rnt, CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. • 79 



which is much larger. The latter is black above, with a white taftci 

 down the middle of its back, and two white stripes on each side of its 

 head, in addition to which the male has a scarlet crest. Both these are 

 commonly called sap-suckers, which is considered an unmerited title. 



The Mouse. — In " Notes on the Mouse," I stated that I believed 

 the species Ai'vicola Hparius to be the most common kind found in 

 the orchards of the Canadian fruit grower. Perhaps this may wot be 

 the case everywhere in Ontario, but in our own sectiofty (Lincoln 

 County,) it is certainly one of the most numerous species. To make 

 sure about the matter, I sent some specimens for identification to 

 Prof. Ii. Ramsay Wright, of the University College, Toronto, whose 

 kindness in this respect I have before acknowledged. They were 

 captured in the orchard, under some corn stalks, where they had made 

 their nests and gathered a store for their young ; but whence they 

 were ready to make predatory excursions among the trees. The tail 

 is very short, giving rise to their common name, " the Short-tailed 

 Meadow Mouse." Prof. Wright says: The (first) specimens belong to- 

 the species Arvicola HpaHus ; order, meadow mouse, Tliese seem to 

 agree well with the long haired variety {longipilis) described by Baird, 

 which is perhaps only the winter dress. The tail is a trifle shorter in 

 proportion to the length of the body than Baird describes. He men- 

 tions that species of the genus have proved destructive in America to 

 young trees, but does not specify any one in particular. Prof. Wjight 

 also refers to Dr. Cone's monograph of the Rodentia for more detailed 

 information ; and adds that he will gladly render any further service 

 in the identification of Canadian specimens of natural history. 



EFFECTS OF FROST ON PLANTS AND SOILS. 



BY P. E. BUCKE, OTTAWA. 



The past summer season has not been the brightest on record for the 

 fruit cultivator of this section. The winter of 1877-8 was marked by 

 an unusually small snow-fp,ll, and the consequence was that our 

 cultivated raspberries suffered very severely, and especially Brinkle's 

 Orange, which proved almost a total failure. I may remark en pasant 

 that though this plant is one of the most delicate of the raspberry 

 class, it stands the climate here about as well as the hybrid or moss 



