devote themselves 

 earnestly to the pursuit of science ; yet, for these also is a rich field 

 of instruction and amusement open, did they only know how to look 

 for it, where to find it. And yet no gi-eat learning, or expense, is 

 necessary for the gratification of such simple desires as these. Let us 

 point out a single instance, and it will suffice to show the way to 

 others. 



Pluck yonder leaf from the sugar maple, on the under side of it 

 you will find a blotch, looking like a dead spot in the leaf; it ap- 

 proaches an oval form, and evidently the deadened portion of the leaf 

 has shrunken, so as to cause a little curve in the leaf ; pluck another, 

 a dozen, dozens of them, the blotch is always alike. Singular that so 

 many dead spots, of the same size and appearance, should be found on 

 so many leaves, if they are merely dead blotches! But straighten out 



