96 
of that sort— with a layer of paper between 
each fern and place all under a weight for two 
or three days. Then they are ready to use. 
Those not dry. place fresh paper between 
and let remain until they can be treated in the 
same manner. Some of the mosses have much 
more glue in them than others, but, after a lit. 
tle practice one can soon tell them, and such 
should be floated on the cards on which they are 
to remain. It will not injure the bristol board 
any to speak of if one uses clean blotters both 
under and over the moss when placed in the 
press, but one must use the blotting paper, not 
he coarse paper. 
The mosses that do not remove easily, can 
be put into water on card, and refloated. 
ALG. 
Queries and Replies. 
[We invite contributions to this column from 
any subscriber who has a question to ask, or 
who can answer a question asked by some one 
else. the utmost 
brevity consistent with clearness of statement, 
The only condition will be: 
and that questions are not asked that can read- 
ily be answered by consulting a dictionary or an 
encyclopedia. | 
(2) At what place in Oregon was the recent 
R. N. J. 
(4) Is the Cow Blackbird the same as the 
Cowbird? If not, what is the scientific name 
of each? What are the scientific names of the 
Bridge Swallow and of the Bobolink? 
R. A.C. Independence, Towa. 
(5) What is ‘‘Pentamerus oblongus?” 
\WWie Sis lal Des Moines, Iowa. 
(6) I wish to know if the ‘‘Indian Bone Idol’ 
A. C. W. Elk Falls Kans. 
It can. 
find of Zeolites made, and by whom? 
can be bought. 
(Ans. to 6.) 
(7) Is it natural for some species of Hawk to 
nest on the ground? If so. What kind? 
1D pw Clarence Centre, N. Y. 
(8) From whence came the Bob-white that 
are seen and heard in Woodlawn, Ore.? Ep, 
—leaves from an old account book or any thing Oregon Naturalist 
THE OREGON NATURALIST. 
Dear Sir 
In my communication published in the Oreg, 
Nat. for June, I mentioned a China Pheasant 
hen that we had, sitting. It may be of some 
interest to your readers for me to siy that she 
Seven, 
She was in a compartment of our park, 12 feet 
set well, and hatched all her eggs, 
square. She did nicely with her chicks for four 
days, and on the fifth, seeing her without chicks 
I investigited and found them all in a hole in 
Rat. 
I set a trap, end the next morning I was 
one corner of the park, dead. 
revenged, Weshut our Pheas. chicks up every 
night now; tight. 
Noting your statement that the Shirp-tailed 
Grouse is disappearing from Eastern Oregon; 
why no: replace him with the Ring-neck Mon- 
golian Pheasant? He is every way as desirable 
a game bird: (moreso | thin‘,) is gay of plumage 
is hardy; prolitic; and too sharp to be ‘*decimated 
by the pot hunter,” 
The grouse is crowded out by settlement. 
The China Pheasant does not appear to be; and 
the country of Eastern Oreg. ought to just about 
suit him. F. S. MATTESON 
Turner, Oreg. June 16th, 1895. 
Diamonds in California Gravel. 
WASHINGTON, June 28. — Dr. David T- 
Day, chief of the mining statistics division of 
the geological survey, has completed his annual 
report, from which the following, relating to 
the Pacific coast is taken: 
“W. P. Carpenter, of Placerville, Cal., who 
has from time to time reported the finding of 
diamonds in auriferous gravel, under the usual 
conditions of their occurence on the Pacific 
coast, has iately obtained two crystals, one 
weighing over seven grains troy, and the other 
six, of rounded form and rough surface, each 
nearly one-fourth of an inch in diameter, but 
faintly tinted, the larger with a greenish shade 
and the smaller with a pale yellow. As many 
as 40 or 50 small diamonds have been taken 
from the gravel at this place from time to time 
in the past, but, since the stamp mills have 
been employed, little is found but the crushed 
fragments encountered in ‘panning up.” 
