36 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Native Trees of Rhode Island. 



BY L. W. RUSSELL. 

 No. II. 



QUERCUS OBTUSILOBA — MiCHEAux. 



QuERCus STELLATA — WiUcleyioiv. 

 Post Oak — Rough or Box Oak. 



The Q. obtusiloba is not a common tree 

 in Rliode Island. There is but one locality 

 in the state, known to the writer, where it 

 is fonnd, and that is in the vicinity of the 

 northern bend of Wickford harbor, in North 

 Kingstown. About three miles from Davis- 

 ville station, on the Stonington railroad, 

 less than a mile from " Devil's Foot Rock," 

 south, and near to, the "Driftway" road 

 leading to the residence of Hon. Joseph 

 Spink, is an interesting group of this 

 species of oaks. Thej' grow upon some 

 ridges of drift or coarse gravel, which slope 

 to, and join, low marshy ground extending 

 to a spur of the harbor. I have been 

 unable to find record of this tree growing 

 npon any other spot so far north as this. 

 Micheaux speaks of it as a notable fact that 

 he found the tree on the west bank of the 

 Hudson opposite New York ; and attributes 

 its occurrence at this point to the softening 

 influence of the sea breezes. At Oak Bluffs, 

 Martha's Vine^'ard, are fonnd manj' trees 

 of this species, forming, near the shore, a 

 characteristic and attractive feature of the 

 scenery there. The existence of these trees 

 at the Wickford locality is one of several facts 

 connected with the ligneous growth of the 

 state, going to show that in Rhode Island 

 the distinctive floras of the northern and 

 central sections of the country to a consid- 

 erable extent meet and mingle with each 

 other. 



This tree, when well developed, is one of 

 very marked characteristics. In open 

 ground, it forms a low, orbicular head of 

 remarkable density. The branchlets and 

 leaves lap over each other in such a manner 

 as to suggest a thatched roof, and standing 

 beneath it one could hardh' catch the sun- 

 ligiit. The tree limbs very low, the 

 branches striking out at first at right 

 angles, later, bending downward, and, gen- 

 erally, much contorted. The leaves have 

 strikingly notable features. They are cori- 

 aceous, stiff, dark-green, and ver^M-ough on 



the upper surface ; on the lower, whitish, 

 softer and downy. They are on short, 

 stiff, footstalks, and are so arranged at the 

 ends of the branchlets, in close-set, stel- 

 lated tufts, as to suggest the term. '•'• stel- 

 lata." The typical leaf has a deep sinus on 

 each side, about one-third from the base, 

 the upper portion being divided into three 

 divergent lobes, which are often subdivided. 

 The buds are short, thick, and rounded, 

 but not large. The acorns are small, 

 nearly sessile, in a broad cup, covered bj" 

 numerous smooth, close scales. They are 

 sweet and edible, neat and attractive. This 

 oak belongs to the annual-fruited section, 

 and is closel3' allied with the Q. alba. The 

 bark is grayish-white, rough, deepl}' fur- 

 rowed, and broken into oblong portions. 

 The wood is highly esteemed for timber, 

 having most of the valuable characteristics 

 of the Q. alba, or white oak. This tree 

 grows well on a light, sand}', or gravelW 

 soil, and would probabl}' do so in sheltered 

 places anywhere in Rhode Island. It 

 should be stated that different specimens of 

 the Wickford group of these trees var}' so 

 much in essential points as to furnish relia- 

 ble evidence of their hybridizing with other 

 species of oaks. 



Lecture by D. W. Hoyt, on Soundings in 

 and Around Narragansett Bay. 



The twelfth and closing lecture in the 

 Franklin Societ}' course was delivered by 

 Mr. David W. Hoyt, vice-president of the 

 society. His subject was •' Studies of 

 Soundings in and Around Narragansett 

 Bay." It was illustrated by maps and 

 diagrams. 



After alluding generall}* to the results of 

 deep-sea soundings, Mr. Hoyt directed the 

 attention of his hearers to a colored map of 

 Narragansett Bay, one color representing 

 the water that is between flft}' and one 

 hundred feet deep at the present time, and 

 another color representing the water that 

 is more than one hundred feet deep. He 

 then showed what would be the outline of 

 the coast if the continent were raised fifty 



