52 
POPULAR SCIEl^OE NEWS. 
[April, 1891. 
©be ©tit-Doo!- ^OPld. 
Edited by HARLAN H. BALI.AED, 
President of the Agassiz Association. 
[P. O. Address, Pittsfield, Mass.] 
It is the First of April, and we ouglit to recog- 
uize tlie day — not as a time for practical joliiug 
and Ij'ing, but as tliat beautiful season of the year 
when flowers open tlieir folded buds, brooks open 
their sealed lips, and the whole earth opens to re- 
ceive the seed for another harvest. Some of our 
young Latin scliolars may question the commonly 
accepted derivation of April, — from Aperio, to 
open; — but, wliatever the decision of tlie latest 
philology may be, there will always — at least in 
New England — be a pleasant fitness in the old 
Latin saying, '■'■Apnlis omnia Aperit." 
Speaking of opening, suppose we open first 
this budget of letters from Chapters and members 
that will agree to answer all letters received. It 
will be rememi)ered that a month or two ago we 
printed a complaint from one who had failed to 
receive an answer to a letter written to one of our 
Chapters. We said then that that difficulty could 
easily be remedied by making a special enrollment 
of all those Chapters and members that could be 
depended upon in this regard. Those that do not 
for any reason care to extend their correspondence 
will not be included in this list, and no one is in- 
vited to address them. But those whose names 
shall from time to time be added may be under- 
stood to hold themselves ready at any and .all 
times to return a prompt .and courteous answer, 
however brief, to every communication they may 
receive, without any conditions except such as 
may be specified in each case. 
SECOND LIST OP CHAPTERS AND MEM- 
BERS AGREEING TO REPLY TO ALI> 
LETTERS RECEIVED. 
2.33, Baltimore, Md. — We desire to correspond 
with California Chapters, situated both on the 
coast and inland. Address, Cliapter 2.S3, A. A., 
Baltimore City College, Baltimore, Md. 
832, Napa City, Cal. — We desire coiTespondence, 
and will answer promptly all letters sent. I think 
The Observer takes the place of Santa Clans. Our 
special subjects are mineralogy, geology, and con- 
chology. We will exchange ores, fossils, etc., 
but everything will be answered. — Uriah Lincoln 
Hertz, Pres. 
[This is all right except the thought that any 
other paper than Popular Science News repre- 
sents the Agassiz Association. The Observer does 
not even claim to have any connection witli the 
A. A. — as several unscrupulous journals have 
done and still do. — Ed.] 
Savanniih, Ga. — Kindly notice me as willing at 
any time to answer correspondents. — Clarence M. 
Clark, Madison Square. 
Trenton, N. J. — I have always answered, and 
will continue to answer, all communications that 
come to me, stamp or no st.amp, for the purpose 
of exchanging minerals. Some members of the 
A. A. have failed to answer my advances, but 
many have responded, and I can vouch for the 
courtesy of .all those of the Corresponding Geo- 
logical Chapter with whom I have communicated. 
For my part, I have already been more than repaid 
for joining the A. A. It is excellent. — .1. ITusson, 
Box 117. 
181, Sylvan Lake, Florida. — We hereby .agree to 
answer, to the best of our knowledge, all A. A. 
letters addressed to us, until notice to the con- 
trary is given. Our special subjects are botany, 
entomology, and ornithology. — R. E. E. Wylie, 
Sec. 
Warren, R. I. — I .agree to answer all letters or 
postal-cards sent me by members of the A. A. 
during 1891, or until further notice. The subject 
in which I take most interest is botany, although 
I am interested in all tliat pertains to tlie natural 
history of this town. — Frank D. Esterbrook, Box 
413. 
Copenhagen, N. Y. — All letters answered, es- 
pecially in regard to polished specimens of woods, 
fossils, and crystals. — L. L. Lewis, Dnawer 107. 
Niles, Mich. — Your plan concerning correspond- 
ence is excellent. Please put my name down for 
ornitliology, oology, and taxidermy. — Ralph Bal- 
lard. 
342, Haddonfleld, N. .7. — We will correspond. 
Our present study is entomology, but we are new 
to it, and fear we cannot give much information. 
We have some botanists among us, however, .and 
perhaps may do some good in that way. — H. A. 
Crawley, Sec. 
