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lantiom ilolcB on latural |i0t0rt). 



Vol. 1. 



PROVIDENCE, OCTOBER, 1884. 



Entered at the Providence Post-Offiee as Second-Class Matter. 



No. X. 



l|_anbom "f otes tin f atural f istori|» 



A Monthly Devoted to the Distiubution of Use- 

 ful Knowledge Concerning the Various De- 

 partments OF Zoology, Mineralogy, and 

 Botany. 50 Cents a Yeak. 

 Address all communications to 



SOUTHWICK & JENCKS, 

 258 Westminster St., Providence, H. I., U. S. A. 



SPECIAL NOTICE. 



Subscriptions hereafter will begin with 

 the current number, or the March number 

 if desired. 



Those having copies of January or Feb- 

 ruaiy to spare will confer a lavor by return- 

 ing the same to us. We will accept such 

 copies if in good preservation, and forward 

 for each 10 cents, or they may be used for 

 that amount in the purchase of goods from 

 us. The sender should write " from " and 

 his name and address on the wrapper. 



Can any of our readers tell us who was 

 the first to use a hard body in mounting 

 birds, or where a hard body is first de- 

 scribed? All the French works on taxi- 

 dermy recommend soft filling, and the use 

 of a hard body is probably of English or 

 German origin. We would very much like 

 an answer to this question. 



It really is surprising how much has been 

 written on taxiderrav in various languages. 

 The oldest paper quoted was written in 

 1689, the next in 174:2, and from that time 

 onward there have been very few years un- 

 represented, the books and papers on taxi- 

 dermj' multiplying very rapidly within the 

 last four or five j'ears. 



An Unwilling Captive. — On the after- 

 noon of September 6th a gentleman, while 

 walking by the Genesee River, saw a King- 

 fisher dart down to the water. The next 

 instant there was a lively struggle at the 

 water's edge. The bird had caught a clam, 

 and the clam in turn had caught the King- 



fisher securely by closing its shell. Both 

 specimens were easily' taken alive by the 

 e^^e-witness, and placed in my hands for 

 preservation. T. W. Fraine. 



Of all our birds I think the Song Spar- 

 row most prolific. A pair of these birds 

 remained through the winter among the 

 evergreens in my yard, and commenced 

 singing with the appearance of spring. By 

 the 15th of May I first noticed nest-building 

 had begun, and on the 22d there were four 

 eggs in the nest; these I took for a friend. 

 In about two weeks the3' had another nest 

 near b}', and when I found the set was six 

 I took that June 3d. In about two weeks 

 more, as I was walking in my yard, the fe- 

 male flew out of the grass, disclosing set 

 number three, which contained four eggs. 

 As these were under 1113^ daily observation 

 I watched the progress of incubation with 

 great interest, and saw the 3'oung take 

 wing Jul}' 4th. Within a week after, nest 

 number four was begun in a little shrub, in 

 which four more eggs were laid and hatched, 

 but a few days later I found the nest pulled 

 down and the young destroyed, probably b}^ 

 some hungry cat. But the birds were not 

 discouraged yet, for on the 10th of August 

 I found nest number five, with four eggs, in 

 a bunch of asparagus, and to-day, Septem- 

 ber 1st, four 3'oung birds are ready plumed 

 for fiight. All these nests were in my front 

 yard. J. N. Clark. 



We propound a conundrum for the op- 

 ponents of arsenic in general, and arsenical 

 soap in particular. Why is it that from its 

 first invention bj^ Becoeur until the present 

 day arsenical soap has held its own against 

 the scores of dermal preservatives that have 

 from time to time been brought to the front? 

 The older works on taxidermy abound in all 

 sorts of baths and powders, and yet we hear 

 veiy little of them now-a-days. 



Also, since arsenic is said to be so dan- 

 gerous, we will ask for a little information 

 on the point from any one who has felt any 

 deleterious effects from its use. 



