THE MUSEUM. 



273 





Mounted by C. K. Reed. 



When not travelling, pressure may 

 be most conveniently applied to plants 

 by placing them between two boards, 

 with a weight of about 50 lbs. laid on 



the top. 



In collecting algee, care should be 

 taken to bring away the entire speci- 

 men with its base or root. The coarser 

 kinds may be dried in the air (but not 

 exposed to too powerful a sunj, turn- 

 ing them from time to time. . These 

 should not be washed in fresh water, 

 if to be sent any distance. The more 

 delicate species should be brought 

 home in salt water, and washed care- 

 fully in fresh, then transferred to a 

 shallow basin of clean fresh water, and 

 floated out. A piece of white paper 

 of proper size is then slipped under- 

 neath, and raised gently out of the 

 water with the specimen on its upper 

 surface. After finally adjusting the 

 branches with a sharp point or brush, 

 the different sheets of specimens are to 

 be arranged between blotters of bibul- 

 ous paper and cotton cloth, and sub - 

 jected to gentle pressure. These 

 blotters must be frequently changed 

 till the specimens are dry. 



Mr. Leonhard Stejneger. curator of 

 department of reptiles and batrachians, 

 U. S. National Museum is making 

 another trip to the Commander Is- 

 lands. With a veteran like Mr. Stej- 

 neger in the far north we may confi- 

 dently hope to hear of some new and 

 rare finds in the near future. 



Rev. H. C. Meredith of Ukiah, 

 Calif, sends a clipping from the San- 

 Fraiicisco Examiner giving details of 

 a battle between two boys of his place 

 and a large eagle. The eagle had 

 been noticed in the vicinity of Halls 

 Peak for a long time. On May 9th 

 Willie and Eddie Briggs, aged 13 and 

 I I respectively resolved to find its 

 nest, and in scaling a cliff over 1000 

 feet high were attacked by the eagles. 

 The youngest lad was repeatedly 

 knocked down and torn by the birds 

 talons and beak. He will lose sight of 

 both eyes and be disfigured for life, 

 and only for heroic effort of the older 

 brother would doubtless have been 

 killed. A searching party was organ- 

 ized and the birds secured, one of 

 which measured 8 feet 8 inches from 

 tip to tip. We regret we cannot 

 print the article entire. 