Manhattan, Kansas. — Correspondence desired, 
regarding exchange of moss-agates, satiu-spar, 
<and other minerals, shells, native woods, and In- 
dian relics. — G. E. Wells. 
Mt. Morris, III. — I shall be very glad to commu- 
nicate with any Chapter or member of tlie A. A. 
on any topic. — Lewis Skenberry, Box 24.5. 
882, Bedford, N. Y.— While we will agree to 
answer all letters or cards as you propose, we 
wish it understood that we are learners, not 
teachers. We .are interested in bot.ony and ento- 
mology, and particularly in grasses and spiders. 
— Mrs. Lea LuquBr. 
Philadelphia, Pa. — I will answer all letters or 
post.al-cards received from Chapters or members 
of the A. A. during 18!)1, or until further notice. 
The subjects in wliieli I take most interest are 
mineralogy, crystallography, and photography. — 
Charles E. Frick, 1,019 West Lehigh Avenue. 
29, Boston, Mass. — ^Our Chapter would like to 
add its name to the list agreeing to answer letters 
during 1891. The subjects on which we will cor- 
respond are geology, mineralogy, botaii)', chemis- 
try, and archajology. We must add the proviso, 
however, that a stamp be sent for reply, as our 
treasury is very low. — Ella F. Boyd, 118 Hyde 
Park Avenue, Hyde Park, Mass. 
[The condition that a stamp be inclosed is par- 
ticularly fair in this case, as most of tlie members 
of Chapter 29 .are specialists or teachers, and the 
aid they are able and willing to give to our 
younger members is very valuable. — Ed.] 
CHAPTER ADDRESSES, NEW AND 
REVISED. 
No. of 
No. Name. Members 
438 Somerville, Mass. A 5 
T. M. Dillaway, 25 Claremon Street. 
383 Louisville, Ky. A 7 
Miss Carrie R. Gaulbcrt, 1,027 4th Avenue. 
392 Bloomington, 111. A 7 
Ethan Viall, 1,011 North McLean Street. 
136 New London, Conn. A 20 
William P. Benjamin, 20 Broad Street. 
402 Cumberland, Md. A 4 
E. 0. Hammond, Box 523. 
411 Andover, Mass. A 5 
George H. Nettleton, Box 480. 
192 Boston, Mass. C 4 
Miss'lGrace Smith, Hotel Harvard, Belvidere 
Street. 
426 Bangor, Me. A 
O. Crosby Bean, Norfolk Street. 
432 Notre Dame, I. S. A 
Francis J. Powers. 
AN INTERESTING LETTER AND LIST OF 
PLANTS AND INSECTS FROM THE HEART 
OF RUSSIA. 
Moscow, Gagarinski .30. \ 
27 November, 1890. ) 
Dear Sir : I am happy to send you herowitli 
a list of the plants of the district of Moschaisk 
(government of Moscow), where, in the village of 
Treparevo, I passed last summer, as I had many 
summers before. My son, Borice Fedclieuko, 
sends you a list of the Lepidoptera and Ijirds of the 
same place. Nearly all these plants are repre- 
sented in my lierbarium. Tlie sign (*) stands in 
tlie list before the names of such plants as cannot 
strongly lie considered as wild, but either are or 
have been cultivated and now grow wild in gar- 
dens. You may publish the list if you like. 
Yours truly, 
Ol<;a Fedcheuko. 
Corresponding Member No. 16,068. 
[This list will be published in tlie Maj' and 
succeeding issues of the Science News.] 
THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION BADGE. 
iNc^uiKiES are constantly received concerning 
the badge of our Association. It is the Swiss 
cross, and, provided that fundamental form be re- 
tained, details of material and ornamentation may 
be used. The letters A. A. or the words Agassiz 
.\ssoci!ition must .appear upon it, and preferably 
the number and name of the Chapter also. Mr. 
W. A. Hayward, Box 278, Taunton, Mass., has 
been our "official" badge-niiiker for ten years. 
and has .always served us faithfully. 1 1 is work- 
manship is good .and liis prices are low. The 
accompanying illustrations show some of the 
more popular styles, and range in price from fifty 
cents in plain silver to fourteen dollars, and as 
much more as one may desire in solid gold set 
with diamonds or other gems. It is pleasant, 
particularly wlien tr-avelling, to meet persons 
wearing the Association emblem, for it at once 
establishes a friendly relation like that of all fra- 
ternities. The Swiss cross was adopted in lienor 
