RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



SEDGES. 



Sedges are grass-like plants, mosth' grow- 

 ing in moist localities. They are of very lim- 

 itedeconomicaluse, and their interest to stu- 

 dents has always been in the beauty of their 

 minute parts and in the difficulty of their 

 study. While, as a general thing, lacustrine 

 or littoral plants, some grow in dry woods or 

 fields, and not a few on Alpine mountain-tops. 

 Thus Carex rigida and Carex scirpoidea we 

 have found on the summit of Mt. Lafayette. 

 Many other genera than Carex are included 

 in Cyperaceoi, as the bulrushes, the golin- 

 gales and the spike rushes. All these yield 

 in interest to the true sedges, which have 

 fascinated so many acute students. It is of 

 these we shall here speak. They should 

 especially attract Rhode Islanders, for the 

 reason that we possess, in the hei'barium of 

 Brown Universit}^ an exceptionally fine and 

 authentically-named collection. Special stu- 

 dents of Carex, both here and abroad, must 

 needs consult it. Here are many type forms, 

 copious notes, and graphic illustrations, in 

 the bequest of Colonel Olney. 



True sedges, we have said, were grass- 

 like in appearance ; indeed, they are pop- 

 ularly confused with grasses. From these 

 they differ in many essential particulars. 

 The first thing we notice is the generally 

 triangular stem, which is not jointed nor 

 hollow. The flowers are of two kinds, either 

 on separate plants or on different parts of 

 the same plant, or commingled in one in- 

 florescence. The starminate or mole flowers 

 are of comparatively little account in the 

 identification of species. A very close 

 study, however, is given to the pistillate 

 flowers. These consist of a flask-like or 

 sack-like body, formed by a union of bracts, 

 and inflated in various degrees or not at 

 all. It is called the jyerig^jyiium, and is the 

 bugbear of young students. It assumes 

 very various forms and diverse colors, is 

 sometimes beautifully nerved, sometimes 

 clothed with hairs, and often drawn out into 

 a besk. Within is found the akene or fruit, 

 which may be lenticular or triangular, 

 smooth or rough. The flowers are arranged 

 in spikes, and these are of different num- 

 bers and relative positions in the diverse 

 species. They may also be very close to- 

 gether or more or less remote. It would 

 be quite impossible, in a brief popular ac- 

 count, to enter much more fully into the 



recondite points of structure of this vast 

 genus. Often the differences between spe- 

 cies is extremely slight ; indeed, we conjec- 

 ture that they may dwell only in the imag- 

 ination of some prolific author. 



There is probably no object in nature so 

 humble that a devoted student would fail to 

 find in it an increasing delight. In these 

 useless plants there is a perennial joy to 

 those who love them. The pose of many of 

 them is beautiful. Sometimes the masses of 

 spikes resemble an old weapon of war, with 

 its steel points of offence ; sometimes they 

 are graceful tassels dangling in the breeze. 

 Usually the leaves are narrow like those 

 of grasses, but in Carex Froseriana, and 

 some others, become broad and conspicuous. 

 — Providence Journal. 



Frogs and Toads. 



The difference between frogs and toads 

 may be summed up as follows : 



Beginning at first principles, they both 

 lay their eggs in water ; those of the frog are, 

 soon after their deposit, about the size of a 

 pea, jell}^ like, and adhering in large 

 masses, while the toad lays a long string in 

 two rows. 



Frogs have smooth skins and are chiefly 

 aquatic, though they come frequently to 

 land and there obtain much of their food. 

 Toads are smooth when young, but soon 

 become covered with warty prominences, 

 which contain a whitish fluid. The two 

 large spots on each side of the head, at the 

 back, discharge most freel}'. This fluid is 

 not poisonous, nor does it produce warts upon 

 one's hands, as is often reported, but is to 

 the toad a valuable means of defence, as it 

 is particularly unpleasant to most animals 

 who would seize him with the mouth, either 

 in sport or for food. 



Frogs have teeth, the toad has none. 

 Frogs seem to prefer to get along in the 

 world by jumping, while the toad frequently 

 walks. 



Observing some toads singing, a short 

 time since, they were seen to inflate the 

 throat remarkably, often to the size of a 

 shag-bark nut, and in some cases they were 

 not disturbed when we stooped down and 

 tickled the throat with the finger. 



Our eastern North American toad, is 

 Bafo lentiginosus of Shaw, the northern 

 variet}', americanua. 



