30 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



cut off. Its height is 70 ft., and its girth, 

 5 ft. up, is 15 J ft. Dr. C. W. Parsons has 

 taken several measurements of this tree, 

 the first being in Januar}' 1858, when its 

 girth, 4 ft. up, was 13 ft. 4 in. It is said 

 that, through the agency of the Rev. J. 

 C. Richmond, acorns of this tree have been 

 distributed through man}' towns of Ger- 

 many, where its progeny are now growing. 

 The religious services, which in former 

 years were often held under this tree, have 

 clothed it with a sacredness which reminds 

 us of the venerated oaks of Europe in the 

 days of the Druids. 



The characteristics of this tree in Rhode 

 Island, as it appears in well developed spe- 

 cimens, grown upon open ground, ma}' be 

 summed up as follows: Size, 1st class; 

 short body, wide-spreading top, generally 

 symmetrical, limbs stout, often much con- 

 torted, the branchlets short and stiff, strik- 

 ing out at wide angles ; buds, small ; leaves 

 without bristles (the same is true of all 

 the species in the White Oak division), pre- 

 senting beautiful models of curving ; 

 acorns small, in a deep cup, sweet and edi- 

 ble ; bark white, in loose scales. The tree 

 is of slow growth, and may be called young 

 at the age of a century. 



Such has been the destruction of this tree 

 that it is doubtful if there are a hundred 

 well-grown, fully-developed specimens in 

 the state. 



Of all our northern oaks this is the most 

 valuable for timber, ranking next to the 

 southern " Live oak," and it is excellent for 

 fuel. The distribution of this species is very 

 extensive, it being found in nearly all sec- 

 tions of the United States, and as far 

 north as Lake Winnipeg. It finds a con- 

 genial home in Rhode Island. 



The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode 

 Island. 



BY HORACE F. CARPENTER. 



Mr. E. J. Smith writes : "I have lately 

 tried an experiment in cleaning shells. I 

 boiled some cones and a few others for 

 three or four minutes in a strong solution 

 of potash, and the epidermis came to pieces 

 and fell off, leaving the shell clean and 

 smooth, with no evil effect at all. Three 

 or four ounces of Babbitt's potash to a pint 

 of water is about the proper strength. (The 

 mixture may be saved and used many 

 times.) Scrub the shell with a stiff brush, 

 and when it is dry rub with a cloth very 

 slightly oiled, to obtain a fine gloss." 



Chapter XV. 



37. Odostomia bisdturalis. Say. 



Syns. : 



Jaminia exigna. Couth. Kuster. 



Odostomia exigna, Gould. Stimp. 



Rissoa rupestris, Forbes. 



Chemnitzia bisuturalis, Stimp. 



Turritella bisuturalis. Say. 



Odostomia bisuturalis. Modern authors.. 



"Shell thin, pellucid, small, conic ; whorls- 

 five, wrinkles almost obsolete, a revolving 

 impressed line near the suture ; suture not 

 deeply impressed ; spire gradually tapering, 

 rather longer than the aperture ; aperture 

 rounded at base and perfectly entire. 

 Length rather more than one-tenth inch. 

 Inhabits Boston Harbor." 



The above is Say's description. Journ. 

 Ac. Nat. Sci., Phila., ii., 244, 1821. 



Gould's Invert. Mass., p. 328, 1870, says : 

 " First found by Mr. Couthouy at Chelsea, 

 near the ferry landing, adhering to decay- 

 ing wood." Couthouy described it in the 

 Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., ii., 92, 1838,. 

 under the name of Jaminia exigna. How 

 can this be? If Couthouy discovered it 

 first, its name should be Odostomia exigna, 

 as it belongs to this genus and not to jami- 

 nia or turritella, but Say described it la 

 1821 as above, although not accurately in. 

 all points, yet enough so to give his name 

 priority. The revolving line just below the 

 suture, making the suture to appear double, 

 gives it its specific name, which is most ap- 

 propriate. The shell is one- fifth inch in 

 length and one-tenth in breadth. It is^ 

 white or light greenish in color, under a 

 brownish epidermis, its apex is obtuse, and 

 at the base is a small umbilicus, near which, 

 on the inner lip, is a transverse white tooth 

 or fold. It is one of the most common 

 species in our bay, but from its minute size 

 is liable to be overlooked. It is found on 

 oysters and other living and dead species 

 from the bottom of the bay, but is more 

 plentiful on stones and dead shells between 

 tides, and is found abundantly in the shell 

 sand thrown up on the shore by storms. I 

 have taken nearly a hundred living speci- 



