THE MUSEUM. 



103 



well as the Southern European and 

 African specimens being stunted in 

 size. Its fossil destribution extends as 

 far back as the Red Crag of England. 

 It is carniverous in its habits, feeding 

 upon dead fish, mussels and bivalve 

 shells in general. It is especially fond 

 of oysters, and is considered a very 

 destructive enemy of the oyster beds 

 of England. Most of the Purpurae 

 family contains a liquid which pro- 

 duces a crimson dye, obtained by 

 pressing on the operculum or by crush- 

 ing the shell The celebrated Tyrian 

 dye of the ancients is supposed to have 

 been made from these animals. When 

 this liquid is applied to linen and dried 

 in the sun, it first appears of a light 

 green color which changes to a deep" 

 green, then into blue, and then to a 

 deep purple red; if now the linen be 

 washed in hot water and soap, and 

 again dried in the sun, it becomes of a 

 beautiful bright crimson, which is in- 

 delible and without the use of any 

 other reagent to set it. 



One of the very commonest shells 

 at present found is Urosalpin.x cinera, 

 Say. Its length is about one inch, 

 and is found from Maine to Florida, 

 inhabiting the rocks between tides and 

 piles in harbors. The females lay 

 their eggs in June in small transparent 

 membranous parchment-like vases, 

 attached to the under side of some 

 overhanging rock, just above low wat- 

 er mark. The vases are attached in 

 rows; covering an area of three or 

 four square inches. Each female de- 

 posits from ten to more than one hun- 

 dred of these vases, the process of lay- 

 ing occupying several weeks. 



Rambles of a Naturalist. 



My work has taken me over much 

 of the territory of Colorado and New 

 Mexico, but time — the great desidera- 

 tion with the observer of nature — was 

 frequently lacking to reach correct con- 

 clusions. 



The distribution of timber in these 

 countries is somewhat peculiar. None 



is found in the foot hills of any conse- 

 quence except an occasional grove along 

 some stream: These groves consist 

 mainly of Cottonwood, box-elder and 

 white elm. Thecottonwoods are usually 

 the narrow-leaved variety. But to the 

 peculiarity. The mountains have no 

 timber above 11,000 to 11,500 feet 

 above sea level and they are almost 

 equally destitute of timber below to 6,- 



000 to 6, 500 feet of elevation. The tim- 

 ber zone is, then, about 5,000 feet in 

 range of altitude. To fix in the mind 

 the distribution of timber in the moun- 

 tains of Colorado and New Mexico, take 

 a dozen or a score of over-cup or burr 

 oak acorns and set them in an irregular 

 row to represent a chain of mountains. 

 Place the stem ends down and the cone 

 ends up. The rough over-cups will re- 

 present the scrubby timber, cactus and 

 sage brush of the foot hills. In imagi- 

 nation, exaggerate the fringe at the top 

 of the cups. This belt will represent 

 the zone of good timber — pine, spruce, 

 etc. — while the smooth shuck — peri- 

 carp — as it extends above the fringe 

 line — will represent the bald mountain 

 tops that extend above timber line. 

 The timber gives out, as one ascends 

 the mountain slopes, almost as abrupt- 

 ly as does the fringe on the acorn cup. 

 This description may not be couched 

 in the most scientific language, but the 

 comparison will help to an understand- 

 ing of the timber distribution of the 

 west. 



In Colorado, the first growth above 

 the cactus — tree cactus, I mean — sage 

 brush, etc., is usually pinion — pro. pin- 

 yon — and scrubby deciduous trees, while 

 in New Mexico, this foothill zone usually 

 produces scrubby live oak and pinions 

 which are followed, as one ascends, by 

 pines, cedars and junipers. I have never 

 observed spruce in New Mexico, but in 

 Colorado it grows abundantly up to 

 timber line. On Chrysolite Mountain — 

 about 60 miles southeast of Leadville — 



1 observed a dense growth of white and 

 red sprnce up to an elevation of 1 1, 500 

 feet above sea level. 



The summer snow line is usually, on 



